4o3v2h
Loved this! But ive pretty much loved everything of Wes Anderson ive seen. His sense of symmetrical and efficient style, his creative use of colors and the medium of stopmotion, and his ability to blend deadpan yet absurd humor, political satire and heartfelt emotion all have easily made him one of my favourites directors. Even the weakest of his movies i’ve seen, Asteroid City, is still very charming and solidly made. French Dispatch is no exception to this, and is another solid and slightly surreal Wes Anderson entry.
I think i mainly love how it explores art and expression. It follows a All 3 of the stories within the story (a common Wes Anderson trope), show some form of artist and how they relate to life in a greater sense, whether exploring how it relates to those who view and consume art, to its patron, to the politics of the given time and place, and to the artist themselves. It feels subtly meta, which some may dislike and see as self indulgent as Wes Anderson seems to be grappling with how he and audiences perceive his work here. Bill Murray as the main editor of the character seems like almost a stand in for Wes examining his own filmography, fitting as the two have worked together so often. Personally i thought it was very fascinating, and I felt this was executed to his usual creative standard.
The French Dispatch is dripping with style, having sets, characters, and music that are all incredibly charming yet juxtaposed with a common sense of melancholic sadness. The production design is superb, with super busy sets that feel packed with detail and like theyve truly been lived in. The contrast of colour between the French Dispatch itself and the 3 stories was great, and gave this somber mood to all of them. The movie feels like it has this intricate and efficient craft behind it, like all those working on it just understood the assignment. The dialogue has this almost stageplay pattern to it (another Wes Anderson trope) yet it is still super engaging thanks to both the expert filmmaking and the great actors. The allstar ensemble fast is fantastic and full of amazing actors including Bill Murray, Timothee Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, s McDormand, Benicio Del Toro, Willem Dafoe Adrien Brody, Lea Seydoux, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Jeffrey Right, Jason Schwartzman, Stephen Park, Henry Winkler, Christoph Waltz, Liev Schreiber, Tony Revolori and more. Pretty much all of them do a great job, with Bill Murray being by a great central character for the plot to revolve around. It all comes together to make another absurd yet amazing Wes Anderson experience.
It may not be super enjoyable for everyone as its incredibly stylized and a bit of a slow burn, but I really enjoyed the French Dispatch. It has all of Wes Andersons staples that make me love his style so much, including creative shot compositions, quirky dialogue, interesting colors, and a great sense of emotional depth as the director examines the many facets of art, writing and how they are percieved during and after our lives. A great surreal anthology that has a bit of something anyone could enjoy, though if youre interested in watching or showing people Wes Anderson films i definitely wouldnt start with this one. Still, i thought French Dispatch was great, highly recommend!
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2025 Alphabet Challenge Letter G: Galaxy Quest
Previous: the Florida Project
I considered Grave of the Fireflies for this letter of my alphabet challenge, but i figured theres allready a couple depressing fascism/world war 2 movies on the list so i figured id add something with a bit more levity. Worked out since Galaxy Quest was a ton of fun!
Star Trek, the series this movie parodies, was never something I was really into. I thought the uniforms were goofy, the sets were cheap and a lot of the subplots in the earlier shows seemed…problematic to say the least. My only real exposure as a kid was thr JJ Abrams movies which i thought of at the time as just Star Wars but less cool looking. I have since recently watched both The Next Generation and Deep Space 9, and i guess ill say I get it now. Behind the corny and dated archetypes, cheap budgets and sci fi babble dialogue, Star Trek tells stories and themes about a fictional future that dares to be hopeful, a concept that feels rare in the modern age of fiction. Its aspirations for eliminating need for wealth, creating social equality and the search for knowledge and understanding are incredibly noble, and quite frankly we could use more stories like Star Trek to inspire people in this dark day and age. Of course, much like Star Wars, the fandom around Star Trek sometimes gets consumed by all the cool sci fi dressing of the story rather than its themes, which can make for some enthusiastic and obsessive fans. Galaxy Quest somehow manages to be both a funny parody mocking the cringiness of sci fi fandoms, while also paying tribute to everything that makes Star Trek special to so many.
Galaxy Quest tells a great story of the actors paying a parody of a Star Trek Cast getting discovered by real aliens who have taken their show as real history, and hijinks ensew from there. The actor characters all start as funny sci fi performances stereotypes who hate the roles theyve been attached to, but see the effect their stories have had on this alien race and grow to realize why the characters they play are so ired. This is helped by the movie having an insanely stacked cast, with the likes of Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Rockwell and Tony Shalhoub all putting in great performances. The late and great Sir Alan Rickman is the obvious standout, as his character perhaps hates his role the most as hes the one is prosthetics as an alien, almost as an ode to Worf in Star Trek. Hes the main epitome of what i desrcibed earlier, going from disgruntled and cynical to inspiring and courageous , embracing the role hes become known for (“By Grabthars Hammer, by the Suns of Warvan, You shall be…avenged” was an incredible payoff, both emotionally moving and hype as fuck. RIP Alan Rickman, one of the greats). Sigourney Weaver is amazing as she always is, making fun of the often sexist roles women were placed in in earlier Star Trek while also being an empowering homage to all those woman (“Whoever wrote this episode should DIE!!”). Sam Rockwell is hilarious, just an unhinged man this whole movie out of his element, he has such incredible range its crazy.
The movie did a great job of being both tribute and parody at the technical level as well. The scenes depicting the in universe Galaxy Quest show look hilariously goofy and cheap as they should, while the actual Alien ships feel more real and scaled up. The aliens were really creative, and all handle the duel nature of the movie very well, as they are both funny yet still able to hammer home solid themes of interspecies communication and understanding. The practical effects were really cool, especially with Sarris the main villain who feels like a classic Star Trek antagonist. The movie also has perfect music, it amazingly invokes this sense of wonder and adventure that was a pure joy to listen to. It all works to build up a great setting for this great story to rest within.
Galaxy Quest is very fun sci fi comedy told with a ton of heart while also poking fun at the silliness of the series of its inspiration. Makes jokes of sci fi fans and celebrates them, with all the characters in the movie doing the same and going on great arcs of understanding and self actualization. Similar to Seth MacFarlane’s the Orville show, this goes from being silly parody to heartwarming tribute seemlessly, and is also unintentionally one of the best Star Trek Movies. A must watch for Star Trek fans, and is sure to entertain movie fans in general. Highly recommend!
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The Final Destination movies are the epitome of 2000s campy horror: youre there to watch stupid people be killed in unhinged and horrific ways. There is an overaching theme of being unable to escape fate, but for the most part these movies are just dumb fun. To that effect, im shocked to say this is probably the most fun ive had at a theatre this year besides Sinners.
Final Destination Bloodlines is the series’ classic premise of a premonitions of horrible deaths and the characters doing their best to try and circumvent death itself. The movie did a great job of making the entity of Death feel like a real being that was fucking with the characters the whole time. The deaths are insanely creative once again, and the movie was fantastic at building tension and suspense, with constant setups of things that could possibly go wrong to keep the audience on their toes. Its been forever since id seen any of the older entries, but we can add glass floors and MRIs to things these movies have ruined. The movie is also just really funny, it fully embraces the fact that the franchise is almost the horror movie equivalent of a meme, and has moments of almost shitposts both for the Final Destination movies and beyond. Most of the characters were actually decent which helped make their deaths hit harder. The movies biggest positive, and im sure all will agree, is that its an incredible sendoff to a certain icon of an actor, through a scene that was genuinely touching given the real world context of it.
One of the most fun movies ive seen this year, Final Destination Bloodlines embraces campy horror and delivers a film that is both hilarious and gruesome, and sure to entertain all movie fans. If you already dislike the Final Destination movies, or are more of a fan of the new wave of more psychological horror, this movie will do nothing to sway you as it knows exactly what it is and commits to it. Made me really want to rewatch the originals, especially thanks to the moving tribute scene. Definitely recommend watching with friends!
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Figured it was a good enough time to rewatch since my most anticipated movie of the year is quickly approaching later this month
Recently there was a series of reddit posts (i forget where) where s voted on what they thought the greatest horror movie for each decade was, and 28 Days Later won for the 2000s. While I do think theres also a case to be made for the Descent, its hard to argue that 28 Days Later isnt one of the most influential horror films ever as it redefined the zombie genre as a whole. It does this both by changing up how zombies can be scary, and by shifting the focus to the their effect on the human condition, and how the desperation of an apocalypse could drive humanity back to its cruel, base insincts (plus humanitys enduring hope in spite of that). This movies influence has been clear in everything zombie related since, as well as many stories tackling the apocalypse in general.
Some of both Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s best filmmaking, elevated further by some incredibly creative camera work and a great cast. A fantastic piece of horror cinema that has a grimey style and grit that we rarely see these days that makes for an unnerving yet entertaining time. One of the best
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Incredibly metal!🤘
Predator: Killer of Killers feels like the franchise as a whole finally realizing its potential. It finds a perfect niche of depicting Yautja predators fighting some of humanity’s greatest warriors throughout history. Its a perfect setup of the ultimate alien hunter versus generations of the indomitable human spirit, and its a blast to see. Each of the 3 anthologies tells a mini story of its own that were all decent enough, and add this fun vibe of normal historical life goings-on being interrupted by an alien hunter. Its done through some awesome animation and beautiful backgrounds. The fights feel incredibly weighty and brutal yet remain fluid with some clever animation. Another case of the often unrealized potential of animation being used to show incredibly creative filmmaking , an one that will probably go under appreciated just for its medium.
The choices of the 3 anthology stories being a Viking, a Samurai/Ninja, and a World War 2 pilot kicks so much ass. They are pit against 3 unique and very creative predator variants that all have new weapons, tech and designs that havent been seen before and they remain incredibly cool. The Yautja are one of the coolest alien designs ever created, and seeing aspects of their world, culture and technology explored is always interesting to see. Theyre such a fascinating mix of high technology yet archaic principles of both warrior honor and conquering life through an idea of might makes right. The movie has some fucking sick fight scenes, making use if the creative weapons and tactics of each cultural time period the film depicts. Seeing a Yautja fight a Samurai is some of the most “hype moments and aura” shit ive ever seen and id be lying if it didnt absolutely enthrall me.
The Predator franchise is set to have a great year, as its clear Dan Trachtenberg understands how to best make use of the series and its premise, as both of his entries so far have been a total hit for me. Was allready hyped to see Predator Badlands but this has only cemeted my excitement. Highly recommend this, very fun time!
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What happens when filmmakers dare to ask “what if we made Black Widow but it was good?”
I was a bit worried for Ballerina, mainly in light of its reshoots and the supposed need to Chad Stahelski to the project to “fix” it. However, Ballerina was really fun! Its definitely an imperfect film, especially compared to the best of the John Wick series. It has a weak villain with a decent performance from Gabriel Byrne, but his cult and any of its supposed ideologies are woefully underdeveloped, i have no idea what they are even a cult about after watching this. Theres definitely some pacing issues as well, mainly in the back half after an electrifying first act. The plot is a bit uneven, with some story beats feeling undercooked likely as a result of reshoots. The movie also leans a lot more into action comedy than the other Wick movies, with a bit more silliness and style (especially with some uses of grenades and a flamethrower) which I enjoyed but some may dislike it. In spite of all that, I still had a really good time with Ballerina
It maintains the super satisfying action scenes of the franchise, built up with a mix of crazy stunts, stylized violence, insane choreography and punchy sound design. The first half in particular had a ton of great sequences, including what ive realized is a staple of the series, an epic club fight scene. Theres also some fantastic set design regarding the town that the films third act takes place in, and it adds to several excellent sequences of Ana De Armas’ character Eve having to fight through impossible odds in an increasingly tense situation (as is John Wick tradition). I loved her characters training and how it establishes shes a different character than John Wick and must rely on different tactics to win, most notably just tanking the worst hits and shrugging them off. Ana De Armas really sold this role and it looks like shes having a great time. Returning cast like Ian McShane, Lance Reddick (RIP) and Anjelica Huston all did a great job. Norman Reedus is an awesome addition, he feels right at home in the John Wick universe but i also felt he was criminally underused, hoping we can see some more of his character. I also loved how they treated John Wick himself as the plot takes place between 3 and 4. He is talked about like hes a weapon to be unleashed, with both enemies lamenting having to fight him and the big players dislike using him. It adds this great aura of terror to the allready badass character of the Baba Yaga.
This movie felt like a perfect compliment to the John Wick Universe, much like how Furiosa adds to Mad Max Fury Road. All its story elements felt right at home in the setting, and it was cool to see other aspects of the John Wick world. Its a super fun time with crazy fight scenes and all the fun worldbuilding and style youve come to expect from the series. Its definitely messy, and nowhere near as polished as most of the John Wick series, but had enough technical skill to stand on its own. If the stylized combat of the John Wick movies is already too much for you, this will do nothing to change your mind. However, if youre like me and love the insane choreography and stunts of the John Wick movies, you will probably have a great time with this. If you can look past some plot and pacing issues, Ballerina has enough thrills and laughs to entertain pretty much anyone, recommend!
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This review may contain spoilers.
So good!! Still a modern action masterpiece. This movie is better than like a solid half of the best picture nominees for 2023, its just so perfectly done. Along with RRR, this is probably the best action movie of the 2020s.
John Wick 4 is an epic bloodbath of a film, a glorious thrill ride of action that culminates in the best movie of the series yet. It feels like all the expanded worldbuilding in the 3 previous films has led to this, and all the behind the scenes elite forces of the High Table are now forced into the fray to deal with one man, the Baba Yaga. All the stylized characters and fighting styles bring the crazy world of John Wick 4 to life, and the film has a great feeling of upheaval within the setting as it feels like John Wick is literally killing so many people its altering the state of this criminal underworld. This is done through an incredibly fast paced film that effortlessly flows from one insane action setpiece to the next. The Osaka Continental and Nightclub fight sequences are both incredible, and could easily be the final battle of a lesser action film. The final 40 minutes or so is fucking fantastic, with John Wick fighting an insane gauntlet all the way up to the films somber final duel (the “dragon fire” segment is so fucking cool and creative, love that shit). These set pieces are all explored through the best cinematography in the series, with some truly beautiful shots in this, especially during the Osaka segment. All of this works together to make an incredible action film, further brought to life by my favourite cast in the series.
