Reviews

Oliver as always did a good piece and made me feel a little better in this terrible time. How is a comedian a more reasonable person than the President? We are screwed.

Only part I skipped was the Elizabeth Warren cameo which was cringe, but Daniel had great energy. The rest of the cast was really off tonight and didn't seem to bring all they had (with the exception of Daniel) and was disappointed with Rachel Dratch returning as Debbie Downer, not a single person broke and i feel like that just was cause Rachel didn't give it her all. I don't know, disappointing episode. Now I gotta wait till November for No Time to Die.

As usual, the members of IMDb have no idea what they're talking about. Mulaney is great as usual, while it might be the weakest of his hosting gigs, it's still a great episode with no weak sketches. I was also glad Che finally got his "First Black Man To Boo Jackie Robinson" sketch on air.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen any of Sang-soo's other films but Right Now, Wrong Then left me cold and unimpressed. I can see the appeal this film has but I personally found the film a tad annoying. It feels more like a South Korean remake of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby that admittedly was more interesting than The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. I was also surprised to see Lady Hideko here. Kim Min- Hee is one of few things that are great about the film, even if she wasn't as impressive as she was in The Handmaiden. If you like the director you might like Right Now, Wrong Then but I was overall just left cold with the film.

I'm surprised that no one ever says that 2011 is one of the best years in film history. We got films like Drive, The Tree of Life, Beginners, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Bernie, and of course Steve McQueen's magnum opus, Shame. After being impressed with his Oscar Winning film, 12 Years A Slave, I was extremely excited to see his other films. More specifically this one. After this I am on board the Steve McQueen train for as long as it's in function.

For years I've been convinced that Michael Fassbender is the next Marlon Brando and never has a film until Shame proved to me why I find that to be true. The way Fassbender lets himself be one with his character truly fascinates me. Not many actors would truly expose themselves like Fassbender does in this film. His character Brandon is a mess of a man. He lets sex drive him in every part of his life. But he can't escape it. He's in too deep. How is it even possible for Carey Mulligan to be in 2 masterpieces in one year?! While I love Carey in Drive I think Shame has her best performance not only of that year, but of all time. She's fragile, but strong. She's the glue to Brandon's messed up life and she won't go away because she knows as his sister that's her duty. Such a forceful and heart wrenching performance.

McQueen as a director is truly a visionary. If I were to describe how great his directing is we'd be here for days. The camera is not a separate object in this world but a connection for us to feel these characters. We feel their movements, their sexual desires, their disconnection of the outside world, and their inner sadness. We let the movie control us like Brandon's desires control him.

I know a 9/10 seems low for how much I am praising this film but that will probably change once I rewatch it. If you have yet to watch Shame do yourself a favor and get on it quick. A great contender for one of the best films of the decade.

Being the Linklater fan that I am I was quite shocked to see him do a Science Fiction film. While I love him he doesn't seem like the type of director that could pull off a film like this when I think of Phillip K. Dick or Science Fiction in general. But surprisingly Linklater makes one of the most mind bendingly masterful science fiction films that I have ever seen. A Scanner Darkly is a film that before you go in you have to get prepared to have your mind blown. That's all I can really say because my mind is spinning after watching this.

The animation is truly magnificent as it seems almost real because technically it is. Linklater shot all of this in live action and had an animation team animate over the actors. That's insane! Surprisingly even though this takes place in the future (2013 to be exact) it's quite shocking how Linklater realistically portrayed what the world would look like in that span of time. It isn't a grimy post apocalypse look or an Orwellian utopia, if anything it looks like how the present is.

As expected the performances are great with some funny lines that Linklater always has. Keanu plays a character I can only describe as Neo in the present day but instead of leading the war on machines he's leading the war on drugs. Robert Downey Jr. feels reminiscent of Hunter T. Thompson with his erratic behavior and insane characteristics. Woody Harrelson is great as usual playing a pretty believable stoner which only makes me wonder if this is Woody in real life. Winona Ryder is great in her even more mind bending role in this film. I won't give away what's so mind bending about it so I'll just say this, Winona Ryder is very pretty.

If I had to compare the complexities of the story A Scanner Darkly is as complicated as Inherent Vice but even more so at points and I think that's what Linklater was going for. You are Bob in this film. You're slowly losing your mind as you go down this rabbit hole of drugs and madness. Linklater captures Phillip K. Dick's paranoid mind set that is shown in his other work vividly. I know Kaufman was involved with the project very early on but surprisingly I'd say that no one could have done a better job than Linklater on this project. I think this is possibly Linklater's most profound piece next to Boyhood.

If you seek for a Science Fiction film that will truly get you thinking look no further than A Scanner Darkly. Linklater's most under appreciated film proves that he can stretch beyond the bounds of what we're used to seeing with him (which I still love). Come for the brain churning visuals, stay for the mind twisting story.

Studio: All right, Spike. What do you got for us? Spike Lee: OK so let's do an Oldboy remake! Studio: OK that's great and doesn't sound like a complete waste of time! So tell us some of the changes you'll be making. Spike Lee: OK so let's make Oh Dae Su's name Joe! Studio: Sure! Why not?! Spike Lee: Let's also make Oh Dae Su in this version basically Superman where he feels no pain from every stab or punch. Studio: But wouldn't that take away the tension of every scene, making the action scenes look more like they came out of a video game rather than people actually fighting. Spike Lee: Hold on! Let me continue! Studio: OK. Spike Lee: Remember how Oh Dae Su was just a troubled man and more relatable before being kidnapped in the original? Studio: Mhm. Spike Lee: Let's make him an unlikable asshole! Studio: But why? Spike Lee: So we can "Americanize" the film and completely ignore the necessary South Korean culture of the original. Studio: K. Spike Lee: Remember that sex scene in the original Oldboy that was motivated? Studio: Yeah. Spike Lee: How about we don't do that? Studio: What do you mean? Spike Lee: Let's just do it completely unmotivated with these two characters who are "Oh Dae Su" and "Mi-do" that have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever or any hints at a romance at all! Studio: You're losing me, Spike. Spike Lee: Wait! I got one more thing! Studio: This better be good. Spike Lee: OK so remember the villain of the original Oldboy and how threatening he was since he was played by such a menacing actor. Studio: So you got Jake Gyllenhaal to play him! Spike Lee: No. Studio: Jared Leto? Spike Lee: No! Studio: Then who? Spike Lee: Sharlto Copley. Studio: That sounds awful, Spike. Spike Lee: But I made Do The Right Thing so this has to be good! Studio: That was 30 years ago, man. Get over it. Spike Lee: But it has Josh Brolin! Studio: *$$ eyes appear* GREENLIT!

