27 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - COCO

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Coco
COCO
Year of Release: 2017
Date Watched: 26 November 2017
JR's Rating:  (10 out of 10, Masterpiece)
"Never Forget The Dead"

⭐️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ⭐️

POSITIVES
➕ Mama Coco
➕ Miguel's Charisma
➕ The Land of the Dead
➕ Spirit Animals
➕ Use of Mexican Culture
➕ Plot Twist Villain
➕ Traditional Family Values
NEGATIVES








Pixar did it again with another masterclass in animation. About a young boy's pursuit of his dream to be a musician while being withheld by his family's ban on music, Coco is one of the best films to have stood out in this year's blockbuster lineup. With effective use of Mexican culture and family values, Coco easily relates to your most conventional and traditional extended family with the strictest norms and morals. Coco is actually the name of Miguel's grandmother who is key to the remembrance of a long forgotten family member who was actually the cause of the family's dislike of music. This film's best asset is its presentation of a highly detailed Lola Coco complete with those wrinkles and white hair reminiscent of our lola's in the provinces. The Land of the Dead is damn amazing, providing an interpretation of life after death in the most creative and most unique manner. While the Land of the Dead and its inhabitants are strikingly beautiful, the spirit animals made the experience more memorable as their individual distinguished appearances are so ambitiously done. The story in itself is highly stylized in a way I felt goosebumps every time I got hit by so familiar situations faced in my own Filipino family. The movie is so unpredictable in many ways as many of my predictions and speculations turned out differently in the film. Until today, my astonishment with Coco remains. Bursting with effective use of aesthetics all throughout, not to mention the amazing music accompanying the movie, Coco is an eye- (and ear-) candy and eye-opener movie to its openly dedicated audience. The cinema I've been was actually full of young kids accompanied by their parents, all amazed at the story and visuals the movie presented. Coco is a highly-recommended film, regardless of what your personal beliefs are. It stands as one of the best and most improved (and in fact, the most human out of all) animated films by Pixar, a true testament to how far animation had been.

#Coco #Pixar
#2017Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 27 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

25 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - JUSTICE LEAGUE

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Justice League
JUSTICE LEAGUE
Year of Release: 2017
Date Watched: 21 November 2017
JR's Rating:  (8.7 out of 10, Awesome)
"Not Bad, A Good Start for the Justice League"

POSITIVES
➕ Flash and Cyborg
➕ The Mother Boxes
➕ Assembly of Justice League
➕ Opening Sequence
➕ Superman's Resurrection
➕ "Come Together" Theme
NEGATIVES
➖ Ben Affleck (as Batman)
➖ Less Emphasis on Villain
➖ Struggles to be at Par with Avengers




Forget the negative reviews, Justice League is a great film. While Civil War still remains my personal best superhero ensemble movie and DC has a long way to go to match Marvel's Mightiest Superheroes, it's still not bad to see this film where all familiar DC superheroes assemble to bring Superman back to life and to fight a power-hungry villain known as Steppenwolf. While Batman and Superman remains dominant in this film, Flash is the standout out of all because of his unique backstory and fun vibe. Cyborg is second runner-up just because of his unique power that I haven't seen on any other superhero. While Wonder Woman and Aquaman are powerfully portrayed, Batman's portrayal in the film is somewhat inconsistent for me, and such is a low blow to my favorite DC superhero. Superman's death in the BvS movie proves to be useless if they would just bring him back but his return in this film was damn impressive. The chemistry of all the superheroes in defeating the bad guy in this film was also good. The villain was, however, given so less emphasis compared to the superheroes themselves; such the case, the movie could have split into two films, one focused on the superheroes' backstories and the return of Superman while the other on the fights against the villain. DC's Justice League is probably the strongest superhero team, though it would need a powerful movie to boost them up against Marvel's Avengers in such a dominant Marvel market. Justice League is a good film, a good way to start the collaboration of the DC superheroes. I'm hoping for a stronger villain (hopefully Lex Luthor would prove to be a challenge) and individual movies for each of its superhero members (most especially Flash). Love that awesome theme by the way.

#JusticeLeague #Superman #Batman #WonderWoman #TheFlash #Cyborg #Aquaman
#2017Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 25 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

08 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - THOR: RAGNAROK

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Thor: Ragnarok
THOR: RAGNAROK
Year of Release: 2017
Date Watched: 07 November 2017
JR's Rating:  (9.0 out of 10, Excellent)
"Thor May Be The Strongest Avenger After All"

POSITIVES
➕ Hulk vs. Thor
➕ Hela, the God of Death
➕ Short-Haired Chris Hemsworth
➕ Futuristic Sakaar
➕ Valkyrior
➕ Amazing Theme
NEGATIVES
➖ Jeff Goldblum
➖ Off-Beat Jokes





