leaugebrett Reviews

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Really?

[5/10 · 27 April 2019]

Avengers: Endgame is obviously going to be a great film for Marvel superfans, but as a passive viewer it doesn't do much for me. For context, my favorite MCU film is Thor Ragnarok and I could care less about Iron Man and Captain America.

The Good: -Paul Rudd -Mark Ruffalo -Thor still being the best character and having his Ragnarok arc paying off further -The "girl power" scene, because its simultaneously a dope action sequence and is causing neckbeards to implode -Anthony Mackie as Captain America!

The Bad: -The majority of the 2.5 hours leading up to the final battle, muddled with inconsitent tone and pacing -even more superhero "MacGuffins", with the only other use of the Infinity Gauntlet being to reverse the "snap" -The mishandling of stakes. Did anyone really seem in danger this entire film? -Thanos' randomized power level compared to Infinity War, also felt much more formidable in that movie -Black Widow being one of the three major deaths, ruining both a send-off for an ancient-looking Jeremy Renner and the upcoming Black Widow movie -Captain Marvel as the film's deus-ex machina...until she isn't

And that's just off the top of my head. I have no interest in watching the mismanaged slog again, but I will be rewatching the Paul Rudd scenes when someone posts them to YouTube!

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

Decent Adaptation with Hit or Miss Moments

[6/10 · 21 September 2018]

I was a huge fan of John Bellairs book series growing up, and was excited for a hopefully competent film adaptation. The biggest dissapointment for me was the casting of Owen Vaccaro as Lewis Barnavelt. In the books, he was a well-defined and intelligent protagonist who overcame obstacles via inventiveness. In this film, he's a crybaby with terrible character motivation and a generally useless atmosphere, with Vaccaro giving one of the worst child actor performances I've seen in years (not exaggerating, the "bully" character that we're supposed to hate is a better actor and more likeable than the lead).

Jack Black does a good job with the lackluster script and Cate Blanchet's character was probably my favorite in the film. Kyle Maclachlan's brief role is also great, I'm glad he went all out for a relatively unknown movie. The set and costume design is also solid, while the CGI hurts some scenes.

While I'll never watch this movie again, I would recommend it to parents looking for a unique live action kid's film. The House With the Clock in It's Walls could have been a much more memorable film with a different lead actor, or with a script that drew more from the rich source material.

Disenchantment (2018–2023)

Falls Short of Expectations

[6/10 · 21 August 2018]

Despite Disenchantment falling short of expectations, it's not a bad show by any measure. Unlike Groening's past features, it tells an overarching, albeit rushed, story, pouring a solid amount of character development into Abbi Jacobson's lead, Bean with other standout characters including Eric Andre's Luci and John DiMaggio's King Zog. The animation is hit or miss, with some beautiful backgrounds being squandered by jarring 3-D cuts and poor character designs. The humor also fails to find a consistent foothold due to odd joke timing and sound mixing. But overall, I look forward to seeing plot developments and new characterization in Season 2.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

A Throwback Film for Modern America

[7/10 · 20 August 2018]

I consider BlacKkKlansman an especially important message for today's political climate, where radical beliefs have began to try to bend social norms in supoort of racial discrimination. As a film, the acting is strong throughout (namely Washington, Driver, Harriet), along with the cinematography and music. My major qualms came with the film's choppy pacing and character development, rushing in certain points and dragging to a halt in others.

Cargo (I) (2017)

Everything Goes Terribly Wrong

[3/10 · 22 May 2018]

I had high hopes for Cargo after seeing the original short film and hearing about Martin Freeman's attatchment to the project, but the end result is a bloated and droning mess. Freeman does his best with the thinly stretched script and character writing, but the remainder of the characters are unlikeable or given minimal screentime. The heavier themes of the film, namely family values and wasteland morality, are tackled without much nuance, coupled with bland cinematography, ill-fitting music, and a severely underutilized setting.

Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

Decent with Grounds For Improvement

[7/10 · 18 March 2018]

Altered Carbon is a decently watchable new sci-fi series, helped greatly by it's freedom on the Netflix platform. Kinnaman/Yun Lee do a solid, albeit it broody job playing the main character, alongside interesting supporting roles from Lachman and Essandoh. The futuristic locales are vibrant eye candy, and the action is well choreographed for the most part.

My main issues come with the overly contrived main story, cheesy dialogue, and boring subplots (I really wasn't a fan of Ortega as a character, not to mention her slow scenes at home and in the police station). I also felt the city setting was extremely underused. Worth a watch, and I'll be trying a few episodes when the second season comes out.

