tonyjcole94 Reviews

The Lion King (2019)

Visually breathtaking. Talented cast. True to the roots. A real treat for the family

[8/10 · 19 July 2019]

As someone who grew up watching The Lion King (90s baby here), I was thrilled to hear of the live action adaptation for Lion King was in the works. With Disney essentially making a live-action universe . It was impossible to leave something as iconic as The Lion King out of the mix.

I expected critics to not like this film. It was almost inevitable . Something as iconic as The Lion King is embedded in the minds of fans everywhere . Any changes , no matter how slight will get you points docked. And that's why I feel critics have mixed emotions about this film. I personally think they take themselves entirely too seriously. This is a live-action adaptation of the story , meant to give the audience and realistic re-telling of the story , or should I say as real as possible(we all know animals don't talk). And that's exactly what this film did.

Yes there are flaws , such as the animals not emoting because of the realistic CGI or some scenes not looking as colorful and majestic as they did in the orginal z but hey , you can't have it all. I throughly enjoyed the film. It was nearly a scene-by-scene recapture of the orginal film with some new material added, which was a smart move in my opinion. As I said before, a film as iconic as TLK

Seth Rogen and Billy Eichener stole the show as Timon and Pumba . Their chemistry and charisma brought so much life to the film and none of the jokes fell short. Beyonce did very well as Nala despite some criticism on social media from short clips. Nala also has a much more developed character in the film which I particularly enjoyed. Scar was dark and intimidating , Chiwetel really did excellent for such a hard role to fill.

Overall the movie funny , heartfelt, beautifully crafted, and just an overrall treat to watch. Go see it with the family and I assure you they will thoroughly enjoy it.

Escape Room (I) (2019)

Final Destination meets Saw meets The Belko Experiment = One Helluva Ride !

[8/10 · 19 January 2019]

I had seen the 2017 movie with the same title which was absolutely horrible. So I didnt have high expectations for this film. I did see the trailer and it gave me strong "Saw" vibes so I went in thinking it'd be a saw copycat without the impact.

While there are "saw" and "hostel" elements , this film add it's own flavor to the survival film franchise. Throughout the film we get short glimpses of each characters' tragic past which helps us as the audience actually care about these people. There is something for mostly everybody to relate to so it can sorta feel like you could be in this situation. And that's the beauty of a film , making the audience feel in that moment like they are there.

The acting is hit or miss at times and there are a few corny lines, but above all this was an intense film that was also comical at times. It seemed to have taken inspiration from a plethora of survival films and kind of merged them into one film , using an original modern day scenario ; seeing as though escape rooms have become very popular in recent years.

Creepy , Intense, Gut Churning, and Funny. Go see it !

The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018)

Decent creepy film. Think The Lazarus Effect meets The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

[6/10 · 7 December 2018]

I wasn't expecting much going into this film. I saw the dreadful critic reviews so I went into the movie expecting the worst. Surprisingly .. it wasnt bad . The whole "possession" concept is nothing new of course. It's been done millions of times. But I like the way they went about this film . It was a good storyline , creepy imagery , decent acting , etc. One thing I'd like to point out is the great cinemotography , especially after finding out the entire film was shot on a Sony a7SII, which isnt a "Hollywood film camera" by any means.

Now the negative and the reason why I gave it a 6/10. This added nothing new to the horror genre and will surely be forgotten . In a way I felt like the film maker didnt know where he wanted to fully go with the film so he kinda bounced around with elements. The movie is really short, not even an hour and a half long, yet it feels like certain parts of the film dragged and other parts were incredibly rushed .I wish they would've taken more time on the backstory of the main character for us to connect with her more. Also the ending was confusingly rushed . Could've been a solid 8 if the pacing of the film was handled more correctly . Would I reccomend paying your money to see this ? Meh , if you have NOTHING to do then yes. Otherwise catch it on redbox

Haunted (2018– )

Obviously fake. Might've actually watched if they didnt mislead viewers.

