Cerebral Digest

Title: “Bohemian Rhapsody”(2018)

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Staring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Ben Hardy,

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Directed by: Bryan Singer

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Run Time: 134 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers:

$51,061119

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Screen it.

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Based on the story of the legendary rock band Queen, from their humble beginnings playing in small bars. Showing how Freddy Mercury met and joined the band. The tumultuous time of being a well known and crazy touring band and ultimately leading up to their incredibly amazing performance at live aid in 1985.

This was a great film particularly in a biopic sense. A lot of times fake things get thrown in to make the subject matter more interesting or adding un-Necessary dramas that our main story line didn’t need. 3.8 👍🏻 out of 5.

The film made me truly remember that is the genius of Freddy Mercury and his exotic demeanor. His psychology on how he takes in life should have been explored a little bit. We have to remember that he came to London when he was a child from another country and I know they touched on it, but I think it could have been explored a little more.

The acting was great in my opinion, Rami Malek acted his ass off almost a little too well. While watching this it felt like I was actually watching Mercury. That in itself is a feat. Lucy Boynton was also great as Mary Austin, she truly captured the pain/love of being Mercury partner in life but not life partner.

The cinematography was great and the Montage scene where Queen is actually trying to put “Bohemian Rhapsody” together and working through it as a band was a fun watch.

I don’t feel like I need to go into the soundtrack to heavy as it was entirely composed of Queen songs. But we all know their music is the shit.

Singer as a director did well. We know he likes to do big and this movie doesn’t disappoint in large or theatrical.

My one qualm with the film is more of the story. I know this is a piece about the band, but I feel like I got more Mercury than anything else. I get the he was more interesting and the lead of the band. But it touched on a few things about him and didn’t explore much farther. I think I just expected more about the entire ensemble and not just Mercury and if we were just focusing on him it didn’t give me enough.

The final live aid scene felt a little long and I understand they wanted to you feel like you went to the concert. This truly just felt like a moment for Malek to put together everything he learned into one final presentation(which he nailed).

Overall, great movie and a fun watch for both Queen fans and just movie go-era alike.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, so follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “Bohemian Rhapsody”(2018).✌🏻

Title: “What Men Want”(2019)

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Staring: Taraji P. Henson, Josh Berber, Max Greenfield, Tracy Morgan

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Directed by: Adam Shankman

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Run Time: 117 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $18,232,087

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Skip it.

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Ali Davis is a killer sports agent, but can’t seem to connect with men in a male dominated work place thus stopping her advancement opportunities. After meeting with a strange psychic at a friends bachelorette party and hitting her head, she suddenly can hear Men’s thoughts. Giving her the perfect edge to get the #1 NBA draft pick, solidifying her as the next agent to make a huge splash. Her gift starts to turn against her as she begins to hear the secrets and lies of all the men around her and not being able to keep her secrets to herself.

This movie was ok at best. 1.9👍🏻 out of 5.

Everything in this film was done in a typical comedy formula. She has a problem, whacky outside forces gives her a solution. Great responsibility/great power. Hates her situation. Self discovery/Solution.

The acting was fine, Taraji is a great actress but is type cast in most movies and here is no different. The hard thing is she is amazing at what she does. One of the best things of the film was Erykah Badu. She was quite the comic relief and the silliness this movie needed, as she was mainly a caricature of herself. No one was bad in the actual acting department. Tracy Morgan was himself as usual. The poker scene was something to behold though, lots of big names like Mark Cuban and Shaq.

The pace of the film moved along fine, but to much fluff that wasn’t needed in my opinion. Although the movie was 2 hours(just about) it felt much much longer. They could have wrapped it quicker in my opinion.

Music and direction was good but, nothing new.

I don’t remember the original Mel Gibson version “What Woman Want”(2000) being that much better either.

