Holt344 Reviews

Man of the West (1958)

Man of the West is a rare gem which was released in the wrong decade, a spectacular western and a worthy send-off for Gary Cooper

[10/10 · 6 May 2024]

The only film I've seen of Gary Cooper's filmography is High Noon and in that film, he set down his boot and made it known to both fans and non fabs that he's a western star, with Man of the West (one of Cooper's final Westerns) I would say he has done it again. Although not as memorable as High Noon, Man of the West is a terrific western. It is directed by Anthony Mann who is known in the genre for directing James Stewart in Winchester '73 (1950), The Naked Spur (1953), and The Man from Laramie (1955). Anthony Mann was the right choice for Man of the West (1959). The screenplay was written by Reginald Rose and was based on the novel 'The Border Jumpers'. Along with Gary Cooper, his co-stars are Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Lord, and Arthur O'Connell co-star with John Dehner, Robert J. Wilke, and Royal Dano. Man of the West, like most Mann films, is a tale of redemption.

A reformed outlaw becomes stranded after an aborted train robbery with two other passengers and is forced to rejoin his old outlaw band.

Let me dive deeper into Gary Cooper's performance, but before that let me just praise the supporting cast, they were all brilliant. Lee J. Cobb gives an award-worthy performance as the uncle to Cooper's character, with the scene at the farmstead in particular being a great example. Cobb steals the show during those scenes and Gary Cooper is mostly in the shadow, his acting is still perfect as lots of things with it are subtle thanks to Lee J. Cobb gets most of the dialogue. His performance comes full circle during an intense scene with a knife by his throat whilst Julie London's character is forced to strip, a scene I would call a hard watch but a scene full of drama and top notch acting from every single actor in the room. The film is about moments like these, how the characters respond to it, Man of the West is a character study in a way. Like I wrote before, a story of redemption, and the farmstead sequence is also where we find out Link Jones (Gary Cooper) ran with Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb) before and was an outlaw. Anthony Mann directed the actors perfectly and made that scene incredible. In a way, this scene and the reason it exists in the story, shows how the film has aged like fine wine. It was panned by critics back when it was released, perhaps rightfully so because of the time it was released as it was too different from what was made back then. Having the 'hero' say openly how he wants to kill every single one of them in a way which sounds like a horrible person and also the body language. This film is far from black and white, it's morally grey and better for it. The train sequence was all about introducing the characters whilst the farmstead sequence was all about showing who they really are whilst introducing the antagonists. Brilliantly executed.

At the time of release, the film was largely panned by American critics, but it was praised by Jean-Luc Godard, who, before he became a director, was a film critic. Godard claimed that Man of the West was the best film of the year. Decades after the film's release, it has gained a cult following and greater acclaim, with film historian Philip French claiming the film to be Anthony Mann's masterpiece, containing Cooper's finest performance. Jonathan Rosenbaum of The Chicago Reader hailed it as a "masterpiece," comparing it to "the grimness of Greek tragedy, its mountains and rock formations often suggesting the silent witness of an ancient amphitheater...the penultimate shoot-out in the ghost town is an appropriately eerie split-level confrontation between two wounded, supine men-one stretched out on a porch at screen left, the other stretched out underneath the porch at screen right, as if he were already buried. It's a key example of the way that landscape and architecture, people and settings, painting and drama, image and idea, classicism and modernism all merge on Mann's monumental canvases."

The cinematography was done by academy winner-nominee Ernest Haller, truly spectacular work and one of the film's highlights. What a great cooperation between him and the director, creating stunning shots with the use of exquisite camera work. From longer takes to wide angle shots, letting the viewer get even more immersed. For example, there's such brilliance in the photography inside the train and outside in the town and at the farmstead or simply the landscape. The film shows the old west perfectly. The costume department and set design are two other things which makes the immersion so perfect. Man of the West is a perfect western, a film more people should watch and experience. There are so many compartments which make it so perfect, all the technical aspects but also the editing and direction. Man of the West has everything a western should have but most importantly, it's because of Anthony Mann's passionate drive. He along with the main star, Gary Cooper, pours their hearts into the film and it infects us. Man of the West is such a deep and brilliant western, a spectacular film in its own right.

Braveheart (1995)

Braveheart is a huge epic spectacle and one of Mel Gibson's best films, exquisite from beginning to end

[10/10 · 3 May 2024]

Something I didn't think about during my first three viewings, as a child and then teen, was the historical inaccuracies and there's quite a lot of them. Then again, not a lot is known about William Wallace. Mel Gibson who directed, produced and starred, along with Randall Wallace who penned the screenplay. They could have made a more historically accurate film but for dramatization purposes and to create the story they wanted to tell, I would say they succeeded. Braveheart is a story with themes of leadership, heroism, courage, love, sacrifice, friendship, and the betrayal. With the iconic quote of freedom from the central character, it's the Scottish freedom in their war of independence. I truly get why a rating decreases heavily because of historical inaccuracies, at times they can break a film but I think lots of things in Braveheart can easily be looked over and see the reason behind it. Before delving deeper into the film, I just want to say how nostalgic and how incredible it still is after all these years. I understand why it's one of my father's favorite films even more now than then.

What a different performance it would have been if Brad Pitt played William Wallace who was the first consideration for the role, instead the producer-director Mel Gibson took on the role in what's possibly one of his best performances. Drawing in different emotions throughout the film, from the love story and innocence in the beginning to the military leader he becomes who is solely bent on revenge and getting freedom for his fellow Scotsmen, to the final scene where the iconic quote "Freedom" is spoken by Mel Gibson's character. Three hours of brilliant performances by him and everyone else, from both perspectives (the Scottish and English sides). To the main cast of Sophie Marceau, Angus Macfadyen, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, James Cosmo and David O'Hara. To the smaller performances by Brian Cox, Ian Bannen and Tommy Flanagan.

As I wrote before, Mel Gibson serves as producer and director, in what might be his magnum opus. His direction to the actors is top notch and the vision for the movie is fantastic, directing each scene with brilliance in mind. Could he have made it more historically accurate, sure, but he had a vision for it all and stuck with it. For example the kilts used, the kilt originated in the 16th century whilst the film is set in the 13th century. Why did they do that big of historical inaccuracy? For the imagery and how people nowadays recognize the Scottish kilt, back to the imagery though, during the battle sequences it just looks epic and the sequence wouldn't have been as cool and epic if it weren't for them, or so I think.

The battle sequences are brutal, epic and simply brilliantly shot. The mise-en-scene in those scenes and honestly the entire movie, is fantastic. All from the village fight which begins the journey for freedom, to the different battle sequences throughout the film which was visually violent and chaotic. In a filmmaking standpoint, Mel Gibson directed all of those actors and extras whilst acting out the scenes himself, a truly breathtaking couple of sequences. I want to focus on the battle at Stirling which is the first major battle and in my opinion the most stellar one, truly cinema. The huge amount of extras and actors used, the work behind it. The scene highlights how outnumbered the Scots forces were compared to the English, how they succeeded using their wits and strength. With the battle sequence set entirely on a grassland and not by a bridge which it was in reality, the film delves deep into its historical inaccuracies. Yet, it still succeeds in telling the story it needed to, showing in partly fictional ways how the real Scotsmen succeeded. In the course of a six-week shooting process. The scene required nine cameras to film it, one of which was a computer-controlled stop-motion device that had been used to great success before in Jurassic Park. Gene Siskel wrote that "in addition to staging battle scenes well, Gibson also manages to recreate the filth and mood of 700 years ago."

In an interview back in 2016, Mel Gibson told of a 4 hour cut he would release if the studio wanted to, and that's something I would gladly watch. Braveheart is a film with a lot of passion behind it, with the crew and actors putting their heart into it. It's a film on such a big scale and could easily become a box office bomb but it went and made $213.2 million on a budget of $65-70 million. Mel Gibson is a big reason for its success and so is the big cast, but also the writer (Randall Wallace) and cinematographer (John Toll). Two other names I want to praise are the editing done by Steven Rosenblum and music done by James Horner. As you notice with all these big names, these talented people, their work made Braveheart into what it became. Technically, a masterpiece and of course cinema. Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, calling it "An action epic with the spirit of the Hollywood swordplay classics and the grungy ferocity of The Road Warrior.". What's also worth adding is how the film won five Oscars among other awards, winning for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and another award; also being nominated for other Oscars. Critics have argued if the film should have won all its awards especially Best Picture, honestly I think it's deserving. Braveheart is exquisite in lots of ways, a film for everyone to enjoy.

Face/Off (1997)

John Woo brings his gun fu and heroic bloodshed to Hollywood, with a perfect action film starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in memorable roles

[10/10 · 26 April 2024]

Face/Off is a film full of high octane action directed by the maestro John Woo, doing what he's best at, the genres gun fu and heroic bloodshed in the action genre which he pioneered. There are stylized action sequences and dramatic themes such as duty, honor, redemption and violence. The film is also a great thriller film, with the more quiet and character driven scenes contributing to the film and its themes, especially of redemption and loss. Oliver Wood is also to thank for the look of the film, whilst John Woo is hugely thank for it with the aesthetics and perfect mise-en-scene, Wood's cinematography is excellent. The screenplay was written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, truly excellent writing. Since its release, the film gained a strong cult following and it is considered by many as one of John Woo's best films.

To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.

There are a bunch of action sequences that stand out, especially the speedboat chase scene which the film won an MTV award for, along with an award for best On-Screen Duo for Travolta and Cage. I think the prison escape is brilliantly executed, from direction and acting to the editing, but I think the writing could have been better and more build up as it felt too easy. The penthouse shootout is also top notch action, among the best. The same climax action sequence which begins in a church and continues with a speedboat chase. John Woo uses slow motion correctly and sparsely, making the action scenes more epic and entertaining. Face/Off won Saturn Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, it was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing. The sound design in the film is really great, with each punch and gunshot felt by us in the audience, like how it's supposed to be.