[3/10 · 1 December 2018]

Okay so what the show is SUPPOSED to be is a docu series about real people who have had real paranormal experiences. Even the tagline for the series is "real people. Real experiences." Or something like that. So I thought it'd be cool to watch, as I typically love paranormal shows/movies. Anyhow the show revolves around people telling their stories and the stories being reenacted by actors. What they dont tell you is the people telling the stories are obviously actors themselves. Anybody who's interacted with people can tell when they're watching a genuine encounter recall, and someone acting . The one i started watching was about a girl and her sister growing up with serial killer parents. While this could very well be a true story, this particular one wasnt. The whole story seemed like something out of a low budget horror movie and I did some research and theres no evidence of this occurrence ever happening , nor did the women provide any evidence..so yeah im not buying it. And again, the acting is really bad . It might've been a good show if they flat out said these episodes were at least INSPIRED by actual stories . But this is misleading and a mockery to people who.have had actual horror encounters.

Halloween (I) (2018)

Wish we saw more of Jamie Lee Curtis. Without her its just another predictable slasher flick.

[6/10 · 5 November 2018]

Honestly without JLC this movie would've gotten a smooth 4/10 from me. She saves the film. The rest of the characters are useless and theres no type of development to make us actually care about them, and that includes Laurie's granddaughter. She has a lot more scenes than Jamie Lee Curtis , yet none are memorable. Heck, I even cared more about the babysitter and the young man more than I did about her .

The mother is naive and annoying "the world is full of loving and understanding people"really lady ? Lol. What world do you live on ? Anyways the first 70% of the movie is just about Michael going on his usual killing spree. I expected to see more gore in the kills , I feel like we just saw the aftermath for most of the kills. It could've been a redeeming quality to distract us from the dragging plot. No seriously this movie drags! Theres even a random scene with cops eating lunch that seem like time filler. Strange .

As I mentioned before JLC is the best thing about this movie. Her acting was great. Her character is great. If you've watched the original Halloween you can totally see the effects of the trauma. Shes turned from scared innocent girl to a paranoid bad ass. Wish we would've gotten more of her like the trailers lead us on to believe. Entertaining flick.

Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

A fun creepy film not to be taken too seriously.

[7/10 · 27 October 2018]

I think the problem with these remakes is that they're often compared to the original, rightfully so, but i feel I was one of those people who saw this version before the original. And I've always thought the movie was pretty damn entertaining and creepy.

Let's start off with the bad. The acting and dialogue is beyond bad. It feels like you're watching a lifetime special at times and it's just cringeworthy at times. Now with that being said there was a great performance given by Matthew Lillard. Perhaps the star of the show acting wise.

The overall plot was just executed terribly. The filmmaker tries to give us backstory so we can connect with the family but it just falls short and we find them more annoying than anything, especially his ungrateful entitled daughter.

Oh an Rah Digga who plays the cool swearing nanny, is quite possibly the worst nanny in existence. See the film and you'll know why.

Other than that I'd say the film was pretty damn entertaining and creepy. Its problem is at times it tries to take itself too seriously when it shouldn't be taken as such. The special effects/costume/makeup/sound effecte are the best part of this film. This is what made the film genuinely creepy to me. Horror is all about atmosphere and I feel like this film executed that fairly well.

All in all. Are there errors ?. Hell yeah! lots! But just sit back and enjoy this film on a rainy day

Bug (2006)

Creepy. Tense. Haunting. Cringe-worthy (in a good way), Uncomfortable, Excellent!

[9/10 · 11 September 2018]

This is probably in my top 10 of psychological horror. This film is so greatly directed that you as the audience start to feel like you are going insane with the characters. The cast is phenomenal and played their roles very well. You finish this film feeling uneasy and spooked. What's so great is the horror does not come from a slasher killer or some evil deity, but from normal humans who become destroyed by their own minds. Its also a testament to how much we can be affected by our surroundings. Without revealing too much, You see the main character Agnes start to fall victim to the influence of her lover. this is a much watch and GREAT horror

The Descent (2005)

Underrated! One Of Top Horror Movies Of ALL Time!

