Maybe I went in with too low of expectations, considering I had heard this was the worst in the series, and this is by far my least favorite book. But man did I vibe with this! David Slade brings a violence and menace to the series I hadn't realized it was missing, and Howard Shore's score perfectly underlines all the melodrama and big emotions.
Also continue to be delighted by how strongly Team Jacob the audience at Wealthy Theater is! Maybe it's just that Stewart has better chemistry with Lautner than with Pattinson (that kiss on the top of the mountain is incredible!), but I think I've been fully won over.
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This worked so much better for me the second time around! The comedic moments really hit watching it with friends, and a couple of the emotional moments got me close to tearing up.
I continue to be fascinated by the arc of this film. The lack of a central protagonist doesn't always work for me. But the mix of triumph and tragedy, and the bittersweet yet subtly devastating ending, make this unlike pretty much any other environmental film.
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Loved the energy!
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A masterpiece of tension, and a phenomenal feature debut! Some of the most thrilling action I've ever seen, made even more impressive by the limited budget.
I could have done without some of the narration, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much of this plays out without dialogue.
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Honestly, didn't hate this. I've spent the better part of the year reading/watching Twilight, so it's nice to see one of these cheesy romance movie that treats abuse as a problem, not part of the fantasy. It is a lesson a lot of people (including the director/co-star of this film, apparently) could stand to learn.
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It definitely feels longer than it is, but its exploration of burial/exhumation rituals, spirituality, and Korean history are so captivating, I didn't mind too much.
And that's not to mention the great performances, gorgeous cinematography, incredible tension, and gnarly effects!
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I need the next movie to be about Shimo and Mothra having a girls' night.
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This review may contain spoilers.
Overall very good, but why did Orlock look like the greasy henchman to a Russian gangster. So much less effective than the original design.
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The story never grabbed me, but the production design and sense of place was phenomenal! I know this is an idealized portrayal of Kowloon, but damn if it wasn't effective!
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A mixed bag, though one where the balance generally falls towards the positive.
The animation leaves a bit to be desired, perhaps because of the rushed production. And the constant callbacks to the Jackson trilogy (up to and including copy-pasted lines of dialogue) make it difficult for this film to stand on its own merits.
But there are moments where this breaks out of the shadow of its franchise, offering a different perspective on Middle Earth, more in line with some of the darker, more Shakespearian stories found in The Silmarillion.
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Watched on Sunday December 22, 2024.
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Surprisingly great follow-up that pulls off a similar balancing act to the first. Though the way it treats gender non-conformity flies in the face of its broader message of self-acceptance
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I like how much time they spend with redeemed Scrooge at the end
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Almost makes you forget that wine doesn't actually taste good.
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I like the imaginative moments of editing and production design, and the performances are all very good. But this is the epitome of schmaltzy mid-2000s Miramax Oscar-bait biopics
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The visuals are phenomenal, the performances are strong, and the story is such a rich exploration of its premise and the implications therein.
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From Wikipedia:
]]>In April 2022, Carrey announced that he was considering retirement, saying: "I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough." He said he would return if he were offered a script that he felt would be "really important for people to see". In February 2024, it was announced that Carrey would reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
That sure was an expensive baby...
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This review may contain spoilers.
Love the 'Gift of the Magi' subversion! Strips the meaning from the original story so shamelessly I can't help but admire it!
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I get that it's inherently a bit difficult to sell why Kris would attack someone. But having him go full Bugs Bunny sociopath in front of an audience of children is the most insane direction they could have taken that!
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Some day, someone is going to innovate a way to make biopics that come in under 140 minutes. I dream of that day.
That said, by keeping its focus tight, creating thematic through-lines that feel unique to Hughes's life, and employing nifty visual tricks (I especially loved the colors in the first hour), this manages to rise above the bland slop that defines the biopic genre.
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Okay, yeah. This is the superior version. Glad I finally got around to seeing it!
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Watched on Monday December 16, 2024.
