2020s

3/23/23 "The Father" 2020
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I feel as if I'm losing my all leaves..." do they say the title of the movie within the movie: sort of (they don't say the "the")
Oh my gosh, what a film. This was such a brilliant film, it was a bold choice to tell the story of a man with Alzheimer's through his perspective. This film doesn't make much sense, but that's the point. It's supposed to be very confusing and contradictory. Anthony Hopkins does an incredible job with the role and deserved best actor. I can't even imagine what it must be like to live like that, but this film is the closest thing to getting it.

9/22/23 "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" 2020
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "The elves went too far!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Of course not
This movie is pretty important in film history, it's the first film to be written completely by A.I.! That's what it feels like anyway. This is one of the most tired and predictable comedies I have seen. It feels like it's trying so hard to be a Will Ferrell movie that it just starts blending all the tropes together to make one horrible experience. There's not a funny joke in the lot, in this two-hour film all I did was a polite nose exhale when it was clear that the film was trying to make a joke (sometimes I couldn't even do that!). Speaking of which, this film didn't need to be two hours whatsoever. It drags and you feel each passing minute. This film does have good songs and the cinematography was great but that doesn't matter when the screenplay is awful. This movie made me so mad when it finished because there could be a better and funnier screenplay in some executive's trash can because they chose to greenlight this mess.

4/21/23 "Tenet" 2020
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'll see you in the beginning, friend." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: You betcha
I absolutely hated the first hour of the film. It felt confusing and all over the place and didn't really pay off. The second hour of the film however is sort of genius. Basically, the plot of this film (spoilers) is that people find a way to reverse time. So during the film, this criminal organization uses the reverse time to tell them about the past and what's coming up. The film gets great when the protagonist goes back and we see that his actions while going in reverse were always there since he was going forward, so he caused most of the things that happen to him. Though this is very cool, they just don't explain what's going on at all and at one point one of the characters are like "Don't think about it!" which feels like a cheap way of Christopher Nolan turning to the audience and going "Shut up and watch the movie". If this was a lot clearer of a film, this would've easily been great. It's just too confusing

3/4/23 "Nomadland" 2020
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'm houseless, not homeless" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was warned about this best picture winner since everyone said how slow and boring it was, but I actually really liked it! It was extremely slow, yes, but it's like a new-wave film. The directing and cinematography are absolutely beautiful and Frances McDormand is absolutely wonderful. While this film was great, it didn't deserve the best picture, especially against Promising Young Woman which is great, and the Father (which I personally haven't seen but people say is great)

1/29/22 "Spontaneous" 2020
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "We're progressive like that!"
Such a great movie from such a weird concept. So the whole movie is about kids are randomly exploding at school, but here's the thing, it was all natural and no bombs were used. So the whole movie is this girl trying to graduate high school while dealing with the people around her dying randomly. This movie was made before the pandemic, but it can really lend itself to what we are going through. The movie is also really funny, but with a dark, dramatic side. I can't explain it, but it's got that indie movie vibe to it. Would highly suggest

9/5/22 "Freaky" 2020
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'm a piece"
This was awful. This was originally going to be called "Freaky Friday The 13th" and that's all this movie is. Freaky Friday and Friday the 13th. This movie is filled to the brim with cliches and stereotypes with all of the characters. All of them are very one-dimensional and just do one thing. The comedy in this movie falls FLAT. I didn't laugh at anything (except things that were so bad). The acting was also awful, not a good performance in this film. Really bad.

6/2/25 "What Killed Michael Brown?" 2020
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "We can’t change the past, and we can’t wait on justice." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This seems like a very manipulative documentary. This is less about the death of Michael Brown and more about the director, Shelby Steele's hatred of liberalism. It seems as though he barely discusses the actual death, and when he does, he uses Michael Brown as a negative example and argues that the cop had every right to kill him. The documentary less documents and more throws together any idea they can find in order to spread conservative ideals.

