4v291o

okay we are actually so fucking back. this absolutely rocked and was a visual delight. action and story were good standard marvel fare but the commentary on depression and mental health was very moving. 

that’s how you introduce a new team of heroes to the MCU and get people to gravitate towards them immediately. 

9/10.

THATS WHAT IM TALKIN BOUT, THATS WHY HES THE MVP, THATS WHY HES THE GOAT, THE GOAAAAAAAAAT.

10/10 no other notes.

the best parts about this movie is that it achieves the job of establishing Sam as a capable hero, leader, and that he has all the honorable characteristics of someone worthy of the captain america mantle. his plot about responsibility and pressure is legitimately good. some of the air action is really good but the hand to hand combat is extremely lackluster. 

everything else fucking sucks. the ross subplot about changing for the better is unconvincing and you’re left wondering why we’re supposed to even care. the villain from 2008’s incredible hulk is a snoozefest with terrible generic chatgpt dialogue and motivations. the isaiah bradley story is rushed and just rehashed from FATWS. the ing character ruth is completely underdeveloped and feels like anybody could’ve taken that ing role. also her acting is just terrible in this. visually this entire movie is an eyesore. and the entire dialogue in this movie feels like it was written by someone making a fan film. 

I feel like if establishing Sam as a worthy Cap was the intention, it could’ve been achieved with literally any other premise for a film that would’ve been a lot more interesting.

Watched on Thursday December 12, 2024.

rubbish.

Watched on Tuesday November 26, 2024.

magnificent. spectacular. incredible. heartwarming. life-changing. 

there aren’t enough words to describe how amazing this was. the music, the singing, the crying, the set design, the score, the costumes, the touching plot of being unique and finding strength in that uniqueness. ariana grande, my sweetie pie, 10/10 comedic performance. and cynthia erivo, you have rocked my world. defying gravity broke me into pieces. 

movie of the year, musical of the decade, defying gravity is song of the millennium. 

10/10, 5/5, oscar considerations for everyone involved. no other notes.

rotting limbs ewwwwwww.

weirdly anticlimactic and questionable ending. there’s a more interesting story buried beneath whatever this was.

Watched on Sunday September 29, 2024.

the most unserious, batshit crazy, multiversal extravaganza you could think of that shouldn’t work but finds a way to pull it all together. I loved the dumb jokes, the cameos, and the heartwarming dynamic between logan and wade. it’s a deadpool movie and I had fun.

as an avid defender of Disney Pixar sequels, I am on cloud nine right now.

teared up multiple times. just as good as the first, if not a little better. no other notes.

that was fun as fuck and funny as fuck. you will always be famous will smith.

there’s like zero political depth in this film but I guess the focus was on the teacher student relationship between Lee and Jessie. regardless, Stephen Henderson as Sammy 100% steals the show. 

verdict: ehh?

60% of this movie is shot in slow motion. the performances are flat. the plot is generic. the characters are dull and the use of score in this so overbearing. not good. no further notes.

exhilarating, gut-wrenching, and fantastic. it’s edited and pieced together like a childs play 3 chucky doll and that’s what makes it relentless. zendaya here is manipulative, ruthless, and mean, and she delivers exactly what is needed to compliment the other 2 leads. probably her best acting showcase to date. and wow, once we get to that 2nd half of the film, it doesn’t let go. luca guadagnino served, no pun intended.

Dune Part Two is blockbuster filmmaking at its finest. The roughness, viscerality, the grandiosity, the scope, all excel here. It’s incredible. Bone chilling, frightening, unrelenting in its constant thrill. It doesn’t slow down, not for a second.

Timothee Chalamet is the punch of this film. Every scene he’s in is striking,. But Zendaya is the center of this. Her doubts, her affection for Paul, her reactions, her instincts. She’s the audience’s mouthpiece here. It’s almost 4th wall breaking. She represents us and how we witness Paul transition from a loving and sincere warrior filled with humility, into a power hungry emperor basking in defiance and destiny while on the path of certain destruction. I can not wait for Dune Part Three. 