Black Panther (2018)

Solid Origin Story Film

[7/10 · 18 February 2018]

Black Panther is a solid portrayal of a deep comic book character and one of the better Marvel films, utilizing exciting direction from the always proficient Ryan Coogler and pronounced acting from Boseman, B. Jordan (the best in the film by far), Nyong'o, Serkis, and Gurira. My major cons with the film included the overuse of CGI and jump-cut action, both expected staples for modern Marvel films, alongside the 2+ hour run time felt which grew tedious by the third act. Definently worth the watch before Infinity War.

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

Tonally Inconsistent and Shoddily Crafted

[2/10 · 13 February 2018]

Clearly a result of last minute production decisions to shove The Cloverfield name onto a failing script, TCP is a boring, messy, and tonally vacant film. The acting is the best part, but with the tiny set and nonexistant character motivations (outside of Mbatha-Raw's role), much of the cast has little time to make an impact. The rest of the plot is, to put it lightly, dumb, trying to incorporate a mire of underexplained sci-fi mcguffins. Not worth the runtime.

The Ritual (I) (2017)

One of the Best Netflix Original Horror Films

[7/10 · 13 February 2018]

David Bruckner's solo debut "The Ritual" is a suprisingly solid lost-in-the-forest horror thriller. The Sweden-based cinematography is sweeping and haunting, the actors do a competent job, and the special-effects are a solid combination of special and practical effects. I was particularly impressed with the monster design, an imaginitive breath of fresh air from your standard "ghost lady/little girl primed for a jumpscare".

Give it a shot if you're looking for an enjoyable and refreshing horror flick!

Suburbicon (2017)

Wasted Talent

[3/10 · 6 February 2018]

While I was intitially suprised by the critical backlash to "Suburbicon" after seeing the dark trailer and excellent leads, I'm now fully aware of the negativity after finishing the film. The plotline, gifted to Clooney by the Coen Brothers, is a butchered mess, trying to pack ideas of racial tension, spousal relationships, mafia exortion, and black comedy together so tightly they all fall flat. Characters are painfully under developed, the message is rushed, and the only saving grace in the film is Oscar Isaac's brief performance.

Winchester (2018)

To quote RLM, F*** You It''s January!

[2/10 · 4 February 2018]

Didn't give this a 1 only for the unique premise, at least before it descends into a Woman in Black/Insidious knockoff. Acting has the depth of one of the later PotC movies (even Helen Miren, who has literally nothing to do the entire film), the horror moments look cheap (2000s straight-to-DVD quality), and the plot is, to put it lightly, stupid. So much missed potential.

Coco (I) (2017)

Excellent Return for Pixar

[9/10 · 26 January 2018]

After the mediocrity of The Good Dinosaur and Cars 3, Coco is an excellent return to form from Pixar, serving a respetful caricature of Mexican culture by utilizing solid voice acting, kaleidoscopic visuals and a tight musical score. The story is predictable but done in an extremely engaging matter, balancing the thin line to provide a smart story for both children and adults. By far the best animated film of 2017.

Lady Bird (2017)

A Fantastic Debut From Gerwig

[8/10 · 26 January 2018]

Lady Bird is one of the best indie films I've seen in a long while, balancing the suburban Rushmore-esque charm of high school with pertinent social issues. Saoirse Ronan is a magnetic and hilarious protagonist, alongside great performances from Metcalf and Chalamet. The cinematography is delightfully creative, the plot is tight yet realistic, and I look forward to Gerwig's next effort.

The Open House (2018)

A Mire of Cliches and Boredom

[1/10 · 21 January 2018]

The Open House is possibly the worst Netflix Original film I've seen to date (only in competition with The Ridiculous Six), due to nearly every aspect of the film being done atrociously. The plotline is boring and rushed (not helped in the least by a cardboard cutout lead performance by Dylan "White Bread" Minnette) and hampered by every B-level horror movie cliche of the last three decades. Nothing is resolved and nothing happens because this is a black hole posing as a piece of cinematography.

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

My First "1" on IMDB

[1/10 · 9 January 2018]

I was intrigued by the premise of Escape from Tommorow after stumbling across a trailer a few weeks ago, with the notion of horror/paronia flooding a family during a day at Disney World sounding unique.

After finishing this painfully boring and uncreative slog of a film, I realized the whole black-and-white and "guerilla-style" film making, being a huge selling point of the film, was entirely a gimmick. I'm expecting most of this film's slim budget went towards getting Disney Park passes for the cast and crew, because the acting is atrocious (especially with the children and wife) the special effects are entry level After Effects, and the writing is piss poor. The various "twists" throughout the film are idiotic, the character motivations non exsistent (the father character literally stumbling through most of the plot trying to chase a pair of teenage girls in some unexplained perversion), and the Disney setting is painfully underutilizied (I'm sure this was partly because of legal issues).

Escape From Tommorow is one of the worst films I've ever seen. It's not even a worthwhile watch if you're looking for a B-Movie horror film. Not recommended under any circumstances.

