Reviews

Truth or Dare (2018) is a horror film from Blumhouse that chronicles the "scary" reality of a Truth or Dare game coming to life.

Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, and Violett Bean star as the leads in this film, and while Lucy Hale or Violett Bean's performances are nothing to write home about Tyler Posey is probably the worst actor in the bunch, if not the entire movie. The characters they portray are boring, lifeless and just silly iterations of stock horror movie characters like the "Jock", "Goodie Two Shoes", "Promiscuous Best Friend" just to name a few. There's absolutely nothing memorable about any of them and it's legitimately difficult writing about any of them despite only seeing this film last night.

The nuance of the film comes from the dumb deformed grins that shows up on characters faces when they're participating in the game, and while I found it somewhat creepy at first it got rather old fast and there was parts in the movie where it came off as just laughable rather than creepy.

The writing gets remarkably lazy as they weave through the plot and realize that they need to start kind of making up rules as they go in order to cover up the island sized plothole that realistically they could just answer Truth to everything and the movie would be a whole lot less interesting.

At the end of the day this is just a Diet Final Destination, where the major draw to this is not the characters but the prospect of seeing them die in absurd ways but the movie couldn't even do that right.

The only props I'll give this movie is there is some parts where the film acknowledges just how ridiculous it is and there's a handful of tongue-in-cheek jokes that gave me a few laughs. That's not nearly enough to say that this movie is worth checking out though.

Maybe check it out if you see it on TV or something, but this movie isn't worth spending money on.

Reflecting back on the over dozen previous entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's clear that this is what we've been building toward for about a decade and it certainly pays off. From the first time Nick Fury showed up in an end credits scene and let us know that an MCU was about to takeoff, to the first time Thanos showed up in an end credit scene and told us that he was a threat to be afraid of, all the anticipation built to Avengers: Infinity War and the Russo brothers tell an awe inspiring story that makes the 10 year wait well worth it.

What may be a setback of the film for some more casual movie-goers, is that the film certainly doesn't hold your hand or spend anytime introducing you to the heroes of the MCU. You're expected to be familiar with large scale events that took place previously in the universe and the characters who are involved in it. I for one, am thankful they went this route as I don't possibly see any way that this story could have been told in it's time constraint with character reintroductions at every turn. The movie is fast paced chaos and the tone as set right off the bat.

The CGI is near perfection. Thanos, a near full CGI villain with motion capture done by Josh Brolin, is truly brought to life. It's always good to be wary with CGI villains since we so often see them fail miserably, but Thanos was pulled into our reality by the animators with every minute facial expression, squint, and wince. The brilliant voiceover work by Josh Brolin certainly helped establish the villain as well.

The performances by the massive, wonderful cast are all done to near perfection. No one misses a beat and they all stay true to their characters, which is also a testament to how well the Russo brothers worked with the task of bringing MCU characters into their film who were previously established by other minds in their own standalone films.

That's all I want to get into to spare spoiling anything, but I can't recommend this enough. If you haven't seen an MCU film prior to this one, I highly suggest checking out at least the previous two Avengers films if not the entire MCU before arriving to this film.

Kodachrome (2017) follows Jason Sudeikis' character Matt Ryder, who reluctantly joins his ill, estranged father, Ben, played by Ed Harris, on the road alongside Ben's caretaker Zoe Kern, played by Elizabeth Olsen on a trip to fulfill Ben's dying wish of getting his Kodachrome film developed before the last existing Kodachrome development studio closes for good.

Without a doubt, Ed Harris is the standout of this cast. His acting and nuance brought his character to life and provided his character with depth, and draw that made him the most well rounded character in the film. Ed Harris did a wonderful job with drawing emotions out of scenes and bringing the audience into his mind state as a character.

Unfortunately my biggest gripe with the film comes from it's cookie cutter plot and it's unwillingness to do anything we haven't seen before a million times. We've already seen plots about bitter children being forced to join their estranged parents on adventures where the overlying theme is supposed to be heartwarming and family bonding, and Kodachrome doesn't try to break through that mold whatsoever and plays it safe a lot of times throughout the plot.

As far as acting goes, Jason Sudeikis and Elizabeth Olsen's performances seem relatively phoned in. Their on screen personas don't really compliment each other well at all and it makes for very static, boring scenes given their minimal chemistry.

If you were looking forward to this movie, I wouldn't deter you from checking it out but pad your expectations.

