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Reviews
Fair Play (2023)
Subtle Slow Burn Thriller
Fair Play is an excellent psychological thriller that nails the ending, perfectly building up the tension without taking it too far or becoming ridiculous. So much of the tension is built up in subtext, from what's left unsaid.
Expert performances from Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich maintain suspense, creating a very believable dynamic. Luke won't say how he actually feels for a good portion of the film, but you can see it subtly appear on his face every time he and Emily speak after her promotion. Ehrenreich portrayed a dynamic and multi-faceted antagonist, someone you want to hate but not too much until the end and the destruction of Luke and Emily's relationship. He leaves you questioning his motivations and behaviors until it all spills out in a couple memorable scenes.
Phoebe Dynevor is also fantastic, playing a women who loves her fiancé and doesn't want to believe he's so jealous as to resort to sabotaging her career because he wanted the promotion she got and resents having her as his boss. It's amazing how she carries herself throughout the film, stoically standing strong until subtle cracks begin to form, often conveyed just by a small facial expression or minor shift in tone.
While there are some flourishes that can push it a bit too much, Fair Play is an expertly crafted slow-burn that creates thrilling tension and lands the ending, leaving the resolution in question until the last minutes of the film.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Horrifying debauchery and over the top cautionary tale
This movie was intense and fun. Showing serious debauchery and insane antics, this movie tells the tale of Jordan Belfort, one of the worst people ever, and his insane rise to the top of Wall Street. Leonardo DiCaprio gave a transformative performance, he's the backbone of this film. The movie has some incredible and really memorable scenes. Scorsese is really good at that, the film is so alive. It is thrilling.
Personally I felt it was a bit too long. Jordan Belfort is so awful, there are times where it's just too much for me. I know that's the point, but it was a little too much to watch for one movie. I really liked the last scene, where we see Jordan Belfort still draws a crowd after serving just a few years for his crimes. It reflects poorly back on our current society because Jordan Belfort is somehow a real person who also has a successful speaking career post-prison (I was surprised upon further research that some scenes I thought had to be artistic embellishment were completely real or based on a true story). The Wolf of Wall Street is a great work of art, I'd imagine those with a higher tolerance for disgust would easily give this 5 stars, but that's just not me.
The Avengers (2012)
MCU on the rise
This is the first film I've seen in my MCU watch where I understood why Marvel became so huge. This was a blast to watch, and the way the plot is written makes it very rewarding to see all the previous movies, to see where these plot points originated. The Avengers really work well when they're all in the same movie, it avoids the repetitiveness and predictability seen in some of the other Marvel films. The action scenes are staged and shot really well, the film feels alive. You can see how Marvel slowly built up to this film for years, the planning paid off, even if I didn't like all the standalone films prior as much as this one.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Solid film
A solid entry in the MCU, Captain America: The First Avenger does an excellent job at creating the character of Steve Rogers. He's given a compelling backstory, which gives meaning after the creation of Captain America as a character and his arc after transforming into that. Chris Evans is commanding in the role and totally carries Steve Rogers and Captain America. The writing of the plot is solid, nothing mind-blowing. There are some elements that could've been fleshed out a bit better, like the main villain or the romance plot. The WWII setting is mostly convincing, the set design has some really good moments. Overall, it's definitely worth watching, it has fun moments and more serious moments of heartbreak and action.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
James Cameron's Masterpiece
Really an incredible film, James Cameron has done it again. I think this notably improved on the first film. I cared a lot more about Jake, his family, and for the characters. It's easier to relate to Jake when you see how he's motivated to care for his family. He's fighting for them. The story writing felt much more polished and not as predictable as the first film. The characters felt more real and less a parody.
However the plots and characters don't make this film great, it's the breathtaking visuals and filmmaking. The world of Pandora. The special effects are incredible, they feel so real because James Cameron has elevated the visual capabilities of filming, literally helping invent the cameras needed to make this happen. The water scenes are some of the best underwater shots I've seen in film. The best way to watch is to just sit back and soak up the incredible world James Cameron created.
Iron Man (2008)
Great start to the MCU
Iron Man is a great film, and you can see why the MCU grew so big by starting with a project as good as this one. Robert Downey Jr. Gives a spectacular performance, and the movie works so well because of it. It is first and foremost a movie about Tony Stark and his personal character, not just an action-fest. I really cared about him as a person, the trauma he went through, and that's powerful. Watching this now, you can't help but think that the MCU has forgotten some of what built them into the brand they are today. This movie works because it gets the basics right, good writing that creates a compelling character for the actor to work with. It's about the story before the spectacle. It's also a standalone story and doesn't require watching 20 movies beforehand.