Keanu Reeves is of course excellent as he has been in the last 3 movies. Im glad the movie acknowledges that is quest to “kill them all” is a doomed mission and that even is a mortal man, and the wear and tear begins to show over the course of the movie, both physically and emotionally as his one man war puts those he loves in harms way. Bill Skarsgard is once again a great villain as the Marquis, he radiates bourgeoisie douchebaggery and is just a massive cunt, though I can it he is immaculately dripped. He is the main representative of what someone who sits at the High Table could be like, and that is someone who is arrogant, obscenely wealthy, apathetic and ruthless. Its cool how he becomes “a monster we created” trope as the High Table regrets his over the top violence by the end of the movie, another piece of fun worldbuilding within the dense John Wick mythos.
The other ing cast are amazing as well. Hiroyuki Sanada is a welcome addition, just a badass actor and effortlessly one of the coolest characters in the series, even with pretty brief screen time (“Friendship means little when it is convenient”). Donnie Yen is the same, perhaps the most stylized character in the series yet it still fits and hes epic even when once again playing a blind guy. Scott Adkins is unrecognizable as the giant club manager Killa, yet manages to still be an awesome action star even in all the prosthetics. The music during his club fight scene is so fucking hype, just gets me going every time i watch this. Shamier Anderson is perhaps the most unnecessary part of the film, but even he is fun as sort of a young foil to the experience of Wick. All the returning cast are amazing, with Ian McShane giving his most emotional performance in the series.
John Wick 4 is an incredibly polished masterclass of action, and a modern classic in the making. It delivers incredible martial arts and gunplay set pieces that are gripping to watch and perfectly entertaining. The film brings an amazing fictional world to life and fills it with great and memorable characters. Its an epic feat of human skill from Keanu Reeves and a great send off to one of the best action franchises of the 2010s. Even if they make more sequels or spinoffs like Ballerina, this is a solid conclusion both for the series and for the Baba Yaga himself. An epic revenge fest that is sure to entertain action fans, and excells enough to impress anyone beyond that. Gets my highest recommendation!
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“Do what you do best”
“Whats that?”
“…Hunt”
Such an absolute blast! John Wick 3 Parabellum is a roller coaster of an action movie, once again building up the action spectacle from the previous entries. It has a pace that blitzes by with one incredible fight scene after another. From the new york knife fight to the Morroco chase to the fantastic final 20 minutes (bringing some legendary cameos from the Raid movies), everything action is done to polished perfection. The fast pace of the plot works perfectly for John’s tense situation, as it builds off of the perfect setup at the end of 2 and runs with it. John Wick is in peril pretty much every second of this movie, both from those trying to collect his bounty and from former allies forced to mistrust and act against him. It makes for a super intense movie that is immensely fun and builds up a super interesting fictional world that is all thrown against a single man.
The cast is still great, both the major returning cast like Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne, as well as newcomers Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman, Angelica Huston and Jerome Flynn. Halle Berry is perhaps the biggest standout newcomer, as she gets to participate in an awesome fight scene and kick ass along side Keanu. Keanu Reeves feels progressively more exhausted over the course of the movie and it just fits the tone perfectly as he must survive ever increasing odds. Zero is a fun villain, just a fanboy wanting to meet his hero, and sort of a twisted version of the idea of “never meet your heroes”. Loved seeing all the wierd and ritualistic aspects of the High Table and how they operate with things like the Elder and Adjudicator, it all adds a great almost comic booky style to the John Wick universe that gives it some great personality.
John Wick 3 Parabellum is another amazing entry in the series, and like those is also one of the best action films of the 2010s. Its an unrelenting thrill ride as hou watch John Wick desperately fight to survive against impossible odds as his whole world tries to kill him. Realizing all the John Wicks come out in absolutely stacked years for film so thats a good sign (2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023). Its a modern action classic that has such great action spectacle that anyone could enjoy it. Highly recommend!
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“Tell them…tell them all. Whoever comes, whoever it is…I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”
“…course you will!”
Still great! John Wick 2 has a slightly more nessy plot that I think holds it back a little from the rest of the series, buts its heights still easily make it stand above many lesser action films. It still has Keanu Reeves doing kickass stunts and slaughtering people in a well crafted criminal world that just wont leave him alone (“He killed 3 men in a bar with a pe-“ “With a pencil!! Who the fuck can do that?!” Always love Peter Stormare). Some great rival characters played by Common and Ruby Rose add to some awesome fights and set pieces and also begins the series’ pattern of having increasingly more stylized characters. On that note I think this has the weakest villain of the 4 movies, though they ittedly do a great job making him an unlikable douchebag. Laurence Fishburne was a fun addition and an interesting character who builds to the mystique of the John Wick world. Ian McShane and Lance Reddick continue to be great ing characters, with Winston getting probably the best lines in the movie (“Because I deemed it not to be”). The final five minutes are pretty insane and create incredible hype for the 2 later sequels, thanks to a setup perfect for tension and builds a desparate situation that John Wick must fight to survive.
Another great action film like the first, not quite as polished but still very entertaining and thrilling to watch. Maybe my least fave of the series but still highly recommend!
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“I heard you struck my son”
“Yes sir I did”
“And may I ask why?”
“Because he stole John Wick’s car sir, and uh…killed his dog”
“………oh………”
John Wick is still a banger. It’s surprisingly reserved compared to the later entries which are functionally blockbuster action films, where as this feels a bit more intimate and small scale. The movie looks great, it has an awesome aesthetic mix of both grimy and classy. John Wick is set apart from other recent action movies for one main reason: the Worldbuilding. The movie begins and everything alludes to this great hidden setting, an awesome underworld of thieves and assassins who run by their own iron-clad code of conduct. All the stuff with Winston and the Continental is really cool, and I like fictional settings establishing rules by which they have to work which makes for more interesting narratives. This is of course all built on and expanded in the later movies but its great to see the subtle worldbuilding during its origins.
All this is brought together by a great cast of characters. Keenu Reeves is of course breathtaking*, and he gives a lowkey performance but brings the intensity when its needed. The movie builds up his vengeful rage very well, while also establishing hes an honourable man within his dangerous line of work. His physicality and stunt work is badass, truly he is a man of focus, commitment and sheer will. The late Michael Nyqvist is a great antagonist, and its his acting that does the most to sell how dangerous John Wick, or the Baba Yaga, is. The speech describing John’s backstory is always awesome to see, pure dudes rock energy. Ian McShane and Willem Dafoe are pretty much amazing in every role theyre in no matter how small their role or weak the film. Luckily both of them get to do great here, especially Ian McShane’s Winston who has an awesome air of gravitas and presence, and is a great mentor figure to John. RIP Lance Reddick, awesome to see as always and Alfie Allen has been underrated since Game of Thrones to be honest. The action is all brilliant, very hardhitting and brutal while being well polished. Lots of great sequences that mix sick gunplay, crazy martial arts stunts and stealth ops action that all blend to make a very fun time.
John Wick begins a franchise that has already begun to become a classic, even in its more reserved origins. it knows how to accomplish kickass action while also establishing an interesting world for it to inhabit. Uses lots of well crafted stunts and some great actors to build a kick ass revenge story that I think anyone could enjoy. One of the best action movies of 2010s, and part of the stacked year that is 2014, highly recommend!
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*Treating as review of The Last of Us Season 2
Wasnt going to talk about this, but my coworkers and I have been ranting about this season so I feel the need to vent.
Maybe a hot take, but Id give The Last of Us the honour of being both the most overrated AND most overhated franchise ever. For my own part, i think the first game is amazing and rightfully praised for its emotional story, while i think the second entry has incredible graphics, atmosphere and voice acting but also has dated, average gameplay and a fine yet inconsistent story (Definitely also not still salty with all the critics glazing it to the point it won Game of the Year over frankly superior games like Hades, Ghost of Tsushima and Doom Eternal. but anyways…). The second game also fueled an awful and toxic backlash against the creators, which makes whole IP a bit off-putting to me. I dont want to get into the nitty gritty of my issues with the game as its been a while since I played it and thats not the point of this review, but its perhaps worth prefacing that I fucking hated the ending of the Last of Us 2 so my hype after season 1 of the show was already lower as we were going into a chapter of the story Im already less interested in. That said, its also a game that could be improved by a long form adaptation and season 1 was amazing so I was happy to stay with the show and see where it goes.
So um…what the fuck was that? They literally House of the Dragon’d the Last of Us, giving us a shorter, worse and more rushed season and promising to finish the story with a wait time that will kill any hype for the show. I mean the views were already way down here compared to the first season, not sure how this will help things.
Even before I get into the quality of the show, going from a 9 episode season adapting a full game to a 7 episode season depicting half of one is just plain dogshit. Naturally this harms the shows pacing, as it has to condense the time of gameplay into these short episodes yet also manages to padd them out with stupid show only filler. As someone neutral to the second game, its obvious even to me that season 2 was pretty much a failure as an adaptation. The super oppressive tone and dark atmosphere are nearly gone this season, with a lot of the show feeling like 2 girls adventuring across the US instead of an obsessive mission fueled by vengeance. It feels like a cleaner version of the game, like theyre whitewashing Ellies actions to make the show more accessible (once again, the EXACT SAME thing the showrunners did to Rhaenyra and Alicent in House of the Dragon). Ellie still makes quippy jokes in spite of her violent rage and awful situation, and its tonally completely off from the game. Ellie should be getting worse mentally as the story goes on, but because of some messy writing her development is stunted. Craig Mazin describing her as “incompetent” in the post show videos and podcasts is fucking insane to me, the game proves the opposite is true but here she still acts like a dumb jock teenager. Its just an incredibly glaring disconnect that makes for a pale imitation of a good character. She keeps making stupid decisions and being remorseful for her violence, 2 things the game character never/rarely does and its super frustrating to watch.
The show has a lot of unnecessary filler regarding Jackson to try and have some worldbuilding, only its not the setting they should be building up (Seattle) so instead a lot of time is focused on a place were only at for a fraction of the season. Having this filler in an already shortened season is baffling to me. The show has added stuff before and its been great, but here most of the additions were kinda lame. Hell, Tommy is the most wasted fucking character in the whole show and he has a whole background subplot in the game that would work perfectly to fill some time in the adaptation. But no, we will just waste Gabriel Luna this season. The same could be said for Jesse, who feels misrepresented with garbage like “i voted no”. Something just felt off with how the story was being portrayed, and its hard to explain or put my finger on but I will try. I think it may have to do with Joel and how this season portrays him.
It felt like a significant amount of time this season was dedicated to having scenes like “oh Joel always rationalizes stuff, oh joel is such an asshole, oh youre hiding something dark Joel, deep down youre evil Joel”. Like fuck off, did Abby write this season? This feels like some pretentious reaction to how audiences have interpreted the ending of the first season/game. Yes, Joel does a terrible thing and its fascinating to discuss both the emotional and logical reasons behind it (Joel’s trauma with love, whether a cure could even work, and would the Fireflies use it ethically) but the writers seem to hate that this discourse has started up again and so have a bunch of filler scenes just for putting down Joel. Feels like the writers are trying to hold the audiences hand and walk them to the conclusion that Joel is an asshole, which if you want to do that there are way more organic ways to do it. One of my problems with the game is that Joel and Ellie dont say a lot of things they could or should and its only for the writers sake of narrative drama, and that issue carries over here. There a bunch of other little things like Dinah having perfect hair for the apocalypse, or Abby’s supervillain speech, or the stupid fucking Scar island trip in the finale that on their own dont mean much but together they all build up a death-by-a-thousand-cuts situation.
There are good moments for sure. The acting is generally all still great, set designs are amazing, practical effects are great and id say episodes 2 and 6 were generally both great. However, this show has fumbled as an adaptation, completely missing the dark tone and vengeful character building in its protagonist that id say are the biggest positives of the games story. The atmosphere, pacing and writing is all over the place and makes for an inconsistent experience that felt like a chore to watch at best and like a sterilized, lesser version of the game at worst. All these adaptations having writers or scripts that needlessly dismiss or ignore the story from the source material doesnt help (GLARES at the now cancelled Wheel of Time show, but thats a rant for another time). This is all built for the garbage new model of Television that every streaming service is committed to where we compete to see how little we can give our subscribers. Like we went from seasons of shows that were 13-26 episodes every year, and now were lucky to get an 8 episode season every 3 years. This is not fucking acceptable, and its a business model that is both ruining the quality of shows and killing any momentum of hype for people getting into them.
This is now the third blockbuster show HBO has done this for after Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, where they have all the money, talent and production to make something amazing but its undermined by shitty writing and slashed screentime. Fucking figure it out
Rant over
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The fate all child traffickers should suffer
Working Man is certainly watchable and fine enough to put on for some dumb entertainment , but definitely unnecessarily long and has a lot of action movie tropes and stereotypes. Theres a very fun (and hilariously corny) final 20 minutes, but otherwise this is pretty much another entry in the “Jason Statham as himself” cinematic universe. Has some absolute cartoons for villains, especially 2 child traffickers who are fucking awful people, but theyre like stupid as hell and sometimes played as comedic relief so it makes them pretty tonally inconsistent. Its very stylistically bland and has a rather generic plot of a rescue mission and a retired spec op returning to the job for personal reasons, which to be fair Jason Statham does have the monopoly on those types of stories. If you love those you will probably like this but even among his large catalog of action films this isnt one of the best. If you hate these Jason Statham action movies, you were probably never going to see this anyway and almost certainly never going to like it. Overall id say its just kinda fine.
Definitely earns a star for that metal fucking biker club though, Khorne would be proud.
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What guys will do to overcome the male loneliness epidemic
Novocaine is stupid fun. Its similar to 2021’s Nobody in concept except that the protagonist l is more of an everyman with no mysterious backstory and no special skills aside from his own unique ability of feeling no pain. This helps build into a ridiculous movie mainly carried by some action comedy, a couple fun and subversive twists and Jack Quaid’s energetic charisma. Amber Midthunder is a great ing role as well, nice to see her in more stuff after Prey. Most of the ing cast of characters is solid with the exception of the villains who are terrible. The main one in particular is laughably bad, and has some ridiculous writing in the final act, though he has a scene when he reunites with Jack Quaid’s character that is ittedly what id call satisfyingly mean. The action and comedy is fun enough, all of it pushing the absurdity of the main characters powers and however they can find a way to brutalize Jack Quaid.
