Reviews

This films greatness can be summed up in two words. Ryan. Gosling. His surprising powerhouse comedic performance carried this engaging and underrated comedy crime from start to finish. Movies like this deserve sequels mann.. hollywood, do better. Him and Crowe's quirky chemistry was a spectacle to watch. Although this movie not taking itself too serious is among its most redeeemimg qualities "The Nice Guys" still managed to keep me fully engaged the entire run time. This is a super under talked about gem that deserves much more love and adulation then it recieved alongside its much needed sequel. No idea how a movie this entertaining flops.

This was a pleasant surprise. Extremely effective and unique horror movie. Didn't insult my horror intelligence for a second. Is she going mad? Is this doll haunted? High quality tension throughout. Better then Annabelle and chucky. Should be rated higher.

There was a very good movie in here somewhere, but "Nope" missed the mark. The mystery and suspense behind the alien entity worked very well in the beginning but as the film progressed I was expecting some reveal or insight into the depth of the alien's intention or reason for the constant visits. Keeping the monster hidden and in the shadows is a masterful horror technique when executed well but the payoff can't be this underwhelming. I love Jordan Peele and the nuance in his craft but I'm not buying his pretentious fanboys raving about the symbolism and hidden meaning in this one. Where? For a Peele creation, "Nope" lacks complexity and was devoid of any deep or ambiguous meaning. "Exploiting and monetizing on something that should be left alone by humanity" isn't substantial enough for me sorry. The cloud spotting scenes were easily the most captivating part of this movie. I definitely see my self peeping up at the sky the next few days. But at the end of the day, I miss the old Jordan Peele:(

Donnie Brasco, maybe the most under appreciated gangster film ever made. Pacino and Depp were an absolute powerhouse duo in this riveting soul filled 2 hours of clever cinematic mobster brilliance. Pacino was obviously great in The Godfather triology but my taste gravitates to this and Carlito's Way as my favorite gangster performances from the all time legend. Don't let this one fly over your head. One of my all time favorites, fuhhget about it.

Leon: The Professional shows how the simplest of stories can be crafted into the most perfect movies. I can't say many films are executed to perfection; this one was. An action masterpiece with romance and soul. The performances were stellar. Natalie Portman displayed one of the finest child performances in the history of cinema and Jean Reno as the aloof and disconnected protagonist hitman just felt perfect. Gary Oldman's "Stansfield" is also one of my all time favorite movie villains. Chilling tension. I don't like to sound cliche but they just don't make em like this anymore. This movie is an absolute all time classic.

Catch me if you can is one of the most fun and rewatchable movies ever made. It somehow gets better with each viewing. A captivating story centered around a very young, slick, and witty con-man wreaking havoc and driving the FBI crazy with his tricks any games. Nearly 2 hours a half hours that will absolutely fly by. The acting was superb from Leo to Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks. And the score.... masterful. I just can't get enough of this movie. One of my all time favorites and one that I feel is historically quite underrated. Catch me if you can is simply cinema at its finest.

Kang-ho Song is a king. One of the more entertaining and high quality monster movies made in the 21st century. Watch this for a great mix of humor, monster jump scares, and fantastic acting by the great Kang-ho- Song. The virus and endemic scenes in this movie are truly comically amusing given what's going on in today's world; a pretty spot on depiction on how we'd react, 15 years in advance. Fantastic job, Bong Joon-Ho.

Dang this movie is criminally under talked about. What a film. Extremely unique plot with fantastic characters and acting. There is a strangely dark and ominous feel watching this movie, it's hard to explain. It's not scary and barely a thriller but it seeps under your skin. Pacino was sensational with some of my personal all time favorite monologues and rants from him. No idea how he didn't recieve an Oscar nomination. Keanu was his usual quirky goofy self but was also very entertaining and fit the confused and stressed lawyer role well. And an early look into Charlize Theron who was also fantastic playing the typical female losing her mind role but with edge and genuine intrigue. The pacing was excellence, a perpetually growing sense of ominous dread from start to finish."The Devil's Advocate" is one of my favorites and one of the more underrated thrillers of the 90's.

