⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I heard about the movie I had concerns. When I saw the initial publicity photos I had concerns. When I saw the trailers I still had concerns. When I started hearing what people thought of it I was intrigued.
I was impressed with Joaquin Phoenix’s performance 5 minutes in, found it memorable and completely haunting. It’s a tragic movie, full of all types of pain and it stabs hard into the state of mental health care, fictional city or not.
I was glued to this movie.
There are some scenes near the end that I didn’t like as much as others and that in good part kept Joker from getting a higher rating from me but the movie is still impressive. Don’t make a sequel though, let it sit on its own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had no idea where this movie was going or what it was doing half the time, I was just entertained watching all these characters do their thing. It was one of the rare occasions where I wanted to start watching it again after it ended.
I love how the tension starts building after Rick and Cliff return to Hollywood but the movie then takes a hard 90 degree turn. I stayed away from any information about when it came out and was therefore able to watch the invasion scene in disbelief.
The movie meanders more than some other Tarantino movies but that’s perfectly fine, I’m not sure how he is able to do that so well.
I was impressed. It’s not quite at the top of his for me but I’m interested to see how it sits with me over time.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Charming and well made however it just didn’t ever come together for me. There were brief moments where I started feeling a connection but that was when it stirred up emotions from the original. It’s a solid family film and I respect the bold move to attempt a sequel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was a little slower than I expected but was a lot of fun just watching all these characters and actors together. There’s a real classic feeling to it, like you’re watching an old movie and the tone makes it a great movie to see during the holidays. Amazing house and sets too!
There’s another Blanc mystery in the works and I can’t wait to see it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The original Psycho is beyond brilliant, truly something special and I always feared looking at any of the sequels but I decided to give Psycho II a try. This could have been simple and they could have gone the easy route of simply making it a slasher movie but they didn’t.
I like that they made the decision to play off of the unknown. Was Bates going crazy again or was it someone else doing it to him? That idea worked. What I think got in the way was it being in color and going a more graphic violence route which felt out of place compared to the first.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I found myself a little surprised with Overlord, I didn’t have any expectations and ended up having a lot of fun with it. It’s just a fun movie even though some pieces start feeling a little silly, especially near the end. High energy, over the top, great setting and yes… fun.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A rather straightforward story that makes you feel good and is a good shot of motivation. Chase what makes you happy!
I find myself now putting this on rather often as a background movie. It’s definitely a feel good show. Great job from Jon Favreau.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one barely missed the same rating from me as the first one. The casting is wonderful, there are some truly great scenes and that view of looking back on being a kid was more memorable than anything Pennywise had to offer.
I may end up liking this one less after a second viewing but I love how much thought went into each scene, so many small but deliberate choices. Some character opportunities were missed though and I was bothered by monsters being silly, not scary but overall I liked it.
⭐️⭐️
It took some thought to arrive at this one because I felt conflicted through the entire movie. There were moments I really enjoyed and I thought Harbour’s version of Hellboy had a different kind of vulnerability over Perlman’s. I’ve also become of big fan of McShane lately.
Some of the overall design was memorable and every once in a while I was really into what I was watching. Unfortunately it also felt like way too much and yet not enough at the exact same time - too much story for 2 hours and a lot of plot felt discarded.
Other decisions I think unintentionally hit me as silly and I wasn’t a fan of the visual effects. I don’t think they fit and there was too much forced gore, especially in last 20 minutes that started feeling way out of place.
I’m really glad I saw it, really enjoyed a lot of it and really wanted to like it more but this Hellboy wasn’t QUITE for me. If they made another one I’d want to see it but perhaps don’t do another long single shot action piece set to Kickstart My Heart. That one hurt.
One more thing, I’m not sure it if was something unique about the rental mix but the use of surround channels was super aggressive in all the best ways, very directional with heavy pans. Thank you for that!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s a classic if you haven’t seen it, an exceptionally well made single room drama that’s completely dependent on strong characters and performances. There’s a reason it shows up on so many top lists for both film and theater.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall I liked it but this strikes me as a movie I’ll like more if I see it again in the future. It might need to marinate in my brain because I wasn’t excited coming off of it. I feel like I should have liked it more so I’m willing to admit that maybe my brain just wasn’t in the right place for it. I’ll give it another shot sometime.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was magical and rad.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This show has occupied my mind days after I finished watching it. I was not expecting it to stick so strongly with me and have to give it a lot of credit for that. I watched most of the show with my hand over my mouth and the first episode alone was unreal.
I really felt the insane horror of it all and I even jumped into the accompanying podcast - a super interesting listen. In truth, there were a lot of things that bothered me about the show and I disliked many choices in a few episodes, especially the fourth.
