Gene Hackman’s always so outrageously good.
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This review may contain spoilers.
In the original script/screenplay, Alejandro had around 90% more dialogue, a scene with a nude Kate, a dream sequence (pretty early in the movie) showing what happened to his wife and daughter, and only killed Alarcón.
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I have also adopted a black dog in Asia. Though, if a movie were made about my experience, it’d be a horror.
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Nice idea. Didn’t particularly work for me though. Mostly because I didn’t find it emotive at all.
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My expectations were sky high, but Anora still managed to exceed them. An absolutely brilliant movie. Genuinely hilarious, yet desperately sad. Totally wild, yet somehow very real. A real masterclass in moviemaking. All the performances are great, too, but Mikey Madison is truly outstanding as Ani. I already can’t wait to watch it again.
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The fucking songs, man…
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The first ten minutes did have me worried - the woke/hipster/arty-types are not my crowd - but, I’m glad I stuck with it because there was a lot to like about Rye Lane.
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“So, no salt, no pepper, nothing?”
“Nope. Just the natural flavours of the chicken. Boiling it really brings it out.”
The standout lines from a genuinely really funny movie.
Definitely the best performance I’ve seen from John Boyega. Jamie Foxx is always good, and has underrated comedic chops. But, Teyonah Parris stole the show for me. She’s awesome as Yo-Yo.
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Ozymandias’ backstory is not what I expected.
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I love Carrie Coon, man.
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Oliver Reed’s masterclass in the original makes me dislike Denzel’s performance in the sequel even more.
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Stain nailed the hand movements 👏🏼
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I think it’s impossible to make a cool vampire movie. They’re just too corny.
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It’s undeniably entertaining, but nowhere near as epic as the original. The story felt overly contrived, and actually became quite cheesy at times - particularly in the final act. As a result, I couldn’t emotionally invest in the same way that it is almost impossible not to in the original Gladiator.
Mescal’s performance as Lucius is alright, but certainly nothing on Crowe’s Maximus. In fact, I didn’t think any of the performances particularly stood out. Denzel seems to be getting a lot of love for his performance as Macrinus, but I’m not sure. He felt too cartoonish for a movie obviously trying to recapture the same tone as the original. Albeit failing at times.
Yet, despite the criticisms, as I’ve said, it is still a very entertaining movie, that I’d be happy to watch again.
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Somehow, I think id actually forgotten quite how absurd this is. But who cares when… Salma Hayek! Seriously, has anyone ever looked better than she looks in this?
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I’ve recently finished the book and watched the series (again), so I thought I’d complete the set and rewatch the movie as well. And while it’s not as good as the other two, I still love it.
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This review may contain spoilers.
I was only in Bangkok for a day, so was pretty excited to see this being screened for the World Film Festival of Bangkok - a classic that I’d not seen before.
But, while I guess I can understand why it’s heralded as one of the greats - it is a very well made and beautifully shot movie - I didn’t connect with it on an emotional level that would make it a favourite of mine.
A father returning after previously abandoning his son, to take him away from a loving, stable life with his aunty and uncle, to drop him off with his estranged mother (who also previously abandoned him), only to abandon him again is just too exasperating for me.
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As a (former) writer myself, there have been many, many times when I’ve had an idea, started to write, then stopped myself because it’s not actually a good idea.
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This didn’t particularly work for me.
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So comfortingly British.
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Saniyya Sidney as Venus is the star of the show here.
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Investigative journalism is such a strong movie sub-genre.
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James Cameron: "We're pretending the other films (Terminator 3, Salvation & Genisys) were a bad dream.”
Well, this must be a fucking nightmare then.
Despite every character being extremely unlikeable, this is undeniably entertaining.
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Although her character was only 15, Anne Hathaway was in fact 18 during filming. So, thankfully, it’s not technically noncey to fancy her in this. Just creepy.
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Stop crying and suck on her tit, man.
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For better or worse, I see so much of myself in Harry. This movie has been such a big part of my life, he’s basically been a father figure to me.
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Fifi deserved better anyway.
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The cinema was packed, and all the kids were loving it. That’s what it’s all about.
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I kinda feel bad for everyone involved. I just know they’ll all be thinking that they’ve played their part in making something special.