Silly but fun time, has a couple bad characters and some dumb writing but has enough action, comedy and good performances to entertain.
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Always love some cosmic horror, and its rare to see it outside of the Alien franchise so a new attempt at the subgenre is nice to see
While new sci fi horror is always welcome, Ash does feel like a big mixed bag. It definitely has a stylish visual aesthetic with some fun use of color, as well as some creative sound design. The biggest praise I can give it is its awesome body horror and science fiction designs, both of which are very cool and well done through practical effects. However its clearly inspired by a lot of things im into, most notably Dead Space and the Alien franchise, but its to the point that its a bit too derivative. The story itself isnt very original as a result, instead relies on its out of order story structure through the main characters own mental mystery. This makes for a disted plot that has super uneven pacing usually on the slow side, while also removing a lot of the tension in the horror as its the main characters ing things that happened. It makes the movie feel too long, and isnt helped by a sci fi threat that feels both too familiar and overdeveloped to the point its desires and abilities can feel confusing. All the actors are fine, but i feel like the script was so generic and unremarkable that casting someone like Aaron Paul feels like a waste. The movie still has fun to be had but just feels too familiar and like it has missed opportunities to be better.
Ash is decent entertainment and provides some fun cosmic horror sci fi that we rarely get through some crazy body horror and alien shenanigans. However, it treads a lot of first horror themes and tropes that have been done before and done better, which combined with a weak script makes the movie feel generic and convoluted. Has some good scares in the end but the confusing plot means it probably wont be super memorable for most.
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Well…thats one way to spend a friday evening. That was absolutely fucked.
The Phillipou brothers going from Talk to Me to this is kind of insane. Bring Her Back is a huge psychological horror swing that reminded me of seeing something like Hereditary or Midsommer for the first time. And at least for me it was a huge hit, I loved this.
Full disclosure, not everyone will love this. Bring Her Back is much darker than the average modern horror film, there is not a single good vibe to be found in this movie. There is horrific violence and disturbing imagery for sure, but its used sparingly so it never loses its true impact, often relying on implication so the audience’s imagination can fill in the scary gaps. Some of it reminded me of the snuff films in Sinister, which was sick. There are moments in this comparable to the Reilly scene in Talk to Me, and like that these are fucking awful to watch. This is brought to life by some great situational writing, amazing sound design and some very realistic practical effects. I definitely dont want to overhype the gore, its not as violent and gross as say the Substance, but its definitely more than your average horror film.
The violence wasnt the only fucked up thing. The movie just has an oppressive sense of dread throughout, as it presents a mystery that slowly unfolds in horrific detail. Its among the best of horror in that the audience can clearly tell something is wrong, but not how or to what extent and they just have to sit and wait for whatever awfulness springs forward. The movies story also has some great emotional depth, and explores the well trodden theme of grief in horror movies in a much more aggressive manner. It has surprisingly heartfelt moments that make the disturbing scenes hit harder. The character interactions themselves were generally all super uncomfortable, with a lot of gaslighting and lying going on that added to the growing tension. All the cast is amazing, Sally Hawkins giving an awesome performance as usual and extremely different from what shes known for. The film does a great job making you sympathize with pretty much every character, and it makes the situations presented all the more awful and bittersweet. Sally Hawkins character is pretty fucking vile, and yet the movie still manages to make you feel for her. Some fantastic, and quite frankly terrifying child acting brings all of this together for a film that is intense and sure to stay with you in some way.
Bring Her Back is one of my faves of 2025 so far, and another great example of the revitalization of the horror genre over the last few years. It just does everything very well including an intense atmosphere, unsettling character interactions, awful body horror, amazing acting, and an oppressive story full of building suspense and mystery that all come together to make for an unforgettable movie. I think its all brought together in a way that’s incredibly polished , a testament to some great directing. Definitely may be too dark for some, and both the brutal violence and psychological horror may make this a one time watch for some. However, personally I loved this and would definitely recommend at least giving it one watch. I eagerly await whatever else these brothers are cooking.
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Kids these days, getting possessed for the content
Talk to Me is a crazy directorial debut from the Phillipou brothers, known for their insane youtube videos as RackaRacka. Their skills clearly translated well as this was a solid horror film. It plays with demonic possession tropes by using the subgenre as a way to explore themes of peer pressure, teenage longing to belong and the sick drive for social media clout. Those themes are mainly there as a method to progress the story’s more character driven elements, as the horror of the movie’s mcguffin forced the main character Mia yo confront her own demons among her family and friends. The whole cast is great, mostly relatively unknown young actors who all do an excellent job. They really sell both the bizarre and horrifying possession scenes, and the awful, immature teenager sides of their characters when reacting to them.
I love that the movie didnt rely on jumpscares and instead focused on build atmospheric tension that released in explosive scenes of violence. It builds up the character relationships so its more interesting to see when they are tested later in the film. The most infamous scene of this film is incredibly well done and still fucking harrowing to witness on rewatch, truly an eye-opening experience. The practical effects for the violence is brutal, as youd expect given their director’s pedigree. I did feel some of the supernatural mechanics of how the Hand worked seemed a little inconsistent in the second half, mainly with who and how many people it posseses at once. But they were mainly just minor issues that could be attributed to my own confusion.
Talk to Me is a very fun horror movie and a great first outing for the Phillipou brothers as directors. Relies on the stuff that makes all the great horror movies truly stand apart, including practical effects, dread-filled atmosphere, tense and suspenseful writing, timeless themes and creepy imagery. Recommend giving this a watch!
Hearing great things about Bring Her Back, excited to see it soon and for whatever else these 2 can come up with
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- My mom, sister, and I watching this. My sister having seen the live action Stitch recently so she suggested it
- within the first five minutes shes like “oh captain Gantu isn’t even in the new one”
Anyways, the original Lilo and Stitch is still great. Surprisingly touching and heartfelt with a lot of super real moments as the sisterhood of the two leads Nani and Lilo is very grounded and realistic. All that not to mention having a super understandable and relatable situation (“I when everyone leaves”😢). The movement is all super fluid and all the colors and sci-fi designs are wonderfully executed, some of the best hand drawn animation disney has done. Stitch was really well done, pretty much the perfect character mascott disney could ask for as hes both cool and cute enough to sell merchandise by the ton, but he still makes for a very fun screen presence. Stitch learning empathy and love through his experiences with Lilo is very sweet. Solid music and audio as well as you would hope, with some of it embracing the Hawaiian culture which was nice to hear. Pretty much a perfect voice cast, not a single weak link. I guess some of the humour was a bit too silly, and some of the pacing is a little wonky in the middle, but their super minor issues that barely harm the experience. Still a super fun and incredibly charming watch. Recommend!
No shot the new live action version even comes close to this, as is tradition
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Gotta say I agree with Randle, Nurse Ratched sure is a fucking cunt.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a masterpiece, a perfect piece of filmmaking and well deserving of all its praise and awards. Milos Forman directs an incredible film, with all its technical aspects like sets and cinematography being superb. I can only describe its narrative as being incredibly human, as it explores incredible emotional depth that demands empathy and comion from its viewers. It explores the cruelty these archaic mental institutions inflict on their patients, and how they meet their needs with torture and regimented prison-like schedules. The patients here often just want basic human enrichment like the rest of us but its denied to them because of both the stigma around mental illness, and that they are ruled by a particularly evil bitch. Nurse Ratched is an iconic villain due to how repulsively vile she is. She maintains absolute control over her own little world and happily inflicts cruelty on her patients, a resentful perversion of her task to take care of them. Its a brilliant performance by Louise Fletcher, one of the film’s many great performances.
Jack Nicholson is astoundingly great in this movie, he was born to play this role. His character is introduced with a past of doing some pretty heinous stuff yet his character in Randle McMurphy is so electrifying and charismatic that its almost impossible not to like him. His friendly presence empowers those around him and it brings out the humanity of the rest of the cast in spite of their awful situation. He just feels so real and human that hes so engaging to watch, truly one of cinema’s greatest actors. A stacked ing cast includes the likes of Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, William Redfield, Sydney Lassick and Scatman Crothers. They all have smaller parts but give harrowing performances that are gripping to watch, especially Brad Dourif. Most notably among them perhaps is Will Sampson as Chief Bromden, who is an incredibly touching character and a loyal friend. The movie goes through moments of everything from fun humour to comforting friendship to scenes of sadness that are both heartbreaking and enraging. The end of this movie is just soul shattering, one of the greatest movie endings of all time.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a classic, a piece of cinematic excellence by the great Milos Forman with all time great performances by Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher. Its a gripping story of what it means to be truly human, and an empowering story of finding empathy and freedom within even the worst situations. A must see for all fans of film, as its technically and narratively flawless and tells an emotional and heart wrenching story. Gets my highest recommendation!
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Unfortunately was kinda dissapointed in this. Huge fan of Gareth Evans’ other work in the Raid movies, but this felt no where near as polished and had a much messier story.
Something about some of the movies visuals just felt off. It has a lot of shots that have what i like to call “streaming service filter” where netflix and amazon in particular like to add this wierd artificial filter/sheen over their movies that looks super fake and screws with the lighting. There is some wierdly bad CGI segments in the beginning, and theres some occasionally annoying phonetic and shaky cam. Theres like 5 different subplots going on and i makes for a story thats confusing and disted. This isnt helped by some bad pacing issues, as the film goes through tons of tropes regarding cops and robbers stories that feel super familiar and dated.
Most of the characters are forgettable, though i did like the cop Ellie played by Jessie Mei Li. I also liked the subversion with Forest Whitaker’s character, who i expected to be just another corrupt politician archetype (i mean he is, but it didnt play out in the plot how i thought). The main 4 young characters that kick off the plot are incredibly unlikeable, and their stupidity is often a driving force of the story. Not sure if it was the movie’s audio mixing or his acting, but i found Tom Hardy a bit hard to understand sometimes. Timothy Oliphaunt felt wasted and like he didnt get enough to do.
The movie isnt all bad however. The action scenes are awesome, particularly a club fight scene and the final climactic battle. It keeps the brutal, heavy hits and violent hand-to-hand choreography youre looking for, with some insane savagery during the final 10 minutes. The action is definitely the main reason youre seeing this movie anyway so in that it excels, I just wish that there was more of it and that it came in a more polished and cohesive story. Fun enough time thanks to some amazing action, but not super memorable and held back by technical inconsistency and weak writing
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A movie with the title “Kung Fu Panda” should have no right being this great. Seriously, its one of the best animated films of the 2000s and still holds up incredibly well.
Kung Fu Panda does everything exceptionally. It tells a great heroes journey story with its main character Po, who begins as an insecure guy fantasizing about being a great warrior alongside his heroes, the Furious Five. Circumstances push him into the role he always wanted, but the Furious Five and their master Shifu resent him as a fat untrained loser who stole their rightful destiny from them. The situation makes for some great character writing, as Po is eagre to do his best and impress his piers, while Shifu does his best to get rid of him. Po’s struggles with weight and body image are pretty much timeless themes, and the fact hes insecure about himself and wants to be better is incredibly endearing and makes Shifu’s antics more hurtful (“if anyone could change me, if anyone could make me…not me, it was you!”). Shifu is also a fantastic character, as his backstory with the movies villain Tai Lung is perfectly executed and informs all his actions with Po, as he is both afraid of his former student and fears training another monster like him. Master Oogway serves as the movies voice of wisdom, and his words help both characters come to an understanding and es insightful messages to the audience. Po and Shifu’s relationship is the main core of the films plot, and all the beats in it are perfectly executed and make for some super satisfying writing.
The film looks beautiful. Incredible animation, backgrounds and character designs throughout that bring an amazing world to life. The opening 2D segment was amazing, a great way to start the film, and also a great way to introduce Po. The music is breathtaking, being made by legends Hans Zimmer and John Powell. Oogway Ascends is one of the most beautiful musical scores ever made, just phenomenal. The fight scenes kick ass, with standouts being the prison break, the Furious Five fight and the final battle between Shifu and Tai Lung, which is filled with emotional tension. Tai Lung is a badass villain, and his backstory of training his entire life and being told he was “destined for greatness” by Shifu causing him to resent being ed over for the Deagon Warrior is excellent (“All i ever did, I did to make you proud!”). The voice cast is stellar. Jack Black is great as Po, having a good balance of his standard goofy comedy and some great emotional moments. Dustin Hoffman is the standout to me, he has the most multifaceted character and explores all his inner turmoil perfectly. Ian McShane is a great villain, as anyone who has seen Deadwood can attest. The rest of the ing cast are all great, with noteworthy parts for the Furious Five and Po’s father played by James Hong, who plays a great father figure (we single, adopting dads!)
Kung Fu Panda is a stellar piece of animated filmmaking that tells a touching story through themes of overcoming insecurity and prejudice, determination, self forgiveness, and finding inner peace. This is done through incredible animation and visuals, beautiful music, enthralling fight scenes and a perfectly executed heroes journey. Some of the humour doesnt land, but the film’s strengths are so well done that its easy to ignore that. One of the best animated films of the 2000s, and still a great time for all ages, highly recommend!
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The airplane sequence at the end of this movie has some of the most insane and dangerous stunts ive EVER seen, just jawdropping to witness. Tom Cruise literally almost dies for our entertainment in this. His message before the movie started was really nice too.
Final Reckoning is somewhat of a mixed bag in light of the last 3 exceptional films in the Mission Impossible Saga. As the “final” movie of the series, it references and pays homage to a lot of the scenes of the past films, but often does this by having annoying exposition dialogue over showing clips of the scenes theyre describing. After watching Dead Reckoning right before this, that was a bit jarring. I imagine if you hate movies that like to pay tribute to their previous entries (ie Alien Romulus recently), you may not like this film as much as others in Mission Impossible. Some of the ing cast feel inconsequential and unnecessary, mainly the 2 CIA guys from Dead Reckoning. The first half of the movie has some messy writing and jumbled pacing but it LOCKS IN for the second half
I dont know how another Mission Impossible could happen and top the stunts in this movie. The aforementioned plane scene and another that takes place underwater are both incredibly gripping set pieces that are worth the price of ission alone. All the returning cast, both major and minor parts from throughout the series, were pretty stellar. Kitrich is always fun to see, great antagonist for Cruise to deal with. Hayley Atwell really came into her own and I thought she was a great secondary protagonist, going from her selfishness in the last movie to selflessness here. There were some touching and heartfelt moments to remind us of the characters strong bond which was nice. Some other fun additions to the cast with Tramell Tillman, Hannah Waddingham and Katy M. O’Brien (which on that note, why cast one of the most jacked actresses ever and not put her in any dope fight scenes?). Also want to say the Mission Impossible franchise has handled “strong female characters” exceptionally well, as most of the women in the series feel super badass and are narratively fully realized characters. The second half was really tight and makes up for the first half’s clunkiness. It also makes for an incredible conclusion, some of the greatest action spectacle ive ever seen.