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

Great Acting, Mediocre Usage of the Source Material

[5/10 · 9 January 2018]

The highpoint of the largely unfocused Battle of the Sexes is Carell and Stone's acting, coupled with the intriguing blend of modern day filmmaking techniques and 70's flair from directors Dayton and Faris.

Unfortunately, the film tries to juggle too many aspects of Billie Jean King's life in messy procedure (personal issues and relationships, public image, corporate relationship) while Carell is largely playing a caricature of Bobby Riggs instead of a believable individual. Instead of focusing on the main conflict of the movie (the actual sport of tennis from two respective titans of the sport) the audience is treated to glossy montages and rushed character development leading up to a pitiful final act.

Bright (I) (2017)

"Bright" is a Disaster

[2/10 · 2 January 2018]

Why anyone chose to give David Ayer the reigns of another "blockbuster" after Suicide Squad is beyond me, with Bright serving as another example of his haphazard directing style.

The only two reasons to watch this film are for Smith and Edgerton's performances. The urban fantasy setting may have seemed interesting from the trailer (believe me, I was excited when I saw the first promotional info for this movie), but nothing creative is done the idea, with the gimmick usually set around marginalizing the different races into a variety of stereotypes (the orcs being given an awkard split between gangsters and The Godfather-style mobsters, the Elves are shallow Beverly-Hills types). The dialogue is laughable, the "twists" and various character developments are lazy, and the main villain/side characters are boring. The action scenes are split between badly choreographed melee and

If Netflix wants to handle another high budget, unique idea in this vein, try a different director.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Subpar (Non-Fan Perspective)

[6/10 · 14 December 2017]

I'm not a huge fan of the series, but I have seen all of the major films and got the references scattered throughout The Last Jedi.

The film is alright. Minimal character development, enjoyable combat and dogfight sequences, and a story continually trying to tie-up it's ever expanding plot holes. The acting is fine, the dialogue not so much. Expect the Marvel trope of undercutting serious moments with "witty" one liners and jokes.

If you're a fan, you've probably seen it by now. If you're an outsider like me, check it out in IMAX for the space battles or rent it later on.

The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

Solidly Crafted Story on Family Values

[8/10 · 3 December 2017]

Noah Bauchman's The Meyerowitz Stories is a beautiful gem on Netflix, channeling the acting talents of Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, and Adam Sandler to portray an extremely realistic yet fictional relationship between a father and his estranged children. The film is slow moving but continually interesting, with the story taking turns that are unpredictable but totally at the whim of human nature. There's also a great commentary throughout on the continual change of the art world through mediums of film and sculpture.

Neo Yokio (2017–2018)

Solid Cast, Intriguing Animation, and Lots of Potential

[7/10 · 18 November 2017]

Neo Yokio is a real treat to sit through! I'm pretty picky when it comes to anime/anime offshots and hardly ever watch the genre, but I decided to check this out on a friend's recommendation (plus the fact Ezra Koenig is a wildly talented dude and I was interested to see his foray into television).

Main character Kaz, voiced by Jaden Smith (who's easily the weakest voice actor in the cast but charming enough), is a Shakespeare-esque protagonist, constantly mourning his bourgeois social standing and heartbreak in writing so ironic and hilariously pretentious (in a good way) it feels like a cartoon designed by Wes Anderson. The supporting cast is equally memorable, especially Kaz's robot butler voiced by Jude Law, his rival Archangelo voiced by Jason Schwartzman, and friends Lexy and Gottlieb donned by comedy duo Desus and Mero. You also have solid characters from Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon, and Tavi Gevinson.

The plot line is punchy and entirely paradoxical in nature, balancing Kaz's high-society lifestyle of field hockey, expensive shopping, and brunch, with bouts of Formula 1 Racing, demon-hunting, and the undercurrents of a Marxist revolution.

I think most people finding fault in the show have more of an issue with the relatively new-to-voice acting cast and unconventional, borderline mockery of anime tropes. But if you're not a die-hard anime fan like myself, and want to enjoy a hilariously written and totally unpredictable show with both an adult and Saturday-morning cartoon feel, check it out. I'm crossing my fingers for a Season 2!

Justice League (2017)

The Cinematic Equivalent of a Loveless Marriage

[4/10 · 17 November 2017]

2017's Justice League is another entry in DC's desperate and rushed attempt at wrestling the superhero film genre back from Marvel. Instead of working to uniquely match the set design of Thor Ragnarok, drama of Logan, and the chemistry and combat sequences of The Avengers, Snyder & co have essentially created another Marvel ripoff. Apart from the performances of Gadot, Miller, and Fisher, the film is a slog to get through, filling scenes with nauseating action sequences and forced character chemistry. The main antagonist, Steppenwolf, is a bland ripoff from the Avengers, and the "driving force" in the movie, the "Mother Boxes" feel like a poorly motivated off-shot of the Infinity Stones.

