Dolittle

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Dolittle stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Dolittle. He has to go on a journey to find something when the queen of England falls gravely ill because his home/animal sanctuary is on the line. Formulating my thoughts is surprisingly difficult. However, I will do my best. I don’t like this movie, but I was honestly expecting it to be much, much worse. Nothing about this movie made me outright angry. I just think it was too bland and uninteresting for that. I should note that I didn’t really think any of the acting was up to par. Even the usually reliable Robert Downey, Jr. wasn’t very good. The plot is weird to me. It feels like it’s trying to jump from plot point to plot point, and I just don’t care about any of it. It’s honestly pretty predictable as well. As soon as Michael Sheen shows up, I know he’s going to be the villain. A lot of the humor feels kind of out of place. OK, I don’t really have any more to say. Dolittle is bad in a bland way, despite a pretty bonkers ending. I don’t recommend it, and I think that’s that. 

4 / 10 

Bad Boys for Life

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A series of seemingly random assassinations forces Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett (played again by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence respectively) into action. So, I was looking forward to this movie because I enjoy the first two movies. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have great chemistry, and I like the way both of them are utilized, especially Martin Lawrence. Because he’s not exactly in great shape, they actually figure out a way to work with that. Both of them actually feel natural. Mike is still kind of stuck in the past, so much so that there’s a line about him dying his goatee. Marcus is at a point where he wants to retire. The trailer showed that there was going to be this younger team involved. I feel like they are used to just the amount they need to be. They are used just enough to keep them somewhat interesting, but they’re never overused to the point they threaten to overshadow the main duo. Without going into spoilers, this movie has the most personal stakes of the series. One thing that made glad was that this movie wasn’t as predictable as it could have been. There were things that happened in this movie I genuinely wasn’t expecting. The action is a ton of fun. This is the first movie in the series not to be directed by Michael Bay, but it still feels like it belongs in the Bad Boys franchise. Overall, there’s really only one way for me to sum this up. Bad Boys for Life is just plain fun.  

9 / 10 

The Grudge (2020)

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The Grudge follows several different people as they encounter the titular grudge and the ghosts involved. This is a movie I was somewhat curious about, but I was skeptical to. This movie is a horror movie being released over the first weekend of January, a month that is pretty much reserved for movies that studios have little faith in (with some exceptions here and there). What’s interesting is that this movie really isn’t a remake. It’s sort of a spin-off that takes place in the same universe as the 2004 remake. The actors all feel like they are game. It helps knowing that most of them already have proven talent. Some of the gore is alright, too. I kind of appreciate that this movie is willing to go for that R-rating in an otherwise PG-13 franchise. The biggest problem this new Grudge movie suffers from is that it doesn’t really offer anything else that’s all that new. It offers the same style of scares as before. The characters don’t really feel all that interesting. They aren’t shallow by any means. For whatever reason though, I don’t particularly care. In the end, this movie doesn’t really seem to have a reason to exist, other than to just make another Grudge movie because there might be some nostalgia. This comes across as though they had about three or four possible ideas for a movie, and they squished them all together in one movie. It makes things feel jumbled, and hard to keep interested in. This is a movie I would best sum up in one word: mediocre. 

4 / 10 

Top 15 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

Now that I have my best and worst lists out of the way, I think it's time for me to look at the movies I am the most interested in over the next 12 months.

Honorable Mentions:

Mulan, The Organ Donor, A Quiet Place Part II, Fast & Furious 9, Candyman, Soul, Top Gun: Maverick, Venom 2, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

#15: Bad Boys for Life: As far as Bad Boys 3 goes, I'm not expecting this to be high art. This movie is purely on my list because Will Smith and Martin Lawrence genuinely have good chemistry together. This is also the first movie in the Bad Boys series not to be directed by Michael Bay, so I'm curious to see how another director handles his style.

#14: Onward: Onward is an upcoming Pixar film that seems like it takes place in a fantasy world, but also has a mix of our current modern day look. This looks like it could be a movie right up Pixar's alley, and I love the additions of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland as the leads.

#13: The Eternals: The Eternals is one of two MCU movies coming out next year. This is one that has me incredibly curious because I know next to nothing about the Eternals as characters. At this point, there hasn't even been a trailer yet. I have no clue what to expect.

#12: Godzilla vs. Kong: Had I thought King of the Monsters was a better movie, this probably would have been a lot higher. However, I am still incredibly excited to see two of the ultimate classic giant monsters throw down on the big screen.

