etgrawe Reviews

Sons of Summer (2023)

Poorly made and boring

[4/10 · 1 March 2024]

I feel like I'm losing my mind reading these 9-10/10 reviews. This movie was so bad that I can only conclude those people watched something entirely different. This movie would have been a lot better if it had picked a lane. At times it was a good-times summer surfing movie, a road trip movie, and a crime thriller. The problem was that none of those things seemed to be dominant or done very well. The movie also centered around the one guy's dad who was murdered 30 years ago, which means these guys were all at least 30. They did not look 30 or act 30. I also feel like that random thing was completely unnecessary. It wasn't even like the guy needed closure or some part of his life wrapped up, it was just something that happened. That led to the road trip which barely happened. It took over 40 minutes for them to even leave town and then they spent maybe 20 minutes actually doing road trip stuff before going back to what they were already doing. This movie also had at least 8 different surfing montages, one of which wasn't even of the main characters. The biggest problem though was that the acting was terrible and the dialogue was extremely bad. Everything was so stiff and inorganic that it was impossible to pretend this was anything other than a poorly made movie. I don't think that there was really much to redeem this movie; it was poorly made and boring.

Madame Web (2024)

It wasn't great, but it was also nowhere near as bad as people are making it out to be.

[7/10 · 25 February 2024]

Nowhere near as bad as people were making it sound. It certainly wasn't the best movie out there, but it was perfectly watchable. I thought the concept was pretty cool and it occasionally had some good action sequences. The dialogue was a bit clunky though and the acting was a bit stiff. Also the girls were massively underused. They had no personalities and contributed nothing to the plot aside from being in danger. They also don't even acquire powers at any point which was like the whole driving force behind the movie. The villain was pretty over the top in this movie as well. Like, he was comically evil and had basically no backstory. It's not even that clear why he stole the spider powers in the first place. I'm not sure that the Peruvian spider-people were really necessary. To me they just made everything seem really corny but whatever, Spiderman movies have always been pretty corny. I think this movie has been criticized a bit too harshly. It wasn't amazing but I still thought it was pretty enjoyable and I would totally watch a sequel if they made one.

Free State of Jones (2016)

An incredibly compelling story coupled with great acting

[10/10 · 6 April 2021]

I sort of stumbled upon this movie when looking through Netflix. Decided to give it a go because it seemed interesting. It was much better than I could have anticipated. Almost every part of this movie was great. The story was extremely compelling. I would recommend that any American (or person who is interested in American history) watch this movie. It tells a story that I was never taught in school. But this story is one that will make you feel happy, sad, and upset at times. This story will give you a fresh look into one of the many wild stories of the civil war.

The acting is also very good. The main characters are very convincing and sell their roles well. The scenery and props are also good in their attention to detail. The script is at times riveting and does a good job capturing the way in which southern people frequently speak. I truly felt like this movie was high quality in all aspects.

I would recommend this movie to anyone 14+. There are plenty of violent scenes, tense scenes, and vulgar language. But these things only add the realism of the movie.

Year One (2009)

I'm surprised by the low ratings

[10/10 · 1 April 2021]

I thought this movie was really fun. The acting was all pretty much perfect. The two leads were undeniably fun. The story was good in the sense that it always had a clear trajectory. The jokes were mostly corny or stupid but that was what made the movie good. The whole thing is just goofy and light-hearted. I would highly recommend this movie if you want something silly and casual.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Really fun watch

[10/10 · 30 March 2021]

This movie was great. The actors were solid and the characters were fun. The plot was interesting and the action was on the same level. I don't know how much there is to say other than this movie is enjoyable to watch and 100% worth the time.

Crown Vic (2019)

Interesting cop movie

[8/10 · 30 March 2021]

Cop movies can be really hit or miss. This one was for the most part a hit. It presented characters that felt real (with one exception) and the actors delivered strong performances. The plot was intriguing and really felt like there was no clear outcome. Truly a movie that captured my attention.

The Impossible (2012)

Like Finding Nemo, but different

[7/10 · 11 March 2021]

So imagine if finding nemo was instead about a family of vacationers. And instead of a boat, the family is separated by a tsunami. Also the obstacles the two groups face to be reunited are a lot more depressing and grim. Also it is easier to relate to a family of humans instead of a pair of fish.

Frozen (I) (2010)

A decent survival story

[5/10 · 11 March 2021]

This movie was good at times but also bad at times. The biggest problem I had was that the characters are just really stupid. I mean like so stupid it was frustrating at times. If I look past the characters being complete idiots then I would say the movie was pretty decent. The imagery was good and the acting was for the most part good. It definitely was a darker movie than I initially expected but I think that played to the strength of the film. My biggest issue with the movie though was the ending. Without revealing any specifics I thought the ending was stupid and a cop out. It seemed like the writers couldn't find a good way to finish the story and just threw something together. Overall, I would say this movie is good enough to justify watching, but not good enough that I would ever choose to watch it again.

Road Trip: Beer Pong (2009 Video)

You get exactly what you expect

[5/10 · 10 March 2021]

This movie was basically exactly what it portrayed itself as. It was stupid, sometimes funny, and raunchy. The plot itself is pretty silly and the antics that happen during the road trip are pretty amateur. If you like watching movies about college kids being idiots, this is a good movie for that. If you are looking for a movie with good jokes and a sensible plot, this movie is not really that.

The Land That Time Forgot (2009 Video)

A bad movie carried by an interesting plot

[4/10 · 10 March 2021]

So I more or less randomly picked this movie to watch. It was not the worst movie I've ever seen but it wasn't exactly great either. The CGI was pretty bad which could maybe be excused by the age but nonetheless is pretty distracting. The acting wasn't super convincing but I would say it was passable. The dialogue was not very strong but all the characters at least sounded like normal human beings. My biggest complaint with this movie would actually be the audio mixing. At times the music was overbearing and the dialogue hard to hear.

There were certainly some positives though. The story itself is very fascinating and in my opinion the primary reason this movie got more than a 1 star. I also thought that there were some nice moments with attention to detail but those were few and far between.

In all honesty, I probably wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone that values their time. I gave it a 4/10 because I enjoyed the plot, but if you are choosing between two movies, this is probably not the one you should select.