God's Own Country Review

God's Own Country is an interesting film too say the least. Not only is it one of the most refreshing interpretations of a gay relationship, it's also a film with a lot of heart (with an exception of it's first act.) God's Own Country is a film with patience. Each scene flows at a steady pace, transitioning to the next, delivering a moment needed to develop the characters. When it comes to the first act of the film however, I personally the chemistry between Gheorghe and Johnny was mishandled. Not only did each moment in the first act feel forced and superficial, the sexual tension between Gheorghe and Johnny was a much stranger case. At one point Gheorghe exclaims "I Will Fuck With You", as if he knew that Johnny was hitting on him. Gheorghe than replies to his statement afterwords with a firm "I Know What Your Doing." I guess Romania must be one kinky place if Gheorghe is that good at detecting if someone is hitting on him. With said example, we already know that this relationship presented is a fictionalized "cheap" interpretation. With it's rough and overly sexualised under tones, there isn't much room for any romantic interpretation. It's all intercourse, but no heart. However, thankfully, after the morbid first act, things changed for the better. Johnny's relationship with Gheorghe felt real and heart felt. I just felt that the first act both ruined the overall character arks of Johnny and Gheorghe. The first act is meant to establish there relationship, and to see the evolvement of there characters. However, starting off the film with a ghastly heartless feeling between our two protagonists sort of ruined the experience of the final two acts. God's Own Country is a good directorial debut. While it is beautiful and well directed, with some great musical accompaniment here and there, the first act is what brought down the film for me. God's Own Country is definitley worth a shot. Just keep in mind that the first act may or may not ruin the experience of watching the film.

Score:
7/10

My Friend Dahmer (2017) Review

As a High School Junior myself, at this moment in time, there we're several moments in My Friend Dahmer in which they nearly nailed the psychological depth of a anxiety filled teenager. At my school, there is a high ratio of depressed and mentally ill people around. Of course not in the same way as Jeffrey Dahmer, but real enough that I can definitely say that Ross Lynch's performance is one of the most unsettling and well preformed acting roles I have seen all year. However, what My Friend Dahmer does do wrong, is how teens usually speak. There's a certain pattern and coordination that teens speak at. It flows like a dance, in which different lingo's and terminology sink together into a conjoined mess. My Friend Dahmer misses the mark in that regard, with its more stylized pieces of dialogue. Even though, as stated at the start of the film, that the film takes place in the 1970's, the offtrack way each character's line is written makes the experience of witnessing the horrifying experiences less terrifying. This is honestly a shame. There could have been much more too this film if they tweaked that regard. Which is pretty much what My Friend Dahmer is. It's a film with great interesting ideas, with great directing and acting, but misses the mark in a few places when it comes to the common writing and staging of a film. With it's slow pace and sometimes unrealistic dialogue, it's safe to say that those kind of attributes don't belong in a film about the high school experiences of a guy who would later rape, kill, dismember, and eat sixteen different young men. My Friend Dahmer is a film with great ideas, but it's execution is lacking. I appreciate it for what it is, but overall, it's just a decent psychological horror character study.

Score:
6.8/10

Blade of the Immortal Review

Takashi Miike's Blade of the Immortal is Japan's answer too Mad Max Fury Road, only if it was lighter on substance and narrative story telling techniques, and if it was placed during the Edo era. While it isn't as profound or has much too say about revenge, violence, and fear (like what Fury Road did), it's still a fun, gory samurai film with a crap load of entertaining action scenes. Guts, Gore, Limbs, Choreographed like a Dance! What else do you want from a fun midnight movie!? However, unlike most self aware action cult films from recent times, such as Turbo Kid and Wolfcop, Blade of the Immortal is a pretty serious film. And while there is moments of camp and tongue in cheek here and there, it still keeps it's morals and messages at a high regard. The problem is, the messages isn't deep enough to keep a 2 Hour and 20 Minute feature film afloat. Overall, Blade of the Immortal is technically well done with some jaw dropping action scenes and excellent sound design, it's just that  it lacks from an overall good narrative and message within it's guts and gore. It sure is fun and memorable, it's just that it's a journey maybe worth taking when it comes on demand or on DVD.

Score:
7/10

Why Thelma is the Best Superhero Orgin Film of 2017...

