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Reviews
Spencer (2021)
A Beautiful Interpretation
Looking and sounding beautiful (Jonny Greenwood managed to make the two best scores of the year) and featuring a generational performance from Kristen Stewart. Spencer is a hauntingly beautiful piece of cinema.
The Batman (2022)
The Cape Crusader Returns
The darkest of the Batman's has arrived. Helmed wonderfully by director Matt Reeves. Reeves film is clearly inspired by the work of David Fincher, as it clearly pays homage to movies like seven and Zodiac. It brought a nice-dark gritty aspect to the film. We get a Batman whose not afraid to wear his make-up. Robert Pattinson delivers a brilliant performance as the cape crusader. He plays it with a quiet whisper. Never fully letting his rage take over till the climax of the movie.
The Batman is really a detective story with Batman and Commissioner Gordon played by one of Hollywood's most underrated actors Jeffery Wright. The two of them make a great team as neither trust anyone else but each other. The team up together trying to bring down the riddler played by the brilliant Paul Dano. He's Oscar worthy in the film and plays a very compelling villain. The rest of the performances are all great! Zoë Kravitz is hands down the best cat women of all time. Kravitz and Pattinson radiate chemistry and sexual tension. They were great together. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as the penguin and gives a pretty gross (in a good way) performance.
I was never bothered with the three hour run time and I loved almost every second of the film. The story is gripping and the cinematography is beautiful! Greg Fraser deserves a lot of praise for his camera work. Michael Giacchino's score plays every part of the film perfect. It's dark and intense but has its light and beautiful moments.
This and the Dark Knight are undoubtedly going to be compared. I still got to give it to the Dark Knight as the better film but this comes very close..
I really loved this film and Matt Reeves and his crew deserve a ton of praise. I want to see this again ASAP!
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
A True Delight
While the Wes Anderson flair is there with the costumes, production design, and cinematography, life aquatic is unlike anything Anderson has ever done. It is a beautiful film with so much raw emotion. The performances from Bill Murray and Owen Wilson are beautiful. Might be my fav Murray performance other than Groundhog Day. Would love to see Wes return to a story like this!
Belfast (2021)
We Must Protect Jude Hill At All Costs.
Kenneth Branagh's Belfast is the crowd pleasing movie of the year. The film wears its emotions on its selves and tells a story about family and home. The film features some amazing performances from Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, and Ciaran Hinds who are all phenomenal in the film and have great chances at getting Oscar noms. The stand out of the film though is 11 year old Jude Hill who delivers a child performance for the ages. A lot of the film relies on him and he doesn't disappoint. He's truly magnificent in the film. I really hope the you man gets an Oscar nom. The score of the film is beautiful. The cinematography is great as well. While some may consider the film a little cheesy, it's so well done and charming that it doesn't bother me one bit. Branagh really deserves the praise he's been getting for this film. It such a delightful piece of art.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
A Love Letter to Storytelling
Wes Anderson delivers a love letter to storytelling and the people who make them. The French Dispatch is a beautiful looking movie. It's use of black and white and quick switches to color work magnificently. All the below the line aspects of the film are superb. The editing, production design, the delightful score by Alexandre Desplat, and the beautiful cinematography from Robert Yeoman, which becomes its own character, are all worthy of Oscsr noms. The deep deep cast delivers! Everyone in the film is great. The standouts to me though were Timothee Chalamet, Benicio Del Toro, and Jeffery Wright. There's many more in the film who are great but those 3 deliver beautiful performances, especially Chalamet, who I think is Oscar worthy in this film. Other than Dune this was the most fun I've had at the theater this year. I really loved Anderson's film. His movies are unlike anything else out in there at the moment and are always a breath of fresh air.
I, Tonya (2017)
Stellar
While you come to watch I, Tonya for the knee bashing the movie isn't really about the so called "incident." The film is about class struggle and discrimination and how the cycle of abuse can plauge someone's life in unimaginable ways.
The film is throughly entertaining and darkly funny. The screenplay is outstanding and matched with great direction. Margot Robbie is brilliant. She really makes Tonya Harding a fully fleshed out person who wasn't just a late-night punch-line.
Babyteeth (2019)
Beautiful
An outstanding debut from Shannon Murphy. Babyteeth is a heartbreaking and funny. It always walks a fine line between the two. Murphy has great vision and a perfect sense of where everything should fit. The film features some fantastic performances especially from Eliza Scanlen who continues to get better in every role (Sharp Objects and Little Women). She continues to have great taste in her roles and great range. Her facial expressions and eyes say so much. Toby Wallace was also a breakthrough for me. This was the first time I've ever seen him. He was like a lost puppy in this movie. You couldn't help but want to help him. He's brilliant. Ben Mendelsohn is of course great. His one of my faves, always underrated. Weird actually hearing him with his natural accent. Essie Davies is also great as the mom in the film. Giving a heartbreaking performance as someone who would do anything to save their child.
Truly a beautiful movie. The final scene in the film bumped this up half-a-star for me. It's beautiful. Truly beautiful. It's heartbreaking but also filled with hope. Can't say enough good things about how beautiful the end of this film is.
Can't wait to see what Shannon Murphy does next. She has a very bright future.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
One of the Best of 2021
I feel so lucky to have been able to have seen this film and to learn about this cultural event that has been forgotten about. The film really shows how there is two different America's. A white American experience and a black American experience and how the black one is often pushed aside.
Questlove deserves a bunch of credit for this achievement. His direction is phenomenal. I really hope he's nominated for best documentary at the Oscars. How he put this film together is beautiful. The editing is flawless and it's just an overall beautiful experience.
