Film reviews

MoviePass, MovieCrash Review

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This was a concept I lived for and thrived in when it first found its popularity. A membership that allowed me to see as many movies as I wanted to for as low as ten dollars a month. A membership that made going to the movies cost-effective. There is more to the story though. MoviePass, MovieCrash is a documentary that is realistic and speaks the truth of where the flops of the program, company, and membership of MoviePass started to happen. There may have been a volume of growth with the rise of memberships, but it lost its direction in becoming sustainable.

Directed by Muta’Ali Muhammad, MoviePass, MovieCrash dives into the early days of the creation of MoviePass. It then follows its years of rising and falling. Throughout the film, the depths of profits, struggles, and moving parts of the company are revealed to create a portrait of a module that just did not work. With interviews of many insiders including the main founders, Ted Farnsworth and Mitch Lowe, it’s clear to see the dynamics of business and vision went in many directions. The original founders were Stacy Spikes and Hamet Watt, who then passed it down to Farnsworth and Lowe. Their reputation of faith and personality they built the business on did not find common ground. The film is honest along the lines of seeing the plateaus, yet  what definitely spoke was the rising numbers. The increases kept happening while problems kept being put on the backburner.

With conflicts not finding prioritization, MoviePass, MovieCrash hurts in hearing the truth of what many of the workers, fans, and visionaries went through in terms of all the disasters that occurred as a result. One was sponsorship from AMC Theatres who actually despised MoviePass. Another issue was that there were not enough tools to make the membership cards. Finally, there were not enough resources to handle the amount of traffic from incoming customer complaints when issues in cinemas came up for the members of MoviePass.

When they interviewed the fans, the raves and addictions to countless movies were true, but when the errors happened, they made it clear that it felt like a never-ending nightmare. I can relate to this because I had these same problems when I had the membership. Then when AMC A-list came out, I resorted to that, as I was able to get free movies in premium formats. I could get up to 3 free movies a day. MoviePass only allowed one film a day in no premium formats. The cost-effectiveness for amazing movie memories was not there with a MoviePassmembership. There were only additional headaches as the frequent technicalities due to poor management continued and escalated.

MoviePass, MovieCrash created a culture where money and profit always come first. When studios spend millions of dollars in advertisements, it makes sense why MoviePass had all its plateaus. It had nothing much to offer for its audience. A free movie is nice, but did they have the profits to throw in concession items? Did they can add more premium formats? Why were there glitches in the apps with all the summer releases in 2018? MoviePass, MovieCrash depicts the boiling turmoil of making movie moments less enjoyable when it results in problems all around. The minds of Lowe and Farnsworth were the ones that had meaning. They knew what they were doing, but they did not pay attention to the rising problems on the side of actual operations while they were still hitting it big with their memberships. MoviePass, MovieCrash throws in the truth of the frustration to the many people (including myself) and the reasons for all of the suffrage of the membership. 

A riveting documentary that makes the audience think of the business sides of memberships. The  cinema world still must explore ways to put audiences in physical seats. The true catastrophe of the MoviePass membership debacle boils this issue to the bone. It does it in terms of politics, favoritism, corruption, connections, and the finding no satisfaction in the experience. It feels like a truth that the world truly knows already, but its presentation displays the anarchy of it all. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Watchers Review

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From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Shyamalan, The Watchers has promising value. It displays a layout for terror where audiences would have to use their minds. It has a setting where the direction is unique. It has an area where terror may lead the audience to shiver. Sadly, it is not that amazing. Ishana’s dad produced the film. It feels like a film that was in her father’s direction. It is a tail of lacking components that lack surreal emotions.

Ishana’s father knows how to tie connections into his films. He does so in contrast to what is lost and found. There is that element tied into The Watchers. My conflict is how detrimental the film feels. There is confusion that begins at the top of the film.

The film focuses on Mina (played by Dakota Fanning). She is an artist trying to find her roots. She finds herself in Western Ireland. A car crash puts her in a forest that is in great danger. Mina is not alone. She finds shelter in a mysterious bunker with three other survivors. Those three characters are Madeline (played by Olwen Fouere), Ciara (played by Georgina Campbell), and Daniel (played by Oliver Finnegan). The bunker has a glass wall and an electronic light used for the night hours. Mina realizes that she is an additional one hiding from the creatures in the forest. They are called The Watchers. They rise above the ground. The bunker is the only place of shelter. How long can Mina, Madeline, Ciara, and Daniel hide though?