2017 has been a year of surprises and disappointments. Several films and projects have either divided us (Mother!, Song to Song) or unified us (Lady Bird, Three Billboards). However, one thing for sure, is that 2017 was a great year for superhero origin stories. Wonder Women was a fun, while at times light on substance. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was a fun riot for both adults and kids alike. And now Thelma, Joachim Trier's newest Norwegian film. Now you maybe wondering... Thelma, a simple and quaint supernatural story of a girl with weird epileptic seizures? That doesn't sound like a super hero film at all! However, as it may come to a shock, Thelma is indeed an origin story, and a great one at that!

Thelma's opening scene is a great indicator of several scenes that will occur later on in the film, which both foreshadow and contemplate on several Super Hero Film tropes. It's slow moving pace makes each subtle moment feel immense. Each act, taken place by young Thelma on the beach rises tensions between the father and Thelma. This is also a great foreshadowing moment on who is the true antagonist of this superhero film. Thelma's ability is revealed as well, but so ambiguous to the point you may not know what they are. The opening scene in Thelma is both one of the greatest opening scenes ever, but also the greatest super hero film introductions to ever be concieved.

Too add on, Thelma also has a romantic interest, a Mary Jane sort of trope, only if she was a lesbian. Each scene in which Thelma reacts to Anja make each moment feel like it has some sort of erotic sexual tension. This both gives a motivation to the protagonist of the film, Thelma, and the B-Plot love interest (which sparks the main conflict, as in most super hero films.)

Thelma is an interesting case study on Genre swapping. It's pretty much a darker Scandinavian origin story of one of the vast collection of X-Men characters. If you're into slow burn and alternative origin stories such as Split, Blade Runner 2049, and 10 Cloverfield Lane, then definitely give Thelma a shot.

The Departure (2017) Review

The Departure is not only one of the best documentaries of the year, it's also one of the most prolific pieces of emotional drama that has came out in 2017. The Departure is like a Hirokazu Kore-eda film. It's emotional and disturbing depth is hidden in sight to deliver a powerful look at one's life. It's an incredible and simple ride that will take you on a journey like no other. Suicide is usually a difficult subject to present on film, especially when it’s exploitative and used as shock value in modern media, such as garbage pieces of “art” like 13 Reasons Why. In The Departure, suicide is presented with grief and time, to convey a metaphoric and symbolic setting. There is only two complaints I have with the film. The first is that I felt like it was a bit too long. Around 10 minutes could have been cut out, and the message would have been still there. The second, is that at times, the film maybe should have been presented as a short film. The concept and execution of the film would have worked better as a short film in both tone and quality. The Departure is not only an emotional experience, it's a profound film. It may have its problems, but it's one of the best documentaries of the year.

Score:
7.8/10

78/52 Review

78/52 is not only one of the best documentaries of the year, it's also one of the most informative pieces of art that has come out of 2017. 78/52 is a prime example on how to do an analysis. Films like Hitchcock/Trauffaut and Room 237 have tried something similar in execution, but failed in both its artistic merit and informative content. For me, the two requirements too make a great documentary is if the content is both accessible and well informed, and if the film has a style and/or a visual flare. Dawson City: Frozen Timr was a decent documentary with stellar information. It's just that the visual style was all too similar to an IMAX doc. 78/52 on the other hand uses its contemporary black and white filter and string orchestration to create a hitchockian astmophere. This tense and realistic feeling that is played through out the film makes it feel both innovative in content, and visually vibrant in execution. Even though the film did have some iffy interviews from a selected amount of people, in which it could be easily called Bullshit, that doesn't stop it from being great. It may have been a tad bit too long, but overall, it's an emotional ride that shouldn't be missed!

Score: 7.8/10

Lucky (2017) Review

Harry Dean Stanton's poetic send off "Lucky" is one of the most tranquil and meditative films of the year. Similar to Jim Jarmusch's Paterson in concept, yet more A Man Called Ove in execution, Lucky is a delightful little film with a whole lot to offer. Each frame of the film is perfectly crafted to give a touch of surrealist imagery and humor, and as well to set up and foreshadow several elements which will occur later on in the film. Same goes towards the production design, in which each element makes the film feel more tranquil and relaxed with every detail. Not to mention that the performances were fantastic. Harry Dean Stanton deserves a Posthumously Academy Award for this film. Each line and action from Harry, felt detailed and perfected to a tee. As Well, David Lynch had a hilarious short role in the film, in which he portrays an introverted turtle/tortoise fanatic. To quote Lynch's character in the film:

There are some things in this universe, ladies and gentlemen, that are bigger than all of us, And a tortoise is one of them!”

