Hi friends! Today I have my Goldilocks version of movie reviews. There is one movie I hated, one I was mixed on and one I liked a lot. So here goes

FRIENDSHIP-

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZhJlsL-MiYc?feature=share

Let’s start with the negative reaction. I went into the new movie Friendship completely cold with no prior knowledge of anyone involved except for Paul Rudd. The movie is made and written by Andrew DeYoung and stars Tim Robinson who evidently has a popular Netflix show but I’d never heard of him. Let’s just say Friendship has not encouraged me to watch his show.

I honestly almost walked out of this movie. I found it completely unbearable with its obnoxious lead character and terrible attempts at humor. I’ve liked awkward humor in the past but it often works by having some relief from said awkwardness or jokes that are over-the-top and funny you can’t help but laugh through the cringe. That was not the case here at all. Not one laugh. Instead it was just wondering why this person wasn’t being institutionalized for his unwell behavior. All of these people should have been more like Richard Dryfuss in What About Bob but at least in that movie Bob is sweet and likable and isn’t irritating everyone around him except for Dryfuss. This, on the other hand, is just a miserable experience, and I don’t recommend it to anyone unless you want to torture people with annoying characters.

Frown Worthy

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING

https://youtube.com/shorts/0Yy1P5Z3mF0?feature=share

The Mission Impossible series is interesting because all of the 7 previous films have been entertaining even though they have not succeeded in attaching me to the characters and stories. They are pure spectacle but done at such a degree that its worth recommending.

Now we have  the latest in the franchise, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and I honestly feel torn whether to recommend this one. I was definitely not expecting to have this reaction but I can’t lie about the very uneven experience I had at the theater.

There are a bunch of problems with Final Reckoning. First of all, the first hour is an unending stretch of exposition dumps and nostalgia nods for fans of the franchise. This is understandable for a finale of  a long-running franchise but there’s too much. In addition, some of the exposition felt repetitive and even had a feeling like I was sitting down for one of Tom Cruise’s Scientology auditing sessions (there’s literally a moment where he hooks himself up to the entity device and it looks right out of a L Ron Hubbard book…) All that would be fine if it wasn’t so long and boring.

I was really struggling and then we finally get to an underwater scene that is very fun and a final fight sequence on a plane that is extremely impressive. The last act is quite fun with the whole team becoming involved and everyone giving good performances- particularly Angela Bassett as the president is very compelling.

If you can get a discount ticket then maybe see Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning for that last act on the big screen but just know you will have to sit through a lot of self-aggrandizing gibberish to get there. You’ve been warned.

Frown Worthy

SECRET MALL APARTMENT-

It’s interesting that the winner of this weekend is undoubtedly the smallest release. It’s called Secret Mall Apartment and it’s a documentary that chronicles a group of artists who build a secret apartment in the mall in Providence, Rhode Island. They do this as a  way to take back ownership of the land the mall took away but also as a kind of dare to see how long they can get away with it (which is 4 years!)

This is the kind of movie that could only be a documentary. Each step along the way one can’t believe what is happening or that they are getting away with it. They even have a video game system and sofa there along with other furniture.

Director Jeremy Workman also explores the nature of art and when does the community vs private individuals own their community. When does something become an artistic community asset and when is it junk? If you can find Secret Mall Apartment I highly recommend it.

Smile Worthy

I also saw Wolf Children on Mother’s Day and that was incredible to watch on the big screen. Highly recommend.

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