4o3v2h

probably overhated. but i can also where that comes from considering the weeknd decided to write a movie entirely about himself starring himself and his music being a character as well. it’s a full self diagnosis of him, his addictions, his toxic behaviors and everything in between. which is kind of insane to think about, like just go to therapy instead of making a full motion picture lol. 

as a movie it’s a bit off. it’s like a collection of songs and performances stitched together loosely by scenes and characters who lack conviction or feel not fleshed out enough. we don’t know their motives or what they’re really about. but the sense of mystery, with the lynchian surrealist feel, plus TES camera work and flashing lights makes it a spectacle to see. i liked it more than most it seems, but by no means is it the best thing ive ever seen.

“I think something very important is happening and it's deeply connected to my purpose.”

an adrenaline filled, action packed, anxiety inducing hour and forty five minutes. with pattinson front and center in a role that that is a great switch up for him and something i don’t think we’ve seen. he’s really the opposite of fletch in the way of he is a complete and total scumbag, but he is similar to fletch in his own sick and twisted way how he moves and operates trying out schemes and disguises to get where he needs to go. 

he really is despicable though. using his mentally handicapped brother to rob a bank, leaving him to the wolves. getting more unfortunate souls tied up in his antics. trying to steal lie and cheat his way to freedom. burning all his bridges along the way. it’s really an incredible quest of a night that ends in just about the worst way you could think of.

“Life clung to me like a disease.”

this is a line that seems true to both the protagonist and antagonist. all these movies have so much to like about them, some great stunts and action. this one however feels not as good as i quite it to be. and don’t get me wrong it’s great, but it just lacks something for me. 

incredible opening with culmination of it being M taking a complete gamble that doesn’t pay off. time off on a remote island, a scorpion and a disastrous CNN broadcast. a not so happy welcome home, losing a step, being falsely cleared for duty. a twisted villain with a past that is much closer to home than everyone would like to it. planning on planning. old stomping grounds. and saving everyone’s bacon in the process. but it never feels fully realized for whatever reason, i wish i could explain it better, maybe too easy in a way, the battle here was within, with silva to a degree in a chess match but one made of bad taste in making a series of blunders, losing material and failing to see winning opportunities. bardem is another solid villain, but i think the idea of bardem as a bond villain is better than what he was given to work with to be honest, he’s still really good with it tho. i like this movie i swear. 

i like when silva destroys the ashton martin and the music kicks and so does bond’s aggressiveness lol.

“Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth, with their death, bury their parents' strife. The fearful age of their death-marked love and the continuance of their parents' rage, which, but their children's end, naught could remove, is now the two hours' traffic of our stage.”

a neon glitter drenched reinvention of a timeless tale. an unapologetic and bold mashup of what feels like ancient text and pop chaos. it’s like a surreal crossover of GTA and a Euphoria episode. must’ve been a serious gamble for all parties involved. definitely makes it more engaging, wish i appreciated it more when our 9th grade english teacher showed it to us, that was pretty kickass even tho i didn’t realize at the time. 

it’s a fever dream of the star crossed lovers we all know the story. the whole thing is this crazy mixtape of doomed youth with access to too many guns, drugs, money and parties. dicaprio and dane’s chemistry and romance really do this justice. the cast has tons of big players that round it all out and deliver some memorable portrayals. not for R+J purists.

“Why don't we go lay on the bed and I'll fill you in?”

chevy chase at his best, i will always love him even tho he’s kind of the worst. he brings a dry deadpan humor that is always a if you miss it you won’t get it type of thing, but it is really funny. his suave is also extremely underrated. you get a detective story, screwball comedy and something extremely unique of the times it was made. there are so many good throwaway lines from fletch too, extremely quotable. the plot itself is paper thin and if you think about it too much it’s absolutely braindead, but if you just watch and enjoy you will have a good time.

“I’ll be locking you in. No one knows you’re here, so keep as quiet as possible.”

immediately decides to start ripping a dope piano tune lmfao.

this is probably the worst movie to watch on a monday, just depressing, extremely sad and really horrifying all around. brody was great here, this was much better than the brutalist for a very similar type role, as i suspected. i don’t think it needed to be so long, felt like a good amount of wasted space, but i can see how it was used to show the mundane and terror he experienced going from hide out to hide out, so lonely. the final stuff with the german solider is, in my opinion, showing how we really aren’t all that different after all and are conditioned and taught evil or what to believe. the whole thing again is super important and a great movie depicting a really awful time in history. the movie itself may be a little overrated, but still a triumph of true heartbreak and worth the watch for both the performance and the education of the subject.

“I hope it sees clearly because I can't any longer see into myself.”

the animation is absolutely awesome here. such a trip that mirrors the themes of the film with drug use, paranoia and fractured identity. it greatly enhances those feelings throughou, completely disillusioned. the story itself is disorienting, but has a really good cast behind it. the whole thing is a slow erosion in a 100 minute burn that is more of watching the entire thing unravel before your eyes. you lose grip on it as keanu loses grip on his life in it. definitely not for everyone, took me 2 tries to get through it. i don’t think the linklater hang out vibes mixed with a more serious thing work in this case.

it has some really funny moments, it has some dark and heavy moments too. the entire tone is a bit strange and the dialogue can make it feel alienating with the heavy accents and cultural references. it has stop on a dime tonal shifts between the absurd comedy and tragedy. it walks that tightrope but the balance you either love or hate i think. again tho definitely stand out moments of humor like some actually funny lines. you get a good time with farrell, gleason and fiennes. the three of them make it worth the price of ission for sure.

people’s extreme greed and how far you would go. RIP angus.

