Reviews

Rian Johnson finally subverted our expectations in a really really clever and rewarding way! GREAT MOVIE!

I truly think that if everybody in this generation watched Waves, the world would be a better place.

Weirdest movie of all-time. I have never been more sure of a claim in my entire life. FANTASTIC NONETHELESS!

If Ingmar Bergman was a French woman and made YA movies, then you would get the director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Quite possibly the most aesthetically pleasing film I've ever seen and certainly one of the great horror movies ever made. Between this and Parasite, 2019 has been giving us unforgettable masterpieces so far.

Possibly one of Scorsese's greatest endings ever. And those 3 and a half hours go by FAST.

Can we just appreciate the fact that the person who played the infamous Nazi from Inglorious Basterds is now playing the infamous Anti-Nazi in A Hidden Life?

...because it's requires you to have emotion. You know, like a human? But why do that when you can watch big, dumb CGI robots fight in space?

I like House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects, but this legit was one of the most unnecessary, tedious sequels of all-time. 'Tis a shame. ;(

I really couldn't care less whether I liked or disliked the movie, or found it to be a good use of my time or a complete waste because I'm just kinda psyched that Xavier Dolan was at the beginning of this movie. I love that dude.

Watching the original 1994 lion king and then going to see this new remake in theaters is the equivalent of ordering two completely different movies on blu ray and getting two identical copies of one of the movies you bought but not getting the other movie that you ordered.

This movie subverts your expectations in ways Rian Johnson never could. You'll see what I'm talking about when you watch the movie.

Also, don't know why my review was deleted. I saw a premeire a week ago and I swear people act like early screenings aren't a thing.

I've loved Godzilla ever since I was a child. I grew up on the movies, the toys, you name it, I adore the giant creature. Apperently according to people who deem themselves "true fans" Godzilla: King of Monsters is only for the real admirers. I guess since I disliked this movie because it had a poor story, terrible, unlikable characters with ultra thick plot armor, atrocious dialogue, nonsensical plot elements, action sequences that have way too many close-ups so I couldn't tell half the time what was going on, and an ending that is clearly made as fan service, I'm no longer a devoted fan. Welp, I guess I have to give up my Godzilla fan pass forever. Looks like according to the rest of the "audiences" those who don't like or love this movie don't deserve it anymore. Sigh. I am so ashamed to have wanted a cohesivly put together Godzilla movie.

Rocketman decides to focus on Elton John's character evolution more than anything else, chronicling his life from when he was a wee-little boy to his glory days as the colorfully decorated, piano-playing, musically blustering star. One detail I must address that really hoisted the exploration of John's life was, in reality, the "R" rating.

You get to see a respectful and psychological turn in his persona, you get to witness the heartbreaking "addictions" that he constantly forces himself into, you get to view the uncut collision of him dealing with his sexuality, and you even get to feel that loss of love that Elton had felt when he persistently questioned his relationship with peers. All of these affairs are dispensed without and blockades or any desires of censorship and I must commend the filmmakers for going about this risky decision.

And sure, Rocketman is arguably quite the corn-fest at times, but the movie is able to take these cheesy elements of the typical rockstar biopic and format it into a creative fashion that characterizes more charismatic and less repetitive exhibitions. Which brings me to my next point...

I am so pleased that Rocketman turned out to be a nearly full-on musical? I mean, it had to find some way to be different from Bohemian Rhapsody, right? Whenever a musical note comes on it's not just there for Elton John fan-a-holics. The songs always pertain to the presented events transpiring on screen. The methods they use to present the songs as well, offer some more than compulsive and devouring visuals. I also appreciated how they redid all the songs to fit the scenes in a more appropriate manner. It makes the film seem less like a compilation of Elton's original greatest-hits and more like a rendition of what each song means to the story.

Now, Taron Egerton's performance in this is...wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW. He is just bleeding with range and chaotic pizazz in this encapsulation of a contrasted human individual. If someone is worthy of an Oscar nomination this year, it's this guy.

Rocketman doesn't entirely rely on nostalgia like most of its kind does-that implying that sometimes it does, however-and most of its misfit adventures proved about in the story seem earned rather than glossed over at a maximum pace of negligence. Definitely check this one out, especially if you're an Elton John fan!