#11: Birds of Prey: DC is really starting to find their footing with their cinematic universe. I can't quite eke Birds of Prey into the top 10 simply because I still think this movie is such a wild card, but that's also why I'm so interested in this movie in the first place. If anything, there is still Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.

#10: Bill and Ted Face the Music: Keanu Reeves has been enjoying a career resurgence lately thanks to the John Wick movies. I'm both interested in Bill and Ted 3, as well as a little bit skeptical. Comedy sequels that happen several years later rarely work. But, I'm just excited to see these characters again.

#09: Free Guy: Until I saw a trailer, I had no idea that this movie was a thing. The premise is that Ryan Reynolds plays an NPC in a video game who becomes self-aware. The premise mixed with the star is enough to make me want to see this movie.

#08: No Time to Die: Supposedly, this is going to be Daniel Craig's last go-around as James Bond. As someone who actually enjoyed Spectre, I am happy to see that Christoph Waltz is returning as Blofeld. The villain this time around is being played by Rami Malek. All of this makes me interested in this movie.

#07: Wonder Woman 1984: Wonder Woman was the first movie in the DCEU that got people excited. The movie does have Gal Gadot returning to play Wonder Woman, as well as bringing back Patty Jenkins to direct. I also am really excited by the addition of Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord. There are a couple of things that hold it back ever so slightly for me. One of them is Kristen Wiig as Cheetah. I just haven't seen her do enough dramatic or villainous roles to really show me that she can pull this off. The other is Chris Pine coming back to play Steve Trevor.

#06: Halloween Kills: I really liked 2018's Halloween, and I'm really happy to see the same creative team coming back. It looks like Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have a clear plan. This movie is also bringing back some legacy characters from the original movie, namely Tommy Doyle and Lindsay Wallace.

#05: Dune: I pretty much have Dune this high because it is being directed by Denis Villeneuve, the same man who directed Sicario and Arrival, both of which are movies I enjoyed very much. This is also an interesting cast to me as well.  

#04: Black Widow: Black Widow is as high on my list as it is because this is a movie I have been waiting for pretty much ever since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Do I wish I got this movie sooner? Yes, but I'm honestly happy to be getting this movie at all.  

#03: Last Night in Soho: I don't much about Last Night in Soho other than that it stars Anya-Taylor Joy from The Witch and Split and it's directed by Edgar Wright. To me, that is reason enough for me to want to check this movie out.

#02: Tenet: Similar to how Last Night in Soho has me excited just because of a couple of names involved, Tenet gets to be as high on my list as it is because it's the next movie from Christopher Nolan. The only other thing I really know about this movie is that it looks like it's some kind of mystery movie. Sign me up.

#01: Ghostbusters: Afterlife: This movie is going to follow the family of Egon Spengler as his grandchildren seem poised to follow in their grandfather's footsteps. Supposedly, the original cast is also set to come back in some way. It also helps that this film is being directed by Jason Reitman (the son of the director of the original movie). To me, this has a lot of potential, and is probably the movie I am looking forward to the most in 2020.

Top 10 Worst Movies of 2019

Now, let's cover the movies I just didn't like from this year.

Honorable Mentions:

Girls with Balls, What Men Want, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Pet Sematary 

#10: Dark Phoenix: Dark Phoenix is a movie I almost left off this list entirely because it just didn't leave that much of an impact on me. What ultimately secured it the number 10 spot was the fact that this is ultimately where the mainstream X-Men franchise ends. Yep, the X-Men series officially ends with a whimper, not a bang.

#09: The Fanatic: So, I think a movie that stars John Travolta as an Autistic man directed by the lead singer of Limp Bizkit could only show up on my worst of the year list. It's low on the list simply because I just thought it was hilariously bad. This is the film on the list that I really have to recommend giving a watch.

#08: Serenity: In a similar vein to The Fanatic, I have Serenity low on the list for a very specific reason. The movie's plot twist is so insane and out of left field that I actually kind of enjoyed it. Make no mistake, this is a bad movie, but it's also insane, and I have to recommend it for that reason.

#07: Anna: So, I actually forgot about this movie until I was trying to compile my worst of the year list. To me, that was enough of a sign that this movie truly deserved a spot on my worst of the year list.