I'm not a Marvel or DC fanboy, I'm just trying to talk about this film as a film. The superhero genre is more saturated than ever, and you have plenty of better options than this.

Good Time (2017)

The Vibrant, Hectic Cousin of Drive

[8/10 · 14 November 2017]

With Good Time, largely new directors the Safdie brothers present one of the most vibrant and gritty crime films in recent memory. The plot never stops to catch its breath, forcing main character Pattinson, who's acting blew me away considering his past films, to constantly adapt and evoke an engaging fight and flight response from scene to scene. The cinematography is electrifying, and the balance between wide landscape shots and claustrophobic closeups is constantly gripping. This movie is worth checking out for anyone looking for a well-directed and acted crime/thriller.

Twin Peaks (2017)

"The Return"/S3 Review

[6/10 · 13 November 2017]

Preface: If you want to watch the 18-hour "Return" of Twin Peaks, ask yourself if you enjoy being bored for ~9 hours, leaving unsatisfied and with more questions than answers, and seeing the main character unable to do anything for 13 or so episodes. If you answered yes to anything, it's your free time I guess.

I wrote a multi-paragraph review on the ins and outs of the final season of Twin Peaks, but IMDb deleted it after I tried to submit it. Now extremely disheartened, I'm just going to quickly list out the good and the bad from this season. Note, I'm not a TP superfan but I have finished the first two seasons, liking the first very much and finding the second a poorly-written soap-opera.

The Good:

-Kyle MacLaghlan

-The majority of the original cast reprising their unique roles, Lynch especially

-The cinematography

-The varied settings

-Angelo Badalmenti's score and the live music bits closing out each episode

The Bad:

-The new side characters (aside from Janey-E and the Mitchum Brothers), which mainly do nothing to advance the plot and are a waste of screen time

-The over-burned plot which attempts to juggle way too much without giving any sort of payoff aside from essentially just Ed & Norma and Andy & Lucy I guess? Seriously, only three or so plot lines from the 20 plus we see this season actually get some semblance of resolution.

-The disgrace of a finale. Some may praise Lynch for blue-balling the fanbase which returned after two decades to watch a beloved series by ending the show on such a whimper and with more questions than answers, but I found it more so poor writing and a waste of 18 hours of everyone's time

-The lingering shots that ate up way too much screen time each episode

-The frankly annoying/grating screaming and other noises that frequently popped up

If you want to watch this series, look at a brief summary of the first 12 episodes and then watch 13-18 as a 6 part miniseries and you'll walk away roughly the same. Or just rewatch the first season, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Stranger Things Season 2 Review

[8/10 · 2 November 2017]

I admit I was lukewarm on the first season of Netflix's spooky darling, Stranger Things, when it premiered last year, enjoying the acting and theme but finding the plot constantly tripping over itself. I'm happy to say that the Duffer Brothers' second season has dramatically improved, presumably thanks to a better special effects budget and writing team.

Firstly, the acting, while already solid in the first line of episodes, has improved dramatically. For the child actors, Wolfhard, McLaughlin, and Brown really excelled this season, while I still feel sorry for Will's actor, Noah Schnapp, consistently getting limited chances to shine. Ryder, Harbour, Dyer, and Keery are excellent as always, and the new members (Sean Astin, Montogmery, and Gelman) were all great additions to an already closely-knit cast, with Sadie Sink's new member to the "party" being my favorite. The characters are written to play off each other better than before, in addition to moments of complex tension being constantly thrown into the mix.

The special effects have also stepped up drastically, with the CGI for the Upside-Down and the horrors it spawns meshing well with the sleepy small-town setting (and damn, this season's finale sequence puts the previous year's school-setting to shame). My only complaint was the seventh episode, "The Lost Sister", which provided some interesting development for Eleven but felt unnecessarily tied down to the uninteresting punk characters and Chicago setting for an entire episode.

If you were iffy after the first season, the second improves on all fronts massively, presenting a twisting mystery begging to be solved by an incredible cast of characters.

Good Game (2017)

Underwhelming and Cliché-Riddled

[4/10 · 2 November 2017]

As a fan of Avidan and Hanson's past and present work, I was looking forward to Good Game as a potentially high-budget extension of their comedic endeavors, with a promising Dan Harmon co-sign.

The end result however, is a rushed and poorly-written commentary on the e-sports culture thriving on sites like YouTube and Twitch. The majority of the characters, aside from Avidan and Payton's characters, are annoying caricatures of gaming culture or poorly-acted. The actual gaming portion of the show is pretty unenjoyable to watch, leaving the rest of the show filled with sitcom-level hurdles for the characters to overcome and provide meager progression. Give it a watch if you want to support Dan and Arin, but know their input on the show is minimal at best.