jreagan-42424 Reviews

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

A superb film.

[10/10 · 20 August 2022]

Despite some pacing issues, which made the movie feel a lot longer than it actually is, "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once" is a wildly imaginative , original and funny movie. It succeeded at making me question every single important life decision I've ever made, as well as making me laugh hysterically in a few parts.

Excellent.

The Rift (1990)

A pretty okay film

[5/10 · 29 April 2022]

I found this on Tubi and watched it over the course of a week because I'd always put it right before bed and usually fall asleep a few minutes into it. I was expecting a talk fest with little action, but once I watched the whole thing, I found a pretty decent low-budget movie. The acting is serviceable, the plot is alright, and there's plenty of action and decent practical special effects. Worth a watch for fans of science fiction B-Movies.

Skinned Deep (2004)

UHM...

[7/10 · 29 April 2022]

Here's the thing: this movie is not good. But it is not bad, either. It was directed by a man who has a career in makeup and sfx and it clearly shows. Some of the makeup effects are impressive and very creative. The filmmaking aspect of it falls short. The acting is bad, the editing is awkward, the photography is amateurish, the story is lackluster and derivative, and the dubbing is laughable.

But the characters are memorable. Surgeon General looks great, and Warwick Davis gives an interesting performance as a psychotic midget who throws plates at people. I laughed quite a few times at how lame and inappropriate most of the jokes are. The humor is eccentric.

Worth a watch for fans of bad movies.

The Batman (2022)

Excellent!

[10/10 · 27 April 2022]

This may very well be the best Batman movie I've seen. And I've seen them all. Not only does it work as a Batman movie, but it holds its own as a detective flick. The world feels real, the style is gritty. This is perfect.

Skeleton Man (2004 TV Movie)

Embarassing

[1/10 · 24 March 2022]

Watched only because Michael Rooker is in it. He looks absolutely p****ed, almost as if someone tricked him into being there. Aside from that, there's really nothing to see here. Forgettable garbage.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Absolutely beautiful!

[10/10 · 8 March 2022]

One of the most delightful, and heartbreaking, films I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. A thoroughly human film, it will make you laugh as hard as it will make you feel for the characters.

Expertly acted, directed, and shot for the time, I can't find a single blemish on what is likely one of my favorite movies of all time.

Harold and Maude tells the love story of a rich young man obsessed with death and an older lady full of the life he lacks.

Dune (2021)

Visually stunning

[8/10 · 24 November 2021]

This movie feels incomplete, even for a first half of a movie. Some things feel glossed over, even for a two and a half hour movie, I felt some things were skipped, and too many important scenes were cut.

The rumored 4-hour Director's Cut will undoubtedly be far superior.

All that aside, this movie looks beautiful, the acting is superb, the desert is fantastic, and the visuals are amazing.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Could've been better

[6/10 · 2 November 2021]

This movie suffers from terrible pacing issues, sometimes the movie feels like its playing on fast forward, and sometimes the plot grinds to a halt. There is very little character development. The editing is some of the worst I have ever seen -disjointed, gimmicky, and sometimes downright confusing (STOP IT WITH THE SLOMO!). The editing almost breaks the movie. Some scenes are cut in half, to show another scene, which is then cut in half to go on with the first scene that was cut in half. Feels like the movie has ADHD, or the filmmakers knew that their intended audience (kids, teens and adults who think and act like teens) cant keep their attention on something for more than 8 seconds. The acting is on point, however, and I did enjoy John C. Reilly (as per usual).

The monster fight scenes are pretty entertaining and I can imagine that it was the focus of the film, a spectacle of big monsters killing each other, but again, the annoying editing makes them almost a chore to watch.

I wasnt surprised that the editor of this movie worked on Wonder Woman 1984, and Justice League. Two notoriously bad movies, which are some of the worst things Ive ever seen.

It was a fun movie nonetheless, despite being riddled with plot holes and goofs and people making stupid choices.

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004 TV Movie)

A delightfully bad TV movie

[6/10 · 22 October 2021]

The other day I had a real hankering to watch Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. One of those sudden movie cravings. I was disapointed to realize I couldnt find it streaming and I didnt have it on DVD.

But upon searching for it on Tubi I came across this gem. My wife said "I used to watch it, its like Indiana Jones" So I watched all 3 Librarian movies.

This movie and its two sequels (which were produced by Wyle himself and directed by Star Treks own Jonathan Frakes) are exactly what you expect from TV movies: pedestrian acting, terrible script, uninspired direction, unnatural dialogue, low production values, atrocious CGI, and dumb premises.

That being said I really enjoyed all three of these movies in an unironic AND in an ironic way as well.

The character of Flynn is laughably unplausible. He is a literal genius who has read every book on Earth and knows everything. I am not even exaggerating, he knows EVERYTHING. The guy is Google on Adderall. But he is also kind of human and fairly likeable. He isnt an arrogant nerd. He is kind, shy, and a bit of a doofus. I dont think its a well written character at all -far from it, but Noah Wyle plays Flynn with great charisma and he is the only character with any real development.

