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lbramson
Reviews
Hamilton (2020)
Hamilton is taking over my life! Send help!
I get this is technically cheating as it's not a movie, but I don't care. I have talked about Hamilton enough, I'm going to keep this brief. This is a musical masterpiece. There. Bye bye! Just kidding, I'm going to give short sentences about my favorite songs.
Alexander Hamilton: A great opening that perfectly introduces the characters and their stories
My Shot: The quintessential Hamilton song. The backstory of this song is truly inspiring.
Schuyler Sisters: An earworm! Work! Work!
You'll Be Back: Ik every word to this banger
Right Hand Man: Has the fastest, most absurd energy of the musical.
Helpless: A peppy pop song
Satisfied: The ending gives me chills
Wait For It: Showcases Leslie's powerful voice.
Guns and Ships: We love Lafayette!
Yorktown: Makes me want to go out and start a war🦅🇺🇸
Dear Theodosia: My favorite!
Non-Stop: An unbelievable Act 1 finale
What'd I Miss: Gives off great 50s/60s R&B vibes
Cabinet Battle #1: Better than Kendrick vs. Drake.
Say No To This: A banger!
Room Where It Happens: THE Hamilton song
Washington On Your Side: "Southern democratic republicans"
One Last Time: PEAK!!! PEAK!!! PEAK!!!
We Know: It's the meme song! Omg!
Reynolds Pamphlet: The transition! King George slaying! Angelica's part!
Burn: The last line sends chills down my spine
It's Quiet Uptown: Makes me cry everytime
Election of 1800: A nice colmination of everything
Your Obedient Servant: The intro is fantastic!
World Was Not Enough: The epic duel we've been waiting for
Who Lives, Who Dies: A satisfying tribute.
The Prestige (2006)
My...brain...it's...gone
Aside from The Dark Knight, this is not only Nolan's 2nd best film, but my 2nd favorite movie of all time. This movie was an unforgettable experience that shattered my braincells into 1,000,000 tiny pieces! The twist was so insane that I had to rewatch the last 20 minutes twice just to comprehend what I had just witnessed. The best twist ever! Even better than "I am your father"! The brilliance of this twist is how in your face it is. The tagline "Are you watching closely" couldn't be more truthful to the premise of the film. Rewatching, the twist is so obvious in many ways, but you are paying attention to others things that you don't even pick up on it. This film made me look like an idiot and Nolan the genius he is. The way the film is structured like a magic trick is also brilliant. There is just so much to love! So much to unpack! So many details that are ingenious! Love this film so much, it's not even funny. Masterpiece! Brilliant! Incredible! Unforgettable! Mind blowing!
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
This movie is great, but...
Don't get me wrong. This movie is great! Koba is great! The action is great! The visuals, CGI, and cinematography are great! The story, for the most part, is great! The writing is great! And the ending is magnificent! Apes on horseback with machine guns battling a tank? Heck yeah! That is awesome! But amongst all the things this film does well, something is missing. And by that I mean depth for most of the characters. The characters that have depth are deeper than an ocean. Koba has an understandable reason for being evil and thus poses a threat to Caesar both physically and as a leader. Caesar is great as always. Maurice brings wholesome vibes to this dark, intense film and shows his loyalty as always. Blue Eyes is essentially the main character and a great addition. But that's it when it comes to character. Rocket is a fan favorite, but does nothing in this film. The biggest thing he does is stay loyal to Caesar with Maurice, but we don't see that, we just hear Blue Eyes tell Caesar about this HUGE moment. Dreyfus is a waste of a talented actor as a 1 dimensional character. And the others? Don't even ask what happened to them. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is 2 steps away from being the best Apes film, but it would have benefited from being a little longer. 10 or 15 minutes could have gone a long way. Turning this from a great movie to an amazing one. And because of that, War is personally better than this banger.
Whiplash (2014)
Where were you all my life?