Not the craziest film content wise, that award goes to The Neon Demon, but definitely the craziest film storytelling wise. Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden is almost as good as the film that put him on the map, Oldboy, and brings such ferocity and energy that it will be one of the most unforgettable films of 2016.

Think of The Handmaiden as The Duke of Burgundy F'd Up Edition. This film is pretty twisted in the most unexpected ways from the cinematography that is very reminiscent of Possession in that it always keeps moving, eroticism that is reminiscent of Blue is the Warmest Color, performances as spellbinding as Carol, and the insanity of Park Chan- Wook as expected.

The cinematography is some of the most entrancing of the year. Shots that look like they came out of The Master. It's shots like these that make me wonder how was this even possible? It looks so damn cool!

The performances are perfect in sucking you into this world of erotica, selfishness, and trickery. Both female leads were fantastic. Min-hee Kim and Kim Tae-ri are amazing with sharing their sexual tension with the audience watching. It's films like these that are the most memorable. Making you feel how ther characters are feeling. Jung-woo Ha and Jin- woong Jo were great as these sexually and financially repressed men who do the most screwed up things to feel the pleasure they so desire. Nothing wrong with the cast at all.

Of course Park Chank-Wook hits it out of the part with directing. How else would this immaculate vision be done without him niche for detail. He always knows exactly what to do to get an emotion out of his audience and I applaud him for that.

The only negative is that during the middle briefly the pacing slows down a lot and it became really unbearable because I wanted to know exactly what was going to happen next. Thankfully it doesn't last that long and it's really minor that probably won't affect others viewings.

If you have any interest in The Handmaiden or you've just heard about it for the first time I strongly suggest checking this out as soon as it comes out. I'll definitely re watch it when it releases in theaters. Easily one of the best films of the year and one I hope to re watch soon.

Remember the Academy Award winning film Crash and how everyone thought it was the worst Best Picture winner of all time? How everyone hated it because it was very one sided on its views on racism and how even though it was against stereotypes it itself was stereotypical? That's how I feel with Zootopia, which has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, but not to the extent of Crash. While Zootopia has good cast and a fun feel it suffers from a bland story, ho-hum characters, and a very uninteresting take on racism. Nothing in the film really ever makes it stand out from other Disney film. If it didn't talk about racism then no one would be singing it's praises.

Zootopia starts out with an unnecessary backstory right at the beginning about how the world works in a play that the main character, Judy Hopps, is in. Zootopia is the city in the universe of this film where Predator and Prey live together in harmony. Judy Hopps is the first rabbit to join the police force and is trying to solve a recent case where Predators are being kidnapped. With the help of a red fox con artist, Nick Wilde, they uncover a conspiracy that'll shake the people of Zootopia. Too bad I wasn't shaking because I didn't really care for the characters or the story of Zootopia. I'm not trying to be harsh but I can't hide the fact that I don't get easily invested in stories that are beat to beat generic stories. If you have ever seen a detective film then you have basically seen Zootopia. It does nothing new with what's given and feels like Crash with animals.

I hear that many people love how the film talked about racism but it didn't get extremely in depth with it. Just because you talk about prejudice doesn't make your film amazing. When Zootopia talks about racial prejudice it never bring up anything interesting or new. It just says "racism is bad". Agreeing with a certain political or social issue doesn't mean the film is great. I liked Blue is the Warmest Color but I would still give it a 7/10. Just talking about social issues isn't enough to make your film one of the highest rated films of the year. A movie that talked about racism perfectly is Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. It said that racism is a complicated subject matter and that some people say something is racist just to get their racism out on others. It never agrees with one side and lets you decide what is right. Zootopia never goes deep into these issues as much as it should to make an interesting story.

The best part of Zootopia the cast by far. Ginnifer Goodwin has always been a good actress and she brings a lot of enthusiasm to the character of Judy Hopps. Same goes for Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde. I absolutely loved his character at many parts of the film and gave me a smile each time I saw him on screen. The other great actors in the film are sadly wasted, J.K. Simmons is an actor that I have appreciated ever since Spider-Man and I started following more of him after his Oscar- winning role in Whiplash, so I am always extremely disappointed whenever any film wastes him like in the tragic Terminator Genisys. Idris Elba plays a very generic chief but it never goes anywhere new or fun. I personally would have loved to see Elba have more fun and do more stereotypical Chief moments in Zootopia. But there isn't a terrible performance in this film. Disney never disappoints when it comes to voice acting and Zootopia is no exception.

Zootopia, while disappointing, is still a fun film that Disney fans will definitely get a kick out of. While it would be great to see Disney tread off the seemingly long and winding generic road they are able to squeeze as much magic in their films as possible. If they do ever make a sequel or decide to talk about other social issues in future films hopefully they can do something risky that will truly make the film exceptional. Maybe not the go to movie to see this year but definitely something to check out.

A film like this has some great ideas in its head. What if you could go inside the head of one of the most underrated actors of all time, John Malkovich? That's a question that you've probably never thought of but wish you did after seeing one of the best films of the 20th century, Being John Malkovich. Easily a movie that could only be written by the one and only genius madman himself Charlie Kaufman and directed by the other genius madman Spike Jonze. The genius of this film is the subtext surrounding itself. Being John Malkovich is a film about identity, longing, the complexities of the mind and what we really want out of life.