What's interesting with Face/Off, other than what an incredible action film it is, it's the script and the vision John Woo had for it. The emotional impact at the end shows how these people succeeded in creating a film with characters you care for, how the theme of loss was handled, truly perfect storytelling. Nicolas Cage and John Travolta were truly incredible in this film, in certain ways it contained some over-acting but it fits the character of Castor Troy (the terrorist and criminal) perfectly. Sean Archer was the FBI agent and what is the main character, it was interesting seeing Nicholas Cage play that part as well with an edge of craziness to it. Equipping the face of the man who killed your son and injured oneself, it would probably make anyone kind of psychologically on the edge. Some words by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film three out of four, "Here, using big movie stars and asking them to play each other, Woo and his writers find a terrific counterpoint to the action scenes: All through the movie, you find yourself reinterpreting every scene as you realize the 'other' character is 'really' playing it." Face/Off might be among the best action films I've seen, with its stylized and violent sequences which makes you want more. The good thing is there is more where this came from, John Woo is one of the greatest action directors, and this might even be his best film.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Zack Snyder brings a lackluster conclusion to the visually striking Rebel Moon

[4/10 · 21 April 2024]

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver is the direct sequel to Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, where Zack Snyder is back in the director chair with a screenplay penned by him, Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten. Zack Snyder is also the producer and cinematographer for the film, something he also was in the previous film and Army of the Dead. I criticized the cinematography in the previous film and I'll do the same here, the lenses used and flares, also the motion blur. I think he likes the sun and lens flares, it's a specific style, but his previous films (pre-Netflix) never had that which contributed to a more spectacular picture. There's nothing wrong with his camera work though, he's great at creating visually striking photos, painting like frames. Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Elise Duffy, Charlotte Maggi, Stuart Martin, Cary Elwes, and Anthony Hopkins reprise their roles from the first film.

Kora and surviving warriors prepare to defend Veldt, their new home, alongside its people against the Realm. The warriors face their pasts, revealing their motivations before the Realm's forces arrive to crush the growing rebellion.

If you're going to make a two part movie or story in any medium, the first part would be where you introduce all characters and develop them, well Rebel Moon only gets the former right. With all the run time Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire had, it failed to do the story justice with Zack Snyder focusing solely on the visuals which there is nothing wrong with, back in that movie and with Part 2: The Scargiver. Some people go around saying how terrible storyteller Zack Snyder is and well it's kind of true with this duology. But the answer is more complicated than that, he's not the sole writer on this project (yes, he did come up with the story and did the world building) as there're also two others who co-wrote it with him: Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten with the latter of them having written John Wick 3 and 4, along with Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves. Kurt Johnstad wrote the two 300 films and Atomic Blonde. It was Snyder and Johnstad who started talking about creating the film in 1997, thus this is their vision and Hatten contributed possibly with the action sequences. I'm quite sure these two films, or film, were under cooked in the oven and could possibly have been a lot better if Rebel Moon would have been more fleshed out. There's an interesting world out there, yet extremely underused by Zack Snyder with every scene being rushed through to get to the next action set piece. Part 2: The Scargiver continues that trend, showing visuals before character development, although the film delves deeper into Sofia Boutella's Kora and Michiel Huisman's Gunnar, it just isn't enough to get invested. We also get scenes which explain the heroes backstories, which drags the pacing down and fails to make you take care of them. Having a scene before the big fight which solely offers exposition of their backstories and Snyder showing us everything in detail, should be interesting but comes across as boring. Perhaps a bit harsh but we don't know these characters and hearing them talk about their pasts makes no difference in making us like them more. There's no love poured into these characters, they're stale and it says something when a robot is more human than the other characters. Anthony Hopkins solely voices Jimmy, a mechanical knight, the extended screentime is appreciated as he is one of the film's few highlights. But where did Snyder spill his passion? The world and the attention to detail, it's quite unfortunate we get to spend so much time on Veldt as it's the most 'normal' location of them all. You could criticize Zack Snyder a lot for these two films, but the world building and his passion for the world he built is something you just have to praise.

Slow motion is a trademark for Zack Snyder and once again with this film like its predecessor, is using slow motion mostly in the wrong way, an example in this film is the slow motion used in some early scenes during farm work. An already boring sequence which would have been better in a montage, was made even worse by the slow motion. Whilst in the previous film during the meeting and epic moment of Staz Nair's character Tarak is the right moment for one of his iconic slow motion shots, an example to avoid spoilers for Part 2: The Scargiver. One of the few great slow motion shots of the duology comes when the big battle starts, that's how you use slow motion in film, to place emphasis on something that enhances the drama in the scene. One scene which consists of bad slow motion is unfortunately the action scene with Doona Bae as Nemesis, the choreography is out of the window and instead we get to see a cool moment destroyed by slow motion and poor choreography because of its use being to serve as imagery instead of choreography. Then again, the whole scene isn't like this, but it feels like we never get to see what kind of great fighter she truly is and deserves to be seen as. Like the character Lady Snowblood in the film with the same name, both characters are out for revenge and Lady Snowblood shows through choreography and action how great a swordswoman she is. Snyder focuses not on the show, but to tell how good a fighter Nemesis is. You see by her ending and lots of other characters, how they didn't have any true character arcs. Nemesis could have been a great character but like most of the characters, writing became an after thought.

Sofia Boutella portrays the main character, Kora / Arthelais and its a good performance, you see how she's actually giving everything she can with the script she's working with, something all the others did as well. But this paragraph will be about her and how she has carried this duology, I hope her career continues. In the previous paragraph I criticized the choreography, Boutella's action scenes are a lot better choreographed and I'm glad she got some good action scenes which showcases yet again how good of an action star she is. I'm of course thinking about the hallway fight at the end of the movie, where she uses her dancing career, it was a good scene except for the occasional enemies waiting until their friends get knocked down which is a flaw existing throughout the film. Then there's the rematch between her and Atticus Noble, a fight which begins with firearms and continues with the laser swords, something we got to see a lot more of in this film. The fight goes from good and entertaining to a CGI party. She nailed the character, both action and drama wise, more with this film as we got to see more emotions from the character and the death of Gunnar was the first emotional death in these two films. All the other deaths could have had the same emotional impact if the writing would have been better.

Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter wrote this, "Snyder provides an ample display of the visual flair and skill for action that have endeared him to legions of fans who exhibit so much dedication that they're willing to sit through numerous versions of his films." I'm a big fan of Zack Snyder and after the first Rebel Moon, I really wanted to watch the R-Rated versions which felt more like his director's cuts but I don't know anymore, I'm a big fan of him but not of these movies. Erik Kain from Forbes, said this in his review, "Somehow, the second part of Zack Snyder's hopelessly derivative space opera manages to be even more tedious and less inventive than Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child Of Fire." and that's unfortunately quite true. Erik Kain goes to write, "Rebel Moon would have worked better as a series, with time to focus on each character and grow the relationships between them rather than Snyder's relentless overuse of exposition. The story of Kora on the run from her former adoptive father for an assassination she wasn't (only) responsible for is also a far more interesting story than this wannabee Seven Samurai nonsense." I couldn't agree more, why didn't he make a tv series where he could go deeper into the world he's so proud of? The characters he wrote which becomes nothing but fragments in the story where you wouldn't notice if anyone of them gets removed.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver and its first part, combined, is a film which I strongly believe had the potential to be great. The sad truth is how Zack Snyder has gained this huge hybris. Free rein to make exactly what he wanted by a company which is masters at shoving money into productions that often are undercooked. Zack Snyder is a visionary but Rebel Moon was not a good film, would I see the sequel? I think so, in hope of it being better than this.

Fallout (2024– )

The creators behind Fallout manages to do the near impossible in making a perfect video game adaptation, a spectacular and entertaining season of television

[10/10 · 16 April 2024]

My experience with Fallout through the years was by playing the games, Fallout: New Vegas being the game that brought me into the franchise. It's set in the same state as this show, California (which also featured prominently in Fallout 1 and 2). Lore wise, both before and after the apocalypse, it was just the right choice by the showrunners and producers to place it in Los Angeles, California. Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet served as showrunners for the show, penning the scripts for episode 1-3. Then there were a couple of other writers which deserves praise; Kieran Fitzgerald, Chaz Hawkins and Gursimran Sandhu. The creators and crew behind this tv show respected the source material (the games) with even Todd Howard aboard as producer, along with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy with Nolan directing the first three episodes thus setting the tone for what's to come like Michael Mann did with Tokyo Vice for example. Other notable directors were Clare Kilner and Frederick E. O. Toye along with Wayne Yip who directed the finale. These people created something truly special and perfect, what I would call one of the best adaptations of video games. It's an original story but set in the same universe, something The Last of Us and Halo never did, these writers and producers of Fallout could have played it safe and done something similar as they would have had free rein to do anything they wanted to, without the need of involving the games and all lore behind it. They truly nailed the attention to detail, from the set design to the world building, the overall production design and everything placed on the scene. Truly incredible mise-en-scene by the directors. Visually, Fallout is spectacular. With incredible cinematography and gorgeous looking visual effects combined with practical effects, the makeup and prosthetics for The Ghoul for example along with all the sets built for the show, like Red Rocket and Super-Duper Mart which comes to mind. The cinematographers who worked on the show(season) was Stuart Dryburgh who helmed four and Teodoro Maniaci who helmed the other four, I think Dryburgh's cinematography was the best and his resume (The Piano, the pilot episode for Boardwalk Empire and The Painted Veil) speaks for itself, he'll probably get nominated for Fallout too. Maniaci was also incredible, creating some iconic shots for the last two episodes.

The show depicts the aftermath of the Great War of 2077, an apocalyptic nuclear exchange in an alternate history of Earth where advances in nuclear technology after WWII led to the emergence of a retrofuturistic society and a subsequent resource war. Flashforward to 2296, this TV adaptation follows a young woman named Lucy who leaves behind her home in Vault 33 to venture out into the dangerously unforgiving wasteland of a devastated Los Angeles to look for her father. Along the way, she meets a Brotherhood of Steel squire and a ghoul bounty hunter, each with their own mysterious pasts and agendas to settle.

Original Fallout lead Tim Cain appreciated the performances and storytelling, but singled out how the show nailed the Fallout "vibe" as its biggest achievement. "I was just looking at all the props," he said of one scene. "I realized after a few minutes went by that I had not followed the dialogue at all, because I was so engrossed by it visually." and I couldn't agree more, hearing this from one of the creators of the original Fallout games just makes me smile. The performances and storytelling are truly some of the highlights, the comedic tone combined with ultra-violence was handled perfectly as it was close to the games. The show also had a serious tone, but the important thing is how everything felt natural and never strange to the viewer's eyes. The storytelling, overall writing and narrative was completely right for the tv show; having us follow a Vault Dweller, perfectly cast and a three dimensional character in her own right, Ella Purnell as Lucy MacLean. Then there is the squire Maximus of the Brotherhood of Steel, also a great character and well cast, played by Aaron Moten. Then we have Walton Goggins as The Ghoul / Cooper Howard, a great three dimensional antagonist which crosses the morally grey on multiple occasions thus becoming a protagonist in his own right. That's the big three with stories from deuteragonists also. There's also a big mystery surrounding the season/show, of who took Lucy's father and who destroyed Shady Sands, along with Howard which is hunted by every faction and bounty hunters after escaping the Enclave with something valuable. Meanwhile there's another story, flashbacks more exactly which shows The Ghoul back before the bombs hit, when he was Cooper Howard and timeline wise this is far from anything we have seen before and it was just brilliantly executed in a way that didn't hurt the pacing, only made it better because of how it ties into the main story. With a stellar main cast of characters impossible not to like, the supporting cast and guest stars are also great with names like; Sarita Choudhury, Leslie Uggams, Matt Berry, Chris Parnell and Michael Cristofer.

