c u r v e s ✈

The trailer and title lead to me to believe that something would come at night but I was smacked in the face with drama instead. Apparently, this film was marketed as horror which left me hoping for something else.

"It comes at Night" touched upon survival, fear and trust and the whole story is driven forward by paranoia. That being said, this film is a psychological thriller more than anything else.

The suspense in this film is excellently crafted as I was left to feel on edge for its entire run time. The cinematography and soundscape both heightened the mystery of the film's narrative and It effectively produced moments of dread. Part of the film’s suspense is due to the lack of answers. In a way it was successful in making me feel the paranoia that's gripping them.

The film is very ambiguous but there was something unspeakably brilliant about it. It's satisfyingly bleak that saying something about it will probably ruin the fun. I just thought it'd be a lot better if they left pieces here and there so that someone smart enough can figure it out.

In the end, this film is really just an exploration of human character. It's predicated on moral decisions the characters had to make rather than relying on scare devices and gore. The real horror is finding out the human capacity under certain circumstances. It's kind of fascinating.

While the whole elaborate scheme isn’t totally convincing, It is so neatly presented that it’s really fun to watch. Bad genius is intense and entertaining! I love heist films in general, but watching them try and beat the system in a High-school environment is what really caught me.

The production values are up there with Hollywood standards and it suits the thriller genre perfectly. Furthermore, the cast is equally good and convincing as they keep the narrative alive.

Bad Genius tackles the politics on the educational system and it reflects the grade-obsessed academic culture we have. Not everything is about high-scores; Life cheats you anyway.

Perhaps where the film could have done better is its last act. Not that i'm against it, i'm just torn on the redemption aspect of Lynn being a teacher and the greedy turnaround of the other main character. It would have been perfect if it left audiences to think about the moral dilemma it poses.

All of these does not matter though because it clearly scores full marks on where it matters most-- Entertainment. It has humor, drama, and a lot of suspense. Who would have thought High-school exams can be this entertaining? Bad Genius is a perfect example of a mainstream film done right.

By nature, any sequel would struggle to replicate the first one and I’m not surprised 'The Golden Circle’ does. However, it stayed true to everything that made the first a success-- ballsy humor and graphic violence! The film takes itself far from serious and the action scenes are cartoonish and fun.

The story itself is by the numbers and It wasn't trying to be deep, nor should it be. It had fun and crazy moments, but it doesn't do too much to move forward as it does stick to what we're used to.

The trailer lead me to believe it was a horror film but that's not the case. It has horror elements to it but beneath is an allegorical tale stuffed with references. I don't wanna dive in spoiler territory but once you have the idea, everything will just click from there.

Mother! is a film that almost doesn't want to be liked, if that makes sense. The less you like it, the better it has done its job. It really is tiresome to watch-- and if you don't know what it's supposed to mean, you'd probably find yourself wondering what the hell is going on.

It has big ideas and somehow they made it work, though it might not please everyone who sees it. It's kind of pretentious for its own good but overall a crazy experience.

There's really not much else to say. I haven't experienced much else like it, apart from Denis Villenueve's "Enemy", Goddard's "Cabin in the woods" or Na Hongjin's "The Wailing", to name a few.

IT had plenty of moments that creeped me out but I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. While it was certainly more suspenseful in regards to the adventure, I don't see myself getting nightmares from it. I felt like a fool afterwards though. The movie enlightened me a lot~ I saw the original way back and I've just learned about Pennywise! oh my. IT was never about the killer clown.. My whole life is a lie lol

IT proved you can have a scary movie with a plot worth investing in. It managed to develop the characters, lay out the story, and still bring all the creepy parts into detail and length. Tracing to the roots of horror~ Some moments felt a little campy but some were truly horrifying. It is hard to make a horror movie feel authentic, but this film was exactly that.

The highlight of this film were the kids-- and their endless banter. Finn Wolfhard stole the show. I consider seeing Stranger Things because of him (yes, I haven’t seen it yet). Also, the girl who played Bev, is very pretty and she really resembles Molly Ringwald! laughed when Bill mentioned it during the argument.

The film isn't as “scary” but it does have a psychological creepiness which does give some frightening element. In addition, the acting and story are fully developed. The result is a more engaging film, increased suspense, and an emotional adventure with the kids. If you're hoping to see gore and a clown in stabbing frenzy, you are gonna have a bad time lol.