The film starts with Craig Schwartz, played by John Cusack, using a marionette puppet destroying his property around him. The puppet looks strikingly like Schwartz and in that one scene we see the complexities and possessiveness of Cusack's character in just one scene. Being John Malkovich is about said puppeteer, Craig Schwartz, who gets work at office 7 ½ discovers a doorway in his office that when entering inside of it allows you to be in the mind of John Malkovich. But as the film progresses Schwartz is finding out more and more about the people he loves as he delves in more into the psyche of Malkovich. The wonderfully original script by Charlie Kaufman who has written some of my favorite movies, Adaptation, Anomalisa, and my personal favorite of his Synecdoche, New York. It's funny how I have just found the time to watch what has now just become, in the matter of a few hours, one of my favorite films of all time. It's mix of drama and comedy makes this a standout of any film that will ever exist. Being John Malkovich is a triumph to the world in saying that crazy can make the world a better more brighter place for film.

Spike Jonze has impressed me ever since I saw his marvelous romance film, Her, and by seeing his directorial debut it shows me that Jonze has never lost that spark of creativity or brilliance that was shown to the world in 1999. It's shocking to realize that this was his first feature film and has topped many people's favorite films of all time. I can see a bit of what Kaufman and Jonze would bring to the world in the next decade. In a way Jonze and Kaufman is making us the audience Craig Schwartz. By letting us infer on what they want to show us and what the characters in their movie are trying to express but can't with the possessiveness of Schwartz. It's truly fantastic that a movie can let us feel what we want to feel rather than how we feel. I haven't gotten into this as much but Being John Malkovich is one of the funniest dark comedies I have ever seen in my life. It has a great mesh of it and isn't always hilariously goofy or always grimly dark but a good mixture of the two that will never be replicated. Much like the performances in this that will never be replicated.

This movie is filled with career bests for everyone in the cast. John Cusack, Catherine Keener, Cameron Diaz, and the one and only John Malkovich give mind boggling prowess to their roles. As mentioned previously Cusack can easily bring a complexity to a character that you should hate but you don't because of his empatheticness and possessiveness. He bends the ways of how the audience sees him to try to paint a false idol of what he wants to be but isn't. Sadly he explores the part in us humans that we can never escape from, not getting what we think we deserve. Schwartz goes crazy mad when he spills his heart and guts for a woman that couldn't care less about him. Diaz has the best performance of her career in this film. She brings the side of humanity of trying to find out who we are and are we actually being honest to ourselves or are we just trying to change ourselves so that we can be the best for other and not what's best for us. But the standout of this is the titular actor/character himself, John Malkovich. Malkovich brings the side of humanity that is quite fascinating to me. Are our thoughts actually our thought? Are we thinking what we want to think or is an outside source just making us think the things they want us to think. I'm honestly surprised that I have written this much about only 3 characters in this film. But isn't that what shows the beauty of this film? That I can dissect it and think about it at this level of depth and still be mesmerized by it and want to go back and rewatch it as soon as possible! I think so.

Being John Malkovich is the greatest gift the 1990s ever left on us and shows that we don't need to follow the same norms that the Hollywood industry has put on us as audience members and we can see actual bright ideas that don't follow the normalcy of what we put up with throughout the year. A grandeur of the surreal and a favorite of mine that I want to rewatch over and over and over. Being John Malkovich is that times a thousand.

It seems as if I'm caught in another Deadpool situation. While many others really loved this movies others have trashed it and hated it. I ignored both sides and cleared my head before watching this movie. I set my expectations at 0. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece or a piece of crap. I was middle ground and after being burned with a recent rewatch of Man of Steel which really was a jar of Granny Smith's Peaches I didn't know what to expect from this movie. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was really great. I liked it a lot and it had some great moments but a few missteps. It's things that may make or break the film for others but didn't bother me in the long run.

First let's start with the good. Ben Affleck as Batman was awesome. I thought I'd always think of Ben Affleck being Ben Affleck in this film but I sincerely believed him as Batman. He was epic, scary, dark, tormented, sassy and many other adjectives. The way they introduced him was excellent. I also didn't mind that he killed people. I could honestly care less about Batman killing people. But enough Batfleck talk, let's talk about the main character himself, Superman. Henry Cavill was great in the film, especially near the middle and the end. He actually portrayed emotion and empathy for humans which was lacking in Man of Steel. Everyone else was great but the 2 performances I got to mention in this review are Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. They were both great. I don't get why people said Eisenberg was annoying because he did a phenomenal job as Lex Luthor Jr. When I first heard the casting I was skeptical but after finding out he was playing Lex Luthor's son I was okay with him having Eisenberg tendencies throughout the film. He can off as menacing and fun. He isn't as annoying as other people have said he is. Gadot did a great job and had a excellent take on her. I like the cockiness of the character and how awesome she was. It also shouldn't go without saying how great the rest of the cast is. It seems as if Snyder finally brought life to the lifeless characters from Man of Steel because I was so happy with how Fishburne played Perry White and Amy Adams as Lois Lane and especially Jeremy Irons as Alfred. Phenomenonal job from a great cast that never disappoints.

But I can't blame Zack Snyder for Man of Steel because I completely blame David S. Goyer's script. It was extremely weak and had some pretty terrible dialogue scenes and poorly written scenarios. It didn't come as a surprise to me when they added Chris Terrio to the screenplay. It seems he took control over all of the screen writing because this movie is written very well. Sadly it seems Goyer did get a crack at how this film should be structured because that's something that fell flat in this film. The story structures its events in a Goyer way where they'll constantly keep moving back and forth, back and forth, back and forth and made the film stagger at points. But it didn't stop from some great scenes in the movie and some awesome dialogue from Affleck and Cavill. Honestly Snyder isn't the problem with the DCCU. The problem is Goyer. If anyone needs to be taken out of this franchise it's Goyer who needs the boot.

Snyder's direction is fantastic on this film. He's able to direct these shots that seem to come out of a Malick film. There also seemed to be a lot of Malick influence in the film, especially in the amazing opening. Snyder really knows how to open a film. It's breathtakingly beautiful and was very nice to watch the intense, stylized and different. That's the biggest compliment I can give Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is that it isn't the typical Marvel film. This is a bold and visionary superhero film from DC that goes against the grain like these films should instead of feeling the same.