To break it down this movie was fine, but not anything I needed to go to a theater for. It also had some lifetime movie vibes(which again nothing wrong with that.) I just don’t see a need to see this unless your home with the flu and nothing else is on and even then Netflix is pretty vast.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “What Men Want”(2019).✌🏻

*Mini Flashback Friday*

Title: “Baby Driver”(2017)

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Staring: Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, Eiza González

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Directed by: Edgar Wright

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Run Time: 112 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $20,553,320

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Screen if can/Stream is a must

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Baby(Elgort) can’t be matched when it comes to his get away driving skills. Sadly he was involved in a terrible accident that killed both his parents and left him with tinnitus. One day, he gets caught “car jacking” Doc(Spacey) and now owes the criminal mastermind a debt. He becomes the get away driver for various meticulously planned robberies and “jobs”. After his debt’s paid off, Doc and the other thugs offer baby one more job, but when refuses them, they threaten both his new love and father figure. Now armed only with his soundtrack(the only thing that drowns out the tinnitus)and incredible driving skills baby must survive a heist that’s doomed to failure.

An amazing watch! 4👍🏻 out of 5.

The script was pretty tight and keeps you intrigued throughout. I love that it gives you some shine on baby’s background. Little bits and pieces of his current situation and what’s to come of baby’s future.

The acting was spot on, I was hesitant with Elgort as I’ve only seen him in Y.A. Movies like “The Fault In Our Stars” (2014) up to this point. But he played baby masterfully. Everyone else from Jon Hamm to Jamie Foxx were great and enjoyable.

The soundtrack was phenomenal and I was listening to it that entire year without hesitation. I still play it to this day when I just need good background music.

The movie was hit with so much color and synchronized to the music. Every movement baby made was choreographed so well and thoughtful. My favorite scene comes at the start when they send baby to get coffee and the words around the city, the music and baby’s movements all line-up.

In true Edgar Wright fashion, the direction was well done and shot very well. The camera work jumped around a lot, but not in an obnoxious way. Some of the shooting also felt a little comic book style. Panel by panel rather then seamless scene transitions.

Overall this was a great movie with a amazing soundtrack and a really good time.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “Baby Driver”(2017).✌🏻

Title: “Glass”(2019)

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Staring: James Mcavoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson

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Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

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Run Time: 129 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $40,328,920

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Stream

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David Dunn(Willis) has been a crime fighting vigilante for some time. He comes across Kevin Wendell Crumb(Mcavoy) who has 24 personalities that reside within him. They get into a scuffle and get caught by the police and are locked away in a mental hospital with Elijah Prince(Jackson). The three are being worked over to believe that they are not super human, but above average everyday human beings. Now Elijah wants to show the world that super humans exist and is willing to destroy anyone or anything to prove it.

The culmination of both “Unbreakable”(2000) and “Split”(2016) come to ahead in this film. 3👍🏻out of 5

The story is stylized as a superhero movie and feels as such. The unfortunate thing is that M. Night spanned too many years in my opinion “world building” to keep too much interest. In the almost 20 year span, Other big budget studios have gone to the superhero sphere and back in a much more detailed and elaborate way.

The story in this film runs pretty quickly and shows you a lot of things coming at you at one time. The writing isn’t overly tidy and isn’t sloppy either. Dialog and and interactions between actual characters is just fine. The present has been worked to and characters development has been pre-set from the prequels.

As far as acting is concerned, Mcavoy did a phenomenal job of transforming both mind and body to create his personality’s seamlessly and it didn’t feel like acting school 101. No one can play heavily brooding like Willis and our boy Sammy L. Does maniacal a pro. Special shoutout to Sarah Paulson who’s star has been on the rise since season 1 of American horror story.

The movie felt like it was shot with a sad tone around it. Almost like I was walking around in a rainy day in Seattle but was literally indoors, if that makes sense.

M. Night uses his affinity for “twists” in this movie’s ending and leaves things pretty tidy with our hero’s and villains but creates an opening for a brand new world with a new set of antagonists that have been “hidden in plain sight” the entire franchise per se.