Lady Bird (2017) is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Saorise Ronan, Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts in Sacramento, 2002 as Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson runs through the trials and tribulations of a high school student in her senior year.

The shining moments from Lady Bird have to come from the compelling dynamic and chemistry between Lady Bird (Saorise Ronan) and her mother Mario McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). The fashion in which they play off each other in different sort of emotional scenarios makes the film incredibly relatable and paints with a broad enough brush that a large audience will be able to see bits of themselves in Lady Bird while still remaining an immensely personal story.

All of the scenes are wonderfully acted and do an outstanding job extracting whichever emotions it pleases from the audience, whether it's laughing with the characters or tearing up because of a conflict taking place.

Another thing this film does remarkably well is make Sacramento, a city which is foreign to a large amount of the audience, feel like the town or city in which we grew up in. There is a strong familiarity with the setting that I was caught off guard by, given that the film takes place in California which I am not from.

If there was a complaint I can muster from this great film, it would be that there is just a scene or two towards the end which start making the story drag on a bit. Other than that however, I strongly recommend this one.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) is a film written and directed by Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges) and takes place in small, rural, Ebbing Missouri and follows our lead actress Frances McDormand who plays Mildred, a mother who challenges the police department's competence by renting three billboards which take aim at their inability to solve the death of her daughter.

Mildred (Frances McDormand) is a remarkably well rounded character. The narrative finds no problem telling us all we need to know about Mildred through spectacular show-not-tell storytelling and she wins over the audience within the first handful of minutes of being on screen. Mildred shows humanizing strengths and weaknesses which come off as gripping, inspiring, and at some points - heart wrenching.

Dixon (Sam Rockwell) has a role in the story of a scummy, bigoted, racist cop who's morally despicable behavior leave the audience disgusted by his actions, but as the narrative goes forth and we learn about Dixon he becomes one of the most compelling characters we've seen in film in recent memory.

Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) brings forth a charm, fun, charisma which serve as light and tension breaking warmth in some of the darker or more tense scenes in the film. Woody Harrelson completely brings Willoughby to life and his magnetic personality makes him a treat to watch anytime he's on screen.

Besides those three main characters, we also see superb performances from some of the supporting characters - namely Caleb Landry Jones playing Red Welby, Kerry Condon playing Pamela, and Abbie Cornish playing Anne. The script along with the actors' dedication to their characters make for a certainly gripping cast of characters.

While there's only one or two things about the story that prevent this movie from being a solid 10 in my eyes, there's still just so much to admire with the storytelling, cinematography, and direction with this film. It's a fully cohesive story which doesn't waste any time and definitely does not overstay it's welcome. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri makes for a great character study given the depth and the arcs we go through with the characters and this film is certainly one of the best of 2017, highly recommend checking this one out.

The Purge: Election Year (2016) is the third installment in the "Purge" franchise - following The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge. In this film we're reintroduced to Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) who we've seen in The Purge: Anarchy, and Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) who is running for President with one divisive goal in mind: end the Purge once and for all.

If you're familiar with The Purge series, you probably know what to expect from this. It has a fairly predictable story with minimal character development and doesn't try to be anything more than mindless action set in nighttime Washington D.C. The themes and tone of the story take a bit of a different turn compared to what we're used to in The Purge series, and attempts to buy a little bit more into the political sphere of the setting with a topical representation of American politics, some of the enemies being a team of white supremacists tasked with taking out opposition by right wing lunatics. This comes off a little heavy handed at some points and otherwise campy, and the villains weren't given any sort of depth besides just making them Nazis.

The characters are all very stock and the actors to match. Frank Grillo playing your typical white knight badass while Elizabeth Mitchell plays a genuine politician who's good heart and morals drive them to do nothing but good in the world. The characters only get worse as you look into the other supporting characters, as they're just as boring if not more, with screen time that isn't helping us learn or develop their motivations or backstory.

This might be something you're into if you're a big fan of the previous two, but you're going to have to shut your brain off for 2 hours if you want to get any enjoyment out of this film.

John Krasinski stars and directs in this horror film where the setting is simple - you make a sound, you die.

The acting is superb all around, from John Krasinski, to Emily Blunt, to Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds who play the children. Given the premise, dialogue is not much of an option therefore the plot relies heavily on body language and facial expression to drive the story forward, and all of the actors play wonderfully into that narrative. Emily Blunt, however is certainly the standout as she delivers what is certainly one of the most memorable roles of her career, playing opposite John Krasinski as his pregnant wife.