Having a prequel to a supposed prequel to the conjuring storyline seems unnecessary. While the first Annabelle movie obviously wasn't a very good one, Annabelle: Creation felt like a sigh of relief for the franchise. Horror largely relies on the talent of the director and this is a case of the direction only elevating the film.

Like in most horror movies, the sinister scare is seen through the eyes of the children. Luckily, Lulu Wilson and Talitha Bateman gave great performances and practically ran circles around the rest of the cast. Lulu Wilson is a scene-stealer~ she earned a fan!

The story however doesn't offer too much and the script is illogical and plain. Some characters do make stupid decisions which can be very frustrating, but same goes for all movies nowadays. The film goes in an interesting direction towards the end though, which adds some surprising creativity.

It started off real slow but succeeds on the atmosphere it tries to create. There are of course obligatory jump scares and some can be seen from a mile away. However, the amazing sound design and clever use of darkness offsets this enough to get under your skin. There are horror tropes here and there but the pent-up tension built throughout the latter half is one of the best in the series-- bruh, Annabelle won't even let me catch my breath! You'd appreciate it more once you see the B-Roll and behind the scenes footage on Youtube. Go see it!

There are lots of cute elements on the film-- the stutter, the time line and Fidel’s talent in poetry- or lack thereof- are quite charming but what made the film flow is the story behind him and Stella. It's more like a coming-of-age story than a romantic one though. Both characters were latched to their ideas about life, like how Stella thought music is the solution to her problems and how Fidel perceived Stella as the “Dream Girl”.

Fidel is obsessed with the Stella that showed her kindness and gave her inspiration not the troubled one that's in front of her. It's not hard to empathize with him and how he coped with Stella’s irrational acts and decisions. But the sad truth is --genuine love is not enough to get the girl.

Stella then learned to accept and understand love without Fidel and I loved this part so much although it was strikingly familiar. I don't want to be that guy who does comparisons but it felt strongly inspired by ‘500 days of summer’. I can’t forget that moment I realized that it was 5DOS just linear and more poetic lol even the last part screamed 5DOS.

Kita Kita's story is simple yet genuine. Having an unconventional leading man and an odd-looking pair adds to its charm. Alessandra did not disappoint and Empoy is surprisingly good-- but his humor is hit or miss.

The script is a bit suspect and some parts were a bit of a reach and didn't feel sincere. The story suffered late when it went from cute to borderline creepy. There’s a thin line between genuinely wanting someone to be happy and manipulating someone’s feelings-- more so on a handicapped person.

I personally loved the ending with Alessandra though and I felt it was the best part of the film. Empoy's ending could've been delivered in some other way. I'm not really sure if it's socially acceptable but It just didn't hit the spot.

Dunkirk is very different from Christopher Nolan’s previous achievements, mainly because of the lack of character development and dialog but everything was compensated by different perspectives and effective film making.

Dunkirk has no real protagonist and the enemy is completely faceless. It skipped all explanation possible and focused on the experience. It didn’t have the narrative framework to explain how and why the soldiers were trapped on the beach. There is a lot to digest especially if you have no idea what happened in Dunkirk.

Certain sequences felt a bit dragged and some exchanges felt a bit repetitive. However, it effectively painted the picture of being trapped and gave the sense of dread and unease that an attack could happen any moment. It was grim with death at every corner. I personally love the aerial dogfights with the Lufwaffes. Also, with Hardy stretching his fuel to defend Dunkirk. That attention to detail. God, I miss flying.

This film is intended for IMAX format in its scale and undeniably, the sound design is its charm. It was a crucial part of creating the whole atmosphere. Hans Zimmer boosted the experience and sets the tension from the very beginning. That old ticking clock trick will haunt you to sleep.

It was visually awesome and technically it was so well made. The filmography and score is top-notch and I would be surprised if it doesn’t win a thing this year.

I totally understand why people will walk away disappointed especially for the Nolan fanboys but I also understand why people would consider this as a masterpiece. It was masterfully done to show the horrors of war and the humanity that came with it.

The first thing y'all should know is that the film is a whole new Mummy film and it has nothing to do with the Fraser series. The film is a set-up for Universal's "Dark Universe" a world of monsters. Something I didn't know going into the film.

The shared universe model happens to be the trend in Hollywood and I must say they're off to a pretty slow start. However, I feel like letting it slide because of the list of actors we would see on the next films-- Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, Depp as Invisible man, Bardem as Frankenstein. If that doesn't make you excited...