Ragnarok is the fulfillment of a long-awaited prophecy on the demise of planet Asgard after Hela, the God of Death, returns after a long imprisonment by their father Odin. While Thor manages to fight alongside Loki upon her return, Hela destroys Thor's hammer and even pushed them on a different planet where Hulk reigns supreme. No worries though, Thor legitimately earns the title of strongest Avenger alive in this movie. To make things straight, I haven't watched any Thor film (exception with the Avengers movies) prior to this one and hella, Thor: Ragnarok made Thor not just a damn amazing superhero but rather a hella amazing god. Thor: Ragnarok never failed with its several symbolic biblical references (i.e. Exodus of Asgard's People, David vs. Goliath) while remaining true to the storylines of Planet Hulk and Ragnarok. Thor: Ragnarok may not be this year's best superhero movie (that belongs to Wonder Woman) but it is distinctive as the best Marvel film of the year (sorry Spidey). Though some jokes were really off-beat with some of its more serious scenes, I just can't help but feel compassion for Thor in his struggle in this film. I fell in love with Sakaar as it reminded me a bit of the futuristic L.A. in Blade Runner (most especially when Thor gets introduced about the planet) but still maintaining its own unique vibe. While the the portrayal of the Grandmaster seem also off of this movie, the Valkyrior, Korg and most especially the majestic Surtur are played greatly and on beat. The theme in the film is so damn hella good as it works perfectly in the film. While the battle of Hulk and Thor is a must see in this film, the battle between Hela and Surtur is more ambitious defining truly the idea of Ragnarok. By the way, I love two more things about this film, one is how Asgard is referred to as the people not a place and the other, the short-haired Chris Hemsworth, I mean Thor. What a transition it really is. Things started really good when Thor bore that short hair.

#ThorRagnarok #Thor #Marvel #MCU
#2017Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 08 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

05 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - JIGSAW

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Jigsaw
JIGSAW
Year of Release: 2017
Date Watched: 04 November 2017
JR's Rating:  (7.0 out of 10, Alright)
"Jigsaw Lives"

POSITIVES
➕ John Kramer Returns (or does he?)
➕ 10 Years Ago Twist
➕ Motorcycle Spiral Trap
➕ Silo Sand Trap
➕ Good Way to Reestablish Franchise
NEGATIVES
➖ Inconsistent & Forced with Saw Timeline
➖ Hanging Trap
➖ Frustrating Victims



People who knows me really understands my love for the SAW movie franchise. This year's Jigsaw may be the hope of new life fans have been looking for from the almost dead decade-long horror franchise. Jigsaw is set ten years after Jigsaw's death where his traps are set to life once again to a new generation of its flawed victims. Five people are set in a grizly and horrific decision between life and death. The big question however is, is Jigsaw still alive or another copycat is on the lose? The answer: Jigsaw lives. Re-establishing itself with a new villain with a connection to the Jigsaw killer himself, John Kramer, Jigsaw's legacy continues with a brand new perpetuator set to let others experience Jigsaw's own brand of justice. Such individuals tested on this film are those being favored by a flawed justice system. Is it me or is it the film out of the Saw timeline. While the new film does effectively with its new traps such as the Spiral and Silo Traps, it seems to me that the story is far off from the original 7 sequels forcing itself way into the franchise to form a link with the original. Nevertheless, this film provides an avenue to reestablish the franchise with a new "Jigsaw" set to test individuals for future movies. It's really a good idea to bank on a new title for possible sequels to provide due respect for the original which may not anymore link with the "Saw" continuity. The movie's victims are for me lacking of background as how I perceived the old movies of the franchise thereby lacking that sense of empathy or anger to each of Jigsaw's victims now. All-in-all, Jigsaw is an okay movie, worth the watch to any Saw fanatic, not worth the watch for those who don't have a background about the Jigsaw killer. The truth will set you free.

#Jigsaw #Horror
#2017Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 05 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

04 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

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The Silence of the Lambs
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Year of Release: 1991
Date Watched: *watched too many times already
JR's Rating: ðŸ”Ÿ9️⃣ (10 out of 10, Perfect Masterpiece)
"Serial Killer of the Sea"

⭐️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ⭐️

POSITIVES
➕ Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
➕ Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling
➕ All Dialogues between Clarice & Dr. Lecter
➕ Buffalo Bill Dance Scene
➕ "Fava beans and a nice chianti..."
➕ "It rubs the lotion on its skin..."
➕ Terrifying Jailbreak Scene
➕ Pitch Black Death of Buffalo Bill
NEGATIVES
- none -