As I've already mentioned the biggest problem with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is its structure. It breaks the flow of the film at points and gets really annoying. Another problem was one shot of CGI at the beginning. It's in an ocean scene and I honestly was stunned that this made the final cut for how shitty it looked. Luckily the CGI improved as the film progressed.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gives Superman the redemption needed after Man of Steel and shows us what we wanted as an intro to a larger DC Cinematic Universe. The cast was great, the direction was great, the writing was sloppy at points but was also great, and the fight scenes were amazing. Definitely see this film. It's not for everyone but for someone who loves comics and film in general this was a treat.

Spotlight has two main things going for it. A very strong script from Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer that is reminiscent of All The President's Men and the stellar cast made up of Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery and Brian d'Arcy James. But besides all of those 2 great aspects, does Spotlight present itself as the film that deserves the slew of award nominations that it has been slammed with? To me, no.Spotlight seems to be a movie that shows itself as an amazing film but lacks focus on characters and doesn't stretch boundaries for cinema. Does that mean all that praise isn't in the film? No, Spotlight does shine brightly in the script and performances.

Spotlight is based on the true story of the Boston Globe reporters in the Spotlight section that are tasked with finding evidence for a story on the Catholic Church child molestation cases but discover something bigger in the process. The 128 minute film follows the reporters as they come across the victims of these molestations. While others will say Michael Keaton is the standout in this film for me it's Mark Ruffalo giving my personal favorite performance from him. Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams and Brian d'Arcy James give great performances that help give the film a bit more shape but sadly it doesn't help that their characters and how they're shown to us are the root of my problem with Spotlight. Spotlight's characters are never given much detail so we don't really feel a personal connection with the reporters like we should… because they're the main characters.

The writing in Spotlight is great and definitely deserving of the awards it gets. While the characters are written from a bird's eye view it at least gets us to sympathize with the characters and get us invested in how they discover the conspiracy, I wish the directing were the same. Tom McCarthy is a director that hasn't been able to wow me. This is probably because the last film I saw him direct was The Cobbler, one of the worst films of 2015, and he did the opposite of intrigued me and more or less had me rock in the fetal position and think about the choices I have made in my life. He does an adequate job for a biopic. It's really hard to get me to love a biopic nowadays because they all follow the same movements and never fascinate me. A minor nitpick is that each time something important happens in the movie a few notes from the piano played and it was cute the first time but really made me question as to why that had to be the go to music for those moments.

Spotlight is just another Oscar baity film (a term I hate using but is definitely true in this case) that has a great script with decent direction and outstanding performances from Keaton and Ruffalo. But the lack of depth in the characters just astounds me. Easily could have been directed better if Spielberg had taken helm. I would definitely recommend to watch but not deserving of Best Picture in my mind. It's definitely a great film that should be shown to people who want more info on the scandal.

Son of Saul is a movie that has peaked my interest ever since it won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival. It also got me more excited to watch it after its wins for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, Spirit Awards and the Oscars. After watching Son of Saul I was emotionally drained. Son of Saul captivates with its depiction of the human spirit struggling to keep itself alive in the most darkest moments in history. Son of Saul is one of the greatest achievements in cinema with how it is able to make a cinematic experience of one of the most disturbing times in history.

Son of Saul follows Hungarian Jew concentration camp prisoner Saul in Auschwitz who is part of a separate section of the camp that's forced to corral other prisoners into gas chambers and burn the bodies afterwards. Saul finds the body of a boy who may or may not be his son and he goes throughout the entire movie to find a rabbi to give the boy a proper burial. What I loved about this movie is that they don't go out of their way to show a horrible gross out scene with people burning. I've heard some people criticize this film by saying it shied away from showing the horrors of the Holocaust when in fact the reason they keep this stuff in the literal background is because that's not the main focus. I'll get more into that with cinematography but I really liked how instead of saying, "The Holocaust was a bad thing and here's why." it was focusing more on the story it was telling and I love this movie more for doing that.

The acting and performances in this film are spectacular. Everyone was great in this film and actually felt like they are in the Holocaust. The standout is Géza Röhrig. He brings a powerful performance as Saul and has the best performance of last year. There are shots in this movie that stay for a long while on his face and just by his face and body language we can tell so much about him. Saul is a broken man in a broken world. He's trying to recover what little of his spirit he still has and Röhrig portrays that phenomenally.

But what really shines is László Nemes' direction. A pet peeve I have with movies is when people have a conversation with someone in a loud crowd and you're able to hear every single word clearly. While you can understand what they're saying you can hear the conversations happening around them. I applaud Nemes for being that detail oriented when directing this film.

The cinematography is stellar. It's framing is done extremely well and really goes up close and personal with our main character. The unique thing about the cinematography is that everything around Saul is out of focus so that we can solely concentrate on what Saul is feeling. When I was talking about why people criticized the framing and shying away from showing the horrors of the Holocaust the cinematography really gives away why that is. Since it's all in the perspective of Saul it shows how hard Saul is trying to ignore the horrors that are happening around him. Wouldn't you be doing the same thing if you had Saul's job? The point of this is to not show the whole experience of the Holocaust but one man's experience as he tries to bury a little boy who may or may not be his son.

Son of Saul captures the human spirit at its most vulnerable in a new way that other films should look at and marvel. By far one of the crowning achievements of 2015 that helps cement that year as one of the best years in film history. One of the most important films to view and required viewing for all. Son of Saul amazes at every frame to show the triumph of the human spirit.

Many emotions came to me as I was watching 'Hail, Caesar!'. There was shock, laughter and confusion. Only the Coen Bros. can pull that off flawlessly and that's exactly what 'Hail, Caesar!' does.Just like Eddie Mannix says in the film 'Hail, Caesar!' is a prestigious film that dives into old Hollywood and shows a glimpse at the curtain of Hollywood movie magic. 'Hail, Caesar!' is the best movie about Hollywood in the 1950s since Sunset Boulevard.

Hail, Caesar! stars Josh Brolin who plays Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood fixer, that has to find the biggest movie star Baird Whitlock, played by George Clooney, so he can finish filming the studio's biggest movie, 'Hail, Caesar!'. But that's not all this movies about. We have Mannix trying to figure out his life, fix a Hollywood actresses image and getting a cowboy actor to do a dramatic role. This movie is basically about everything. When I heard people saying that this movie was bad and complicated it reminded me of people's first reaction to Inherent Vice. But after seeing 'Hail, Caesar!' I can definitely say that this movie is pretty straightforward but can get weird, Coen Bros. weird. It's a really convicting screenplay with great direction from the Coens.

