This could've been a dope neo-noir, instead it's an average crime drama that desperately wants to be Seven.

Nothing here really works.

Denzel looks burnt out which is perfect for his haunted cop, butI don't feel anything foe his character.

Rami Malek is playing a normal person for once, and it feels hallow cause his line readings don't fit with the character he's supposed to be playing.

Jared Leto is playing another weird Jared Leto character.

The direction is flat. You can see better on TV. And the script MOS DEF needed some more work. Maybe another draft or 2.

It's amazing to me how average this is considering how long this has been kicking around Hollywood with the various directors attached.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/1HZAnkxdYuA

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America from 9:00 on: https://youtu.be/GUwLCQU10KQ

>It's amazing to me how average this is considering how long
>this has been kicking around Hollywood with the various
>directors attached.
>
>Trailer: https://youtu.be/1HZAnkxdYuA

I mean, is how often is that a good sign? Another recent example that comes to mind is Triple Frontier which kicked around forever downgrading in talent/directors before falling in Chandor's lap.

I'm glad this is coming to HBOMax because this seems like low/mid-tier Denzel (Fallen, Out of Time, Bone Collector, etc.) that exist for no other reason than to be re-run on TNT and fill a January release date and so cutting out the theatrical run seems like getting cutting out the middleman.

From the trailer, Malek seems woefully miscast and as you noted Jared Leto seems to be doing what he always does.

I'm looking forward to it just have something new to watch but sounds like it lives up to the promise of lack of promise exhibited in the trailer

"Regardless if you listen to me, in the end we'll see."
-Cee-Lo

"You’ve had 4 years of Trump University and are still failing the final exam smh"
-Bree Newsome Bass

It's forgettable which is Triple Frontier's biggest sin. Like at least that had some craft to it from the direction to the performances.

The Little Things is just lacking in every department.

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America from 9:00 on: https://youtu.be/GUwLCQU10KQ

It's not terrible and certainly don't find it surprising that people do. So I see what you mean.

Oh well, maybe The Lil' Thangs will thrive amidst my new even lower expectations.

Probably not.

At least Judas and Black Messiah is coming to Max next month!

"Regardless if you listen to me, in the end we'll see."
-Cee-Lo

"You’ve had 4 years of Trump University and are still failing the final exam smh"
-Bree Newsome Bass

I hope it gets awards love.

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America from 9:00 on: https://youtu.be/GUwLCQU10KQ

It's my most anticipated film of the year

"Regardless if you listen to me, in the end we'll see."
-Cee-Lo

"You’ve had 4 years of Trump University and are still failing the final exam smh"
-Bree Newsome Bass

It gets points just for that.

Definitely TNT material. Rami Malek is miscast but not as bad as I thought he'd be. Jared Leto is Jared Leto but there's something endearing about his weirdo choices here vs. say Suicide Squad because it ends up working in the context of the film and what it's doing.

It doesn't always work and I could see it turning a lot of people off but it's honestly really interesting and, depending on your reading, really fucked up in a couple of different ways. It's also, kind of perfect for the times we live in.

I wouldn't have seen this in the theater regardless but I'm definitely not mad I watched at home. It's largely forgettable but memorable enough so that in 5 years I'll be like "Hey, what was that weird little detective movie that Denzel did? You know, the one with Mr. Robot and Jared Leto? Oh yeah, that's right! What a weird little movie that was!"

"Regardless if you listen to me, in the end we'll see."
-Cee-Lo

"You’ve had 4 years of Trump University and are still failing the final exam smh"
-Bree Newsome Bass

Especially because, for like 5 minutes, they had me convinced this was going to say something interesting about police violence and "truth".


But then you remember this is a movie written in the early '90s that is probably very jealous of Seven getting made and The Little Things not.

I read A.O. Scott's review and completely agree with him except for the part where it seems like he kind of liked this? I wish this had either leaned into its potential to be a rad B movie by taking itself less seriously or was thoughtful at all about the story it was telling. Which is a weird thing to say about a script Hancock spent three decades stewing on.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

I literally thought it was set in the 90s because the movie couldn't happen in a world with cell phones.

If that's the case, it's kind of fascinating that trajectory of the two film (Se7en and ALT) especially because the latter feels like the inverse of Se7en on several levels. I literally read the climactic scene as a direct reference to Se7en.

I got this thought last night that this felt like an American remake of a Korean film only without the actual Korean original. It feels like a film Bong Joon-Ho would have made a masterpiece with something to say about police violence and class out of and the guy who did The Blind Side would have been brought in to do a remake in which all the punches are pulled, which is largely what we got.

"Regardless if you listen to me, in the end we'll see."
-Cee-Lo

"You’ve had 4 years of Trump University and are still failing the final exam smh"
-Bree Newsome Bass

The ending just didn't really land for me.

A lot of it seemed like you were ready for Denzel and Rami to go on a heavy/interesting philosophical tangent like their own version of True Detective Season 1, but the dialogue just never went there?

Rami's character wasn't strong enough for me to ever really buy into him playing it, agree that he was miscast

Bandcamp/IG/FB/Twitter: @hecticzeniths

I’m like, this guy is doing a LOT with a little, and it’s unintentionally hilarious.

____________
Twitter & IG: @rulerofmyself
SC: rulerofmyself17

Yes! She's on the drugs. (c) BoHagon

Some of the editing choices were really strange and random and the ending just didnt work. I was super hyped for this movie when they announced the cast but im not sure what i just watched. Just did not work at all

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"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

They way they chopped up scenes for no reason made it seem like they either only shot 1-2 takes of everything or lost a few hard drives of footage or something. Seriously some of the most distractingly terrible editing I've seen in awhile.