Mission Impossible Final Reckoning has some some inconsistent writing, unnecessary characters and some messy call backs to previous movies, yet none of that truly harmed the experience. It does everything well that the previous films in the series have done, and recontextualizes events of those films in interesting ways. The incredible feats of human courage by Tom Cruise with this films stunts are a marvel to witness, and make for some of the best action in the whole series, and of the 2020s so far. Not the best of the franchise, that honor still remains with Fallout, but an epic watch nonetheless the less. Recommend!
Thus concludes my Mission Impossible watch. Maybe the most consistent big franchise in of quality, every movie in the series besides maybe 2 is a great time. Please, for the love of all things holy, go see this in theatres
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Dead Reckoning No-longer-part 1 is still a banger! Pretty much everything in my first review stands, its got some slight problems with its pacing that makes its long time particularly long, and the human villain of Gabriel is a bit weak and occasionally goofy. However neither of them truly hamper an epic experience and another amazing action film in the Mission Impossible saga. Amazing stunts including an amazing Rome chase sequence and the final hour with the train. Haley Atwell is an awesome addition, her character is basically just “oh shit, what have i gotten into” and its very fun. Pom Klementief was a very fun addition as well, playing just a lunatic and clearly having a great time doing it. You could certainly argue shed be more at home in the John Wick universe though, maybe a bit too stylized for this movie. All the returning cast are fun though i wish Rebecca Ferguson got to do a bit more. I did like the Entity as a villain overall, it felt very oppressive within the narrative and was some good commentary about how AI is taking over.
Dead Reckoning is probably my second fave in the franchise, maintaining the epic stunts and fun spy antics of Fallout and the movies before, while also setting up the story for a thrilling conclusion. Definitely did not deserve to underperform thanks to Barbenheimer, one of the best of 2023. Highly recommend!
Off to see Final Reckoning!
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Still absolute fucking gas🔥. Ill never forget seeing this for the first time in theatres. My Dad doesnt go see many modern movies and he was absolutely captivated by this. I think thats how i knew this wasnt just another fun action movie…
Mission Impossible Fallout is the peak of the franchise, and is just an incredible feat of action filmmaking. Its a technical masterpiece, with incredible cinematography and shot compositions showing off brilliant stunts and beautiful coty scapes. Every action sequence in this movie is hype as fuck, from the unreal paris chase to the iconic bathroom fight to the fucking phenomenal and enthralling final hour. That final hour is genuinely some of the best stunts and set pieces ever made. Everything is just so perfect and polished, to the point you get lost in the spectacle and lose any understanding of how these set pieces were made. It deals with the classic themes of conflicting loyalty, betrayal and government manipulation that are all staples of the series and are done wonderfully here. The spy twists in this are so satisfying, just incredibly fun to watch on top of the amazing stunts. The music is phenomenal, with a great score by Lorne Balfe who i think is an amazing, undersung composer. Christopher McQuarrie puts together a film that is functionally flawless and produces some of the greatest spy spectacle ever made, brought to life by an excellent cast.
I think this movie does all the characters the best. I feel like it brings together all the facets of Ethan Hunt, and his loyalty to his loved ones being a character flaw for the story is a great plot device. Tom Cruise does some of the craziest fucking shit ive ever seen a stunt man do in this movie. the helicopter shit at the end is just mindboggling, absolute cinema. It really cements how all his ing characters in Benji, Luther and Ilsa are all ride-or-die friends and it was surprisingly touching at times. The performances by the respective Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson are all great, with the last being the series strongest female lead and a fun wild card within the story. Hell, Alec Baldwin is even kind of a badass is this. Henry Cavill is awesome, and quite frankly underused in action films. He’s comfortably the best villain of the series after Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and while hes maybe not narratively as strong, he is much more imposing and a great physical villain to go against Cruise (the locking and loading arm guns is fucking fire). Vanessa Kirby was also a fun addition. Michelle Monaghan was cool to see return, helps make the first 3 movies more relevant despite being so stylistically different.
Mission Impossible Fallout is a masterpiece of action filmmaking. Id say its so great that is stands comfortably among the best action movies of the 2010s, among the likes of Mad Max Fury Road, the John Wick series and the Raid films. Hell, its the best of one of the best action franchises there is, and has already stood the test of time and will likely go on to become even more of a classic. Its a fantastic piece of directing by Christopher McQuarrie that creates phenomenal action pieces and one of the most entertaining film climaxes ever. Fucking fantastic, and gets my highest recommendation!
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I blame this movie for my still enduring crush on Rebecca Ferguson, and its just happens to work out that all the best Mission Impossible movies have her in them.
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is the best so far. Right from the opening crazy action scene of Tom Cruise being a lunatic as usual, this movie grips you. Pretty much every set piece is perfectly executed, which is an impressive feat from Christopher McQuarrie as some of these sequences are super complex. The theatre scene in Vienna is some of the best spy action in the whole series, being both subtle and extravagant. The underwater sequence is intense as hell, as is the amazing car chase. I think my only complaint is the final climax feels a little underwhelming, especially compared to the next 2 movies, but it wasnt bad and still satisfying narratively. Pretty much all the action is fantastic and thrilling to watch, and its clear the director was the perfect man to do the rest of the movies.
The cast is awesome. Tom Cruise is an insane star like in all the rest you all know the deal. The scene near the beginning were he climbs up from a pole backwards is one of the most baffling feats of human strength ive ever seen. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are great comedic relief and ing friend characters, and im glad theyve become the main stay ing cast. Not sure if this was a breakout role for Rebecca Ferguson but it definitely made me aware of her. Shes amazing at playing a morally mysterious character in Ilsa Faust, as she puts on both masks for being both a cold and ruthless spy and for being a stalwart friend to the main cast. I thought the mystery around her character was a great method for creating twists and turns that all came to a fun conclusion, and im glad her character returns in other films. Sean Harris was ok, hes not the worst villain in the series and hes better than the one in Ghost Protocol for sure. Alec Baldwin was a fun addition, and im glad Jeremy Renner is back but wish his character returned to the series.
Rogue Nation is an absolute blast. It has some of the best spy scenes and action stunts in the whole series, brought together by some fantastic directing and impeccable stunt work. Tom Cruise is a beast of an action star, and Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa is one of the best character additions to the franchise. The best of the series so far, highly recommend!
Looking forward to watching the best one.
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Wow this still kicked ass, and being directed by Brad fucking Bird??? Insane he goes from making some of the greatest animated films ever made to this, what a crazy track record.
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol is the first movie in the franchise so far i truly thought was great. It just ups everything from the last 3 and commits to its own style of action filmmaking that the series has come to be known for. This style being the execution of insane stunts and feats of human skill and courage by Tom Cruise. Controversial though he is, the man is an incredible action star and performs some of the most insane and risky action stunts ever put to film in these movies. His scaling and infiltration of the Burj Khalifa is absolutely enthralling, just a perfect movie sequence. The movie is filled with other great action and the classic spy stuff to help balance the film so it isnt just reliant on the big stunts, though the movie is worth seeing just for that. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are great as usual, and i wnjoyed that Ethan Hunt starts to have a bit more levity starting with this movie. The late Michael Nyqvist of John Wick fame was also cool to see, as was Lea Seydoux. Feel like Paula Patton was solid in this and its wierd i havent seen her in much else (though the franchise’s best female lead gets introduced in the next movie). The story deals with Mission Impossibles classic themes of espionage and government corruption, which was brought together well by Jeremy Renner’s character who i kinda wish appeared in the later films.
Overall, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol was a blast, a gripping spy thriller with some incredible action and stunt work that will expand in the sequels and come to define the series as a whole. It has a the series worst villain and some cliche writing, but none of that ruins the experience. An easy watch for some espionage fun, highly recommend!
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2025 Alphabet Challenge Letter F: The Florida Project
Previous: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Florida Project was amazing, a piece of some incredible indie talent from Sean Baker. Its an amazing piece of Americana filmmaking, portraying both the hardship of American poverty and the fantastical whimsy of childhood, giving a voice to America’s neglected and outcast. The film uses the state of Florida as a way to portray and dismantle the myth of the American dream, the facade of being the worlds richest nation that hides manufactured suffering and hardship among millions. Florida is a perfect example for this, as it appears pleasant on paper as the film shows how much the happy, family friendly image of Disney and the tourism it attracts have shaped the state, as well as how that hides the poverty of many of its local citizens. It also goes into how this poverty turns people on eachother rather than unite them for a common good. I could go into how Floridians keep electing awful republicans who have no plan or care for making their lives better, but ill stay on track…
I think this darkness of poverty and neglect is helped by showing the happier aspect of the film, that of its leading children and their adventures of just enjoying life. The kids in the movie are just having fun and and are able to mostly escape the troubles of their day to day lives, at least until life gives them no choice. It perfectly builds on the movies themes of false societal wealth and happiness, as the children are free to ignore the systemic issues around them so it appears every thing is fine even though they are not. Still, it is also comforting to know children can still find enjoyment even in dire situations. This is all also helped by the movies visuals which were stunning. Beautiful architecture, skies and the nature of Florida are all shown through some incredible cinematography to show a beautiful film and setting that embodies the childhood adventure the film often shows. The use of color in this movie was amazing, really adds the warm fantastical vibe. It feels very slice of life which makes it both very charming and more sad when the uncomfortably real segments happen in the film’s back half.
The acting was all great, Willem Dafoe is amazing as always, and here portrays a great, reasonable guy and his charisma made him super likeable. Bria Hinaite was awesome as the lead Hailley, and you really felt for her struggle to try and do everything she can to care for her kids and give them happiness. I also once again appreciated Sean Baker’s portrayal of sex workers in a way that was sympathetic instead of degrading. Also some fantastic child acting from Brooklynn Prince, Christopher Rivera and Valeria Cotto who all did a great job. The actors all deliver a great script that was pretty heartbreaking by the end, and portrays some very depressing events that happen far more than they should as more and more people are pushed to dire circumstances.
The Florida Project was an excellent film by Sean Baker that portrays the destructive forces of systemic poverty in America, how it tears apart families and forces people to commit desperate acts to survive. This suffering is hidden by the rich veneers of american capitalism that hides a nation that neglects its people and grants them little to no legal avenues to better themselves, for instead they must follow an endless search for money in the hope of just existing. The final 20 minutes of this movie were hauntingly real, and theyre events no parent or child should have to go through but poor circumstance and wealth inequality ensure that events like those portrayed here will continue. The Florida Project tells a profound story of childhood escapism against the current of depressing drama, told through great acting, beautiful cinematography and great set design. Highly recommend!
2025 Alphabet Challenge
Favourite First-Time Watches of 2025
Top 10 Movies of 2017
When i think of “Tom Cruise running” i think of this movie.
Honestly the overall package of Mission Impossible 3 was not as good as i , but the parts that are great are great. Im not a huge fan of JJ Abrams’ style as a director, both his obnoxious use of lense flairs and shallow use of “mystery box” storytelling. This movie is no exception, being filled with awful lense flairs lighting and annoying shaky cam. However i think the plot is actually pretty intense and gripping in spite of this, and makes for a great ride. Definitely still maintains the great spy thriller fun and crazy stunts of the first two, while being a bit more reserved than every other after this. The action scenes are starting to get better and more inventive, with a thrilling act. I did also love that it kind of foreshadows the AI threat in Dead Reckoning with the mention of “Anti-God” technology. Speaking of, great to finally see Simon Pegg as Benji arrive and ha adds some amazing levity to the franchise. The returning cast are all great, also really liked Keri Russell and Laurence Fishburn’s characters though their screentime was brief.
Mission Impossible 3 also has THE best villain in the entire series, played amazingly by the GOAT Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Hes a perfect mix of subtle intimidation, cold ruthlessness and simmering rage that really combined to really elevate the movie, hes so casually chilling and its awesome. That bathroom scene is wild, ao fun. This also has some of Tom Cruises best dramatic acting in the series, with him going through an emotional ringer. I actually thought they sold the romance with him and Julia played by Michelle Monaghan very well. And it makes Owen Davian’s villainous actions against them all the more impactful.
Mission Impossible 3 is the a great entry of the franchise and the best of the first 3 before the series adopts its style for larger than life action. makes for some perfect spy and action movie fun. Its elevated by having an incredible villain played masterfully by Phillip Seymour Hoffman whom no villain in the series comes close to in of quality, both in writing and acting. Definitely has some style issues some may not like, but the plot is so fun and tense that im sure anyone would have a blast, recommend!
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“I like it but not a lot…….I dont like it”
Easily the worst of the franchise. Mission Impossible 2 indulges in pretty much every shit action movie trope of the 2000s, such as tons of crappy cuts and overuse of slow motion. Feels like the most haphazardly put together of the movies, and also the most skippable as it has the weakest writing and nearly every character in this only appears in this movie (except Ving Rhames of course). This literally has a “what are we, some kind of suicide squad?” ass line, delivered by Anthony Hopkins of all people. Tom Cruise is still amazing at action, and the final chase does have some fun, but niether are enough to save this from being pretty forgettable.
Luckily, literally every movie after this is awesome so hyped for that.
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The road to Final Reckoning begins!