Do not let "Let Me In" fly over your head like I did; easily one of the most well balanced drama horror's I've seen. This is truly a beautifully stylish work of art; the blend of horror, drama, and romance executed absolutely wondrously. The child performances were amongst the best I've seen in film with Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee who strike a beautiful and captivating chemistry. "Let Me In" is a remake of the 2008 Swedish masterpiece, "Let The Right One In" and unlike most American made remakes, it did not dissapoint, but also excelled gloriously. I'm not familiar with too many vampire flicks but this immediately became my favorite. I am both a horror junkie and a cinephile, this movie satisfied both ends of the spectrum and should of been academy acknowledged. "Let Me In" could very well age as a classic.

I love all of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, slow burning boy meets girl stories, and alternative rom-coms but this just didn't do it for me. High quality cinematography, an aesthetic and nostalgic 70's time piece portrayal, and very good acting/chemistry carried this to a 7 rating for me but I was expecting much more. Bradley Cooper's funny cameo was the best part of the film. Movie of the year talk?? That's blasphemous. I am unfortunately very underwhelmed by "Licorice Pizza"

"Synecdoche, New York" is a bizzare yet masterful Charlie Kaufman product. In my eyes it could be his most ambitious piece of work with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. This film is a ride of sad, dark, obscure, and thought provoking emotion. Philip Seymour Hoffman was sensational in his role as a desolate middle aged theater director who's convinced himself his life is in deterioration. To me, Seymour Hoffman's display is among the most underrated performances in the history of cinema. "Synecdoche, New York" is an astonishing gem and a definite must watch for true appreciators of cinematic art.

This is an extremely relevant political satire, disturbingly so. A some what horrifying look into the mirror as a society. With the message, performances, and screenplay of "Dont look up" you have a profound piece of political cinematic dynamite. Forget CGI, sound, political preference, etc because that isn't what this movie is about. "Don't Look Up" is the satirical depiction of the hidden mischief and not so subtle corruption of American politics, packaged humorously with some great performances. Leo was sensational, look out for an Oscar nom for sure, Jonah was absolutely hilarious throughout and Jen, Merryl, Timmy were all great as well. This movie was definitely a tad extended in regards to screen time and easily could of been trimmed by 20-30 minutes but I must admit I throughly enjoyed this film from start to finish. In a very subpar year for cinema "Don't Look Up" is among the highest quality films of 2021.

"American Psycho" is a misinterpreted classic. Your average movie watcher may view this film just as the title infers, a psycho murderer wreaking havoc. In actuality, "American Psycho" is a satire and is deeply entrenched in layers of ambiguity; superficial yuppie culture and the detached sense of conformity to a cynically self indulgent materialistic consumer lifestyle. Patrick Bateman is without a doubt a crazed psychopath craving some sense of individuality, but is he a mass murderer who went on enraged killing sprees? Director, Mary Haron and the original novel writer Bret Easton Ellis leave the truth to Bateman's actions to your interpretation.

I simply love this movie. One of the best and most moving scripts of all time; filled with beautiful emotional depth. The way Matt Damon and Robin Williams' characters each draw you into their authentic worlds and unique idiosyncrasies made for an all time wonderful movie watching experience. Robin Williams' performance is one of my favorites of all time and he never ceases to get a tear or twenty out of me. This is one of the most beautiful motion pictures of all time.

After watching "The Thing" for the first time in 2021, I am genuinely perplexed as to how this film doesn't get its respects in being an all time horror masterpiece. This film was made in 1982?? You really couldn't tell, the effects were haunting and easily stand up today. The only reason I can think of that "The Thing" is so criminally underrated is that it came out during a time when other transcendent alien movies were being released, but still, unjustified. I think it can be argued over "Alien", yes I said it. I view this as the great John Carpenter's finest creation and achievement, over Halloween. "The Thing" is truly classic cinema that stands up today with the best of them, a cream of the crop horror masterpiece.

Ari Aster strikes again. This was my first viewing of "Midsommar" but I can defintely tell this is the type of film that's ambiguity and artistic intent becomes clearer with each viewing. This is one of the more naturally (co CGI/supernatural) stunning horror film I've ever seen. "Midsonmar" is a horror, or dark mysterious drama (however you want to interpret it) that resonates and sticks with you. I can not understate the subtetly and artistic detail from scene to scene in "Midsommar", genuinely a master class in nuanced horror cinematography. Ari Aster was truly masterful in creating a perpetually unsettling and ominous atmosphere, in nothing but sunlight I may add making it that much more of a unique horror movie experience. Aster is cementing himself as a true great in modern horror film making.

