This is a Black & A Half Reviews edition with a special guest…Sierra Lindenstein. Silas & Sierra review the new Marvel film Black Widow and Silas alone reviews the film Cosmic Sin on Netflix.
Brian Trendler joins Silas for this episode to discuss the films Luca & The Tomorrow War.
Good On Paper (2021)
R ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 32m
Written by Iliza Shlesinger
Directed by Kimmy Gatewood
THE CAST
Iliza Shlesinger, Ryan Hansen, Margaret Cho, and Rebecca Rittenhouse.
THE STORY
(In their own words) After years of putting her career first, a stand-up comic meets a guy who seems perfect: smart, nice, successful and possibly too good to be true.
THE REVIEW
Good On Paper is Iliza Shleslinger’s first feature film as the writer. And it makes sense because the film is a lot like her comedy……It’s okay. Nothing really inventive about it, lots of energy, but you often feel like that makes up for the lack of substance.
The film has its moments; A funny character, good chemistry between a couple of the actors. But overall it’s not very memorable. What stands out the most is the things that don’t make much sense.
This is the directorial debut of Kimmy Gatewood. And while she didn’t show anything special with the film, it’s hard to fault her. It’s a tough spot to be in directing the lead actor who is also the writer of the film and the executive producer. In those cases, you are there to project manage. And it does manage. The story basically makes sense up until the last 15 minute resolution, where clearly the writer didn’t know how to end the film, so it just does.
Good On Paper won’t do much to help anyone’s career but it won’t hurt it either. A perfectly mediocre, predictable and forgettable film. If you’re a fan of Shlesinger, check the film out while you can still find it on Netflix.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
Iliza was very comfortable in this role she wrote for herself.
Good chemistry between best friend Andrea & Margeret.
Some really funny characters.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
Writing felt hurried leading to a weak ending.
Plot was really a stretch.
Intercut “comedy routine” wasnt necesssry. A bit dated.
THE LESSON
Trust but verify.
THE FINAL WORD
Good On Paper turns out to be “Okay” in practice. Watch it or don’t, you probably won’t remember either way.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Good On Paper gets a Lose it.
Fatherhood (2021)
PG-13 ‧ Comedy/Drama ‧ 1h 49m
Written by screenplay by Paul Weitz and Dana Stevens, based on a memoir by Matthew Logelin
Directed by Paul Weitz
THE CAST
Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Frankie R. Faison, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd, and Paul Reiser.
THE STORY
(In their own words) A father brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife who died a day after their daughter’s birth.
THE REVIEW
Most movies I go into, I try to know as little about it as I can. It’s so easy to sway your opinions about a film based on trailers, things mentioned in interviews, etc. so when I watch a film I want to have as much a pure experience as I can. But even knowing who the actors are in the film can sometimes mislead you. As is the case with this Fatherhood billed as a Kevin Hart film, with a trailer showing him trying to figure out how to be an unexpected single dad. Netflix trailers are horrible about giving away too much of the story. So as soon as I started watching the trailer, I admit that I turned it off pretty quick, so that I could enjoy the film and be surprised.
So what I was expecting was a pretty funny story about a man who accidentally became a dad and ends up in all sorts of shenanigans. I mean the basic premise is most of Kevin Hart’s films. Accidental something….lots of shenanigans ensue. And even in the small part of the trailer I did catch, it showed Kevin going into a mom support group asking some funny questions and telling some funny stories, so that’s what they wanted me to think. Because that’s why people watch Kevin Hart films. Boy, was I wrong.
This film had me crying in the first 10 minutes. It is a sad movie, it is a sad story, and it is sadly executed. The only reason I can imagine casting Kevin Hart in the film was to try to make it some sort of dark comedy, which they certainly do attempt. Their attempt at humor and really dark moments, and I don’t know if it was just miscasting, or bad delivery, but they do not hit the mark. It doesn’t really come across funny. Yes, the intentional goofy moments do, but not the dark comedy.
The film starts off at a funeral for Matthew’s wife, as he starts her eulogy. Quickly, it flashes back to her death, which leaves him with a newborn to raise on his own. The rest of the story quickly falls into place, we see his abilities questioned and a challenge for him set up. The story is then very predictable and we know what all the plot points will be. Anybody who has seen a movie knows how the rest of this movie is going to pan out, it’s just a matter of timing and how they get there. It’s the kind of movie that you hope they will make some surprising choices, but they don’t. And with the actors they had to work with, those boring choices are really disappointing. If they had leaned into the strength of the actors, it could’ve had some surprising and interesting moments.
