Change Your Image
RichardVargasConita
Reviews
Anyone But You (2023)
Unlikeable.
Seems to be the words to describe the male lead in this movie. It's like they wanted Ryan Reynolds in this movie but he's a bit too old for Sidney so they got the bootleg less likeable version of him. There was no chemistry between the leads, their banter was cringey and the comedic moments mostly fell flat. Sidney Sweeney showed a ton of potential in the rom com world but I just couldn't enjoy anything about this movie outside her scenes without Glen which were few and far in between. The beginning is so inexplicable, there's literally no reason for this dude to tell his friend that he couldn't wait to get rid of her but he does with no backstory and we are left with a completely garbage story with no charm.
Rust Creek (2018)
Surprisingly good and tense
I want to describe this as more of a drama than a horror movie, but it has really good tension throughout with some softer moments but you never really felt the heroine was safe at any given moment.
Definite cautionary tale throughout about detouring. Seems almost every horror/killer movie has the same premise, but this one seemed justified the way it was filmed. Sawyer could get off the highway because she had technology at her fingertips, and she was desperate to get to her job interview in Washington on time. Then it just spiraled and spiraled until she officially became lost. The tension builds as she's approached by two local men, who start off nice enough but then get straight to the point and show their true colors. Luckily Sawyer took self defense classes and gets away, but alone in mountains with an injury and no equipment.
The viewer truly feels sorry for the lead the whole movie, she doesn't come across as dumb or making poor decisions but she also doesn't seem helpless. She was written and acted in a manner that just made her feel human. I don't think she screams once in the movie, she was more about her survival instincts. She was extremely well acted.
There's some interesting twists and local dynamics that play out in her survival. Several close calls and some unlikely help from a local named Lowell who turns out to be tied heavily to the killers. You're not immediately trusting of Lowell, but he turns out to be a life saver. They develop a very likeable friendship. I thought about titling this review "College girl on way to job interview gets lost in the Appalachians and chased by 2 murdering rapists and takes refuge in a trailer and cooks meth with its owner and somehow it all works" but would've been too spoiler heavy.
There were 2 negatives to me, first off is we never get background on Lowell's marriage and presumed dead wife (but maybe it plays into his empathy for Sawyer), and the last 10 seconds or so of the film i just felt that she would've had a different reaction but it didn't ruin the movie.
X (2022)
Watchable, weird tho, predictable
It's a horror movie, but more depressing and weird and "gross" than scary. The synopsis is pretty clear, so I won't go into that, but I was surprised at the favorable reviews for this movie once I watched it. There was something weird about 2 old people being the villains, the movie overall just relied on a ridiculous amount of suspension of disbelief to work. 3 of the 5 kills occurred for the simple fact that the victim just refused to push the old person down on the ground at a reasonable point in their interaction. Old person one on one, face to face, and either is inappropriate or flat out starts talking ish to younger stronger people and somehow still make out winning. Like one scene the old lady literally slaps the girl at the edge of the pier, and at that point you toss the old bones in the lake but instead she still is nice and tries to walk by, only to get pushed in and eaten by an alligator. Or one of the girls willingly going in the creepy old man's basement at 3 am because he's asking her to turn on his light and then he will be right down. Ain't nobody going in this dudes basement. Anyway, she gets locked in with a dead body and you can only guess what happens from there.
It's easy to critique the deaths but i get that the innocence of the killers plays into the high level of trust people give them. The main actress does great as both herself and the elderly killer. There's a lot of nudity and sex situations, including a lot of old people nudity and an all out sex scene between the two 90 year old killers.
But an overall theme of the movie is how much old people lose, they try to make the killers sympathetic and at times are very successful. But it comes across as depressing, and makes the viewer ponder their own mortality and aging at a time we should be worrying about the safety of the main characters.
Anyway, it's watchable, it goes quick and I think it would be fun with a group of people. Just don't expect this to be a 9/10 horror movie. That would be throwing it up there with the likes of Halloween and Texas Chainsaw and this movie is nowhere close to that feeling of horror and dread.
A Very Good Girl (2023)
Good movie and acting.