3/5/23 "CODA" 2021
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "If we were blind would you go into painting?", do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's over! I officially have seen every best picture winner. This is such a wonderful story that really feels like it needs to be told. You really sympathize with the main character who has to decide whether to follow her dreams or to help her family. One of the things that I love about this film was how it didn't really care about Oscarbaiting. This wasn't a three-hour-long epic about some guy back in the 1800s nor a dull drama written in a Shakespearean-like language. This film is just real. I could see every aspect of this film happening in real life. It has a great Indie movie vibe with a soundtrack that's purely 60's and 70's. Overall, this really deserved the best picture.

3/27/23 "Long Promised Road" 2021
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I love her!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Sort of (they say Brian Wilson and Long Promised Road but not together)
I might be biased since I love Brian Wilson a lot, but this is a pretty great documentary. It follows Jason Fine, a friend of Brian Wilson, driving him to various beach boys locations with Brian as they discuss the history of the Beach Boys. What's great about this film is how much James gets Brian to open up. He's notoriously hard to interview since he's gone through so much, he doesn't really want to let a lot of people know. Since he's known Jason for 30 years, he could really talk to him. It's also a treat seeing him day to day and how pure he is despite everything he's gone through, although Mike Love was only brought up in a sentence, despite being a huge part of his life (for better or for worse) This was a great documentary and had me almost crying (the part when he goes to carl's house was extremely moving).

3/27/24 "The French Dispatch" 2021
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Wrong slide. That's me." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm going to start off with the good. This has some of the greatest cinematography I've seen. Wes Anderson has really stepped up his game, which is crazy because his films already have some of the best cinematography. The use of black and white and composition is really fantastic. The stories however are very lackluster. There are three different stories, and they feel like failed-feature films. The actors do a great job in the roles they're given, but the plots are pretty dull and lack the Wes Anderson charm.

3/1/22 "Free Guy" 2021
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "THEY DONT HAVE THUMBS"
I'm so sorry. I really tried to enjoy this movie. I love Ryan Reynolds and this movie seems like it had me written all over it. Here's the thing, the movie seems like it was written by AI (reference very much intended). It feels like it saw Matrix, Lego Movie, Ready Player One, and Wreck it Ralph all mixed together, but a little more lackluster. (Spoiler alert) I felt like it was very unnecessary for Guy to forget his memory, only to regain it in 5 minutes. The CG-I on dude reached the uncanny valley and I just didn't like that. The 5 Stars are for Taika who absolutely stole the show, but other than that this movie was mediocre at best. Also, I really liked Chris Evans... smart choice.

10/23/24 "Belfast" 2021
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The Irish were born for leavin', otherwise the rest of the world'd have no pubs." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I wasn't expecting to like this film to be honest. A lot of the reviews I heard of this film led me to be a little weary when checking it out, but while watching it, I thought it was pretty good! It's not amazing, but it was a pretty interesting film. We follow a young catholic boy who lives in Belfast, he has a pretty good life there until the protestants show up and start rioting. This causes Belfast to be a pretty dangerous place, so the family has to choose whether to stay in the town that they love or move somewhere safer. It's especially hard on the kid because he doesn't quite understand what's happening. I love the way this film is shot. Everything's black and white, except for movies or plays. There's a shot especially where we can see the color reflection in Judy Dench's black and white glasses. I probably won't think about this film for a little bit, but I enjoyed it.

6/19/24 "King Richard" 2021
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Unlike you, I don't need the world to tell me I'm great." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was one of the most oscarbaity films I've seen in a while. This film's legacy definitely got tainted by Will Smith's slap at the Oscars, but his whole performance wasn't great, especially when it's the one reason why you watched the film. His performance is just the classic "oscar" performance of blowing up and crying. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor outacted him in every scene. The plot was pretty weak, being focused on Richard than his two daughters, who are way more interesting. If I had to take a shot every time they said "You're being too hard on your daughters" I'd be black out drunk. Overall, this is a very forgettable film.

