Welcome to the Two Geeks Go To The Movies! This is a project of two college friends who watch way too many movies and have decided to tell the world. Enjoy the ramblings.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Five Nights At Freddy's Review
Monday, August 7, 2023
Oppenheimer Review
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Barbie Review
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Love Again Review
I saw Love Again on May 7, 2023! I'm a guy that likes movies from all different genres. I like drama, comedy, thriller, action, etc., but one genre I've always really enjoyed is the good ol' fashioned romantic comedies, or rom-com, for short. Yes, I like a lot of so-called chick flicks as they say, but a lot of them have great stories, so that's why I've always liked them. Now, this movie definitely has romance, and definitely it's fair share of comedy (watch our for a truly hysterical Nick Jonas cameo), but there's such a beautiful story underneath the surface creating a deeper movie for audiences. I had been invested in the movie from the initial trailers. The actual movie ended up being really enthralling certainly tearing at my heart strings, and feeling for the characters.
The movie deals with love and romance on the surface, but, the core of this movie lies in dealing with the loss of a loved one, the grief one feels from it, and a journey back to normalcy in some way. The movie does an exemplary job of presenting how people will always be a part of your life, despite them no longer being with us. It also does an illuminating job of portraying the ideal that people are put into our lives for a certain purpose. I have a strong credence that there are people in our lives for a reason. They are sent to us to heal, grow, laugh, and bring us back into the light from the darkness we may have been feeling. The core of this movie really delves into that, and, along with the initial romantic plot, this piece of the movie is why I enjoyed it so much.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas performance as Mira Ray is exceptional. She conveys so much in her performance of the constant hurt and suffering from losing a loved one. Watching her deal with it in a sullen, gloomy manner is such an apropos feeling that many can empathize with. It takes a long time for somebody to move on and feel a sense of betterment. You're in this constant flux of despair, trying to swim out from the abyss. I like her backstory as a children's author/illustrator. That caterpillar character is a great motif of capturing how she's feeling in her life whether it was happy, sad, or frustrated. Along with being one of, if not, the most physically beautiful woman in the world, PCJ is such a kind soul as well, really making the Mira character somebody you want to just reach out and help in any way. Trying to deal with her loss, she starts texting his old number, unaware that it's been reassigned to somebody else's phone.
This leads to the other half of the story in Sam Heughan's Rob Burns. While PCJ is the overall star of the movie and does a tremendous job as the female lead, I think Heughan really gives the movie it's heart as it's male lead. While Mira is dealing with loss of her own, Rob is also dealing with his own loss in the romance department as well. Yes, it's in a completely different way, and, while not as tragic, is still loss that can definitely be hard to come back from. In a way, these two characters feel like they're both sent to each other to heal. Mira's messages give Rob that sentiment that love, though an absolute manic emotion at times, is possible to find in the most unexpected ways. Rob's presence and overall commitment to finding out what and who these messages are about ultimately helps Mira's heart mend and make the first steps to embracing the light again. Watching Mira and Rob heal each other in their own ways is such a beautiful story to watch, especially in Rob's case in taking care of Mira. I really like watching Mira smile and laugh again. It legitimately made me tear up, because, you just want her to get to that place. Watching how much Rob genuinely cares about Mira and goes out of his way to help heal her is truly delightful to watch. I liked their conversations. The dialogue was clever and witty, as well as lighthearted, but also really does a great job of delving into that dramatic spark that gives the movie more heart and warmth for audiences.
Through the performances of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan, a beautiful story with a deeper meaning, and the music of Celine Dion, this is a movie that will make your heart feel, and truly appreciate how good the romantic comedy, or, in this case dramedy can be when it's done properly. I really recommend this movie, especially if you're dealing with loss or just going through a hard time. By the end of the movie, it will make you feel better. It's a really beautiful movie!
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Review
I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 6, 2023! Guardians of the Galaxy has always been my favorite thing related to the MCU. I think these characters are some of the best in comics as well as recent movie history in general. James Gunn is a great storyteller. His combination of larger than life characters, real emotion, well placed humor and overall world building has really shaped Guardians into something special. This final chapter is an epic conclusion to an excellent trilogy!
This final entry is all about character arcs, helping everybody realize their own self worth to the group, and to themselves as individuals. This is such a fantastic ensemble cast that truly understands how special these characters are. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klamentieff, etc. all have their own journeys, and, we as the audience care about them, because they're all flawed, layered heroes. To me, the Guardians as a whole always come across as a more cohesive team than the Avengers ever did. This installment really shows how much each of the Guardians care about each other. There's so much intense emotion, and you definitely get caught up in all of it. There's such a different style to Guardians than anything else in the MCU, and that's why I've always liked these movies. There's just something astonishing about them.
While every character in this movie has a story, and all of it connects to form a fitting conclusion, the bulk of the movie focuses on Rocket. His story is so moving. You find out so much about his background, and how he became the character we know. Rocket has been through so much torment physically and emotionally throughout his existence. Rocket's heart might just be the biggest of the group, and this movie will show you that. His friendships with other animals like him, and how much he means to the rest of his team show you how integral Rocket is to everything going on in this universe. His intelligence is intimidating, and his overall potential as a leader is realized throughout his story. Bradley Cooper conveyed so much emotion in this performance, and I felt all of Rocket's pain, suffering and eventual anguish.