However, the film is flawed in some specific regards. First of all, there were several scenes which lacked a purpose and or meaning. These scenes which I'm referring too, usually happen in the Diner location in the film. Second, the pacing was a bit too degrading for the subject matter. Each scene in the film overstayed it's welcome, due to this problem. And Third, the sound mixing was a let down. I personally wished there was as much attention to detail in the auditory atmosphere, as there was in the visuals.

In Conclusion, Lucky is a terrific send off to a great actor. It's charming, sweet, and overall a good time. After watching the film, it made me appreciate the elders around my community a bit more, and gave me a larger sense of unity. There's a lot of great messages and themes throughout this film which I commend to every viewer. Just be warned that the pacing, is a bit too slow for the average viewer.

Rating: 7.4/10

The Villainess Review

The Villaness is one hell of a ride. It pretty much has everything you want from a summer blockbuster:
-Red Hearings
-Action
-A Bad Ass Protaganist
-Sexual Tension
-Nicholas Winding Refn Lighting
-A Decent Yet Memorable Plot
-Good Acting
and a bit of Comedy.

However, it's far from great, and does have some flaws. First and for most, the ending pretty much ruined the film. The amazing build up was stellar in the first two acts, but when it got to the final act, it just felt lazy and just plain stupid. If you have seen the Villaness, you probably already know about the narrative continuity mistakes. Not only that, it ends on the cliche last shot evil grin thing (In which A Cure for Wellness did earlier this year.) As for technicalities, the cinematography, in almost all of the action scenes, felt extremely shaky. Basically it was on Paul Greengrass mode times 10 with a bit of First Person-Hardcore Henry like cinemetography. This got so annoying to the point I couldn't even understand what was going on screen. To finish off the negative, the musical score was nothing new. Just a plain, boring, action score.

The Villaness was a lot of fun, despite it's flaws. I would recommend seeing it in a cinema, just as long as you don't take the ending so seriously. Bring your friends, maybe some alcohol, and you'll have a pretty damn great time.

Score:
6.5/10

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

Ingrid Goes West Review

Ingrid Goes West is by far the most complex yet hilarious film I've seen all year. Matt Spicer has created a perfect blend of satire and Hitchcockian thriller, to create an entertaining yet thought provoking film. Each performance is on point, including but not limited too Aubrey Plaza. This is easily Plaza's best role yet, in which she plays a disturbed stalker, who befriends an Instagram Influencer. Not to mention the supporting cast of Elizabeth Olsen, Billy Magnussen, and O'Shea Jackson Jr, in which they portray exaggerated, yet realistic portrayal of several different millennials. As well, the cinematography helped the performances by blending a neon-esque color pallet, to set up the tone. My only complaint with Ingrid Goes West is the redundancy of the score. At times, the musical score felt like it was on loop, and dragged the pacing of the film. Overall, Ingrid Goes West is a smartly written, well edited, star studded film with plenty of discussion worthy material after you view the film. Don't miss it!

Score:
8.4/10

The 18th Animation Show of Shows

Just before I start, every year, I go to the biggest animation festival in North America, which is known as the OIAF. I see over 100 animated short films, which either sensationalize my inner film pallet, or is revolting, in all the sense of the word. Most of the time (like 95% of the time), I see brand new and fresh animated short films. With that said, The 18th Animation Show of Shows does NOT present the very best of animation. The 18th Animation Show of Shows is nothing more then a decent selection of some of the most commercially successful animated films from the last two years. Most of the short films range from meh to alright (with some exceptions of course.) Because it is difficult to judge a compilation, I'll be ranking each short films from least to greatest with my own personal opinion attached to said ranking:

 

16. Shift: a terribly executed mess of a student film, overall thematic tone and characterization is all over the place 4.2/10

15. All Their Shades: Similar to Shift, the overall thematic message comes at the last couple seconds, making it feel more propaganda piece then thought provoking art 4.5/10