[9/10 · 8 September 2018]

The Descent hits every nail on the head in regards to how a horror movie should be made. And i mean everything.

I was so pleased to see that we have a modern horror film where the women are not hyper-sexual, clueless annoying airheads that you actually WANT to die. We actually got a back story on these womens' relationship at the beginning of the film. It allowed me as a viewer to actually connect with these women and care about them. Sarah and Juno are by far the stars of the film. and they are bad ass! It's so refreshing to see women in horror films making smart decisions and fighting back, that brings me joy

The overall atmosphere of the film was also very amazing. Tons of clausterphobic atmosphere's and overall creepy, eerie, uncomfortable settings that are instilled in the audience through great direction. There were many moments of the film i was clinching the arm rest or biting my nails while my eyes were glued to the screen. it was just overall a great, uncomfortable ride.

What's so great is we don't even see the creatures until maybe halfway through the film and the film does not suffer because of this. It beautifully shifts from an dangerous cave hunt where the characters battling with mother earth, to an apocalyptic, survival monster film. Its scary, its action packed, its emotional, its a film you don't want to miss!

The Nun (2018)

Very VERY VERY cliche. Lots of jump scares. Dragging plot.

[3/10 · 7 September 2018]

This film is OBVIOUSLY missing the James Wan touch that we loved in the conjuring universe films. Even when Wan used jump scares , it worked bc the atmosphere was tense and creepy . In "The Nun" they're overly planted everywhere in the movie to make up for the fact that the director couldn't keep the audience captivated any other way.

The plot is basic to say the least, it's almost like they just threw it together in 5 minutes to make up a back story for The Nun. The film had so much potential to give the audience a interesting creepy back story to one of the conjuring's iconic villains. Instead we're saturated with filler for the 1st and 2nd act , and FINALLY get something going on the final act . Up until then it's nothing but jump scare city . So if that's up your alley for horror movies then you'll love this . I personally think the brief amount of time The Nun was in the Conjuring 2 was 100000x better than this full length film.

They also tried to go with this new trend of adding some comedy into a horror film and it's just badly placed and awkward . The acting is okay . Taissa Farmiga & Demien Bichir are the main characters and give pretty good performances.

Anyway, Overall this movie could've gone straight to DVD or Netflix . Don't think it deserved to hit the big screen if it wasn't going to be directed by Wan . There's some creepy/scary enjoyable moments but overall it's very cliche and downright boring at times. Watch when you're at home on a rainy day with nothing do. Don't waste ur money like i did

Emelie (2015)

Turned a cliche theme into an unpredictable, uncomfortable thriller

[8/10 · 9 August 2018]

When i saw the premise of this movie I thought to myself , "here we go, another crazy babysitter movie." And actually didn't bother to watch it. It wasn't until a friend mentioned to me how crazy it was that i decided to check it out. I love how uncomfortable i felt the entire film. I could literally feel my hands clinching during many parts , as i didn't know what to expect . There weren't any cheap jump scares either which was also a plus , sheer intensity through dialogue , direction , and atnohsphere, the way it's supposed to be done ! With a kick ass climax ! My only critique is that i wish the baby sitter's motive would've been explained more somehow , as it's kinda confusing exactly WHY she was doing this . But other than that , GREAT flick to watch late at night with some popcorn and blankets

Carrie (2013)

SOLID remake!

[7/10 · 11 July 2017]

Yeah it was probably unnecessary to do a remake of the film but the film itself was actually great! I think the acting was good on all levels. The mother was creepy as hell . Chloe was great as Carrie . You could actually feel the intensity through her facial expressions . Even the supporting characters had solid acting . It was definitely entertaining and better than other remakes I've seen

It Follows (2014)

Worst film i've ever seen! WHY is it rated so high?