Rocket's story is even more intriguing when you factor in the High Evolutionary, who is by far the most insidious villain the MCU has had, and, honestly, I'm including Thanos in that. To me, the High Evolutionary is far more sinister. He has the qualities of some of the worst leaders in world history. His fascist ideals, narcissistic persona, and overall manipulative nature makes him one of the best villains in some time. This is a villain you absolutely despise. I was so impressed with Chukwudi Iwuji. His performance was great as he gave the character such an unsettling personality through unbridled charisma. It's been a long time since I've actually hated a villain in movies, but I despise the High Evolutionary, and all of it lies in the brilliant performance of Iwuji.
I also think the addition of Will Poulter's Adam Warlock was phenomenal as well. He's this all powerful being, but he's also a little goofy, while also being defiant of cosmic leadership. He's a representation of change in generational view points. His mother is very much a zealot, while Adam is trying to make his own path, assisting the rebels so to speak. He's important in both the open and the close of this movie in big ways. He can almost be seen as an anti-hero in this movie, based on some of his actions, but he's definitely an important character, and we'll probably see more of him in the future. Poulter made Adam likable making a god like character vulnerable connecting very well to the overall team dynamic of the Guardians.
Along with Rocket's story, the looming threat of the High Evolutionary and the Guardians becoming a stronger unit based on how much they genuinely love each other, like family, there's more incredible action befitting of an epic conclusion. The action sequences look crisp and have a certain gritty quality to it that just feels right for this franchise. The different worlds they explore such as Counter Earth are mystifying, yet magnificent. I really liked the different creature designs, and interactions with these characters and the Guardians. Every member of the team has their chance to shine. Every member of the team matters, and realizes, that despite their faults, they have a lot more strengths. Watching this team work together is remarkable. The amount of obstacles these characters have faced is truly herculean, but they find a way to come together and win the day.
Through brilliant characters, an impressive cast, excellent storytelling, world building, action sequences, incredible soundtrack (which has always been a cornerstone of these movies), and James Gunn's writing and directing Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is a fitting conclusion to this space odyssey. It's been a wild ride, an incredible experience, and keeps me hooked on a feeling for more adventures in the future!
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Review
I saw Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret on April 30, 2023! Every once in a while a movie comes along that just feels special. Recently reacquainting myself with Judy Blume's novel, I found myself immersed in one of the most impactful coming of age stories through her words and her characters. Kelly Fremon Craig did an impeccable job adapting a story sprung forth from 1970 to 2023. It's a story 50 plus years in the making, and, it's still relevant to girls of this generation, just as it was then. It's about Margaret Simon's journey dealing with physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of her life, and finding her place in all of it.
What makes this movie adaptation as good as it does lies in the casting of it's main character, Margaret Simon. Abby Ryder Forsten delivers one of the best young actress performances I've seen in years. Yes, she's been involved with other projects before, such as Cassie Lang in the MCU, but this performance right here is her breakthrough role. She captures the awkward naivete, the burgeoning excitement, the adolescent ire and looming dread that comes with being a girl on the cusp of everything in front of her with such precision, displaying an dramatic acumen of somebody that's been in the industry for decades. This girl has a bright future as she has the ability to command a screen, and really get into the mind of the character she's playing. Her reactions come off as natural, and makes the performance that much better as a result. I really hope to see more from ARF. She's a shining star on the rise, and this performance will show you that.
There's some other great performances here that stick out, particularly from Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon and Kathy Bates as Sylvia Simon. Bates is always who I envisioned in the role of Sylvia, so it just came off as a natural performance to me, and Bates excels here selling the close bond with her granddaughter. McAdams is phenomenal here as Margaret's mother, a kind soul who goes out of her way for everybody, and she shows that in every step of her performance as well. The other young performances were fantastic, especially Elle Graham, who captured the embodiment of what Nancy Wheeler is all about. The difference in characters from Margaret and Nancy is astounding. One aspect of this story that I always liked is you get a sense of everybody's view point, looking deeper into their characters. The cast does a great job conveying that for audiences.
The movie captures several of the key scenes from the book in an illuminating manner, showing how incredible these scenes are. From the reactions to the religious services to shopping for lady garments and products to the PTS meetings to Norman's party to Margaret's first kiss, everything feels how it was when Judy Blume sat down to write the words. I found myself laughing loudly at the reactions to the puberty video. The shots of the girls horrific looks was absolutely hilarious. It's just one of the examples of an adaptation that works on all levels. The movie flows well, capturing moments of euphoric emotion, while also capturing despondent drama. Audiences get perspectives from different characters, such as Laura Danker, and how she feels about herself, giving a more worldly approach to everything going on around these characters. It's a movie that really celebrates life and all the trials and tribulations that come of it, especially at a young age.
