Trophy Review

Even though Trophy is jam packed with great insight and information, it lacks in having an identity. This Sundance winner has gotten the attention of several different critics, including myself, when the trailer dropped. It look dark, mysterious, yet intelligent in it's own regard. Information wise, the film delivered in all fronts. I learn't plenty about the legalities and sustainability of poaching. However, the film is both edited and directed without any flare. The film is quite stale when looking at it from a film making point of view, to the point that it got quite boring and redundant. It did have some nice shots and composition here and there, yet it still lacked in the directing department. Trophy could have been an extremely emotional ride. But, because of the lack of overall visual storytelling flare, it just became an informative, yet dreadful two hours.

Score:
5.8/10

The Little Hours Review

The Little Hours is one of the rare exceptions when it comes to crude comedies. The Little Hours is a big delight. It's sense of humor is always top notch, from hilarious social satire, to random odd childish humor. The performances from all members of the cast, were all perfectly chosen for there respective parts. Aubrey Plaza plays a snarky nymphomaniac, Kate Micucci plays a shy yet jealous nun who enjoys spying on her peers, and John C Riley plays a pastor/priest who is incapable of keeping his convent afloat. Even though the script feels of bit rushed, and the dialogue doesn't resemble at all old English dialect, the overall directing and tone of the film makes it a good time, due to it's musical score, production design, costumes, and performances. Overall, this is a fun time, if your into intelligent yet raunchy comedies.

Rating: 7.3/10

The Hero Review

The Hero is one of those film, in which it feels semi-autobiographical and personal. Sam Elliot plays the role of famous western star Lee Hayden, in which it recounts his day in the life routine, at the mildly old age of his early 70's. It's an interesting concepts for a film, even though it's been done before. Performance wise, Sam Elliot does a great job, making the film feel like it's based on a real life character. The problem with The Hero, is that it doesn't have much of a focus. From one scene to another, plot descriptions and character motivations change, making the end product feel unnecessary. There isn't much to grab onto emotionally, which makes the film feel flat on it's own artistic merit. There's some nice moments here and there, and some great dialogue, but it just doesn't feel all that fleshed out. The Hero is a fine, yet flawed art house piece.

Rating:
6.1/10

Beatriz at Dinner

Beatriz at Dinner will now go on my letterboxd list of films which I found immensely entertaining, even though for the most part, it was mainly dialogue. Similar to Polanski's Carnage, this social satire on Trump's america is pretty interesting and intelligent. The performances, specifically by Salma Hayek, and the dialogue, were excellently crafted and deserves more recognition. However, when it comes to the overall direction of the film, that's when it loses track. Miguel Ateta deeply lacked in any understanding of character motivations and foreshadowing, which in the end, clashed into a blaze of fire. This is evident in the ending, in which it just feels more pretentious then memorable. As well, several audio cues and editing choices felt extremely unprofessional. Some moments even felt like a different director came into play and said "F-This, let's do this totally different and without purpose, like a student film!" Beatriz at Dinner was an entertaining effort though, and I do recommend it for a matinee price. See it, if you got time this summer.

Score:
6.5/10