Corey

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3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Dark Phoenix’:

1. This movie was insanely predictable, almost every step of the way. And it all started with a trailer that gave away wayyy too much.

2. I love Sophie Turner. She’s a fantastic actress. But I thought this was a poor casting choice. I feel like the whole character was done wrong. Never did I feel intimidated by her. Never did I sense this all-powerful being filled with rage. Never.

3. Call me crazy, but I prefer ‘The Last Stand’ to this. I miss Hugh. I miss Halle. I miss Rebecca Romijn and Famke. The villain here was so poorly executed. In general, this was rough.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Okja’:

1. Though it may have been lacking, or a bit nonsensical in parts, I give it points for originality — and for not shying away from some pretty dark stuff. And it undoubtedly tugged at the heartstrings.

2. I didn’t fully understand the whole twin sister thing. Was that supposed to symbolize something? If so, it was lost on me.

3. The young main actress was super badass. And we definitely saw quite a different side to Jake Gyllenhaal here.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Shape of Water’:

1. I couldn’t buy into the romance, at all. I just couldn’t. It was a little too “out there” for me.

2. Did this remind anyone else of a backwards (a :asterisk_symbol:very:asterisk_symbol: backwards) version of ‘Splash’?

3. The one and only aspect of this film that I enjoyed was Guillermo’s vision. I love his style. I love his creatures (Doug Jones is remarkable.). His penchant for dark fairytales. The way he’s able to deliver such a rage-inducing villain. I was just NOT able to connect with this story.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Quarantine 2: Terminal’:

1. The audio was AWFUL. There were so many moments, too many, when I couldn’t tell what somebody was saying.

2. It was a surprisingly enjoyable film, despite the low production value. Solid scares and super creepy/tense moments. I was entertained.

3. That ending was oddly abrupt and awkward.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Lion King’:

1. Timon and Pumbaa stole the show. Billy Eichner killed it and had me cracking up, particularly at the end of Hakuna Matata.

2. Honestly, the worst parts for me: Beyoncé and the all-too-abridged “Be Prepared.” Then again, NOBODY can top Jeremy Irons.

3. This film repeats so much of the original. Many of the same shots (w/ admittedly STUNNING visuals) and same lines. The best of this were all the parts that were new, because you can’t duplicate perfection. I just wish they mixed things up a liiittle bit more.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’:

1. It was a fun superhero film, but I’m on the fence on how I feel about it. Something was off. I don’t know if it’s because something was missing, or if it was too much more of the same.

2. Jake Gyllenhaal made for a good villain. He was definitely a highlight for me. AND it was GREAT to see J.K. Simmons back as J. Jonah Jameson!

3. Long Thought: Nothing has ever felt quite right to me about this particular Spider-Man series. Tom Holland is great and the character is fantastic when paired with The Avengers. But as standalone films, they’ll always stand in the shadow of Tobey Maguire’s Spidey. So much more depth. Iconic scenes (aka the “upside-down kiss”). I felt more emotionally-invested in the older, more heartfelt Aunt May. I’m not digging such an emo MJ. I dunno. I can’t help but to compare.

That final scene with Spidey swinging along with MJ kinda sums my feelings up. It was fun but shaky, a little uncomfortable, and - when they finally landed - nobody around them batted an eye. The impact was just “meh.”

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Hunt’:

1. WHO IS THIS MAIN ACTRESS?! What a Queen. This movie would’ve been entirely different if it weren’t for her. She carried the entire thing. Super badass.

2. This film gave me all the ‘Kill Bill’ vibes that I’ve needed for far too long. Definitely some Tarantino-esque moments throughout all this.

3. I could’ve done without the political stuff, but that beginning - before our Queen enters - was kinda genius.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Everest’:

1. I found the story to be very disjointed, kinda all over the place. Many times, I didn’t know what was going on, where exactly these people were, and who I was looking at.

2. The visuals were the most impressive aspect of the film. I’d be interested to see how the heck they filmed all of that.