This movie really lived up to the hype. "Dune" is the most profound science fiction film since "Interstellar" For those claiming it's a big beautiful film about nothing or is inconsequential, relax. This is only the beginning and Dennis Villenueve, patiently and masterfully, crafted the first leg in a potential masterpiece movie franchise. This film is a visual triumph and an absolute must see in the theatres. Other then the astounding cinematography and visuals, Hans Zimmer's mastery at composing sound environments that evoke the closest feeling to an out of body experience is beyond words. Please don't take too long for part 2 because I can't wait. Dennis Villinueve is truly one of the great contemporary science fiction artists.

The Many Saints of Newark, in a nutshell, is an underwhelming disgrace to the all time great television series. Convoluted with gangster movie cliches and a lack of originality, this film had little to no depth and is a sad attempt of a prequel to "The Sopranos". It simply just doesn't work; as an independent stand alone film or a prequel. I apologize to Michael Gandolfini, the Gandolfini family, and the die hard fans for this soulless attempt of reviving the Soprano energy. This could of been so much better.

Am i crazy? Did this one fly over my head or is it just profusely underrated in the modern horror genre. "Dark Skies" is an upper tier horror with criminally low recognition. Boy was I surprised how good and actually frightening this film was. Horror is my drug I am numb to it at this point, and maybe because I wasn't expecting anything but this one genuinely shocked me. Sure there were a couple minor flaws in character actions but overall this one got the job done plus some. Currently a 6.3 on IMDB should be around 7. Super underrated.

"Fury" isn't your typical war movie but they should make more like it. Don't salivate, Hollywood; you can easily turn pictures like this into tainted messes but this one was just right. If you're a overly pretentuous historian of unadulterated accuracy in film then sure don't watch it, but at its simplest war films are made to illuminate the inherent horror and ugliness they possess, and this film did just that in a entertainingly fictitious package. At its core "Fury" is a Hollywood war story on the intimate bonding of men during the final bitter days of WW2. Brad Pitt was a showman per usual but the whole cast was excellent in their portrayals of men in the darkness of war. Don't believe the ugly and pretentious ratings, give it an open minded shot.

After finally getting to watching this cinematic fairytale I am absolutely baffled by how "Pleasantville" isn't viewed as an absolute masterpiece and all time work of art, just wow. It is unbelievably thought provoking, on the level of a "Truman Show" but even more deeply entrenched in existential introspection. "Pleaseantville" is one of the coolest conceptualized ideas executed in cinema, it embodies what film is all about. I really don't get how this underrated gem isn't getting its respects as being an all time classic.

Sometimes the simplest of stories can translate into the greatest of movies. DiCaprio and Depp, two of the finest actors of the 21st century made for a glorious brotherly duo on screen. This film is by no means a happy one, but it makes you feel so full of life. Leo was absolutely breathtaking, and at only 19 years of age this could easily be argued as his finest performance. If you weren't aware of who Leonardo DiCaprio is going into this film, you wouldn't for a second believe the actor playing the role didn't have a mental disability. Absolutely sensational performanc in a gem of a film.

"Before the Devil Knows Your Dead" is maybe the darkest movie watching experience I've ever endured. And I loved it. This was so much more then a twisted heist film. With each passing scene, a deeper exposure of immoral evil amongst one of the lead characters. Seymour-Hoffman and Ethan Hawke were at the top of their games and the acting across the board was sublime. Even Michael Shannon's short yet memorable appearance was something to behold. This film is absolutely not for the lovers of happy endings or the faint of hearts. But it is a supremely underrated cinematic gem and one I will add to my recommendations list. "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead" is the legendary directing icon Sidney Lumet's last piece of work and it sure didn't dissapointment; it without a doubt deserves higher then a 7.3 rating. This movie will stick with you like very few.

"Honey Boy" is the misunderstood Shia LaBeouf's finest hour in Hollywood. It is time to eradicate the erroneous "Shia can't act" or "he's a joke" claims. The guy is an immensely underrated talent and he more then proved that with his creation of "Honey Boy". This was the first film he's ever written and you won't find a single disingenuous or raw element in the story or screenplay. Besides the writing the acting was sensational and I believe is what made this 2019 gem wrongly unacknowledged by the academy.