1/29/24 "The Power Of The Dog" 2021
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "When my father passed, I wanted nothing more than my mother's happiness. For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother? If I did not save her?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
A pretty standard Oscar-winning film. The story didn't get me that interested. This film is about two brothers living on a ranch (Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons) when one of them gets married to a widow (Kirsten Dunst) with her child (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Benedict Cumberbatch's character tries to mess with their relationship. It's a shame how interesting the story seems so stagnant. It doesn't feel like much of anything happens in the film. You can hold the film to the somewhat interesting characters, but as a whole, this is a very forgettable movie. It's sad because there are some great performances in this film, but those almost don't matter in a film so dull.

7/23/22 "Dune" 2021
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Pain."
UGGGHGHGH. That were my exact thoughts throughout Dune. I don't care if I get hate for this one I just couldn't get into this one. I can understand why people like it, but it just wasn't for me whatsoever. My biggest gripe with this film was how little things were explained. Throughout this review, I'm going to compare this movie to another similar movie, in my opinion, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first LOTR film but I can still enjoy it and see how it's leading up to something bigger. Dune's world is very confusing and nothing is explained. I feel like I never know what's going on because they never really explained much. Compare this to LOTR where everything is explained and I never felt confused. I also feel like the characters in LOTR are a lot more memorable with a lot more fun quirks and personalities to make them stand out. I can't say the same for Dune. I don't remember a single character because of how bland everyone is. The similarity between LOTR and Dune is how they end on a cliffhanger expecting you to see the next installment which makes it very unsatisfying. I don't care that there's a second part to this movie. That doesn't make the ending of this film more satisfying. Here's a crazy thought, a movie can end on a cliffhanger (setting up the next film) and still have a satisfying ending. Take Infinity War, I would say the ending was what made that movie stand out in the grand scheme of things. I liked how it ended with the heroes failing and seeing Thanos get everything he wanted. If there was no Endgame, that still would've been a satisfying ending to finishing the arc of the movie. I feel like with all the A-listers they got in this they all add nothing to the film. For how the marketing went crazy by saying "ZENDAYA'S IN THIS MOVIE, EVERYONE SHUT UP NOW BECAUSE ZENDAYA IS IN DUNE" even though she was in it for about 5 minutes. Timothee Chalamet added nothing to the character. I have a question, what is his personality? He has none, he has no flaws, he has no quirks, he's not a character. I understand this is supposed to be a window into their world, but so many characters are windows into their worlds but still have great personalities. Luke Skywalker is immature, naive, and optimistic, Frodo Baggins is curious, brave, and selfless, and Marty McFly is a little sarcastic while being very sweet and friendly to others. What can you say about Timothy Chalamet's character? As a whole, I feel like Timothy Chalamet adds nothing to a movie except to have the audience simping for his oddly shaped face. This movie was a struggle to get through. Dune 2? No thanks.

7/26/22 "The Real Charlie Chaplin" 2021
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote, "Why is Chaplin fever spreading across the world? What is it about the Little Tramp? Well, he's funny. he can take any situation and make it silly."
This was such a great documentary on Chaplin. I love how they tried to separate Chaplin from the Tramp and discuss Chaplin on his own. I feel like this gets into his life a lot more than "Chaplin" (the Robert Downey Jr one) even though it's 30 minutes shorter. I feel like they made a good choice by skimming through his childhood. They sum it up perfectly without having to spend those 30 minutes on it as the 1992 movie did. They also told his life through his movies, since he would add his personal problems into the film while the 1992 movie rarely touched the movies which was a weird choice. I vastly prefer this documentary over the 1992 movie since this feels like it shows us his good side and his bad side, how the Tramp and Charlie Chaplin exist as one but is very different