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021)
A Popcorn Film
While it wasn't my choice to go and see this I will say I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't see the first one but I heard it was fine but I thought it looked dumb. While this movie is dumb and the script is lacking. It is pretty funny, especially the second half of the film. It's a B film that has movie-stars that help elevate it. Reynolds, Jackson, and Hayek are all great in the film, and have great chemistry with each other. This makes the film enjoyable to watch and they all land some pretty good jokes. It's a good popcorn film.
Together Together (2021)
A Charming Surprise
Nikole Beckwith created a wonderful and charming film. Together Together is filled with so much emotion, laughter, and awkwardness. Beckwith's script is great. It's hilarious and never afraid to show the awkwardness in her characters and the situation they are in. You can imagine how awkward this situation would be.
Patti Harrison gives a star making performance. She's funny, heartbreaking, and subtle. She hits every note in the film. Was also really surprised by Ed Helms in the film. He too is great. While he is still somewhat doing his Andy from The Office, he shows an emotional range I didn't know he had. It's a career best performance for Helms.
I really loved this film. It just made me feel great. I enjoyed watching it from start to finish. Nikole Beckwith is brilliant and I can't wait to see what she does next.
Candyman (2021)
Blown Away! I Don't Understand The Hate!
I left the the theater after seeing Candyman buzzing! It's a massive film even though it has a relatively short run time. Nia DaCosta flawlessly directs the film creating relentless tension that pays off with an ending that will leave you with the chills. The performances are top-notch Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is once again great. He's a true movie star. Teyonah Parris was just as brilliant in the film. Two outstanding performances. The script from DaCosta and Peele was wondeful. They wrote a truly scary film that brilliantly weaved in themes of gentrification, police brutality, fake wokeness, and generational trauma.
I was truly blown away from the film. I can't wait to see it again and can't wait to see what the future has in store for Nia DaCosta, a truly bright talent.
Saint Maud (2019)
A Classic Slow Burn
Saint Maud is a slow burn horror that pays off big time with a jaw dropping final 15 minutes. Morfydd Clark gives a amazing performance as Maud. Maud is clearly a character dealing with mental health issues, especially PTSD. Clark portrayed that wonderfully in the film. The cinematography and score where both brilliant. One of the best shot movies I've seen this year. The score fit the film perfectly and helped build tension. Rose Glass is brilliant behind the camera. She truly knows how to create tension and build upon it. I would've loved to see just a little more back story into Maud's past but it's a small compliant. Rose Glass did an outstanding job with Saint Maud creating a truly original movie, with an ending that will stick with me for a long time.
Reminiscence (2021)
Just Misses
Reminiscence was so close to being a very good film. Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandiwe Newton all deliver strong performances. The film looks good and sounds good. The film is bloated with ideas though. The move stretches itself to thin instead focusing on a couple of its ideas. It spews our too many underdeveloped plot points. Lisa Joy's script is clearly inspired from the movies of Christopher Nolan, but she comes nowhere near the level of Nolan. I still think she made a pretty enjoyable B level sci-fi film. The script was probably one or two re-writes/edits away from being a very compelling sci-if film.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Jessica!!
Jessica Chastain gives the best performance of her career as she transforms into Tammy Faye. Her and Andrew Garfield have great chemistry in the movie and carry it from start to finish. The film is a little too long and gets lost a little in the 2nd act, but is able to find its self again and finish strong. Oddly funny and surprisingly heartfelt thanks to Chastain's performance.
The Guilty (2021)
Gyllenhaal Shines
I don't care if Jake Gyllenhaal smells bad, he's one of/if not the best actor of his generation. He turns in another incredible performance. Gyllenhaal controls every scene that he is in and delivers an absolute gut-wrenching performance. The movie itself lets Gyllenhaal down. The odd political messages in the movie don't match the tone and are super underdeveloped and distracts from the acting clinic Jakey G is putting on. Still, the direction and lighting/coloring in this movie are really good. The lighting almost becomes a character in the film. The other voice acting is all great, especially Riley Keough who gives a heartbreaking voice performance. If it wasn't for the odd tonal switch's in the film and underdeveloped political messages this could've been one of the best movies of they year. Even with its problems Gyllenhaal is nothing but a tour de force and gives the best performance I've seen so far this year.
Passing (2021)
A Great Directorial
Rebecca Hall's directorial debut is masterfully done. Hall makes decisions in this movie that would make you think a veteran auteur made this film. I thought her very purposeful decision to film it in black and white would annoy me at first and was unneeded, but I was wrong. The black and white color of the film plays an immense part of the film. Eduard Grau's cinematography is absolutely gorgeous in the film. Some of the best I've seen all year.
Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are absolutely fantastic in the film and give the best performances of their young careers. I hope both of them get a lot of recognition for their performances.
While the film lost me for a little bit towards the end of the second act, I thought it finished extremely strong, with an ending that will leave people shocked and talking about it for the next few months.
I could definitely see my self changing this rating to a 9 the more I think about this movie. I was super impressed by Rebecca Hall and everyone else involved.
Long Shot (2019)
One of the Best Rom-Coms of the Decade
From a guy who doesn't like rom-coms: One of the best rom-coms of the decade!
Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron give great performances. The movie has non stop laughter and is heartfelt! The movie had a great message about current politics. It's a great comedy. All arounded a well made movie.
It Comes at Night (2017)
This Is Real Horror
**Spoiler-Free
The Critics were right. This movie is great. This isn't your fake horror movie, with jump scares, where you're getting scared at noise, not something actually frightening on the screen. The acting is exceptional, same as the directing and cinematography. This movie is really about what people will do to protect their family, and the paranoia you would have of people if an event like this really occurred. The horror for the most part is the fear and the paranoia. So, please don't go in expecting a jump-scare fest or your typical horror movie. This is thriller that deals with paranoia, fear and grief. Please go into this movie with an open mind.