For those who don't know, Whiplash came out in 2014, but I just watched it for the first time 2 days ago. I'm angry that I haven't watched it sooner. I'd heard it was a masterpiece and the many Oscars had me convinced, but I, for some reason, never got around to it. I'm glad I did eventually! I don't think I blinked once watching this film, it was one of the most riveting films I've seen in my life! 1hr and 45mins went by in a flash due to high intensity and an amazing performance from JK Simmons. I said that Heath Ledger's Joker is the greatest acting performance in film history, and I stand by that, but JK Simmons almost matches that. He manages to be both hilarious and terrifying and it comes off so naturally. He is 90% of why this film is so incredible! But there's more than that. Damien Chazelle absolutely made this piece of art his own. The ending is so intense, satisfying and everything in between. The other great thing is the characters seem like real people talking about real things. You know how in movies you only hear what is necessary to hear and it seems kind of...unnatural. In this film, you don't get that. Almost nothing is just spat out like exposition and the little that is is delivered in a natural way. Simple things like Andrew naming the song and the year it came out or Nicole mentioning how her mom says she has to big of a chin is just great. It shows these people have real quirks and flaws like real humans, not movie characters. It makes you so much more invested in the story, the characters, and there goals. It's for that reason that the climax is so unforgettable! Amazing film! I can definitely see this as a film I will rewatch many more times.
The Dark Knight (2008)
MY FAVORITE MOVIE!!!
I saw this movie for the first time when I was like 5 or 6. It was my favorite movie then and it's still my favorite about 10 years later. Without this film, I wouldn't be on this app because this is the movie that shaped my love for film. Now, my ultimate goal in life is to become a filmmaker. To put it lightly, this film changed my life. In the years since I saw it, I probably rewatched it over 100 times. I have an unhealthy addiction to the movie! I can pretty much watch it in my head scene by scene line by line. Not only because this film is incredibly watchable, but Nolan's dark and exciting direction and Ledger's unbelievable performance have stuck with me. That leads me to my next point, Heath Ledger's Joker is the greatest performance is history. Such a shame he didn't get to win his Oscar due to his tragic death. From the exhilarating bank heist to the intense hospital scene to the amazing car chase to the iconic pencil trick to the insane, climactic end, The Dark Knight is everything a movie should be and more. The other 2 films are also masterpieces and pretty much tied with this one for my favorite ever, but The Dark Knight will always reign supreme!
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Good? Yes. Number 1 best movie of all time? Heck no!
I have already burned my birth certificate. I now have a new identity and am currently fleeing the country. I cannot let the film bros know that I like this film, but don't love it. Is the why everything ties together in the end brilliant? Sure. Are there plenty of moments that had my jaw on the floor? Yes. Are there many quotable lines? I guess. Is the film objectively a masterpiece? Yes. However, I personally didn't enjoy it as much I wanted to or should. Maybe it's because I'm a nerdy, childish fanboy who grew up on MCU superhero films with lighthearted jokes every 2 minutes, but this film was far too depressing for me. I will definitely only watch this movie once and never again because I can't enjoy a movie where people are constantly abused and an old man hangs himself. Call me a baby, but idc. Also, it goes on for about 20 minutes too long imo. For such a basic, cliche plot idk how this film became so successful. Man gets falsely accused of crime, man makes friends in jail, friends get released and/or killed, friends help man escape, man escapes. Sorry not sorry. I don't disagree that it's an objectively good "masterpiece", but it's not one of my favorites in any way.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Bad Ape is the world's greatest hero
I just watched this for the first time, now one of my favorites! This was not a film, this was an emotional journey. Certain moments like Donkey's redemption arc, Lake raising the rock, Ceasar's death, or Luca's death and my crying and cheering at the same time. When Winter betrayed the team, I wanted to throw my remote at my screen in the best way possible. Dawn is a great movie, but I prefer this film because it fixed my ONLY problem with Dawn. The characters in Dawn were pretty one dimensional. The only characters I cared about were Koba, Caesar, Blue Eyes, Maurice, and Ash. The human characters, Luca, Cornelia, Cornelius, and even Rocket had no depth. But here, I cared about everyone. Luca was a super nice gorilla who sacrificed himself in some of the most wholesome, emotional scenes. Bad Ape was a great comic relief with a truly amazing, heroic arc. Maurice is the goat as always. The Colonel played by Woody Harrelson is a fantastic villain, almost as good as Koba. Donkey and Winter are both sellouts, but they are interesting, 2 dimensional characters in their own way. Nova, despite not talking, was super interesting. And most importantly, Rocket. Rocket had such a glow up in character from Dawn and even Rise. He had so many triumphant moments like fighting Donkey, throwing the mud, and him not leaving Caesar behind no matter what. The ape who started out as his first rival to his best friend. His ride or die! Watching this film is an experience I will never forget. Definitely Top 10, maybe even Top 5 favorites of all time.
The Flash: Negative, Part Two (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Negative Part 2
This finale was mid. I'm not a fan tbh. There were a lot of great things, but a lot of major problems.