The original Mission Impossible was better then i ed. I think i just underrated it next to the excellent later entries and to Brian DePalma’s other amazing films (especially since i recently discovered the greatness that is Blow Out). It doesnt quite reach the same level of incredible stunts and action set pieces of the later entries, but as a result it also has a grittier and more grounded story with a more seedy atmosphere. Leans more into the spy thriller aspect, which was fun to see with plenty of fun spy gadgets and plots of suspicion and betrayal. The action is still fun and well made, especially the final train sequence which was hype as hell (even if some of the effects look a bit dated). Of course the music and theme song are legendary, as it shall be for every movie after this. Tom Cruise is a true movie star and this is no exception, with his character Ethan Hunt feeling a little more down to earth in this film compared to the later entries. He does this all while being the action icon he has become, and has only up to go from here within the Mission Impossible movies. The ing cast were also all solid, especially John Voight, Henry Czerny and series regular Ving Rhames.
Overall, the original Mission Impossible is a fun spy thriller and action film carried by its incredible lead with Tom Cruise and its creative veteran of a director with Brian DePalma. Not as creative or bombastic in its action and stunts as the other movies, but makes up for it with atmosphere and style. Its overshadowed by pretty much every film in the franchise from 3 onwards, but still manages to be a great time in its own right. The second one on the other hand… well we’ll see.
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Loved this! Surprisingly heartfelt and touching, Chef is among Jon Favreau’s best.
Chef is a comedy that uses the love of cooking to tell a great story about getting in touch with ones childhood roots, ions and family. The movie definitely nails a comfort film vibe in its second half, as its a low-tension plot of just people enjoying food and good company, and its really nice to see. I feel like feel-good movies like this that are well made are growing increasingly rare, so i always welcome them. Some of Jon Favreau’s finest directing, with some solid writing, cozy music, and great cinematography of creative cooking that perfectly displays the films themes and emotions. The movie perfectly portrays how cooking and eating food can comfort people. Also probably his best acting ive seen from Jon Favreau, his character goes through some amazing emotional depth and it was really touching to see him reconnect with his family.
There’s definitely a slice-of-life fantasy element to the film, as Jon Favreau’s character is basically just accomplishing all his dreams the latter half of the film, not to mention the fact he cast himself as someone in relationships with both Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara (also a little more tastefully done then when Joseph Gordon Levitt did it). The whole cast does a great job, from the major ing cast like John Leguizamo and Sofia Vergara, to the more brief appearances like Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Oliver Platt (plus the awesome guest appearance). They all deliver a script that feels very real thanks to great writing and dialogue.
Overall, Chef is a great feel-good movie that is sure to warm your heart. Its about reconnecting with whats important in life, and learning to appreciate it properly. A pure comfort fantasy told through some great performances, good laughs, solid emotional writing and creative cinematography. Highly recommend!
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Expected this to be shit to be honest, the trailers were filled with more of the shitty, quippy jokes ive come to hate and some of the marketing was just bizarre (the “A24” trailer, the Avengers Doomsday reveal spoiling things, etc). However, this movie got glowing reviews for a post Endgame marvel film. Feels like every new MCU movie is now released to a chorus of “WeRe sO bAcK!!!” from fans no matter how mediocre which ive grown weary of, but the reviews made me curious enough to give it a shot. It starts out with a monologue from Florence Pugh’s Yelena that feels incredibly meta, describing her sense of aimlessness, boredom and a lack of purpose which pretty perfectly describes the last 5 years of the MCU. Wasnt sure if this was intentional, and that fact did nake me a little worried.
Happy to be proven wrong as Thunderbolts* was solid. Now its not the best MCU movie since Endgame or top 10 marvel movies like ive seen get thrown around a lot, but it does feel like somewhat of a return to form. It feels like it came from the first 3 MCU phases where the movies were more creative in style and character writing. This movie definitely feels darker than the average MCU film as a result of its villain, its anti-heroic cast and its subject matter. It does have humour but it never detracts from the gravity of the plot or characters. Ive seen a lot of reviews say “this is the first MCU movie in a while that feels like an actual movie” and while thats fucking hilarious, its also true. Baffling idea that having character arcs, setups and payoffs and thematic depth make a movie better and more memorable, truly a discovery for the ages. Theyre not groundbreaking themes as the movies deals with ideas of trauma and self-worth as all the characters are pretty broken people, but they were still well executed and i thought it was great how it all tied together with the villain. I think the movies script could have used some edits, there a bit of redundancy with the characters somewhat constantly saying how morally grey they are and how traumatic their past is, but it wasnt too bad.
Superhero movies live and die by 2 things: character writing and action spectacle and Thunderbolts does both pretty well. Honestly feels wierd but the action wasnt the appeal here, it was fun for sure but it took a back seat to the characters which i appreciated. Florence Pugh is amazing as Yelena and is the emotional core of the film. Ive seen people saying they think shes a better character than Black Widow ever was, and i think thats fucking insane and those people clearly werent paying attention. That said, Yelena is handily the best post Endgame character addition, and a worthy legacy character successor to Natasha. Lewis Pullman as Bob (The Sentry) was amazing, easily my favourite part of the movie. Sentry is, besides the Xmen, the marvel character i most wanted to see get added to the MCU and i think they nailed him, both in his paranoid and traumatized true self and his egotistical, self righteous, godly darker half. He has an awesome duel nature that i thought perfectly tied together the movies themes, and also made for an awesome villain. The Void was incredibly cool with some wild powers, and i loved how it wasnt defeated by some bad CGI battle but rather just the concept of empathy (also offers an awesome setup at the end i hope gets paid off later).
The rest of the cast are great too besides Taskmaster (lol, lmao even). John Walker felt like more of a dick but it made sense considering the fate of his character in Falcon and Winter Soldier. David Harbour was surprisingly great, like i thought he would be just the stupid funny guy (he is), but he has some heartfelt emotional moments which i loved. They made Bucky badass again! Seriously though, they finally made him feel like a super soldier and one of the veterans of the Avengers, and Sebastian Stan brings both commanding aura and sympathetic anxiety to the character. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was good, clearly enjoying playing another politician, though i dont think i liked the outcome of her character. The band of misfits forced to work together has been done before, and better, but this was still a fun enough time and I liked the team the movie ended up building.
Thunderbolts* was some solid superhero entertainment and one of the best marvel films in the last few years. It did the most important thing it needed to do for me: it made me intrigued to see where the MCU may be going. Its just a well made, grounded movie with some great character writing and ideas of finding purpose and overcoming despair. Has some fun action and really creative visuals and effects with regard to the Villain, who is one of the best MCU character additions in a while. Perhaps best of all, its one of the few marvel movies that features the heroes actually saving and protecting people instead of just fighting bad guys, which is always great to see.
Is the MCU back? I dont know, theres still a lot that can go wrong with Fantastic 4 and Doomsday, but i had fun with this.
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Watching this for no reason whatsoever…
“Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the great enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain in the end, Dio Mio he cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the cross. Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there is only certainty, and if there was no more doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith...”
That monologue is maybe the single greatest piece of screenwriting of 2024, and part of what id say is 2024’s best overall screenplay that has already aged very well (“is this what were reduced to? Considering the least worst option?”). I think I definitely underrated this on first viewing a bit, it has some incredible cinematography I dont think i appreciated enough. Also its still crazy to me that Adrien Brody and Timothy Chalamet were the best actor frontrunners instead of Colman Domingo and Ralph Fiennes, but oh well.
Conclave is still excellent, highly recommend and as cardinal Lawrence says, let us hope God will grant us a Pope who doubts.
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Man, what an absolute classic!
The Truman Show is a masterpiece. Id say its a basically a perfect film, blending genres of comedy, drama and even horror to explore how a man’s reality and life is controlled for the sake of viewer ratings and money. Its both a modern telling of Plato’s ancient Allegory of the Cave and a haunting foreshadowing of the gamification of human lives and the depths humanity will go for entertainment. The former is the idea of someone loving living in their cave so much that they fear what could be beyond the light outside which is functionally the final dilemmas of the titular Truman himself. He can stay in this fake, manufactured world and live in relative comfort for the rest of his life (eventhough he knows something is false about it), or he can uncover the lie and go into the real world. The Matrix is another movie that explores this idea. It makes for a captivating story sure to stir the mind that stars an incredibly endearing main character.
Jim Carrey as the main character Truman Burbank is probably his greatest role, disproving any notion that he was only a goofy comedic actor and delivers one of the greatest dramatic performances ever. His slow discovery of his reality is enthralling to see, and its a perfect way to display evil corporate capitalism through things like product placement and ya know, the fabrication of his entire family and existence. An absolute crime Jim Carrey didnt get an Oscar nod for this. Ed Harris is also noteworthy as the film’s antagonist, whose success profiting off of the facade of Truman’s life makes him have a massive ego and act as if he is the god of his own manufactured world. Its a mask he maintains to the very end, until it becomes his undoing and leads to one of the most satisfying climactic decisions and final lines in film (“In case i dont see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!”)
The Truman Show is one of my favourite movies, a thought provoking thrill ride as you uncover the world along with the main character and cheer for him in his journey. It tells a disturbing warning about the future of entertainment and how we disregard people for the sake of money and views. Its incredibly well made by director Peter Wier, with fantastic production design, cinematography and a great screenplay that delivers both comedy and strong emotion. Jim Carrey’s defining dramatic role that is rightfully iconic and this is worth seeing just for that, but i think its an amazing and touching story regardless. One of the all time greats, a must see!
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“You truly belong here with us among the clouds”
- Lando Cal-rizz-ian
Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film, functionally flawless and perfectly executes everything it sets out to achieve. Builds upon the story of the first in unexpected ways and expands the setting of Star Wars both thematically and visually. It maintains incredible set and costume design, creative audio, and fantastic music by John Williams that you expect from Star Wars. In of production design, this is easily among the greatest ever made. Every characters feels like they’ve meaningfully changed from the first, especially Han as he turns from selfish smuggler to comrade in arms. Yoda and his teachings about the force are universally accessible and define the themes of Star Wars to this day, and are brought to life through a wonderful character. Darth Vader is let loose to become a true menace of a villain, an imposing force that rightfully sits as Cinema’s greatest villain and as a character so iconic even his breathing is famous. His commanding presence in this film is incredibly fun to watch. As are the amazing action scenes, both the battle of Hoth and the duel between Luke and Vader which is just dripping with atmosphere and everything that makes film great.
Empire Strikes Back is one of the best sci fi movies and blockbusters ever made and a movie whose quality transcends the franchise its a part of. Its just so well made while also providing fun spectacle and moving themes that I think this is one of the most approachable blockbusters ever. It does everything a great sequel should, building upon the characters and setting as well as raising the stakes. An incredibly fun time, made more memorable by its great action and legendary characters in Yoda and Darth Vader. An amazing time and one of my favourite movies ever, gets my highest recommendation!
Happy May the 4th!
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May 4th continues. Not sure if ive been influenced by Andor but one of my favourite scenes in this is the Imperial board meeting (“I find your lack of faith disturbing”).
Its Star Wars, its a classic and the cinematic definition of the word adventure. A blockbuster that’s legacy has defined the sci fi genre and cultivated the most active fictional fandom ever, for better or worse. Some of it hasn’t aged well as a result of things like dialogue and budget, but that also adds to the fun of the film. Its full of pulpy space opera dialogue, fun sci fi character designs, and one of the greatest action climaxes in movies with the Death Star run. The inspirations of old world war 1 and 2 footage and the influence of Akira Kurosawa movies are evident and have made for a fantastical film that has touched the hearts of millions. Its a revolutionary film for effects at the time, with sound effects and set designs that have become legendary. As is the films score, when incredible music by John Williams that is sure to transport you to a Galaxy Far Far Away, especially the Binary Sunset theme.
The movie has just enough world building with the likes of jedi and the force, the Empire and the Rebellion that it stirs the viewer’s imagination with what the greater setting can be in a way no other fictional world can do. The earlier mentioned boardroom scene does an incredible amount of heavy lifting for understanding the, at this point fairly basic, politics of the Empire but its cool to see nonetheless. The whole cast is iconic, most notably Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness whose acting prowess brings some realism to the campy style. Darth Vader is cinema’s greatest villain, though i think its a very cool and nuanced move that hes second fiddle to Tarkin here and is unleashed to his full villain status in Empire Strikes Back. The main trio played by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are some of the most beloved characters in movies, just inspiring comfort characters that are easy to latch on to.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope creates one of fictions greatest settings ever while also providing a riveting adventure all ages can enjoy. A functionally perfect movie, even with some of the dated dialogue and annoying special edition changes. Starts a franchise that has inspired millions to become fans of movies in general, including my own. A must watch!
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May the 4th be with you!
Figured Rogue One would be appropriate for a May 4th watch since its spin off Andor season 2 is airing now to great success. Personally, i think its the best movie Star Wars has released under the Disney brand. Its not perfect and has some significant flaws, but also has some of the highest highs of the franchise that have only made me love it more.
Id say the movies biggest problem is that the main band of rebels youre following through the film arent very memorable. They kinda just appear and to partake in the final mission, you dont really get a ton about their personality other than cool costume designs or action scenes. Like when Disney announced they were doing a spin off show for Cassian Andor I thought that would be a complete flop as this movie on its own doesnt do a ton to make me care about him besides Diego Luna’s charisma. Now of course, Andor has ended up being arguably the greatest Star Wars story ever, and has made Cassian into a much more interesting character and makes his fate here more sad. The wierd scene with Saw Guerrera and the octopus alien was definitely a bit jarring, and has the worst cgi in the movie (unless were counting Tarkin and Leia). Which on that note, your enjoyment of the movie may hinge on your ethical opinion on using CGI to resurrect actors to plays characters, along with the fact that its use isnt always perfect and can stick out a bit. Still, Tarkin is a classic villain and a fave so its fun to see him again.
Not all the characters are forgettable. Felicity Jones, Madds Mikkelsen and Ben Mendelsohn all play really fun characters that all felt right at home in Star Wars and had enough characteriziation to be interesting. Director Krennec is probably the best villain of the Disney era, mostly do to the fact that him being a unprofessional screaming lunatic actually makes a bit of sense as his insecurities takeover while he holds on to his little power in the wake of Tarkin and Vader. Not to mention the performance feeling like a ton of fun, and im hyped to see him in Andor. I think the movie does a great job of merging the prequel and OT era’s with cool appearances of characters and designs from both. The band of rebels does come together in the end for what is perhaps the greatest single straight hour of Star Wars content during this film’s climax, and they all play their part well. The final heist and battle of this movie feel like the exact mix of asymmetrical wartime grit and sci fi adventure spectacle that the original Star Wars was made for. And its all capped off by the incredible final Darth Vader scene, which indulges in the viewer’s dark side through evil power fantasy in an terrifyingly fun fashion. The movie has some amazing costume and production design, with some great grimy sets and locales. It also maintains Star Wars incredibly high standard of sound design and music, even if its one of the only films not graced by John Williams. Also has some incredible cinematography from Greg Fraiser of the Batman and Dune fame (ROBBED of an oscar last year).