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Every one of these people needs therapy.
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I need a hot snowman to come and fix all the problems in my life
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A fascinating story told well. The flashbacks and flash forwards felt a little disjointed from the rest. But Kendrick has a phenomenal control over tone and tension
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An odd artifact of the 2000s.
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A gorgeously animated, moving little tribute to creative partnership and friendship. Makes me wish I could draw
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I find it fascinating that this even exists in the first place, and I love the bold swings it takes, the beautiful production design, and the resonant themes. And the restraint it shows as it explores these themes is incredible: trusting the audience to interpret and extrapolate what it is trying to say.
But that restraint also makes this film less enthralling than it maybe should be. Especially given the slow pacing and general lack of exciting moments.
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Gorgeous!
The story was unfocused in a way I struggled to fully get invested in, but everything around it is so gorgeous it almost doesn't matter.
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Absolutely bonkers! Incredibly gross! And yet somehow an absolute blast! Especially anytime it goes full hagsploitation or creature-feature!
I don't know if I've ever had this much fun watching a movie I spent so much time hiding behind my hands for (if you don't like needles, be warned)
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It has a very strong premise, and Dastmalchien gives a captivating central performance. But this thing plays out pretty much exactly how you would expect it to.
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Definitely understand why this was so beloved when it came out. And why it isn't quite as beloved now. It has some great moments, interesting visuals, and a phenomenal soundtrack. But it doesn't have nearly as much depth as it thinks it does, especially when it comes to Portman's character.
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The first 30 minutes are chaos incarnate: a baffling barrage of insane visuals and jarring editing. But it very quickly loses momentum as it devolves into a supremely boring chamber piece with painfully slow ballads.
A trio of better songs nearer the end (particularly Skimbleshanks, which might be the only genuinely good part of this entire film), help bring some of the energy back. Yet overall, this is still far too boring for me to actually enjoy its insanity (even if I do enjoy portions of it). Maybe I just need to see it with a crowd?
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Watched on Wednesday December 11, 2024.
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I am Genuinely surprised by how pointed its criticisms of the church are. Not to mention the parallels it draws between nazism and "Trump-ism". It feels especially timely post-election, as US Americans face the same questions Bonhoeffer and his contemporaries did.
Yet the film is also a misrepresentation of Bonhoeffer's theology and his role in certain events. And I find it odd how this film has been marketed towards and embraced by the very people it so plainly criticizes, which makes me a little skeptical as to the effectiveness of its message.
As to the quality separate from its political motives, this is a pretty standard biopic. The performances are phenomenal, the writing is passable, and it has some moving scenes, as well as some unintentionally silly ones.
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Gorgeous, emotional, and profound in its simplicity. The visuals are pretty indie video-gamey, but there are moments of genuine splendor. And the story and characters shine through, even without dialogue to push the plot forward.
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Sometimes what you need is to watch a nice rom-com where you know everything is going to work out in the end. And between the phenomenal performances, incredible production design, fun writing, and genuine heartfelt moments, this feels like the wagyu of rom-coms.
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I admire the ambition, but the writing is pretentiously bad, the visuals are over-cranked in a way that makes everything look cheap, and this kind of music really isn't my style.
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Watched on Friday December 6, 2024.
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It gets perhaps a bit repetitious at the end, but its overall message comes through.
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Gorgeously animated, though the plot is both tough to follow and incredibly unengaging. Maybe it's just that I don't like the "boy loses girl" storyline, but I felt like there were so many more interesting directions to take this basic premise and world.
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A fascinating film. It paints with a very broad brush, and its aim is extremely scattershot. It gets lost in digressions and tangents, especially in the second half. But its bold musical numbers, operatic tone, and trio of phenomenal central performances, shine through nonetheless.
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Surprisingly not bad? I laughed a few times, and the social commentary (while a bit surface-level) worked pretty well. It definitely has issues, but I don't think this deserves such a bad reputation.
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What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for by being pure campy fun with a side of social commentary!