There are a few problems I have with the plot. There's definitely a handful of conveniences that took me out of it, and if you're the type that consciously reads into the setting past what we're told in the story then you'll probably notice some fallacies as well. Putting those aside however, there is a lot to like about the albeit predictable plot, and the film has a lot of opportunity to create a tense, frightening moment and John Krasinski directs the scenes well. I will concede that a couple jump scares come off as relatively cheap and unwarranted but it wasn't overly detrimental to my experience.

The biggest surprise for me going into it is just how much John Krasinski wanted to make the story revolve around the characters, not the monster. It made the narrative that much more emotional and powerful and I appreciate that John didn't want to churn out another factory made creature feature like we see so often. John did a great job at making me like these characters and creating an emotional attachment made tense scenes a lot more frightening and concerning.

In conclusion, I highly recommend checking out A Quiet Place to anyone looking for a quality horror film that has a unique story and remarkable acting.

Jordan Peele's strong directorial debut got well deserved Oscar attention, as it's unique, intelligent, and often times subtle storytelling made for a well layered, suspenseful film experience.

It is hard to say one actor out of the supporting roles stuck out as they all performed so well, but Daniel Kaluuya in the lead role as Chris was superb. His usage of facial expression and body language played so well to his character, and in a movie with plenty of good qualities about it he shines.

Jordan Peele also uses a lot of subtle imagery that contributes well to the themes and tone of his story, which is notably impressive especially for a first time director and make for rewarding second, third and maybe even more repeat viewings.

This movie is not without faults however, as there is a handful of times where characters inexplicably act strange seemingly just for the audience, and like most horror movies coming out recently it has it's pointless, shrill music stabs to emphasize a silly jump scare.

Despite it's faults, I would still highly recommend this one to anyone looking for an intriguing story.

After The Shape of Water won best picture, I figured I would finally get around to checking it out, and unfortunately it just did not satisfy me.

The first half or so is intriguing, suspenseful and otherwise powerful storytelling. I'd be giving this a good review if it didn't completely fall of during the second half, it's almost criminal how quickly the positive momentum just falls apart into a boring snooze fest. It honestly feels like watching two different movies given the difference in quality.

The character design for what is referred to as "The Asset" throughout the movie is fascinating, and as far as backstory goes we learn a satisfying amount about him through Michael Shannon, who plays the villain of the story and is also a redeeming quality of the film.

The soundtrack, while unique, only played into the boring portions of this movie and almost pushed my focus away from the movie even more.

A lot of people loved this movie so I still recommend this to people who just want to see what the hub-bub is about, but I wasn't the biggest fan of this one.

Game Night is a fun comedy that is easy to relate to and brings a fun sense of adventure as well. It is apparent that the actors had a fun time in the filming of this movie as well, as their performances reflect that and make for some of the best gags I've seen in recent memory.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams' character have an entertaining, believable romance that the story doesn't hinge too heavily on, but instead make for a character dynamic that is electric and entertaining to watch anytime they share a scene together.

Jesse Plemons almost steals the show in this movie, his line delivery and mannerisms make for some of the funniest situational comedy I've seen all year. He was a delight anytime he was on screen and I wish we got to see more of him.

As for a couple gripes with the movie, there's a handful of scenes where a character tells a joke - that is funny - but loses momentum when another character intervenes and explains the joke out loud, as if the screenwriters felt the need to explain the joke to the audience directly. There is also a moment or two where the story gets a little too bizarre in my opinion, but it wasn't too much of a grievance considering how much fun I still had with this story.

Definitely check this one out of your looking for a fun, late night comedy.

I have not read the book so I can't touch on how the movie stands up to that, but as far as a movie by itself it was passable. A large portion of the movie is told strictly through animation and CGI, and it stands up well and doesn't intrude on the story. The story however, does run into a lot of fundamental problems that might have attentive viewers rolling their eyes.

Without engaging too heavily in spoilers, there are what the narrative tries to tell us are supposed to be romance scenes that are either completely laughable or difficult to watch, and basically goes from slightly interesting to basic cut and dry fairy-tale rather quickly.

