Hi Letterboxd,

Long time no see--again. This time I'm coming after my first quarter in law school. It's been a great experience, but it, unfortunately, has been cutting down on my time to write reviews. I, of course, will still be watching movies, and I still want to stay connected with you all here. So, I decided to cut down on how much I write for each film. This review then will probably be my last long-form one for a…

“I just feel comfortable here”

For as long as humans have existed, there has been a divide between the haves and the have nots. It’s appeared across all cultures and throughout history, for this separation between the well-to-do and those who struggle to make ends meet is ingrained within our very DNA. For those suffering from scarcity, studies show that the mind goes into tunnel vision, literally unable to think about long-term consequences; it becomes so maniacally focused on short-term…

While Rogue Nation feels like it's trying to follow in the vein of Ghost Protocol, Fallout has Christopher McQuarrie find his own voice for one of the best action films in history. Dead Reckoning will follow suit of incorporating a focus on Ethan Hunt's backstory and relationships, stewing in intricate production design that emphasizes the mood with lighting, and using the moments of action to deliver comic relief.

What makes Fallout stand out from all the rest, though, is that…

The opera scene is one of the best action set pieces in the Mission: Impossible franchise, and it's a sign to action movies everywhere that bigger is not always better. Carefully deg around a small-scale crescendo can pack an even bigger punch.

Rogue Nation really peters out in the third act, though. After the water hest, the story succumbs to issues of repetition (having another car & motorcycle chase through an Arab desert), characters acting without any rational foresight, a deus…

“Nobody cares about the end of the world”

Jordan Peele is not a one trick pony. In a film of haunting performances, spellbinding visuals, and metaphors 11 layers deep, Us paints a damning portrait of America, cynically invoking uniting ideas like the Hands Across America campaign as the root of what’s driving us apart. In Us, a family holiday becomes something much worse as doppelgangers begin to terrorize the house. These actors pull double duty as the terrified family and…

What a way to start the decade

I want to start by taking a look at this poster of Cats. The sensation it’s trying to convey is clear--with a vivid, colorful skyline of the city, the center character gracefully reaches up to the wide-open night sky in an expression of exuberance and freedom. It’s a relatable, desirable, and very much human feeling to behold, that is until your eyes wander downwards and notice the tail on this anthropomorphic character. Suddenly,…