During my Christmas break, I saw a bunch of movies. Since writing full reviews for all of them would test my sanity, here we are. Expect some very mild spoilers. Click here to read the last one.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Release Date: November 6
Starring: Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tom Waits
Score: 8/10 (Great)
The first time I saw The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, I liked it. However, after seeing it a second time, I now love it. This is an anthology movie of six different short films. Each short film is fantastically produced with beautiful cinematography, gorgeous music, and fantastic acting. They all have their own distinct style and story that differ completely with each other. The only common thread each short has is the time period. All of these stories were fascinating to watch. They are all fantastically written and wonderfully directed, giving a lot of comedy, suspense, action, and drama. If I had one complaint, it's that the pacing is pretty inconsistent throughout the six shorts. And by that, I mean each short has a different pace. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It means that it might take an extra watch in order for viewers to be accustomed to the pacing of the film as a whole. And because of the different paces, even after seeing it a second time, I do think the last two shorts are a little too slow. They're not bad by any means, but I found them to be the hardest to get through. The fifth short in particular was noticeably slow because it's by far the longest of the six shorts. Despite that, I found The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to be highly entertaining. It's not for everyone, but I thought all six short were gripping and a lot of fun. If I had to choose the order of the shorts from favorite to least favorite, my order would be this: 4, 1, 2, 3, 6, 5. It's on Netflix, so check it out when you get the chance.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Release Date: November 21
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, and Taraji P. Henson
Score: 4/10 (Mediocre)
I enjoyed Wreck it Ralph, but this was not good. The animation is beautiful, the way the internet is designed is imaginative, and Ralph and Vanellope have great chemistry with each other. However, this movie is incredibly corporate. There is so much product placement and Disney worship in this film that it gets close to insulting. It doesn't help that the story is weak, with many instances of the movie blatantly stating what is happening and what the stakes are instead of giving the viewers the chance to feel the stakes. There is no subtlety in this movie. And the climax is incredibly stupid, and the way that it ends is just dumb. The new side characters are bland and the side characters that were great in the first movie were completely sidelined in this one, and Ralph turns completely unlikable. I know, he's a villain, but he was charming in the first one. Here, he's annoying, whiny, and not fun to watch. And yeah, there's an arc to his character, but it's completely rushed, and it's an arc that is very similar to what he went through in the first movie. Yeah, Ralph Breaks the Internet did nothing for me. This movie was clearly made for little kids. In that respect, I guess it's fine. However, I'd just stick with the first one. This was disappointing. But hey, at least it's better than The Emoji Movie, right?
Bumblebee
Release Date: December 21
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., and John Cena
Score: 7/10 (Good)
I haven't seen every movie in this franchise, but I can easily say that Bumblebee is definitely the best live action Transformers movie. The characters are entertaining to watch, the acting is solid, the comedy and drama both work quite well, and the visuals are beautiful. The CGI is the best in the entire franchise (at least, of the two movies in the franchise I have seen) and the action is exciting. Plus, you can actually see the fights! AND the explosions are actual explosions instead of bursts of fireworks! The scenes involving the military did come off pretty corny and John Cena, while doing well in the comedic scenes, fell pretty flat during the dramatic moments. There's also a side character that Charlie meets that, while entertaining, is kind of pointless. I would have also liked to have seen more focus on the Transformers. Seeing another Transformers movie that focuses more on humans is kind of disappointing. However, most importantly, this movie is purely fun. This is a fun movie. It didn't blow me away at all, but I highly enjoyed this film. If you enjoy the Transformers franchise but are not a fan of what Michael Bay has directed, give it a shot. This was quite enjoyable from start to finish, and it's the only film in this franchise that I would gladly see again.