The final episode (1.08) ties everything together nicely, both timelines, and well everything comes full circle in that said episode in its twists and so on. Having a lot of knowledge of the lore, lots of things weren't a shock but the show's big twist was unexpected and brilliant. The writers and showrunners deserve a lot of praise for the last episode and the whole show, the faithfulness to the source material and succeeding in telling a story in its vast universe. It would have been nice if they would have released weekly episodes, so you get to savor every minute of an episode in a day which would have felt special, but instead we got all eight episodes and honestly I was happy for it but deep down I miss the whole weekly release and socializing which comes with it. Fallout is getting a second season and I'm here to stay, for now I'm giving the first season my thumbs up, it's a spectacular season of television and possibly the best time I've had watching a TV series in a long time. It's a multi genre show and Fallout does it perfectly, nailing each genre, simply a spectacular season of television.

Civil War (2024)

Civil War might be Alex Garland's Magnum opus, it's grim and at times disturbing, incredible storytelling and performances

[9/10 · 15 April 2024]

Civil War was made and released at a time when something like it could turn into reality, that thought was with me the entire time. The film is intense, heartbreaking and emotional. Never shying away from showing the horrors of war and the documentary feeling in its cinematography only enhances the immersion. We never get thrown off the wagon, the tone is consistent. Alex Garland who directed and wrote the film is the one to thank, stellar filmmaking. The camera work is excellent and I simply loved how it goes quiet whenever they take a photo, the cinematography and direction were top notch, truly mesmerizing. The mise-en-scene is also something to praise, absolutely perfect. It has been a long time since I watched a movie which was this intense and gives a thrill down your spine. The sound design was top notch and so was the musical score along with the soundtrack used. I loved how he played with the sound, how simplistic the film would have been without this sound design. Alex Garland's "Civil War" is nothing but simplistic, it's a masterpiece both technically and storytelling wise, a great send off for his directional work as he had said how he's focusing more on writing.

A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

I thought the pacing was absolutely perfect, the world building we get to see and the character development that comes from the road trip kind of narrative as our journalists have to make it to Washington DC, getting into all kinds of events which often leans into life threatening territory. There's a scene when they meet Jesse Plemons' character, a scene with absolutely breathtaking acting performances by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson. The cast also includes Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jefferson White. Chase Hutchinson from The Wrap said this about Kirsten Dunst's acting, "It is a film about journalistic ethics and, in its own way, the interpretation of images is grounded in [Dunst's] outstanding performance. It isn't an easy role to inhabit, but she does so perfectly." There are several great performances, I think Kirsten Dunst deserves all the praise and some awards for her performance, subtly showing what I'm quite sure is PTSD but also a memorable dramatic performance in its own right. The supporting cast alongside her never outshines her, but their presence is felt in every scene. Cailee Spaeny brings a great performance as Jessie Cullen, a breakthrough on the big screen.

About the scene with Jesse Plemons, Erik Kain with Forbes wrote, "But we don't know who the racist, murderous soldier Jesse Plemons' plays is, or which side he's fighting for, or whether he's even a soldier at all. All we know is that he's terrifying (something Plemons has mastered almost too perfectly). Maybe he's just using the fog of war to kill whoever he pleases with nobody to stop him. These things happen in war. That's what Civil War is trying to remind us. It doesn't matter who the good guys are, or what politics or social breakdown led to us to this place. Here be dragons." Whose side is something that often is brought up in various scenes, the film never strives to be black and white as anyone can be bad. Like in the attack on the white house we see (who're supposed to be the good guys) simply murdering people who are trying to surrender. You could call it just being war, but it's often this hatred deep inside and well, the film ends with hatred felt by every single individual inside the oval office.

The attack on the white house was absolutely fantastic, stunningly shot and really intense. The attack on DC prior to this was brilliantly executed and made for some great cinema with realism before entertainment, which made it so much better and entertaining in my opinion. The death of Kirsten Dunst's character Lee Smith at the end was something I found to be quite lackluster, but also necessary in a way for her character, but just the execution and how Jessie Cullen seemingly ignoring her death with what I found to be an abrupt ending afterwards, yet the story is finished. I think the issue lies in how it was shot, slow motion and with Jessie taking multiple photos which makes the scene have less emotional depth than what it could have been.

It seems like people found this film to be wrongfully marketed and advertised, for that I only have this to say, I found the trailer to be similar to the film we got and it is a Alex Garland, who had directed Ex Machina and Annihilation prior to this along with written screenplays of 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go. What do I mean with this? His films are not action movies or fast paced, they're often philosophical and thematical. So what kind of film is Civil War? It's a dystopian thriller. I'll quote Sammie Purcell who reviewed the film for Roughdraft Atlanta, "with 'Civil War,' Garland doesn't appear to be interested in the socio-political landscape that would lead to a national conflict, but rather how far people will go to pretend everything is fine when everything is so painfully not." and honestly, as I wrote higher up on my review, this sits well at home with our own reality. Lots of people probably pretend or would not like to know of the monstrosity wars being fought right now.

To end my review I thought this paragraph would give a good conclusion, from Matt Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com, "Civil War is a furiously convincing and disturbing thing when you're watching it. It's a great movie that has its own life force. It's not like anything Garland has made. It's not like anything anyone has made, even though it contains echoes of dozens of other films (and novels) that appear to have fed the filmmaker's imagination." Civil War deserves to be seen on the big screen in a cinema with a great sound system and picture quality, the gunfire for example was enhanced with the surround sound. It was hard to watch but an unforgettable experience.

Wild Bill (1995)

Walter Hill's Wild Bill is flawed around the edges because of plot and pacing issues, other than that a very enjoyable and good western

[7/10 · 10 April 2024]

After The Long Riders and Geronimo: An American Legend, Walter Hill came back to the western genre with Wild Bill, being the director and writer for the project. Having seen the show, Deadwood, and read about the historical figures of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, this film has been on my radar for quite a while. The film is based on the 1978 stage play Fathers and Sons by Thomas Babe and the 1986 novel Deadwood by Pete Dexter (the novel I own but haven't read). It stars Jeff Bridges as Wild Bill Hickok, Ellen Barkin as Calamity Jane, John Hurt as Charley Prince, Diane Lane as Susannah Moore, Keith Carradine as as William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and David Arquette as Jack McCall, along with other actors in the supporting cast.

The early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.

Walter Hill is a special kind of director, an auteur of sorts, yet his movies aren't for everyone. But one thing he's always great at is the camera work, how he uses the camera and the medium shots he often uses, letting the audience see a lot. There's always a lot going on in his shots, from extras to actors, his mise-en-scene is quite great I must add. For the first act I have to admit I really found the editing to be great, I'm pretty sure Walter Hill supervised Freeman A. Davies who edited the film. Lloyd Ahern II served as cinematographer, truly magnificent work and cooperation, something they would continue to do for the mini series Broken Trail. Although I'm praising the film a lot, I think the pacing is too fast as the film never slows down to dig deeper into who James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok were, and with the runtime of solely 98 minutes you just wish it was a little longer. The plot could have been better, as the film has a great first act, then it stumbles before coming to a good final act. Better pacing and removal of the dream sequences would have improved the film I believe. The whole plot with Jack McCall thinking Wild Bill is his father, is by the playwright himself a big lie, so having that in this film was just off, an interesting idea on paper but didn't work at all. It does bring suspension and tension to the film, having McCall serve as a bigger antagonist/villain than he was, McCall was nothing but a coward whom sought nothing but fame to be the man who killed Wild Bill Hickok. I would have liked if the plot focused more on the characters of Deadwood whom Bill surrounded himself with. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, criticizing its pacing and plot. He recognized the film's ambition, aiming for "elegy" and "poetry" in its final act, but ultimately described it as flawed, writing, "We can see where it's headed, although it doesn't get there." I think for example the dream sequence could have been removed and something else like more backstory or other important aspects of his life, who Wild Bill was. The voiceover of John Hurt's character, Charley Prince, helps the film tell more of Wild Bill's story but as the saying goes "Show, don't tell". Yet, the voiceover works thanks to the screenplay. John Hurt is absolutely brilliant in the role, many in the film are great, but it's Jeff Bridges and John Hurt who deserves most of the praise. I believe Jeff Bridges nailed the role. I think Jeff Bridges had chemistry with everyone, especially with John Hurt and Ellen Barkin and Keith Carradine (who played Wild Bill Hickok in the tv series Deadwood). Bruce Fretts of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the movie "succeeds as a character study of a man whose idiosyncratic code of justice eventually catches up with him", and complimented Jeff Bridges' acting as vital to the film's success.

Who was James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok? In this film we see him as a lawman, gunman, actor and a western legend. Various friendships get explored like with Martha Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary, Charley Prince and William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. There is much information about him but how much is true? I'm sure this take on him is quite correct. The eye sickness is something I completely buy, yet I have no idea if its true of not. Just seem true if you think about it, this western legend comes to Deadwood to almost solely drink and gamble. That's something anyone in that age with his status would get depressed about. I think Walter Hill did the legend justice. Walter Hill does something interesting, showing once again the native americans and americans of other ethnicity like Chinese and African-Americans, everyone is three dimensional and these scenes might not have happened in reality but as dramatic license, works well and adds depth. Walter Hill's Wild Bill has ambition and could have been a great western, it just doesn't get there, it's also unfortunate how the film bombed at the box office. I watched that trailer Walter Hill spoke badly about, it's truly a different movie they marketed. The film aims for elegant and philosophical storytelling, Roger Ebert wrote of how Walter Hill aimed for elegy and poetry, this was a passion project of some kind of Hill's and his personal reflection of the sudden murder of a western legend. This film is absolutely worth your time, but bear in mind, it might not be to your liking. I thought it was a good western though, I hope you do too.

Pig (I) (2021)

Nicolas Cage gives one of his best performances and among the decade's best, Pig is a quiet drama about loss and a beautiful film

[10/10 · 10 April 2024]

Pig was one of the films which got critical acclaim and earned Nicolas Cage his second nomination at the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor, his career launched back and were once again seen as a respectable actor. I only knew of this film because of Nicolas Cage and his mesmerizing performance, which it is, he's utterly perfect in this role. He's also a producer on the film. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of four out of four stars, writing: "The unpredictable Cage delivers some of his best work in years." Pig wasn't made for the commercial audience, it's an independent film and one with such a strange premise, an art film and 'well made film' at heart. Noel Murray, in his review of the film for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that, "Though its plot follows the same rough outline of a John Wick-style shoot-em-up, Pig is actually a quiet and often melancholy meditation on loss, anchored by a character who wishes he could shake free of the person he used to be."