3. The fact that this is a true story is pretty compelling, but I believe another film could’ve told it better.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Reservoir Dogs’:

1. If this weren’t a Tarantino film, I probably would’ve given it a slightly lower rating. His style was clear here — and I wish I would’ve watched it sooner and before his other films. This was the one that started it all.

2. I definitely liked it. The music was great. The shocks were there, as per usual. My biggest criticism was the ultra-heavy dialog. For me, with Tarantino, sometimes the long, rando convos stick for me — and sometimes they don’t.

3. I would’ve liked to have seen background on the other characters — and even the actual heist itself. But I guess, in the end, the film simply wasn’t about that. But I wonder why only White, Blonde, and Orange were featured.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover’:

1. I watched this after hearing it disturbed director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), whose films are a bit disturbed in their own right. But I didn’t find this film to be all that disturbing.

2. I never thought I’d hate hearing Dumbledore speak SO much.

3. There were some tiny details I didn’t fully understand — BUT I give the film points for originality and a super unique aesthetic. And I was never bored.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Burnt Offerings’:

1. Excuse me while I Google the entire meaning of this film.

2. It had so much potential that it never reached. However, I noticed a lot of distinct horror film elements that are used today — and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were inspired by this film.

3. It was certainly creepy (especially the ending). Karen Black was great. But there needed to be more Bette.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Jojo Rabbit’:

1. Simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful. I’m in awe of this film. I did :asterisk_symbol:not:asterisk_symbol: expect it to go as dark as it did. Absolutely phenomenal work by Taika Waititi. Scarlett was fantastic as well.

2. The child actors did such an incredible job. Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo) and Archie Yates (Yorki) knocked it out of the park!

3. The tying of the shoes. Broke. My. Heart. Oh, but the dancing. We should all be dancing more.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Little Women’:

1. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. Wasn’t familiar with the story. Went in for the cast, came out reaffirming that this just isn’t my kind of film.

2. The movie struggled to hold my attention for the first half, but proceeded to grab me in towards the end.

3. I wish I liked it more. The cast is superb.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘1917’:

1. How the hell did they even film this? A cinematic achievement, indeed. The scope of it all is insane.

2. The two young actors were fantastic. Cared about them and their fate almost immediately.

3. Other reviews mention the film lacking despite its technical marvels. I wholeheartedly disagree. The storyline may have been simple, but I found it compelling, emotional and inspiring. And the score was fantastic. It wasn’t only filmed well.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’:

1. It was heartwarming to see someone of that time, who might have been considered “square” or “old-fashioned,” be so wonderfully accepting of so many different types of people.
2. It wouldn’t be easy to be a Fred Rogers in this age, but what the world would be if there were more like him.
3. This was an enjoyable, bittersweet documentary.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’:

1. I need to watch the Fred Rogers documentary now.
2. I was expecting a little more, but it was a cute film with a refreshing message.
3. Only Tom Hanks could play Fred Rogers and Walt Disney.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’:

1. Glad that they finally showed Leia using her Force powers. I know some people weren’t fans of that scene, but it had to happen eventually.
2. The Yoda/Luke scene was perfect. Really brought back those ‘Empire’ vibes.
3. After my 10-film Star Wars movie marathon, I’m finally ready for ‘Rise of Skywalker’.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’:

1. Reviving such an epic saga from the 70s/80s ain’t no easy feat -- and they’ve succeeded here.
2. I was expecting more from Kylo Ren. His lack of menace is one of my biggest criticisms.
3. Rey is a great character and her force-fetching the lightsaber from the snow was perfection.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Return of the Jedi’:

1. Contrary to popular opinion, I enjoyed the Ewoks.
2. It was particularly great seeing Luke and Leia’s bond strengthen.
3. It looks like Anakin brought balance to the force after all.

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Empire Strikes Back’:

1. Films don’t get much more :asterisk_symbol:epic:asterisk_symbol: than this. After this rewatch, I completely understand how this is hailed one of the best films of all time.
2. Somebody told me recently that the original films don’t hold up anymore, especially for a new generation. I highly disagree.
3. Seeing this in a theater - in 1980 - must’ve been magnificent.