Good Time

19 Replies

It’s times like this when I must truly sit and reflect on what a movie review really is. It’s an opinion. Truly, it is only an opinion. Some people’s opinions are informed by education or experience, and other people are just very good at being opinionated. Personally, I haven’t been to film school. I’m curious and fascinated by movies, which has motivated me to look into the behind-the-scenes stuff that contributes to what makes a movie great as opposed to good. But I’m also just a nerd when it comes to story-telling in general. Before I reviewed movies, I reviewed books (for Random House). And I write. Obviously. Constantly. I have an instinctive idea of what makes a story good and compelling and worthy. But when it comes to judging whether that story’s been told effectively on the screen, well, it’s all subjective.

We started Assholes Watching Movies as a group of friends who frequently went to movies together and left the movie arguing about it. It was a passion of ours to dissect a movie and find out which pieces were working and which weren’t, and which ones stuck with us, or became part of our culture. Over the months and years it has dwindled to just Sean and I, still duking it out, still good-naturedly disagreeing with each about which movie is worth our time, and yours. Since the world doesn’t necessarily need yet another review of the movie Keanu, we try to inject our reviews with a little piece of ourselves – in this case, a diatribe against cat ownership and a shameless excuse to post pictures of our far superior dogs. Actually that’s true of at least 10% of the reviews on this site.

The great thing about being part of a blogging community is that we get to read the words of others, and do so on an extremely regular basis. So while I hadn’t yet seen Good Time, I already knew it was a good time. Reviewers that I know and respect had told me so. Was I prepared to love it? Heck yes. Did I? Oh, no, no I did not.

But I don’t want to discourage anyone from checking it out, because I think little movies like this deserve to be seen, to be given a chance. And I love films that take risks, even if for me, this one didn’t pan out. It’s about a stupid criminal named Constantine (Robert Pattinson) who botches a bank robbery and lets his brother get caught by the cops. In a period of just 24 hours, he’s in a real frenzy to set his brother free. Of course his plans derail and he’s increasingly desperate and he takes us on a pretty crazy tour of society’s gritty underbelly, which is well-shot and occasionally looks breath-takingly cool. See, even as I write this, it sounds like I loved it. Except the truth is I never engaged and was really kind of bored. Sean and I started this more than a week ago and I had to ask him to pause it because I just wasn’t happy spending my time with it. I came back to it only reluctantly, and only because I can never let things go.

So yeah, this movie is not for me, but maybe it is for you. And if you’d like to hear more, here are some of the excellent, persuasive reviews I’ve read and enjoyed on the film. Feel free to add yours in the comments!

Liam says “A chilling performance from Robert Pattinson, coupled with edgy crime-drama, and we’ve got ourselves a damn good film.”

The Film Blog writes “This is genre cinema that puts a beating heart at the centre of its twisty, metropolitan plot, before repeatedly ripping it out to jaw-dropping effect. Fantastic.”

Anna says “Good Time is a delight.”

Jade writes “Promising less than its namesake, Good Time presents an unflinching portrait of crime, propelled by misguided familial love.”

Keith calls it “a thrill ride from beginning to end.”

Joel notes a “gripping atmosphere created by the well-crafted gritty thriller script.”

812 Film Reviews calls it “white arrogance on overdrive” and this may be the review you should read above all because while I hadn’t formulated the thought myself, it resonated real hard.

 

 

19 thoughts on “Good Time”

  3. floatinggold

    Ah, so THAT is the title of that movie I watched while stuck on a plane for a million hours last week. I did not remember it.
    It sounded very promising among the limited airline selection, so I gave it a go. I did not enjoy it, either.
    Btw, I did see “Game Night” recently, too, and genuinely laughed a few times. So happy that all the bloggers who reviewed that movie encouraged me to see it.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Jay Post author

      Yeah, it’s not a memorable title and doesn’t quite feel like it belongs to this movie. Of course, airplane viewing is a whole different beast, isn’t it? You take what you can!

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. floatinggold

        It doesn’t fit at all.
        Ha! I still remember the days of one big screen for the whole cabin. You could either watch 1 thing or nothing at all. At least now you have a CHOICE.

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  7. Liz A.

    Not every movie is for every movie goer. This one wasn’t for you. And that’s cool. You could probably delve into the whys and wherefores, but there’s no need to bother. There will be plenty of films that you love that others hate.

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  9. J.

    “The great thing about being part of a blogging community is that we get to read the words of others, and do so on an extremely regular basis”. I find I do more reading than writing and I don’t mind, cause the important thing is the conversation that these posts and reviews start. I quite fancy this… I was a bit weary and I am maybe more so now, but I’m still wanting to see it.

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    1. Jay Post author

      I think you should definitely see it. I’m in the minority. And I can’t claim it’s a bad movie, only that I didn’t like it.
      I love reading other people’s stuff – not only do I get recommendations – books, music, games, and everything in between, but it’s also just inspiration.

      Liked by 1 person

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  12. peggyatthemovies

    Nah…I’m with you.. I paused it 3 times to watch others things inbetween and glad I did as I skipped the screening and don’t think I would have enjoyed sitting through it in one go.

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  13. allthingsthriller

    I recently watched Good Time and I really liked it. I thought it was a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a garden variety psychopath–albeit one on the lower end of the spectrum–who has a soft spot for his brother and, therefore, would do anything to save him.
    That said, this is a brilliant post. People can get very touchy over film because it’s so personal, but for me dissent is part of the fun–and it’s a way to learn. Stellar post Jay. You are one of the best.

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