Burnt (2015)
Solid, but fell short of its potential
This movie reminds me a lot of The Bear, but The Bear did it better. They're going for the intense, angry chef, like a Gordon Ramsey, but the movie often lacked showing the soul that motivates those chefs. The kitchen scenes were mostly very good, but the personal development of the characters was lacking. The movie did a lot of telling, telling us about Adam's past, but not showing us what happened or why we should care. The motivations of the characters didn't feel properly grounded or fleshed out by the writers. The movie was still enjoyable, and the cast did a good job with the material they were given, but I just found myself wanting a bit more.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Ok sequel
I have very conflicting feelings on this film, I don't think it was bad necessarily, but it was unnecessarily clumsy, and a major step down from the masterpiece that is Spider-Man 2. I thought Venom wasn't included very well in the movie, Sandman on the other hand had a backstory connected to Peter on a personal level, which also made sense. I enjoyed the arc between Harry and Peter, which felt fitting. The black suit "Bad Peter" scenes were cringy, which I know was intentional, but I thought there were a few too many, and it was painful to watch, especially between Peter and MJ, and really frustrating.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
One of the best superhero movies
What an incredible film, it perfectly builds on the first movie to create one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. It was a bold choice to have Spider-Man lose his powers for a good chunk of the movie, but it works so well because it allows use to see Peter Parker as a person, and the movie becomes a brilliant character study about him. The special effects still look great today, like the subway scene still looks so real. The ending was extremely satisfying, both in terms of beating the villain and having the perfect solution to Peter's personal struggles. It felt earned, we went on a journey with Peter to get there.
Avatar (2009)
Actually Really Great
Rewatched this for what I think is the first time since seeing it at release in theaters, and it was spectacular. I definitely don't agree with the narrative this is overrated and overhyped, it was spectacular. The best way to watch is to just let yourself be transported into Pandora and be in the moment, you can almost feel like you're there. Yes the script is predictable, but it works, it's executed really well, the tension is there, the characters are so human and real, I connected with them immediately. I appreciate James Cameron for continuing to advance the field and using CGI correctly and in a realistic way.
The Gray Man (2022)
Mediocrity
Extremely underwhelming. This sounded like something I should've loved on paper, great cast, I love a spy story, but the execution was just terrible. The movie could've skipped an action scene or two to provide us more of a chance to get to know the characters. Amazing actors were cast, but got very little good material to work with. There were some really atrocious CGI shots that took me out of the scenes. It felt like the story was just never able to fully come together, there wasn't a solid plan and they decided to keep shooting scenes that looked cool while forgoing a cohesive vision for the story.
Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
Solid Courtroom Drama
Ghosts of Mississippi is a well executed courtroom drama, but that focus leads to the sidelining of characters like Whoopi Goldberg's in favor of a myopic focus on Alec Baldwin's prosecutor. As an enjoyer of the courtroom drama genre, I enjoyed watching this movie, it was fun, properly dramatic, but a bit predictable at times. I would've liked to see at least a few more scenes of Medgar Evers, maybe in a flashback, or some scenes of the Evers family without Alec Baldwin there. The film does a good job of imparting the feel of race relations in the south at the time, and it feels credible and realistic, but doesn't elevate the topic to say something beyond the obvious.
Goodfellas (1990)
Masterpiece
Goodfellas is funny, intense, thrilling, dramatic, nerve-wracking, and tragic. A true masterpiece of the gangster film genre, I can't believe it took me this long to watch it. It's beautifully shot, and thrives in its more subtle moments, slight inflections in character's conversation that reveal a lot. This also felt very real and more grounded than other gangster movies. Every supporting character is well-used and adds to the story, which is also a character study of some very deeply flawed individuals.
The soundtrack and editing perfectly complement the story, every decision adds to the film. It' s easy to see why this is considered a classic great film, an extraordinary achievement by Scorsese. I just wish I watched it sooner.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Fun J-Law Comedy
It's nice to see a mid-budget studio comedy in theaters again, it's been a while. Jennifer Lawrence was very good in the lead role, she's a great comedic actress and true movie star. Andrew Barth Feldman was really funny and gave a great performance considering this is his first major role. I think he'll have a strong future in Hollywood. I laughed a lot, the movie was well done, but I think the first two-thirds of the movie were notably funnier than the last third, understandable they had to wrap up some of the plot points, but that's why it's not rated more highly for me. Not perfect but a fun time.