“There is something horribly efficient about you.”

the worst of DC’s bond films and it’s still a really fun time. misunderstood and underrated. not a bad movie by any means, it’s just tough to compare when stacked against casino royale, especially as a direct sequel, and when you start changing directors and direction of the story itself it’s tough. but it being a direct sequel is part of its unique edge.

it lacks emotional depth, however we do see bond at his most unhinged and unstable having to deal with the aftermath of vesper’s death. but ot makes up for that lack in straight kinetic energy. all throughout in scenes like the opening car chase and reveal. the bull race chase and scaffolding fight in siena. the tosca opera and bond’s real espionage vibe. the ariel dogfight and parachute escape in bolivia. all culminating in in the desert hotel finale, and bond’s bitterly iconic “escape” for greene. 

you have a villain that is, again, a step down from le chitter in dominic greene, but his bond villain is in his own way sinister. it’s not physically imposing or menacing, his evil is corporate, bureaucratic and plausible. smiling all while taking resources from the less fortune and draining nations dry. and a bond girl in camille, who is on a story for revenge similar to bond but it runs parallel to him kind of like a side mission with an overlap that is more coincidence than directly intersecting.

“Sometimes we pay so much attention to our enemies, we forget to watch our friends as well.”

man this movie is so good. i haven’t seen it in years and i knew a lot of what was going to happen and was still blown away by some of the scenes and sequences. post 9/11 bond in a world where espionage isn’t just gadgets and gags like the older installments. it feels real, it feels meaningful, it feels like the stakes are always high and the weight of the world always falls on 007’s shoulders. craig completely owns the role and will always be my bond, i feel so lucky of all the early 2000s renditions of characters i got to grow up on and this is no exception. an understated villain in mads mikkleson’s le chiffre too, just completely evil. 

this version of bond as i touched on is much less silly and more more grounded. he’s a real person, he has feelings, he bares the scars of all the missions and all the losses he suffers both personally and professionally. it sets the stage for the rest of the series with his trepidation towards everyone he encounters going forward. nothing goes unnoticed in the ocean blue eyes of DC as we see him go through extreme circumstance constantly. for as good as a handsome international spy with access to every type of transportation and exotic locations chasing the world’s bad guys and keeping it safe has it, it’s hard to believe things never seem to get better for him as we know what comes in the following installments. and this is only the start…

it’s strange because of how many terrible reviews it got, but it’s one that is charming enough that you don’t have to care about that and i actually really enjoyed this for the most part. another movie loaded with oscar winners and nominees all over it. it’s hard to believe this came out in 2019 tbh, it’s so early 2000s. the whole thing works in its own weird way, it’s got this moody undertone, it’s humid too, and gives major mud vibes crossed with gold, two other mcconaughey movies that i love. 

it has an interesting twist, it’s like sci fi but also grounded on plymouth island. it’s sweaty throughout, desperation is at the forefront. it’s not a perfect film by any means but a fun time with mcconaughey and hathaway carrying it with the help of a terrible character in jason clarke and a confidant in djimon hounsou. it’s like a b movie in a movie clothes? it’s strange but again i enjoyed it, worth checking out.

a crazy collection of talent to make an incredible ensemble cast, but even with all those big names it just falls short in my opinion. it’s really lackluster and it didn't engage me despite its star power. it doesn’t have any comedy, like i don’t think i laughed once. the satire of a making movies is something that was kind of it’s only redeeming quality but it felt overdone. it just felt very loose the entire thing.

“You're ed for the rules you break.”

this has a lot of really cool things to it that i appreciate. it’s a boardroom drama between CEOs, basketball talent scouts and everyone in between, and you never even see a shot go in the hoop. it’s a story of overcoming the odds and it’s all built on belief. belief in others, in yourself, in an idea, in something bigger than any one piece of a company. a complete gamble on greatness, probably the most effective single bet of all time lol. it makes marketing so thrilling which is really cool as i’m in the field myself. 

it has an insane ensemble cast led by damon and affleck. bateman, davis, tucker all giving ing performances that enhance the overall story and help us along the way. so many different perspectives pulling different ways to try and accomplish this mission of g basketball’s next best thing. you also get a nostalgic feeling for the early 1980s, a time i didnt experience but can tell from this movie, it didn’t feel overwhelming either. feels cut from the cloth of moneyball in its own way.

“People don't commit murder on credit.”

a movie that gets it legs from precision and implication, it’s tell not show with heavy dialogue scenes. it’s over explained, but i guess it had to be like that. it’s got good tension from this and waiting to see what happens. he trusts the audience’s ability to follow along and watch it all unfold. the performances are good and it really gives me the vibes of a stage play rather than a full on motion picture. milland is slick and conniving, grace kelly is her classic self, bringing vulnerability and in turn such angst and hate as she discovers what happens. i don’t think it compares to other hitchcock works but its definitely something to see if you’re a fan of him, just not my personal favorite.

really didn’t do it for me, i don’t know if gregg araki films are for me, ive only seen 2 so far so hoping there will be one i enjoy. a really tough watch and just felt like not something i want to watch, didn’t really know what i was getting into. the two boys stories are different but both meaningful in shaping the rest of their lives. neil is more confident and rebellious, understanding the trauma he experienced. he engages in risky behavior which is a reflection of this unresolved emotional damage that he thinks he understands. brian is quiet and reserved and suppresses his memory of it but has such underlying anxiety. his alien obsession as a cope for his abuse is a way to show he isn’t ready to face the trauma. both characters are trying to grow up and out of these things. the face this truth together and it is a rather difficult conversation to have.

“I'm not afraid to die. I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life.”

over hated and underrated. hate it all you want i think george was ahead of his time here, if you can take it at the value of the opening crawl of all the movies, “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” you’ll understand it’s not meant to be one way or the other. it just is. and if that’s not for you… well shit more for me. it’s another collection of great scenes that shaped a childhood. such incredible lego star wars levels came from this too. the jango, zam wesell chase, the bar scene. anakin and pe sent on a gov’t/jedi sanctioned baecation??? they expected nothing to come from that??? their whole situation reminds me of call me by your name, and the age old question if it’s better to speak or die. dex and the diner, missing planets. there’s something so comforting about kamino. anakin’s revenge. geonosis, the droid factory, the legend christopher fucking lee, the arena, the final battle. a wedding on naboo. i’ll always defend the acting and the dialogue and the space opera. it just feels poetic, maybe i’m blinded by nostalgia but rewatching it was purely a joy. it packs a ton of memorable stuff into a mere 2 hours and 20 minutes without feeling clunky. may the 4th be with you all who celebrate. 