After seeing the movie, I learned that it was based on a memoir. So, I can only guess if they were trying to honor the real life story. The only problem is memoirs like this aren’t that exciting. In that sense they were pretty faithful to the book.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
THE LESSON
Kids will be fine when they are being raised with love.
THE FINAL WORD
Like a bad father, skip this film Predictible, bad acting, and story that had too much lacking. .
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Fatherhood gets a Lose It.
In The Heights (2021)
PG-13‧ Musical/Drama ‧ 2h 23m
Written by by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by Jon M. Chu
THE CAST
Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits
THE STORY
A film version of the Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life.
THE REVIEW
It’s hard to write a review about In The Heights because all I want to do is scream “In The Heights is the best musical film I’ve seen!” and then go watch it again. From top to bottom this film is stunningly good. This Broadway play adaptation does so well at adapting to the big screen that I wouldn’t have known it was an adaptation just from watching it. The script and the songs flow seamlessly from location to location where adaptations often struggle with that.
I was hooked from the opening 5 minute number where we are introduced to the lead character Usnavi and the people and world around him known as Washington Heights in New York. A place you need to scream its name out loud so people won’t forget it. This 5 minute opening number with it’s exquisite lyrics, amazing dancing, delightful choreography, and interesting character introductions, set the tone for what I would be watching for the next nearly two and a half hours.
Like most musicals, there is a love story going on, as we see Usnavi’s infatuation with local girl Vanessa, a hair stylist with dreams of living downtown and having a fashion career. Much of the story follows Usnavi’s point of view as he has put himself as the center of the neighborhood owning a small local bodega, where most people find themselves at some point during the day.
The story lines are not super original, but it’s presentation is one we’ve never seen before. It is multiracial and cross cultural. It’s filled with every shade of brown that we rarely see in Hollywood musicals. The music is a richly layered blend of hip-hop, soul, and latin rhythms. Audiences will recognize the musical style of Lin-Manuel Miranda from the more famous production Hamilton, but In The Heights is an earlier piece of work. For people who just became musical fans because of Hamilton, In The Heights may continue their journey into this lovely world.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
1. The music & lyrics.
2. The group dances.
3. The giant cast full of POC
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
1. Very long runtime
2. The lead Usnavi has too few obstacles in his pursuit of his love interest.
3. There’s a reveal that happens a little too soon.
THE LESSON
Paradise is where you call home.
THE FINAL WORD
One of, if not the best film musical I’ve seen. It makes you want to dance and forces you to smile. Creative, compelling, and non-stop. Let yourself be swept to new musical heights with this movie.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
In The Heights gets a Love It.
Stowaway (2021)
TV-MA‧ Sci-fi/Drama ‧ 1h 56m
Written by Joe Penna & Ryan Morrison
Directed by Joe Penna
THE CAST
Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson
THE STORY
(In their own words) A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
THE REVIEW
There was a lot for me to be excited about this film. The premise looked amazing, love me some Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick is often a delight. Netflix has produced some really nice scifi Netflix originals. I was truly looking forward to this film.
It’s no spoiler to say that the first 10-15 minutes are kind of an accurate representation of the film. It’s done a little odd. We get the point of view of the three astronauts, but we can’t hear them talking to mission control, let alone never see mission control. So we hear the one side of the conversation. Usually we can piece together what was said, but it is an odd choice. It makes the pacing a little disjointed and drags the scenes a little bit. And that’s how I would describe a lot of the film – disjointed and the scene drags a little bit.
The premise of the film is that three astronauts are on their way to Mars when they discover a “stowaway”. A fourth person on the ship who was seemingly accidentally left on board before take off. The ship is going to fast and doesn’t have enough fuel to stop and turn around, leaving them with the dilemma – they don’t’ have enough air for four people. They have to figure out a way to produce more oxygen or their stowaway will have to go away.
This is where the film starts showing to be more of a drama than a scifi film. It also starts to show it’s weaknesses here, because I really don’t care. We don’t learn very much about each character, other than each of their chances at a backstory monologue, but we don’t know enough about them to care about the fate of the travelers. Which is the ultimate sin of the filmmaker – they didn’t get me to care about anyone in the film. By the end, I could care less if they tossed the stowaway or someone else on board.