[1/10 · 9 July 2015]

Now please don't think I'm exaggerating. I've seen some pretty bad horror flicks in my day but this takes the cake in being the worst piece of garbage i've ever seen. here's the whole movie right here, here we go

it starts out with this girl running out her house in heels, running away from "it" frantically (what female ever runs in heels i do not know). just to go to a beach and sit there and let "it" turn her into a human pretzel. (Mind you, we have not seen what "it" looks like). Then we cut to a bunch of awkward scenes with the main character of her in the pool with awkward music playing in the background. girl likes this cute boy so girl goes with cute boy to the movies. boy starts acting all weird and crap and sees something in the theater. he asks girl if she saw it, girl says no and boy begins to act frantic saying they need to leave the theater. Boy and Girl finally get somewhere alone then they begin to make up and get all freaky deaky in the car. Boy suddenly puts towel to girls face filled with chloroform and knocks her out.

Boy has sex with girl. Girl wakes up in deserted parking lot and sees naked scratched up woman slowly walking towards. Girl asks boy what is it Boy tells her its "it" and that he passed it on to her from having sex with her and she cant let it catch her or it will kill her, then come after him. Oh, and nobody else can see "it" except for the last person it was passed on to. (Sounds like a walking STD). Girl spends whole movie with her gay little friend and sister trying to help her run away from "it" with a bunch of awkward suspenseful music in the background leading up to absolutely nothing. Dumb horny teenagers decide to kill "it" by luring it to the pool and throwing electrical appliances in it destroying "it" . "it"t comes into the pool but the electrocution doesn't work, so they throw a blanket on him so they can see his outline and shoot "it" dead instead . Girl has sex with gay best friend and they walk away holding hands. movie ends.

like i said , garbage.

For Colored Girls (2010)

Why did critics bash this? This film was GREAT

[8/10 · 9 July 2015]

I think a lot of critics problems when critiquing novel-to-film or play-to-film adaptions is they compare it too much to it's original source. a Film is NEVER going to be as good as the book for obvious reasons and Plays and Films have totally different setups. for a film itself i thought it was spectacular, especially considering Tyler Perry was the director! I'm so used to seeing his cliché plot lines but this one took a different toll.

9 VERY different women with VERY different lifestyles and morals all with a different story. I felt as if each of these women took on a characteristic of the hard issues women in general go through. And thats what i find so great about this film! you get a glimpse of each characters lifestyle and it helps you connect with each character.

One thing i am so shocked that went practically unnoticed was how great the acting was! from Thandie Newton to Janet Jackson to the most stunning performance of them all, Kimberly Elise! All 9 of these women played their roles exceptionally and made you feel as if you were almost in the scene with them watching in a near by road. I wouldn't say the film deserves an Oscar, but some of these women definitely do for their contributes to their roles.

Now, the bad things... Is it me or did anyone feel Kerry Washingtons role was totally not needed? the film never really focused on her as it did with the other characters, she always kind of just seemed... there. Also, i think Michael Ealy's performance was terrible. No matter how hard he tried he just didn't convince me as a villain. it was Also very evident when the characters were switching from the script to the poem. sad music begins and the character glazes off into nowhere. Kind of awkward at times.

Other than a couple of minor issues i think this film was fantastic and one of Perry's best, if not the best. i don't recommend the weak hearted to see, as these are real incidences that are occurring in the film that wont always have a happy ending.

The Queens of Comedy (2001 Video)

HILARIOUS on some parts and DULL on others!

[8/10 · 9 July 2015]

Doing stand-up comedy alone itself is a hard task to achieve. But doing so being a woman is an even greater task. Therefore, i give these women a hand for the achievement of giving the audience a good laugh!

Laura Hayes was the host and comedic interval between each comedians segment. i enjoyed her performance and laughed although her jokes seem to tend more to the older individuals in the crowd. overall i still found her story about her grandchildren and the rock, and her family oriented ordeals hilarious!

Adele Givens seemed to be the most censorsed of the 4. With that being said she still managed to make me laugh and the audience seems to adore her knowing her catch phrase "Im such a f***kin lady!" I personally don't think her performance was the strongest but she still made me laugh here and there.