Pros:
The opening which is iconic and memeable at this point
The fight between the two speedsters powered up by the forces
The they Armageddon ties in
The finale feeling
Cons:
Damien Dahrk's forced role in the episode
Iris being annoying as always
Certain speedster suits looking bad
Thawne being defeated and nearly killed by Barry MEDITATING
Some decisions in this episode made me mad, but it's decent. Mediocre, but it could be so much worse.
Episode Ranking:
20: 8x14 Funeral For A Friend
19: 8x17 Keep It Dark
18: 8x10 Reckless
17: 8x05 Armageddon Part 5
16: 8x06 Impulsive Excessive Disorder
15: 8x09 Phantoms
14: 8x07 Lockdown
13: 8x20 Negative Part Two
12: 8x15 Into the Still Force
11: 8x13 Death Falls
10: 8x16 Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen
9: 8x03 Armageddon Part 3
8: 8x01 Armageddon Part 1
7: 8x12 Death Rises
6: 8x18 The Man In the Yellow Tie
5: 8x08 The Fire Next Time
4: 8x19 Negative Part One
3: 8x11 Resurrection
2: 8x04 Armageddon Part 4
1: 8x02 Armageddon Part 2.
The Flash: Negative, Part One (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Negative Part 1
This show always seems to nail all the penultimate episodes, and Negative Part 1 is no exception! In my opinion, one of the best episodes this season. It's absolutely insane! I mean so much happened. There are so many awesome action sequences! Let's not forget that Iris dies and Eobard's face gets ripped apart from the inside! Um...excuse me?! What the actual heck?! That scene alone is one of the best of the entire show and it perfectly leads in to the next episode. The last episode is objectively better and more emotionally interesting, but I had more fun with this one. The negative forces might be boring villains, but not boring enough to ruin this banger of an episode!
The Flash: The Man in the Yellow Tie (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Man In the Yellow Tie
This episode is very good! I was glued to the screen the whole time! Eric Wallace had me under this weird spell. First of all, he subverted expectations and it didn't crumble under the weight of its own ambitions. I know some people didn't like good Thawne, but I thought it was a brilliant idea! It flipped the dynamic on its head and added some much needed, well executed, serious drama. It dealt with themes of love and judging a book by its cover. Also, John Diggle makes an appearance with Thawne and it's great too. This episode is amazing, but not quite perfect. The ending doesn't do it for me and the CGI is a huge step down from the rest of the season.
The Flash: Keep It Dark (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Keep It Dark
This episode could've been an easy 10...if they only had the subplot. The subplot is truly awesome! Barry talks to Thawne when a new speedster arrives. Great! It's 20 minutes of fascinating mystery, cool new characters, and riveting conversations. And did I mention Thawne? I know he has appeared every season, but I just love Thawne so much. Unfortunately, that's not the only thing in this episode. Because Allegra has this plotline where she tries to convince people in the Central City Citizen that she's a good person. I don't care about Allegra and I don't care what other people think of her. It's such a dumb conflict and I'm tired of pretending it's not. So yeah, while I love the subplot, the main plotline about fricking Allegra ruins it all! Allegra is like the reverse Midas. Everything this character touches turns to garbage!
The Flash: The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen
The old Flash is back! Everything here felt like Season 1 in the best way possible. The jokes are charming, but don't detract from the experience. The tone is more light hearted, but there is still emotional moments. So emotional that Cecile actually has a good moment for the first time in like 4 seasons. This is such a fun concept executed in such a fun way! Full of heart! Full of creativity! Full of so much greatness! I almost cried over a filler Flash episode and I'm not even embarrassed. This is, in my opinion, the the 2nd or 3rd best interlude episode of the show, tied with Goodbye Vibrations.
The Flash: Into the Still Force (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Into the Still Force
I enjoyed it. I don't get the hubbub about this episode. Yall are just haters. Why do you hate this episode? Because Godspeed and Zoom didn't show up? Boohoo! Cry about it! You can't rate an episode based on what it could of been when that thing wasn't directly promised. Rate it for what it is and what it is is interesting. It has a compelling story which I like. For a filler episode, it's really good. Looking back, I appreciate how they connected this interlude episode to the main storyline of the next graphic novel. It's really neat and I wish more interludes did that! While the Negative Still Force didn't end up being a good villain, I appreciate that they tried to make him somewhat compelling. The teases, like the reference to Max Mercury absolutely got us talking and that counts for something. This episode didn't do anything amazing, but it's good for what it is.