If you're a parent, you can probably take your kids to enjoy it and you'll be able to sit through it (as long as you're okay with the oddly liberal usage of swear words that feel thematically strange in the context of what seems like a family friendly movie) and your children will have fun with the action scenes, CGI and any pop culture references they might recognize.

However if you want to go into this movie seeking any sort of depth outside of what is just another CGI filled popcorn movie, maybe you'll be disappointed. If it interests you check it out but if you don't already want to see it you won't be pleasantly surprised.

A must see film that will leave you eager to unpack all of the themes and intricacies that this outstanding Sci-Fi flick has to offer.

Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac deliver wonderfully compelling performances throughout, and right off the hop the movie demands our attention and leaves us yearning to see where the story takes their characters next. This film is masterfully constructed with countless layers and payoffs that treat the audience for being engaged with the plot while leaving them fascinated to find out what it further has in store.

The visuals and sound design in this film are gorgeously crafted, and utilized to their fullest extent to provide commendable sequences of audio/visual storytelling that leave you in awe and wonder..

If I were to draw any sort of minor complaint from my viewing experience, it would be that besides Oscar Isaac and Natalie Portman, there is a couple acting performances that fall flat in a number of sections where line delivery and expression feels mediocre and phoned in.

Besides that, I would certainly recommend this to Sci-Fi enthusiasts and casual fines alike who are looking for a cinematic experience busting with depth and fascination.

The humor comes off as tasteless, lazy and relies far too heavily on shock value than any sort of creative merits. Throughout the movie it comes off as though it wants to take itself relatively seriously as an action comedy, but the boring, static plot left me uninterested and there was no real sense of stakes throughout.

If you want to see the lead actors partake in Workaholics like fun, you'll probably be left bored through the large portions of the movie that try too hard to be a reputable action film.

The lead characters are boring, unlikable and the only redeeming quality of the movie is Neal McDonough's character for the handful of times he's on screen, but even an actor of his stature had difficulty delivering a compelling performance given the awful script he had to work with.

You can probably miss this one unless you're a diehard Workaholics fan, but even then this movie will probably be a waste of your time.

It almost goes without saying with most superhero movies coming out as of late that if you go into it expecting the next Citizen Kane or 12 Angry Men, you'll be disappointed. However with Black Panther if you go into it looking for a fun, energetic action romp you likely will not leave disappointed.

If you follow the logic of "a movie is only as good as it's villain" as many do, I think you'll be quite pleased with Michael B. Jordan and his portrayal of Killmonger. He truly seems as though he invested himself into the character and it might be one of the best performances he's given throughout his career so far. He had believable motives, intriguing development and the story took turns with his character that caught me by surprise.

While Chadwick Boseman pails in comparison to Michael B. Jordan, his performance is certainly nothing to shake a stick at. He gives about the best performance he can since his character dialogue has a lot of monotone, stern delivery as you would expect from a superhero we are supposed to expect a leadership figure from.

Talking about the story, some may find it predictable as it is definitely possible to draw a lot of similarities to past stories like The Lion King, but I think that there is still turns that plenty of the audience won't see coming.

Going to the visuals, I would consider them absolutely stunning. Wakanda is a beautiful place and the production team brought it to life with ease. We are taken through a few different set pieces that kept the film flowing and has no trouble maintaining your attention.

A couple of my biggest gripes would be that some characters that we are lead to believe carry an important weight to the story are inexplicably absent for a large portion of the movie, which did leave me wondering for a couple portions of the film. Another is the way some scenes are lit or just too dark to see anything, unfortunately. Something I noticed but it didn't impede my viewing experience too much to make a bigger complaint of.

All in all, I recommend checking this one out if you're a superhero movie fan, but if you despise superhero movies and are sick of seeing them come out, this one probably won't change your mind.

If you're looking for a fun, witty comedy, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a comprehensive plot and story, you'll be disappointed. Even if you're looking for a movie about downsizing - chances are you'll be disappointed.

The theme of shrinking your body size down is basically only a plot point in the first 20 minutes, as the film quickly loses it's sense of scale after that and just becomes any regular normal sized movie and the act of "downsizing" swiftly takes a backseat to make room for a sparse, mess of a plot with corny, unfunny quips and gags.

Went into this movie looking forward to the inclusion of comedic actors such as Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis, however they are criminally underused. Instead we follow Matt Damon, who lacks any sort of character substance as does Christoph Waltz' character, as well as Hong Chau's character who has this over the top Vietnamese accent which almost sounds like the same comical, ridiculous tone you'd find in a prank call. She was born in Thailand, but her accent in this movie is just so outrageous it took me out of it several times, it's almost like it was supposed to be funny.