“I'd be more concerned about her doing something than him.”

“You guys are getting paid?”

easily one of the best comedies of the last 15 years. super underrated with a great collection of actors lead by sudekis, anniston, poulter and roberts. they have a great chemistry as a rag tag put together family. it doesn’t try to do anything too fancy. and it’s really funny with tons of memorable scenes and lines. i usually don’t ever find comedies actually funny but im so happy something like this exists for me. don’t watch it on regular tv tho, takes away so much from the humor.

“Favor gonna kill you faster than a bullet.”

a movie my mom loves and in turn i love because i grew up on it. i have such vivid memories of sean penn during the boat scene, probably not an overall movie a kid should be watching but badass from her to let me because this shit rocks. pacino is on absolute fire throughout, it’s honestly a pretty sad story. i believe he really wanted out of the life and hoped for more and better for himself, but just one too many things going against him. the quote i chose said by carlito perfectly sums up his life. that final chase scene is great as well. such a stylish movie from depalma, they are always a great duo.

absolutely loved this, way better than brave new world and i liked that one too, i had to go back and drop the rating. i might just be a new age marvel guy, a lot of the stuff coming out i enjoy. this is what black widow wanted to be and it’s so easy to tell after watching them back to back. a full arc for yelena, regret pain and her past being a piano on her back. florence is on fire here, a truly layered and convincing performance, she is the best part of this movie by far. using her own story to help bob and save the world. i was very skeptical of how this crew of mostly regular heroes would be able to take down the void. the answer? friendship, it was the only way it made sense and to my surprise was in on it. buckys intro is so terminator vibes it’s unreal. red guardian grew on me here a lot. bob was misunderstood and just wanted to be accepted, really was a fan of lewis pullman in this role, having to be both awkward and confident as the double role. walker was good too. ava starr was just kind of there for me. but the moral here is redemption and i was a fan of the grounded feel with the political backdrop mixed evenly with the serious comic book feel. cannot wait to see where this goes with that post credit and more thunderbolts action as a whole.

a movie that doesn’t completely miss the mark as it gives someone like me who isn’t up to date with every marvel storyline and relation insight to characters and those relationships. especially for my thunderbolts watch later tonight. it does miss in a place like the CGI, especially in the heightened action moments of the movie, that's the one place you have to get it right. a really brutal solo movie in my opinion for a character that deserves way better from both the franchise and the lead. it felt like an chore to watch. they could have made something like this more dark and grounded and it could have been fire. 

i think you get a less than convincing performance from scar jo, and she’s usually one of the really usually performers in all of marvel. it’s completely uneven in my opinion. the weight of confronting her past never felt like it was there, it weirdly felt like a contractual obligation more than anything. i think for what red guardian is supposed to be david harbour did good, but i can’t say i enjoyed the character himself, i was annoyed by him. pugh carries she is the most interest character by far. ray winstone’s villain seems wasted too, he didn’t have much to do but we get exposition dumped with his story and motives.

“If memories could be canned, would they also have expiry dates? If so, I hope they last for centuries.”

no better day than May 1st to watch one of the great films ever made. the feeling of such urban alienation, even being surrounded by so many people, who all have their own lives, their own heartbreaks. the near misses and brief connection with someone in the everyday hustle and bustle can be lost so easily like tears in the rain. those emotional expirations that come with the questions of when has enough time ed or when is it time to let go. 

or the other side of the coin a skewed but healing of emotions through a quiet and almost non existent presence, like a guardian angel watching out for you. there is a hope of longing and escape from our current lives sometimes, but it’s the only one we have. you can dwell on your past or wait for a change that may never come, neither of these are acting in the now and actually living. 

it has incredible visuals that i’ve come to expect from war. such dreamy, fantasy like lighting and these blurry cuts and just a feeling that is evoked by what you see. it’s like being drunk or on drugs maybe without actually taking them. the entire thing lies in moments, they are fleeting, love is elusive but beautiful in fragments. emotionally stuck people, who get their worlds shaken up with the help of someone special. there’s hope for everyone to change and heal even if it isn’t immediate.

“So you can rob banks and trains…”

michael b jordan does his thing. hailee steinfeld is hypnotic. jack o’connell is monstrous. culture and music. devils and deals. night and day. power plays and prayer circles. life and death. eternity or damnation. beliefs and stories. otherworldly. sin and survival. there’s a price to be paid for being on top, nothing comes without a hefty cost. it’s raw and lyrical. pain and love. it has so much to like and it feels original but inspired by from dusk til dawn, or at least taken some inspiration from it. it’s much darker and deeper though for sure. smoke and stack love to be in control of the situation and this one may just be too much for them to handle. it underwhelmed me just a teeny tiny bit due to its insane hype, and by no means is this a knock on the movie itself rather the tremendous reputation it had. the post credit scene that enhanced the movie so much for me and honestly helped the ranking by 1/2 star, it was never going to be less than a 4. the whole thing about it being the best day of their lives even for that short time was so good, but really sad.

“A man alone is easy prey.”

classic clint western, he’s always the coolest even as a hesitant pastor who thinks the world is better off without a fight, but unfortunately lives in the one where it’s a necessary evil to defend yourself and others from greed and gluttony. reluctant justice and less about gunslinging, although he still does it well. it’s a very run of the mill story, but his preacher as a ghostly presence throughout gives him this mythical weight that carries the film. the whole thing is a bit underwhelming and dare i say lame but it’s okay, it’s still clint and it’ll always be worth the watch when he’s on screen.

“Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance, of conscience...”

the best there ever was and the best there ever will be. one of the most tragic stories ever told, it’s plays out so intricately and scholarly. a rare case of good vs evil where the evil wins and that makes it so fascinating. doing it in the name of love, and being like a piece of putty in the hands of too many, shaped, manipulated and pulled in so many different directions to be something he wasn’t. not to mention the incredible strain put on both anakin and pe, young, heavily important, new parents to be, politicians and jedi, the prophecy, the weight of the GALAXY on your shoulders. which all leads to a titular fight between you and your most intimate confidante that you’ve had many times before, only this time it’s for all the marbles. a hero that shaped a generation of kids, happy it was mine, such nostalgia of a simpler time, it goes by in a blink. i mean this movie is literally my profile picture. and for my money one of the best a character design/actor has looked on screen in a role. couldn’t be more happy to see one of the best movies and obvious favorite in theaters again. 

i always get a laugh when he drops his hood to seem less evil during his confrontation with pe on mustafar.

“The bottom is loaded with nice people, Albert. Only cream and bastards rise.”

a classic showcase of paul newman’s ability to effortless ooze cool as private investigator lew harper he nails that blend of charm, cynicism, and wit. the film is a sun-drenched traditional noir but updates it for the ’60s, with harper using every trick in the book, fake accents, smooth talk, and quick thinking to navigate a tangled web of lies, hollywood decadence, and shady characters. he has just enough weariness to remind you he’s seen it all too. 

It’s a stylish mystery that thrives more on character than plot, and newman’s charisma anchors the whole thing. his Harper feels like a bridge between some of the early 50s roles from bogart or cary grant and the more jaded antiheroes of the ’70s like phillip marlowe and dirty harry. it’s a little lack luster but still good.

“We have to go to the desert, baby.“

lost highway blew me away. what a trip, but not in a way that i expected. i assumed this would be so difficult to follow, closer to something like Inland Empire. i really liked this, it might be my second favorite Lynch besides Wild at Heart. he’s the only guy who can make day time feel as terrifying as night time. it’s a fractured reality without going being completely out of touch. everyone has a different version of themselves out there somewhere. it’s incredible that this thing is loosely based/inspired by DL’s infatuation the OJ simpson case, those hints are all throughout the film. 

a tormented musician, fred, who’s life is lacking in almost every facet. a deteriorating love life adds tremendous stress sending him into a paranoid spiral of sex, surveillance, videotapes, jazz and murder that lands him in a jail cell. the movie has a lot to do with masculinity or lack there of for fred. he uses this confinement as an escape from the reality that is now his life, transforming himself into, pete, a much younger version of himself who is everything he wishes he was. youthful virility, good looking, ladies man, a manly job (mechanic), friends, dealing in dangerous situations for a thrill. the whole thing comes crashing down as the mystery man is hot on fred’s tail all movie representing the reality he is trying to escape from. 

when pete meets alice in the autobody shop, that is the quintessential movie moment. she is helped out of the car by dick, her mobster boyfriend, but the only two people in that room are pete and alice. it’s that moment where two people catch eyes and just know. everything feels meant to be in that moment, especially with Lou Reed’s “This Magic Moment” sweeping in to set the stage. it’s pete’s perfection depiction of a woman, looks like something out of a perfume ad, it’s pure fantasy.

“Would you rather get a bullet to the head or five to the chest and bleed to death?”

i’ve been getting more into baseball this season so this was a really good watch, even tho i can’t relate to a team like this since im a yankees fan lol. but this is what a sports comeback, ground up grind building movie should look like, like if draft day was actually good. it doesn’t feel like a typical one where everything magically comes together at the end. it’s about pushing against a system that’s built to break you. billy tries to flip the entire game on its head, finds a way to win when everyone says he’s an idiot, and still ends up empty-handed in the ways that matter most. it’s hilarious that sports today are almost purely analytic, these guys were way ahead of their time. 

the movie never lets you forget how brutal baseball is.  not just for players, but for anyone trying to survive in it. people are people, but people are numbers and numbers are results and results keep the lights on. no matter how smart you are, how innovative your plan is, how much success you scrape together, the system doesn’t care. Pitt is perfect for that kind of quiet, stubborn fight, he’s like really good, witty and funny and knows what is going on, hyper aware. hill plays off him really well without trying to steal scenes. feel like this was a hoffman wasted role, not much to do as the manager, but just underutilized. 

the mix of real and fake footage blends well enough, and the style stays grounded without turning into a highlight reel. what really sticks is the feeling after it’s over no easy wins, no neat payoff, it felt flat but it’s a true story so no where else to go. it’s just the reality that in sports and life, you can do everything right and still lose. moneyball is relentless like that, and it doesn’t apologize for it. it shows no matter how smart or ahead of the curve you are, baseball and life can still punch you in the gut. it’s about persistence without the guarantee of anything, and really believing in something bigger than yourself. it also does the emotional side pretty well with billy’s daughter and seeing how he handles players.

“Troubling times, go find someone to love.”

from what i hear about seth rogens new show, this is just a bad version of it starring deniro. it’s forgettable and weird. really did not vibe with this at all. it’s just constant whining and name dropping big hollywood stars. not serious enough or funny enough.