The performances are great in 'Hail, Caesar!'.This has to be the most star studded cast of 2016. We have the Coen Bros. staples like Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton but we also have Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Wayne Knight and newcomer Alden Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich gives the standout performance as Hobie Doyle. His character is an actor who's mostly in westerns and is out in a dramatic role where the director finds out he can't act. It makes for one of the funniest scenes in the movie. But the real standout is Josh Brolin. This is probably Brolin's best role since No Country for Old Men. His character has so many subtleties that make you want to know more about this guy. He has a great scene with a Priest and a Rabbi about the depiction of Jesus in the film that was honestly the best part of the movie.

If I had to say any problems with 'Hail, Caesar!' it could be the ending. I personally liked the ending a lot but I could understand why some people could be turned off by it. It's a lot like other Coen Bros. movies where it ends very abruptly but they do it in a way that's almost genius. I've heard some people complain about some tone shifts but I think it was one tone throughout and it did its job spectacularly with that. It felt like the 50s and had great commentary on filmmaking back then and filmmaking now.

While most people will go and see a weird attempt at quirkiness from the Coen Bros. others will see the genius that is 'Hail, Caesar!' It's a hilarious look at Hollywood and the film industry that will surely entertain.

When I heard they were going to be making a live action remake of the Classic Disney Animated film Cinderella all I could do was shake my head. But then I heard more info about the cast with big names like Cate Blanchett, who's in the excellent Carol, and Richard Madden, from Game of Thrones fame. The director, Kenneth Branagh, was a very interesting choice too. His previous films, Hamlet and Thor, were critically acclaimed and varying films that showed that was taking this remake seriously. Cinderella is a film that doesn't do anything extremely different with the story. While there are a couple of interesting changes it doesn't do anything to separate itself with the original.

But once Lily James is introduced as the titular character the film really brightens. She plays the role of Cinderella well and gives a great performance that shows a little bit more characterization of Cinderella. But the character of Cinderella is still as bland as the cartoon. The only new information given to us about her is that she rides horses. She's still the same Cinderella, kind, caring, and perfect to a fault. I would have liked it more if they strayed a bit more away from that character and made her a bit more relatable to the target demographic it's appealing to.

It may seem like I'm trashing her but her performance was great as Cinderella but get character needed a bit more depth. But the humanizing of the other characters is amazing. The Prince has some touching moments and the Stepmother is shown in a very different light and not just this woman that hates Cinderella for no reason. Another good attribution to the Stepmother is Blanchett's performance. Blanchett plays the character as so many things that she steals the show. But that's to be expected from a Cate Blanchett performance.

The technical aspects of Cinderella are worth the price of admission by itself. The sets look fantastic with big vibrant ballrooms and serene looking grasslands. The cinematography has great shots of the environment but some of the beauty is taken away by the horrifically noticeable CGI. While it's not used frequently and only with mice, ships and carriages it detracts from the wonderful cinematography. Very shocked this wasn't nominated for best costume/set design at the Oscars.

Overall, Cinderella isn't the travesty I was expecting but it also isn't dismissing my worries about the upcoming remakes of Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Dumbo and Winnie-the-Pooh. The performances are great, especially Madden and Blanchett, even though Cinderella could have more depth. If you want to see a better version of this than sticking to the original Disney animation is the best bet.

The Lobster is one of the most realistic depictions in satire of relationships nowadays. It never takes a side but let's you choose for yourself. Most people will laugh at the ingenious satire and come out of it a bit happy but reflecting on what happened in the film. Others will watch this and think of it as one of the darkest films they've seen because of how it hits the nail on the perception of what others think people need to be happy.

The Lobster stars Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, John C. Reilly and Ben Whishaw in a dark dystopian comedy where people who are single go to and hook up with someone. If they don't then they become an animal of their choice. This is by far the weirdest movie of 2016. What makes it even more hilarious is how everyone acts normal like this just happens to everyone. The dry humor becomes extremely messed up to a point. To some it might be excessive but it never goes beyond a point. There was a part in the movie that was so dark I had to pause the movie and think about what just happened. It's plot feels stiff but in a playful way that fits with the characters.

Colin Farrell hasn't had the greatest time recently. While I love the actor he's gotten a lot of criticism for his recent role in True Detective Season 2. While I personally really liked Season 2 (That's for another time.) and can see the flaws the best part of Season 2 was by far Colin Farrell. Farrell is great in this film. This is probably his best role since In Bruges. He plays a character that is a mix of Takashi Shimura's character in Ikiru and Bill Murray's character in Lost in Translation. Farrell plays the character brilliantly. He plays his character with an almost emotionless tone. While some say that this is pretty bad acting really it shows how desensitized the people are in this world. Yorgos Lanthimos is known for direct his actors in a very stifled way. It works as it shows the desensitized world the characters live in.

The Lobster is one of the best films of 2016. It's dystopian setting had traces of 1984 and helps shine on how relationships are treated so black and white in the real world. If you don't find the film hilarious or funny you'll find a great drama about a man's inner turmoil with his life.

Before I start this review I'd like to say that I had almost no idea what happened in this film While I was watching it. It all seems like a blur to me even after reading explanations of the plot. I even asked one of my friends on Twitter and he responded, "don't we all". After seeing this movie I tried to think what to write down here. Did I like this movie? What does it mean? I like to state that film doesn't have to explain itself at all. Why should it? We are just the witnesses of it and have no actual involvement in the film. Why should we get all the answers? Knight of Cups has some great ideas in it but comes of a bit pretentious and the direction is almost non-existent.

