noahhibdonlhhs Reviews

When We First Met (2018)

Pretty good netflix find, great for date night

[5/10 · 1 March 2018]

When We First Met is the story of a man who continually goes back in time to woo the girl of his dreams, only to realize along the way that you can't change fate. I am generally not a fan of Adam Devine, as he always plays the "frat boy" stereotype, but he was surprisingly good; able to give both witty humor and touching moments. Most chick flicks have a very roundabout and similar plot line, but this film breaks that mold enough to be set apart and be recognized as a decent film. The writing was alright, the acting was fine, it was about as good as a straight to netflix movie can be. Overall, great for movie night with your girlfriend. 5/10 would watch again.

Early Man (2018)

Aardman does it again

[7/10 · 26 February 2018]

Early man, like other films from Aardman animations (Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit) is a joyfully entertaining family film that is sure to entertain all family members. Early man is about a caveman tribe who loose their valley to an evil Lord, and must win it back in a football (soccer) match. Although I am not a big fan of soccer, the plot is not too devoted to that premise and is still very enjoyable. I personally love the animation style and just enjoy the goofiness of the entire film, escaping the typical pitfall of targeting only child audiences that plagues family films. The plot is easy enough and the jokes silly enough for young children to understand, while still being interesting for older audiences. Overall, not Aardman's very best but far from the worst, a great film for the family to go see, highly recommend

Samson (2018)

The Story of Samson...And thats it

[5/10 · 26 February 2018]

Going in to the film, I was excited to see how they adapted the story of Samson, hoping they would make it more interesting than previous adaptations. The film started on a good note, giving a different, more natural view of how Samson may have been and the first 45 minutes or so were well done in regards to adapting the story into something new. Sadly, like many movies about the Bible, it fell into a pit of following exact biblical interpretation and the film became like a history lesson. It was less about adventure and more just completing the story jumping from one act of strength to the next. In the end, it just fell short of a great Bible adaptation and will more than likely be lost in obscurity over the coming years. If you want the history of Samson, this film is for you, otherwise its not really worth the time.

Irreplaceable You (2018)

Pretty good netflix watch

[6/10 · 20 February 2018]

Irreplaceable You is the story of a couple who had been in love since childhood, but their worlds came crashing down when Abbie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is diagnosed with terminal cancer. One of the biggest issues with this film was such a contrast in the tone, because a story about a couple torn apart by cancer seems sad, but the first hour is really upbeat and feels like a romantic comedy, glazing over the impending death like a formality. The tone eventually shifts to a more somber setting, but this contrast was really off-putting and distracted from the movie. That being said, the rest of the film was pretty good. Christopher Walken had a touching lovable character and the two main actors clearly had great on screen chemistry with each other. It was a touching film that really worked the emotions in the latter half, but the first half is so different it barely feels like the same movie. Alone, each half is really good, but together it can be conflicting. Overall a great netflix film for movie night with a significant other. Definitely worth the watch.

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

[5/10 · 10 February 2018]

The 15:17 to Paris is a story about 3 friends, 2 of which who have been in the US army, defend a train from a terrorist and save the lives of all onboard. While this is a thrilling story, the movie turns into something much more bland and uneventful. The first 30 minutes were good, showing background into the characters' lives, but as it went on, it slowed to a near halt. The boys drifted slowly apart and the story becomes more about Spencer Stone than anything else. About halfway through the film, the boys backpack through Europe. with Spencer and Anthony exploring Italy while Alek goes off to see Germany. The film then digresses into just watching people be tourists, going from place to place without doing much of anything. Understandably, this is do the the fact that it is the true story of what they did, which is the appeal for the movie, however it needed more suspense or plot to keep it moving. As for the acting, the main characters were shaky, understandable since they are not actors, however the writing is very staged and bland. Much of the writing is very direct talk to convey the plot, and seems too scripted for way the film is set up. If the main characters were actors, I'm sure it would have come across as more natural, but the combination of bad screenplay and amateur acting lead to a seemingly staged plot for a "real event". Overall, 5/10, not terrible, its for the most part enjoyable, and a decent time waister for anyone who loves movies against terrorism.