Grant Minnick's Movie Reviews

“I think loneliness probably kills more people than cancer.” - Stephanie Smothers A simple favor is a thriller comedy directed by Paul Feig, and starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.  It’s about a single mother (Kendrick) who, after her best friend (Lively) goes missing, investigates her disappearance through her vlog.  While I didn’t adore this film like some people did, I did like it, and found it to be perfectly enjoyable. I thought the story was entertaining, though there were some boring parts.  I really loved the music choice in the film, which is comprised primarily of some really excellent French pop music.  I appreciate this decision very much because I’ve always really loved French music for some reason. I thought some of the dialogue was a little iffy, but overall, it was okay.  I thought the acting was pretty good, especially from Blake Lively and Henry Golding, who has really been showing some real promise lately, with his performance in...

“That was my favorite shirt!” - Red Miller Mandy is an action horror revenge thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough, and directed by Panos Cosmatos.  It’s about a man named Red Miller (Cage) and his girlfriend Mandy Bloom (Riseborough), and they live together in the woods.  A cult then comes in led by Jeremiah Sand, and takes Mandy away. Red then goes out to get revenge. I really was looking forward to this film, and anticipating its release greatly.  And I will say, Mandy didn’t disappoint. I’ll start with the things I liked about the movie.  I loved the color palette, and I enjoyed the cinematography greatly for the most part. I’ll elaborate on that later.  The acting in this film is amazing, and passionate. Nick Cage is very good here, but the real spotlight shows on Linus Roache as the despicable Jeremiah Sand, the leader of the Children of the New Dawn.  I was absolutely transfixed by his performance. The third act of this rid...

“Let me give you a tip.  Use your white voice.” - Langston This is one of  the most original films I have seen in my life, and also one of the weirdest films I’ve seen in my life.  Sorry To Bother You is directed by first timer Boots Riley, and stars Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, and Danny Glover.  It tells the story of Cassius “Cash” Green, (Stanfield) who just wants a good job. So he gets a job at RegalView, a very strange telemarketing company.   I’m going to say this right now, this is the best film of 2018 so far.  I loved this movie so much. First off, the acting is incredible, and the script is so sharp and witty that it’s impossible to rival.  I’ve seen a helluva lot of movies, and I’ve never seen one like this. Ever. There were parts in this film where my jaw dropped harder than it ever had.  The twist is probably my favorite movie twist ever now. This film defies genre.  I can’t even put a genre on ...

“Hey look!  It’s the NRA!” - Phil Phillips The Happytime Murders is a raunchy puppet comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and directed by Brian Henson.  In a world where puppets and humans coexist, a string of puppet murders starts, and two detectives, one a human, the other a puppet, have to team up to solve the case.  This film isn’t great, but I actually did have a really good time with it. The world building is quite good, and the puppet design is incredible. There were some really funny parts in the film, but there were also some jokes that didn’t quite land.  It was very cliché at times, and there was a forced romance at the end. There were also some times where it tried to be serious, and I didn’t like that very much. The idea of dirty-talking puppets is nothing new, but as long as you know what you’re getting into, you should have a good time with The Happytime Murders just like I did. Rating: R Grade: B

“You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” - Johnny This film is absolute garbage.  I loved how absolutely, unbelievably horrible it was. It was hysterical from every aspect possible because everything about this film is horrible.  Scenes were reused, none of the dialogue made sense, the acting was terrible, the script is just embarrassing, and the directing is some of the worst I’ve ever seen.  Tommy Wiseau had some serious guts to make this film. The man is an icon. This is honestly one of the most awful films I’ve seen in my whole life. This is truly the best worst movie, and if I were grading it on how hilariously bad it is, it’d get an A+. Rating: R Grade: F

“Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.” - Mia Dolan One of my favorite musicals of all time , this romantic film had me singing along and tapping my feet the entire way through.  The storyline, acting, music, choreography, and cinematography are all excellent. Emma Stone’s performance of “Audition/The Fools Who Dream” made me cry. I loved the fantastical elements too. This movie really hit me emotionally. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have such fantastic chemistry here, and their singing and dancing ability is fantastic too. I loved the costume design, and the sets were also great. This movie really romanticizes L.A. night life, and I honestly loved that. This is one of those films that I wish I could experience all over again for the first time. Rating: PG-13 A+

“Once you meet someone, you never really forget them.” - Zeniba This film is truly beautiful.  The art pops off the screen with every frame.  The characters are very unique, and really interesting.  There is no such thing as a boring character here, and the same goes for visuals.  There are really some truly beautiful moments in this film. I really can’t think of many flaws in this film.   The storyline is incredible, there is some pretty music, the visuals are terrific, and Hayao Miyazaki directs this film with panache.  This is widely regarded as Studio Ghibli’s best film, and it’s tough to disagree with that statement. My only issue with this film is sort of a nitpick, and that was that it was just a tad predictable.  Overall, this film is a masterpiece. Rating: PG Grade: A