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The animation is phenomenal, but the story and characters are incredibly uncompelling.
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It has its moments, but like most "enlightened centrism," this is ultimately just a defense of the status-quo disguised as a "both sides bad" satire.
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A fascinating, thrifty little film that assumes the audience is intelligent enough to follow it. It struggles a bit to create emotional stakes, but the way it reveals information and explores ideas is incredibly engaging to watch.
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Jamie Foxx's performance is phenomenal, but the film around him falls into the well-worn biopic structure, further hampered by a lengthy runtime.
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Loved this when it was about gay twinks, their scene-stealing pet monkey, and a chaotic bisexual swishing around in his ornate tunics!
Liked this when it was about Pedro Pascal being a sweetheart.
Didn't love this when it was about some boring guy being angry and fighting while having flashbacks to the first movie.
Also, how do you make a naval colosseum battle with ships and sharks kinda dull? Or did I just go in with too big of expectations?
]]>- Crash
- Brick
- The Squid and the Whale
- MirrorMask
- Constantine
- The Descent
- Murderball
- Good Night, and Good Luck.
- Capote
- Pride & Prejudice
...plus 85 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- Spirited Away
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Whisper of the Heart
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Porco Rosso
- Castle in the Sky
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Princess Mononoke
...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Jaws
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Duel
- The Fabelmans
- Catch Me If You Can
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- The Adventures of Tintin
- Jurassic Park
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- I Saw the TV Glow
- Conclave
- The Wild Robot
- Evil Does Not Exist
- The Substance
- Dune: Part Two
- Exhuma
- Flow
- Trap
- Hit Man
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Village
- Mean Girls
- Spider-Man 2
- Tropical Malady
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Barbie as The Princess & the Pauper
- The Chronicles of Riddick
- Kill Bill: Vol. 2
- Shaun of the Dead
- Shrek 2
...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Don't read too much in to the rankings. This has gotten too unwieldy to handle, so I only really worry about the top and bottom of the list, and just sort everything else by my star rating
- I Saw the TV Glow
- Monster
- The Power of the Dog
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Cloud Atlas
- Moonlight
- C.R.A.Z.Y.
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Cabaret
...plus 230 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- I Saw the TV Glow
- Monster
- Women Talking
- The Power of the Dog
- Wolfwalkers
- Little Women
- Suspiria
- Okja
- Moonlight
- Mad Max: Fury Road
...plus 43 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Inferno
- Cannibal Holocaust
- Cruising
- The Fog
- Coal Miner's Daughter
- Nijinsky
- Kagemusha
- Fame
- The Blues Brothers
- Dressed to Kill
...plus 230 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Only including the ones I've seen recently enough to remember well.
- Beauty and the Beast
- Bambi
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Sleeping Beauty
- The Little Mermaid
- Zootopia
- Lilo & Stitch
- Treasure Planet
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Cinderella
...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Girlfight
- Punks
- Urbania
- The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
- Mysterious Object at Noon
- Uzumaki
- Wonder Boys
- Mission to Mars
- Erin Brockovich
- Final Destination
...plus 254 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- X2
- Tokyo Godfathers
- Elephant
- The Matrix Revolutions
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1
- In the Cut
- Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Winter's Bone
- Legion
- Boy
- Exit Through the Gift Shop
- The Kids Are All Right
- Shutter Island
- Greenberg
- The Illusionist
- Kick-Ass
- Poetry
...plus 160 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- The Company of Wolves
- I Saw the TV Glow
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Beauty and the Beast
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Okja
- The Power of the Dog
- The Village
...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Agatha All Along
- Eternals
- Avengers: Endgame
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- The Avengers
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Black Panther
- WandaVision
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
...plus 36 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Signs
- Far from Heaven
- Panic Room
- 28 Days Later
- Lilo & Stitch
- Blade II
- Treasure Planet
- City of God
- The Bourne Identity
...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Tremors
- Nightbreed
- Pretty Woman
- Dances with Wolves
- Dick Tracy
- Cry-Baby
- Ju Dou
- Dreams
- Wild at Heart
- Total Recall
...plus 282 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- WALL·E
- Toy Story 2
- Luca
- Coco
- The Incredibles
- Monsters, Inc.