The visuals here are breathtaking. The immersiveness of the visual effects and set pieces are stellar as well. Hans Zimmer’s score is haunting and even better than the first. While Dune 2 ups the technical achievements of Part One, I feel that Part Two crafts a much more solid story.

depressingly, horrifically bad. probably the worst thing you’ll see in years. absolutely awful. somehow makes fantastic four (2015) look good.

it get’s more sensational with age.

okay this is my new #1.

Dare I say just as good as the 80’s original? cried deeply several times. the music, the performances, the voices, teared up a lot. Fantasia brought it. Taraji and Danielle Brooks were also phenomenal. I felt the pain, grief, misery, and joy of Celie in those 2.5 hours. Phenomenal stuff.

The Iron Claw was phenomenal. Such a tragic, grim, depressing tale about the tragedy of the Von Erich family. Zac Efron did an amazing job as Kevin, the eldest brother, filled with grief, pain, and responsibility. I knew of the Von Erich tragedies but the grimness of it all definitely caught me off guard. An emotional wreck right now!

Watched on Sunday December 24, 2023.

Zack Snyder just doesn’t make good movies. Rebel Moon — Part One is two hours of dreadful writing devoid of any real substance that serves nothing more than being a shitty Star Wars knockoff. The characters are dull, boring, and lifeless. The dialogue is putrid. The cinematography half the time is dreadful. Snyder’s writing has the emotional weight of 13 year old teenage boy typing in dystopian sci-fi prompts into chatgpt. Even the fundamental filmmaking here is poor. So many scenes with unnecessary slow-motion shots, action sequences that don’t hit hard and lack any viscerality. This is a movie for Snyder’s cult stans, not for anyone with an actual love for sci-fi fantasy.

A super stylish action thriller from one of my favorite filmmakers. The Killer is a minimalistic narrative following the events of an assassin’s plight when his work follows him home. Fassbender is excellent as a sociopathic assassin that leaves you uneasy in his simplicity. It’s not top 5 Fincher but it’s a Fincher thriller and those are always very good.

a tragic, depressing tale about greed and betrayal based on a true story about the Osage murders in the 1920s. in my opinion, Scorcese’s best modern work yet, even better than 2019’s The Irishman. Dicaprio was fantastic in his portrayal of a greedy money hungry bloodsucking carny preying on his wife’s wealth. the De Niro x Scorcese duo just doesn’t miss. excellent excellent excellent. one of my favorites of the year. 

lily gladstone portrays grief, strength, and perserverance so well here with soft spoken but powerful dialogue. the standout of the film in my opinion.

well that just filled me with so much joy and sadness at the same time. a feel good movie about finiding relationships with the people you least expect during the lonliest of times. this was full of so much heart and one of my favorites of the year. I never expected to cry over a washed up narcissistic teacher and a rich kid with daddy issues but here we are.

a cute little story. better than asteroid city at least.

a haunting, extraordinary piece of art. I left this blown away and feeling uneasy at what I watched here. natalie portman’s character, elizabeth, terrified in the way she encapsulated the essence of gracie, her way of thinking, her grooming nature. her final monologue felt uncanny it really threw me for a loop. even some of her mannerisms creeped me out. such a flawed, strange individual. it was crazy. and charles melton plays the role of the grooming victim with sensitivity and subtlety. 

I think this film is less of some kind of lesson to be learned, and more of an exposé of a very real situation that has plagued society for a long time. also, the use and placement of the score was so fucking well done here.

a well made crowdpleaser about the revolution of the Air Jordan product. really enjoyed this as a Basketball fan and a sports history fanatic. very charming as well and I think Viola Davis is the heart of this film. one of the few historic films I’d recommend.

yesssss kangaroo-people horror ate. good performances and a great twist at the end. enjoyed that and the makeup body horror was done really well.