The Flash: Funeral for a Friend (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Funeral For A Friend
Frost deserved better! This episode should have been better! This episode pisses me off to no end! This episode isn't about Frost, it's about Team Flash fighting yet another boring villain because even in an episode advertised as an emotional tribute, these writers NEED some sort of threat. It's annoying! The structure of this episode was really weird. All the subplots, except the one with Iris, were complete garbage. Frost just died and Chester and Allegra are arguing over a sandwich! A freaking sandwich! Are you kidding me? The disrespect! The nerves on these writers! You're friend died and all you two nimrods are worried about is a sandwich! Top it off with an ending that teases Frost's return which not only introduced a dumb character in Season 9, but also acts as though the previous episode had no stakes. Why kill Frost off when you just replace her with another Caitlin?
The Flash: Death Falls (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Death Falls
The finale to the Death Revisited arc is really good! It is slower paced, so inherently not as good as Episode 8, 11, or 12, but still great. This was not only an epic send off to the Deathstorm story and Deathstorm overall, but an epic send off to Frost. Was it a little disappointing that Barry had nothing to do with the defeat of the big bad? Yes. And I'm not going to pretend that the stuff with Allegra and Chester was anything more than LAME. However, all the other "returning" characters (they're just Deathstorm avatars) added some much needed tension. Ronnie, Eddie, and Nora were all super interesting to see. Eddie, in particular, had his own intense storyline. I already mentioned that the ending had me in complete shock, even if the next episode doesn't resolve it well.
The Flash: Death Rises (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Death Rises
The CGI in this episode really is all that! It's been a while since I could praise the CGI in this show, but wow! The really stepped it up this season! I can't get enough of Deathstorm's character design. And now we finally get to see it in action. I really mean action bcuz holy cow is there a lot of action! This is probably the most action packed and exciting episode since Escape from Earth-2! The ride the lightning scene alone is one of the best Flash moments of all time! I don't really have any flaws at all! This episode is thrilling, action packed, visually stunning, and really intense! Caitlin also gets character development in this action packed spectacle! Awesome episode from start to finish! Maybe not as good as the last one, but still really awesome!
The Flash: Resurrection (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Resurrection
This episode is awesome! Nearly everything about it is perfect! The flashbacks? Perfect! The main storyline? Perfect! The character development for Caitlin? Perfect! The tension? Off the charts! The ending? Beyond perfect! The CGI? Impressive! This is not only the best Deathstorm episode, not only one of the best Season 8 episodes, but one of the best episodes of the show! It might not be as good as Episode 2, but I even like it more than Episode 4. I was blown away when I first watched it and still am to this day! It was cool to see Ronnie again in the flashbacks and the ending got me so hyped for how things would continue from there. Not to mention, Deathstorm has THE COOLEST design of any character in the entire Arrowverse. A few people have called this episode "boring", but how? How could anyone think this episode is anything less than incredible, let alone boring?
The Flash: Reckless (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Reckless
BORING! This is the most boring episode in the entire show! Nothing happened! It was 20 minutes of actual plot and 20 more minutes of filler meandering and doing absolutely nothing. The ending was kind of cool, I guess, but the rest? No! Killer Frost with her annoying, boring mom hatching a boring plan and doing absolutely nothing in a boring episode. I don't care about the characters! I don't care about the plot! I don't care about anything! I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. Disappointed in how deep into a downward spiral this show has gone. Disappointed in how much this show tries (and fails) to convince us that Killer Frost and her family is still relevant. Disappointed that they make episodes where nothing happens until the last 2 minutes. Abysmal! Boring! Bland! Uninteresting! Garbage!
The Flash: Phantoms (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Phantoms
I don't get the immense hate for this episode. I don't like this episode, but I think it's way overhated. Like the episode isn't nearly that bad! The tension in this episode is really good, especially with Chester's dad. I get that the stuff with Iris is really boring and it sucks! I don't care about Iris and this metahuman girl! But putting that aside, this episode is decent. This episode definitely gave me a new respect for Chester. His character is portrayed as someone with a broken, tragic past and I REALLY like that. All the characters get up close and personal with the Black Flame which is great! The pacing of this graphic novel is super fast because they are already taking action. Unfortunately that is only the last 15 minutes. The rest of it, especially the stuff with Iris either sucks or isn't particularly interesting. Those 15 minutes are good enough to hold this episode up.
