“mother!”

Director Darren Aronofsky’s allegorical film “mother!” starring Jennifer Lawrence is a dark look into humankind. The film got mediocre critic reviews and unimpressive audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. I find myself on the edge of my seat with this film with its insightful religious symbols and innovative directing. 

The film graphically depicts violent atrocities throughout history. The intense imagery of the movie’s climax paints an overwhelming but nuanced conclusion, with interesting statements of religion and environmentalism. 

The film “mother!” is like none other, with deeply rooted metaphors, powerful commentaries and extremely intentional and specific direction from Aronofsky.

“mother!:” ★★★★★

“We’re the Millers”

Despite its low ratings and only reaching 45% for critic ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, “We’re the Millers” is consistently one of the comedies I find myself rewatching time and time again. The film is made great by its unique plot, all-star cast and hilarious situational humor.

“We’re the Millers” is a successful film because it never takes itself too seriously. The jokes are creative, and the actors lean into the comedy of the film instead of trying to force an unnecessary message. 

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis do an amazing job pushing forward the plot throughout the film. They have amazing chemistry with one another, playing off of each other’s jokes and facial expressions with the perfect amount of subtly. Their snarky attitudes bring about an exciting atmosphere throughout the film.

“We’re the Millers” does exactly what you would expect it to do, but the best way. The movie is plain old fun that gets me laughing out loud at every rewatch.

“We’re the Millers:” ★★★★☆

“Venom”

After seeing the critic Rotten Tomatoes score of 29% for “Venom,” my expectations couldn’t have been lower. However, I found the film to be incredibly enjoyable, with the comedy and action within the film complimenting each other perfectly.

“Venom” follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a struggling journalist who finds himself in the midst of a scientific and ethical scandal with the powerful CEO of Life Foundations, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). Eddie finds himself accidentally connecting with an alien symbiote who calls himself Venom (Tom Hardy).

Tom Hardy’s ability to act both as Eddie and the extraterrestrial symbiote is impressive and exciting to watch, with physical gags between the characters hilarious and creative. He was successful and transitioned from the villainous character voice of Venom to the physical comedy of Eddie’s interactions with him. 

This film added a very interesting tone in its adaptation from the comics, making the protagonist more an anti-hero than a full out hero. Filling the movie with comedy completely reframed the “Venom” from the comics, which added something new and enticing walking into the film.

“Venom:” ★★★★☆