Author: Caillou Pettis

After he and his wife are murdered, marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is resurrected by a team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility to get revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he thought.

If you’ve seen the trailers for David S. F. Wilson’s directorial debut Bloodshot, you probably didn’t expect it to be more than a fun early Spring blockbuster with some fun or amusing action set pieces. When you boil it down, that’s really what all of Vin Diesel’s movies are like. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. I, for one, am perfectly fine with watching Diesel beat down a bunch of bad guys for close to two hours, and, if executed well, I’d be entertained by that.

Of course it’s always better whenever you get a meaty story on top of those exciting action sequences. It’s one of the many reasons why the Mission: Impossible franchise is beloved by so many people. You come for the over-the-top insanely immersive action sequences, and, on top of that, you get a story that you genuinely care about. The Bourne series of films does the same exact thing.

But Bloodshot is no Bourne or Mission: Impossible. Both of those franchises have something in common – a sense of style and excitement. Unfortunately, Bloodshot doesn’t have that. It’s mainly an extremely boring, convoluted mess that takes far too long to be entertaining and is chalked full with expository and cringe-worthy dialogue. You know it’s going to be a gigantic bore when in the first ten minutes of the movie, there are two incredibly goofy sexual references. Especially in an action movie like this.

This is a decently short movie, with a running time of only one hundred and nine minutes. It’s not too short and it’s not too long either, but it certainly felt longer than it actually was, and that’s all because of the screenplay by Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Fantasy Island) and Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Bird Box). Adapted from the comic series of the same name published by Variant Comics, this film genuinely had the potential to be a sleeper comic book hit amongst the crowd of widely known cinematic universes such as the MCU and the DCEU. Unfortunately, despite attempts already being confirmed to have Bloodshot serve as the first entry in a cinematic universe, I just cannot see it working.

Its world is never explored that much to the point where it seems like it could potentially grow in later installments. But that’s not the biggest issue with the film. It’s the story. It takes about thirty minutes for our lead protagonist Ray Garrison to get the amazing superhuman powers that we saw in the promotional material. This wouldn’t have been so bad, had the movie been a relentlessly entertaining thrill-ride, but that’s not what it is. The first thirty minutes are quite boring to watch. It’s a long, drawn-out setup for the second act, and it was incredibly obvious right when he appeared, that one of the main villains in this story was going to be hugely annoying and painful to watch.

However, with all of that being said, once the second act kicks into gear, the entertainment value here picks up quite a bit. Sadly, it never rises above mediocrity though. Nothing about this movie is going to make people drop their mouths to the ground the way other action movies in the past few years did such as Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s fun to watch, sure. But it never feels grounded in reality and you never feel like there is anything at stake, either.

Because our hero is so invincible and doesn’t get damaged by virtually anything, it makes the action sequences that play out feel like a breeze to watch. There’s no sense of vitality to these humongous overblown action sequences because in the back of your head you know that more than likely, Ray is not going to be seriously hurt by anything. It’s fun and disposable to watch in the moment, but the filmmakers really should have given us a villain that was equally as powerful as Ray in order to create suspense and tension whenever he gets into some trouble with some of the characters.

Speaking of Ray, Diesel does a decent enough job in the movie, although his character definitely feels like every other character Diesel has played in the past. After all these years, I’m still waiting for him to star in a dramatic movie and showcase his acting chops on full display, because I know that he has it in him. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t bad in this movie. Far from it. He can genuinely be remarkably intimidating whenever the film needs him to be and it was nice to see him actually put in a ton of effort for this role, but it feels too similar to his past work.

Ultimately, there isn’t much that this movie has to offer. Yes, there are tons of action sequences later on in the film and they were amusing and fun to watch, but there was just no sense of danger to anything that was going on. It’s a movie that I can see people watching and having a really fun time, but about two weeks after they watch it, will probably forgot that they ever saw it in the first place.

Although Bloodshot has some fun and entertaining action on display, its poorly paced story and incredibly weak villains make it an underwhelming dud.