Rogue One is flawed but has a ton of merit and has some of the most fun action in all of Star Wars. An uneven first half makes way for an incredible climax that is sure to bring some thrills and original trilogy nostalgia. The movies bold choices regarding how to conclude its characters stories hammer home great themes of sacrifice and fighting for a brighter tomorrow. It brings Star Wars down to earth with people who arent powerful jedi masters, but instead just normal people fighting to be free. It builds up the incredible anti-fascist and free thinking themes that would be properly explored later in Andor, reminding us that the smallest act of rebellion is a push toward justice. I look forward to catching up on Andor and seeing how season 2 wraps up the best Star Wars story. Regardless, its overall conclusion can be already seen here and I think its told in thrilling fashion, as Rogue One is among my favourite Star Wars films. Highly Recommend!
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“We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty they will know who we are.
They will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disembowled, disfigured and dismembered bodies of their brothers that we leave behind. And the Germans will be sickened by us,
And the Germans will talk ,
And the Germans will fear us.
And when they close their eyes at night, and they’re tortured by their subconscious for the evil they have done, It will be with thoughts of us that they are tortured with”
“You all owe me One Hundred Nazi Scalps! AND I WANT MY SCALPS!”
Thats gotta be one of the most metal and hardcore monologues in film, an iconic scene in a movie filled with iconic scenes. From the incredible and intense intro of Hans Landa, to the Bear Jew, to the Mike Meyers cameo (elbows up!🇨🇦), to the phenomenal final 15 minutes, there are so many great moments that have already become ingrained in cinema history. It has all the dramatic violence and snappy and sharp dialogue Tarantino is known for with some of his best writing (“Well if this is it, ol’ boy…I hope you dont mind I go out speaking the King’s”). His ability to have these long scenes of dialogue that still manage to maintain a great build up of tension is a marvel to see. This dialogue is delivered by an incredibly stacked cast, with noteworthy performances from Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, and Melanie Laurent. The standout is of course Cristoph Waltz as Hans Landa, delivering an incredible breakout role through a despicable villain. Hans Landa’s vile Nazi ideology mixed with his opportunistic hypocrisy makes him a particularly loathsome villain, yet the performance makes him super captivating to watch. All this works together to make a fantastic film all together. Inglorious Basterds tells an awesome thrill ride of action and told through a vengeful and riveting rewrite of history.
Inglourious Basterds is perhaps Tarantino’s most satisfying film, maybe because its about killing Hitler and his nazi scum ers which I will always enjoy. Its maybe his most polished and well rounded film along with Django Unchained, and i constantly flip flop on which I like more (Kill Bill is still my fave overall). Its a modern classic of Nazi killing fun delivering both awesome action, suspenseful writing and gripping performances. One of the best of the 2000s and gets my highest recommendation!
“You know something Utivich? I think this might be my masterpiece”
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The beginning of Marvel’s post-Endgame downfall
Black Widow is far from the best of the MCU, in fact on rewatch id probably put it within its bottom tier. The first third has some awful editing, and the fight choreography throughout feels incredibly weak. This is a pretty big problem when your lead character is known for her martial arts and spy skills. Instead the movie relies more on annoying MCU quippy humour and CGI spectacle which both feel out of place in a Black Widow movie. This movie was marketed on being “a grounded spy thriller like Winter Soldier” which it feels like there have been 5 marvel projects since selling themselves on this comparison and every single one has fallen short (we will see if Thunderbolts is the same). Its an incredible shame that the MCUs best female lead character gets such a lame movie, one thats a prequel to the already released Endgame which removes most of any potential tension. Black Widow should have been the first female led marvel film, not Captain Marvel.
Scarlett Johansson is great of course and carries the film. She nails the cold exterior but warm heart of the Black Widow character, and i like how she becomes more open and funny as she grows close with the Avengers over the MCU. Her struggle with grief, while maybe unoriginal, is decent enough within the movie. Florence Pugh as Yelena is one of the few post-Endgame added characters who is actually a great addition (also John Walker, Moon Knight, Shang Chi, Wenwu, Kamala Kahn, Kate Bishop, Namor, High Evolutionary, Adam Warlock… i think thats it). She doesnt feel like shes just added to set up a million potential spin offs, and instead feels like a worthy successor as a legacy character. Shes also the funniest and most charming character in the film thanks to Florence Pugh’s fun performance. The villain is dogshit, absolute fucking L take on Taskmaster and a waste of the actress playing them. Honestly this is probably the most dissapointing Marvel villain for me, since Taskmaster in other media is so badass and known for his snarky persona but this movie offers none of that. Im hoping Taskmaster does die in Thunderbolts so we can hopefully maybe adapt the real Taskmaster. The ing cast are fine, Red Guardian is decent mostly thanks to David Harbour but his humor gets annoying sometimes. It has a pretty stacked cast but unfortunately the writing isnt very strong so the movie is mainly carried by the actors’ charisma. The final battle has some incredibly stupid writing and set pieces, and i also hate how the movie feels like its very hamfisted and clunky in portraying Natasha’s backstory, both with the Red Room and with the Budapest incident.
This movie just kinda feels like an inconsistent mess, with poor editing, bad cgi, lackluster choreography, annoying humour and one of the worst MCU villains. Black Widow should probably be one of the more serious characters considering her upbringing, so it makes this yet another case of the MCU’s now infamous style of humour feeling misplaced. It feels like a poor sendoff to one of the original 6 Avengers the entire MCU built itself around, and is undermined by being a prequel which removes its tension. A pair of solid lead performances from Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh, and some occasional fun action pieces cant save this from being among the weakest marvel movies.
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“If I went round saying i was an Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, theyd put me away!”
Among the greatest comedy movies ever made, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is perfectly timeless and universally accessible, rightfully earning it a beloved reputation. Pretty much every single scene or bit is funny, whether its ridiculous or satirical or 4th wall breaking. So many iconic lines that live rent free in my head (“Its just a flesh wound” and “There are some who call me…tim” for examples). Full of Terry Gilliam’s absurd humour, surprisingly solid cinematography and stylish production design that all makes for one of the all time greats in the comedy genre. Incredibly rewatchable, Holy Grail is a perfect comfort movie and is sure to inject some laughs and happiness whenever you may feel down. An all time unhinged classic, highly recommend!
“I fart in your general direction, your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elder berries! Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!”
Top 100 Favourite Movies
This review may contain spoilers.
THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS!
In one day ive ticked off 2 bucket list items: go see Metallica live and see Revenge of the Sith in theatres. And it was so nice i saw it twice in 24 hours!
Similar to Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park, this movie is so nostalgic for me its basically foundational to me as a man. That makes it hard to review objectively, but thats also not a huge deal since Revenge of the Sith is comfortably in the top 3 of Star Wars films. Seeing it in theatres was an absolute thrill ride, and all the epic audio and visuals came through brilliantly. It delivers magnificent spectacle like none other in Star Wars, as its the darkest film of the franchise and portrays the violent end of a democracy and the genocide of its greatest protectors. If anything in Revenge of the Sith had aged well, it is the uncomfortably clear depiction of how a fascist dictator can rise to power through demonization of “the other” to gain political favour (“So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause”) .
Emperor Palpatine is cemented in Revenge of the Sith as one of cinema’s greatest villains, both as a fictional representation of fascism and as a evil, manipulative father figure. Hes played amazingly by Ian McDiarmid, who hilariously hams it up while also providing an aura of menace and deceipt. His progressive corruption of the Republic toward conservatism and later fascism reaches its terrible conclusion here, and it rings harrowingly true to modern politics. Regarding Anakin, Palpatine takes advantage of his vulnerabilities and uses them to drive a wedge between him and the jedi order, something hes been subtly doing Anakin’s entire life. Im pretty sure its a debunked theory, but i love the undertone of Palpatine saying the sith could potentially “create life”, and how that could relate to the fact that Anakin Skywalker was the product of a virgin birth. It adds this gross layer to Palpatines character and makes his sickly smile during Darth Vaders anguish at the death of Pe all the more vile.
I think the movie, and show, make it clear that while Anakin deliberately decides to do evil deeds, he may not have done so if he had the proper structures and guidance. This is the great tragedy of the whole Star Wars series, and makes Anakin Skywalker one of my favourite fictional characters. His suffering and struggle to contend with grief is universally relatable, and also makes his Clone Wars heroism all the more impressive as he suppresses his demons to protect others. The brotherhood between Anakin and Obi Wan is one of the core pillars of the prequel era, and it comes to its sad conclusion here (“You were my brother Anakin!” I loved you!” Gets me every time 😭). Obi Wans own sense of failure and guilt for the fact he trained the most dangerous person in the galaxy makes his character in a New Hope all the more compelling. Grievous is also a fave of mine, his visuals still hold up and i love how hes a dark echo of what Anakin will become, a monster with a mutilated body who can now feel no earthly pleasure but that of conquest and dominion over others. I guess one of my only real complaints is Natalie Portman’s Pe gets a little shafted in this and her “dying of grief” like a Lord of the Rings elf is a bit silly. Her deleted scenes of her sewing the seeds of the later rebellion are awesome, and its great to see Genevieve O’Rielly as Mon Mothma prior to Andor, but i do see how those may interfere with the pacing of an already long movie.
The movie is technically stellar all around, with incredible visuals and beautiful sci fi worlds. It has the coolest planets in the series with Mustafar, Utapau and my fave, the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk. All feel distinct and full of personality without any shitty exposition dialogue. The battles are the biggest theyve been in Star Wars and its epic to see, both in of the full scale conflicts and the lightsaber duels. Anakin versus Obi Wan is the best fight in the saga for choreography with only the Duel of the Fates coming close. You can tell Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen put their full body and soul into that fight , it really feels like 2 brothers fighting to the death. Hayden Christensen is amazing throughout this movie, going from panicked anxiety to guilt to angry mania, mostly all within the last third of the movie. His haters are absolutely wrong, blame George Lucas for bad directing and writing if you hate his dialogue. The Yoda versus Palpatine fight while Duel of the Fates is playing is also hype as hell. Id put this in John Williams top 3 musical scores EASY, it has the best music in Star Wars that perfectly encapsulates the movies tone by being both gloriously epic and heartbreakingly somber.
Maybe my favourite scene in all of Star Wars is Anakin watching the incredible looking sunset on Mustafar, weeping tears of guilt as darkness falls on the republic, only to accept what he has become all while one of John William’s greatest tracks in Im So Sorry is playing. Its a movie where the bad guys utterly win, which is fun to see sometimes while also leaving room for hope, even in the darkest of times. The epic tragedy of Revenge of the Sith is the most vital component of the Star Wars saga as a whole, and it remains one of its best films. Amazing action, fantastic visual worldbuilding, unreal music, classic sound design, great heroes and villains, just everything that makes blockbuster movies awesome. Seeing it in theatres as an ABSOLUTE BLAST both times, one of the most fun theater experiences in recent memory. Just big crowds having fun with the memes and campy dialogue, and being sad for the darkest and one of the best of the Star Wars films.
Yall already know Im biased and think this is peak but still, I recommend you get out there and go see it while its on the big screen!
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Watched on Saturday April 26, 2025.
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I have finally seen Sinners! And it was fucking awesome! I will say tho, its wierd that ive seen 3 movies this year that all feature one actor playing multiple versions of themselves….
Sinners is a non-franchise debut for Ryan Coogler and he knocks it out of the park. This movie definitely feels like it has his most personal vision, and it overflows with awesome style. Its really hard to blend genres within a single movie but when its done well it just hits hard (Brazil, Poor Things and Everything Everywhere All At Once are some good examples). Sinners excels at this mix in spades, borrowing aspects of historical drama, genre horror, action and even musicals. On that note, music is a major theme of the movie with how it relates to black culture and how white people have historically extorted black people for their art (“they like our music, they just dont like whose singin it”). It uses music to display black history in a truly unique way that also felt super empowering. The Blues, as often depicted here, are so influential to every modern genre from folk to rock to heavy metal, and this movie acts as an amazing celebration of musical history. All of you whove seen this KNOW the scene im talking about, and it was so fucking cool. Ludwig Goransson went off with the music, the score is incredible. If this gets no music nod at the Oscars, what the fuck are we doing?
This movie is technically strong all around, with some great cinematography and set designs. Didnt expect there to be musical numbers in this but they hit and were really fine and had some solid choreography. One of my only problems with the movie is the action choreography. For like 90% of the movie its great, except for one scene where the editing feels a bit choppy and it looks like red shirt characters were added just to be killed by the movies villains (this also follows one of the most idiotic decisions ive ever seen). Some of the writing with the final outcome also felt a little rushed with how it plays out, but these were all minor issues that didn’t ruin the experience overall. The acting was amazing, Michael B Jordan once again proving hes one of the best leads today and is clearly Ryan Cooglers favourite. Theres also a great performance from a secondary lead with Miles Caton who also had some great singing chops. An excellent ing cast all around with standouts including Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson and Hailee Steinfeld (glad shes getting more roles). Apparently the movies narrative structure was inspired by the song One by Metallica (which pretty much earns it a star outright with me), which sounded wierd but i definitely understood it after seeing it with the slower buildup and explosive climax. Its such a great blend of genres that are all done really well that i think theres something here anyone can appreciate.
Ive become pretty cynical about the state of cinema lately, but im glad Ne Zha 2 and Sinners this year have restored some of my hope for movies, as well as the feeling of why going to the theatre is so great. In Sinners case, its an original movie made for under 100 million that tells an enthralling story made by a true auteur director, providing BOTH escapist fun and profound storytelling. Its not perfect, but so much of it is done so well the flaws fade away into how well made and fun this movie is. Make sure you this if you want to see more original films of this quality, especially since Sinners is probably the best movie of the year so far. A MUST SEE for 2025, highly recommend!