The Miracle Club (2023)
Underwhelming
I came to see Maggie Smith and the rest of the cast, and I always love a story about Ireland, but the movie unfortunately seemed to work better on paper. It felt very flat, and they didn't do as much with the story as they could have. The plot dragged and wasn't developed that well, there was barely enough to stretch into the short 90 minute runtime. The cast did a good enough job with the material they had to work with, so it was still enjoyable enough to where I didn't want to leave, but not much more than that. It's a shame to get such a talented group of actors and give them so little to work with.
Barbie (2023)
Original, colorful, and fun
Barbie opens with an homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey before quickly transitioning to the visually stunning, artificial reality of Barbieland, where the sky is a painting and the food imagined. It's colorful, the set designers display fully realized artistic visions-it's nice to see a movie that isn't over sanitized for a mass audience, a movie that doesn't play it safe. You can see the influences Greta Gerwig wanted to include from old Hollywood all over the place. Margot Robbie is the star as Barbie, fully embodying the perfect Barbie life until cracks start to form in Barbieland.
Barbie presents two dystopian worlds, one a bad version of the real world, and Barbieland, where men are pushed aside and given nothing to do at all. Ken discovers the idea of the patriarchy after being respected for the first time in his life in the real world because he never had any power. It was a desperate attempt to gain equality from a member of the oppressed class. Ken is essential to the emotional core of the film. He's how we see the injustice of Barbieland. The movie isn't man-hating, it uses the poor treatment of the Kens by the Barbies to say how dumb discrimination is and that we should all treat each other as individuals, capable of working within our individual talents and skills and that we should be authentic to who we are.
** Significant spoilers after this point**
The movie also tells us through a memorable monologue from Gloria (thanks to America Ferrera's excellent performance) that we don't have to be perfect, we can embrace being ordinary. She doesn't want the perfect Barbie life either, she wants an ordinary Barbie that's also a mom, loves her family, and embraces her imperfections as good things. The concern with insecurity caused by Barbie is made less tactfully by Gloria's daughter who goes on a screed calling Barbie a fascist (you can't tell me this was intended to be self serious and not a way to poke fun at Gen Z self righteousness).
Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie also learns these values, shown when she is sitting at the bus stop in the real world and looks over at the older woman next to her and tells her she is beautiful. Barbie sees beyond the plastic perfection of Barbieland. This is why it's so important she leaves Barbieland at the end of the film, she rejects the reimposed female domination of Barbieland and the point of the film is to say the real world is better than what women may imagine happens in Barbieland. Barbieland is not the good place.
There were some significant negatives for me though. I thought the movie had some humor that fell very flat in parts. The scenes at Mattel didn't do much for me. The movie was at its weakest in the real world (where we spent a lot of time). Some of the characters had rushed development.
I am Kenough.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Nolan does it again
Oppenheimer is a haunting story, a man whose clearly very emotionally conflicted (understandably) despite doing a great service for America and the world. Cillian Murphy brings every feeling to the screen. Nolan has created a masterpiece.
The editing blew me away, it was very unique. The audience never felt comfortable because we kept moving around to different parts of the narrative for most of the film. Nolan used different filming techniques, some in black and white, others in beautiful colors, so you are never really that confused to what time you're in. It works really well.
The film's sound design transports you into Oppenheimer's world, few films use sound to such great effect, every moment has the perfect music cue, the perfect volume, and unexpected silences that convey a whole boatload of emotions.
Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt were also outstanding in their roles.
I'm so glad I saw this in 35mm, it's not often anymore that movies have a film release, Nolan utilizes the format to its fullest potential. Relying on practical effects keeps the story grounded. You can tell he loves cinema.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020)
Star Trek's Parody of Itself
Lower Decks is definitely the show for the Star Trek super fan, the fan who watched every episode and movie multiple times. Sounds daunting, but this is what makes it so rewarding to watch. It is full of references and in-universe jokes. It expertly makes fun of topics we've debated and pondered for years, but with love. The characters are us, they are also fans of the old Starfleet heroes and captains we've all seen on screen.
The animation style allows its frenetic energy to shine, The characters are enthusiastic and passionate. There's a lot of humor that works really well. It's a blast to watch and filled the hole of old star trek that I had until Strange New Worlds premiered.