Tom Cruise delivers well as his action hero self. He's very charismatic and had some funny moments on the film. However, he had no chemistry whatsoever with the lead actress. Their intimacy felt fake and forced. Russell Crowe's role is kind of interesting coz I grew up reading about his character. I hope that role grows more on the upcoming films. Sofia Boutella as the Mummy oh my God! Mummy? more like mami! She's so hot I would sell my soul to her. Stab me with that dagger pls! Kidding aside, she was excellent at her role. She was creepy and at the same time, a seductive princess. I'm torn lol

The screenplay and direction are a big downside though; It's all over the place. I couldn't care less about the action. There's too much mindless running and there are elements inserted which then felt hung up mid-film. There were things that happened that either don't make sense or are not explained very well. Nothing was answered or resolved. Again, I had no idea this was a Dark Universe set-up but the final act sure felt like one. It was really obvious.

I watched the final quarter of this game live in a room full of Warriors fans. Y’all have no idea how bad it felt after Durant hit that go ahead three pointer. I wanted to leave the room and punch a wall lol

It's crazy thinking how Lebron and Kyrie combined for 77 points; the most for a duo and it still wasn't enough to win the game. It would be real hard to top off that production. dang it! They just can't simply trade baskets with the Warriors.

If only Korver hit that three in the corner or if KD had called a timeout, things would have been a little different. The big question is if Lebron made the right play or not? Up by two, Lebron has the ball-- 5OUT set then Lebron eventually called for an Isolation. Lebron took middle penetration and kicked out to Korver which then missed  the shot; Steph Curry has contested the shot but for a guy like him-- that is considered a late contest.

People said Lebron was too passive and should've attacked Draymond, who has five fouls that time. Draymond is icing the middle and is giving him the right lane to the basket. People wanted Lebron to drive and fish for the foul. To be honest, that play isn't a bad idea because CLE was up by two and going strong is the higher percentage shot. However, they didn't mention that Durant is under the basket waiting to help and defend.

Passing it to the short corner to Kyle Korver, who has made a living with corner threes, is considered a high percentage shot. Knowing Lebron, he is all about making the right play. This reminds me of the corner shot Chris Bosh took against the Pacers. Lebron has the tendency to drive and dish-- It's already 2017 and people are still questioning Lebron's Basketball IQ.

If there's a lapse on that sequence they can bring up, It's the succeeding play where Lebron failed to check Durant on the go-ahead three pointer. Durant has made tons of those with OKC. Instead of calling a timeout he would bring the ball down and attack before the defense sets in. Lebron was able to bring a hand up to KD's face but sadly, that wasn't enough.

I can't blame him fully because that's the main point of the play, to attack before the defense reacts. Lebron was kind of late and that's all KD needed to hit the shot. Durant deserves the game ball; that's cold-blooded. They're up two games to none, on a road game and nothing to lose lol

Kyrie then brought the ball to try and close the game. The plan was to have Curry’s man screen the ball to force a switch but GSW were ready for it. Curry bumped Smith to deny the pick leaving Kyrie working with Klay. Klay has been a revelation on defense and Kyrie continues to struggle on him. Kyrie only managed to do a step-back which badly missed. It's all part of the game~ things don't go your way everytime. Teams makes runs and big time players hit big shots. This game was won fair and square. The only sad part is, winning four straight games would be too hard for my Cavaliers. Team defense and communication is still the glaring problem for the Cavaliers but I’m still holding on to that hope that they would flip “The switch” and play with grit and hunger. Win or go home boys. Cavs in 7! #DefendTheLand /hides. ------

Durant lead the Warriors with 38 points and definitely made a statement to the Cavaliers especially Lebron. The Tables have definitely turned! Anyway, the Cavaliers have a few more days to get to the film room.

The Cavaliers was able to defend the perimeter really well and I think that's what killed them. They were so focused on guarding the arc they totally forgot about the lanes. They allowed 56 points in the paint and they gave up Middle penetration pretty easily.

Here's KD attacking the middle. It doesn’t matter if the lane is open or not, the lane drive wiould open a teammate on the corner or the wing. 

Prior to this possession, Curry was beat off screen forcing a switch. Kyrie then scored on Zaza. Curry on the next possession was caught in no man's land; giving Lebron a free dunk. Brown then responded bringing in McGee for rim protection.

Here's an instance where CLE was caught overthinking and overplaying. At a sideline out of bounds play, Cleveland was too concerned on Klay getting a double screen and Lebron was caught sleeping on Durant-- KD got a wide open dunk.