Somehow as a whole, it still overcame everything I disliked. I can’t think of the last time my mind wouldn’t let go of a series like this and that alone is pretty special. No joke, it’s a brutal watch but I won’t forget anytime soon.
⭐️⭐️
There were some interesting ideas but overall it just wasn’t for me. I often found it a little silly and inconsistent in tone but genuinely appreciated the world that was created.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The quality of The Incredibles is insane and the sequel is no different. It didn’t have the same magic for me as the first and there weren’t any surprises, especially when it came to the villain but it’s still a major achievement and highly enjoyable. I hope there’s a third.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m finally removing this from my backlog after decades. I found it amusing and fun with a couple of moments where I laughed out loud. If you’re a fan of Robert Zemeckis, you’ve probably already seen it but if you are and haven’t, you should.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
This is a tricky one because the movie feels like just a bunch of random scenes put together and there’s very little story. It’s nonsensical. What makes this memorable is the world Altman created, the sets, lighting, the music and performances.
There’s some nostalgia to it as well, I remember seeing it the theater when it came out but as an adult I genuinely appreciate what was created.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
A relatively simple story but the music and characters make this a really entertaining choice to put on every once in a while. Plus, who doesn’t love Dublin? The setting is awesome.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
I watch this movie at least once a year, it just speaks to me in a lot of ways. I find it quite inspirational and makes me feel good.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
We wouldn’t have gotten Heat without Thief. Masterful and you should watch it if you haven’t already, especially if you’re a fan of Heat. Chances are though if you’re a fan of Heat, you’ve already seen this and if you haven’t seen Heat, then go watch Heat.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So much fun and they were still able to show me things I’ve never seen before. This is my least favorite of the 3 but that doesn’t mean it was bad. I’m looking forward to seeing again and I’ll buy it when it comes out. It’s a no brainer to see if you liked the previous ones.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I genuinely enjoyed the performances and directing. Style was a big positive to me, very creative and impactful however I found it incredibly cynical, even for me. That cynicism matched with the inability to easily determine what’s true and what’s fictional took the wind out of its sails for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some may attempt to point out some hypocrisy between my thoughts on this and Bohemian Rhapsody but I believe it comes down to the story being told. Stan & Ollie is very specific slice of the lives and careers of these two.
Melodrama and simplification works here, the scope is much narrower and fits the general tone. Ultimately, it’s very sweet and I believe successful at attempting to highlight the dynamic of their relationship as they reach the end of their run.
I knew Hardy didn’t die in Europe but the movie made me really worried something bad was going to happen during that final performance so I give it a lot of credit for that.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
The last time I saw this was in the 90s on LaserDisc but I’ve been on a Peter Hyams kick lately so I watched it again. It’s buddy cop fun from the mid 80s that still works well. Looking back, Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal were probably risky choices but it was a good decision.
Oh yes and the Sweet Freedom segment alone is worth the price of admission on its own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performances were quite good, especially what we see of Rami Malek - amazing work. What hurt my enjoyment was the script because it came across as surface level, convenient and melodramatic to me. That’s not always a negative but for this I wanted more complexity and less polish.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
I watched this again tonight after many years and it holds up. There are some very memorable sequences that are still tense and I have always loved Peter Hyam’s cinematography. On the unfortunate side of things, I find the ending and explanations of the events in 2001 too simple.
The United States and Russia subplot hurts the movie because it feels really dated and won’t ever be a timeless experience. 2010 is a sequel to one of the best science fiction movies ever made so it’s impossible to not be overshadowed but it still does a good job.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was on my watchlist for almost 20 years and I finally got to it. It was really well done and I loved how I knew everything about the Paul Newman character in the first few minutes. Simple in all the best ways, great performances, lots of Oscar nominations and worth watching.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I did not hate this like the reviews suggested I might although I agree it was a little messy. Overall I had a good time and liked many of its ideas but have also not read any of the books.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was distracted by the Hitchcock impersonation but I love Psycho and this was an enjoyable perspective on getting it done. I would have preferred it to dig deeper into its production and Alfred’s relationships though.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
This is a super interesting one to me because the movie has challenges, especially in the last half but the first half is so engaging and I have a lot of respect for Trumbull wanting to pioneer a new film format. I really like the movie as I imagine it to be, over what it really is.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rewatched
This represents some of the very best from the Coen brothers and walks the fine line that they’re great at between comedy and tragedy. You’re chuckling one moment and shaking your head in horror the next. McDormand here really is a standout here, stealing the show.
Fargo is one of the movies people think of when someone mentions the Coen brothers and if you like their work, this is a must watch. Truly both funny and horrific.