Don’t get me wrong. The film wasn’t awful. The acting was really nice, for what the actors had to work with. Some of the cinematography was fantastic to help me feel like I’m floating through space with the actors. It’s just that somewhere between the script and direction, something got lost in space.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
1. Some lovely camera work to bring you into the moments.
2. Very nice use of a small cast
3. Nice acting job by Shamier Anderson
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
1. Not very much depth into characters.
2. The odd choice that we never hear or see mission control. We only hear the one side of conversations. It’s a clear choice that doesn’t work.
3. Anna Kendrick feels miscast in this.
THE LESSON
There are lots of ways to leave your mark and make a difference.
THE FINAL WORD
More “drama than scifi.” While it has an interesting premise to allow some character exploration, it is unable to bring an emotional response to the audience for a variety of reasons.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Lose It.
A Quiet Place Part 2 (2021)
PG-13‧ Drama/Horror/Scifi ‧ 1h 37m
Written by John Krasinski
Directed by John Krasinski
THE CAST
John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe
THE STORY
(In their own words)
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.
THE REVIEW
This is the first movie to venture me into a theater since the Covid-19 pandemic. Kind of twisted that am Apocalyptic film would be the one to bring me back to a theater after almost a year and a half. I tell you this to explain how excited I was to see A Quite Place Part II after waiting with anticipation for years since swing thr first film.
Part II roles prequel and sequel into one, spending the first 15 minutes showing us what Day 1 of the alien invasion looked like before it jumps in time to the immediate moments following the first film. From there we are treated to a continuation of the story.
While the we do get to see more of the remaining Abbott family and introduction of another character, director/writer John Krasinski focuses on what he did well with the first film; create a very tight story with fantastic foreshadowing, great emotional connection with the characters, and a made for the theater film experience. Perfect suspense, perfect movement of the characters and excellent cinematography.
What the film lacks is expansion of the world in a serious way. We still don’t learn a whole lot about the world and others. But I don’t know that this film really needs that. Krasinski isn’t trying to create a whole new world like many SciFi properties. He’s simply trying to tell a good story. And he does, so it’s hard to fault him. But I will say that there were many times I wondered “why did this need to be made? What else are you gonna show that I wouldn’t have imagined already? It was nice to revisit this family, but it wasn’t necessary. And that makes the urgency feel less.
With that said, I really enjoyed the film. If you too liked the first film, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one as well.
It was familiar but new, which may have made it a perfect film for me to return to a theater.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
1. It is a nice continuation of the story and the characters we saw before.
2. The writing is super tight. Very well written.
3. Keeps us wanting more.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Filmfreeway
1. Doesn’t expand the world of the film very much.
2. Nothing came out in the film that made me feel like it warranted a sequel.
3. The usage of POC in the film.
THE LESSON
When everything seems to have fallen apart, keep moving on. You have to have hope.
THE FINAL WORD
An enjoyable yet unnecessary sequel. If you liked the first one, you’ll probably like this one.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
A Quiet Place Part II gets a Like It.
The Woman In The Window (2021)
R ‧ Mystery/Drama/Crime ‧ 1h 40m
Written by Tracy Letts
Based on a book by J. Finn
Directed by Joe Wright
THE CAST
Amy Adams Gary Oldman, Fred Hechinger, and Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, and Jennifer Jason Leigh
THE STORY
(In their own words) An agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence.
THE REVIEW
I’ve never before had a film suck me in because of the cinematography. But from the opening shot of The Woman In The Window I was compelled to learn what was going on. The story of Anna, an agoraphobic woman trying to deal with the grief of the pending end of her marriage, leans heavily into the cinematography to capture Anna’s emotional turmoil in dealing with the outside world and her new medication. The camera takes odd positions and movements and provides sharp cuts that mirror how she is feeling. This assists with your understanding and empathy of her, along with the wonderful performance by Amy Adams.
The mystery of the film revolves the apartment across the street, the new tenants, and Anna’s witnessing of a murder there. This film has more red herrings than a communist fish market. Trying to figure out what’s really happening and what is happening in Anna’s medicated brain is half the fun.
The film kept me alert and on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out what was going to happen next. I credit both Amy’s Adams’ performance and solid mystery writing. There’s not a lot of films that surprise me these days and this film really had me in the dark, in a good way.
At times the film seems almost too familiars as there are some clear nods to Hitchcock films, particularly Rear Window, which you even catch a snippet of on the TV in beginning. While director Joe Wright may not be a Hitchcock, this film would definitely make me want to check out future mysteries he directs.
Ultimately, isn’t that what we want from a film? Something so good you want to see what else the creators have or will make.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
1. Cinematography, really felt the film from the POV of the lead through clever cinematography.
2. Amy Adam’s performance. Dynamite acting role in this.
3. Writing – Particularly the aspect of the mystery. It was a great mystery.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film.