Everyone else (Save Bob Newhart, Dukakis, and Jane Curtis) is giving their Middle School theater production effort. The female lead and love interest is plain bad, and the relationship between her and Flynn is forced, and only there to serve the plot.

I was definitely surprised when Kyle Maclaghlan showed up, playing the villain. But this wonderful actor is given no character and very little to work with, so his undeniable talent is wasted here.

Despite all its glaring flaws, I found these movies to be delightful. I was constantly making jabs at them, laughing at the bad writing, special effects, and acting. I tried to count the times the movies broke my suspension of disbelief, but I lost count after about 40 minutes.

I think these movies are great for younger audiences, such as kids and preteens, and adults who are willing to not question a thing, choose not to poke holes in the paper thin plot, and just enjoy the ride for what it is: a cheap Indiana Jones ripoff, but a wholesome adventure nonetheless.

Malignant (I) (2021)

A derivative story made with excellence

[8/10 · 23 September 2021]

Major spoilers ahead, read at your own discretion.

Malignant starts out with an absolute bang. The first scene of this movie is intense, scary, and disturbing.

However, once the (amazing) opening credits roll by, we are treated to more haunted house schlock, when a woman and her husband are attacked by what appears to be a ghost. This is not a ghost, however, as it turns out, it was the woman all along, controlled by a parasitic twin she had growing in her brain since birth, and was supposedly taken out by doctors. The evil twin has hijacked the woman's mind after a hit on the head 'awoke' him, and is out for revenge to kill the doctors who tried to separate them, the woman's adoptive family, and their own birth mother.

At one point during the movie I told my wife: "This is like that episode of the Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, where Bart had an evil twin!", and she said I ruined the movie for her.

But yes.

This movie is a mixture of the Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Bart's Evil Twin episode, with that scene from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone where the dude had a face in the back of his head. Throw in Belial from Basket Case, and you got Malignant.

Despite its slight unoriginality the movie is amazing, due in large part to James Wan's expert direction, the movie's intense pacing, the superb acting, and the truly horrifying visuals James Wan and his team cooked up, and shot with beautiful photography.

The evil twin's face is in the back of the woman's head, so when the twin commits the murders, he moves backwards, making for some spectacular visuals.

The murders are violent, bloody and gory, and James Wan doesn't pull any punches. This movie has a lot of sickening and disturbing images of extreme violence.

Structured like many of his own horror movies (think The Conjuring), the story may be derivative, but it is relatively solid.

I did manage to find ONE PRETTY BIG PLOT HOLE during my first viewing. It is explained that while the twin commits the murders, the woman is put in an illusion where she believes she is living life normally, but she can have visions of what the twin does. In one scene she is seen sleeping in bed and having visions of the twin murdering a man in his own house, the movie tells us that these visions are connected, so she sees them as they happen simultaneously. But then she screams and her sister comes in to comfort her. In the next scene, the sister takes her to the police. If the twin (which is in the back of her head, mind you) was committing the murder with her own body, how could she scream in her own room, and how could her sister come in and find her there? Shouldn't she be in the apartment killing the man? A huge blow to continuity, and it's not even subtle if I noticed it during my very first viewing of the movie.

But the movie works well despite that, and it managed to keep me intrigued during most of its runtime. (Except for the scene in the police precinct, but that's a story for another time).

The Terror Within (1989)

Actually not half bad

[7/10 · 31 July 2021]

It's an Alien rip-off, but as far as Alien rip-offs go, this one is pretty good.

It has all the kooky elements you can come to expect from a Roger Corman film. It looks cheap, the dialogue is strange, some plot elements make little sense, and the acting is about three inches above average. But Corman knows how to make a decent movie for less than a dollar and sell the hell out of it.

Finding 'Ohana (2021)

Fun, light-hearted family fun

[7/10 · 21 March 2021]

Drawing inspiration from Richard Donner's 1984 classic adventure film "The Goonies" and giving it a tropical makeover, "Finding Ohana" takes us in search for pirate treasure once again, this time inside an underground cave in Hawaii.

Neatly paced and with just enough substance to make the story flow without complications, "Finding Ohana" centers around a group of teenagers who set out in search for treasure into the depths of an ancient tomb.

The film is not without its blemishes. There are cringe inducing moments, unfitting musical choices, and awkward acting performances, but a decent plot, beautiful scenery, and a well crafted script keeps this flick about family and cultural heritage afloat.

Certainly a movie to be enjoyed with the family and a bowl of popcorn.

Run Hide Fight (2020)

An abortion

[1/10 · 21 March 2021]

Tasteless, shallow and a borderline mockery of victims of school shootings.

The only semblance of entertainment this movie provided was a drinking game we played in which we took a shot for every plot hole we spotted and by half of the movie the entire party was piss drunk.

I would much rather get a root canal without anesthesia than having to sit through this again. Don't waste your money and time in this.

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

An absolute waste of time

[1/10 · 17 March 2021]

A boring, nonsensical, pretentious mess that goes nowhere. Do not waste your time with this, unless you want to see a creep chasing 15 year old French girls around Disneyland.