I challenge anyone to summarize any sort of plot this movie has a week after seeing it, this film is forgettable almost immediately after viewing and the only things that stuck with me are it's glaring flaws. Would seriously advise skipping this one for your next movie night.

Alright, so the movie bases it's "Limitless pill" device on the age old myth that we only use 10% of our brain. If you're willing to look past that aspect of the movie, I think there's a lot of fun to be had here.

Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a writer who by the beginning of the movie has fallen into a depression, his apartment is a mess, he struggling to pay his bills, and his future is looking bleak. That's when we're introduced to the mysterious, fascinating character from Eddie's past who personally gives him the pill that changes Eddie's life.

Abbie Cornish, playing opposite Bradley Cooper as Lindy, does an outstanding job throughout the many serious, tense scenes the movie places her in. She plays a fascinating character motivation for Eddie and has a well rounded, interesting character development.

Robert De Niro also has a major role in this film as Carl Van Loon, a New York City bigshot with more power than he knows what to do with.

While the majority of the movie is fun, gripping and all plays very well into the general theme of the film it is not without it's moments that tend to feel like a drag, often in the second act. That complaint is outweighed by the rest of the film, and I would still certainly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a fun, mysterious thriller.

As many other audience reviews have gone onto mention, the critics reviewing this movie wasted no time calling it things like "the worst movie of 2017" and after seeing Bright I don't think I could disagree more.

A couple valid grievances would certainly be the dialogue, plot devices as well as the use of some characters we are introduced to throughout the movie but if you go into this film looking forward to a fun, diverse universe with fantasy worldbuilding that remains rooted in our own society I'll bet that you won't be disappointed.

Will Smith plays an LAPD police officer who was assigned an Orc partner - the first Orc in the LAPD, which brings a lot of prejudice and judgement from the other officers in the department as Orcs in this universe are generally seen as gangster, low income savages, although Jakoby, played by Joel Edgerton, comes off as a unique case to that stereotype as he has shown a passion for law enforcement since he was young. An unfortunate encounter that takes place before the film begins however taints the departments perception of Jakoby even further, even more so in his partner Ward's case, who is Will Smith's character.

If you were intrigued by the setting and the characters of the story but also had problems with the writing, you'll be pleased by the fact Max Landis, the screenwriter, will not be returning for the sequel that Netflix announced. In conclusion, don't let the critics deter you from this movie as there is certainly enjoyment to be had in this movie.

Suicide Squad is fundamentally one of those "if done correctly" stories. Even before you embark on the journey this movie takes you on, you ask yourself "if the threat is so big, why not call any of the good guy superheroes in this universe?" And the movie struggles to answer that - instead elects to brush the question to the side with a mindless suggestion that the world needs a line of defense in case Superman falls out of line. The band of characters we follow throughout the story are remarkably unlikable and a handful of them are given virtually nothing to do in the plot. If you subscribe to the logic of "your movie is only as good as it's villain" you would certainly be right in the case of this movie because the threat that looms over the movie spends a lot of the time bordering between "immensely boring" and "logically ridiculous".

Suicide Squad also brings us the first live action film adaptation of "The Joker" since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and I don't think Jared Leto comes anywhere near matching the larger than life Joker portrayals we've seen anywhere in the past, quite possibly being the worst Joker we've ever seen in a movie. I don't want to write off Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn however, with a proper script and story to fit into I think she can do Quinn justice. I wouldn't recommend checking this one out, it will surely be a disappointing film.

In comparison to the first film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle comes off as a poorly written fan parody. It tried to be a fun, mindless action romp but it had problems pulling that off with any sort of esteem. The direction lacks any sort of vision or character, and the writing is hardly believable or inviting. The characters we fell in love with from the first one because of their wit, intelligence or combat prowess are underused in this iteration of the story and replaced with boisterous, unlikable "Statesmen" and while their specific individual sets of skills and practice might be one of the only redeeming qualities this film has to offer, we see very little of these fascinating characteristics explored and rather than give us would we as an audience would like to see much of the film's action takes place in silly, tongue in cheek sequences that don't take itself seriously in places that would have served the plot nicely with some depth or nuance.