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Kylo eats those lightsaber shots for breakfast.
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Would be interested to know if any women ever found 12-year-old me desirable.
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James Cameron liking this is even more outrageous than the movie itself.
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It’s certainly not great, maybe not even good, but at least it’s not bad. And it introduced me to Moon Bloodgood, so there’s that.
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This review may contain spoilers.
It’s certainly bleaker than the remake. Surprisingly though, I don’t think it’s better.
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I love anything that makes me feel this proud to be from the English countryside.
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So many filmmakers try and fail to make even one of the type of movies Alexander Payne has an entire filmography of.
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Why do the two Judys (Michael Michele and Shalom Harlow) feel so familiar, when they’ve both been in so few movies? Have I watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days too many times?
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Like a lot of Korean movies, Project Silence is just too Korean.
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This review may contain spoilers.
Even at its worst (the epilogue), Strange Darling is a good movie. At its best, it’s absolutely awesome. I’m a sucker for non-linear storytelling, but recognise it’s often nothing more than a gimmick. Here, it’s executed to perfection.
Excellent direction, cinematography, sound and performances, Strange Darling has to be one of the surprises of the year.
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Even after all that, I think I still fancy P’Mo.
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My expectations were not high. At all. Yet, this was still shockingly bad.
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This review may contain spoilers.
Blink twice if you understand the final scene.
Me: 👀
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This review may contain spoilers.
No one’s buying an AI Megan Fox and not banging it. No one.
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This review may contain spoilers.
I think the criticisms of this one are unfair. Yes, tonally, it does feel like it shifts around a lot. But, I could argue that’s intentional. Despite the heavy subject matter, not every part of Lily’s story has to be filled with misery and dread. And the only dialogue I found particularly jarring was that of Ryle - mostly in the first act while trying to put the moves on Lily. Yet, despite his lines making me do that pre-vomit gag, I know there are plenty of guys out there who definitely operate from the same playbook. Some of the music choices though, I cannot defend.
Ultimately, a really good Blake Lively performance, and total emotional investment in her character, made It Ends with Us a movie that I am surprised I liked as much as I did.
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I’d been really excited for this since first hearing about it. But, at the same time, sceptical that it might be closer in quality to the last four Alien movies, rather than the original two.
I’d also not seen any of Fede Álvarez’s movies, but understood he’s building a reputation for himself as a very talented horror director. And if his previous work is as good as Alien: Romulus, I can see why. This was comfortably the best Alien movie since the original two.
It looked and sounded amazing (shoutout to Blade Runner 2049 composer Benjamin Wallfisch). So much so that I wish I’d have visited Bangkok a week later so I could have seen it in IMAX.
Most of the performances are only fine (at best), but David Jonsson as Andy, and particularly Cailee Spaeny as Rain, were great.
I was half tempted to give this 4*, but given I’ve currently got Alien and Aliens rated at 4*, that didn’t seem right. I’ll definitely watch this again soon though, so maybe then.
Finally, the poster. Simple, but awesome.
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Excited to see what lies ahead for the trio of Ripley, Hicks and Newt…
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A nice family movie*.
*if the men of the house can keep their Johansserections at bay 🍆
The writer has spent the day in bed watching Interstellar, The Fountain, The Last Samurai (and lesbian porn), and thrown this script together.
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Relentlessly bleak. Even when you get a momentary break from the stresses of the intense sights and sounds of NYC, there is instead an inescapable misery to every scene. Excellent direction and cinematography, coupled with fantastic performances from Tye Sheridan and Sean Penn, make Asphalt City one of the most pleasant* cinema surprises I’ve had in a while.
*definitely not the right word for this movie
]]>- When Harry Met Sally...
- Heat
- Se7en
- The Big Lebowski
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Memento
- Vanilla Sky
- Lost in Translation
- Juno
- (500) Days of Summer
...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>DISCLAIMER: This is not necessarily my favourite movie per year, just my highest rated per year. I only rate movies as I log them. Hopefully one day it will more closely resemble my favourite movie per year.
- Dune: Part Two
- The Creator
- Nope
- Dune
- Tenet
- Marriage Story
- Annihilation
- Blade Runner 2049
- Arrival
- Sicario
...plus 44 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
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