14. Corpus: Well animated, yet could of used more substance to tell a much more concise plot 5.2/10

13.  Crin-Crin: A charming, yet terribly directed film, in which the film makers can't decide to go fully animated or a live action music video 5.5/10

12. Blue: Well animated, but it didn't really connect with me on a personal and emotional level 6/10

11. Waiting for the New Year: A tranquil yet forgettable piece of art 6/10

10.  Afternoon Class: Well made and crafted, yet missed the mark in being anything more then good 6.3/10

9. Pearl: Works better as a virtual reality experience then a short film, yet still has some artistic merits in the final cut of the short film 6.4/10

8. Mirror: A beautiful piece of commissioned animation, which feels neither exploitative nor abhorrently commercial 6.7/10

7: Stems: A magnificent tribute to stop motion animation 6.8/10

6.  Last Summer in the Garden: A short film structured like a poem, smooth and well crafted with each stanza  7.5/10

5. Manoman: The definition of a messed-up fever dream, filled with social political commentary on mental illness 7.5/10

4. About a Mother: A simple yet highly re-watchable tribute to old folk tales and art designs 7.8/10

3. Inner Workings: A charming short film with hilarious hi-jinks and a great core message 8.4/10

2. TIED
Piper: Similar to Inner Workings, Piper delivers in almost every regard 8.8/10
Exploozy: A great work of satire, with delightful jokes and animation 8.8/10

1. The Boyg: One of the most beautiful pieces of experimental art that has ever been crafted. The overall concept and origin behind this short film is astonishing and a sight to behold 9/10

In general, I recommend seeing short films 6-1. Everything else is either good or meh. If your going to see this, I do recommend seeing it on the big screen. Each animator, no matter the project, worked hard on their respective pieces. I'm just not too big of a fan with this short film collection

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography Review

The B-Side, in no way shape or form, is Errol Morris's best work. In fact, it may be one of his weakest, which isn't saying much mainly because his wide filmography of documentary and film has been mainly great, or at the least satisfactory. From The Thin Blue Line to A Brief History of Time, his work is quite expansive in variety. This variety can be seen in The B-Side. The B-Side is pretty much a standard one hour and sixteen minute discussion with one of america's most famed photographers. It's interesting, and at times thought provoking to see Elsa's craftsmanship at play. The problem with the B-Side, is that there's nothing all the inventive about it. For example, in The Thin Blue Line, Errol created several different brand new inventive concepts to present his subject. In this, it just feels visually and tonally redundant. However, it's technicalities are well done. The cinematography is nicely polished, and the original score is one of the best I've heard all year. The B-Side is just a standard, yet delightful documentary.

Rating: 6.8/10

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

Despicable Me 3 Review

Well what do you know, we have another trash film coming our way. This piece of corporate production serves nothing more or less then to merchandise the living shit out of it's franchise. There's nothing new or inventive in Despicable Me 3. Just cringe worthy dialogue, painful jokes, and a plot which doesn't make coercive sense. It's a film in which it should be trashed and looked down upon on how not to make a kids film. At least with Captain Underpants, the overall arching themes stayed with it's fresh brand of inventive humor. Here, it's just the worst bits of the Despicable Me franchise, stretched to an unnecessary 90 Minutes. Don't even bother with this one, unless your heavily intoxicated like the couple who sat beside me during the film.

Rating:
4/10

Frantz Review

Frantz is most likely the most over rated film of the year so far. It's a convoluted mess, in which it takes it's most redeeming attributes, and throws them into a bon fire when it ends. The Black and White to Color transfer was unnecessary and didn't serve much of a purpose to the film. The romantic intrigue of the film deeply lacked. The film wasn't mysterious nor clever then it thought it was. Not to mention, the elongated plot, in which more then an hour could have been cut. In fact, only the first part up to when the big secret was revealed could of been cut, and may have served better as an average short film. Instead, we got a painfully crappy film. I highly urge people to not see it.