A comedy where our main character learns that imitation may not be the sincerest form of flattery when he is befriended by a younger neighbor on the town’s newspaper staff. The Kid, who is married but childless, knows no one in town, whereas The Narrator knows everyone in town. As times goes on, the Narrator begins to wonder about the Kid’s Wife and what kind of woman could marry a guy like this. Perhaps she just might be the woman for him.

One of the biggest, if not the biggest thing a comedy should do, is make you laugh, or at the very least chuckle. As a viewer, we are expected to find some form of amusement from the story that is being presented before us, and a lot of the time we laugh in a comedy is because of the situation that our protagonists get themselves into.

While Thomas F. Mazziotti’s new feature The Mimic isn’t the funniest film out there, it is nevertheless a smoothly written and often humorous movie that is told with immense skill, which is made all the more impressive when you stop and think that this is Mazziotti’s third feature.

A large portion as to why this movie works as well as it does is due to the narrator that we hear throughout. He is often very interesting and soothing to listen to and he does get a lot of funny and amusing things to say. The humor mostly works here although it never cuts above surface level stuff. There really isn’t any jokes in this movie that will make most people laugh out loud or anything like that.

Plus, as entertaining as it often is to listen to the narrator, it did, at times, feel like a simple way for the filmmakers to use expository dialogue without many people complaining. Without the narrator involved, this movie quite simply wouldn’t exist. The story needs him in it, yet he often speaks a ton of information towards the audience, and it would have been nice if we had been presented with a bit more visual storytelling.

But something that is to be appreciated here is the performances all across the board. Whether it’s Thomas Sadoski as the voice of The Narrator, Jake Robinson as The Kid, or Gina Gershon as Paula, they are all giving top notch performances and it often feels as if you are watching A-list professionals at the top of their game. There truthfully isn’t a weak link among the entire cast, which was such a delight.

Because these actors are doing such terrific jobs in their roles, the movie as a whole feels remarkably natural. As goofy and over-the-top as it can get sometimes, a large portion of the movie is incredibly grounded and real. It’s also a gratefully inviting experience thanks to the excellent camerawork by Tim Gillis and the uplifting and spectacular editing from Benjamin Cox and Kala Mandrake.

At the end of the day, this is a film that does have some great things to offer, even if it isn’t the most hilarious and rewatchable film out there. If you are looking for a movie that contains some great performances with some stellar technical aspects, this is more than likely going to win you over. It’s funny, yes, but it’s not the greatest strength on display here. The greatest strength is the sense of style it has accompanied with the wonderful acting.

The Mimic isn’t as amusing and funny as it could have been, but it makes up for the lack of laughs with terrific performances and stellar technical elements.

Two teenage elf brothers, Ian (voice of Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (voice of Chris Pratt), go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him.

When a new Disney/Pixar film is coming out, I would like to believe that most people know what they are getting in for. Ever since the first Toy Story was released all the way back in 1995, the animation giant has been well known for crafting emotionally heavy films aimed towards children and adults alike. Their movies are known for making everybody cry with just about every release, and therefore, most people are going to go see Dan Scanlon’s Onward with the same expectation.

Watching the movie with the hopes that it will be as upsetting as the other pictures in Pixar’s filmography will more than likely result in some disappointment for viewers, as Onward is nowhere near as emotional as the other films that came before it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an emotionally resonant and rewarding experience.

The biggest reason as to why this was not as emotional as you probably expected it to be all ties in with the fact that the Lightfoot brothers’ father throughout the film is seen as just a pair of legs. We don’t really feel that strong of a connection between the brothers and the father because we constantly follow the siblings and the father’s legs and it is difficult to get choked up while watching a pair of legs with no torso.

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some moments where I got some tears in my eyes, especially in the incredibly moving third act that I never saw coming. It’s mostly unpredictable, highly satisfying and a ton of fun to watch. Viewers that have lost a loved one such as a father in their life are going to be extremely moved by the story and the direction it goes.

Speaking of the story, it is one that was almost interesting and never boring to follow. With a running time of one hundred and three minutes, there definitely could have been a few moments of downtime where really not a whole lot is going on, but gratefully, that was not the case here. The screenwriting by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin was fluid, constantly moving and consistently entertaining.