To round it out, this was an ok movie but because it tries to fall in a genre that has set a pretty high bar. It was a little difficult to totally get behind, but can be respected for doing its own thing. I did give this movie a stream mainly because one day when your home with the flu, This one will be good to grab plenty of liquids and just let it hit you over the head.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “Glass”(2019).✌🏻

Title: “Green Book”(2018)

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Staring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

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Directed by: Peter Farrelly

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Run Time: 130 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $320,429

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Stream it.

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In 1962, Frank Vallelonga(Mortensen) is in search of a new job as the night club where he bounces is closed for renovations. Enter Dr. Don Shirley(Ali) a famed pianist who hires Frank to be his driver and body guard as he tours the Deep South. Although, being two completely different people in both physical aspects and behavior. They find compassion and friendship for one another despite extremely racially charged and homophobic times.

A great film with a few hiccups is the best way I can describe this movie. 4👍🏻 out of 5. The story itself(based off a true story) although depicting the sad reality of racism in the 60’s, it had a great message about understanding and friendship. The strong bond between the two characters feels so real and lovely. To me Dr. Shirley wasn’t very like able but mid-way through the movie you begin to understand why he’s so buttoned up and uneasy.

Both Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen did amazing jobs as their characters. This movie helped me realize what a versatile actor Ali really is. To see him in “Moonlight”(2016) and the trailers from the upcoming “Alita: Battle Angel”(2019) all his roles are vastly different, yet he handles each one expertly. Mortensen is no stranger to playing roles out of his character and it felt very natural.

The movie itself was filmed beautifully and showed great set design. The continuity showing places and items were very of the time. The music was beautiful as they played many classic hits and great classical music.

To reiterate, the movie in tone was pretty bleak, but was a great story and definitely worth a watch. Nothing for me felt like this movie needed to be seen in theaters. It felt pretty standard as movies go and it did hit a few cliches. The run time was pretty long but didn’t feel like it dragged and the ending was very heartwarming. I can certainly see why this film is a high contender for best picture.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “Green Book”(2018).✌🏻

Title: “The Science Of Sleep”(2006)

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Staring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou

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Directed by: Michel Gondry

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Run Time: 105 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $347,925

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Stream it.

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Stéphane Miroux(Bernal) recently moved to France from Mexico City after his father passes away to be closer to his now widowed mother. He meets his neighbor Stephanie(Gainsbourg) and is instantly smitten. Nothing is coming of his relationship with Stephanie or his new job, so Stéphane retreats to his dream worlds where he creates and controls his content. Suddenly his life begins to become distorted as his dream world and real life are beginning collide and he isn’t able to distinct the two worlds as they begin to bleed into one another without control.

This is a very interesting film. The story isn’t super rock solid but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. 2.8👍🏻 out of 5.

When I was younger this film resonated with me a lot more. Escape to curated dreamlands seemed a lot more fun than seeing the world in front of us. I feel like this film is reminding us of these feelings.

This film is also charming as all get out, but as time passes I begin to wonder if it’s not the over all film, but the energy of Gael Garcia Bernal and Charolette Gainsbourg? They both come off charming and help you completely identify with the situations in front of them in a kiddish way. Bernal also gives you so many emotions and reactions as his face over exaggerated every scene but felt very natural, particularly as his characters personality’s and manias make themselves ever growing and present.

The tone of the movie feels somber. Everything feels like it has a very subtle sepia tint to it the entire movie. Which I think is meant to make you feel like you are in the dreamworlds that he creates.

The production value feels very much of the time and the soundtrack is very cutesy.

Everything’s ends abruptly and leaves things opened and somewhat satisfying.

Overall, this movie feels like it was made for the “Emo” and the indy crowds of the mid/early oughts but with some substance to be a general release.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “The Science of Sleep”(2006).✌🏻

Title: “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.”(2019)

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Staring: Billy McFarland, Ja Rule, Mdavid Low, Shiyuan Deng

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Directed by: Chris Smith

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Run Time: 97 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: N/A (Netflix)

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Stream it.