Rocketman decides to focus on Elton John's character evolution more than anything else, chronicling his life from when he was a wee-little boy to his glory days as the colorfully decorated, piano-playing, musically blustering star. One detail I must address that really hoisted the exploration of John's life was, in reality, the "R" rating. You get to see a respectful and psychological turn in his persona, you get to witness the heartbreaking drug-runs that he constantly forces himself into, you get to view the uncut collision of him dealing with his sexuality, and you even get to feel that loss of love that Elton had felt when he persistently questioned his relationship with peers. All of these affairs are dispensed without and blockades or any desires of censorship and I must condemn the filmmakers for going about this risky decision.

And sure, Rocketman is arguably quite the corn-fest at times, but the movie is able to take these cheesy elements of the typical rockstar biopic and format it into a flamboyant fashion that characterizes more charismatic and less repetitive exhibitions. Which brings me to my next point...

I am so pleased that Rocketman turned out to be a nearly full-blown musical? I mean, it had to find some way to be different from Bohemian Rhapsody, right? Whenever a musical note comes on it's not just there for Elton John fan-a-holics. The songs always pertain to the presented events transpiring on screen. The methods they use to present the songs as well, offer some more than compulsive and devouring visuals. I also appreciated how they redid all the songs to fit the scenes in a more appropriate manner. It makes the film seem less like a compilation of Elton's original greatest-hits and more like a rendition of what each song means to the story.

Now, Taron Egerton's performance in this is...wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW. He is just bleeding with range and chaotic pizazz in this encapsulation of a contrasted human individual. If someone is worthy of an Oscar nomination this year, it's this guy.

Rocketman doesn't entirely rely on nostalgia like most of its kind does--that implying that sometimes it does, however--and most of its misfit adventures proved about in the story seem earned rather than glossed over at a maximum pace of negligence. Definitely check this one out, especially if you're an Elton John fan!

After the extremely controversial previous episode, one thing can be mainly pondered upon by every GOT fan despite whether you liked it or not: "Where do we go from here?" And to be honest, I'm kind of furious about what this episode sets up for the final episodes of GOT. The first fifty minutes were just mind-numbing and meandering, but nothing for sure struck me as bad. But after that there's this quote on quote "surprise" that I saw literally coming a mile away and there on out the writing became discombobulated to me. I will give the episode this, the last 5 minutes of the episode are somewhat intense despite some unrealistic character/plot conveniences. But other than that, this episode is undecided and feels quite rushed, and my only hope is that the last two episodes make up for what's been a pretty ehh final season so far. By far the worst episode of Game of Thrones yet, which as mean as that sounds, is actually not that harsh of an insult considering the quality showcased in most of the previous seasons.

Wow. I'm actually shaking right now. If you want to know if it the actual "action" was worth the wait, then you're somewhat in luck. It makes the Walking Dead's zombie combat sequences look like something sucked out of a children's show. I wasn't expecting to talk about this but it has to be said: the score in this episode elevated the effectiveness of the fight so much. There are however, some writing conveniences and cliches and an ending result that feels unearned and honestly, cheap. But nonetheless, I still have to applaud the thousands of experts who worked on the production of this phenomenal battle! But seriously, the more I think about the writing, the more I'm starting to dislike the episode. It's still immensely entertaining either way in a kind-of dumb way, which isn't what Game of Thrones has been about for the past couple of years sooooooo, shoot.

Episode 2 is a definite improvement over the Season 8 premeire despite it being a tad bit slow and bombarded with filler. There's a handful of marvelous character moments and interactions that deliver the viewers with satisfaction. Great build-up for the battle to come in the next episode. And congrats Arya!

The airing of Season 8 Episode 1 of Game of Thrones may be the most anticipated TV show premiere of all-time by "popularity-level" default. This is a satisfying episode for fans, where many characters that we have desperately been rooting for, meet up with old friends and family members, and maybe even some new faces. Even though nothing extremely exciting or action-packed happens and I do have many gripes with some scenes, it is the first episode of the season, and it's meant to simply set-up the next couple episodes, and it does it decently.