Knight of Cups follows writer Rick (Christian Bale) on an odyssey through the playgrounds of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as he undertakes a search for love and self. Even as he moves through mansions, resorts, beaches and clubs, Rick grapples over complicated relationships with his brother (Wes Bentley) and father (Brian Dennehy). His quest to break the spell of his disenchantment takes him on a series of adventures with six alluring women. Each has a specific connection to Rick that will help him throughout his journey of self discovery. While watching this movie you might not think there is a plot at all and just a bunch of pretty shots by the cinematographer that can do no wrong, Emmanuel Lubezki. The story is there but covered in the excess that Rick's life is covered with. It's definitely not at all structured in the way most films are structured but more in the way The Tree of Life was structured. It could have been a bit tighter but overall it did have an interesting beginning and end that when I first watched I liked but after a 2nd viewing left me cold and feeling empty. The reason why I love The Tree of Life was because it felt like there was more meaning and actual events that were important to the story unfolding while Knight of Cups feels more like empty promises for something rich but never lives up to that.

The performances are pretty good. Christian Bale definitely sold me as a man whose life is hidden behind the excess he partakes in and plays a deep, broken character but the other cast members were not as strong. They ranged from being pretty good to being very weak. I didn't believe a lot of the actors as it seems they were shoehorned in. Malick has a history of cutting out actors in his film, even if they're the main characters (i.e. Adrien Brody in The Thin Red Line). So when Antonio Banderas shows up for 5 minutes and comes back randomly at times and Jason Clarke is shown for literally a glimpse it only makes me wonder, "What was even the point of him being there?" That's where Knight of Cups also falters. It seems as if there isn't much purpose in a lot of the movie and it feels more like procrastination. That could be what the movie was going for and I failed to see the genius behind it but that's just me.

The direction is what really turned me off on a 2nd viewing. Characters will just wander around the set and seem as if they're waiting for Malick to give some actual direction. It dabbles too much on visual images that don't progress the story and diverge from what's actually happening. I love visual storytelling but only when it progresses the story. Many criticize the dinosaur scene in The Tree of Life for not adding anything to the story but if you delve more into the themes of the film you realize while it doesn't progress the actual story of the film it progresses the themes of the movie about a struggling relationship between a father and son. I don't think on a 3rd watch of this film that I would find anything that deep in Knight of Cups.

I can definitely understand why many other people will love Knight of Cups but it lost me on a 2nd viewing. I can not recommend this to the average movie goer. If you love Malick or are able to appreciate non-linear storytelling I can see you liking this film. But it's not for everyone and 90% of people will be lost when watching it. I really liked Knight of Cups but it's definitely weaker Malick. If you want to see a better Malick film then go see The Tree of Life, The New World, Badlands, or Days of Heaven. Hopefully Malick's next 2 projects, Weightless and Voyage of Time, are improvements over this film.

When The Chipmunks disguise squirrels as themselves with toys of them and the box says Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel I said to myself, "This is the worst movie I have ever seen in my life." I stepped outside of the auditorium and sat outside for a good 5 minutes rethinking my entire life. I kept asking myself, "Why am I doing this to myself? Why is Jason Lee in this? Is he a masochist? Why couldn't he do another season of My Name is Earl? That was a pretty good show. How could he stoop this low? Why did he agree to do this movie? Why am I watching this movie?" Life can be cruel, this is life at its cruelest.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip has the "beloved" Chipmunks return to the big screen after 4 YEARS since the abomination called Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. This time Alvin, Simon and Theodore decide for the 4th time that Dave wants to get rid of them even though they've been living with him for 11 years and he hasn't decided to jump off a bridge to get the chalk-screeching sounds of their voices out of his head. I bet Dave wakes up in the middle of the night with sounds of The Chipmunks singing terrible covers of songs that were popular in 2006 and realizes that he's made a terrible mistake and contemplates taking them to a taxidermist to keep his sanity. Anyways, they think he's going to propose to his girlfriend, that's so stupid that she keeps forgetting that she has a stethoscope hanging around her neck in every scene, and go across the country to stop the proposal. Every time I try to explain the plot to someone I end up finding the nearest pillow and screaming my sorrows away into that said pillow. That's how poorly thought out and written this film is.

As you can tell from the first 2 paragraphs I hate this movies guts. It does so many things wrong that it baffles me that when the MPAA saw this to give it a rating they didn't just chuck it out the window with The Day The Clown Cried. The comedy is the equivalent to Vine as in it comes out of nowhere. So because of that you laugh cause it was… random. Who cares of making good jokes when the crying 3 year old can get a good chuckle to a fart joke. There are jokes so random that I'm baffled that they got passed the final cut. Like when Theodore randomly starts singing Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back so they can get a butt joke in there. Let's not the children think and make the adults cringe as they see this so-called comedy happen right in front of them.

It seems that after 3 movies David Cross had better things to do (i.e. Bob and Dave) and passed on this movie. So who could replace the Arrested Development star? Well why not another Arrested Development star, Tony Hale. I feel so bad for his character because he's literally just doing his job and trying to capture fugitive Chipmunks (Did I just type Fugitive Chipmunks?). But not even his character is redeemable. Random celebrity appearances include LMFAO (Remember him? No? I don't blame you.), Bella Thorne, that one girl from Austin and Ally, and famous YouTube star Flula. Do they have any reason to be in this? Of course not! It's all about the money! But this movie won't be making its money bank because some genius at FOX said, "Let's release this the same day as Star Wars The Force Awakens! We'll make so much money off this!" From the day I am writing this Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip has grossed $14 million opening day. "That sounds like a lot!" you say. Well let's compare it to the other Chipmunk films. The first Chipmunk film made $44 million on its opening day. The Squeakquel made $48 million on its opening day and Chipwrecked made $23 million on it's opening day. So what happened? I'll tell you. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE CHIPMUNKS ANYMORE! When you go on hiatus for 4 years and suddenly announce your 4th film in the middle of 2015 you're asking for your film to flop.

I have nothing else to say about this movie. The Road Chip is the worst film I've ever experienced in my life. Nothing will compare (hopefully!). It's a shame that people can get away with making trash like this. Go see anything else that doesn't involve anthropomorphic chipmunks.