The Silence of the Lambs remains a personal favorite, a highly recommended must watch for all movie aficionados. As an introduction, The Silence of the Lambs is the only horror film in history to have earned the Best Picture title in the Academy Awards. That idea made me really want to watch this film before; the Academy never failed me with this horrific masterpiece. The Silence of the Lambs accounts the dialogues between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling in pursuit of the capture of another serial killer known by the name Buffalo Bill, who kills women for their skin as his source of pleasure. Hannibal Lecter is a cannibal with a doctorate degree, while Clarice Starling is an FBI Trainee. Clarice develops a satisfying connection with Hannibal after relaying her own horrific experience, the screaming of the lambs. The movie is full of intense yet memorable sequences and dialogues as masterfully transpired by their actors most especially by Jodie Foster (1992 Best Actress, Academy) and Anthony Hopkins (1992 Best Actor, Academy). All their quotable dialogues are worth listening to as they really form a connection to the audience as well. Who wouldn't remember Hannibal's "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti." While Hannibal may be a main character in this movie, Buffalo Bill is the real villain who manages to be the only threat in this film. Every scene involving Buffalo Bill are aesthetically frightening and really anger-inducing. Still, Hannibal's escape stands out as the movie's most innovative yet maintaining to still be the scariest. I really felt with the film, feeling legitimate emotions of sadness, anger, frustration and satisfaction with each scene correspondingly. The Silence of the Lambs stands as one of the best films (not just in horror) to be created in the history of cinema. All good things indeed come to those who wait.

#TheSilenceOfTheLambs #Horror
#1991Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 04 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

03 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - JAWS

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Jaws
JAWS
Year of Release: 1975
Date Watched: 02 November 2017
JR's Rating: 9️⃣ (9.7 out of 10, Excellent)
"Serial Killer of the Sea"

POSITIVES
➕ Jaws (The Shark)
➕ Iconic Jaws Theme
➕ Skinny Dipping Intro
➕ Killing The Shark
➕ Quint's WW2 Monologue
NEGATIVES
➖ Inconsistent Shark





(Insert iconic Jaws theme here.) Jaws is not your typical scary ghost or masked murderer on the loose - it banks on a unique idea, a more realistic one. In fact, you may never want to swim again because of this film. Jaws bring us to Amity Island where the town depends much on its beaches for its economy. Upon realizing a murderous shark is on the loose, police officer Martin Brody puts his life on the line to defeat the creature once and for all after his son gets traumatized by it despite the mayor's arrogance to neglect the said creature. This film is the first out of many iconic ones by the masterman himself - Steven Spielberg. In fact, Jaws originated the blockbuster film usually shown during the summer season. Jaws earned the worldwide highest grossing film of all time title for an estimated two years (before Star Wars nagged the title in 1978). Well, Jaws' box office success is equated by how critically acclaimed the film was during that time. With a non-CGI mechanical shark, its cinematic effort to bring each scene to its audience is all the more astounding and impressive with technology now non-existent before. Scenes shot underwater are amazing, just imagine how hard it was then to capture the scenes involving the shark attacks. Every scene coexistent with the "Jaws Theme" is all masterfully done building up tension to the viewer. One scene, involving the monologue of Quint about his World War 2 experience, was a notable one as it provides us an opportunity of imagination on how he got engaged with sharks. The movie begins and ends on a powerful note. You'll definitely want to watch this film on how the shark was killed as it was really unpredictable to say the least. Jaws though is not just a horror flick but rather a propaganda against capitalist banking on profitable interests over safety, all the more made evident by how the townsfolk respond to the crisis most especially by their mayor. Imagine how a great white can influence the mindsets of individuals after watching this film.

#Jaws #Horror
#1975Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

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Time Published: 03 November 2017 (9:00 PM)

02 November 2017

JR's Movie Reviews - SAW

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Saw
SAW
Year of Release: 2014
Date Watched: 01 November 2017
JR's Rating:  (8.0 out of 10, Awesome)
"Live or Die, Make Your Choice"

POSITIVES
➕ Tobin Bell as Jigsaw
➕ The Reverse Bear Trap
➕ Adam and Lawrence Connection
➕ Quotable Lines
NEGATIVES
➖ Confusing Storyline & Side Stories
➖ Too Many Unnecessary Flashbacks



A game about valuing one's life, Saw initiated the so-called Torture Porn genre of horror flicks that dominated the 2000s. In fact, Saw gave James Wan his big break spawning a massive franchise still followed by fans until today. Saw brings us to doctor Lawrence and photographer Adam to a test of wits to save their lives from the Jigsaw serial killer. The movie brings us closer to the flawed personal lives of the two and how they became victims of Jigsaw. While the traps are not that intricate as those of the films that followed, the first Saw film managed to get us hooked more on the characters and their flawed human backgrounds. Dr. Lawrence is the character you should look forward to in this film as he ends Jigsaw's test on a high note. One trap that caught my attention though is the reverse bear trap, which will soon be definitive of the franchise introducing us yet to more complex traps in the sequels. The first Saw film for me looks like an experimental one and still needs much to improve on most especially on working with its convoluted side and main storylines; however, camerawork was done effectively coupled with great acting by its actors. Tobin Bell best suits the role of Jigsaw for his tone and physical appearance, indeed he is scary as is. A lot of quotes I'll remember from this film coming most especially from the iconic Jigsaw himself. Most people feel so ungrateful to be alive, but after watching this film that might not be the case anymore. Decade-defining movie indeed.

#Saw #Horror
#2004Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews

Image Reference: Sawpedia: Saw Wikia

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Time Published: 02 November 2017 (9:00 PM)
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