Quick Movie Review

Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014, USA) | Rating: 4/5
Someone put in a request for me to review this, but I was planning on watching and reviewing this movie anyway. Ohohoho~ Anyway, I've been looking forward to seeing this movie since its theater release, but unfortunately, it was a limited release. Like most limited releases, I waited for it to be released on DVD. This movie has received a lot of awards and, for the most, I understand the praise it has received. This movie is a bit high brow and I understand why it was limited release as most artsy, original things are hardly ever released for the wide public, which is quite unfortunate. I skimmed over some people's comments on IMDb and heard a few things around work and I understand that people think this movie is overrated or they just don't get it at all. This movie is pretty out there and there were some moments that I was confused, but overall I thought it was an entertaining and intriguing piece of art. The visuals are amazing and watching the characters' personalities unfold was quite fascinating, even if I disliked Edward Norton's character quite a lot. This isn't for everyone and some moments can be a bit raw or intense, but I really enjoyed this movie and I'm happy I was able to see it.



The Voices (2014, USA) | Rating: 3/5
We meet again Ryan Reynolds (or maybe I'm just mixing you up with Ryan Gosling for some strange reason). I picked this movie up on a slight whim. It kinda looked cheesy and potentially bad, but it was very...off the wall. It has some comedic moments that are simply just playful and you don't think anything about it because...comedy. Then it gets pretty dark and serious when we get a look into Reynolds's character and, oh boy, I was not really ready for the family issues to start filtering and suffocating the light, comedy from earlier. Then it switches it back! This movie definitely caught me off guard with the dark parts and in a way I kinda liked that it was included, but I wished the transition between the light and the dark were handled a little better. I was all ready for a good time and suddenly felt this dark cloud over my head. Nonetheless, I found the movie enjoyable and it kept me on my toes as to what direction the story would take. I am amazed at all the voice acting Reynolds had to do for this movie as he does the voiceover work for his pets.



Enter the Dangerous Mind (2013, USA) | Rating: 1.5/5
Another one of those movies that I just picked up on a whim and expecting it to be bad. While the concept sounded somewhat interesting, the execution could've been better. The movie seemed to have way too many ideas and didn't know exactly how to interpret them for the screen. The main character has some mental issues that he developed from a traumatic event, which has been done before and, for the most part, is easy to execute. The problem with this premise is the way his past is handled and how he interacts with certain people, especially a woman who shows interest in him. The psychology part of the movie was also kinda sloppy and it was a bit hard to follow, especially toward the end half of the film when they're looking for him. I don't know if I want to say this movie has potential as I think they would have to restart from the foundation and build something completely different. It also would help to make the main character more relatable or likable, but he's kinda bland, forgettable, and just odd.



The Man With the Iron Fists 2 (2015, USA) | Rating: 1.5/5
I reviewed the first movie and I enjoyed it for the most part despite the criticism it received. As for the sequel, it seems like IMDb commenters enjoyed this one more than the first, which is surprising as I thought this one was terrible and extremely cliche. The whole movie felt like RZA has all this money he has no idea what to do with and decided to live out a childhood dream. The story is incredibly cliche and just sounded like they ran out of ideas because it all sounded like is "you disrespected my land" or "you brought dishonor on our cornfield" so revenge. Then insert RZA who is mostly useless. The fight scenes were boring and not well edited with special effects. Really, the only shining element was seeing Dustin Nguyen in it...and he's looking pretty good.



Maps to the Stars (2014, USA) | Rating: 1.5/5
I saw the poster for the movie and read about it a little and it truly interested me. Unfortunately, it didn't stay in the theaters for long here, so I had to wait for the DVD release. I saw lots of complaints like this is one of David Cronenberg's worst movies. I really can't comment about that. I will say that this isn't a movie you can comfortably watch with a parent or anything. It does take an interesting look into celebrities and their delusional lives, but it just seems like there are parts missing to really drive home the message to its viewers. A lot of the time I was little confused on what the heck was going with these celebrities and some of the drama seemed...ineffective or forced. So, watch at your own risk. There are some taboo and sexual themes throughout this movie.


If there's something you want me to review (or want a more in depth review of the movies above or previous ones), check out this post on how you can submit requests.