A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Pig is directed by Michael Sarnoski (who directed the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One), from a screenplay and story by himself and Vanessa Block. It won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. The film stars Nicolas Cage in the main role, it also stars Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin. I've written how brilliant Nicolas Cage is in the role and although Cage is almost solely alone to thank for the acting, the director/writer helped a lot. With a movie that could have been extremely strange, Sarnoski intelligently kept this film grounded and you see throughout every scene how much heart went into making this film. "Pig" takes time to develop, both the story and characters, Michael Sarnoski does it brilliantly. There are so many incredible moments and brilliantly written dialogue scenes, and it's the characters which make these scenes so interesting, for example the scene at the restaurant with Rob, Amir and Derek. Though its short run time, this 90 minute film has stronger writing and characterization than any commercial 120 minute film. That takes skill and Michael Sarnoski shows just that. His writing fleshes out all its characters, which combined with fantastic performances, makes them feel all the more real. Sarnoski's use of long takes throughout the film also adds to this realism. The camera work is excellent and so is the editing, great direction and cinematography. The film is shot with this slick color, focusing on different color palettes for the different Parts. Cinematographer Patrick Scola is absolutely perfect in his craft. Pig has been cited as among the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century. I agree. It's a film full of heart, full of drama and simply a beautiful film in a certain way. It's the philosophical nature and how the screenplay delves into its themes, like loss. It's magnificent.

The Kid (II) (2019)

The Kid is a great directional debut from Vincent D'Onofrio and a great western, focusing on an original story with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

[7/10 · 9 April 2024]

The Kid has Vincent D'Onofrio in his directional debut, I don't agree with its rating on IMDb, this is a very good film, a great western. The screenplay was written by Andrew Lanham and although I really liked the film I think his script is my least favorite part, it's quite all over the place but works. It's completely fictional with only the characters of Pat Garrett and Billy "The Kid" Bonney being historical, what can be interesting with stories like these is how you use the characters, they're used quite well in my opinion. With scenes like the dinner scene and the Mexican ranch before it, these scenes along with that great gunfight is a great way to start a plot. You learn of the characters and their characterization. The film stars Ethan Hawke as Sheriff Pat Garrett, Dane DeHaan as Billy "The Kid" Bonney, Jake Schur as Rio Cutler, Leila George as Sara Cutler, Chris Pratt as Grant Cutler, Adam Baldwin as Bob Olinger, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Sheriff Romero. The film is full of great performances, Ethan Hawke and Dane DeHaan are absolutely mesmerizing and perfect in their roles but who surprised me the most was Jake Schur who plays the protagonist whilst being overshadowed by the historical figures played by the former two.

The premise; The story of a young boy who witnesses Billy the Kid's encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett. That's the basic premise, there's also a revenge story in the story, with Rio Cutler killing his alcoholic and abusive father which ultimately starts the events going forward. With Rio's uncle on their tail.

Something worth praising which many films don't get right is the bad teeth which many had in the old west, it's the opposite in this film as they nailed it, Billy the Kid is an example in this film. The guns also pack a punch in The Kid, D'Onofrio shows the destruction it makes and focuses on the surroundings like the animals which become scared of the shooting. The musical score was quite impressive as well, fitting for the period and movie, and during the action sequences the music just hits right which enhances the suspension and tension in the scene. The editing is quite great as well, really great in the action scenes like the jailbreak scene. Although the action sequences are really fantastic, the film is about the characters and the character moments, the dialogue is quite modern at times but the dialogue is quite great. Regarding the cinematography and direction, the film is absolutely stunning to look at, Richard Roeper from Chicago Sun-Times said, "First-time director D'Onofrio has as an admirable visual style, whether we get medium-long-shot takes or intimate close-ups. This is a good-looking period piece film, percolating with top-tier performances."

Joe Leydon of Variety called The Kid "a consistently involving and often exciting drama in which the two Wild West icons are presented from the p.o.v. Of an impressionable adolescent who weighs the pros and cons of each man as a role model." I can only agree with his and Richard Roeper's remarks, it's a great film and even more so a great western yet you don't have to like westerns to enjoy it, it's a compelling character drama in its own right with what I believe to be some really great action sequences with guns which sound and look good.

The Pacific (2010)

The Pacific follows three soldiers instead of an ensemble, its character driven and full of action sequences, a perfect war drama

[10/10 · 5 April 2024]

The Pacific is the companion series to Band of Brothers, once again executive-produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg with Bruce C. McKenna as showrunner (who worked on Band of Brothers) among other writers like George Pelecanos who wrote one episode. Notable directors were; Tim Van Patten and David Nutter, also Graham Yost (who also wrote an episode, along with working on Band of Brothers). With truly brilliant directors on the project, what is the next thing that needs to be brilliant? The writing and its consistent, truly remarkable most of the time with "Part Three, Melbourne" containing lackluster writing. Bruce C. McKenna is a capable writer and focused on authenticity, "Melbourne" was one of few episodes he didn't write which might say something about the episode. The show also had other capable writers; Robert Schenkkan, Graham Yost, Laurence Andries and Michelle Ashford. During the Emmys, The Pacific was nominated for quite a few awards, taking home Outstanding Miniseries which was the biggest, rightfully so in my opinion. The direction, writing, acting and the whole production design, these guys knew what they were doing and it shows in every scene, every single frame. It's not as good as Band of Brothers though, but really close.

Having seen this show once before, I was kind of mesmerized yet felt like the narrative wasn't as strong as Band of Brothers. The Pacific is based primarily on the memoirs of two US Marines: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. It also draws on Sledge's memoir China Marine and Red Blood, Black Sand, the memoir of Chuck Tatum, a Marine who fought alongside Basilone at Iwo Jima. After my first viewing of the mini series, I bought and read Helmet for My Pillow, a must read biography which was adapted brilliantly which the writers of course took some dramatic licenses with like the Greek family and Stella in the third episode "Melbourne".

What is The Pacific about? It features the 1st Marine Division's battles in the Pacific, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Who are the Marines and actors who're portraying them? James Badge Dale as PFC. Robert Leckie, Joseph Mazzello as Cpl. Eugene Sledge and Jon Seda as GySgt. John Basilone. Other notable actors throughout the mini series are; Ashton Holmes, Josh Helman, Jacob Pitts, Rami Malek, Martin McCann, William Sadler and Jon Bernthal.

Back when I watched this show, around 2013, my favorite character was John Basilone and I thought Jon Seda's performance was absolutely incredible, along with James Badge Dale as Robert Leckie who came second. The emotional depth of Basilone's character arc was high and his demise just hit me hard, the thing I found great and original with his character arc were we got to see scenes with Jon Seda and Annie Parisse as Sgt. Lena Basilone (the wife). The same goes for Robert Leckie and his love/family life. Those scenes contributed so much to the show unlike Band of Brothers where we never got to see the soldiers wives and girlfriends thus making the show solely about Brotherhood, a theme the writers and producers along with the cast succeeded with. With one of The Pacific's leads, we get to see something else, something intimate and special, by the end leading to the theme of loss. I found the writing to be spectacular around his character, also Jon Seda who captures the real figure perfectly or so I think, and my opinion hasn't changed. The writers and producers captured the story of John Basilone brilliantly, with the key battle at Guadacanal which earned him his Medal of Honor, being one of the best scenes in the entire show. I would say that scene is as impressive and great as Ronald Speirs' heroic sequence in Band of Brothers. Although Cpl. Eugene Sledge is not my favorite character, I think he's the one I resonated with the most as he was the youngest but also someone who had a medical issue which causes him at first unable to join the army, Joseph Mazzello is absolutely fantastic in the role. Maybe in the first episode you won't notice that but throughout the show and then to the end, he shows he's one of the best. Another interesting thing about Eugene is how his father is a doctor who treated soldiers of the Great War (WW1) and then his son witnesses the true horrors of war, horrors made by the Japanese and what the Americans did to them. The thing with these characters, except for Basilone in my opinion, is how the horrors of war change them into hostile and unlikable characters which is realistic. Their anger and emotions are kept inside and they ultimately break at some point, which we see them do. Eugene Sledge is a great example of how even kind-hearted people can change into something worse. The final episode of the series is all about confronting these horrors they went through, coping with PTSD and moving on to a 'regular' life. Is a regular life possible after witnessing death and chaos, seeing friends and 'brothers' die in front of you and digging up corpses or seeing babies die in front of you. Most of these things happen in the penultimate episode "Okinawa" and it's one of the show's best episodes. The episodes "Basilone" and "Peleliu Airfield" along with the whole Peleliu arc is worth praising.

The Pacific is always and will always be compared to Band of Brothers, but the thing is, The Pacific never strives to be Band of Brothers. It's different in a lot of ways, except for the second world war and the creators behind it. It's another theater of war and the focus is on the United States Marine Corps (USMC), it's also not an ensemble series as I've addressed. Leckie meets Sledge once, their books are the source material which the TV Series is based upon. The Pacific is a must watch if you're a big fan of the war genre or simply a fan of history, or just want a compelling drama series to watch. The Pacific contains superb special effects, art direction, production design, costume and Makeup departments, sound design and musical score. If you have a good sound system, you'll feel like you're right beside the soldiers, these band of brothers in the pacific theater of war.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: The Last Time (2024) Season 1, Episode 6

"The Last Time" is an incredible season finale, a bit rushed, but absolutely perfect with some brilliant performances, especially Andrew Lincoln

[8/10 · 2 April 2024]

"The Last Time" is the sixth and final episode which follows Rick and Michonne after they got out of the deserted settlement, with a high possibility of them being believed to be dead. With the episode's premise: Rick and Michonne need to perform a near impossible miracle. The season's (series) plot comes full circle with the Echelon Briefing taking front and center, World Beyond S2's plot as well.

The season finale of TWD: The Ones Who Live "The Last Time" was directed by Michael E. Satrazemis and written by Scott M. Gimple & Channing Powell, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and the writing was very good except for some of the dialogue. Back to the direction and visual storytelling, Michael E. Satrazemis who directed the previous episode along with countless others in previous shows, handles every scene brilliantly and makes sure there are brilliant shots as well as the actors doing their finest work, which they are. There are some truly stunning shots in this episode, the scene when General Beale gives Rick Grimes the Echelon Briefing. That whole scene was executed perfectly, direction and acting wise, I think there were too many flashbacks though. Otherwise, an incredible scene with Terry O'Quinn getting much needed screen time to show what a great performance he could give as Johnathan Beale. Outside of General Beale's office and his other scenes, Lesley-Ann Brandt had some great scenes as Pearl Thorne. Since the first episode I absolutely loved her character, how she was written and obviously how morally grey she was. The climax at the end has her up against Rick and Michonne, in an incredible piece of television with suspension and tension. Michonne drives Beale's saber into Thorne and deals a fatal blow, a fitting conclusion with the message and theme of love being exchanged between them. I felt Beale's death was unexpected and brilliant, could have been written better with foreshadowing and more build up, if The Ones Who Live would have had more episodes to tell the story. Back to the performances though, Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira were absolutely brilliant in this episode, mostly Andrew Lincoln because of the Echelon Briefing scene. This piece of dialogue spoken by Rick Grimes sums up why it's a great scene, "I never lost my son. I lost myself. He brought me back. My wife brought me back. We're the sword that kills. We're the sword that gives life. One life. One unstoppable life. We're not dead." The mise-en-scene was perfect for that scene.