You'd have to be a blockhead to miss out on this film! The Peanuts Movie is the reboot of the classic comic strip, cartoon, Christmas Special, Halloween Special, and Thanksgiving Special into Movie form! As a fan of Charlie Brown and Snoopy (I even named my dog after the lovable beagle!) I was nervous going into this film. Could it be terrible? Could it bring shame to Schulz's name? Well I am happy to say that The Peanuts Movie not only is one of the best animated films of 2015, but also one of the best films of the year!

Snoopy is writing a great love epic trying to save his girlfriend as he tries to take down the Red Baron while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home to impress the Little Red Hair Girl. This is classic Charlie Brown everywhere. This movie makes so many tasteful references to previous Charlie Brown adventures that it's insane! Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pig Pen, Marcy, Patty and Schroeder are hilarious but they are incomparable to the legends themselves, Snoopy and Woodstock. These guys are hilarious in every scene! It's like Charles Schulz came back from the dead and wrote the script himself! The morals it teaches kids are also great for everyone! Like think of others before yourself and go play outside! I can't say enough how enjoyable this film is!

The cast is mostly filled with unknowns. Some recognizable voices are Bill Melendez who voiced Snoopy and Woodstock in the old specials. Sadly he passed away in 2008 but luckily they were able to reuse audio from the specials. Kristin Chenoweth is in the film and plays Snoopy's love interest . She does a fantastic job (even though it's just grunts and noises but it's all apart of Snoopy and his family. All the cast does an amazing job portraying all the Peanuts characters. Very impressive since most of these kids are 10 and 11.

The structure of the story is basically like five 30 minute Peanuts sketches with Charlie Brown trying to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl. Then in between Charlie Brown's failed attempts we see Snoopy writing his love epic. They are very well paced and have a good flow to them. They also feel not only like a Peanuts comic or cartoon but it also has a timeless feel that anyone can relate to.

The Peanuts Movie is one of the greatest animated films of the decade. It gives a very cheerful outlook on life and brings great laughs with it. Not only do I recommend watching it, I implore you to watch it with your family. I did with mine and it was one of the best times at the theater I had in awhile.

After the hit success of Skyfall fans of the suave British spy were waiting anxiously for the follow up to Sam Mendes' smash hit. Spectre is the follow up that fans of James Bond have been waiting for. Sam Mendes returns to direct Spectre, a very rare occurrence for recent Bond films which tend to get a new director for each installment. Spectre does live up to expectations making it one of the best Bond films in recent years.

This 150 minute Spy Action film takes place right after Skyfall and follows James Bond as a cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE. This has been the first time in 44 years where the famous evil organization SPECTRE returns to the big screen. The film is very reminiscent to Bond films like On Her Majesty's Secret Service and (of course) Skyfall.

The film also adds more actors to its illustrious cast. Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained plays the villain Oberhaus, who has a special connection with Bond, gives a great performance but doesn't give a lot to go on. He is just there to be evil and menacing, which Waltz does well, but feels a bit wasted. Léa Seydoux plays Dr. Madeline Swann who does a great job and becomes one of the best Bond girls in a Bond film. She shows that she is not just a sex object and can take care of herself. Monica Bellucci also appears in the film but is in the film for only 5 minutes which disappointed me because of how talented she is. Dave Bautista plays the strong henchman, Hinx, and is great at playing a strong bad guy that challenges Bond physically. Overall the only problem with Spectre's characters is that the villain is under used. But with the return and expansion of characters like Q, M, and Moneypenny which I loved because it gives the film a more of a team aspect that films like the Mission: Impossible series have.

The story is very well paced and action packed. Older Bond films in the Connery era were very slow and dreadful to watch. The Craig films have more intrigue and are more serious. Spectre is a big change from Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall because Bond feels more traditional which really isn't a bad thing. I loved how it opened like older Bond films with the Gun Barrel sequence happening at the beginning instead of the end. Nothing felt slow or rushed. It's such a technical marvel to look at. The cinematography is brilliant. the opening shot is a one take that follows Bond through Mexico City. I couldn't look away!

Spectre is an amazing Bond film that had me worried it couldn't live up to Skyfall or Casino Royale but ended up as being one of my favorite Bond films! The story is well paced, it's cinematography is almost as good as Skyfall (but I give the edge more to Skyfall because it looks crisper than Spectre), the acting is top-notched and is a great entry into the Daniel Craig Series. I cannot wait for Bond 25. A must see for Bond fans! I thought it was Awesome.

As I anticipated this film had me filled with worry I didn't believe it could live up to the greatness of Birdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu's previous film. Could the hype of this movie crush it since it's production problems were so publicized? Thankfully The Revenant is one of the best movies of 2015. I was floored by how amazing everything in the film was. It's the one of the most immaculate films to ever be released.

The Revenant stars Leonardo DiCaprio who plays frontiersman Hugh Glass who is left for dead by the crazy Tom Hardy after being mauled by a bear. He goes on a trek to find Hardy and get his revenge. It's no shocker that The Revenant is one of the most beautifully shot films my eyes have witnessed. Everything felt vibrant and pristine from the Woodlands to the Snow that covered the entire frame. Emmanuel Lubezki always brings his A game when it comes to creating beautiful images, even when it's for trash like The Cat in the Hat. This is by far the best work from him I've seen and the man has done Gravity and Birdman! He keeps stepping up and makes every frame a painting.

The story is a gritty revenge tale that holds no punches. I haven't been this tense in a theater since Mad Max Fury Road. It made me perspire at some of the scenes, especially the bear mauling scene. That scene could have been ruined for the fact that the bear was CGI but given that the rest of the film was practical gives the bear realism to it. Iñárritu's direction is flawless in this movie. You feel Leo's struggle and you have his blood lust as he tracks him down. He's the 2nd best actor of 2015 (Sam Jackson is still the best in his amazing role as Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight, another brutal movie set in the snow.)

While it has all these amazing things there are some minor problems with the movie. There'd be times where a character's mouth wasn't synced up to their lips. You could say that's a nitpick and it kind of is. The rest of the film is a technical marvel that impressed me a lot. I wouldn't be extremely mad if this movie won Best Picture at the Oscars. (I am actually kind of mad because Carol wasn't nominated!)

The Revenant is the most tense film I've seen in 2016. This film won't be for everyone but it's shot so beautifully and told so tensely that I can't recommend it enough. While Leo's performance isn't his best it's definitely a performance of anguish and perseverance.