1. The female cop was too distrusting and almost belligerent of Anna. It didn’t make sense.
2. Expositional ending.
3. Big plot point became obvious too early.
THE LESSON
Fear begets fear.
THE FINAL WORD
A thriller and mystery that pulls you in from the beginning and delivers one of the best understandings of agoraphobia yet on film.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
The Woman In The Window gets a Like It.
ThunderForce (2021)
PG-13‧ Action Comedy‧ 1h 47m
Written by Ben Falcone
Directed by Ben Falcone
THE CAST
Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Pom Klementieff, Jason Bateman
THE STORY
(In their own words) Two childhood best friends reunite as an unlikely crime-fighting superhero duo when one invents a formula that gives ordinary people superpowers.
THE REVIEW
My fourteen year old daughter and I love watching superhero films and tv shows together. We watch a lot and there isn’t much we haven’t seen. Seeing the trailer for Netflix’s superhero film Thunder Force intrigued us both. We enjoy Melissa McCarthy’s comedies and the varied roles of Octavia Spencer. The concept of two 40-something women becoming superheroes was something we hadn’t seen yet, sonar high hopes. Thunder Force did not disappoint.
First off, as a comedy, there’s not a lot of films that make both my daughter and I laugh. This one absolutely did. We both had many hard belly laughs during the film. This hit all the boxes for a comedy; unexpected punchlines, absurdity, impeccable timing. It delivered.
The film was both an origin story and a fish out of water story. McCarthy and Spencer had great comedic chemistry together though had trouble connecting on a personal level, but I put more blame on the script for this as it forced the characters into a renewed friendship it hadn’t earned yet.
Justin Bateman was the biggest surprise for me. His character of a half-man half-crab was absolutely hilarious and he played it perfectly.
I think you’ll enjoy this movie if you are ready for some unconventional superheroes and enjoy some laughs.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
1. The comedy. I had more full belly laughs than I have had in a long time.
2. Original Premise for a superhero team.
3. Justin Batman’s character as a half crab/ half human is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
1. Predictable villains.
2. Relationship plot points stretched a bit far to get the story going.
3. Forced conflicts. The conflicts took a lot of twisting to make them happen.
THE LESSON
Superpowers aren’t as important as the person who wields them.
THE FINAL WORD
This original superhero film provided some of the hardest laughs I’ve had from a movie in a while. I watched with my teen daughter who also really liked it. Good family entertainment, with a different kind of superhero role model than you usually get.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Thunder Force gets a Like It.
The Last Blockbuster (2020)
NR Documentary ‧ 1h 26m
Written by Zeke Kamm
Directed by Taylor Morden
THE CAST
Sandi Harding, Doug Benson, Ron Funches
THE STORY
(In their own words)
A documentary on the last remaining Blockbuster Video, located in Bend, Oregon.
THE REVIEW
This is a documentary about the final Blockbuster Video store in Bend, Oregon. The documentary details the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video and how this one blockbuster manages to stay in business through the downturn of the video rental business.
While much of the film focuses on the franchise owner and operator Sandi Harding, The film interviews industry professionals and a lot of comedians for a trip down memory lane. At times it feels less like a documentary and more like a VH1 special.
The general appeal of this movie is this desire to take a look at nostalgia and rituals that we as a country we’re all part of. Renting videos for the weekend was one of them for a couple decades. This movie is not going to change your life in any way. You won’t feel like a more knowledgeable person, aside from a little information about why Blockbuster actually failed, which I will say was a surprise to me. Usually I watch documentaries because I want to become better educated about a subject. This one, I don’t even know why I wanted to see it. Maybe it’s just nice to see a small business owner figuring out how to prosper despite a changing world around them.
Mostly, I think it’s just an opportunity to reminisce with my wife about an experience we both had even though we didn’t know each other. Somehow watching it together and talking about it afterwards makes us somehow feel closer.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
Lauren Lapkus’ delightful narration.
Fun nostalgia conversation sparker.
Interesting insight into what really happened to the business.
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
There isn’t a ton to learn from the documentary.
You don’t leave the documentary feeling smarter than anyone else.
There is no message really.
THE LESSON
Don’t give up your business until someone pries it from your cold, dead hands.
THE FINAL WORD
If you need a walk down nostalgia lane with not too much to think about, this is a great little documentary to check out.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
The Last Blockbuster gets a Like It