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. The musical score and sound design were incredible in the episode. Although I absolutely loved the episode and the execution of it all, I strongly believe the show would have benefitted with more episodes (around 10) to make sure the story is told perfectly with build up. These two last episodes have felt rushed and it clearly shows in the final fifteen minutes or so in this episode, they were unable to tie everything together revolving the CRM, a second season is needed. I don't buy that everything is "fine" inside Philadelphia and their role in CRM, everything felt too easy. What they did right was the action sequence in the end and then the reunion between Rick and Michonne with the children, a scene I absolutely loved and the emotional impact and weight was there. It was nice to see Judith and RJ again, with Cailey Fleming giving a great performance with me hoping she'll be more prominent in the universe/franchise going forward. Overall, an incredible episode! I think this was a perfect episode of The Ones Who Live and The Walking Dead.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Nicholas Cage brings an excellent and energetic performance whilst Pedro Pascal steals every scene, there's a lot of talent in the film, a great comedy

[8/10 · 30 March 2024]

It has been a long time since I saw a film which stars Nicholas Cage and I haven't seen a lot of his work but heard a lot about him and his performance style along with his star persona, he's truly something special. I've had my eyes on watching a bunch of his films for quite a long time now and 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' felt like the right start, it has him starring as a fictionalized version of himself. Nicholas Cage also produced the film. Tom Gormican directed the film, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is funny and feels like Nicholas just getting the chance to act a hilarious version of himself in a story which is over the top and absolutely full of entertainment. What's interesting and kind of surprised me a little bit is how the character is complex and interesting. Nicholas Cage stars alongside a supporting cast including Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish and Caroline Boulton.

Moviestar Nick Cage is channeling his iconic characters as he's caught between a superfan and a CIA agent.

The improv scene at the cliff was top notch entertainment, what follows after is a scene of dialogue with so much heart which shows the dramatic capabilities of Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal. The dialogue is witty and the writing in the scene is excellent, nailing both genres, drama and comedy. It's a little bit later in the film when the suspense hits, the comedy continues throughout though. Something I loved with the film is how the tone is kept throughout the entire film, Nicholas Cage plays the role perfectly. This film is smart, funny and honestly really original. As I wrote before, whenever Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal is on screen, the film is truly great. Pascal's performance is what you call a scene-stealing performance and Cage's energetic performance is what many people might be expecting and will be equally happy with Pedro Pascal which is a great scene partner to Nicholas Cage. Something I found interesting and completely right, is what Marya E. Grates wrote on the RogerEbert website, "Filled with easter eggs for fans of any facet of Cage's career, the filmmakers don't place a judgment on which of his films have the most value, understanding that a favorite film is intimate and personal, and that what matters is that it does resonate on some level." The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a crowd-pleaser, something that would have been amazing to have seen at the cinema. All these quotes, easter eggs and knowledge of Cage's career makes for an experience you can easily appreciate, I don't have that vast knowledge of his filmography but what I do know is of Nicholas Cage the actor and I enjoyed it a lot with that information. The director created a love letter to Cage's memorable and disappointing filmography, he have acted in countless of movies and some are b-movies yet enjoyable in their own right, I'm sure. The recurring theme of the film is of fatherhood and the relationship this fictionalized version of Nicholas Cage has with his daughter and the drama in those scenes and mostly one scene half way through the film, the dialogue is written so perfectly and comes out realistic. It isn't often you get the opportunity to watch a film with such an original story and plot. I really liked this film and it's nice to see Nicholas Cage in a film again, it's a great comedy.

Ricky Stanicky (2024)

Ricky Stanicky is unexpectedly a very good comedy with a story with emotional depth along with a energetic performance by John Cena

[7/10 · 28 March 2024]

Before watching Ricky Stanicky, my expectations were quite mid and I thought it would only be a fun movie with Zac Efron and John Cena, but what happened? I absolutely loved the film and was invested throughout the whole film. The story felt quite original, it's mostly the concept which is entertaining and interesting, but the overall writing wasn't that great, only good to average judging which scene it was. Perhaps only me but there's heart in this film, both from the director (Peter Farrelly) to the actors. John Cena plays Rod who's an actor with such a depressing life who gets asked to play Ricky Stanicky and that whole story feels so natural. Maybe at first glance you could say how crazy and stupid it is, but the deeper you get into the character of Rod the more you understand his motivations. The vision Peter Farrelly had for the movie, the comedy and story, I strongly believe he was the right guy for the film.

When three childhood best friends pull a prank that goes wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble. Twenty years later, they still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior.

By the end of the film, you understand the good message that had been hiding behind all the comedy. It is possible to become the better version of 'you', also how bad it is to lie. Those are the themes which are brought up in the film. Ricky Stanicky is a good comedy film with a great cast, notably the actors for the three childhood best friends (Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler and Andrew Santino) and John Cena.

Hero (2002)

Hero is by all means a cinematic masterpiece, yet the non-linear storytelling can be off putting, an incredible Wuxia film

[9/10 · 27 March 2024]

Hero has fantastical elements like the well known Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon before it, but it's more grounded because of the historical events it's based upon. It's the Chinese genre, Wuxia. Hero is directed, co-written and produced by Zhang Yimou. It's not my favorite film of his but a film I'm glad I rewatched, there's so much depth to this film and it's all because of Zhang Yimou who you understand is an auteur. The cinematography was by Christopher Doyle, and the musical score composed by Tan Dun. I also want to praise the editing and production design, truly mesmerizing work by everyone, especially the cinematography and Zhang's work. Although there's nothing special with the acting in this film, every actor does a terrific job both dramatically and with the fight choreography. There's lots of subtle things with the acting though, facial expressions and such. You should simply pay attention and enjoy the performances and choreography they do. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards.

The article, "Hero Retrospective: A Timeless Meditation on Art and War" explains Hero's plot like this; Zhang's film drops viewers into ancient, warring China, where the Qin empire nears total conquest of all rival kingdoms. Nameless (Jet Li), a small-town officer, is granted an audience with the king (Chen Daoming) after claiming to have slain three assassins opposing Qin imperialism. The king, rendered suspicious after previous attempts on his life, normally forbids anyone from coming within a hundred paces of his person, but Nameless's feat is enough to earn a chance to recount his battles over closer conversation. The king and his guest trade tales and plot twists, offering viewers a glimpse into the multifaceted lives of the three assassins - Long Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung), and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung).

For martial arts films there's usually an action sequence after the five minute mark and Hero follows the same pattern (Crouching Tiger is the expectation) and it's the same for musicals. I've always called Chinese martial arts films, my kind of musicals thanks to the often brilliantly choreographed scenes. Hero has brilliant choreography and the first action scene with Donnie Yen as Long Sky against multiple men before going up against Nameless who are played by Jet Li, is choreographed perfectly with the weapon of his choice, the spear. The scene has this playful nature and is entertaining, but it's shot in a way which emphasizes on color palettes, something the whole film does. In the scene, Long Sky is the only person who wears a different color than grey or black, I'll be going deeper into the color palettes in the next paragraph. When Jet Li's character goes up against Long Sky, the playful nature stops and the cinematography goes for more epic shots like was seen in the first scene with The King of Qin, and the whole mise-en-scene is simply perfect. They set up the scene with the blind musician in the middle, playing, and the two fighters on opposite sides. That scene is how you begin a film, its cinema. There's plenty of action sequences, brilliantly choreographed and as you may expect from the Wuxia genre, the fighting (either hand combat or sword fighting) takes center stage. The article, "Hero' Retrospective: A Timeless Meditation on Art and War" says; In the same way the warriors' brilliant combat mirror their talents in other pursuits - chess playing, calligraphy, storytelling, etc. - the complex themes in "Hero" are informed by striking visuals and aesthetics. Zhang breaks the film into chapters, not just chronologically, but to portray different retellings of the same events. Each of these chapters is intentionally washed with a dominant color that contrasts with the king's neutral-toned palace and the grey hordes of the Qin army. For instance, the harmony and ambition of two young lovers is accentuated by a vibrant green forest home, while the same characters' impulsivity and zeal manifests as their fiery red robes.

Syracuse University wrote something about the color palette and why the film emphasizes so heavily on color, something I didn't think about during my first viewing. In the movie Hero, there are five colors as the main narrative elements: Black, White, Red, Green and Blue. Different colors represent different characters, their inner worlds and situations. At the same time, colors are also regarded as the most important logical cues in the movie. When one color is shifted, it means the angle of narration is changed, which can help audiences avoid away from being confused with different story lines. The article, "Hero' Retrospective: A Timeless Meditation on Art and War" says; The movie's exploration of color amplifies the various emotions portrayed in each description of the past, actively painting each version of history and underscoring the message each storyteller seeks to impart.

I'm so glad Hero got the recognition it got, from the western audience. Without it and a bunch of other Chinese films (Wuxia and crime for example) the world wouldn't be the same. As a westerner, I had difficulty understanding the plot and nonlinearity of it during my first viewing, and there's so much else to experience from it. Zhang, the director, has entertained us for over two decades now and going back to this film for example will always be worth it. The meaningful themes in Hero makes for a more compelling and complex story, a better film. Hero could have easily been made with only its fantastical elements and cinematic beauty, but there's so much more than ancient warriors wielding blades. Hero is by all means a masterpiece, cinematically, I just think the pacing drags down the rating a tiny bit. If you enjoy non-linear storytelling then I'm sure it's a spectacular experience from beginning to end.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Become (2024) Season 1, Episode 5

"Become" is poorly paced and keeps you in your seat, it's a flawed episode but still great and containing one of the show's best moments

[7/10 · 26 March 2024]

What We "Become" is the fifth episode which follows Rick and Michonne after they got out of the deserted settlement, with a high possibility of them being believed to be dead. With the episode's premise: Dangerous people make Rick and Michonne's journey difficult. This episode has the iconic duo in Wyoming and the scenery, sets used and overall production design, makes for a colorful and original episode. Like Scott Gimple said, it's like a post-apocalyptic honey moon between these two, a honey moon with the duo being hunted.

