I really hope there's a 4-hour director's cut out there somewhere, because there's not enough time to cover Napoleon properly. The film comes across like a PowerPoint version of his life.
The film seems to be missing context, character growth, tension, and charisma. It seemingly jumps from one event to the next, without discussing Napoleon's origins, motives, or strategy.
For someone so beloved by the French, they don't really show much here. They fail to show WHY he was so beloved, even after being exiled the first time. They also fail to show his political accomplishments. I don't know they have Joaquin Phoenix play him so flat and one-dimensional. It was interesting to have more of the Napoleon & Josephine relationship, but then their sex scenes are goofy. This film could've been so much better.
I knew I was in for a questionable movie the moment John David Washington shouted "Stop, you'll blow my cover!" in a small ass house, with his wife still not out of the house.
The film was visually stunning from start to finish, but the script, dialogue, JWD's acting were all flawed.
I was kind of hoping that the bird was going to snitch.
I think there could've been something really great here. Both Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper bring it. They act the hell out of every scene. The film looks fantastic. Bradley Cooper owns the orchestra scene in the cathedral. Nevertheless, the story falls a little flat. I understand that the film is more about their relationship, than Leonard Bernstein himself, but it left me feeling a little letdown. In a way, I leave knowing nothing about the people themselves, and only their relationship.
“I didn’t know that liking him would hurt this badly” is a line that will stick with me. I loved how real and authentic this film felt. You can easily relate to all three of the main characters, and understand where they're coming from. The ending was really good too.
"Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but the son of a bitch knows story structure"
I thought everyone really did a great job in their roles, but Jonathan knocked it out of the park as Damian. Gave off incredibly uncomfortable “me against the world” vibes throughout. Every shot of Dame, Jonathan Majors captured a person that quite literally has lost years of his life and bright future. It's a shame, if it's true, about the real-life allegations against him, because he was really damn talented.
Fight scenes are shot incredibly well. They mix the brutality and the ballet that combine to make boxing the sport it is. Overall, really impressive directing debut by Michael B. Jordan.
Florence Pugh was out here carrying this movie! She is extremely raw but still very likeable. I think the main issue is that the script feels a little paint by numbers. It's an extremely sad story about addiction and blame and moving on, but it's not especially clever or subtle and the angles it has on these themes isn't the most unique.
For the depths of pain this movie wants to explore, IMO it doesn't go as deep as it could have.
This movie has no right being this good! On paper it should be your typical blockbuster film, but it's very well written with hilarious moments. Chris Pine and Hugh Grant do an amazing job here. The team behind Game Night have a pretty good follow up.
"I need to know that I've done one thing right in my life!" Wow, what a performance by Brendan Fraser! Everyone in the cast performed really great as well.
My man Otto was a certified hater. Mariana Trevino makes this film work.
Absolutely lovely film. Deals with big subjects, like aging and death, but does so in a sweet and almost comforting way.
I had high hopes because of the solid cast, but this plays like a Walmart version of David Fincher's Zodiac.
The first half of the movie was pretty good, but then it had way too many twists, to the point, where everything became predictable. By the end, you can see what's coming, no matter how ridiculous it was.
That was a great coming-of-age film. I think what makes it stand out was the sincerity with which every character is written. There's a lot of heart in this. All of the characters felt real. I have to say that it had one of the more authentic portrayals of someone with autism.
The film itself wasn't particularly amazing, it was pretty solid though. It was powerful and moving in places. The pacing is a bit off in some areas though. With that said, it was a film and story that needed to be told. It primarily focuses on the black community and Mamie Till looking for justice, instead of focusing on the suffering of Emmett Till.
Danielle Deadwyler is once again showing that she is a good actress. The courtroom scene alone will move you.
Empire of Light, more like Empire of ight...First off, Roger Deakins worked his magic yet again, and made the film look beautiful. Love the fireworks scene on the rooftop. Olivia Colman kills it, of course.
The screenplay ends up being a mess, with too many storylines packed in. The trailer had me believing that this film was destined for the award shows. oh well.
The movie was just okay. The premise has been done before, so it doesn't offer up nothing new. It feels like a cross between Young Adult and My Best Friend's Wedding (which they reference). As far as Alison Brie, her character wasn't that likeable.
I get what they were doing with having the two main characters apart for 90% of the film, but I think it's the wrong move for a rom-com. Also, what was up with Steve Zahn's character; they wrote him to be so weird, and possibly brain-damaged.
It's extremely funny to me that the bullies were a high school marching band. You have Corey, a grown-ass man, getting pushed around by some teenagers. It was a weird decision to have the "last" Michael Myers movie barely have Michael Myers. Hell, Corey's mom was the scariest person in this film.
It was just okay, although it could've easily been better. If they gave us a backstory of the guys he was bringing beer too, then it would've really felt connected.
I've never watched a comedy where so many jokes just fell flat. The same conversations are repeated throughout the whole movie, without much changing.
The whole thing felt like a sitcom, maybe that's the Kenya Barris' touch. Those transitions were awful and distracting. A whole bunch of talent is wasted here.
Predictability doesn’t even matter when a film is so well acted and directed. The sentimentality was laid on thick but I didn’t mind. What a sweet and wholesome movie that will make your heart happy. Also, Troy Kotsur and Eugenio Derbez were standouts for me.
Such a beautiful film! The cinematography is simply amazing!
I liked how the ending was primarily from Mia's perspective. Had it worked out, Sebastian could not have lived his dream. He would have had a great life, playing in a jazz band in Paris and having kids with her, but it wasn't his ultimate dream.
And that's what this film does so well - it's about two people who fall in love and help each other reach their dreams...They just don't end up together.
The movie was visually great, but that storyline and dialogue were weak. They really doubled up on the "I don't want your life, dad" story arc. Also, how come what happened to the pilot was never talked about??
If you want a serious police procedural thriller that also features a policeman repeatedly and gratuitously performing flying kicks on suspects, this is a film for you.
I loved it but wish we got more of Michael Imperioli and F. Murray Abraham. They felt really sidelined in the later half. I think I may have liked it more than Season 1...
Really well done and interesting, and a great look back at that era just before the Civil War. Ethan Hawke was a force as John Brown.
Hilarious and haunting. There's a real beguiling quality to this film - it's a character study and yet it manages to touch on so many grand and complex themes while being so singularly focused. Power, obsession, identity politics, image/persona, the transcendent qualities of art, passion, the list could go on.
The classroom scene in the first act really seems to put a context around the rest of the film. Can the merits of a piece of art be separated from the creator? Are they inextricable? Is it an act of ego to dismiss something because we take offence? Do we deny ourselves of something valuable when we moralize art and the artist? Lydia Tar certainly seems to think so. She admonishes her student for letting his ego get in the way of perfecting his craft. She asks him something along the lines of "On what basis would you like those filling out your rating cards judge you?" The implied answer being, simply on my skill.
The "Apartment For Sale" song better be nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars!
I loved these murder mysteries by Rian Johnson! They are such a fresh take on the genre.
I liked how the other guests were at first cheering on the breaking of the glass sculptures but then horrified at her escalating the destruction, basically reflecting the earlier message about how the ‘Disruptors’ enjoy the idea of rebelling against the system but are actually against it being broken completely.
Also, sweatshops…where sweatpants are made!