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A documentary about “The greatest party that never happened.” Billy McFarland Conned, tricked and lied to get investors to help fiancee the now infamous FYRE festival that never got off the ground correctly. This documentary shows the behind the scenes and after math of the madness and involvement of multiple people, including social media outlets, influencers and Ja Rule.

This was a great documentary. The events of the FYRE fest only happened a couple years ago and is still fresh in my and many peoples minds. Which made watching the subject matter incredibly relatable still and did such an amazing job of showing how social media is used in advertisements and creates FOMO and is now apart of day to day life.

3.9👍🏻 out of 5

I always knew that this festival cheated a lot of the festival goers out of a lot of money but, I had no idea how much Billy and Ja Rule truly conned out of investors. I believe the final tally raised was upwards of $27.4 million.

I don’t want to spoil too much here, but I will say that as I was watching all the ways Billy was rolling out his lies to his staff and the people of the Bahamas. I began to get a little anxious. I also couldn’t believe the lengths some of his team(one guy in particular) was willing to go to keep up with sham(although they didn’t know it). He was so willing to sacrifice his employees and everyone around him for this thing that was just not coming together and it just flabbergasted me that people like this exist.

The production value of the documentary was high and extremely well researched. It wasn’t really hosted by any one person and the interviews were well conducted. The footage of what was happening in real time was pretty legit and everything in general was well pieced together. They also did a great job of getting the people who were pretty directly involved statements or to actually appear, that definitely made it very watchable and smooth.

Hulu is currently streaming another documentary “Fyre Fraud”(2019) released at the same time about the same subject. I did watch that one as well, but this one by Netflix is far superior in my opinion.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened”(2019).✌🏻

Title: “Krystal”(2017)

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Staring: Rosario Dawson, Nick Robinson, T.I., William H. Macy

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Directed by: William H. Macy

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Run Time: 90 Mins

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Opening weekend numbers: $37,516

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Screen it, Stream it or Skip it:

Skip it.

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*Mini Flashback Friday*

Taylor(Robinson)has a bad heart, One day he gets ill as he’s walking on the beach and gets saved by ex junkie-stripper Krystal(Dawson). When he comes to he’s instantly enamored by her. He does everything in his power to find a way to connect with her, including faking being an alcoholic/going to AA and copying a persona of someone he thinks she would fall for. Everything starts to fall apart when pieces of her old life start to return and Taylor learns that he still has a lot of things he needs to experience.

Fundamentally, this movie had many positive things going for it. Unfortunately, it was not great. 1.3👍🏻 out of 5.

The movie had great potential, a seasoned director, a really good cast. The story for me was easy enough to follow at the start, but then things just started to fall apart. All the characters just stopped being logical and the story took odd turns.

The acting was pretty good from the main players. Both Dawson and Robinson did a good job of getting into their characters. With T.I. it felt very forced. I know he’s not a professional actor, but he just didn’t fit the bill to me.

Their are a couple of good funny parts and a zinger here and there situationally that will give you a chuckle or two.

The good acting from the parts of the support and leads and a good couple of jokes couldn’t save it. Once the story stated getting weird with the mini “devil” that Taylor and a few of the others kept seeing started his shenanigans I began loosing interest. The film started to be strange. A couple of points also felt “do as you want” in the direction sense. Which I think is a William H. Macy thing because “The Layover”(2017) has the same feel.

All in all I wanted to like this movie because of the great casting and initial synopsis of the story but, my love for Rosario Dawson and Nick Robinson’s cute as fuck “Southern Draw” just could really save this one. You can for sure skip this one and not miss anything.

Don’t forget that Instagram cuts my posts, follow the link in the bio to see my full review of “Krystal”(2017).✌🏻