#06: The Silence: Remember A Quiet Place and how good that movie was? Well, The Silence is a Netflix movie that feels almost like a carbon copy, right down to having creatures that attack based on sound and the protagonist being a teenage girl that's deaf. Yep, this movie's a thing and it's one you can easily skip over when you find it on Netflix.

#05: Wonder Park: This is a bad animated movie that actually started off okay, and then had a reveal that made the first twenty minutes mean nothing. Add on top that, an obviously half-awake Mila Kunis voicing one of the characters in the film, and you've got an animated movie that just doesn't need to exist.

#04: The Lion King: The biggest sin 2019's The Lion King commits is that it doesn't do anything new. It is literally the original movie beat by beat. Because the animals don't emote, it also just makes this version feel incredibly hollow.

#03: Black Christmas: Um, wow! This is a movie that just felt like it was the wrong kind of insane for me. I'll give the actors credit for actually trying. The movie tries to tackle some major and relevant issues. It just takes the approach of beating you over the end with them, and forgets to also be entertaining.

#02: Cats: I went this movie knowing it would be bad. I wanted Cats to be bad. The problem with this misguided movie is that it just isn't that interesting or entertaining. It's not a fun kind of bad. The music is good, but the music didn't originate from the movie. The final result was just a weird film that didn't have a plot, or anything beyond the songs to carry it through.

#01: The Haunting of Sharon Tate: I watched this movie back in March or April, and nothing I saw this year even remotely approached the sheer awfulness that was The Haunting of Sharon Tate. The ending is awful, as the film tries to have it two ways. The acting, writing, directing is all so bad.

Top 10 Best Movies of 2019

2019 has officially come and gone, and I've seen everything I'm going to be able to watch for the given year. Keep in mind, I haven't seen everything. I haven't movies like Toy Story 4, Marriage Story, and Ad Astra (just to name a couple).

Honorable Mentions: Shazam, Zombieland: Double Tap, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Happy Death Day 2U 

#10: Alita: Battle Angel: My number 10 spot was a toss-up between this and John Wick. This movie's visual style wound up being too hard for me to overlook. And, the movie is pretty much carried by Rosa Salazar as Alita. That also shouldn't take way from some of the stellar supporting cast. This is something I would love to see continue on as a franchise if the possibility is there.

#09: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile: This Netflix movie is pretty much anchored by Zac Efron's performance, and actually gives him a chance to truly shine in a very different role for him that is a far cry from his High School Musical days.

#08: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: How to Train Your Dragon 3 closed this off with a phenomenal trilogy that continues to progress its heroes forward, as well as having the best villain in the franchise. Add on top of that some beautiful animation, and you've got a film that truly deserves to be recognized.

#07: Joker: Joker may be one of the most surprising movies of the year for me. When I first heard about a standalone Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, and directed by the guy who made The Hangover and Old School, I was curious, but not excited. Having seen the film for myself, this movie feels like an experience that could actually be game-changer for comic book movies.

#06: Ready or Not: Most people know that I am a horror fan through and through. For me, Ready or Not might have been my favorite of the year. The film truly knows how to balance dark comedy and thrills. Samara Weaving in the lead continues to prove herself as a scream queen. I love how the characters actually have some depth to them, even if it might not appear that way on initial glance.

#05: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: I don't know if this list would be complete without Quentin Tarantino's latest film. It's one of those movies where it simultaneously feels like it has his signature style, as well as being slightly more reserved. Once again, the actors he gets all give spectacular performances, and his knack for dialogue really shines through.

#04: Ford v Ferrari: This feels like a classic underdog story that is exceptionally well-told. I didn't know much of anything about this story going in. At the center of a great movie is the chemistry between Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

#03: Jojo Rabbit: I said in my review that I felt like Jojo Rabbit was something unique. I still stand by that. The acting is excellent on all accounts. There's sort of a darkness to the satire and humor that works because of the World War II era setting. Between this and Thor: Ragnarok, I can't wait to see what else Taika Waititi has in store.

#02: Avengers: Endgame: Avengers: Endgame gets to be this high on the list because it feels earned, especially for someone like me who has kept up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the past 11 years. This feels like a natural conclusion for the heroes who have been there from the very beginning.

#01: Knives Out: Even as I looked through some of my catch up movies for the end of the year, nothing quite came close to the experience I felt watching Knives Out. Everything from the writing, to the acting, to the direction, to the characters, to the mystery itself, just worked for me on a level that kind of surprised me.