“No one can stop a ticking clock. But the great ones, the great ones always find a way to slow it down.”

no better watch on draft day. team’s dreams for the future are made and crushed today. the stress of being the people making these franchise altering decisions is exactly what we see here from costner. he’s got things coming at him from all sides, family, relationships and his job. this is no easy balancing act when you have a normal job, now imagine trying to take your club from poverty to relevancy. it’s one of the better sports movies i’ve seen, i think because you don’t really see much actual game action, but the game action they do show is surprisingly really good? i liked this and was completely invested with the moves. the payoff is fucking great.

classic hitchcock, not his best, but it’s a best picture winner, one of his earlier works that is still very good, but most of my experience with him is in his more modern pictures. i was pleasantly surprised by rebecca, it is an extremely effective psychological drama with suspense that mounts throughout, it even has some gothic undertones. it’s about as close to surreal/supernatural as a picture that is completely grounded and doesn’t actually have those elements, just gives that vibe.

an eerie feeling of jealousy and unhinged devotion. mandalay, the memory of rebecca hanging over the heads of everyone who is involved. uncertainties about her demise, the motives behind it all. danvers is like a living ghost in the hallways of the mansion, real life jump scares that send a chill down a new mistress’ spine. emotional manipulation from all sides beteeen maxim, mrs de winter, jack, danvers, who’s playing who, who’s telling the truth. 

the old school dialogue mixed with the theatrical music can be distracting but understandably part of the times. the black and white combined with the longer run time definitely can lose a viewer, but the last 30-40mins hit like a storm after a slow brewing moody build up. absolutely worth the watch, another great hitchcock.

this shit was absolutely insane. the two very different extremes of the drag scene and hardened criminals and drug dealers. the two worlds crash into each other like a meteor to earth. the tension throughout has the same weight as an elephant. the forbidden relationship built on obsession and sparked by fear toes the line between danger and even going as far as nearly life or death. 

the draw of someone who can hurt you, will hurt you and has hurt you is terrifying. sometimes you just can’t break the cycle even though you know it’s bad for you. sometimes people have the thrill for self destruction, it can be magnetic to some. it has a very good moral line drawn in the sand that jules gripes with crossing. the ambiguities of desire and retribution loom large throughout. i think the ending just nixes the revenge portion of the movie and drops the rating a bit. 

i hated seeing george mackay in this scummy role, it was hard to see him like this, although he does the job of playing the character well.

a very interesting perspective on a killer story, this is the closest you can get to see what it’s like to be a horror movie villain chasing around unsuspecting campers in the woods. just silence, no words, the cracks of branches and rustling of leaves under your feet, shrieks and screams of your victims. for putting you in the viewpoint of the killer it’s effective there. however that perspective isn’t all that exciting, it’s a pretty boring thing. the kills are really gruesome and creative so that’s always good in a horror movie. the character design was giving undead david bautista and the mask was cool. i think the campers acting was some of the worst i’ve seen, it’s really bad. i was excited to see this one last year and never got to the theater unfortunately, maybe for the better.

a wasted cast used as reaction merchants to happenings of nonsense rather than driving a story. feels like they are stuck on the sidelines of a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be. the characters are annoying. a movie that thinks it’s clever but just felt stupid to me. is it each the rich satire mixed with comedy horror but also trying to be something deeper. a terribly disappointing misfire in my opinion for A24 and everyone involved.

“You’re a bong hit late, it’s doneski.”

a quintessential stoner movie that really didn’t do it for me. i found anna faris completely annoying and i feel like this is such a dated version of a stoner that was effective in 2007 but doesn’t land today. i just don’t know if im a comedy movie person, not to be a snob, i just never find them making me laugh. i can appreciate the over the top and dramatized effects of smoking for a cinematic experience but it was too flashy. the story, while being this odyssey of delusion and unfinished tasks, just didn’t captivate me, who would possibly want to do this much stuff while stoned? it has a terrible ending too, so unsatisfying and silly. john krisinski’s brevin was a weird little freak who was absolutely hilarious. he was the best part of the movie for me.

“God, we work hard in this business. Sometimes for nothing. I wake up every morning. I tell myself, "I don't have to do this. I get to do this." And then it's just blue skies. Blue skies, baby.”

a completely underrated and underseen movie, i had such a blast. mcconaughey is absolutely awesome throughout as the 3rd generation gold prospector kenny wells. he’s completely sold out in the role. he’s grimy, he’s balding, he’s paunchy, he’s stressed, and most notably he’s almost out of money. life is about to tilt even worse than it already is for him. kenny isn’t some slick, money hungry guy chasing a quick payday. and that just might save him, he risks all he has left, including his life based on a hunch, a dream of gold all in the attempt to prove em all wrong. 

it’s an insane based on true events story. it’s messy to a degree but rather noble for that legacy chase i mentioned. you can feel the desperation in him but the hope comes through even more because of his hands on approach and willingness to go for it at all costs. even after the successes and the highs, when the house of cards collapses, it never seems to waver him. he was a believer who was caught up in something bigger than himself. the emotional truth of it all seems to be lost among viewers. 

it has a lot of pieces that stuck out to me. there will be blood, in the obsessive flawed chasing a dream to a point of self destruction. wolf of wall street built on a scheme, shady deals, and the charismatic but questionable lead. blood diamond with the jungle chase for precious resources and corruption and the moral decay behind the hunt. and finally a real life minecraft, digging deep, dangerous, crafting the illusion of wealth, it’s a perfect representation of the game.

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist"

a movie that lives and dies by its twist, it’s very clever don’t get me wrong. the concept was cool and seeing it all come together at the end and the escape was good, but everything prior to it didn’t make me feel really invested at all, i didn’t care about the characters much. it’s so sparse with its sever lack of del toro. spacey does a lot with his emotions throughout, i thought he was very captivating. it was nice to see giancarlo and chazz.

the most criterion-y movie ever. the entire vibe of it just screams like it would be on the channel or remastered for one of their dvds. if you’re a fan of ensemble dramadies this will be for you. its very quirky and chaotic, it takes on a mid 90s indie vibe to deliver a dysfunctional road trip that’s funny, sometimes uncomfortable and always sincere. 

hope david was great as a wife who is on edge because of note she finds that leads her to believe her husband may be having an affair, just not like she’s expecting. her emotional performance really carried this film for me. liev schreiber may have been the best character who is awkward, intelligent, endearing, really an unexpected gem. the mom was so annoying, i think that was the point though. not enough stanley tucci.

