Jayson Nieves
Bio
Film is my passion
Stories (3/0)
'Venom' Movie Review
Venom is a character that I've been a fan of since childhood. He is an alien parasite that bonds with an ex reporter named Eddie Brock, turning him into nightmarish version of the Marvel superhero Spider-Man which is a remarkably cool idea for a movie. That being said, I haven't enjoyed a Sony Pictures made Spider-Man film since Spider-Man 3 back in 2007 so my expectations for this film were moderate. The best thing I can say about Venom is that it goes for it. This film isn't afraid to be incredibly goofy and ridiculous most of the time, especially Tom Hardy's comedic performance as Eddie Brock. At times, Hardy reminded me of Jim Carrey's energetic performances in his heyday. However, most of the performances feel phoned in and done for a paycheck. Michelle Williams knows she can do much better but this superhero film could get her more money and notoriety then ever before so she just does half the effort she normally would. The average performances don't feel in tune with the rest of the wild film. Jenny Slate is given next to nothing and while I'm usually a fan of Riz Ahmed, his villain character was useless and not threatening whatsoever. The climactic fight in the film was pretty bad, with the camerawork and the unconvincing CGI making the fight hard to comprehend.
By Jayson Nieves6 years ago in Geeks
'BlacKkKlansman' Movie Review
The story of Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman is absolutely insane. Midway through the film, I forgot that these things really happened because everything about it seems so surreal. Spike Lee has had a wildly inconsistent career. You don't know whether his next film will be a radical, powerful masterpiece (Do The Right Thing), a monumental failure (his Oldboy remake) or an alright experiment (Chi-Raq). The fact that he received the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes film festival for his newest film BlacKkKlansman confirmed that perhaps this could be in the same vein as Do The Right Thing. Is it radical? Yes. Is it powerful? At times. Is it a masterpiece? Sadly, no. I found this film to be very entertaining and thought-provoking like Lee's best work, but it fell short of greatness due to it being extremely simplistic in its display of the KKK or why racism exists in this country. The conversation stops at racism is bad and racists are dumb republicans. I wanted to see something deeper as to why this hate is alive and well, but I didn't get that.
By Jayson Nieves6 years ago in Geeks
'Eighth Grade' Review
If you appreciate the art of stand-up comedy, you've at least heard of Bo Burnham. His act contains him singing songs that he has written about a variety of topics relating to the entertainment industry, depression or anxiety told very comically and/or bittersweet. Bo's views on anxiety and popularity are all over his feature film debut, Eighth Grade. Bo Burnham has created the most realistic look at adolescent anxiety I've seen. I saw myself in Kayla and if you've ever been the odd one out in a party or get together, you'll feel the same thing. Elsie Fisher is a fantastic find and gets everything right when it comes to someone that tries to branch out but can't quite do it. The scenes that depict Kayla having a panic attack or trying to talk to people are very tense with pulsating score or cinematography with very shallow depth of field. You can't help but feel for her or even relate to her on levels that you may be embarrassed to admit. Anyone who has been in a public school for their eighth grade, you'll see yourself and/or people you once knew in at least one of the characters. It's a credit to Burnham that this film stays lively and comedic with scenes that never overstay their welcome, almost like this film is a compilation of memories. Everything in the film feels true to life and Bo Burnham expresses such complex emotions through his filmmaking, which works so well with Elsie Fisher's performance
By Jayson Nieves6 years ago in Geeks