Watched on Friday November 24, 2023.

this one’s for the gworls. I had fun! 

pros:
pretty silly with fun character moments. iman as ms marvel is the best part of the movie and kinda carries the comedy. I also thought the vfx were decent for the most part. it was pretty entertaining. it was also very colorful which I appreciated. teyonah as monica rambeau was great too. and omg the post credits scene is like top 1. 

cons:
horrible pacing. like really bad. felt like 30 minutes of the movie was cut. certain scenes felt unfinished and certain plot points felt poorly written. I really wished they would’ve tackled monica and carol’s relationship a lot harder. also, this is the most generic marvel score ever. felt like a soundtrack out of a 2003 marvel flick. a step down from the first captain marvel film. thought some of the jokes didn’t land either.

it’s better than love and thunder and quantumania but worse than shang chi and other phase 4-5 films.

overall I felt it was fine but was slightly disappointed cause I think nia dacosta is a lot more talented than what was given here. whether that was her fault or marvel’s is something we’ll never know.

was looking forward to this adaptation about a game I loved watching videos on in my mid teens. this however was pretty poorly written and lacking all the thrill and fright of the original game. instead of an adaptation of 5 nights in the pizzeria, we get too much of an uninteresting plot that muddles the movie. 

still there was some cool stuff like the set designs and the accuracy of the animatronics. I just feel like they could’ve crafted a better movie.

crazy, insane, funny as hell, and heartwarming. the right blend of 2000s trashcomedy with a modern spin. loved that. it’s ayo edebiri’s world and we’re all just living in it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

generic plot, villain, climax, etc. I see why it was a Max original at first cause this is basically a high budget cw special. George Lopez is great tho. 

⭐️⭐️.5/5

Magnificent is the perfect description for this classic.

I was touched deeply from this 90 minute feature about 12 jurors questioning their beliefs and recollections, battling between sending an 18 year old boy to die, or to truly question themselves and their judgement. 

Themes of prejudism, economic backgrounds, self esteem, and parental issues are strong here. The final outburst from Juror #3 as he breaks, realizing how his personal conflicts with his own son had clouded his own humanity, deeply moved me to tears. This is such a powerful display at screenwriting and dialogue. The best movies are the ones where actors/actresses engulf themselves in the characters they play, displaying the highest degree of human emotion, guided by writing that allows them to. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

a plot worth multiple seasons of storytelling, crammed into 6 forty minute episodes. lackluster writing, underdeveloped characters and character motivations. easily marvel’s most boring project since thor the dark world. an embarrassing attempt at a “spy thriler”. 

this was supposed to be their attempt at recreating winter soldier? 

⭐️.5/5

ari aster’s weakest film. beau is afraid is a psychological journey into the deeply disturbed mind of its protagonist, beau, exploring themes centered around mommy issues, loneliness, and dread.

long, overstuffed, and creative sequences that don’t really add much to the film’s message. joaquin’s performance didn’t exactly blow me away either. 

⭐️⭐️.5/5

Oppenheimer is haunting, visceral, on fire with a blazing, hair raising character study about a quantum scientist who gave other men the powers and capabilities to destroy the world.

Nolan is at his best in years here with scorching visuals, stunning cinematography, and stylistic choices he hasn’t delivered since Intersellar. There’s a 10 minute bomb detonation sequence in this that absolutely mesmerized me. You’ll know it when you see it. 

Murphy and Downey deliver career performances as well. Emily Blunt is magnificent as well. 

I’m not sure about the historical accuracies, but Nolan made a damn great movie, his best in years, (at least for me). 

IT’S LONG AS FUCK THO. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Greta Gerwig hasn’t missed yet. 