Rating:

4.8/10

From the Land of the Moon Review

From the Land of the Moon was quite a surprise. Because of the negative reception from Cannes, one year ago, I was worried for this French production. Marion Cotillard is one of my favorite actors, and it would be a shame for her talent to go to waste. Thankfully, From the Land of the Moon is on the border of decent to good. It's a solid somber effort at a fictional period romance, and works for the most part. Although both the plot and characters are quite cliché filled, there's enough effort and style for the film to stand on it's own. There's nothing harmful nor new being presented here. It's just a simple quaint drama, with some expert cinematography and musical score, which will may or may not stay with you.

Rating:
6.6/10

The Big Sick Review

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to Romance films. Usually, at least the ones that don't take any sort of artistic risks, feel generic and forced when it comes to the romantic leads chemistry. However, there are some exceptions. For example, the 2011 film Ruby Sparks uses genre cliches and turns them over  to create a unique look at gender roles in a relationship. Same can go towards Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, but with it's main focus on romantic relationship's of today's youth. With that said, I happy to announce that The Big Sick is one of those great romance features. Specifically, this is due to the terrific script, in which the audience and my self were both emotionally invested and laughing all the way. This, by far, is the most humorous film of 2017. Admittedly, the film does get a bit sappy near the end, and there isn't anything all the visually nor technically interesting in the direction of the film. But, with it's great script, The Big Sick is truly a film for the ages.

Rating:
8/10

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Review

Similar to my thoughts on another recent film, Kong Skull Island, I thought Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is one of the most self aware children's films of all time. The way how writers Nicholas Stoller and David Soren manipulates the original childish source material into a mixture of both juvenile fun and hilarious hi jinks, makes it one of the most refreshing films made by Dreamworks since How to Train Your Dragon. Several jokes and plot beats happen during the run time, but what separates those moments to several other pieces of generic crap, is how "self-aware" the plot is. It makes jokes and references to the original source material, films, censorship, and more, while still retaining a charming price. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is truly something surprising. I thought this was going to be something annoying and abysmal at the most. Instead, I got a hilarious route of fun, in which I smiled the whole way through. 

Rating:
7.3/10

Baby Driver Review

Baby Driver is most likely the most original and fun film available in theaters at this moment in time. The shear amount of energy in which Edgar Wright has been producing this film for over 20 years, is quite impressive to say the least. Edgar and the cast and crew surely has a grasp on the overall arks of technical and narrative film making. The way how the plot moves and how it's told is beautiful. Nothing feels generic. Most complaints about the film, come from the third act. But to be honest, even decisions and narrative risks which took place in said ending, is understandable and works. My only complaint with the film, is how it's paced. Sometimes, it feels a bit wonky or too slow compared to previous scenes. Other then that, this is an energetic rush of an experience. It's a masterpiece to behold, and I recommend it too anyone who wants to see a great film. 

Rating:
9.3/10

Solaris (1972) Review

Solaris, out of all the work I've seen from Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, is the most accessible and re-watchable out of his work. The paranoiac sensibilities of the drama in this tale is easy to comprehend. Unlike Stalker, Solaris has a very linear plot line. It deals with several thematic materials of death, memories, and even relationships. Some problems that I had with the films, is that the first half of the film, lacked in pacing and overall presentation, while the the second half  is what you expect from Tarkovsky. Brilliant directing with a touch of ambiguity. If the whole film, was like the second part, we would most likely have one of the greatest films of all time. In fact, if there were more moments between the leads Hari and Kris, I believe we would have had one of the best character dynamics in any source of media, of all time. Solaris is a good film. It's not as great as Stalker, but when you put it in contrast to several other science fiction films of the 70's, there's not much of a competition (except for Close Encounters) Overall, I highly recommend this film, for first time viewers of Tarkovsky's work. 

Score:
7.6/10

Quick Thoughts on A24's The Lovers

A24 is one of those companies in which you can trust there own end products. If there's any film distributed by them, I'll try to see it as soon as possible, just because of there unique and artistic decisions. So, when I heard A24 was making there first ever romantic comedy, I was pretty excited. The trailers looked great. The cast was stellar. But the end product was deeply lacking. The Lovers is a quick mindless piece of romantic slop. The characters weren't memorable, the directing choices weren't concise. Sure, there was some neat music choices here and there, but overall, I was unimpressed. Nothing stayed with me. The reason why films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Ruby Sparks worked was because they had great romantic chemistry. With the romantic chemistry in The Lovers, nothing stuck. It just felt lazy. This was a below average attempt from a great distributor. Just go back at what your great at A24. 