Here's an interesting set~ I don't know if it's by design or just a scramble-- Iggy is standing by half the court line with Tristan and JR guarding steph. Lebron then saw KD wide open so he rotated leaving McGee in the paint. The chain of events lead to a wide open lane for KD which took the extra dump pass to McGee for a dunk. Cleveland is caught sleeping again.

Next Cleveland possession, McGee swatted a rolling Tristan Thompson. McGee then made two offensive rebounds over Tristan and Love on the next possession which lead to a Curry three. I hate to say it but McGee has made an impact on those three plays. Those little things~

First minute of the 2nd quarter with Lebron on the bench, Cleveland gave up a wide open Iguoadala dunk and a David West post up. Idk they shouldn’t be giving up points to players not named Durant or Curry. geez

Kyrie failed to check KD on this fastbreak and is too concerned on Curry; same with Lebron who sprinted to the three point line; failed to guard the most important player-- the player with the ball. Durant with the wide open dunk!

Same thing happened here. GSW were relentless on attacking the fast break. Durant brought down the ball himself with Curry sprinting to the wing. JR picking his poison ran to the arc for Curry which gave KD another wide open dunk! Cleveland transition defense is non-existent on this game lol

Here Klay is icing Kyrie-- forcing him to go left and take the middle lane; this turned into a switch with Draymond, the defensive player of the year. Although Kyrie scored on this one, this is exactly what Golden State wanted to happen.

I’m no basketball expert and I’m aware that it’s really hard to read and react accordingly real time but this shows how versatile the Golden State team is. Having the luxury of having Draymond, a big guy who can stay on guards, surely is an advantage. Cleveland will have their hands full this series.

Overall it was a real disappointing game 1 for the Cavaliers. The game was over by the 3rd quarter! Golden state Warriors came prepared and Durant has definitely made his impact felt on this game. Sadly, Lebron would have to play 1 on 1 defense on KD; no more slacking off a Harrison Barnes or Andre Iguodala. He can’t play that cherry picking defense anymore. An arduous task, I must say.

2017 NBA Finals -- Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors

We're less than 24 hours away from the 2017 NBA Finals and I'm still holding off any predictions lmao I'm a big Lebron James fan and I've been picking his teams every year; this is actually the first time I'm having second thoughts on things.

Golden State is healthier this time and they upgraded Harrison Barnes for a Kevin Durant. Almost every article I've read and videos I've seen has the Warriors winning it all. Even Vegas odds have the Warriors -270 to win which makes them the biggest favored team in the modern era. I can't blame them! It just feels impossible to pick against a championship team adding another MVP to the mix.

I want to say the Cavaliers would go back to back but I'd be lying to myself. The warriors are just too good of an offensive team and they're just too strong and talented on both ends of the floor. However, the Lebron trash in me still thinks they could win and I feel it's wrong to dismiss whatever Cleveland has going right now. They're the defending champions for pete's sake! If you look at it closely, the real pressure is on Kevin Durant and the warriors. Imagine the backlash they would get if they lose the series.

Here are some key issues I think the series would revolve around:

Matchup over Talent

Having the Christmas day game and recent match-ups as basis, the games could go either way. We might see blowouts but I doubt it would happen every game. As I see it, the Warriors should overwhelm and create separation ealry because when games are close and possessions slow down; it all goes down to the team who can generate more efficient shots. I personally think the Cavaliers work better on their freelance half court sets.

Lebron is a master of mismatches and he's like a shark pouncing on every mismatch he can find on the court. We will see a lot of handpicked pick & rolls involving Curry. They will attack him relentlessly and get physical on him. Golden State will have to find ways to hide him on defense. The same goes to the Cavaliers and Kevin Love; GSW will look for ways to get Love to defend KD and that would really work for them.

Offense for Offense

Everyone's talking about the Warriors having three of the best shooters in the league and having court vision with Draymond but Cleveland is a great offensive team in their own right and they have the best point forward in basketball history! The matchups are really identical~

Kevin Durant is GSW's designated scorer and he will surely score 35+ points this series. Cleveland doesn't have a stopper for him other than Lebron and it appears to me that they have no plans on doing so-- they'd just hope he misses shots. On the other hand, the cavaliers has Kyrie Irving and he will shoulder the scoring load for the team-- he will no doubt win that matchup against Curry.

