Peppermint
Going in: I know very little about this film. I saw the trailer twice and I did read a headline that said it was pretty generic. I'm thinking it'll be a 7 - not great, not horrible. And the art will probably be a 5 or 6 (standard fare for action films).
Popcorn: 8/10. This movie was actually pretty good. It's one of those movies you'd watch on the plane but wouldn't necessarily buy. At a short run-time, it moved along pretty well. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun to watch.
Art: 7/10. The movie isn't a masterpiece, but there are some sequences worth studying. There are also some things worth noting that you wouldn't do. So in a sense, the filmmaking feels a little schizophrenic sometimes.
Acting: 2/3. With the short run-time, there wasn't much space to focus on anyone but Jennifer Garner. There were a couple of times I thought she did really well. There was a little bit that was questionable, but it was a solid performance. All the other actors did really well. As a Bones fan, I was surprised John Boyd was in it. Definitely not James Aubrey, but one of those actors who is still himself.
Music: 1/2. The music hit it at the beginning and then just faded into the background. I wish it had more presence but not in this film.
Filming: 2/2. Normally I see DPs shoot landscape films but this was set in the city. There were a couple of action shots that were done pretty well (in the Pinata store). There was also an explosion shot that I thought was filmed really well. It might have been CGI, but it was difficult for me to tell.
Art Dept: 2/2. In one scene in a hospital room, I noticed something (I work in healthcare). I'm not sure if they used an actual room, but props for thinking of putting a mobile computer there.
Editing: 1/2. Okay, this is weird. There were a couple of scenes where the editing pulled together and it was a nice touch. But then one scene later, it would break flow by cutting to a different viewpoint that wasn't really necessary. So some of it I liked, but other parts annoyed me. It's like it was two different people. I will give props for the pacing. There was very little fat in this movie after the first act.
Story: 3/4. Standard fare for an action film. There was no sacrifice since that was the premise of the movie. No internal arc except for maybe a third-tier character without too much mention of it. Most of the subplots tied up nicely and there was a noticeable absence of coincidence (except one spot but it was dramatic so a pass). The story was solid and the characters were good, but it just didn't make me feel much after the initial loss. I do think a better focus would have been on the repercussions of her actions but that didn't happen.
Directing: 2/3. This is a decent movie and for the most part is solid. There's just some weirdness here and there that stick in my mind to make it exceptional.
Production: 1/2. The movie was pretty good and I liked it. It felt big screen even though there wasn't a lot of big action pieces.
Popcorn: 8/10. This movie was actually pretty good. It's one of those movies you'd watch on the plane but wouldn't necessarily buy. At a short run-time, it moved along pretty well. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun to watch.
Art: 7/10. The movie isn't a masterpiece, but there are some sequences worth studying. There are also some things worth noting that you wouldn't do. So in a sense, the filmmaking feels a little schizophrenic sometimes.
Acting: 2/3. With the short run-time, there wasn't much space to focus on anyone but Jennifer Garner. There were a couple of times I thought she did really well. There was a little bit that was questionable, but it was a solid performance. All the other actors did really well. As a Bones fan, I was surprised John Boyd was in it. Definitely not James Aubrey, but one of those actors who is still himself.
Music: 1/2. The music hit it at the beginning and then just faded into the background. I wish it had more presence but not in this film.
Filming: 2/2. Normally I see DPs shoot landscape films but this was set in the city. There were a couple of action shots that were done pretty well (in the Pinata store). There was also an explosion shot that I thought was filmed really well. It might have been CGI, but it was difficult for me to tell.
Art Dept: 2/2. In one scene in a hospital room, I noticed something (I work in healthcare). I'm not sure if they used an actual room, but props for thinking of putting a mobile computer there.
Editing: 1/2. Okay, this is weird. There were a couple of scenes where the editing pulled together and it was a nice touch. But then one scene later, it would break flow by cutting to a different viewpoint that wasn't really necessary. So some of it I liked, but other parts annoyed me. It's like it was two different people. I will give props for the pacing. There was very little fat in this movie after the first act.
Story: 3/4. Standard fare for an action film. There was no sacrifice since that was the premise of the movie. No internal arc except for maybe a third-tier character without too much mention of it. Most of the subplots tied up nicely and there was a noticeable absence of coincidence (except one spot but it was dramatic so a pass). The story was solid and the characters were good, but it just didn't make me feel much after the initial loss. I do think a better focus would have been on the repercussions of her actions but that didn't happen.
Directing: 2/3. This is a decent movie and for the most part is solid. There's just some weirdness here and there that stick in my mind to make it exceptional.
Production: 1/2. The movie was pretty good and I liked it. It felt big screen even though there wasn't a lot of big action pieces.
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