I was struck by some parallels to Goodfellas. It’s the story of a young person who desperately wants to rise above their means and lot in life. It’s similarly propulsive with great humor throughout the first two acts plus the same chaotic and madcap energy. Unfortunately for Ani, we also see her lose almost everything like Henry did in the third act. 

There are big differences of course. Henry earns his downfall and Ani is much, much more sympathetic. I…

Best film of the decade so far. It’s such a rich text and it’s even better on the rewatch. Scorsese once again examines the country’s relationship with greed and crime, but he’s preoccupied with the role that race plays in this one.

There’s so many brutal depictions of violence against the Osage, but the film has just as much disdain for every white character who is complicit in it. The crime ring ranges from the schemers like Hale to the…

I’m so glad I saw this on the biggest screen I could see it on. You can really see a lot of Coogler’s previous works coming together here. There are some scenes here that will be hard to top throughout the year, but it’s not all the highest of highs. A few of the Jack O’Connell scenes were bogged down by clunky dialogue that felt way too on the nose for me. 

Still, I love to see a great director…