I was very interested in seeing "Last Flag Flying" because it had a great cast and I generally enjoy the films of Richard Linklater. However, it surprisingly did not make a very big theatrical splash, so I had to wait until it became available to rent.

Ultimately, I found that the writing of this film was satisfying. The character development is very strong. All three of the leads are developed very well into complex characters that add to the audience's sympathy for the story. This also allows Linklater to deliver his commentary on war more effectively. Even though Linklater had quite a bit that was noble to say, and it does deserve to be heard, I fear that it is too little too late. To me, it appears that the film would have been much more well-timed were it released about five years ago. Now, it feels like the war has evolved to the point that the commentary is a little redundant. That didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie, though. There were many parts that were funny, and there were many parts that were endearing.

The style of the film is definitely extremely minimalistic. It is a little play-like in that it is shot in mostly confined sets and is based predominantly in its dialogue, but I think that is fine to accomplish its purpose. Maybe a few flashbacks to the war could have been beneficial to garner even more audience sympathy, but I thought that it was fine enough. I did very much enjoy the soundtrack, though. The performances were also great, too. Steve Carrell is more well-rounded than usual, and with the exception of one scene, I didn't ever find him to be squeaky and annoying. Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne are also great, having excellent chemistry with Carrell that makes the film what it is.

Overall, I found "Last Flag Flying" to be quite good. There are many things about the film that succeed, I just wish that it would have been released a little sooner so that it could have made more of an impact.

Last Flag Flying
Big Tuna's Rating: B
How Did I Watch It?: Redbox rental.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

I had wanted to see Stronger when it was in theaters, but ended up missing it because it never expanded close enough to me. As such, I ended up renting it on Redbox when I got the chance.

Ultimately, I found myself a little underwhelmed by the film. I was really expecting a moving, even a little depressing, character drama. Instead, it felt like I was watching a PSA for Boston Strong that came out a few years too late. This film definitely isn't timely enough for its message to be effective, and I didn't feel like its story was strong enough, otherwise. It's diversion enough, but it never is truly captivating, and I found it to be full of flaws. For one, the characters aren't particularly sympathetic. They are a little annoying due to the sheer amount of bad decisions they make.  For a little bit, I could have suspension of disbelief, but after a while, they outstayed their welcome. In my opinion, the film tried too hard to be inspiring for it to be a good film.

I also found that the execution of the film was mediocre. Undoubtedly the best part of the film was Gyllenhaal's performance. He appeared sincere and emotional in his role, although I would still say it is far from his best. I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the supporting cast. The cinematography was a little rough, but I will say that the practical effects for the aftermath of the bombing looked really good.

Overall, I wasn't super impressed by Stronger. I don't think it clicked for me emotionally, and as a result, it didn't work for me as a whole. I'm sure it has its audience, and it isn't bad, but the story deserved better.

Stronger
Big Tuna's Rating: B-
How Did I Watch It?: Redbox rental.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Yes.

I had heard a lot of good things about "Beach Rats" out of Sundance. It never came close to me when it was in theaters, though, so when I was looking for something on Redbox and came across it, I decided to pick it up.

The film had some very strong parts, but also had some crippling weaknesses. The protagonist is extremely well-developed for the first half of the film. He does some bad things, but he is shown to be real and experiencing emotions with which the audience can sympathize. However, I think that the protagonist's character is weakened by his companions. I found those characters to be extremely annoying, and every scene in which they shared the screen with the protagonist, I could barely tolerate it because of them. Then, there's also a twist at the ending that is ridiculously sudden and does not do a good job of resolving the characters' arcs at all. It disappointed me that with such a strong start, the movie ultimately fell flat.

​The filmmaking style of this film is rough, but visceral. There were are a lot of shots that are built in the dark, but are bright with the neon-like glow of the moon. The result is quite beautiful. The location scouts also did a good job, as the settings of the film work to build the tone for which it hopes. The music is good, too, further creating suspense. Harris Dickinson does an excellent job in the lead role, but all of the other actor's performances were a little burdensome.

Overall, it's a shame that "Beach Rats" wasn't better. It had the narrative potential to be what it wanted to be, but there was some extreme weakness in the development of secondary characters.

Beach Rats
Big Tuna's Rating: B-
How Did I Watch It?: Redbox rental.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Probably not.

I had a rent one, get one free code for Redbox, and there was another movie that I really wanted to see, so I looked for the most interesting thing that was available for my second one and this was it. I had heard about Camera Obscura at the Florida Film Festival, and while the reception wasn't positive, I still thought it would be interesting.

The writing of this film was interesting. It's nothing super original. There are all sorts of horror films about a supernatural entity compelling a person to kill. What made this film interesting was the mystery behind it. The mystery was even rather predictable at times, but the film took what could have easily been cheesy in such a serious way that it kept me involved. The commentary is also very solid. The film served as a relatively interesting exploration of PTSD. That being said, there are TONS of issues. The character development is beyond lackluster. There are also a lot of errors in logic found throughout or things that just don't make sense. As a whole, the film is just convoluted.

The execution of the film is surprisingly decent for a horror film, though. The camerawork was solid. It didn't look like it had a super high budget or anything, but it was much better than that of a TV movie. The practical effects for the gore were also very impressive. It wasn't scary, but it was a little disturbing at times. The acting is fine, but not amazing. Christopher Denham does a good job in the lead role, and Nadja Bobyleva accents him well in her supporting role.

Overall, I thought that "Camera Obscura" was an enjoyable horror film that ended up better than expected, but still not great. If you are a horror hound, it's definitely worth a shot.

Camera Obscura
Big Tuna's Rating: C
How Did I Watch It?: Redbox rental.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Probably not.

I have wanted to see "Patti Cake$" since its Sundance debut. I missed it at the Florida Film Festival because it overlapped with another film I wanted to see, and I missed its theatrical release because of a little storm called Irma. So I had to settle for waiting until its Redbox release.

I had very mixed feelings about this film overall. It starts out very slowly. The characters are rather annoying. They do everything to excess and made a lot of bad decisions that made me not want to sympathize with them. I turned it off after about thirty minutes, took a break, and then decided to give it another chance. At about the halfway mark, the film did begin to pick up for me. In the second half, I found a relatable story that had humor and heart. It worked much better than the first half of the film. That being said, the film as a whole also conforms to the conventions of the underdog drama and follows pretty much every story beat. For the most part, it's fine, but it isn't anything original or revolutionary.

The execution of the film was a little lackluster to me. I thought that the cinematography was mediocre in the real-life sequences with shakiness and frequent unnecessary and rough zooms. It was better in the dream sequences, but those were oddly surreal and too over-the-top to be effective. The acting is fine, but sometimes a little annoying. I think that Danielle Macdonald definitely has promise in her acting career. I thought that the original songs for the soundtrack were quite catchy, too. They have a lot to say about the status quo, and their message is delivered well.

Overall, I ended up liking "Patti Cake$", but I had to struggle through the first thirty minutes before I got to the legitimately enjoyable part of the film. It's definitely not for everyone, so watch it at your own risk.

Patti Cake$
Big Tuna's Rating: C+
How Did I Watch It?: Redbox rental.
Had I Seen It Before?: No.
Would I Watch It Again?: Possibly.