The two leads did a great job in this movie, very good acting overall. The lead character, Philo/Mercy, not only had an incredible look and on-screen presence (one of the most attractive people ever put on screen) but she was incredibly sympathetic and well acted. The movie started in a very campy way, I couldn't figure out what direction it was going but the movie turned incredibly dark at times. One of the things that I liked was Mercy's backstory was so tragic and fleshed out that even when she was doing bad things and making bad decisions, I still felt sorry for her and supported her quest all the way. On the flip side, Mother was the opposite, cruel beyond belief and irredeemable even when she seemed vulnerable. Her character is probably similar to how most of our worlds wealthy act and treat those less than them. At one point, Mother teases Mercy in a manner of saying "you're too poor to do anything to me" and it's just this arrogance around her that makes you hate her. The movie had some good twists and kept the viewer guessing at all times, with some good suspenseful moments.
The main highlight of this movie though is in the theme of watching a young woman's life unravel after getting fired from her job. How unempathetic her employer was, how the firing unraveled every ounce of her life and even lead to the loss of a family member. It was very dramatic and sent a clear message to the viewer about how cruel the real world is. In todays world, it's a message that needs to be seen more because our employers really don't care about us and hold so much power on us that they can ruin our lives at the snap of a finger. I found myself feeling very connected to Mercy because it was such a realistic tragedy and while her response was extreme, it made me wonder about how much our wealthy get away with literally every cruelty they do while we just sit around and take it.
I do wish the ending brought a bit more closure to the story, but overall I enjoyed it.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
It's different and a good watch
Seeing a lot of reviews calling this the worst movie ever made and whatnot. After watching Rebel Moon, it's clear that there are a bunch of Sci-Fi and Snyder fanboys who expected this to be better than Star Wars and when it wasn't they had to trash it.
The story is a bit choppy and I understand the slow mo in the action sequences was a bit overdone, but the movie succeeded in creating an original world in an era where all we've been getting is forced sequels and remakes of remakes for 20 years. I think that had to stand for something.
The story is relatively standard for a movie like this, but the lead heroine was tough and as complex as they could've made her given the screen time they gave her back story. I enjoyed watching her as a main character. The main villain was both creepy, threatening and mysterious. The cinematography and world building alone make it worth a watch.
I'd recommend it, don't expect Star Wars action and sci fi perfection with Godfather writing and character development and you'll probably enjoy it.
Commando (1985)
Perfect action movie
Growing up in the 80s, and being a huge fan of 80s action, this is to me one of the peak 80s action movie trifectas along with Predator and Cobra. This is Arnold's peak overall movie: meaning if you had to tell an alien who Arnold was, you'd show him this movie and they'd understand. Rae Dawn Chong was arguably the best onscreen sidekick of any movie/genre ever. She had an absolute ridiculous amount of charm, screen presence, empathy, comedic relief, and ass kicking ability. All of the villains were so perfect. Outside of the Predator, Vernon Wells was Arnold's best onscreen antagonist. Throw in a testosterone fueled beat down with Bill Duke and the movie is clicking. The final battle on the island was the bloodiest and most over the top special effects Driven finale of Arnold's run. I know Arnold is a bodybuilder. I have no idea how he managed to strap on that much ammo and explosives and stand upright. And the one-liners.....so perfect.
Not all movies are Oscar worthy. It doesn't mean they don't deserve high scores. Some movies fit an audiences need at the time they came out. If you had to ask anyone in 1985 what they wanted to see from Arnold and in the cinema, Commando was it.
365 dni (2020)
Horrible.
This movie is horrid. The premise is that a super rich, super attractive mobster falls in love with a random woman so bad that he kidnaps her and holds her hostage for a year so she can fall in love with him and if she doesn't he will release her. There is no plot. The main character is passive aggressive every time his victim rejects him. He forces her to watch him get oral and supposedly this changes her mind and now she's curious. They then get a hotel room that somehow has an open shower next to the beds. Idk why they were sleeping together naked when she didn't want him. Anyway she gets up to shower and he follows her. Of course the shower is the size of my bedroom with multiple shower heads so she looks at him and stares at his stuff for like 15 seconds while touching her chest and he walks over and says "why are you looking at it?" Trying to be sexy but then she rejects him again and then he threatens to rape her basically but doesn't because he's some kind of hero in the writers mind. Then like 25 minutes into the movie later she decides she's in love and wants to make love to him on a yacht so she gets on her knees to give him oral and he says "don't play with me" in a sad way thinking he's getting teased again but then she actually does it and we spend the rest of a 5 minute soft core porn scene watching the male lead squeeze his pecs together as hard as he can so he can appear to be some sexual god to this woman who finally submitted to him.
Anyways some other stuff happens and she somehow dies at the end but not really because there's a sequel which i hear is even more rapey than the first one which is weird because supposedly they're together. Idk. Just turn on pornhub. Better scripts.
