{"id":8901,"date":"2020-01-21T13:24:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T13:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/?p=8901"},"modified":"2023-07-10T02:34:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T02:34:42","slug":"recent-movie-review-round-up-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/film\/recent-movie-review-round-up-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent movie review round-up (2019)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite intending to on plenty of occasions, I&#8217;ve never used this blog to review movies. In an attempt to change that I&#8217;ve written up short reviews of movies from the past year or so. Films are reviewed from newest to oldest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VHYES - Official Trailer - Oscilloscope Laboratories HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ANxPHIEj4g8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <strong>VHYes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the mid 80&#8217;s a boy gets a camcorder and starts filming random stuff with his friend&#8230; over his parent&#8217;s wedding video. The first half or so of the film is a comedy based mostly around the deeply weird stuff the boys record on late night television including an Antiques Roadshow knockoff with an unflappably chipper host, a home shopping show hosted by a clueless bickering divorced couple, and a Bob Ross style painting show hosted by a woman who&#8217;s clearly nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oh, and there&#8217;s an &#8220;edited for television&#8221; porn flick about global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first half of the film&#8217;s short 72 running time it&#8217;s packed with genuinely funny, though not always original sketches; making fun of low quality TV has been a staple of sketch comedy all the way from Monty Python to, say, Key &amp; Peele. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately the film falls apart as it tries to tug all the different threads into a coherent plot, relying on Lynchian nightmare logic to arrive at a conclusion. The ending makes very little sense and drags on far too long for a movie this short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best moment: Mark Proksch&#8217;s character smiling as he happily describes how a stained antique bowl was used in unsuccessful heart transplants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rating<\/strong>: 6\/10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Uncut Gems | Official Trailer HD | A24\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vTfJp2Ts9X8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong> Uncut Gems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Howard has a lot of problems: he&#8217;s deeply in debt with dangerous mobsters, hopelessly addicted to gambling, and his marriage is failing. His fortunes are finally about to turn around though as he&#8217;s acquired an uncut gem (under mysterious circumstances) reportedly worth millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When NBA star Kevin Garnett shows up and sees the uncut gem, he insists on borrowing it as he thinks it&#8217;s a good luck charm. This triggers a series of events that send Howard further into his chaotic downward spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What sets this movie apart is how it manages to ratchet up the tension for over two hours without much physical action. It&#8217;s more of a fast-paced drama than a traditional thriller. The synth-heavy soundtrack somehow pairs perfectly with the tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best moment: I can&#8217;t believe I&#8217;m saying this, but everything about Adam Sandler&#8217;s performance as Howard is perfect. I suspect his reputation for lazy frat boy comedies may have unfairly turned audiences away from this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rating<\/strong>: 10\/10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Knives Out (2019) New Trailer \u2013 Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sL-9Khv7wa4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong> Knives Out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bestselling mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey died under strange circumstances after a family party at his creepy mansion. As it turns out Harlan has cut off the family financially, so almost everyone at the party has a reason to be angry with him &#8212; but would any of them resort to murder? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig with a goofy southern accent) is hired to solve the murder, but by who? He doesn&#8217;t know, which presents a second path to investigate. Like any good &#8220;whodunnit&#8221; story there&#8217;s a lot of twists and turns &#8212; and the discovery of a secret passage &#8212; before the detective can unravel the mystery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My only criticism is the movie takes its time in the beginning with a slow setup, though to be fair there&#8217;s a good balance between setup and payoff throughout this movie once it gets going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best moment: Detective Blanc using the novel &#8220;Gravity&#8217;s Rainbow&#8221; metaphorically, only to immediately reveal he&#8217;s never read it and suspects nobody else has either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rating<\/strong>: 8\/10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Us - Official Trailer [HD]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hNCmb-4oXJA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Us<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a family travels to Santa Cruz for a vacation, the mother (Lupita Nyong&#8217;o) has flashbacks to her unsettling experience visiting the Beach Boardwalk as a child. Her concerns are brushed off&#8230; until a family of scissors-wielding doppelgangers appear outside their vacation home one night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Us<\/em> blends horror with social commentary and a few dashes of humor, which won&#8217;t be a surprise for those familiar with Jordon Peele&#8217;s previous film <em>Get Out.<\/em> This time around the same ingredients are much better prepared and presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everything gets a little doughy in the middle of the movie when the characters start killing each other. After a certain point it feels like you could take a bathroom break and still know who killed who.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best moment: Without spoiling it, the twist ending left me thinking about this movie for days. If you like this movie you&#8217;re going to want to see it a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rating<\/strong>: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite intending to on plenty of occasions, I&#8217;ve never used this blog to review movies. In an attempt to change that I&#8217;ve written up short [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Recent movie review round-up (2019) - MrEricSir.com","description":"Despite intending to on plenty of occasions, I've never used this blog to review movies. In an attempt to change that I've written up short reviews of movies fr"},"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[347],"tags":[1440,1441,195,1438,1439,1162,1442],"class_list":["post-8901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","tag-adam-sandler","tag-knives-out","tag-movies","tag-trailers","tag-uncut-gems","tag-vcr","tag-vhyes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8901"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9683,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8901\/revisions\/9683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}