While as of early 2018 when this is review is being written not much as been said about the possibility of a third Kingsman film being made, but hopefully if they decide in favor of a complete trilogy the next one will learn from the missteps in this installment and return to what made the first one so electric, gripping and fun. If you were a fan of the first Kingsman, skipping this one won't hurt.

As the movie begins we're introduced to Jamie Foxx - a taxi driver residing in a bustling Los Angeles. We relate to Jamie Foxx's character Max, he's just an everyday American keeping his nose out of trouble with a 9 to 5 job, a jerk of a boss and aspirations that he still has dreams of but ultimately take a backseat when real life comes knocking.

Cruise is introduced as a professional, calculated hit-man and as soon as he is introduced into the story we take a turn into a high stakes, thrilling plot that follows Tom Cruise - playing Vincent and Max through the mesmerizing Los Angeles setting as Vincent forces Max to escort him to his next handful of hits.

Eventually, Mark Ruffalo is welcomed into the story as Detective Fanning, which works exquisitely as a supporting character as he portrays a wise, level headed detective who drives the story forward with smart, intuitive actions and believable, and compelling character motivations.

Overall, Collateral works as a riveting, action thriller and there is very little negative things to say about the story as a whole. Tom Cruise playing a villain for once is a breath of fresh air and his chemistry with Jamie Foxx is magnetic throughout every viewing. Definitely check this one out.

I read on the IMDb trivia that Arnold was originally wary of the original script that featured just him facing off against the Predator, and thank goodness for the rewrite. All of the supporting characters compliment the plot near perfectly, and they all have simple, easy to follow character traits and motivations that make for easy investment without taking away from our lead - Dutch, played by Arnold.

The setting of the film is fun, believable and engaging. It certainly brings the jungle alive and pulls you into the story. The score plays a big part in the storytelling, and does a phenomenal job at creating the mood and atmosphere for the scenes that it takes place in. The sound design is what I would personally compliment the most, as I do not believe the film would be the same without the way the jungle sounded so authentic, the effects of all the different types of gunfire used, and not to mention the iconic sounds that brought the Predator to life.

A seamless film with little to no dull moments, would be the perfect addition to anyone's collection for all sorts of occasions.

Featuring 12 fascinating characters in the roles of jurors on a murder trial (hence the title) Henry Fonda plays the lone vote that urges the rest of the jury to think twice and reconsider the verdict of the defendant. While some may argue that this film is the best of all time, few will debate it's place in anyone's top ten list as it's masterful dialogue, riveting plot and virtually flawless direction will leave any filmmaker straining to beat. It's simplistic setting and costume design renders the film timeless and besides it's black and white visual it will certainly be able to captivate any audience that won't settle for anything less than a modern standard. If by some miracle you're a film enthusiast, filmmaker or even a casual viewer who has missed this phenomenal piece of work, I urge you to give it a watch as soon as you're able to.

Blade Runner 2049 maintains a steady, confident pace throughout and while some fans might have complaints about the lack of action and blood pumping thrills, it compliments the story to focus on a steady, deep narrative.

Though a sequel, 2049 manages to tell it's own strong story that does not by any means depend too heavily on the original source material, but also refrains from deviating too far from the themes and tone that the original Blade Runner established.

Ryan Gosling delivers an exceptional performance in the lead role as "K", and quickly gives you a character that treats the audience with a fascinating perspective and unique character.

While a little over two and a half hours might seem a bit long for a film, this movie depends on the time length in order to build investment and emotion into the story and it does not disappoint in paying it off. Definitely check out Blade Runner 2049 if you have not already.

The three leads, Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Alison Janney shine in their respective characters and pull you into the turbulent, competitive world of figure skating. The film makes a point early to establish these characters with honest, believable motivations and personalities and you find yourself growing attached to them despite their glaring flaws as human beings.

While hinging on what they refer to as "the incident" as the major turning point in the story, we are also given an interesting and telling look into what it could be like for all sorts of different athletes competing in Olympics level competitions. I, Tonya is an engaging film I would recommend checking out.

Certainly a great way to kick off the fourth season, Black Mirror lays out a story which brings a near perfect balance of an easy to follow journey while still being able to unpack complicated subject matter at a well constructed pace.

Our leads Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti deliver excellent performances and Jimmi Simpson was gripping in a more supportive role as well.

If you are new to Black Mirror as a series now that it is considered a Netflix original and is more widely accessible, I think this would make a fine place to start.