Score:
5.8/10

Stalker (1979) Review

Stalker is quite a mind blower when it comes to the science fiction genre. The way how Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky takes thematic material of depression and longing, helps make an incredibly dense and thought provoking plot. The shear amount of character logic, and storytelling put into this near 3 hour masterpiece is a stunner too any cinephile. Not only that, the amount of tension and atmosphere in the film took my breath away to the point where my own environment felt damp, like the film. My only problem's with this piece of cinematic art, is how some of the dialogue felt a bit exposition, and how some scenes and transitions weren't so clear. At times, it just felt like the characters were spitting out what they thought, and the transitions felt off and unclear to the point where it was hard to understand what happened in the time frame between two specific points. This can include the sepia to color transfer, which was strangely used at the end of the film (but it could be implying a metaphor, in which I still haven't realized), and as well, the conversation by the lake near the second act. Overall, this is a thought provoking master piece in which it deserves more credit. It's truly a work of art.


Score:
8.1/10

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

Cars 3 Review

The Cars Franchise will always be the most nostalgic thing about Pixar, right next to the Toy Story franchise. The tales of Lighting McQueen and Tow Mater have always resonated with me. Personally, on its own merits, Cars 2 is a pretty decent film. It may seem like an idiotic concept at first, and some character logic may seem off, but it's still a fun action packed thrill ride which still excites me to this day. Cars 3 on the other hand, is similar to the first film in it's tone. And although this may be my least favorite out of the trilogy, there's a lot of great material in the film which should be reconsidered. The ending was nicely put together and had emotional weight, the animation was gorgeous and as well as the soundtrack, and the over all atmosphere resonated. It's just that some characters needed more development. To this day, I still believe the character of Cruz Ramirez is 10 times more annoying then Mater. Mater, at the least, had some thought out character development, while Cruz just seemed like a one trick pony. An annoying one trick pony. Sure her so called cliche "back story" was relevant, but that still didn't stop me from disliking the character. Jackson Storm, was also a weak villain. Literally zero motivations except for "Fuck you McQueen, I'm going to beat your ass because I have better technology then you, so Ha!" To be honest, the character of Sterling could have made a decent villain. But even then, there wasn't enough motivation to fully flesh out his character. Therefore, Cars 3 is the weakest out of the trilogy, mainly because of it's weak character development. At least it was a decent effort.

Score:
6.3/10






*Also Smokey was the best character, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees

My Winnipeg Review

When it comes to surrealist film making, it's difficult to determine if something is pretentious or not. A film like 2015's Heart of a Dog, made people, like myself, think about the implications of human interactions with animals, while others, deemed it as pretentious trash. My Winnipeg, is a strange case. It's a semi-autobiographical dramedy documentary, with a distinct and odd style. But the thing is, what Guy Maddin does with his own medium, is that is re-invents the way self therapy can be used. My Winnipeg, is especially an extremely non-linear look at the psyche of a Canadian who lives in Winnipeg.

My entire life. I must leave it. I must leave it. I must leave it now.


It may seem like a tedious way for someone to view another person's point. Although some thematic material does feel redundant in a way, Maddin expertly manages to take a diary of his dull surroundings, and turns them into a whimsy and intriguing feature. We never really know, what is real or fake (such as the horses frozen in the lake.) But, that's the point. Maddin, wanted to create a film, which could tell the test of time. Spoiler Alert. It succeeded. 

Score: 
7.8/10

My American Cousin Review

My American Cousin is one of those "classics" in which adults from the time of the films release, called it a masterpiece. But when it comes to the several teenage tropes that are evident in today's work culture, My American Cousin is just as guilty as the other teen dramedies. My American Cousin does nothing new with it's medium, and doesn't try anything to be special. Some nice shots and music choices here and there, but nothing resonated with me. Not even the end product was satisfying. It's just a lackluster attempt, for adults of that era, to deem an undeserving teen film which they "resonated" with. A Canadian Misfire.

