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Creed 3 is amazing. Just saw it last night and although I’ve only seen 3 movies so far this year it could be a contender for my favorite movie of 2023. Spot on script, gorgeous cinematography, and a great soundtrack, but by far the best parts are Michael B Jordan and Jonathan Majors. Majors turns in a phenomenal villain performance and Michael B Jordan’s performance is great as well, plus his direction is so good you’d have no idea this was his first time behind the camera if you didn’t know in advance.
I’ll repost this here to kick off the new thread.
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#EverythingEverywhereSweep
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022): I went into this not having seen the original film or read the novel, so my expectations were fairly low, but ready to see if all of its awards praise was justified. This genuinely might be the best mainstream war film I’ve seen since “Saving Private Ryan,” and as far as debut performances go, Felix Kammerer was an outright revelation. I can’t stop thinking about Paul Bäumer and his tragic plight, and I wonder if Kammerer could have gone the distance in another year. Netflix clearly didn’t realize the Oscarbait it possessed until it was too late, which is funny considering how thirsty Ted Sarandos is. Edward Berger would have been in fine company in Director, and Albrecht Schuch was a classic supporting actor nominee if I’ve ever seen one. They’ll have to suffice with International Film and maybe another win or two. Superb techs, and a cinematography win will be well-earned. Side-eye to the score nomination though, because all I recalled was a recurring three-note motif and ambient noise, except for something faint playing during the end credits. I do think a tighter two-hour edit was in here somewhere, but the totality of the experience was devastating by its conclusion. An epic like this also deserved the grandeur of the big-screen theater, but that ain’t Netflix. This was a major missing piece in my Oscar viewing this year, so I’m very glad that I’ve finally watched this gem.
ReplyCopy URLI saw Creed 3. Didn’t love it as much as the prior poster but it’s highly entertaining. Jordan showed real strength as a director and he had moments of very good acting, though I still find him somewhat limited (but incredibly attractive). Tessa Thompson was great as always. The biggest takeaway for me was that Jonathan Majors is the real deal. He steals every scene he is in and is completely mesmerizing as a performer.
ReplyCopy URLI watched The King’s Speech for the first time today and while Colin Firth was amazing, the rest of the movie was just fair. Definitely a good movie, but not fantastic — certainly not Best Picture-worthy. Maybe I need to rewatch it (and I certainly will a couple more times in the future), but I really don’t get all of the acclaim.
For now, 7/10
ReplyCopy URLOnce there was only Dark. If you ask me, the Light's winning.
Broadcast News (1987)
A love triangle set in newsroom of network TV. The film explores the lives of journalists, their ethics and how news is becoming all about theatrics. A bittersweet hyperbole in retrospect considering the present we are living in. The screenplay, though slow is a breath of fresh air. Hunter was incredible and doesn’t hesitate to make us dislike Jane. I am not 100% sure it was my cup of tea but I can appreciate the movie. 7/10
Moonstruck (1987)
Just one word – Cher!
To be honest, it is a true ensemble film about an Italian-American family and everyone shines equally but the movie reminds you of the incredible screen presence Cher has. She and Hunter along with Glenn were nominated for Best Actress in 1988 and she won. In an ideal world, Glenn would have won but it is hard to dislike Cher’s win because her performance is so charismatic. Reminds me of Emma Stone in La La Land. She is sensational and so is Olympia Dukakis who is easily my favorite part of the film. Highly recommended! 9/10
ReplyCopy URL“Empire of Light” (2022): Based on critical reception that was all over the place, I was led to believe that this film was nothing more than failed Oscarbait. For what it’s worth, I was really taken with it from beginning to end. If this were the nineties and a Miramax property (which I realize is extremely tainted now), I think it would have been an across-the-board Oscar contender. I can see why the “love letter to cinema” approach might have been tiresome and well-worn to some critics, and there’s the feeling that way too much was tackled superficially for such an intimate chamber piece: mental illness, racism, sexual harassment, Thatcherism, romance, and more. Like, pick one lane or two, Sam Mendes lol. Olivia Colman was superb, as expected, though she’s asked to sell big emotional swings that would have capsized lesser actresses. Micheal Ward’s an exciting new discovery with natural screen presence. Colin Firth was surprising in a rare sleazeball role. Toby Jones reminded me what a potent actor he still is when given material that’s deserving of his effort. Loved the 80s cinema throwback vibes with mentions of “Being There,” “Chariots of Fire,” “Raging Bull,” and “Stir Crazy.” This was NOT a throwaway cinematography nomination for Roger Deakins. One might say he even showed off in places (the fireworks scene!), and did a film like this merit that, but regardless. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross delivered a fine original score, Lee Smith on editing, Alexandra Byrne’s costumes, etc. Crazy stacked techs. Too bad the film was knocked around like it was, but I guess having this, “The Fabelmans,” “Babylon,” etc., around was considered overkill. I’d still recommend it in spite of the noise.
ReplyCopy URL‘Noise’ (2023): This movie on Netflix is dubbed and sometimes the words quite don’t match the movements, I know this is a pet peeve to some so just a warning. This was like ‘The Shining’ mixed with a bigger mystery so to speak. The lead was great and his desecent into complete maddness was fun and very Jack Nicholson-esque. The script was a bit slow in the end though. 4 out of 5
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‘The Noel Diary’ (2022): A miss for me outsid of Hartley’s involvement. 2 out of 5
‘Hellhole’ (2022): Netflix hits a homerun here in my opinion. Creepy yet has the regular “GET OUT OF THERE” moments. 5 out of 5
‘I Came By’ (2022): Mixed one for me as the cast saves it. 3 out of 5I watched these during the course of the month and will just add them based on my thouhts
1 out of 5
1)’Shotgun Wedding’ (2022)
2)’Ticket To Paradise’ (2022)
3)’My Boyfriend’s Meds” (2020)3 out of 5
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4)Showdown at Area 51 (2007)
5)Loch Ness Terror (2008)
6)Empire of Light (2022)
7)Wolf Hound (2020)
8)Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005)
9)Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
10)Fancy Pants (1950)
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