This week's episode of TWD: The Ones Who Live "Become" was directed by The Walking Dead veteran Michael E. Satrazemis and written by Gabriel Llanas & Matthew Negrete, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and the writing changed from good to average, good dialogue throughout though. Back to the direction and visual storytelling, Michael E. Satrazemis who have directed Multiple episodes per season in The Walking Dead and then Fear TWD along with being producer, he's a perfect choice to direct an episode. He handles every scene brilliantly and makes sure there are brilliant shots as well as the actors are doing their finest work, which they are. It's the first episode which felt like the original The Walking Dead, people simply surviving, and the episode was reminiscent of episode 7.12 "Say Yes", and although I liked that episode when it aired I wouldn't call it a great episode. It had some great character moments and that was about it, this episode of The Ones Who Live had exactly that, great character moments. The scenes with suspension and tension never had me on the edge of my seat and that isn't a good thing, as throughout the whole show I've been doing just that. The writing for those random survivors was something to criticize, so was the whole showdown with them. The plot armor was quite big this episode for Rick and Michonne, something I sighed at, why not write into an injury on Michonne? That would have made the episode more suspenseful.

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. The musical score is something I haven't commented about but it's spectacular. The increased budget makes for better production design and visual effects, overall making a better show in every department along with the actors. The episode starts with Father Gabriel with a helicopter in the distance, audible to him and us viewers. What does this mean? The Ones Who Live is getting extremely close to tying everything together, yet the pacing in this episode was just off, with the flashbacks with Gabriel and Jadis taking you away from the tension and suspension which you see in Rick and Michonne's scenes. I did like the scenes though, compelling drama and character interaction with these two characters, very nice to see Gabriel again with Seth Gilliam giving a great performance. Pollyanna McIntosh is incredible in this episode, giving the episode's best performance, and that includes both flashbacks and present day. Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira is also quite good but you see in the writing that there isn't anything for them to truly do, like in previous episodes. The cinematography is incredible in this episode, the shot inside the cabin is spectacular. There's countless others. To end my review, I really liked the ending and what it sets up, especially the marriage proposal which feels the right way for the two. This episode was far from perfect though, yet Jadis' death scene was perfect and brilliantly written. She has long been an interesting character and one who's been very conflicted. In World Beyond, she was the antagonist and her performance in season 2 is why I was so hyped with her being a prominent character in The Ones Who Live, with them even showing her killing Huck in this episode as a quick flashback. Her death scene, the combination of the flashback to present made for some great drama and a fitting ending for Jadis, a great scene. Both in editing and pacing along with some writing, it's quite flawed with, yet by the end of the episode it's kind of redeemed of the former two. Overall it's a quite a good episode, a bit laid back and more adventure like which can be a good thing. I liked the episode and can't wait for the finale next week.

Married to the Mob (1988)

Prepared to be entertained, Married to the Mob is a must watch, with some terrific performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Dean Stockwell

[7/10 · 25 March 2024]

"That's very funny. You're a comedian now?" that's a quote said by Alec Baldwin's character, Frankie "The Cucumber" de Marco to his wife, Angela de Marco played by Michelle Pfeiffer. There's so many funny lines of dialogue in the film and the dialogue is written so perfectly, coming out natural. Married to the Mob is a comedy by heart and a crime drama second. The line delivery is spot on and I'm quite sure the director is a reason to thank, but of course the acting is great. Jonathan Demme's direction and visual storytelling is fantastic. Although I like the writing, especially the dialogue I have to admit how it isn't really original, yet every line of dialogue works for the film and tone. Married to the Mob is a film you could sit down alone or with friends and have a laugh, quoting the film and having a good time.

A mobster's wife hates her lifestyle, but gets a chance to change it when her husband is killed - if the Long Island mob and the FBI let her.

Married to the Mob also stars Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell and Mercedes Ruehl. Other than Michelle Pfeiffer and Alec Baldwin. The former of them was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, whilst Dean Stockwell was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. To just name a scene without any context or spoilers, the grocery store scene, the comedic timing and acting from Michelle Pfeiffer is just splendid. Is that scene award worthy? No, and that's the beauty of this film. Married to the Mob can be very funny, letting the actors just have fun, then the performances can also be great and you see that throughout the film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Dean Stockwell who critics loved. Anthony J. Nici plays Joey de Marco, the son of Pfeiffer's character, his role in the film isn't very big but important to Michelle Pfeiffer's character. Their scenes together were some of my favorites, he's a talented child actor, one who nails the comedic timing. Whenever she shares scenes with Dean Stockwell or Matthew Modine, the dramatic part of her performance and theirs becomes extremely great. It's said that Dean Stockwell stayed in character during the entirety of the filming, also how this is his personal favorite role. I haven't seen a lot of his films from his filmography but this performance is deserving for his Oscar nomination.

Married to the Mob is part romantic drama, part crime film and also a comedy. These sub-genres blend into one good filmtail (cocktail), it's just a fun movie and very colorful. Jonathan Demme created a good film here, offering entertainment and good entertainment is needed. He created a film for many, certainly a film for me.

Rain Man (1988)

Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise is terrific in Rain Man, a great drama

[8/10 · 23 March 2024]

Rain Man has aged like fine wine, mostly regarding the writing and the concept around the story, Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass are truly worthy of their win for Best Original Screenplay. It's a story which has been done before but with a great representation of autism and savant syndrome. Although Tom Cruise is great in the role of this three dimensional character who is arrogant and unlikable, it's hard to like him but there's character development which is a plus. Dustin Hoffman gets the MVP as he's just perfect in the role as the older brother who has autism. Regarding Hoffman's performance, Roger Ebert said, "Hoffman proves again that he almost seems to thrive on impossible acting challenges. ... I felt a certain love for Raymond, the Hoffman character. I don't know quite how Hoffman got me to do it." then gave the film three and a half stars out of four. Barry Levinson created a great film, yet not perfect.

After a selfish L. A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.

Rain Man won both the Berlin International Film Festival's highest award and the Academy Award for Best Picture in the same year. Also being nominated for seven other Oscars, winning three others (Best Director, Best Actor Hoffman and Best Original Screenplay. It became the highest-grossing film of 1988, grossing $354 million on a $25 million budget). Both a critical and box office success.

One scene I absolutely loved was the first night Raymond stayed with Charlie and Susanna, although it was kind of hard to watch, it perfectly shows how great of a drama this film is and how the actors are truly worthy of nominations for their acting performances. Without Valeria Golino's supporting performance, the scenes with Tom Cruise wouldn't be as great, it's because a great scene partner contributes to the other's own performance. What's interesting is how Dustin Hoffman has the showy part and is overlooked, Tom Cruise has so many subtle things which makes his performance on the same level, it might even be one of his best. Overall, the film has steady drama both written and directed well. Also some terrific cinematography and musical score which only enhances the film into the great drama it is. This is a film you have to see once in your life, yet it felt just a tiny bit long and repetitive, then again every scene is there for character development and to make for a satisfying conclusion to these characters. The screenplay is what makes it all work, as a worse script would have made for an average film.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: What We (2024) Season 1, Episode 4

"What We" contains a lot of emotional moments and the impact is felt, in this brilliantly written and acted episode, Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are spectacular

[9/10 · 18 March 2024]

"What We" is the fourth episode which follows Rick and Michonne after she throws them off a helicopter into the ocean. With the episode's premise: Rick and Michonne try to find the love they had. You know this episode is all about these characters, it extends beyond the writing and acting, thanks to the visual storytelling which the director and cinematographer succeeds with in this episode, making it grounded and character driven. The screenplay and writing is excellent, realistic and just heartful. The first fifteen minutes or so is simply these two characters, talking, arguing and acting like three dimensional characters who have both changed a lot with Rick Grimes having changed the most. Then the episode goes into a more action driven route with some great sequences of suspenseful zombie scenes with tension through these two characters, before going back to a slower pacing. The pacing is perfect and it remains character driven from start to finish, about these two characters. Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira.

This week's episode of TWD: The Ones Who Live "What We" was directed by Michael Slovis and written by Danai Gurira, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and with the writing I had looked forward to Danai's script as it had been hyped for a long time. The screenplay for "What We" was incredible! Back to the direction and visual storytelling, Michael Slovis who has directed the previous episode, handles every scene with perfection and makes sure there are brilliant shots as well as the actors are doing their finest work, which they are. Andrew Lincoln pulls an award worthy performance in this episode, so raw and emotional. Danai Gurira is also terrific in this episode, if it wouldn't be how heavy the episode and the screenplay leans into making Rick more hopeful, I would say her performance would be as great! The screenplay, written by Danai herself, focuses on this duo and the amount of character development which came out of this episode just shows how talented she is at writing dialogue and set pieces. When dialogue is written by someone who knows these two characters, it can't be bad, it can only be good and in this case quite great.

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. The musical score is something I haven't commented about but it's spectacular. The increased budget makes for better production design and visual effects, overall making a better show in every department along with the actors. The prior episodes were high budget with some terrific visuals to meet our expectations of the CRM, this episode has solely two characters whom have interacted but not as much as we would want, thus not breaking the immersion with the story the writers are trying to tell. It's in this episode which Michonne opens up to Rick, information which needed the right moment and I'm so glad they did it this way. Totally the right way. In the previous episode we got information from the art guy (who makes the pictures on the phone) how Rick had forgotten what Carl looked like and that is so realistic. With everything Rick had been through, all the trauma suffered, he had forgotten what his son looked like. That's heartbreaking to hear and in this episode he tells her that, it's brilliantly written and acted with perfection. Yet, it got a little bit repetitive because of the same sets, that's my small criticism. This episode contains some of the best acting and writing in the show, yet it's so small compared to other episodes, but it still has everything you love with The Walking Dead. It's hard to rate though, but for a show about these two beloved characters, this episode was done brilliantly.

American Fiction (2023)

Jeffrey Wright steals the show in American Fiction in one of his best performances, it contains compelling writing and direction with complex characters, a must watch

[10/10 · 18 March 2024]

After the opening sequence you know exactly what movie this will be, something very original and funny. The writing is excellent from the comedic written scenes to the dramatic ones. Other than the writing and story, the direction and acting are two other highlights with Jeffrey Wright pulling one of his best performances as Dr. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute, and received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture's obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write his own outlandish "Black" book--that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

Going into American Fiction almost entirely blind made it such an amazing experience, with the story taking unexpected routes. It didn't take long for me to get invested into the story and characters, the characterizations were absolutely fantastic and as I wrote before, the acting is absolutely perfect. Something which I loved and found funny and original, was the scene when Monk is writing and we see the scene he's writing play out for us, that's some great visual storytelling which keeps it funny and interesting when normally they would have a montage or something like that of the sentences and writing. Well executed, Jefferson. Around 30 minutes into the film and especially half way through, the film becomes extremely funny with excellent comedic timing and witty dialogue. The ending was like the rest of the film, original and unexpected, but spectacular nonetheless. There's also a bunch of stunning looking shots, thanks to the magnificent cinematography done by Cristina Dunlap and direction by Cord Jefferson. Jeffrey Wright is joined by Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody and Keith David. Having seen Sterling K. Brown in This is Us among other films I can gladly say he's still on the roll after This is Us, giving a performance worthy of best supporting actor.