“Still here.”

todd haynes masterfully shows the viewer the poison that is dupont and lets it sink in. big corporations are corrupt and vile only caring about profit and not worried about the trail of bodies and broken families they leave behind. all in the greedy attempt to have it all. it’s a classic underdog david v goliath type story. 

it’s a slow burn that has to be, considering this story takes place across decades with the film ending in 2015 but Bilott’s fight continues to rage on today. mark ruffalo does a fantastic job as the man for the job, fighting for the little guy even tho it can/is/was jeopardizing his life and family. hathaway was very good but underused in me opinion.

is it’s not flashy, it has no frills, it’s just a straight up dogfight between a mere man and one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. it’s a nightmare with no monsters or ghosts. just real world frights that could hit home and things similar to it are a very real possibility. we as people are at the mercy of major companies and are really just the guinea pigs of society.

One word to describe it: Debonair. 

NxN isn’t just a thrilling espionage. it’s a sly wink wrapped in a perfectly tailored wool suit that refuses to wrinkle. it’s a cocktail of charm and chaos. it’s a cross country sprint in polished black oxfords. it’s not about who the real spy is, it’s about who plays the part best when the bullets start to fly. it’s about becoming the man everyone thinks you are, and maybe liking it better than the man you were. it’s cary grant slipping through fingers like the silk eva saint marie wears. it’s two strangers flirting between lies with an undeniable chemistry. it’s a train ride that ends in a pullman sleeper. it’s a punchline in peril. it’s glances that move the plot. it’s a monumental climb that’s more intimate than heroic. it’s an ending that trades danger for desire. it’s an escape from everything except each other. it’s not about surviving the fall, but rather about earning the ride home.

“I never discuss love on an empty stomach.”

leans into chaos rather than subtlety. it really goes for it with some outrageous kills that are pretty creative, and the gore is insane. the crushed cherry pie one sticks in my brain most memorably. it’s gnarly and offbeat, i’d argue while we have cursed toys/objects haunting families and causing trauma stories already out there like annabelle which does the supernatural much better.

i don’t know if there’s a story like this that leans into its campiness with a decent go at comedy blended in. like some of the jokes and line deliveries are really hilarious. and it does so without becoming a complete parody or joke of itself. theo james was good here as well which he kind of gets a lot of hate for his lackluster performances prior but he definitely has leading man characteristics. 

longlegs is much better in my opinion. and i hope in the future perkins decides to go more of that route with his film entries, that was a much more enjoyable watch as a straight horror/suspense. the monkey goes more final destination esque mixed with that annabelle cursed object story i mentioned earlier. is it worth the watch? i’d say yeah because why not but i could also see how it’s easily skippable.

while it’s full of missed opportunities, mostly horrible acting, things that don’t exist in the game, and a good amount of cringe moments, it isn’t as bad as i thought. i think it gives enough of what makes the game special in a condensed version to make it worthwhile. there are some parts it really nails, like the dramatization of when it turns to night and mobs start coming from every angle. while obviously you know what you’re getting into, jack black as steve, you kind of have to just tip your cap to him for basically not giving a shit. his songs are brutal too. 

mamoa is far and away the best thing about this movie. his garrett garrison is cut from the same cloth as uncle rico in napoleon dynamite and no wonder since they are both characters of jared hess’s. jennifer coolidge’s love story with a villager was top tier, in a close second for best part of this thing. 

the cross between game and real people was off putting but obviously needed to show the actors, if they were cgi it would have just been like watching a stream. they took liberties all throughout to get to a story but nothing special and semi disrespectful but i still found myself laughing a good amount.

a modern warfare 2 mission, so i enjoy it for that. the sound design was awesome and seeing this in imax was seriously something, it’s really impressive filmmaking to make it feel so real. it has a great cold opening as well. the horrors of war which we only get a small glimpse of one single mission from one single platoon and another platoon coming to rescue them. there are so many stories like this out there, untold i’m sure and this only tells a small portion of that. war is brutal as seen here, serious gore and uncertainty. even with the most powerful military in the world it’s not enough in some cases. while it’s very military heavy and i guess propaganda-y it does show part of what happens to the family of the house they stake out in. war leaves a trail of destruction for everyone involved from the families of the warriors, to the families who are helpless and all of the people in between. 

i think the cast was good but underutilized. and i guess the story wasn’t built to showcase their talents or show them off in any way. alex melton really steals the show though as a serious and intentional point man. coming in at an hour thirty five minutes, it’s a really stress filled and anxiety inducing retelling of a terrifying moment that real people experienced. that is always shocking to me, you have to be a special type of person to be a soldier. for better or for worse.

“They wanted a show…I gave ‘em a show”

with such a tightly gripping introduction to celeste’s story having survived a school shooting, which is obviously extremely horrifying, it feels so real. it’s completely cold and devastating. after this and the rest of the first hour we are with a young celeste as she begins her path to stardom from an unconventional beginning. 

natalie portman doesn’t show up until about an hour in and by then there’s only like 45 mins left which isn’t great. but if corbet was going for the viewer to feel the disconnect between young and older celeste that was a success. it abandons that linear storytelling which isn’t always bad but here it feels like more of a detriment to the film. it feels like a character study into fame, trauma and the spectacle that is being a tortured artist. while willem as the narrator is great, i don’t think it’s effective in giving all the background in exposition dumps rather than doing a better job of showing it. 

there’s no real resolve, and maybe there isn’t one to be had. it’s a story of an unfortunate star that’s entire life has been defined by tragedy after tragedy, which is the foundation of her career. an excess of media attention as all famous people garner from the media and paparazzi keeping the closest eye on you and every word you say. this pressure plus the burden of being a young mother and growing together with you child in these insane circumstances are enough to make anyone crack. and as we go with portman she portrays this chaos the character carries with such ease.