9/1/22 "Black Phone" 2021
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Wanna see a magic trick?"
Pretty alright. There were some really cool shots and the story progressed very well. I just feel like it took a lot of time to get into the action. I kind of wished the main story lasted longer. We spend the first half of the movie meeting all of the victims, but then we get introduced to one during the second half which was a confusing choice. A good thriller with some good moments

4/11/22 "Eternals" 2021
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Fall Collection, IKEA"
I went into this movie expecting something awful. I've heard horror stories about this movie and the trailers told me nothing about the movie itself. After watching it I have to say, it was alright. Is it the best Marvel movie, definitely not. Did I have some fun watching it, yep! Is it the worst Marvel movie? It's not even the worst Marvel movie in Phase 4. I really liked the team, their powers are so creative that it led to some great fight scenes. The problem is, sometimes you can't really follow the action because it moves too quickly. I also appreciate how they had the first gay couple in Marvel. The writers did a good job making it feel very realistic and they didn't make that the character's personality. I like the twists and turns of the story and how it really takes you on a ride. Also, the in-fighting with the team makes sense and isn't just because "Grrr this person has all of the attention! >:(". The arguments actually make sense and you can see both sides. It was weird them name-dropping Superman because I don't quite know the implications of that. This is a solid superhero movie with a satisfying ending, but still setting up for sequels

9/9/24 "Licorice Pizza" 2021
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I knew it! I knew that was what you were thinking. You're always thinking things, you thinker! You thinker! You think things!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was such a disappointing Paul Thomas Anderson outing. I loved every movie he's made, and then this film happened. Its plot is pretty messy with many instances of "why did that happen?" and the characters just can't make up for the flat story. This feels like a retread of "Boogie Nights" and "Punch Drunk Love", but not in a good way. There's also the morally questionable relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman. This film just felt like a waste of time.

1/7/22 "Don't Look Up" 2021
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Awesome and cool"
What a mess. This movie is probably the worst-edited movie I've ever seen. It just cuts randomly and to random things. It's also mixed horribly, for most of the movie the music is turned up to an 11, while the characters are at a 4. The story is alright, but absolutely done to death. To quote my mom "I liked this movie better when it was 'Armageddon'". Also, they got Mark Rylance who plays a Steve Jobs type, but it seems like the first time he's ever read lines before. This movie was released in 2021 but feels like it came out in 2012, they still think the top text bottom text meme format is funny. They also have a running joke in the movie that they use like 5 times that was funny only the first time. Also, this might be a really hot take, but I don't get the Timothee Chalamet hype. He's not that good of an actor, he's not that attractive, he's not that funny, he's just average. Sorry about that tangent, back on track. This movie blows.

8/8/22 "Jackass Forever" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'll start a new life in here."
This was definitely a hard one to review. How do you review a Jackass movie? I would say Jackass is definitely my guilty pleasure when it comes to movies. It's crazy how much science and engineering are involved just to have these guys get hit in the crotch or something stupid like that. It's also cool to think that the first Jackass movie came out 20 years ago. It's crazy they've been doing this for 20 years and they're still friends and working together. It was a fun watch, just not really cinematic obviously

7/1/22 "The Batman" 2022
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Everything! It was all there. You mean you didn't figure it out? Oh, you're really not as smart as I thought you were. I guess I gave you too much credit."
WOW. WOW WOW WOW. Sorry, I was really nervous to see this one because I thought it might not live up to the expectations that I was hearing everywhere, but it reached them. This is such a refreshing superhero movie, I love the usual Marvel brand of spoofs and goofs but I can really respect this film for keeping a nice serious tone the entire time. It takes itself very seriously, but it's actually deserved (unlike other DC films like "Batman V. Superman"). First thing first, the acting. Not a bad performance. Everyone in the movie encapsulates their character so well to a level I haven't seen since "Batman the Animated Series". Speaking of which, much like that show they bring back the "World's Greatest Detective" aspect of Batman which has been missing for YEARS. No live-action Batman really gets this aspect of Batman which is weird since it has been his description since the forties (that's the reason why it's DC comics for Pete's sake, Detective Comics... comics). I also appreciate that Batman is wrong sometimes because many movies make Batman a super genius who's never wrong, but that's not Batman. Batman is a normal human, that's the reason why he's the most famous superhero because he's so vulnerable and so human. I also appreciate the classic Noir feel of the movie with all the mystery and all the rogues. Also, this film pulls off having 4 villains which is something I can't really say about many other films. Although some of them are smaller than others, it's still impressive. I'm so ready for the sequels for this one, this sets up arguably one of the best Batman universes