Earlier, I mentioned that audiences have come to expect a Disney/Pixar movie to be emotionally devastating. Another thing that they come to expect out of these films is great animation, and gratefully, Onward is yet another great showcase of the beautiful animation that the brilliant animators at Pixar are so terrific at.

However, as stunning as everything looked, it was certainly a little bit odd to look at during some scenes. The lead protagonists Ian and Barley, as well as several other characters throughout the film, are extremely cartoony. They’re elves and they are in a world that is populated with tons of creatures and demons. The problem is the environment that they reside in is remarkably realistic with a ton of the imagery here being photorealistic. Sometimes, the cartoony characters against a realistic backdrop was a bit jarring.

But in the grand scheme of things, this was a great time at the movie theatre. It’s incredibly rare for Pixar to make a complete dud of a film (except for maybe Cars 2), and this was absolutely not an exception to that rule. Take your kids and the whole family to see Onward and they are more than likely going to have a blast.

Onward may not be the most emotionally riveting Pixar film to date, but it’s still a highly entertaining and beautifully animated blast.

A seemingly bright and mostly innocent 16-year-old named Monroe “Mo” Harris (Griffin Gluck) attempts to navigate high school under the guidance of his best friend Zeke (Pete Davidson), an unmotivated-yet-charismatic college dropout. Although Zeke genuinely cares about Mo, things start to go awry as he teaches nontraditional life lessons in drug dealing, partying, and dating, while Mo’s well-meaning dad (Jon Cryer) tries to step in and take back the reins of his son’s upbringing.

Jason Orley’s Big Time Adolescence is not only one of the finest coming-of-age films you can find in recent years, but is an extremely impressive directorial debut. With his first feature, he shows an incredible amount of skill and directs this film in a warm and inviting way, while also feeling greatly depressing and cold, but in all the best ways.

It’s probably not a stretch to say that a lot of people enjoy coming-of-age movies, myself included. Just recently, I was able to catch the excellent Brett Haley-directed All the Bright Places, and was delighted to see yet another great film in the genre. It’s always a treat to watch one of these movies, as a ton of them are relatable to me. Especially the characters. And while I can’t really say that I related to Griffin Gluck’s Mo in Big Time Adolescence, I still appreciated and enjoyed watching his journey unfold before my eyes and see his character arc develop.

This is a movie that has something profoundly important to say and it says it in a raw and powerful way. The film mostly plays out like a comedy-drama, about a kid that looks up to this grown man named Isaac “Zeke” Presanti (Pete Davidson) that he has known ever since he was little, and when he was dating his sister. Mo doesn’t have any friends at his school, and for years, has looked up to Zeke as his biggest influence. He is essentially Mo’s brother that he never had, and watching the bonding between Mo and Zeke was equal parts gleefully hilarious and melancholy.

At the beginning of the film, Mo is an average kid. He attends school, eats dinner with his mom and dad, hangs out with his sister, etc. He doesn’t get into any trouble with the school principal or anything like that and he doesn’t drink or do any drugs. But once he gets closer to Zeke, he starts to fall into the wrong crowd and begins to drunk and distribute drugs to other students he meets at parties.

Seeing his character go through all of these struggles was remarkably fascinating. While the story of Big Time Adolescence at its core is really nothing new and often comes off as predictable and tired, it becomes fresh due to its witty script, smart sense of direction and the character development for everybody.

By far the actor that surprised me the most here was Pete Davidson as Zeke. Perhaps best known professionally for his work on the long-running television program Saturday Night Live, Davidson hasn’t done too much in terms of film acting. Going in to this film, I was honestly worried that Davidson would not have that much acting range and would come across as bad. I was worried that I would never be able to look past Pete Davidson and see him for the character he is playing. Gratefully, that was not the case here. Davidson puts in a ton of effort into this role and is often times funny while also a bad person. You never flat out hate him, but you don’t necessarily root for him either.

For a long while, it seemed as if the film was only going to show Zeke as the “typical stoner” character with little room for development, but as the second act drew to a close, it became evident that he, too, was going to have an arc which was a delight.

Also great here is Griffin Gluck as lead protagonist Mo. He is without a doubt the character that has the most development and he is the one that the viewer can sympathize with the most. The way his story played out on screen was deeply moving and thought-provoking and also serves as a great wake-up call.