Score:
4/10

A Dog's Purpose Review

A Dog's Purpose is quite an under rated film. This may be strange for me to say, due to the fact that I side to the critics side more often. But the way this family friendly film directed by Lasse Hallström (who directed Hachi A Dog Tale {Which broke my Heart as a little baby boy}), is a simple yet refreshing look at the afterlife without going overblown existential. It's cute and charming, and has it's emotional moments. And even if some scenes may seem cliche, the heart warming atmosphere helps retain it's re-watchability standard. Overall, an above average kids film with some hic-ups here and there. 

Rating: 6.5/10

It Comes At Night Review

Dear A24,
Keep on making films like these, get a better marketing team, and don't ever make films like The Blackcoat's Daughter and Barely Lethal Ever AGAIN. If you do this, you'll be my favorite!
From,
  David Cuevas

As hard as it may sound to say this, I believe It Comes At Night is not really much of a horror, but a drama with some gruesome moments. The way how writer and director Trey Edward Shults manipulates the sparse six character's in a confined location, is an interesting statement to say the least. It Comes at Night isn't a film which uses monsters and gore to it's advantage. It uses survival and human negotiations to start it's main conflict. The main thematic theme, in my opinion, is how we as humans act, when there's a state of crisis (specifically, an infection) turns the character's against each other. It's something odd and new which we haven't seen before. As Well, the dialogue and performances feel natural, to the point the film feels off putting in it's own way. Cinematography and short composition (which  foreshadows events in the plot) also helps with this off putting feeling. Although the music may be a little too sparse, and the jump scares were a little uneven and not really necessary, It Comes at Night is a great film. Check this one out, as long as you have the mindset that your watching a survival drama and not a full blown horror.

Rating: 8.2/10

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Review

Guy Ritche can be a hit or miss. He may make something fun, like Snatch and The Man From Uncle. And then there's his other films, like King Arthur. King Arthur is a tonally confused film in which it doesn't know what it wants to be. The plot  is idiotic and nonsensical to the point which I questioned to my self "is the thing that I'm watching right now, really substantial to my own time and value" There's some humor into the mix, and some decent performances, but the dialogue and plot needs to go to the emergency room asap. It's messy, the villains are untidy and it just doesn't work. My suggestion? Cut out all the magic stuff (except for the sword.) Why? Because the scenes where it didn't have magic, felt the most subdued and fun, and as well, the character of the mage, may not feel like a Mary Sue all the time, Overall, some fun moments, but a mess in it's end result.

Rating: 4.4/10

Graduation (2016) Review

Graduation is an interesting film with some intruding subject matter to subdue upon. Romanian director, Cristian Mungiu has created a film, which could be described best as an intellectual piece of art, which is yet, quite unsatisfying. It's a shame to see several lost chances, to elevate the plot itself. Instead, Mungiu decided's to take a more tonally self serious route, which may or may not be for better or for worse. Another thing about Mungiu's directing, is how long a scene is extended for. Some scenes do matter throughout this Romanian 2 Hour and 7 Minute production, but some don't. Some scenes go on for at least 10 minutes, and most of them don't really have much of a purpose. The acting was good, the dialogue was great, and the cinematography was decent. I just felt like there was some sort of missed opportunity in this film.

Rating:
6.2/10

Update

So,
as you may know, I've been gone from this site for a while. But, I've decided to renew this blog, mainly because making a full length video film review  takes much much longer. So yeah... I'm starting to write again... :)

P.S: All previous reviews on this site, are now gone forever

A Quick Discussion with Buster's Mal Heart Director (Sarah Adina Smith)

Recently, I had the chance to interview the director of the new Indie film Buster's Mal Heart (You can see my review right here) Personally, it was an honor to talk to Sarah. The thing which interested me the most about what she said, was about the Psychology in the film.

Sarah:

Buster’s Mal Heart is the story of one man’s heart at war with himself. I just wanted to tell the story from an emotional truth rather what you can say is a pragmatic or analytical point of view.  I wanted to tell the story of how one man could split into two, how one man can essentially have a heart so strong it tears a hole in the fabric of space time. It’s about this man wrestling with these really deep existential questions about his place in the universe and about if freedom is possible, and that those kind of questions swirling around in his own heart, is what manifested or may appear symptoms of mental illness.

What Sarah has stated does give some insight towards the film. Not only that, the way she explains and processes her characters is a breath of fresh air. I implore you all to go see Buster's Mall Heart.