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Excuse me, whaaaaaat the fuck??
Ne Zha 2 is fucking spectacular, a wild time that was genuinely one of the most impressive animated films ive ever seen. The last half hour of this had my jaw on the fucking floor, some of the most gloriously epic visuals ive ever seen in an animated movie and theres nothing in film i can think of to truly compare it with. It delivers epic fantasy and chinese mythology spectacle on a scale ive never seen in a movie like this, just an enormous and beautiful film that was a blast to watch. The final battle is pure gas, Asura’s Wrath meets Lord of the Rings type shit.
Ne Zha 2 is an improvement on literally every aspect of the first film (Review here), with only minor issues like some occasional goofy and awkward humor. The story is much more concise, the character relationships feel more fleshed out, and the script is both more complex and more interesting. The characters are a lot more compelling, with a particularly great villain whose hard to discuss without spoilers, but hes a huge bastard. It also delivers some super emotional moments that are well built up and feel incredibly tragic, and I appreciated this movies darker story compared to the first. The movie has amazing character designs, the rule of cool rules this movie and it kicks ass. As someone who loves crazy looking characters and big fantasy monsters, this movie delivers on all that and then some. The animation, backgrounds and settings all look beautiful and mastercrafted by those who worked ont he movie. The action and choreography is awesome, clearly taking some inspiration from anime and fighting games but on a massive scale. It has some awkward humor like the first and is maybe a little too long, but its a fun, sweeping epic that is sure to stir the heart and mind of anyone who watches it.
Ne Zha 2 definitely hits a lot of things i myself am certainly into: epic mythological worldbuilding, crazy character designs and monsters, big fantasy battles, magical family drama, and themes of brotherhood and overcoming hatred, oppression and falsehood. I think its such an incredible feat of animation that just locks the fuck in during the second half and commits to its epic mythology adventure so well that I think theres something here anyone could enjoy. It was pretty clear watching this why its the highest grossing animated movie and the fifth highest grossing film ever, its a true event movie that is a MUST SEE on the biggest screen you can find (also dont miss the funny post credit scene!). One of the best of 2025 so far, I hope Ne Zha 2 pushes western animation studios like Disney and Pixar to go outside the safe bubble theyve made for itself in the last 10 years. If you get a chance, highly recommend you go see this!
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Happy 420 everyone!🍃💨
As Ne Zha’s sequel is currently the highest grossing movie of this year, highest grossing animated movie ever and the fifth highest grossing movie ever all together, i figured id give them a watch. Turns out this was really fun! Perfect animated spectacle to for todays special occasion.
It looks spectacular, Ne Zha’s animation is incredibly detailed and is just mesmerizing to see. The use of Chinese mythology and the influence of anime both made for an animation style that you dont really see in the west. It looks somewhat like pixar 3D animation but has this fluid and punchy edge to it, along with a darker tone and sense of style. I think the story is a bit of a mixed bag, as theres clearly good narrative moments but it feels like the script coild have been tighter to make them land more (definitely recommend the original dub over english as well). I also think the story maybe gets a bit lost in its own mythology so it could confuse the viewer, but i feel like it became much more concise in the second half. Definitely had some Naruto vibes to the story (the mythology around this movie could have inspired that too), with the titular main character being incredibly powerful causing those around him to fear him, making him learn self control to earn their trust. I think any of the films narrative shortcomings are made up for by some incredible action scenes, told through great choreography and creative visuals for magic and weapons. Generall just loved being caught up in the character designs and mythology of the world, and made for a really fun movie.
Has a story that could use some edits and the deep mythos of the setting could be confusing, but i think the crazy animation and badass action scenes make Ne Zha a very fun watch that is sure to entertain. Definitely makes me curious to see the further potential of Chinese animation. Excited to see the second one!
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The universe seems to hate me wanting to see Sinners. Ive tried to see it 3 times now but have been unable to due to easter schedule conflicts, friends being sick, and now today my local theatre’s electronic systems just being down entirely. Hopefully fourth time is the charm and ill be able to see it soon enough. Anyways…
Speaking of charm, Kiki’s Delivery Service. What an amazing time! This movie just cured any disappointment I had over my theatre visit. Its got a very light and low tension plot that makes for a perfectly cozy and comforting time as you follow the main character on her fun and magical adventure (we love seeing funny animated cats). Its just soothing, with the classic mix of amazing backgrounds, beautiful animation and heartwarming music (also fuck off with those repulsive AI trash images stealing the Ghibli style that ive been seeing). The movie is a perfect fairy tale of learning to self improve, of kindness and of building a sense of community. In classic Ghibli fashion, it subtly tells great themese of empowerment, feminism and finding a sense of freedom. Just a perfect movie to throw on if you want to feel like a kid again, and makes for some pure good vibes whenever you need them.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a beautiful animated movie and another Studio Ghibli classic that is amazing for all ages. Its perhaps light on plot for some, but i think that helps build the sense of childhood wonder and whimsy this movie invokes thats impossible not to love. It creates this almost nostalgic feeling for a time where we had no worries and were free to enjoy all the little things of life. An all time great for animation, and an incredibly cozy comfort film. Highly recommend!
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This review may contain spoilers.
Felt like revisiting this before watching Ryan Coogler’s new movie Sinners this weekend, and was glad i did. Black Panther is one of my fave marvel heroes, both as an awesome and inspiring character and as a symbol of racial justice. The MCU’s version of King T’Challa is no different, with Black Panther earning a killing at the box office helping the character to resonate with millions of new fans. The movie may not be perfect and has some flaws, but its still very solid and immortalizes an amazing performance by the late great Chadwick Boseman who is sorely missed.
Ill start with the few flaws. Some of the CGI in this movie is just kinda dogshit, mainly during the final fight between Killmonger and Black Panther. It feels very unfinished which may be helped by the fact that Ryan Coogler may not have directed this much CGI and green screen before, but either way could have used more time. Some of the humour is a bit dumb (“wHaT aRe tHoSe!?!?”). The conclusion of the third act also does feel a little rushed and convenient with how the heroes succeed. Those are pretty much my only problems so they dont ruin the overall experience, especially since I was much more interested in the characters and moral dilemma they debated (a rare case for a Marvel movie).
On to positives. I think Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther is one of the best performances in the MCU, as his character radiates kingly wisdom and comion. He has a great arc through the film, as the villains flawed outlook profoundly changes him and makes him question how he and his kingdom can do better by his people. Ryan Coogler’s direction allows for some incredible visual worldbuilding that bring a vivid picture of the kingdom of Wakanda to life. Its the best worlbuilding in the MCU, with Wakanda feeling like a truly real place without the need for bad expositional dialogue. Most notably, it displays Wakanda’s culture of ancient tribal traditions and their wealth of technology through Vibranium that they keep to themselves. Michael B Jordan’s Killmonger is right to question why a nation like Wakanda thats so powerful would not be helping other black people across the world who have historically suffered due to racism. Killmongers conclusion of how to fix this problem is of course wrong, as he instead advocates for vengeful genocide and conquest of the rest of the world, but the problem will still exist past him. This moral contradiction, mixed with his ties to T’Challa himself, make for one of the MCU’s most interesting and memorable villains (“bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped off the ships, because they knew death was better then bondage”).
Aside from its amazing hero and villain, i think Black Panther aging more fondly than most marvel movies is partly due to its incredibly stacked cast and confident directing. It has maybe the best ensemble of any MCU film outside the Avengers movies themselves. Lupita Nyongo, Daniel Kaluuya, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K Brown, Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis all appear in a phenomenal cast with not a single week performance. Also a solid breakout role for Winston Duke, who is a great ing character as M’Baku that provides both funny comedic relief and a good rival/foil to T’Challa. Letitia Wright and Chadwick Boseman had great sibling chemistry and the energy comes off well on screen. Most of the scenes of characters just talking were super captivating, a testiment to a solid script and great director. The action, aside from the final fight, is well done with an excellent car chase sequence, fun ritual combats and the classic marvel spectacle (dudes riding Rhinos will always be cool, no matter how shit the movie is). Its just a solid movie overall that provides some fun entertainment through solid action and amazing acting.
Id put Black Panther comfortably in the top 10 of the MCU. It doesnt have the best action scenes or visual effects, but it has an amazing hero and villain relationship that is used to explore interesting ideas about racial justice, controlling resources, and how best to use power for good. These narrative points are helped by some of the best ing cast and worldbuilding in the MCU that bring a rich setting to life. If you can ignore the dated humor and bad CGI near the end, i think this movie will provide some solid entertainment. Recommend!
Hyped for Sinners!!
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Absolutely phenomenal!
Akira is an all time classic, one of the greatest of all time for both animation and for film in general. Like the Blade Runner movies, Akira is foundational to the genre of Cyberpunk. Vibrant neon colours, seedy atmospheres, grimy back alleys, transhumanism, class warfare, anti- capitalism, human hubris and the abuse of power all appear here in spades. Its one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies ever, it just radiates cool. The backgrounds look insane, filled with immaculate detail and beautiful lighting. This goes with some fantastic and fluid animation that holds up amazingly, with some excellent sequences of action and body horror. I loved the moments of trippy and terrifying imagery, they add such a crazy sense of style that make the violence in the film hit so much harder. Plus, the motorcycle slide is fucking iconic, and has been referenced in countless other media
All the movies themes of anti-capitalism and anti-authoritarianism are shown perfectly through the movies amazing setting. The incredible visual storytelling does an excellent job showing the degredation of civilization, as wealth inequality and oppressive fascism come together to make a society that is chaotic and eagre to turn to anything for solace, from criminal camaraderie to rebel causes to prophetic cults. The worship of the figure of Akira and how the various characters view “him” is immensely captivating as it displays humanity’s corruption through our search for power, and our likely destiny of inflicting our own self destruction while also providing an idea of hopeful evolution and that the corrupt past must be destroyed before something better can come and take its place. The movie explores so many different ideas and does them all so well that its hard to even discuss them all properly, though in particular Tetsuo’s path of power fantasy from a life of feeling powerless and impoverished really stuck with me. I think my only problem with the movie is that some of the english dub voices didnt fit at all, but it wasnt the end of the world, the experience was still pretty phenomenal.
Akira is a masterpiece, combining some of the greatest animation ever made, beautiful cyberpunk backgrounds and incredible themes about power, authoritarianism and transhumanism. A movie filled with incredible style and timeless, universal ideas that are sure to leave an impact on any who watch. Not to mention it has some harrowing sequences of body horror violence and a spectacular ending. Akira’s quality transcends anime and animation, its one of the greatest movies ever made and gets my highest recommendation!
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“Look, i think we got off on the wrong foot here-”
“That’s all you got lady, two wrong feet in fucking ugly shoes”
Now thats a fucking zinger
The film Erin Brockvich tells the story of the the titular character and her role in the legal case against PG&E corporation for their contamination of ground water that would cause hundreds of people to get sick and have cancer. One of my fave Soderbergh movies, helped by the fact that its a legal drama (which I always love). its just kind of perfectly paced and feels casually meticulous. The script is great, and really nails the disparity between well read “legalese” of lawyer talk and regular old laymens . I think it did a good job of summarizing the legal complexities of such a case in a way that anyone could understand.
This is all brought together by an amazing lead performance by Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich herself, whose well deserving of her oscar win. She’s a fiery, ionate, strongwilled badass. Her characters comion for her clients and her determination to get them the best possible legal outcome is incredibly endearing, especially as the movie makes it clear how hard she works for it and at the cost of her own family life. Its become almost a bit of a cliche for characters to suffer family issues because of a needy job, but here it feels well justified as they make it clear how much Erin does for her work. The ing and bit cast is all excellent, with an amazing ing performance by Albert Finney. He feels like he perfectly embodies a small-firm lawyer in that hes wealthy and intelligent but lacks people skills. He also adds a bit of fun humour, and makes for a perfect foil to Julia Roberts. The actual Erin Brockovich appears herself in the movie, thanks to my Mom for pointing that out.
I dont know anything about the true story of Erin Brockovich, but a quick google search indicates that the titular woman is an ardent activist and has litigated many similar cases of corporate mishandling of chemicals and waste. If even a fraction of its plot occurred, Erin Brockovich is a fucking hero who helped get money and medical care to a lot of sick people. The world needs more women like her able to inspire the common folk to stand up to evil corporations, and we could always use more movies exposing them. Erin Brockovich is a great legal drama telling a compelling story told by an incredible lead performance by Julia Roberts. Highly recommend!
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2025 Alphabet Challenge Letter E: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Previous: Dances with Wolves
What a crazy ride! Ive long been wanting to watch this and I dont think theres any way I could have been prepared for it. I love how the movie doesnt really have a concrete resolution and instead just commits to being a wild romance adventure, never trying to hold the audience’s hand as it goes through its surreal story.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an excellent sci-fi romance film portraying a strained relationship between the two leads and how they want to forget eachother. However, as Jim Carrey’s character goes through the process he learns just how precious his memories are, and that he clings to the good times with his partner, played by Kate Winslett, even in spite of the bad ones that made him want the procedure removing his memories in the first place. The story explores themes around memories, personalities and how they intertwine and effect one another. This was super fascinating, and told through a strange and non-linear story that goes through the highs and lows of a quirky pair and its left to the viewer’s interpretation whether they are a toxic couple or destined to be soulmates. Its a portrayal of love that is both bizarre and universally relatable.
The movies was technically excellent, and felt lile it may have been an inspiration for Everything, Everywhere, all at Once. Its commitment to bizarre imagery, surreal visuals and an unclear timeline make for an experience like no other that was super fun to watch. Its so enjoyable quirky you cant help but get swept up in it. This is helped by some very creative cinematography, which uses movement to build scenes and display characters emotions in ways that ive never seen before. The movie has a stacked cast including Kate Winslett, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson and Elijah Wood, and everyone did a great job. The standout for sure was Jim Carrey in one of his most profound roles. Pretty much every time he tried a dramatic role he nailed it, truly one of the best. The actors all deliver an amazing screenplay by Charlie Kaufman that tells a fascinating story about love, how it changes over time and how we perceive it both in the past and present. Really loved the open ending and the different ways you could view it.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a fantastic time. I love wierd and surreal movies with crazy imagery and this delivered on all of that, while also providing a touching and thought provoking love story. It was an interesting exploration of memories and how they make us who we are. An amazing time, highly recommend!