The Last of Us (2023)
It's here.
As a 44 year old man, I've spent a good deal of the last 12 years or so preaching that The Last of Us was the greatest story told in the history of mankind. The video game is an incredible experience. I've encouraged anyone with capability to play through it, even if they weren't a gamer. Multiple instance of the game have made me cry, and the finale is so jaw dropping it's almost impossible to process.
Seeing this game get adapted to the big screen, by a quality cable network, who apparently is sparing no expenses and who casted everyone perfectly, is incredible. It provides the story to the masses, not just gamers. The acting in the "big moment" of this episode is so incredible that it's the hardest I've cried in years, despite knowing what was coming.
If you're on the fence, watch this show. It's going to be an unreal experience p.
The Batman (2022)
Best Batman movie
As a massive fan of the Nolan Batman movies, I am taking this version. Pattinson was surprisingly effective as a badass batman who also got to showcase his detective skills. I'll take Bales Bruce Wayne, but Pattinsons Batman. The best thing about this movie though was Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. An absolute stunner, she commanded the screen while she was on it with an intense sexuality and chemistry with Batman while executing fight scenes straight out of Arkham City. The movie had everything, and I'm excited to see where the upcoming movies take this. I hope this becomes a 3 part love story between Batman and Catwoman, finally done right.
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
Different than game, not sure which is better, but amazing nonetheless
I'm tentatively giving this episode a 9/10 for the sole reason that I'm not sure if I preferred Bill finding out Frank hated him (game) or Bill dying along with Frank knowing they loved each other (Show).
The game beat around the bush about Bill and Franks relationship, whereas the show put it in our face immediately. So they're two different experiences. Bill also survived in the game, and the dynamic of him being an ignorant POS played in well to the reveal he was in a gay relationship with Frank.
In the show, Bill was a mostly redeemable man, as was Frank, and there was little conflict. That said, the episode played out beautifully. I'm completely stunned at how this show has made literally every casting perfect.
This was a near perfect, beautiful, stand-alone episode in a very complex story. Essentially a bottle episode. I think the long term impact of thin episode will stand the test of time. I fully expect this show to win multiple Emmys. This episode will be at the forefront.
Infamous (2020)
Surprisingly good performance
This movie was decent, from a storyline perspective. Tons of plot holes, plot Devices, etc. The summary is poor freebird stoner waitress meets ex con, falls in love same night, then some unexpected unfortunate circumstances push both of them to a Bonnie and Clyde crime spree across several states while posting their crimes to social media. The story is primarily the "love and crime" story of the two main characters, with a short side story of when they meet a very likable fan, Ellie.
The male lead was ok, servicable, and even though the female lead was steering the ship, he didn't come across as a moron or a simp, just a lost dude with no moral compass.
But where this movie shined, for me, was the production values and soundtrack (had a bootleg Michael Mann feel), and an absolutely killer performance from Bella Thorne as the fearless, lost, fame hungry teen who has one priority in life, her followers. As she gains more and more fame, she becomes crazier and more dedicated to her end game (which minor spoiler, she gets in the movies last scene). She steals every scene she's in and quite honestly was captivating to watch in this role. She can change her personality as quickly as she changes her All Stars, and if someone told you about this story occurring in real life and you had to guess what "Bonnie" acted like, it would've been Thorne in this movie.
I honestly can't believe I'm saying this about Bella Thorne. Maybe the fact she makes her living off IG makes this a natural role for her. That said, overall, was a decently fun ride, and if nothing else, the "crazy chick" makes it worth while.
Rogue (2020)
It's functional
Now keep in mind, I went into this expecting what one would expect from a movie starring Megan Fox as a mercenary, that went straight to video. My score kinda reflects that, as I was pleasantly surprised. I did not turn this movie off right away and I found myself not staring at my phone the entire time either. The movie's characters make bad decisions, and the special effects of the lion were laughable, but what I really liked about this movie was the fast pace as well as the "nobody is safe" tone. Characters die pretty quickly and unexpectedly here. Overall, the plot was doable, Megan Fox pulled off her role as well as the script and budget let her, and there were a few likeable characters. Particularly the African local who left the poachers to help the mercenaries find the kidnapped girls. He had a great back story, and it exposed some of the horrors going on in Africa. Mixing in the lion, along with the desperation of running out of Ammo, and a decent payoff at the end, and I'd say this is one of the better low budget movies out there in recent years. It also seems the director had some passion about exposing poaching, and I can give him respect for that and at least support the movie if it helps the cause.