The Flash: The Fire Next Time (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: The Fire Next Time
In this episode, a mysterious murder case occurs where a man is wrongfully convicted and Barry tries to get him justice. This episode is incredible! It really hit me in the feels. The best part is, the episode is emotional as both a part of a story and a standalone episode. This episode acts as a great tribute to Henry Allen's character and a compelling, thematically rich mystery. The themes are mature, the emotions are powerful, and the story was compelling. It's really how impressive how the "I want my money" guy was turned into a protagonist you root for. It took one of the worst episodes into an important part of the Flash canon. Looking back, this episode is one of the most impressive episodes this show has given us in years.
The Flash: Lockdown (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Lockdown
See, now this one wasn't bad. If I could sum this episode up, it would be fun. Just fun. Just pure, filler fun! I still hate Kramer more than anyone and Goldface is still a pretty bad villain. But I can't lie and say this episode didn't have some fun moments even if it was forgettable. It did stretch a little bit of story into a lot of time, but I had a good time and that's all that matters. Notice how I'm dragging this out? That's because not much happened in this aside from more Iris stuff and Barry revealing himself to Kramer. I'll be it, those moments are awesome as well as the moment where Barry runs from the explosion, but this fun episode went in one ear and out the other.
The Flash: Impulsive Excessive Disorder (2022)
Ranking every Flash episode: Impulsive Excessive Disorder
I don't get the insane hate for this episode. It's not great, but it's decently fun enough. I understand that we waiting 3 months of a filler episode that has nothing to do with anything and barely features the MAIN CHARACTER. I get it. But I thought the episode was just...fun. Bart and Nora are a lot of fun to hang out with for an episode even if it's completely inconsequential. I thought the ending was good and the part when Bart saves Joe was cool as well (despite this being the second time Joe does THIS SEASON). The little timeline changes and Eddie Thawne's return are fun to see, even if they don't mean anything in the grand scheme of the season. The Royal Flush gang still suck as villains though. As far as filler episodes go, we've seen much worse.
The Flash: Armageddon, Part 5 (2021)
Ranking every Flash episode: Armageddon Part 5
Honestly, I think 7/10 is generous, but I think 6/10 is harsh so idk what to rate this one. There is good stuff in this episode. For example, Barry gets his gold boots which is awesome. Also, despite the dreadful CGI, the fight between Barry and Despero was pretty good. But holy moly, there are A LOT of glaring problems! First of all, why was Mia Queen even here? She did nothing the whole episode. But my biggest problem is the main plot itself. Fundamentally, this plot is flawed. Thawne comes to Barry asking for help. That's cool, I'm on board with that. It's still stupid that this event pretty much abandoned Despero, but I'm on board with this plot on paper. However, this is proof that execution is everything. Because oh my lord did they screw this up hard! Joe delivers these laughably bad speeches about why they should help Thawne. Which, this is fine, but it doesn't fit Joe's character. I get that Joe is a man of honor and a respected cop, but seriously?! This man just killed you! You, of all people, should be out for blood. It's so forced and I don't get it!
The Flash: Armageddon, Part 4 (2021)
Ranking every Flash episode: Armageddon Part 4
This episode is awesome! The idea of Barry and Thawne swapping places is interesting on paper and even better in execution! The stakes of this episode are super high and there is a lot of heroes which can only be a good thing in this case. This really puts the crossover in this crossover. From Damien Dahrk teaming up with Barry to Thawne being at his best to the emotional ending to Barry looking awesome in the yellow suit, this episode is a perfect emotional roller coaster! Sure, it does have a pretty annoying subplot, but it's not nearly enough to bring this banger episode down. One of the best episodes of the Flash in a while! Might not be as good as Episode 2, but still really good.
The Flash: Armageddon, Part 3 (2021)
Ranking every Flash episode: Armageddon Part 3
It's hard to fairly rate this episode due to my love for the last one, but I'll do my best. I like this episode, I don't love it, but I like it. I don't like some of the decisions made in regard to resolving things set up in Episode 2, but some things in this episode is awesome! It has some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows to the point where, 3 years later, I still don't know what to think. Let's start with the good stuff. Black Lightning is awesome! In fact, that whole plotline is really good and a natural progression of the story. Despero is also really threatening in this episode. And that ending! Holy moly! That ending! This episode isn't all sunshine and rainbows though. While the ending is cool, the whole idea that the last episode was thrown out the window. We spent the most insane 42 minutes where Joe died and Barry went crazy. But no, none of that happened! It was all an alternate universe which is so stupid! It's such a cop out! I get that there was no way of killing off Joe, but that doesn't keep the whole plotline from being cheap.