2025 Alphabet Challenge
Favourite First-Time Watches of 2025
Top 10 Movies of 2004
Pretty conflicted about this one. Its similar to Alex Garland’s last film, Civil War, and also shares many of the same strengths and weaknesses (my review of Civil War here).
I will start with the good, it looks and sounds incredible. The audio in this movie was fantastic, with the sounds of modern combat never being more potent, especially while in a theatre. All the tanks, gunfire, aircraft and such sounded authentic and powerful. Some great visuals, especially whenever they did a “show of force” which is kind of terrifying. All the actors in whats a pretty stacked cast of actors were great, with standouts being D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter and Joseph Quinn. All the actors got training to behave like navy seals and it showed, they felt like they were very competent soldiers with friendly camaraderie. There are some harrowing sequences of the violence of warfare and the intense situations of just waiting for things to start to get ugly, and in that sense the movie has its thrilling moments.
Now for the bad/unsure. Unlike Civil War, Warfare is portraying a real world event and so cannot hide behind the shield of fiction regarding the portrayal of the film’s political context. As a prelude, before watching this I had a fear that this movie would be propaganda for the Iraq war. Now all wars are stupid, but the Iraq war is particularly stupid and didnt need to happen. It was an invasion orchestrated by an American and British led coalition of countries (Not us tho!🇨🇦) on the notion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It did not, so essentially a bunch of countries just invaded a small nation for the sake of political reasons including oil, to try and make another puppet middle eastern country like Isreal, and to go towards the supposed war on terror. Yes Saddam Hussein was an awful dictator, but invading a country on the notion we can just say something is there that isnt is an awful precedent, and is felt even today as Donald Trump has been posing the idea of labelling illegal drugs as an act of terrorism, no doubt to justify military actions against Mexico and Canada. It was just a needless conflict that got a lot of people killed for the sake of politics that should not be celebrated or glorified.
The movie, unfortunately, explores little of the above complexity and is instead more of just a retelling of one crazy event without any of the greater context of the Iraq War, which makes it feel a little shallow. Its basically a really well made Call of Duty mission. But that is the tragedy of the conflict, none of the sad events in this movie needed to happen and could have easily been prevented by the US but the film makes no note of this. The closest it gets to any greater message or commentary is the Iraqi family that lives where the squad of soldiers is staying, and they do get brief moments to show an idea of military occupation and collateral damage. However, this family kinda feels like an afterthought in the overall movie, which considering the director was at the event doesnt look great. To be fair, it could be intentional that they were an afterthought, as a message that civilians often are forgotten in war, but again it feels wierd that the movie is doing this about the iraq war, as the Iraqi people are the ones being invaded on false premises and the main cast are the invading Americans. The movie ends on a tribute of praising the soldiers for answering the call, and i dont doubt or disagree with their bravery but this war did not need to happen, and makes the characters situation all the more tragic and pointless.
Overall, i think Alex Garland is much better at writing sci fi and horror than he is war. I just dont like his very sterile, context averse approach to portraying it. The movie looks and sounds amazing, and has some intense scenes portrayed by great actors, so like it does provide some entertainment. But its only entertaining if you can look past the broader conflict in Iraq and how that relates to the characters struggle, which id say is unwise to ignore. Seeing a lot of reviewers basically say this movie isnt about the Iraq war so we shouldnt focus on the greater conflict is absurd to me, like im just supposed to ignore why the Americans in the movie are there at all. I dont think war movies should be “turn your brain off” entertainment and i dont think thats what the directors wanted, but the severely neutral messaging makes it feel that way. Im growing a bit tired of the mindless-entertainment genre of movie and it feels like thats the vast majority of whats in theatres and on streaming lately. The hundreds of kids in costumes all in line to see Minecraft was a grim reminder of this, as that only seems to me like a soulless corporate cashgrab on brainrot memes and childrens love for an (ittedly great) video game. Maybe not the best comparison with this movie but the point stands.
Warfare is fine enough entertainment and an incredibly well made tribute to a group of American soldiers, but teeters dangerously on propaganda as the protagonists are invaders and the conflict they fought in was needless, causing both them and the citizens of Iraq unnecessary suffering. I encourage people to read up on the conflict for greater context themselves, as its unlikely Hollywood is going to give Iraq its perspective on the war.
]]>*That ive seen
]]>Adding as i collect them
- Dune: Part Two
- Jurassic Park
- The Abyss
- Longlegs
- Arcane: Bridging the Rift
- The Crow
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Baby Driver
- Bram Stoker's Dracula
- Stand by Me
...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The ever expanding collection of
physical media, all in alphabetical order
My Criterion Collection
My 4Ks
Must-have Wishlist
My Extended Wishlist
Latest Additions: The Fisher King (1991), Ghost in the Shell (1995), and the Substance (2024)
- 12 Angry Men
- Twelve Monkeys
- 300
- 1917
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- The Abyss
- The Addams Family
- Addams Family Values
- Akira
- Alien
...plus 365 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>One movie to watch for every letter of the Alphabet to complete by the end of 2025. Link to Reviews in each entry
*Adding as I watch them, cant spoil whats to come
- City of God
- Paris, Texas
- Blue Velvet
- Sorcerer
- Barry Lyndon
- Blow Out
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- The Apartment
- Come and See
...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- September 5
- Presence
- Paddington in Peru
- The Legend of Ochi
- Friendship
- The Phoenician Scheme
- The Life of Chuck
- F1 The Movie
- 28 Years Later
- Jurassic World Rebirth
...plus 18 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Review link in each entry
2025 Movies I still need/want to watch
- Sinners
- Bring Her Back
- Ne Zha 2
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Predator: Killer of Killers
- Mickey 17
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Black Bag
- Ballerina
- Eden
...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>*That ive seen
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Captain America: Civil War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Iron Man
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Black Panther
- Doctor Strange
...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Ice Age
- Scooby Doo
- The Bourne Identity
Need to see
- Chicago
- Adaptation
- Lawrence of Arabia
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Dune: Part Two
- Do the Right Thing
- Fargo
- Memories of Murder
- La La Land
- Unforgiven
- The Crow
- Starship Troopers
...plus 61 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>My top 100 favourite movies of all time. Not necessarily what i think are the best, just the movies I love the most. Changes every once in awhile.
Latest additions: Paris, Texas (1986)
The Many Honorable Mentions
- The Lord of the Rings
- Jurassic Park
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Alien
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Gladiator
- Schindler's List
- The Shawshank Redemption
- GoodFellas
- The Thing
...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>In alphabetical order
Wishlist
- 12 Angry Men
- Barry Lyndon
- Blow Out
- Blue Velvet
- Bound
- Dazed and Confused
- The Fisher King
- Godzilla vs. Biollante
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Malcolm X
...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- The Killer
- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
- Talk to me
Need to Watch
- Zone of Interest
- Past Lives
- Perfect Days
- American Fiction
Honorable Mentions
- Dunkirk
- Thor Ragnarok
- Wind River
- Mother
- Coco
Need to Watch
- Call Me By Your Name
- Phantom Thread
- Lady Bird
- Killing of a Sacred Deer
Need to see:
- Phantom Thread
- Call me by your Name
- Lady Bird
- Killing of a Sacred Deer
- Blade Runner 2049
- Get Out
- The Florida Project
- The Shape of Water
- War for the Planet of the Apes
- Paddington 2
- It
- Baby Driver
- The Death of Stalin
- Logan
...plus 37 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Need to Watch:
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Little Women
- Sound of Metal
- Doctor Sleep
- Frozen 2
- Parasite
- The Lighthouse
- Midsommar
- 1917
- Jojo Rabbit
- Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
- Avengers: Endgame
- Marriage Story
- Ford v Ferrari
- Uncut Gems
...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>*That i’ve seen
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Interstellar
- Whiplash
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Nightcrawler
- The Raid 2
- Gone Girl
- John Wick
- Kingsman: The Secret Service
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
...plus 39 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions:
- The Lego Movie
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Birdman
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- The Imitation Game
- Big Hero 6
- Chef
- The Babadook
Need to See
- What We Do in the Shadows
- As Above So Below
- Song of the Sea
*That ive seen
- The Lion King
- Alice in Wonderland
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Beauty and the Beast
- Treasure Planet
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Tangled
- Aladdin
- Lilo & Stitch
- Fantasia
...plus 32 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The movies that sometimes shift in and out of my Top 100, usually whenever I rewatch them.
Not in any order.
- Home Alone
- The Exorcist
- Fight Club
- Casino
- Annihilation
- The Descent
- The Departed
- First Blood
- Total Recall
- RoboCop
...plus 88 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The 15 (give or take) movies i must have to fill my display shelf. Adding films as i think of them
Blu Rays I already own
My extrended Wishlist (lower priority)
- The Substance
4K
- The Apartment
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- Toy Story
- Toy Story 2
- Toy Story 3
- The Iron Giant
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Mulholland Drive
Criterion
- Flow
...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Iron Man
- Gran Torino
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
- Step Brothers
- The Strangers
- Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Need to See
- Synecdoche, New York
- Ponyo
My Collection so far
My wishlist for Criterion editions of physical media
- Mulholland Drive
- Flow
- Seven Samurai
- In the Mood for Love
- Before Sunrise
- Before Sunset
- Before Midnight
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- Perfect Days
- Tampopo
...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions:
- The Favourite
- Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- Upgrade
- Under the Silver Lake
- Ready Player One
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Green Book
- Game Night
- Black Panther
- Aquaman
Need to Watch
- Roma
- Climax
- At Eternity’s Gate
Season 1 > Season 3 > Season 4/Season 2
- Love, Death & Robots: Zima Blue
- Love, Death & Robots: Jibaro
- Love, Death & Robots: Sonnie's Edge
- Love, Death & Robots: Bad Travelling
- Love, Death & Robots: Beyond the Aquila Rift
- Love, Death & Robots: The Secret War
- Love, Death & Robots: Good Hunting
- Love, Death & Robots: Swarm
- Love, Death & Robots: The Very Pulse of the Machine
- Love, Death & Robots: Ice
...plus 35 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>*That i’ve seen
- Arrival
- La La Land
- Moonlight
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Train to Busan
- The Nice Guys
- Your Name.
- Captain America: Civil War
- Moana
...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>1 row per year starting from 1999
- The Matrix
- Fight Club
- The Green Mile
- The Mummy
- Gladiator
- American Psycho
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Snatch
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Spirited Away
...plus 94 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Need to Watch:
- Roma
- Climax
- At Eternity’s Gate
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- Hereditary
- Annihilation
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Mandy
- Isle of Dogs
- A Quiet Place
- BlacKkKlansman
- Shadow
...plus 35 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions:
- Dr Strange
- Hell or High Water
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Split
- Lights Out
Need to Watch
- Manchester by the Sea
Need to Watch
- Aftersun
- Tar
- The Whale
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Northman
- The Batman
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Top Gun: Maverick
- RRR
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- The Menu
...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Hundreds of Beavers
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- The Brutalist
- Love Lies Bleeding
- Longlegs
- I Saw the TV Glow
- A Real Pain
- Didi
- Transformers One
- Kinds of Kindness
- Heretic
Need to Watch
- Memoir of a Snail
- Im Still Here
- Saturday Night
- The Apprentice
- We Live in Time
- The Promised Land
Movies where the struggle is solved by characters being very skilled and efficient at their jobs
- Apollo 13
- The Hunt for Red October
- The Martian
- Arrival
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
- The Fugitive
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- Moneyball
- Spotlight
...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Basically my extended physical media wishlist. From criterion classics to documentaries to nostalgic faves to guilty pleasures, everything i wouldnt mind owning is here. With my limited shelf space at the moment, these are movies id like to own but when i have soace for them, so they have lower priority than my must haves.
- The Death of Stalin
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
- Seven Psychopaths
- Rango
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Perfect Blue
- Ghost in the Shell
- Skyfall
- Brokeback Mountain
- Malcolm X
...plus 50 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>*That ive seen
]]>The greatest movies of the 2020s, or at least those that I think will age the best and stand the test of time. In no particular order.
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Dune: Part Two
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Top Gun: Maverick
- The Batman
- The Holdovers
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- The Substance
- The Father
- Anora
...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Dallas Buyer’s Club
- Coherence
- The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug
- The World’s End
- Frozen
- Oculus
- The Conjuring
- Evil Dead
Need to Watch
- Nebraska
- Under the Skin
Honorable Mentions
- Kill Bill Vol. 2
- Collateral
- Mean Girls
- The Aviator
- Hellboy
- Saw
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
- Napoleon Dynamite
Need to see:
- The Notebook
- The Machinist
*That ive seen
]]>Need to see:
- Zone of Interest
- Past Lives
- Perfect Days
- American Fiction
- Godzilla Minus One
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Holdovers
- Oppenheimer
- Poor Things
- John Wick: Chapter 4
- The Iron Claw
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Boy and the Heron
- Anatomy of a Fall
...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>That I’ve seen
- Schindler's List
- Jurassic Park
- Saving Private Ryan
- Jaws
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- Lincoln
- Catch Me If You Can
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park
...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>That I’ve seen
- Alien
- Gladiator
- Blade Runner
- Black Hawk Down
- The Martian
- The Last Duel
- Thelma & Louise
- Kingdom of Heaven
- American Gangster
- Alien: Covenant
...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Dune
- The French Dispatch
- The Green Knight
- The Last Duel
- Pig
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- The Tragedy of Macbeth
- No Time to Die
- Encanto
- The Suicide Squad
...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Honorable Mentions
- Power of the Dog
- Nobody
- Spiderman No Way Home
- Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings
- Malignant
Need to Watch
- Licorice Pizza
- Last Night in Soho
- The Black Phone
Honorable Mentions
- Nope
- Babylon
- Bones and All
- Avatar the Way of Water
- Triangle of Sadness
- Glass Onion
- Bullet Train
- Prey
Need to Watch
- Aftersun
- Tar
- The Whale
Honorable Mentions
- Klaus
- How to Train Your Dragon 3: the Hidden World
- The Irishmen
- Joker
- Knives Out
- John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum
Need to Watch
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Little Women
- Sound of Metal
- Doctor Sleep
- Frozen 2