3/13/22 "Turning Red" 2022
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "*Thump, Thump, Thump* AWOOOOOGAAA"
Erm.... no. This film is just a complete misstep, all of it. Where do I begin? The Voice Acting in this movie was pretty bad. Shoutout to the Grandma, Skatergirl, and Sandra Oh for being the only good voice actors in this movie. Shoutout to the short friend as well for shouting every line and being awful in every scene. The writing for this movie is also all over the place, especially the one-liners. When she said, "My Panda, my choice" I cringed. This movie was strangely specific. Being a part of a mystical Chinese family in Canada during the early 2000s and being a preteen girl. I guess Disney is hopping onto the "20 years back" nostalgia trip. You have to be a preteen but also have lived in the early 2000s. It was weird how much people wanted to snuggle with the 13-year-old. Weird. But Billie Eilish did a good job with the songs though, I was thinking throughout the movie about how wonderful the songs are. Of course, they were Billie, they have that charm to them. Pixar is still in its slump of bad movies (Luca, Soul, Onward). This movie is NO GOOD. I would've connected more though if they actually tried to stick with the metaphor of having a period. I feel like it could've been very informative if they showed the audience what it's like. I feel like the movie starts with a strong metaphor, but as time goes on they just lose it. Pixar these days have a habit of going halfway with its topics. They caused an uproar by having the first gay character in Onward, but it adds nothing to the plot. They could've given us a story that's about understanding the LGBTQ community and given the gay couple in Luca, but they just leave it to undertones and leaves it to the audience to give the story that meaning by adding vague clues.

12/20/22 "Everything Everywhere All At Once" 2022
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you."
Such a good movie, This is one of the most daring movies I have seen in a while. They take lots of risks and almost all of them paid off. It tells such a small human story but stretched to the biggest point. Though the multiverse is huge in this film, it always leads back to the film's main conflict. I'm being vague so I don't give too much away, but I would definitely recommend this film! It totally deserved the Oscar!

7/23/22 "The Lost City" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'm a feminist and I believe women can do whatever a man can do"
This was a pretty decent film. If this was released in the early 2000s or 2010's I wouldn't have liked it as much, but since it was released in the void that is known as the 2020s where comedy films are basically extinct, this was a pretty decent film. I feel like Sandra Bollock and Channing Tatum had some wonderful chemistry together and Daniel Radcliffe gave 110%, I just feel like there's not a lot to say about this movie except how it wasn't the best but it wasn't as bad as other films released recently. This is the "Way Less Sad" of movies

11/28/22 "Mickey: The Story of A Mouse" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's on America's tortured brow, that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow"
I feel like this is a good documentary on the mouse himself, but it does have some problems. I feel like they relied too much on the random people who like Mickey Mouse, they actively skipped some important lore to Mickey so they can show people going "I like the mouse man! He funny guy". Although something that I like about this documentary is how they show the bad of Mickey along with the good, they show the racist old cartoons and have a serious discussion about them. They also bring up the parodies of him like the "Mickey in Vietnam" short, the SNL short which has one of my favorite lines (Mickey: But what about all the laughs I've given you over the years!", *awkward silence*... "you were supposed to be funny?!") and they even played the line from "Life on Mars?". They also make a pretty cool short during the documentary, it's funny how much work gets put into that one-minute short. Shoutout them playing "Heroes and Villains" by the Beach Boys

