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Reviews
Oppenheimer (2023)
Brilliant bio of a deeply flawed genius
The fastest moving 3 hour movie I've ever seen. It's not action-packed, it is deeply character based and in intellectual and it was the most exciting movie-going experience I've had in a long long time. Cillian Murphy proves that he is a movie star, Emily Blunt is S-tier and Robert Downey Jr is back to let you know that he doesn't just do superhero movies. He's a real actor and he nails every moment. Every A List actor from the last twenty years stops by for a scene or two and frankly they all kill it. This movie feels like an event. Not one false note in any of the acting and three hours goes by in a flash.
Masters of Horror: The Black Cat (2007)
Beautifully Disturbing
I'm a huge fan of the MOH series, and this episode did not let down at all. Things start off pretty slowly, as we find Edgar A. Poe and his wife Virginia living in Philadelphia, with Poe trying to eek out a living as a writer and his wife staying at home and looking hot. Combs is nearly unrecognizable under the Poe makeup, but that doesn't stop him from doing the very typical Jeffrey Combs overacting, as usual, and for a short time, one begins to wonder where the horror is. My advice to you is to be patient. Because of the slow start, by the time things start getting bloody, you are so invested in the characters that you kinda wish the story wasn't so horrific. There are beautiful, blood-soaked scenes and horrific, disturbing ones. There is a murder in this episode so disturbing that I almost had to turn away. That's as big a compliment as you'll get from me. 9 out of 10.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Stunning
Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry have created a starkly beautiful film. By this point, we all know the plot, so let's not even go into it. What I will say is this: Don't take a first date to this movie, because she is going to go running to her ex. This is a film about regret, about love, about never forgetting, about fate. It's a film that will stay in your mind. Make you smile. One of those sad smiles. Every character in this film is flawed, in the truest way. Catch this one on the big screen.
Collateral Damage (2002)
Horrendously Terrible Tripe...
Collateral Damage is a horrible film. You know that a film is on a
fast track to nowhere when it kills off its most interesting
characters as soon as they are introduced. In a world of modern
action films such as The Matrix and Charlie's Angels, this clunker
suffers from the same affliction that plagues its lead actor: Old
Age.
The Believer (2001)
Unbelievably Brilliant
The Believer is a dangerous, thoughtful and fascinating look inside the mind of a self-hating Jew. He is strong, intelligent and one of the most racist people you'll ever see. Many have made note that director Henry Bean never tells us why he hates his own people so much. Can we ever really know why a racist is the way he is? Trying to find a simple answer in a complex world is a lost cause. Danny Balint, the lead character, is as complicated as any real person, racist or otherwise. The film itself is imperfect, but the director is obviously going to go on to do great things. This movie was a ballsy first attempt at directing, and Bean's courageousness will hopefully grow with each successive film.
Femme Fatale (2002)
Another Gem From DePalma
Brian DePalma, say what you will, still maintains the power to shock. He's made stinkers like Mission To Mars and Snake Eyes, and you start to think he doesn't have the magic anymore. Then, he comes through with Femme Fatale, an almost silent homage to the "bad girl" film noir films of the 40's and 50's. He even reinvents the "twist" ending we've all gotten so sick of these past few years.
His twist ending actually makes the movie better.
Sexy Beast (2000)
Ghandi?
Sexy Beast is the kind of film you so rarely see come out of Hollywood. It obviously wouldn't exist without the influence of Tarantino, but it earns, instead of copies, its place on that shelf. This film doesn't copy Tarantino, but learns from him and improves upon him. This is the film that Snatch wants to be. This has the kind of emotional connection Guy Ritchie wishes he could make with his audience. It doesn't treat death as a joke or gag, it treats its characters with intelligence and depth, and its damn funny to boot. Ben Kingsley is terrifying, Ray Winston proves he isn't just a one trick pony, and all the other actors provide their characters with charm and realism. This movie is a winner from top to bottom.