this was like a very odd mix of good and bad. it’s very reminiscent of blue velvet in its own way. while this film isn’t in the same stratosphere it has its own swagger and surrealist vibe. the dream sequences are both gory and haunting. 

kidman is good as usual as the wife who feels trapped in her safe life that maybe she didn’t necessarily want. she suspects her goodie two shoes husband in matthew macfayden but her discovery is much worse. gael garcia bernal was also really good as the hesitant coworker to kidman who ends up in way over his head. together they spy, connive and end up cheating their way through the madness. 

overall it’s very okay but might be worth the watch to see kidman macfayden and bernal mess around in the “perfect” town of holland michigan.

a very slow burn with almost no real payoff. it’s critically acclaimed and i think it gets it’s legs from casey affleck’s oscar winning performance. he plays an emotionally shut off and guilt ridden person really well but the story didn’t really relate hit me on a personal level at all. i just couldnt relate to what was happening as i’ve never experienced something like it. not to say i couldn’t sympathize with lee and his hardships but there wasn’t enough for me to latch onto. 

there is a rawness and realness to it. at a base level of people struggling in life through different things. and while it is a triumph to come out of the other side of these issues, everyone has their own issues so i don’t see how this is that much different. i just see a bunch of sad people mumbling on the snow for 2 hours. i did like the ambiguity of the first hour when we don’t really know why lee has been nearly exiled from his home town, that guilt was probably unbearable.

“I don't care about the money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard.”

the game is equal parts intricate and intimate. while CRS creates this layered psychological puzzle as a twisted source of fun from nicholas’ meticulous and calculated existence, it’s really a deeply personal look into a man who has never taken a second to think about his loneliness, his past or what he’s become. 

this descent into madness is played perfectly by douglas. pure paranoia and no one to trust with every ing minute. he starts out as so smug and almost untouchable, and is slowing unwound down to desperate and unsure. his armor gets chipped away at over the course of roughly a little more than a week. a mental chess match all trigged by his brother in sean penn, who is oddly off kilter and as it goes seems more and more in on the entire act. 

the finale left me really underwhelmed sadly. especially for a fincher film, it’s extremely tidy and optimistic which came as a real shock. the big “gotcha” and champagne toast after mental warfare and strain, a nearly dead brother, and a fucking massive suicide attempt was really not for me. it has enough good scenes and an awesome michael douglas performance but i still can’t warrant a 4 star for the ending.

“I'm the gringo who always delivers.”

american made is like a mocumentary style filmed movie with voice over and narration for the whole thing. it’s cut from a similar cloth as the wolf of wall street or the big short with some 4th wall breaks too. however, the story feels like it just jumps from one smuggling job to the next. the stakes never feel high enough or clear enough. considering he is part of the whole cia situation but also like not and can just get off scott free. feels like they were scared to go too serious, but the comedy is can be good here and there. 

TC is good here as per usual, he’s doing a charismatic rouge thing that’s fun to watch. and of course all the practical flying. sarah wright is very good as lucy seal who is unaware of barry’s dealings but is slowing enveloped in the slippery slope that is his new job. she mixes love, frustration and suspicion very well. domhall gleason is great as the shady cia handler, using his witt and friendly demeanor to get what he needs and his harsh cutthroat ability to dispose when he’s not needing you anymore.

“I learned very early in life that: without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song. So, i’ll keep singing a song.”

austin butler kills this with a rightful oscar nom. the movie itself is LOOOOONG and from what i read not really that accurate. so if you’re looking for a perfect retelling this won’t be it, but how many bio pics really are? it’s a pretty polished and clean version of his life, which is probably for the better considering he has his own skeletons. but i think it’s told in a very fun and stylish way. with some very trippy and surrealist vibes within transitions and like setting the stages. you’re coming here for the performance of butler and to see the songs we all know any love. the christmas special scene was top tier. fuck tom parker, what a fat loser. and honestly fuck tom hanks i hated him here.

reviews i’ve done that have sured 100 likes

• Dune: Part Two

  200 likes club

• Civil War

  100 likes club

• Spider-Man

  100 likes club

• Spider-Man 2

  100 likes club

• Hereditary

  200 likes club

• 10 Things I Hate About You

  100 likes club

• Late Night with the Devil

  100 likes club

• Challengers

  1000 likes club

• The Iron Claw

  100 likes club

• Monkey Man

  100 likes club

...plus 280 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

ranked individually, ordered on enjoyment among other aspects.

• Sinners
• Mickey 17
• Thunderbolts*
• Parthenope
• Companion
• Becoming Led Zeppelin
• Warfare
• Captain America: Brave New World
• Opus
• Black Bag

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

i think

1. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Star Wars
5. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
6. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story
9. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Owned.

• Scooby-Doo
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
• The Dark Knight
• Wild at Heart
• Enchanted
• Cheaper by the Dozen 2
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
• Cheaper by the Dozen
• Madagascar
• Shrek the Third

...plus 109 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

rotating picks

• Sorcerer
• Tombstone
• Sinners
• The Pianist
• Rebecca
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Dial M for Murder
• Dark Waters
• In Bruges
• Wind River

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

ranked individually, ordered on enjoyment among other aspects.

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Iron Claw
3. Barbie
4. Past Lives
5. The Holdovers
6. Wonka
7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9. All of Us Strangers
10. Saltburn

...plus 49 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• North by Northwest
• Rear Window
• To Catch a Thief
• Psycho
• Rebecca
• Dial M for Murder

love this style of poster, looking for more lmk!

• Five Easy Pieces
• The Swimming Pool
• Easy Rider
• Kes
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
• Hair
• The enger
• Blow-Up
• The Last Picture Show
• The Last Movie

...plus 648 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

no order. subject to change.

• Cinema Paradiso
• To Catch a Thief
• Ed Wood
• Dirty Harry
• Blue Velvet
• Gone Girl
• There Will Be Blood
• In a Lonely Place
• Sound of Metal
• Rebel Without a Cause

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

the worst.