From a brilliant lead performance by Abby Ryder Forsten to a compelling narrative capturing the essence of it's author, Judy Blume to memorable scenes encapsulating a young girl's odyssey into life as a whole through a fantastic visual adaptation, this movie gets everything right, making the characters and the words originally on the page that much more exceptional on screen.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Pearl Review
I saw Pearl on September 17, 2022! I have not seen X yet, but this prequel movie centering on the younger version of the character, Pearl is the best way to start this soon to be trilogy. As this is technically the first movie of the series, I wanted to see what the world is all about, and I have to say I was very intrigued by everything going on. Yes, some of the subject matter is definitely violent and outright gruesome, but the crimson and clover of this world actually makes it a necessary road to take.
I think it's one of the most unique horror worlds that I've seen in some time. While it's not outright a horror movie, the actions and atmosphere surrounding our main character is certainly befitting of the genre. I found this to be a tremendous slow burn descent into madness which works for the character. The building deterioration of her fragile psyche is terrifying to watch, but at the same time, she's also really good at feigning naivety and innocence making the character one of the most cerebral villains in recent cinematic history.
This movie's success lies in the performance of it's main actress, Mia Goth, and she succeeds in flying colors! Goth's performance here is one of the absolute best I've seen in years not only in the horror/psychological thriller genre, but of any genre. Her name works so well for the movie as well giving it that macabre crescendo that everything builds on. Goth is such a gifted actress, and her outstanding performance here is indicative that she's one of the most underrated people in the industry. She's simply amazing! Her commitment to this character shaping it into one of the most layered killers in movie history is truly remarkable. As an actress, writer and producer of this role, she helps to expand this character's emotions, build on her motivations, dissect her intellect and establish her rebellious spirit. Pearl's mental health struggles are always on full display in terms of dealing with her life on the farm, outside in the real world and her awkward interactions with other people. I like Pearl's ideals of basically trying to find out there's more than her provincial life, standing up for herself and overtly taking control of her situation (albeit, in heinous ways) showing somebody that is trying to repair herself and make improvements in her life. Goth actually gives Pearl an almost child like expression to many things going on around her which is expertly done to explore her descent into lunacy. Initially, this works well as the obedient daughter, but the subtle changes in her speech and tone of voice show, as well as the change in colors she wears from blue to dark red display the changes of her mind, as well as her resistance to her current life. One of the best aspects of the movie is Goth's performance in a soliloquy about her sacrifice and her suffering for everybody else around her showcasing the fervor she has for this character explaining her reasoning for her actions. It's her telling us she's done being the polite girl, done pretending to be somebody she isn't, finally embracing the monster she's created underneath coming to the surface in pure fruition. Goth commands the screen in every scene she's in. As the main character, this should be expected, but whenever she's on screen her charisma is luminous making this fresh character one of the most exciting, as well as intimidating dancing between sweet and sour in such a manner making it truly shocking to watch, while also adding an artistic flair to her that makes her stand out among other female characters in recent memory.
Along with Goth's phenomenal performance, there are other aspects of this movie that really help it stand out as a unique project. The use of technicolor makes everything pop on screen. In some ways, there are instances in this movie where you feel like you're watching a really macabre Wizard of Oz, and I really loved that aspect of it as well. There's scenes that are literally put in the movie that are meant to give you that feeling as well, since this movie is really Pearl putting away her black and white existence and walking into her new colorful world of madness, so that worked really well. Along with the technicolor, the costumes were just beautiful. Pearl's dresses captured great use of light blues to dark reds showing the changing aspects of her personality, as well as capturing the era of the characters. The dance choreography was fantastic with Goth's routine really impressing. The sound was really great here, because it was mixed in a way that gave it that silent movie, early talkie era effect, which was just fun to see. It made the character's dialogue pop on screen, and Goth made full use of it to sell her emotions verbally. It's really tremendous to see. Combining that with the cinematography of the location sets like the farm and the interior of Pearl's house made it feel like an older movie, and with the movie being set in 1918 that felt very accurate, and helped sell the movie's premise even better. The use of blood and overtly sexual aspects of the movie worked for the character and the world this movie is set in. While it can definitely be disturbing, the sell of the movie is in some of the shock value of Pearl's actions, so it actually works for the general nature of the movie. There's definitely moments where you'll be horrified by the actions she takes, but the movie has been building up to these, and the moments are dispersed throughout so they're not all at once. Pacing scenes like that is the right way to go in general, but especially here, because each violent action is increased by the state she's in at that moment. It's done in a way to show how far she's fallen from when she's introduced that she can't come back to that moment. She's put all of what she was (or what she was pretending to be) behind her. These scenes are shot so well utilizing great camera tricks to bring the audience right into the moment, and right into her mindset.
With an excellent lead performance by Mia Goth, a well constructed psychological thriller, great technical aspects and incredibly effective scenes selling the origins of this character, Pearl manages to entertain, horrify and intrigue you all at the same time, while also inviting you to delve further into this world. Mia Goth's performance alone gives this a 5/5! I love watching her passion for this character come to life in each scene. Even if this genre isn't up your alley, I'd highly recommend it for Goth's performance here. Yes, it's a dark world, but it's also such an ambitious one really upping the ante for this genre.