- Finding Nemo
- Ratatouille
- Inside Out 2
- Soul
...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Spirited Away
- Ocean's Eleven
- Amélie
- The Devil's Backbone
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- Mulholland Drive
- Y Tu Mamá También
- The Royal Tenenbaums
...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- X2
- Spider-Man 2
- Batman Returns
- Blade II
- Superman
- The Suicide Squad
- The Batman
- The Incredibles
- Batman
- Avengers: Endgame
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- X2
- X-Men: First Class
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Logan
- Deadpool 2
- X-Men
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- The New Mutants
- The Wolverine
- X-Men: The Last Stand
...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Dunwich Horror
- M*A*S*H
- Patton
- The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
- Airport
- The Boys in the Band
- Ryan's Daughter
- Multiple Maniacs
- A Touch of Zen
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
...plus 190 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Alien
- Aliens
- Predator
- Predator 2
- Alien³
- Alien Resurrection
- AVP: Alien vs. Predator
- Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
- Predators
- Prometheus
...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Asteroid City
- The French Dispatch
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Isle of Dogs
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Rushmore
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Batman Returns
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- Edward Scissorhands
- Sleepy Hollow
- Batman
- Frankenweenie
- Beetlejuice
- Dumbo
- Corpse Bride
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Parasite
- Little Women
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Knives Out
- Doctor Sleep
- Us
- Long Day's Journey into Night
- Monos
- Honeyland
- A Hidden Life
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Suspiria
- Burning
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- The Favourite
- Free Solo
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Rift
- BlacKkKlansman
- A Simple Favor
- Upgrade
...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Okja
- Lady Bird
- Call Me by Your Name
- The Shape of Water
- Alien: Covenant
- Get Out
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Goodbye Christopher Robin
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
- God's Own Country
...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Handmaiden
- Moonlight
- Silence
- The Lobster
- Manchester by the Sea
- American Honey
- Handsome Devil
- Zootopia
- Nocturnal Animals
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- TRON: Legacy
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Inception
- True Grit
- Black Swan
- The Social Network
- The Secret of Kells
- Easy A
- The King's Speech
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
- The Shape of Water
- Pan's Labyrinth
- The Devil's Backbone
- Nightmare Alley
- Blade II
- Hellboy II: The Golden Army
- Crimson Peak
- Cronos
- Pacific Rim
...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Blackhat
- Tangerine
- Dope
- Shaun the Sheep Movie
- Songs My Brothers Taught Me
- The Invitation
- Trainwreck
- Furious 7
- Krisha
- Maggie
...plus 30 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Women Talking
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
- The Northman
- Avatar: The Way of Water
- White Noise
- Bones and All
- The Batman
- Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
- Close
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Andrei Rublev
- Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
- Born Free
- Bunny Lake Is Missing
- Bye Bye Birdie
- The Brides of Dracula
- Cactus Flower
- Cat Ballou
- The Damned
...plus 115 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Village
- Signs
- Old
- Lady in the Water
- Split
- Trap
- Unbreakable
- The Sixth Sense
- Knock at the Cabin
- Wide Awake
...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
- Over the Garden Wall
- Boys
- Interstellar
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Spring
- Gone Girl
- Under the Skin
- The Boxtrolls
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Memento
- What Lies Beneath
- Joint Security Area
- Almost Famous
- Werckmeister Harmonies
- The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
- Billy Elliot
- Love & Basketball
- What Women Want
- Unbreakable
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Stromboli
- Orpheus
- The Strange Ones
- In a Lonely Place
- Father of the Bride
- Treasure Island
- Sunset Boulevard
- All About Eve
- The Young and the Damned
- King Solomon's Mines
...plus 135 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
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