12/19/23 "X" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I will not accept a life I do not deserve." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty accurate love letter to '70s horror. It's about a group of indie filmmakers going to a farm to film an X-rated film. While there, they encounter the older couple who own the land and don't like what they are doing. This has a very similar pacing to films like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Halloween" where the first hour is just set up. The last forty minutes were great, but I wish we got there soon and stayed there longer. A lot of the first hour felt a little repetitive. Some of the characters just didn't have that much to them, but that adds to the charm. It's gratuitous at times, but that was the style back then. I would've loved a little more tension throughout the film, but as a whole, it was a pretty fun watch-through.

6/2/22 "Morbius" 2022
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's Morbin Time"
Everyone can settle down about this being the worst Marvel movie ever. Does it have a lot of issues, of course, it does, but is it the worst thing Marvel has ever made? No. I mean Marvel has made some goofs in their day. Howard the Duck, Iron Man 2, and Thor: Dark World were all doozies. Is this film still bad... yeah. It is. This feels like it was originally intended as a side plot to an actual Spider-Man film. It reminded me of Sandman's backstory in Spider-Man 3... but the whole movie. Speaking of Spider-Man 3, I have to talk about how much of a joke the villain is. Milo is so funny because you can tell how hard the actor is trying to make him a good villain, but alas he's just the classic Marvel (It's the good guy.... but EVILLLL). Also, the dance scene, *chef's kiss*, that was peak cinema there. Speaking of jokes (I am nailing these transitions today!) the two cops that are meant to be comic relief aren't funny at all. I don't remember either of their names or anything they said but all I know is that they weren't funny. This movie tries so hard to be like the MCU with their quips but almost all of them fall flat (like that Pilates joke). Also... I just don't like Jared Leto. Either he gives such an unmemorable performance that you forgot he was in the movie saw (daily reminder that Jared Leto was in Fight Club) or gives one of the most memorable performances but not in a good way (Joker 2016). Also, I hate how he "method acts" which I personally find a little pretentious. I understand method acting when it's small, not when it's you mailing your co-star's dead rats and other gross things because "ThAt'S wHaT tHe JoKeR wOuLd Do!". For this one he walked with crutches everywhere because Doctor Michael Morbius had crutches... and I still feel like he was way too over-exaggerated. I'm running out of space but with weird pacing, unexplained powers, and a weak lead this isn't the best Marvel movie

7/6/22 "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's Over!!!" (No spoilers)
To all those people who thought that the MCU would die after the endgame, boy were you wrong. This movie is just plain fun. That's mostly because of Sam Raimi's brilliant camera work and editing style. The first battle really felt like it came straight out of one of his Spider-Man movies. Also, Bruce Campbell as Pizza Poppa was such a great role for him. It felt so natural. I need to talk about Elizabeth Olsen and how wonderful she was in this movie. You really feel for her character. It was a bit of a mess at some points, but that's kinda the point. This movie is a big fun mess in a great way! It could've gone more into the multiverse itself, but

12/23/22 "Top Gun Maverick" 2022
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I am good I am very good."
This is the bad ending version of "Everything Everywhere All At Once". Where Everything Everywhere All At Once was bold, original, and daring, this one is flat, cliche, and safe. So many of the scenes in this movie had my eyes rolling because of how cliche they were. This is sort of a reboot of Top Gun since it hits most of the same beats, down to Kirkland Iceman. I'm not a fan of the original movie, but this movie is clearly just trying to be the original so hard. The iceman (or hangman as he's called) doesn't live up to Val Kilmer's because he just hits one note the entire time. Where Iceman was a fully 3D character who just wanted to stick to the rules, Hangman is just cocky the whole time. Also, I have to talk about Val Kilmer in this movie (spoilers by the way). The fact that they have no shame in killing Iceman with the same disease that Kilmer has in real life. When I first saw this I thought it was a little weird, but sweet with the way they handled the fact that he has throat cancer, BUT TO KILL HIM OFF WITH THE SAME DISEASE THAT HE'S GOING THROUGH. Imagine you're watching this as Val Kilmer seeing yourself die on screen with the same disease you have. That's just wrong