• Elevator to the Gallows
• Training Day
• Reality
• After Hours
• Notre-Dame on Fire
• Shiva Baby
• Bullet Train
• From Dusk Till Dawn
• Funny Games
• Game Night

...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

lynch!

1. Wild at Heart
2. Lost Highway
3. Blue Velvet
4. Mulholland Drive
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
6. Inland Empire
7. Twin Peaks
8. Eraserhead
9. Dune
10. Premonitions Following an Evil Deed

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
3. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
4. Mission: Impossible III
5. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
6. Mission: Impossible II
7. Mission: Impossible
8. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

ranked individually, ordered on enjoyment among other aspects.

1. Dune: Part Two
2. A Complete Unknown
3. Love Lies Bleeding
4. Anora
5. Nosferatu
6. The Fall Guy
7. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
8. The Order
9. Kinds of Kindness
10. The Substance

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

my personal favorites

• Uncut Gems
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
• Project X
• In the Mood for Love
• La La Land
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• After Hours
• Whiplash
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
• Spectre

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

just one

• Cool Hand Luke
• Le Samouraï
• A Complete Unknown
• Eyes Wide Shut
• Dirty Harry
• There Will Be Blood
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
• Sorcerer
• The Long Goodbye
• Sicario

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

the master of suspense

• Rear Window
• North by Northwest
• To Catch a Thief
• Psycho

finch!

1. Se7en
2. Gone Girl
3. The Social Network
4. Fight Club
5. The Game
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
7. Zodiac
8. The Killer

• Red Rocket
• Spun

it’s yorgos’ world

1. Kinds of Kindness
2. Poor Things
3. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
4. The Lobster

Blue skies and sunsets.

• The Talented Mr. Ripley
• Wild at Heart
• City of God
• Spring Breakers
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Dazed and Confused
• The Great Gatsby
• Midsommar
• Jaws
• Project X

...plus 244 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Wrestler
• The Last Showgirl
• Whiplash
• Black Swan

• The Last Showgirl
• Palo Alto
• Mainstream

• Eastern Promises
• Videodrome
• The Fly

• Warrior

  Tom Hardy: Tom Conlon
  Frank Grillo: Frank Campana

• There Will Be Blood

  Daniel Day-Lewis: Daniel Plainview
  Paul Dano: Paul Sunday

• Kinds of Kindness

  Emma Stone: Emily

• Twister

  Bill Paxton: Bill

• La La Land
• Whiplash
• Babylon
• First Man
• Whiplash

wes

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. Isle of Dogs
6. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
7. The Darjeeling Limited
8. The French Dispatch
9. Asteroid City
10. Bottle Rocket

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

marty!

1. After Hours
2. Casino
3. GoodFellas
4. The King of Comedy
5. Gangs of New York
6. The Departed
7. The Wolf of Wall Street
8. Shutter Island
9. The Audition
10. Made in Milan

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

nolan

1. Oppenheimer
2. Interstellar
3. The Dark Knight
4. Inception
5. The Prestige
6. Memento
7. The Dark Knight Rises
8. Batman Begins
9. Insomnia
10. Tenet

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

QT

1. Jackie Brown
2. Django Unchained
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

short doesn’t mean small.

• Inception: The Cobol Job
• Doodlebug
• The Big Shave
• The Web
• Intruders
• The Infernal Cauldron
• Bottle Rocket
• Come Together
• Shiva Baby
• OPAL

...plus 106 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

literally me

1. La La Land
2. The Nice Guys
3. Barbie
4. Blue Valentine
5. Drive
6. The Fall Guy
7. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
8. Blade Runner 2049
9. The Place Beyond the Pines
10. First Man

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

PTA PTA PTA

• There Will Be Blood
• Phantom Thread
• Boogie Nights
• Inherent Vice
• Licorice Pizza
• Hard Eight
• The Dirk Diggler Story
• Everything in This Dream
• Cigarettes & Coffee

Playing this fall…

• Magnolia
• There Will Be Blood
• The Master
• Eyes Wide Shut
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• A Clockwork Orange
• Thief
• Manhunter
• The Insider
• To Live and Die in L.A.

...plus 104 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Three Colours: Blue
• Three Colours: Red
• Three Colours: White
• Through a Glass Darkly
• Winter Light
• The Silence
• Che: Part One
• Che: Part Two
• The Wages of Fear
• The Mystery of Picasso

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Dirty Harry

  100 likes club

• Magnum Force
• The Enforcer
• The Dead Pool
• Sudden Impact

• Skyfall
• Queer

no order. subject to change.

• Singin' in the Rain
• The King of Comedy
• Slumdog Millionaire
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• Insomnia
• The Holdovers
• Gangs of New York
• No Country for Old Men
• Aftersun
• Sexy Beast

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• A Summer's Tale
• A Tale of Autumn

• Au Revoir les Enfants
• The Learning Tree
• Shadows
• Faces
• A Woman Under the Influence
• The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
• Opening Night
• Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
• Down by Law
• Lost in America

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Stalker
• Purple Noon
• The Wages of Fear
• Local Hero
• Mona Lisa
• The Night of the Hunter

again and again and again

• Triangle of Sadness
• Megalopolis

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

1. Bad Boys: Ride or Die
2. Bad Boys II
3. Bad Boys for Life
4. Bad Boys

1. Knight of Cups
2. Badlands
3. Song to Song
4. To the Wonder

1. Pearl
2. MaXXXine
3. X

• Waves
• Bones and All

hoping someone comes out with the matching poster for furiosa

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
3. Mad Max 2
4. Mad Max
5. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

1. Spider-Man 3
2. Spider-Man 2
3. Spider-Man

1. A Fistful of Dollars
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3. For a Few Dollars More

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Sicario
3. Prisoners
4. Dune
5. Arrival
6. Blade Runner 2049
7. Enemy
8. Polytechnique