With this script comes a powerful message. It’s a story of self-discovery and trying to figure out who your real friends are and which friends are just trying to use you. And although there’s not a whole lot that’s wholly original or fresh here, it’s still a powerful and interesting tale of a misguided teen that is relevant for today.

Big Time Adolescence may not be the most original outing, but it’s still a deeply funny and surprisingly heartfelt coming-of-age story.

After meeting each other, two young teenagers named Theodore Finch (Justice Smith) and Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past. They discover that even the smallest moments can mean something.

If anybody knows me, they know that I genuinely love coming-of-age films. It’s without a doubt one of my all-time favorite genres, and a large portion of my favorite movies fall under the genre. There is just something incredibly exciting and greatly rewarding about watching a movie in which a character (typically a teenager) has to overcome challenges and figure out who they are.

Perhaps they are also just extremely relatable. I can list a bunch of coming-of-age films that have truthfully spoken to me thanks in part to the excellently realized characters, with my all-time favorite being Nadine Franklin in The Edge of Seventeen. Not only was her character one that was deeply grounded and realistic, but one that felt like me in a way. It’s my favorite film in the genre.

With all of this being said, Brett Haley’s film adaptation of Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places didn’t seem like it would offer anything unique or different. Looking at the promotional material accompanying the movie, I wouldn’t blame you if you took a quick glance at it and said that you would pass because it looked generic. But, trust me, now that I have seen the film, I can happily report that this is not bland or familiar at all. It’s a gripping, uplifting and emotionally devastating experience.

The biggest reason as to why this film feels so different compared to others in the genre is because of the treatment of its characters and the central romance that the screenwriters are trying to portray. Violet and Theodore have both gone through some heart-wrenching events in their past. Violet’s sister Eleanor has passed away as a result of a car crash, and therefore, she refuses to set foot in a car ever again, no matter who is driving or how fast they are going. She has had to deal with the trauma for a long period of time and she feels extremely raw.

Theodore also struggles with depression and at one point in time we learn that he doesn’t have the greatest father either. As the puzzle pieces for both characters get put together, and certain revelations are unveiled, the overarching story becomes one that was incredibly entertaining and interesting to follow.

Speaking of the characters, the actors that portray the leads are absolutely astounding here. Justice Smith portrays Theodore and Elle Fanning portrays Violet. Both actors have a tricky role to play, and they go to emotional places that I have never seen these two people go in their careers. This is without a doubt the strongest performance that Smith has given to date, and Fanning also delivers one of the best performances of her career.

The chemistry on screen from these two is also some of the best that I have seen in an incredibly long time. They honestly feel as if they have known each other for years in real life and are best friends. Nothing about the way they interact with one another feels staged or scripted, even though it is. It’s truly remarkable stuff.

But what makes the film so special is the way its story is told. It’s a love story as well as a shockingly deep and thought-provoking teen-centered drama that has many twists and turns up its sleeve. As the romance was blossoming between Violet and Theodore, I was worried that it would go into the traditional syrupy sweet route that so many romance stories in film go. I was delighted to see that it did not end up taking that route at all. Their relationship here is one of the most realistic depictions of a relationship I have seen in years.

As for the dramatic element to the plot, it was handled with a great sense of vigor and emotion. You’d think that for a movie that, at its core, is about love and is aimed towards younger audiences, it wouldn’t be all that depressing, but it is.

The first act is a relatively sweet and innocent set up for the rest of the movie to come afterwards. It can be a little bit rocky and it is often unclear as to where the story is going to go. But after the first act is out of the way and the second act kicks into gear, everything picked up immensely. The transition from sweet love story to greatly gut-wrenching territory wasn’t necessarily the smoothest.

But when the emotions hit, they hit hard. The final thirty minutes of the movie are absolutely terrific. As certain plot points are revealed, and whenever we as audience find out certain things in relation to our lead protagonists, it is honestly heartbreaking. This, accompanied with the euphoric score from Keegan DeWitt, make the finale equal parts breathtakingly beautiful and haunting.

Charming, sweet, and often deeply gripping and emotional, All the Bright Places is a mesmerizing coming-of-age story told with immense skill.