Oscar-winning comedic and freshly declared horror director Jordan Peele, endows his patriotic followers with his highly anticipated thriller Us: an allegory that accompanies the account of the tormenting of doppelgängers upon a buoyant, middle-class family struggling to bypass their inner-demons.

In Peele's latest attempt to win over audiences of the genre, he gloats audacious twist and turns revolting around a parallel, underground, modern nation that will doubtlessly perplex the contemporary American public-and for a more than coincidental and ironic reason.

Get Out might be the "objectively" better movie, but Us is my kind of horror movie: highly confusing, a tad bit pretentious, and jaw-droppingly cruel-principally within its ambiguous exploration of humanity's current tragedy.

Captain Marvel is a narrative mess from the moment it starts (of course when I refer to the "start" I mean once the film tackles after that glorious MARVEL logo intro) and to many fans' surmise this is principally due to how impulsively meteoric the construction of the film's story plays out. Speaking of meteoric, those who shot the action must be Lars von Trier addicts because they are zooming in and out and shaking the camera like they're on cocaine or somethin' and I kid you not, I could barely wrap my head around what was going on half of the time these parades transpired. Also, woefully, despite Brie Larson having proved herself to be quite the star, her performance, but predominantly her character, emerges as this stale, artificial physique. I don't blame her entirely though, it's most likely those who wrote her lines and directed the movie who should be faulted at hand for making Larson's portrayal as Carol Danvers so stiff and awkward.

But let me be clear, Captain Marvel is by no means a "bad" movie. There are tons of distinctive traits to like about it. Some examples include Samuel Jackson's revamp of a young Nick Fury, surprisingly the introduction to the alien race, the Skrulls, and all that glorious, throwback 90s nostalgia music references (Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Nirvana, etc.). YES PLEASE.

Trust me, it gets progressively better as it hauls along but at the end of the day, Captain Marvel is just another soulless, muddled comic-book adapted movie. If you're a die-hard fanboy who doesn't care for objectively decent-quality content and only wants to seek out filler for Avengers: Endgame and a by-the-numbers superhero-flick, you'll surely love this. But, if you're someone who actually cares if a movie offers cohesive, worthwhile elements that ultimately lead to a purpose other than cushion for a movie that's literally coming out in a month, I'd give Captain Marvel a light pass.

Verdict: C-

Birds of Passage is an uneasy "family" drama boasted by stern, austere performances from a majority of its cast who are somehow newcomers to the world of show business. The central hallmark that makes this spectacle protrude gloriously is its lustrous gambits in storytelling.

This movie divulges and cuts just the right amount of excerpts while concurrently, covering a ton of ground without having to sacrifice its grandeur through typical exposition (which is a lying factor that so many dramas fall under these days). The progression this film disburses is to be eulogized.

Birds of Passage is an art-piece made to make its audience jittery. So many moments are placidly conferred yet, so many moments, all of a sudden, become anxiously INTENSE. The score is culturally fitting as well, and quite mesmeric.

One could assert that the story at hand doesn't necessarily submit any plot surprises or isn't too arbitrary nor bonafide for that matter but, considering the material withheld in Birds of Passage is-for the most part-factually true, it's burdensome to smear the movie down due to these "shortcomings".

If you savor films like American Made, Sicario 1 & 2, or TV shows like Breaking Bad, Narcos, or anything that links with the drug cartel genre in general, I 100% recommend seeking this thriller out. Birds of Passage is an arrestingly sheltered record about the ruinous and tearing origins of the Colombian drug trade.

Verdict: B

Harakiri is about two hours and fourteen minutes of uncontaminated mystery/ suspense-driven domination. This samurai classic capers abroad its tale unlike anything else in cinematic existence, bleeding its reveals through evoking flashbacks, heated, verbal narratives, and hairsplitting symbolic portraits.

I didn't expect Harakiri to be such a bold stance on the hypocritical flaws hidden among the ancient Japanese warrior traditions. It's beyond praiseworthy. Additionally, the closing battle's deviant, ingeniously choreographed ramification will have you and any other witness unreservedly floored. (Verdict: A)