Sommore was by far my favorite act. She did not hide anything , she was herself and talked about what a lot of us are afraid to talk about which is SEX. hell, if men can do it why not women? but what what i loved most about Sommore was how animated she was. She exaggerated every joke she told with facial expressions, body movements, etc and had me choking on my drink. Her jokes definitely are not for your Christian mother who attends church Sunday-Thursday to be watching. But other than that who doesn't love hearing hilarious truths about sex?

Mo'nique was the biggest disappointment in my opinion. The first half of her segment is her cliché usual, degrading skinny women and promoting obese women. its tired and old now. we get Mo'nique! skinny bitches are evil. her next half of her segment was really sexual, similar to sommore's but didn't have that same fire to it. it actually was kind of gross, i mean who wants the image in their head of Mo'nique doing anal sex? YUCK.

But overall i give these women a round of applause, they did their thing!

Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

For a Tyler Perry Film, This is GREAT (and that's saying a lot)

[8/10 · 4 June 2015]

I'm not going to lie , I guess you can say I'm a somewhat fan of Tyler Perry's work. With that being said, i also don't expect his films to be at all exceptional. It's just a great laugh when hes playing Madea as she serves as a comic relief from the bad storyline, almost making you forget about it Therefore, i try to avoid his films without the latter character.

This film however totally changed my perception of Non madea related films. to summarize the plot, The four couples, who are also best friends, converge on a house in the mountains for a week-long retreat that has become their ritual of sorts to help work out their marital problems and ask the question "Why did I get married?". Though the couples have committed to being physically present for the week, some of them have not been emotionally present in their respective marriages for quite some time. The week is not planned out in a well-programmed sequence, so the events unfold somewhat spontaneously, beginning with their "adventures" in getting up to the mountain retreat.

The film is bound to make you go through a wave of emotions & the drama filled climax scenes are seat edgers and doesn't tend to the cliché story lines Tyler Perry is so used to using. Each couple displays a different problem going on in the relationship , therefore making it a relatable experience. The cast is great and aside from a few corny comic relief moments, you will also get a good laugh here and there.

Enjoyable Film that i recommend watching!

San Andreas (2015)

Tremendous Graphics. Terrible Acting. Unrealistic.

[4/10 · 3 June 2015]

After seeing 2012 I didn't think natural disaster films could get any worse. I was wrong. Let me give each component of the film a raw score out of 10 to break it down for you. We'll start with the good stuff.

Graphics 9/10 Probably the best thing about this film. Everything looked so real. from the Hoover Dam being destroyed, to the Golden Gate Bridge being split in half. No signs what so ever of cheap CGI. i wish the motion designers of this film would have worked on some of the greater disaster films.

Accuracy 4/10 Aside from the information given throughout the film given by Dr Lawrence Hayes, the accuracy was pure s**t. - for one a 7.1 earthquake wouldn't pulverize the hoover dam. - there would not be a tsunami in san francisco if the earthquake generated from the san andreas fault. - Faults do not split apart during earthquakes as shown in the movie. The ground on the two sides of the fault slide past each other; they do not pull apart. Narrow crevices may form due to bends in the fault or in regions with very strong shaking. - The San Andreas Fault is not long and deep enough to have a magnitude 9 or larger quake as depicted in the movie. The largest historical earthquake on the San Andreas was the 1906 magnitude 7.9 earthquake. It is plausible that a 8.3 quake could hit the San Andreas, but even that would not be "felt on the East Coast" as Paul Giamatti's character claims in the film.

Plot 3/10

i have to pick at this first because it really bothered me during the film. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't The Rock Black/Samoan ? how in the hell does he have a fully Caucasian daughter? That really took away from the film being at the least bit somewhat realistic. Anyway, if you haven't noticed , this film nearly the same identical plot as 2012. Main character is some big time money maker who's marriage has went through the dump, throw in a buncha last minute saves from the ground collapsing, a girl being saved milli-seconds before a car falls etc. and at the end after he saves the world and hes back with his wife. blah blah blah. been there done that , NEXT!

overall give the film a 4. it is for entertaining purposes and thats it. don't go see this for a great futuristic natural disaster that could happen in real life.