Barbie (2023) is EVERYTHING. A study on feminism, patriarchy, self discovery, meaning, and purpose. It’s campy, it leans fully into the wackiness and silliness of its concept while telling a compelling story.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are stellar. They truly become Barbie and Ken, all their motivations and insecurities. The production design is inspired, it’s colorful. I think what Barbie teaches is that it’s okay to just be okay, it’s okay to not be okay, to just be you. The comedic timing is top notch. This movie knows when to make us laugh, when to make us cry, when to make us listen. I’m just blown away. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

the play within a play aspect was an inspired choice though I don’t think it landed as seamlessly as it could’ve. technically it’s neat. the production design, camerawork, all the things you’d expect from a wes anderson picture are present here.

it’s dry. I wasn’t really wowed by any of the performances and the commentary about grief and loneliness wasn’t all that compelling. It just didn’t connect with me, which is a shame. I think there’s a stronger movie in here somewhere with half the cast. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

uninteresting characters and a plot devoid of anything actually compelling. a dinosaur movie with no thrill. 

⭐️/5

twists, turns, and a resolution I never considered. a great thriller/mystery and storm reid is great. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

great action and suspense, fine story, good performance from hemsworth, good character moments, a little bit cliche. it’s serviceable as a good sequel to the first one. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

pros: ezra is still a miscast to me but this is his best performance of barry. the story about him and his mom is heartfelt and it was probably the only thing in this that worked. also, the batkeaton action was very good.

cons: kara, keaton, and even the other barry do not fit into this film. it’s overstuffed, and spends so much deadtime diverting from the central story of barry and his mom, to the point that near the end it re that it’s a multiversal movie and gives us one of the worst sequences I’ve seen in a comic book movie. the cgi, the cameos, genuinely atrocious. kara did not hit for me, and zod is a throwaway villain here.

there’s a FLASH multiverse movie thats somewhere in those WB archives, unfortunately it turned into dc’s cameo central. if this is the end of the DCEU, what a fitting, directionless ending to a directionless universe. 

⭐️⭐️/5

every shot, every silhouette, every sketch, every painting, every color, absolutely incredible. 

this movie is a celebration of animation like I’ve never seen before. jaw dropping stylistic choices, lightning striking electric sequences that made my eyes pop. tied together with an incredible spider-man story that made me tear up at least 5 times during the film.

this movie is a comic book epic brought to life and adapted with heart, care, and a vision. the music as well was on another level. I can’t even put into words what I just witnessed cause something tells me beyond the spider-verse is gonna blow even this away but…

this is the greatest animated movie of all time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

the little mermaid (2023) is up there with the jungle book (2016) for the best live action disney classic remake. fun, joyous, whinsical, emotional, thrilling, and filled with heart. this captures the core elements of what made the animated classic such a pop culture phenomenon.

halle bailey is amazing and electrifying as ariel, with a voice that sures the original. melissa mccarthy as ursula is horrifyingly good. the musical soundtrack is amazing, and so are a lot of the vfx as well. the chemistry between ariel and prince eric is profound the entire time on screen together. I really enjoyed this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

tighter and better crafted story than F9, and a much better villain. action combat is really good in this, especially some of the spy espionage scenes. however, this one goes a bit overboard with the cheesy scenes with dom. it felt like he was having an unnecessary heart ot heart with everyone. 

it’s definitely not in the same glory of the originals, but that’s not what these new fast films are aiming for. for what it is (transformers fast and furious), it’s decent. hopefully fast 11 sticks the landing. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

the most emotional, thrilling, heart gripping end to an amazing trilogy with amazing characters. who knew a group of imperfect misfits could make me cry so much. I’m so touched and floored with emotion.

probably my favorite guardians movie, and eaily one of the best post endgame marvel films. touching character arcs for pretty much every one in this film, I’m almost in disbelief how gunn was able to juggle so much into one movie. how he wrote every character to perfection while crafting an emotionally satisfying ending. 

and for marvel’s vfx issues post pandemic, this had probably the best visual effects in a guardians movie.

I’m gonna miss these dickheads so much. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

ranking all the films that I’ve watched released in 2023 calendar year.

1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Holdovers
4. The Color Purple
5. The Iron Claw
6. May December
7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
8. Barbie
9. The Killer
10. Bottoms

...plus 25 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
3. The Fabelmans
4. Nope
5. She Said
6. TÁR
7. All Quiet on the Western Front
8. Avatar: The Way of Water
9. The Menu
10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

...plus 25 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.