What do a couple of critics say about this brilliant drama-comedy, about American Fiction; Peyton Robinson writing for RogerEbert.com highlighted Jefferson's writing as the key takeaway from this film, stating that his "attentive lens" to the film's "concept and themes is what will be remembered". Robinson goes on to identify the distinguishable legacy within the script, emphasizing Jefferson's "sharply pointed finger at the many institutional factors that keep (Black art), and its creators, restrained." Whilst Sarah Lyall of The New York Times covered Jeffrey Wright in a feature about his career and his role in American Fiction, claiming that Wright's "exquisitely calibrated" performance demonstrates "(Wright's ability) to elevate any movie or TV show simply by appearing in it." Lyall goes on to celebrate that Wright "has a way of burrowing so deeply into his characters that he seems almost to be hiding in plain sight.

American Fiction has Jeffrey Wright in one of his best performances, such a complex and well written character with a director who truly knows what he's doing. The screenplay might be one of the best in this decade, truly worthy of its win. For its genre, this is a masterpiece, and it's also cinema.

Rustin (2023)

Colman Domingo's portrayal of Rustin is spectacular but the film would have benefitted if the story would have focused more on the political aspects, a good biopic

[7/10 · 12 March 2024]

Colman Domingo, what a brilliant actor. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in this film as the title character, Bayard Rustin. There's lots to say about his performance but first of, I've seen him in Fear The Walking Dead and during the first three seasons he really shows how capable an actor he is. Other performances worth noting are Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and his recurring role in Euphoria. If you have seen him in those, then you'll know this role was made for him. The Guardian's Benjamin Lee appreciated the film's intersectional coverage of Rustin's struggles and concluded that Domingo "nails the charming persuasiveness that would explain how Rustin achieved so much in such a short amount of time and as he slowly starts to experience a level of acceptance for his whole self, rather than handpicked parts, there's a genuine poignancy to watching him crumble in front of us, a weight we can feel being lifted away. Honestly, Colman Domingo is an actor with great range, extremely charismatic and as a dramatic and theatre actor, he got it all and with a playwright as director (George C. Wolfe) we know it will be great. The dialogue is brilliant and aunthetic, just watching these actors and especially Colman Domingo, is just amazing. The film leans heavily into its scenes of lots of dialogue and monologues but it makes for the actors plenty of time to shine. Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen and Audra McDonald to name a few. The supporting cast is incredible, full of well known African American actors like; Chris Rock as Roy Wilkins, Glynn Turman as A. Philip Randolph, Aml Ameen as Martin Luther King Jr., Gus Halper as Tom Kahn, CCH Pounder as Dr. Anna Hedgeman, Jeffrey Wright as Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mahalia Jackson, Johnny Ramey, Michael Potts, and Audra McDonald.

Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground. The production design and various of the technical aspects of the film is quite great, keeping the historical accuracy throughout the film. There's actually some really great cinematography in this film, direction too. But it's the acting I find to be the best. Along with his Oscar nomination, Colman Domingo was nominated for a BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actor. I do think his performance could have been a lot better if he got more freedom with the role, then and only then would he be fully deserving those best actor awards as there were some who were a lot better. Another director would have offered him more freedom, I believe. So what's my final opinion of Rustin? It's a good historical drama with great performances and writing, could have focused more on the political side and not as much on Rustin's love life, something which felt like filler half of the time. I do understand fully why the scenes was there, they were good and some even great, yet I believe the film would have been better if it leaned more onto the political side which is the film's stronger points.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Bye (2024) Season 1, Episode 3

Years Gone "Bye", offers powerful storytelling with lots of tension and suspension, along with incredible performances with Lesley-Ann Brandt standing out the most

[9/10 · 12 March 2024]

Years have truly Gone "Bye", the third episode has Rick and Michonne together, partly. With the final scene of the previous episode, showing Jadis blackmailing Rick, I just felt we were going to be down a road of an episode full of tension and suspension. This episode has all that along with so much more, powerful storytelling and character drama. The episode is emotional and the theme of hope is done brilliantly here, how easy it is to lose it. How much a person can change and what that person will do for the safety of others, in this way, Rick Grimes. It's not often we see Rick scared and it's contagious, as we become scared as well.

The cast and characters for this episode are; Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis Stokes, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl Thorne, and Terry O'Quinn as General Beale. With new cast members being Julian Cihi as Benjiro and Tessa Slovis as Cleo Clifton.

The episode's premise: While pretending to be strangers, Rick and Michonne search for a way to survive under the eyes of the Civic Republic Military.

This week's episode of TWD: The Ones Who Live "Bye" was directed by Michael Slovis and written by Gabriel Llanas & Matthew Negrete, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and what I found interesting was how Matthew Negrete co-wrote the script and if you don't recognize the name, he was the showrunner on World Beyond which was a below average show but the world building and story with the CRM in its second (final) season was quite compelling. There's also no Gimple speech, overall great dialogue. The screenplay for "Bye" was incredible! Back to the direction and visual storytelling, Michael Slovis who has directed a few episodes of The Walking Dead and a couple of other well known shows was the right choice to helm episode 3 and the upcoming fourth episode. He handles every scene with perfection, making sure there are brilliant shots as well as the actors are doing their finest work, which they are. The premise doesn't lie, although it's hard to see these characters (Rick and Michonne) act like strangers around each other for the majority of the episode it's just interesting to see because of the performances Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira do in the episode. The latter of them doesn't get as much material as in the previous episode, yet the subtle details around her performance makes it perfect nonetheless. I would like to say Andrew Lincoln has the best performance in this episode but that's not entirely right, because of Lesley-Ann Brandt who gets the MVP. Pearl Thorne became the show's best character (after the two leads) in how complex and likable she is, you might react with the word "likable" but it's because of how human she is thanks to the portrayal and writing but also because of how easy it is to sympathize with her, the dialogue about how she sees Rick as her family was priceless. I also really like the scenes with Rick and Jadis, with her acting as the show's antagonist. Andrew Lincoln acts superbly throughout the episode with us viewers noticing how sad and emotional he is, how he contemplates his actions and the large range of emotions he brings in the scenes.

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. The musical score is something I haven't commented about but it's spectacular. The increased budget makes for better production design and visual effects, overall making a better show in every department along with the actors. There's a action sequence pretty late in the episode which was fantastic, something to look forward to! If you compare Philadelphia with the Commonwealth, you see how small the latter was in comparison, and I mean how they make it look. Both settlements are big, but this just feels bigger. The storyline of CRM is handled brilliantly, so is the individual character arcs and major story arc. With only three episodes left, I think we don't have to worry about quality dropping. This episode was superb from start to finish.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Gone (2024) Season 1, Episode 2

"Gone" focuses on Michonne and Danai Gurira is once again incredible in the role, brilliant writing and direction, a spectacular hour of television

[10/10 · 5 March 2024]

Whilst the season premiere "Years" focused primarily on Rick Grimes, showing Michonne in dream sequences and in the final scene with her finding him in a great but unexpected scene, episode two "Gone" follows Michonne after her final episode in The Walking Dead where she saw caravans and a community moving to a different place but also the glimpse from the series finale.

The new cast and characters for this episode are; Matthew August Jeffers as Nat, Breeda Wool as Aiden, Andrew Bachelor as Bailey and Erin Anderson as Elle. These are all likable characters with each actor bringing good performances to the episode, with Michonne being the one at the front and center, it's just easy to see why you love her and Danai Gurira so much who portrays Michonne like no time have gone by.

The episode's premise: After Rick's sacrifice to save his group everyone believed he was gone apart from a couple of people who dedicated a long time to search for their friend.

This week's episode of TWD: The Ones Who Live "Gone" was directed by Bert & Bertie and written by Nana Nkweti & Channing Powell, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and the writing was incredible. Gimple is great at world building but honestly he can't really write realistic dialogue, here in this episode and these compelling writers, we get dialogue and conversations we don't want to end. Situations and scenes we don't want to end, all thanks to the writing and direction but also acting. Danai Gurira is such a compelling actress with large range, able to do different amounts of emotions throughout the episode whilst also having the charisma and the skill to lead an episode. Back to the direction and visual storytelling, Bert and Bertie contribute so much to these two episodes and I would have liked to see more of them on the show but I'm quite sure Michael Slovis will be terrific who'll direct the next two episodes (who have directed a few episodes of The Walking Dead and a couple of other well known shows).

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. The increased budget makes for better production design and visual effects, overall making a better show in every department along with the actors. The episode is suspenseful from start to finish, the suspense hits high when the chlorine gas attack scene happens, making it terrifying and you truly sit on the edge of your seat throughout the rest of the episode. "Gone" is an episode of loss and of losing hope, like the episode before it. The episode is full of emotion and drama, with incredible acting and writing, along with some perfect direction from the Berts. With an episode like this, Danai Gurira have shown as expected that this is very much her show as much as Andrew Lincoln's, it's their and about the relationship between their characters. This was an incredible episode and I'm really looking forward to the next episode!

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Dune: Part Two offers a satisfying conclusion to a spectacular duology, a cinematic masterpiece and among the best sci-fi films

[10/10 · 1 March 2024]

Beginning where Part One ended, the second part of Dune arrives and met my expectations, it's as big and impressive as its predecessor, full of spectacles. What Dune: Part One accomplished and established, Part Two enhances every corner and creates an even fully realized world and universe which makes you want to see more of it. Denis Villeneuve and the work by cinematographer Greig Fraser and production designer Patrice Vermett, it's together and their work which makes the brilliance which ended up on the big screen. Again, Denis Villeneuve and Greig Fraser create some truly stunning and spectacular shots, with Villeneuve making the best use of his mise-en-scene which he so often does. Denis Villeneuve co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts and served as a producer. Dune: Part Two is cinema, having some of the finest writing and direction but also aesthetics. It's a film like no other.

