Reviews

I watched this amazing film last night and it has stuck with me through the evening and still pops into my mind this morning. It was made in 1985 and recently had a 4K update done to it so it looks beautiful. It is a subtitled movie, so if you are not one for that, then avoid this one as it's 2 1/2 hours long.

It is about a boy who finds a rifle and wants to join partisan fighters in Russia in 1943. He starts the movie as an innocent boy with a huge grin, willing to do anything to be part of the fight. By the end of the movie he has seen so much that he looks like an old man. It is stark. Violent. Raw. Beautiful. Horrifying. I cannot even begin to describe it other than saying I believe it to be one of the best war films I've seen in a very long time. Throughout the movie the director focuses on faces, showing us how the war eats people alive from the inside out. At first I was caught off-guard by that, then I saw it for what it was and now can't get it out of my head.

Hopefully you read this before watching because you need to know there is a TRIGGER warning for my veteran friends out there. The filmmakers used live rounds during the making of the movie, which makes some of the scenes truly hard to watch. But, it lends to the overall feel and appeal of the movie. So, watch with caution.

Let me start by saying I only got 30 minutes in and was REALLY disappointed. The nostalgic twists were interesting but then fell flat. I had really high expectations and they were dashed on the rocks of a sub-par script. I will give it a break and come back this weekend to finish it out with the hopes my newer view allows me to enjoy it.

I heard nothing about this movie, just saw it on Shudder this weekend and was completely blown away. The concept is a group of friends decide to hold a seance on Zoom. Things do not go well. Since the pandemic started I have used Zoom on a near daily basis and initially wanted nothing to do with this movie because of that. I'm certainly glad I gave in and watched it. There were enough jump scares to keep me riveted and the acting performances were pretty damn stellar. I didn't recognize any of the actresses in the film which made even more surprising. I do hope though that this does not become the new "found footage" trend. If it does though, count this movie as among the top.

I have seen this movie twice this year alone and gind nothing wrong with that. It's like reading a good book. This is a nuanced performance that has particular gravity right now. Everything about this movie is nearly perfect, with the racism shown from both perspectives. It shows we don't understand each other in a visceral way. I love this movie.

I read the naysayer reviews and thought they may have missed the point. This a fun twist on the camp murders. Some of the dialogue was silly. Some of the acting was overblown. But it was fun. It also had some comedic relief throughout. Overall it's not high art but it's worth a watch.

I knew nothing about this until I saw the description on Shudder. It is a non-traditional "ghost" story that is REALLY well done. There were enough jump scares to keep the blood going but it was the overall tension that sold it. I highly recommend this.

First off: Ray Wise Second off: Adam Green

This is a mockumentary about a man that hunts monsters. It's not high art. It is a fun film with cool cameos and a great concept. The exceptional Ray Wise makes this a special treat. All-in-all this is a film for horror fans and should be reviewed as such.

I went into this knowing absolutely nothing and am glad I stuck it out. Everything about this was amazing from the cinematography to the performances. At one point the soldiers talk about the Motherland and Fatherland and the meaning of patriotism which turned out to be some of the best dialogue of the film. Overall, HIGHLY recommended.

First off, this is NOT a war film. It is a movie about the bond of men in war. It is by far the best movie I've seen in a very, very long time. I had high expectations and was not disappointed. At first I was eager to see the one shot idea Sam Mendes went into this with but, after awhile, I stopped paying attention to that. While everything about the movie was well done I was so caught up in the two central characters that nothing else mattered. I will watch this again and again.

This...is NOT high art. But it's fun. Robert Patrick really made this movie for me, breaking the 4th wall about Millenials. I'm sure if I really studied this as a metaphor I'd find something to be offended about. Since I see it as great cinema I'm not going to narrow the view on it. Great movie.

I'm still watching this and really enjoy the quirkiness. Not sure where it's heading but I'm enjoying the ride.

I really had no expectations going into this but found it to be funny. While it is a bit formulaic it still manages to maintain its sense of fun. Bautista has pretty decent comic timing and he plays the grizzled cop well. The guy playing Stu is fun to watch as he is caught up in the madness and wants nothing more than to go see this woman he has feelings for. It's also fun to see inside the Uber for a perspective on how fickle customers can be. Overall it's a good popcorn film.

At first I thought the music was okay, then they kept doing it. I am not sure what they were hoping to achieve. The story is interesting but is being approached in a really ham-fisted way. Sorry to say this movie lacks so much I'm not sure how far I'll get.