7/24/22 "Chip "N Dale Rescue Rangers" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That is also the name of cheese."
I wasn't expecting this film to make me laugh so hard. It references so many aspects of animation that it made me laugh so hard. The Cameos, various animation styles, and UGLY. SONIC. This feels like a continuation of Roger Rabbit with the crime film aspect but this elevates it with spoof-like qualities. They make fun of Disney so much it was really hard to believe that they greenlit this. When they have cameos, they don't only have Disney cameos, but Fox animation, Comedy Central animation, and even Dreamworks animation which was really shocking. Overall this was such a fun ride. It seems like I will be rewatching this one time and time again. Really fun.

5/11/23 "Moonage Daydream" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Life doesn't stop, it changes" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I've been recently getting really into David Bowie, I didn't know that much about him, so I hoped this would help me learn more about him. Yes and no. I learned a lot more about him as a person which was very interesting. I feel like he might be up there for one of the most interesting people. I liked how they played footage from old movies he loved since they were sort of cult classics, it made me recreate the Leonardo Di Capro meme where it's him pointing to the tv screen. That was me every time I saw an old movie. I feel like, however, they skipped some stages in his career. They completely skipped his earlier albums like "Space Odyssey", "The Man Who Sold The World", and "Hunky Dory". Also, skipping "Young Americans" was kind of a goof. I mean that was the album where he got out of the glam rock world and joined a more funky and R and B focused route. It was very interesting this film, but it could get very confusing with the quick cuts and jumping around timeline wise

8/26/22 "The Bob's Burgers Movie" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Cotton candy Dan... is that the guy who sold corn dogs?"
I feel like the "animated TV series adapted into a movie" genre kind of died in the early 2000s. It started spiking up with the Rugrats movie... then every animated show had a movie. Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, South Park, etc. I feel like this movie was alright. It definitely feels like a 2 hour Bob's Burgers episode with the writing being as sharp as usual. The environments were beautiful but the characters seemed a little off-model at some points. Also, the songs were kind of a mixed bag. The first one was great, but the other two dragged on and on. This "musical" had 3 songs in it which was way too little. The mystery was pretty alright, it was a little easy piecing the clues together. Overall this was an alright movie but nowhere as good as the previous attempts to adapt TV to the screen like the Simpsons, SpongeBob, South Parks, etc. This just doesn't have the same stakes as those other movies to really stand out. Bob's Burgers is a very grounded show with very grounded episodes, so making a movie out of it is way harder than the other movies since with those are less grounded with crazier plots.

7/8/22 "Lightyear" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I bought you five minutes."
2001: A Toy Odyssey. I feel like this is an over-hated movie, I feel like this was the best Pixar movie in a while. It's not the best Pixar movie, don't get me wrong, but it's decent which is a big accomplishment for Pixar these days. This doesn't feel like a Pixar movie though, it feels more like a Marvel film or a Star Wars film than a Pixar film. I didn't really get the "This was Andy's favorite movie" aspect... was this supposed to be made in the '90s? There are some vague '90s references like Buzz blowing a console like a Super Nintendo but this just doesn't feel like the '90s because one, all the stars are modern stars. If they wanted to make this movie set in the '90s it would've been cool to get the top stars of when this film was made to make it feel like a '90s movie. Two, they should've limited the effects of this movie. They should've made it look like it came out in the '90s too. If we are supposed to believe that this film was made in the '90s it should look like a '90s film with some shoddy CG-I or obviously fake green screen. If I nickel for every time a Pixar film was set in a time period that added nothing to the film, I would have 2 nickels. I liked the theme in this movie and how it was a main part of the narrative. It wasn't like Raya where in every scene they said something like "Buzz! You can't do everything by yourself!" Is this the worst Pixar film... it's not even the worst Toy Story movie (looking at you Toy Story 4). Overall it was a cute kids' film but not a best-animated picture-winning movie