Mortal Engines
Release Date: December 14
Starring: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, and Stephen Lang
Score: 5/10 (Average)
Well this was disappointing. I was looking forward to this movie because the trailers looked cool and I thought it was directed by Peter Jackson, even though he never did. The marketing made it look like he directed it even though he was only a producer, showing that the company had no faith in the actual director. After seeing the movie, I understand why. This is a dull, cliche story with boring characters and so-so directing. Which is a shame, because this movie looks fantastic. The special effects are all great, and the designs of the city vehicles are beautiful. I love the architecture, as well as the costumes. It's very over the top, but visually impressive. What hurts the look of the film is, unfortunately, the camera movements. The director uses way too many camera sweeps and pans. The film never lets a shot sit for us to soak in what's happening. It makes for a lot of aggravating dialogue scenes and action scenes. Speaking of action, the action scenes were probably most disappointing to me. They were boring, edited to hell, and were way too overwhelming to be entertaining. It was just a barrage of loud noises and flashing lights, and the bombastic musical score did not help much. I can see some people enjoying this film, but I did not. I found it way too monotonous and uninteresting. If you're expecting some Lord of the Rings quality fantasy, you won't find it here, but if you want an adventure that you can shut your mind off and watch dumb action scenes, then you might like it.
The Favourite
Release Date: December 21
Starring: Olivia Coleman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz
Score: 9/10 (Amazing)
Fun fact: I saw this movie with my parents. It was only mildly awkward. This is my first foray into the work of director Yorgos Lanthimos, and I must say, I am blown away. This is easily one of the best made films I've seen all year. The directing, cinematography, and editing are all executed beautifully, bringing the gorgeous architecture and landscapes to life. The Favourite is definitely one of the best looking movies of the year, and contains some of the best performances of the year. Olivia Colman steals every scene she's in as Queene Anne. She is thoroughly captivating and conveys so much emotion in every little action she does. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are also phenomenal, and the conflict that arises between the two is gripping. I also love the script. It's funny, sad, disturbing, tense, and shocking all at the same time. The delivery of the lines is perfect, with each actor striking the perfect balance between charismatic and dry, with strong bursts of emotion punching us in the gut. I love the personality, the wit, the dreariness, and the conflict of this story. This movie has been gaining high accolades, and I can easily understand why. If I had one nitpick, it's that there might be a couple scenes that drag on for a little too long. But honestly, that's it. It's one of the most fascinating movies I've seen all year, and I cannot wait to see it again. You'll definitely see this high up on my best list.
Roma
Release Date: December 14
Starring: Yalitza Aparicio, Nacy Garcia Garcia, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, and Marco Graf
Score: 10/10 (Masterpiece)
No movie in 2018 impacted me like Roma did. It's deceptively simple, yet brilliantly crafted. The directing is the best I saw all year without question. The cinematography, the environments, and the activity within frame brings Mexico City to life. All the performances are fantastic, and they all feel very genuine throughout the film. It's especially impressive considering almost the entire cast is full of non-professional actors. The story is also wonderful. So little happens, yet so much happens all at once. It appreciates the simple moments in life, and when drastic changes occur, the way they are executed results in the best scenes of the entire year. The two moments that stuck out to me the most were the forest fire scene and the pregnancy scene. These two scenes alone would top my unofficial "best scenes of 2018" list. Roma is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's simplistic yet complex, funny yet tragic, pure yet disturbing, and through it all, it's incredibly captivating. I can understand if some people will find it boring, but after seeing this film twice, I can say that I was never bored at all. This truly is a phenomenal film. If I had one nitpick, there's a 20 second segment involving a movie that could have been cut out. The use of it made sense, but I don't necessarily think it was all that needed, especially considering the transition in and out of the segment is somewhat jarring. That's my only complaint. I adore this movie from start to finish, and I urge you to see it immediately. Do it now. It's on Netflix, so you have no excuse.
And that's all I have for 2018! I'll be coming out with my best and worst list in the next few days (as of the date this article was published). I apologize for being late with them, but I want to make sure that my lists are right where I want them. See you again soon!
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