What makes a film a masterpiece? The direction? The writing? The acting? For me, everything must work perfectly. If you want your film to be remembered and be amazing you better bring everything to it! I can honestly say, without hyperbole, that Carol is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. It is in every way a masterpiece and is one of the best romance stories I have seen unfolded on screen. It brings so much to the table that many films like this try to do and fail. If it reminded me of another film I'd say it's Blue Is The Warmest Color. But I think this is better than Blue Is The Warmest Color in every way.

Carol is based off of the Patricia Highsmith novel, The Price of Salt, and stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett as Therese Belivet and Carol Aird. Therese is a department store clerk that one day sees Carol at the store and they both instantly fall in love with each other. The way the story is constructed is beautifully crafted. It's set in the glamorous 1950s in the United States and tells their story of them falling in love. It's honestly one of the best love stories of all time. Their relationship feels so organic and flowing that it makes me so happy to see them on screen together every time. Like how Her has a melancholy tone of the near future Carol has a melancholy tone of the 1950s that is pitch perfect. Their chemistry is so beautiful and flowing that it makes me sob at how perfectly written they are. It easily is the best adapted screenplay of 2015.

The direction of the 118 minute picture sets Carol apart from other films with lesbian relationships. The cinematography is breathtaking. I was literally losing breath as I was watching every frame of Carol. It astounds me that cinema can create images such as in Carol. What makes it so perfect to me is that it was shot in film, which all films should be shot in, and gives the film the feel of the 1950s while other films that shoot digitally and are set in another time period look fake because film gives it a crisper, more romantic look.

But what makes the film for me is probably the perfect casting of Therese and Carol. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. Now I haven't seen many movies starring Rooney Mara but her performance in this is impeccable. I can't think of another person in the role that could have pulled off her character. Cate Blanchett is, honestly, at her peak in this film. By far my favorite role of hers. They handle the relationship wonderfully and make me believe that these aren't characters, but real people.

Carol blends the illustrious feel of the 1950s and the anxiety of the time period as well. It's immaculate score blends with the love of Carol and Therese. Carol is one of the greatest films of the 21st century. If you haven't seen this film that itself is a crime of its own. While it might not be getting the love it deserves from award shows it definitely deserves all your attention.

Django Unchained showed us that Quentin Tarantino is a chameleon of genres. He can go from a crime thriller to a crime thriller with multiple characters told unchronologically to a Blacksploitation film to a Kung Fu Revenge film to a Grindhouse flick to an awesome World War 2 Action film to a Southerner. Now we have a Tarantino Western with some of the most despicable people in the Tarantino universe. The Hateful Eight is an amalgamation of all of Tarantino's best work that creates one of the most epic westerns of all time. Not only an entertaining film but a great study into racial tension that seems all too true nowadays. Tarantino brings us the masterpiece that no one was expecting to be a masterpiece.

The Hateful Eight stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Walter Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, and Bruce Dern who are bounty hunters and crooks that are stuck in Minnie's Haberdashery for 2 days as a blizzard is happening. I don't want to give away anything from the plot but that's all you need to know about the movie. A lot of people are comparing this to Clue when really it's basically Reservoir Dogs in the Old West. Seeing as Reservoir Dogs is one of Quentin's best it definitely made the movie more interesting as I sat there watching the 70mm film. It's story is by far way more suspenseful than Reservoir Dogs and is quite possibly his best film he's done. For me, it's a close second with Inglorious Basterds being #1 for me. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and amazing. I quote more lines from this than any other Tarantino film. I love how Tarantino goes back to a more simplistic film. The movie is set 90% of the time at the Haberdashery and it lets the characters actions become more intense. It's storytelling at its best.

Tarantino is a master director and has a style that thousands (such as myself) try to recreate. The Hateful Eight is filled with great dialogue that never made for a dull moment in the film. That's a huge compliment seeing as how this film was 3 hours and 7 minutes at my screening. The reason I say at my screening is that The Hateful Eight has something extremely special for the 70mm Roadshow. As an homage to movies of the 1960s it includes a 3 minute overture and a 15 minute intermission. I can only dream right now as to what a regular screening of the film compares to this roadshow version. But this is the version that's the way to go. A film such as this is so epic that it made me feel a fury of emotions. It made me laugh, it made me disgusted (in a good way), it made me think. Not many films have made me feel those emotions this year and luckily Tarantino is able to pull it off wonderfully.

As per usual the entire cast of The Hateful Eight is perfect. Samuel L. Jackson is the standout of this film. He plays a Union Major turned Bounty Hunter that is easily his best Tarantino role since Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction. Other Tarantino alumni return such as Walter Goggins, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Zoe Bell that are fantastic but the true standout besides Sam Jackson is Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's been really impressing me this year with this being as good as her role in Anomalisa. This cast makes the film and keeps impressing me every time. Goggins is really the standout of this film and has great chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson's character.

Now, I can't finish my review without talking about Ennio Morricone's amazing score for this film. It is one of his best scores and it feels amazing to see an Ennio Morricone scored western. He even uses an unused song for John Carpenter's The Thing that fits in fantastically with the rest of the movie. It's almost as good as The Ecstasy of Gold. Go check out the soundtrack for The Hateful Eight. Definitely worth the hear.

The Hateful Eight is One of the Greatest Westerns of All Time. Tarantino can transbound genres with his style. The Hateful Eight is the most fun I've had in a theater since Star Wars The Force Awakens. See this as soon as possible. This and Carol are seriously the Top 2 movies you need to see this year. It's amazing directing, tight cast and unbelievable script make it worth the price of admission.

This is one of the best films of the year! Cary Fukunaga swings and hits the ball out of the park and the ball hit a windshield! A film with so much savagery that it also makes you feel for this boy and what he is going through! A must see and one of the many reasons to go and get a Netflix account! Idris Elba gives the best performance of his life as the Commandment! Abraham Attah is amazing and has one of the best child actor performances ever! It is as good as True Detective and one of Netflix's best pieces of entertainment! Hopefully those Adam Sandler movies don't ruin their perfect line up(which it probably will).