armando vanegas

Review – BlacKkKlansman (2018)

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by Armando Vanegas

It’s a been a bittersweet time in this country that’s been mostly bitter in ways thanks to the current political state here in America. However, part of what’s been sweet about this year is that whether it’s coincidence or not, a lot of black voices have been able to get a chance to express themselves in such original ways as Black Panther, Sorry to Bother You, Atlanta, and now Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. For the most part, Lee succeeds with what he attempts to put on the screen. It’s a Spike Lee movie so you can definitely say that it’s not boring. The plot of the movie concerning Colorado Springs’ first black police officer in the 1970’s posing as a prospective KKK member who then recruits a Jewish officer to pose as the member in person to infiltrate the Klan. This is pretty unusual and to the movie’s credit, it does a lot with it by using it as a springboard to comment on recent political issues or social commentary that concerns the black community that may have been said before, but needs to reiterated for those who still aren’t able to get the message. For the most part, it never bothered me because it seems to come from a genuine place. While Lee is still Lee, this seem to be more mature and relatively calm to his other movies in its approach to its many ideas. It’s still very ambitious and maybe has too much to say. But it’s at least got some verve to it that I admire for bringing something to the table that will inspire some great food for thought, while simultaneously being an entertaining time at the movies.

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Review – Eighth Grade (2018)

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By Armando Vanegas 

Comedian Bo Burnham’s feature film debut Eighth Grade, a new movie about a young girl going through the last week of eighth grade, will probably make most people’s skin crawl, due to how it manages to hit so close to home depending on one’s personal childhood experiences. But it made this reviewer feel very engaged and invested for just that reason due in part to Burnham’s skills behind the camera. He makes a rather simple slice of life story as convincing enough for someone like its introverted and social media obsessed main character Kayla, played by actress Elsie Fisher. Fisher proves to have a future in movies as her role fits her like a glove. She doesn’t so much announce herself as a star in the making, so much as she quietly nudges to the person next to her and writes it in a note to pass it down the theater aisle. She finds a way to make this character both sympathetic and off-putting, sometimes in the same scene. She makes the moments of her character’s anxiety feel too real and gives a lot of unexpected tension to the proceedings. She also successfully manages to embody the feeling of alienation that one gets from that awkward time in one’s life while struggling to make a connection through social media. This is one of the ways the movie manages to subvert expectations while being more thoughtful and emotionally in-depth than most other coming of age movies.

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Review – Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom (2018)

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by Armando Vanegas

Jurassic Park was such a seminal movie for many people in the 90’s as it managed to capture imagination, thrills, and suspense in such an unexpected way thanks to the skillful direction of Steven Spielberg. It also managed to be a great one off movie but because money is a thing, Hollywood keeps wanting to do more, which is why Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom exists.

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Review- Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

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by Armando Vanegas

Shows that come back from a long hiatus can be tricky because you don’t know how it will be perceived and it’s hard to know if it will have the same impact that it did with viewers from years ago. The other thing to consider is that people change and as a result, feelings and sensibilities change. This seems to be a big part of what co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost were aware of coming into this new season of Twin Peaks, also known as Twin Peaks: The Return, as it seems to have a somewhat different feel from the original series. Whereas the old show contained lots of intentional soap opera satirical aesthetics, these new episodes have a more experimental and esoteric feel that is more fitting on its new premium cable home, Showtime. As usual with any David Lynch project, you’re not going to be given simple answers and satisfying conclusions. As long as you’re okay with that going in, you’re bound get something out of this. It’s not exactly a fun watch, but it gives you something to chew on even if it can be hard to wrap your head around at times thanks to the trademark surrealism on display.

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Review – Twin Peaks (Seasons 1 + 2)

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by Armando Vanegas

Twin Peaks had to be interesting to see back in 1990. It was at a time when TV largely stayed in their lanes and never threatened to disturb the status quo. But that’s what happens when you get David Lynch, then of Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, have the audacity to condescend to TV and bring his weird brand of black lodges and dancing little people in small red rooms with striped floors. For a few years now, I’ve been attempting to experience this show and see what makes it special. After all the hype, I heard about the latest revival by Showtime from last summer, I wanted to review the first two seasons and share some thoughts as someone who was completely new to it and was totally out of the loop as this show was way before my time. I also wanted to give it a chance as it’s considered a pioneer of Peak TV and David Lynch has made things that I’ve liked in the past, so I wanted to see what his vision would look like if it was contained in a network TV show.

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Review – Deadpool 2 (2018)

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by Armando Vanegas

Ryan Reynolds is back as Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson) in Deadpool 2, the sequel to the hit movie. The good thing is that it’s the same as it was before, but has some more to offer this time around. If you want it to be more than a fun take on the superhero genre and expect something deeper, then you might be disappointed. The movie pretty much does what you expect in terms of it’s humor and style, but it also attempts to be more than that, which works to varying degrees.

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Review – Isle of Dogs (2018)

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by Armando Vanegas

Simultaneously charming and depressing, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs will find a way to stick with you long after the credits roll. While it might not reach the levels of Rushmore or Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson still manages to utilize his trademark style into a unique and entertaining experience. The movie follows a group of dogs in a dystopian future version of Japan and isolated by the evil new mayor on a trash island literally called “Trash Island,” after an outbreak of a dog flu virus in the city. When Atari, a young Japanese boy, gets stuck on the island while looking for his own dog, the other dogs agree to help him, including the cynical Chief.

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Review – Everything Sucks! (2018)

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By Armando Vanegas

I don’t usually review TV shows, but I wanted to try something different and Netflix’s Everything Sucks! was something that really stuck with me, so much that I was inspired to write about it and hopefully those of you who read this might want to give it a shot. Everything Sucks!, in a lot of ways, is the show that the trailer sells you with its very 90’s aesthetic, due to the fact that it’s set in 1996. It’s evident in the first two episodes, which are also its weakest. However, they do a good job setting up for the tone, the characters, and the story. But once it figures itself out, it becomes quite an engaging and charming show. The show is about a group of high school kids in Boring, Oregon and how they’re dealing with growing up.

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Review – The Cloverfield Paradox

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by Armando Vanegas

The Cloverfield movie series is such an interesting blank check franchise because there’s no shortage of good ideas by making this an anthology series as it gives more freedom for whatever stories that the filmmakers want to tell. I would have been fine if this was one movie about a monster attacking a city but they decided to expand on this and made a great followup in 10 Cloverfield Lane.

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Review – Tyler Perry’s “Acrimony”

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by Armando Vanegas

Tyler Perry’s Acrimony stars Taraji P. Henson as Melinda, a woman in a struggling marriage to Robert, an aspiring inventor. After feeling wronged, Melinda attempts to get what she feels she’s owed from Robert by any means necessary. That’s more or less what the story is about but we also learn how these two got together and what led to what went wrong in their marriage. Even though this sounds like something more nuanced or grounded considering who made it, it’s still the same ol Tyler Perry movie but there’s more ridiculousness than usual.

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