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem reprise their roles from the first film, with Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe and head of House Corrino, and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring joining the ensemble cast. To name a few great performances, I would have to say Rebecca Ferguson and Timothée Chalamet along with Zendaya with Javier Bardem shining the most with his charismatic performance, in the new cast it was Austin Butler and Florence Pugh. Austin Butler was terrific in the role but should have been in more scenes to make him into a more three dimensional character which I expected from the film. Another new actor is Christopher Walken and although I really like him as an actor, he wasn't right for this role, but it's such a small (but important) role that it was easy for me to look past. Walken portrays the arrogance perfectly though. There were just too few scenes of these new characters, people who we didn't really get to know, except for Florence Pugh's character who through narration and plenty of scenes which makes us get to know her. I've read a criticism about too much star power, I don't necessarily agree but worth pointing out.

The showdown between Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in what is the final fight/action sequence in the film, it met my expectations. The fight was well choreographed and was shot perfectly, using the silence to make us hear every hit and build up the tension even more. Dune focuses on spectacle and big epic scenes that have a huge amount of suspense and tension in them, you sit on the edge of your seat multiple times. The narrative focuses on the relationship between Paul and Chani, something we saw in the dreams in Part One, in this film we get to see that play out and although their chemistry isn't the best, it's still believable and a big reason I believe people criticize the chemistry is because of Chani not having the same beliefs and also of being her own person who have doubts on Paul and other things, the two had just met after all. Regarding Paul Atreides and his character arc throughout the film, being Lisan al Gaib (the Messiah), he's scared of his visions and what that'll bring. His character arc goes with Chani's own as well. This is one of those chosen one stories that have such depth and make this formula fresh again, which it was when Dune was released (1965). Back to another sequence, the gladiator scene which is also the big introduction scene of the new antagonist and nephew to the Baron. Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser had filmed Feyd-Rautha's gladiator sequence in black-and-white by mixing monochrome with color photography, making it a strange yet mesmerizing sequence which has you in awe. It contributes to the aesthetics.

About the film's aesthetics and costumes, Erik Kain of Forbes wrote this, "The film's aesthetic is superb and distinct and feels more fleshed out than the first film-from the Bene Gesserit in their veils to the masked bodyguards in the arena with Feyd-Rautha. Costume and set design goes above and beyond, giving us a fully realized, wholly unique and immersive sense of place throughout the film, whether in the deserts of Arrakis or the green gardens of the Padishah Emperor." I agree fully with this. This film looks absolutely gorgeous and along with the beautiful cinematography, the aesthetics are the major component which makes it such a gorgeous motion picture. Denis Villeneuve captures cinema masterfully with using dialogue sparsely and choosing instead to use the shots set up and photographed, that's what's interesting with cinema and photography, how a picture/frame can say more than words ever could. There were a few scenes which could have had less dialogue, which makes his comments here not that positive but then again, I understand him. "Frankly, I hate dialogue," the filmmaker told The Times of London in a recent interview. "Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don't remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I'm not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today." like I said, I understand him, image and sound is extremely important. Again, those things are two highlights. The sound design and musical score is spectacular and seeing it in the cinema only enhances it with music and explosions among other things like the sand worms, it was loud and you felt it all around you, Dolby Atmos was just superb and needed for the experience Dune has to offer. Hans Zimmer's musical score is once again a big highlight. To another critic's thoughts, Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian, awarded the film four stars out of five, writing "Denis Villeneuve's monumental adaptation expands its extraordinary world of shimmering strangeness. It's impossible to imagine anyone doing it better." Villeneuve did the impossible with adapting Dune, combined these parts make into a masterpiece.

I was completely mesmerized when I left the cinema, now a day after, having time to reflect on this massive and epic movie, a film I completely love. Yet, I liked Part One more. Saying that, you'll have to understand how I rate this film, technically and everything Denis Villeneuve and his crew contributed to the film, what the actors did with their well written characters. This film is perfect in lots of ways and met all my high expectations. Something else worth noting is how the film clearly sets up a third film, based on Dune: Messiah (second book), which Denis Villeneuve has said he's interested in adapting. There's one criticism I got though, how the timeline is quite too fast paced with months feeling like weeks, I would have wanted the film to be longer and the second half to be paced slower. I expected more of a war in the second half, things I wished to see happen off screen. More politics and intrigue was needed as well. Yet, I loved every second of the film, my rating is perhaps 9.5 but it's a great followup which focuses on the Messiah and religious aspects, leaning into themes of power and fanaticism.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Years (2024) Season 1, Episode 1

"Years" is the premiere fans needed, a return to form with Andrew Lincoln bringing one of his best performances since 2017

[10/10 · 27 February 2024]

What is the grand premise of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live? It's about the love story between Rick and Michonne, who are changed by a world that is constantly changing, will they find themselves in a war against the living or will they discover that they too are The Walking Dead? The show does just that, showing where these two fan favorites ended up after leaving the main show, with Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln producing along with starring as the main characters Michonne and Rick Grimes respectively, with the former of them even writing an episode later on but for now it's worth noting how they helped with the story. The showrunner for The Ones Who Live are Scott M. Gimple who worked on The Walking Dead as showrunner from season 4 to 8, who also co-created The Walking Dead: World Beyond which is necessary (in a capacity) to understand this show because of the attention on CRM and seeing Pollyanna McIntosh returning as Jadis Stokes who are now a warrant officer. That's the returning cast, the supporting cast has a few new additions like; Terry O'Quinn as Beale: The Major General of the Civic Republic Military. Who was referenced in World Beyond. The other one is Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl Thorne. The former of them is known from Lost and the latter of them are from Lucifer and Spartacus. Two additions I was stoked for and they didn't disappoint, I really liked Craig Tate as Donald Okafor as well.

The episode's premise: Five years have passed since Rick's disappearance. In another world, built on a war against the dead, Rick Grimes and Michonne attempt to find each other and who they were.

This week's episode of TWD: The Ones Who Live "Years" was directed by Bert & Bertie and written by Scott M. Gimple, the direction and visual storytelling were excellent, and the writing was actually-surprisingly quite great. Gimple shows he can write compelling drama and dialogue, after his last two seasons of TWD along with World Beyond showing the opposite of great writing. I really liked the writing and story! First words out of the way, I'm so glad Andrew Lincoln came back for this and it feels like he's even happier being back. Working in another country and not seeing your kids takes a toll on everyone, I'm sure. He's bringing this new energy to the role of Rick Grimes and what's interesting is how this episode contains some highlights of the role in terms of acting. Andrew Lincoln never got any big recognition from the big awards except for winning the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 2015 and 2017. I think this show might contain the same level of acting like those years. Andrew Lincoln shows different emotions but the strongest acting he does is the suicidal thoughts and hopefulness. It's such a strong and superb performance which opens the show perfectly. The episode follows solely Rick Grimes but it gives us answers to questions we've had since his final episode and the reference from World Beyond of him. About references, Gimple succeeded in tying up every show (TWD, Fear and World Beyond) throughout the episode with lines of dialogue but also visually.

The production design and art direction is terrific, so is the mise-en-scene and cinematography for the show. What I quickly noticed from the episode and the trailer before, the budget have grown larger which adds to better production design and visual effects, overall making a better show. The episode/show looks incredible, one thing I found lacking was the digital camera but that's something which was changed for the eleventh (final) season of The Walking Dead, it doesn't bring the same feeling. But that's not a criticism, the thing is how I can't find anything to criticize, it's flawless and brilliantly executed both behind and on the screen. There's probably something I missed, but I loved it.

Last words, if you're a big fan of the show then this show is right for you and keep in mind you don't have to watch World Beyond nor Fear TWD, solely The Walking Dead to understand these characters intentions and motivations. My guess is that having Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as executive producers helped keep the quality and characters consistent. "Years" was a phenomenal premiere and I can't wait for the next episode!

Past Lives (2023)

Past Lives is among those beautifully told and shot dramas that leave you with memories, a masterpiece

[10/10 · 24 February 2024]

My expectations were quite high for this drama, because of its award nominations and wins, I wasn't disappointed. Celine Song wrote and directed a truly terrific drama, a film worthy to be called cinema, in her feature directorial debut as well. Her work and cooperation with Shabier Kirchner (cinematographer) is terrific, together bringing some truly mesmerizing shots, much to thank for the sets used and mise-en-scene, also natural lighting. The plot is semi-autobiographical and inspired by real events from Song's life, which enhances and makes it so much more authentic and believable. The characters feel so real, their lives feel so real, and so does the film. The writing and direction is absolutely perfect, Celine Song created a masterpiece with Past Lives.

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.

Around the ten minute mark, there's a scene when the children (Na Young, later Nora Moon and Hae Sung) are walking different ways, the scenes are shot and set up like Nora is walking towards a bright future as she's walking upwards whilst Hae is walking straight and then downwards. The scene symbolizes the different paths they're about to make in life, thus setting up the story and plot for the film. Having the film go through the events at a rapid pace could have been executed poorly but Celine Song executed it perfectly as she quickly established the characters and plot without it feeling poorly done, excellent work! Then twelve years swiftly goes past and the film truly begins. Celine Song focuses a lot on the aesthetics and mise-en-scene, making each shot perfectly photographed and set up brilliantly which enhances the visual storytelling. Like for example in a Skype call, we get an understanding of what Nora is studying or is interested in before she tells Hae and it's thanks to the visual storytelling and placement of props and the overall production design.

Past Lives was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and received various awards including five nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, those being; Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Picture - Non-English Language, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama. With nominations like that, I'm sure this film will bring something for everyone. If not for the brilliant acting from everyone but mostly Greta Lee as Nora Moon and Teo Yoo as Hae Sung, the former being absolutely fantastic and worthy of her nomination. But also of the terrific writing, emotional depth and realism that make you feel lost in the story from minutes into it.

Manola Darghis writing for The New York Times compared the film to French romantic cinema complimenting its restraint in the presentation of its main themes stating: "The movie's modesty - its intimacy, human scale, humble locations and lack of visual oomph - is one of its strengths. The characters live in homes that are pleasant yet ordinary, the kind that you can imagine hanging out in, the kind you want to hang out in. There are few big, look-at-me details, though you might notice a poster for Jacques Rivette's 1974 classic Céline and Julie Go Boating in Nora's father's home office in Seoul." This film critic compliments the film rightfully, bringing up solid arguments why it's so great. Filmmaker Christopher Nolan also praised the film and named it one of his favorites, describing it as "subtle in a beautiful sort of way." I agree fully with these people, Past Lives is one of the best films of 2023, a film I'll remember and hopefully go back to in the future. Creatively and cinematically on another level than what many films that year were making. My expectations were met in this incredible romantic-drama.

Update: So I rewatched it with my girlfriend and she shared my opinion in how great it was, this time I got the opportunity to view the film without criticism or analyzing in thoughts, which made me catch onto some dialogue I failed to notice and some other minor things, one thing I noticed was how slow the pacing was which was something I didn't notice before. Yet, I still liked it and it was nice to experience the film that way, just be along for the ride and see the plot play out.