There is that element where noises bring the creatures to have powers. The Watchers feel repetitive, especially with a franchise already going along these lines with A Quiet Place. The Watchers take this direction with grains of salt to create a more euphoric atmosphere. It does not work well. It is a dynamic of four survivors putting together a puzzle as to why they are all stuck in the bunker.

I did not feel scared of The Watchers. I had a few moments where I jumped and was surprised. Even the tactics of the film,trying to be unsettling, did not feel that way either. The only moment where I was scared was by the creatures being seen as wendigos. That is what made me think the film is going in a fairytale aspect of scares. Its presentation was still lacking.

It is a thriller about continued boredom. The Watchers try to bring in all the evil for suspense with little explanation. It tries to blindside its audience in characterizations with misdirection of trust. There is that idea that one of the survivors may have a demonic side to what is going on. The logic is a mess surrounding the puzzle of The Watchers.

The idea is promising, but the quality is the problem. The Watchers feels like a blend of previous ideas from previous projects thrown into a film of just over ninety minutes. Some may enjoy its plot, some may be confused, and some may find it hit or miss. Two out of four stars for The Watchers.

 

Film reviews

Ezra Review

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The autism spectrum is the focus of the film. Ezra is a film that touched me deeply because I am on the spectrum. I choose to be an advocate for individuals who are on the spectrum as well. There is curiosity about what the future holds. A film with a sensitive subject such as Ezra dives deep into that matter. Directed by Tony Goldwyn, it is a direction with a touching ensemble that brings light to the film itself.

With “light,” there are more rewarding moments than some may feel with Ezra. Many have different traits of how they are with being part of the spectrum. Some may be more hyper, some may be more focused, some may be more organized, and some may have pet peeves (this is me). Parents and support systems may find challenges in how to help navigate these patterns. Ezra proves that the spectrum can be a growth of learning for both parties.

The film gears on parents who are bound to be divorced. They are Max (played by Bobby Cannavale) and Jenna (played by Rose Byrne). They have their son Ezra (played by William A. Fitzgerald), and he is autistic. Max is a comedian. Max is living with his father, Stan (played by Robert De Niro). An incident with Ezra sparks Max to make a detrimental choice. He takes Ezra on an unexpected road trip. Throughout their journey, Max finds his son’s senses evolve in the extended time spent with him.

Max’s career as a comic is the artistic path of connection. Max finds the light of his life in his storytelling and crafts on stage. His son sits in on his father’s seats. The father and son bonding are from the viewpoint of Max’s material. Max feels that nature should take its course. He believes that the people around Ezra should learn to tolerate his patterns and accept him. The moving parts of patterns, therapies, and unexpected conflicts are where finding common ground is the conflict.

Goldwyn also stars in the film (on top of being the director) as Bill. He places himself as Jenna’s boyfriend and an attorney. The dynamics of grown-ups with different understandings is the boiling point of stress for Ezra’s well-being. Ezra does not understand the reality of his situation. The presentation of feeling love and loss grapples in a revolving door momentum. I know these patterns can be sufficed.  There can be persistence and empathy (when it comes to autism).

The sensory conflicts and patterns are some of the most authentic traits presented in Ezra’s character. He is an over-thinker. He cannot tolerate metal and does not like certain foods. Words and sounds also tend to impact Ezra heavily. Ezra’s thinking is in a blur. The traits of this are authentic and realistic. I have seen these patterns with many on the spectrum.

Of all the traits of the patterns of autism in the film, it creates a place of appreciation. Max figures out more about himself as a grown-up. Max realizes he is not alone. Max realizes that he must figure out obstacles that are present for him. “Obstacles” with Jenna, his father, and how to navigate his life as a comic. Is it all enough to be a fulfilling parent for his son? Is there a bright future? Are there new doors that can open in finding meaning for Ezra?

The spectrum is with the layer of parents. They are grappling with the concept of shifting patterns. Ezra is a journey of life, love, and acceptance. How far will Max go to feel that connection to his son? Find out in Ezra. Three out of four stars.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!