Sunday, October 28, 2018

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Rated: R - Runtime: 141 min
tesg's Rating: Two and one half stars (out of four)

The opening scene is the best scene in the movie.  It's a great visual and it builds intrigue.  The end of said scene doesn't really make a lot of sense by the end of the movie, at least to me, but whatever.  The plot twists are so abundant it's like being a dog in a room full of squirrels.

Jeff Bridges delivers a standout performance, but it's not enough to make the movie as a whole stand out.

Friday, October 26, 2018

Venom (2018)

Rated: PG-13 - Runtime: 112 min
tesg's Rating: Three stars (out of four)

I was pleasantly surprised by this. It was way more fun than I had been led to believe. Not quite on the level of "Ant-Man" but kind of in that direction. And it didn't overstay its welcome.

Friday, October 5, 2018

A Star Is Born (2018)

Rated: R - Runtime: 135 min
tesg's Rating: Three stars (out of four)

This is the fourth telling of this story on the big screen dating back to the 1930's where a troubled star in decline discovers and falls in love with a girl, their careers moving past each other like ships in the night.  (The characters in the first two movies were actors, the latter two musicians.)  This version sticks to the tried-and-true format of its predecessors. If you've seen the earlier versions, nothing here will surprise you. Why it works is the spartan way it's largely told. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's chemistry is so good it tells part of the story without a word being spoken.

I almost went two and one half stars because it feels overly long and bogs down at times. But the ending brought it back for me.