Kevin and Kyrie will negate each other and it leaves us with Klay and Curry versus Cleveland's plethora of shooters: Korver, Frye, Williams, Smith, Love. I'm really looking forward to this shootout.

Tristan Thompson advantage

We live on an era where playing small is an advantage. There's a reason why both teams did not bother signing an adept post scorer and rim protector. Both teams rely on ball movement and finding the open shot. That said, CLE gets the advantage on rebounding with Tristan manning Pachulia and Love getting at least 10 boards a game. Winning few extra possesions will be a big thing.

The Warriors' Triple Switch

The warriors defensive scheme to counter the forced swithces up top which killed them last series. This is to compensate on Curry being killed on screens. Having Draymond gives them the luxury to switch heavily on court. Videos of this defensive genius can be found on Youtube-- go see it! some innovative shit right there.

However, I refuse to believe the Cavaliers are new to this concept and I'm sure they've seen this on tape. I look forward to seeing how Tyrone Lue will counter this defensive scheme by the warriors and that adjustment will be a key this series.

Stephen Curry as X-factor

This is Durant's basketball team now and Curry is taking a backseat. I've heard a lot of excuses on the past finals matchup and we're yet to see Curry play on big games. Some say he's not made for the spotlight and as a shooter, he has a knack of chucking contested, long threes. That game doesn't translate well on big games especially on close ones. If he can prove he can hit those big shots then good for him.

Another thing is that he's considered a liability on defense. Can he defend kyrie and score big at the same time? Cleveland will get physical and they will force him to fight off screens. His presence will be big for Golden State and he's gotta prove he's the MVP.

Bench Depth

GSW looks deeper on paper with West, Barnes, Iggy, Livingston, McCaw, Clark and McGee but no one's talking about how stacked and seasoned the cavs bench is: Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, Deron williams, Kyle Korver and Iman Shumpert. I'm not being delusional but I give the cavaliers the advantage.

Coaching

Play sets gets old fast on a playoff series and it's the players' discipline and continuity that keeps the offense flowing. Steve Kerr is sidelined with back problems and Mike Brown has stepped up to lead the team.

I actually think the Warriors players would actually make more adjustments on the floor than I do Mike Brown. On the other hand, Tyrone Lue has proven he can make key matchup adjustments on the fly like what he did last finals with Curry. I don't know, I'm just giving the edge to Tyrone Lue over Mike Brown right now.

On this series, the obvious issue is the Cavaliers’ defense and It will take unreal performances from Kyrie and Lebron to win back to back. It’s foolish to count them out easily but the Warriors are the favorite for a reason. They’ve been a pretty good team and has lead 3-1 on a finals series at some point; now they just got better with Kevin Durant leading the team.

However, they are not unbeatable and they've showed signs of vulnerability on the San Antonio series. If Kawhi was able to assert his dominance over the Warriors defense, I believe Lebron can do so too. If there's a chance the Cleveland can win then I'm taking it!

The Age of Shadows (2016; Song Kang Ho, Gong Yoo) The film started off a bit slow then eventually picked itself up and built tension nicely as it proceeds. There was a point though where numerous character showed up and felt like there’s too much happening. The first slow-paced hour quickened up to its last 60 minutes. It’s quite a ride!

The production and set design are excellent and the cinematography is beautiful. You can tell shots were executed with care. I wish I've seen it on HD so I could get screenshots. The story is somewhat shallow though and nothing here is really original. However, it's enough to be gripping and to keep you engaged throughout. Despite the flaws, the film also has its strong points: one of which is the ensemble led by Song Kang Ho and Gong Yoo. Song Kang Ho is great on this film and I'm glad he was given an award for this performance. The most remarkable aspect of this film for me is the growing tension it created. It reminded me a lot of “Valkyrie” or even “Inglourious Basterds”; a resistance organizing an operation which meant risking not only their lives but the life of everyone remotely associated with them. That unsettling feeling where you could never be sure who you could trust or who might simply rat you out for personal gain.

Sleeping with Other People (2015; Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie)

A sundance entry that’s uploaded on youtube! can't blame me for sitting on this one. However, the film is just the exact formulaic romantic-comedy I have seen a thousand times. That recurring theme on modern relationships-- where sex makes everything complicated and both sides treasure their friendship. Yea, that one~

I just love that SNL-like energy throughout and the charming small talk they've had on the film. Sudeikis really made it feel like an Saturday night skit lol. Also, I have a huge crush on Alison Brie. There, i said it!