4/24/25 "Lynch/Oz" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Yes, I would, Miss Johnson, and a piece of paper and a pencil! I plan on writing an epic poem about this gorgeous pie!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a really well put-together documentary focusing on David Lynch's connection to the Wizard of Oz. What I love is how in-depth this goes, how various filmmakers discuss their own childhood films, and how they've been affected by them. This film has a really great feel to it, as we see how much cinematic experiences us in ways we can never expect. It really breaks down the work of Lynch and The Wizard of Oz and really shows the similarities between the two. It was really inspiring to see.

6/9/22 "Jerry and Marge Go Large" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's like watching 'Up'"
This was a pretty cute movie. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was still a fun watch. Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening have wonderful chemistry and both do great jobs. I liked the story of this one is so wholesome and does not turn into the classic ironic hero's journey (Bryan Cranston's character is already pretty close to Walter White as is). My gripe with this film lies in two areas. One, their accountant isn't funny at all, not a thing he says is funny. I just don't think he's that good of an actor. Two, they made those Harvard kids too evil. They kind of got mustache-twirling levels of evil. It's a good story that actually happened portrayed by (mostly) great actors

7/9/22 "Thor Love and Thunder" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I dunno. The word "catchphrase" actually sounds like a pretty cool catchphrase."
This movie has a weird tone. This is the first MCU movie Taika Waititi has written (he only directed Ragnorok) which naturally makes this a funny movie, but maybe a little too funny. This is also a movie where there are really serious things that contradict the silly mood of the story like they have the 2011 screaming goats... but they also have a kid dying of dehydration and Jane Foster going through cancer treatment. This mismatched tone of the film brought it down for me. If Taika wanted to make a silly Marvel film, that's fine, just don't add such serious moments between really silly scenes and expect it to flow well. The action scenes were done really well and I did like some of the humor, I just feel like they should've had it in regulation. The first end credit made me so happy since I've always wanted that character in the MCU and I would've never thought to cast that actor as that character but I'm so excited to see what they do with it. The second one was just a sweet one that's really reassuring. It's still better than Thor 1 and 2 but I feel like Ragnorok was a better movie.

2/24/23 "Nope" 2022
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Nope" Did they say NOT the title of the movie within the movie: Nope!
Can Jordan Peele make another good film after Get Out? Nope! A quick timeline. 2017: I hear Jordan Peele is making a horror movie and I'm doubtful since he's such a famed comedian, I watch Get Out... incredible. 2019: I'm extremely excited to watch his follow-up Us, if it's half as good as Get Out I was in for a treat. It was like 1% as good, awful. Then there's this film. This confusing mess of a film where nothing is explained and things just happen for reasons. There's a sequence in this film that is pretty well done, I admit but has absolutely nothing to do with anything else in the film. Just a waste of time, money, and talent. I can't believe they added this to the Tram Tour of Universal Studios. This is going to share the same spot as Psycho and Jaws. Just terrible

12/28/22 "Bullet Train" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You're a "Diesel!""
This is definitely one of the best action movies in a while, there was so much personality and care that went into every shot and the characters are all great. I liked how they did flashbacks, although I feel like sometimes it could get a little distracting. The way they tied all of these individual plots together is another great feat. The action was well-choreographed and it had some great cameos

7/1/24 "Clerks 3" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Jay and Silent Bob are like C-3PO and R2-D2." They say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a very conflicting film for me. I've spent this year watching the Viewaskew Universe films (Kevin Smith's Connected Universe) and this feels like an odd entry to it. It continues the Clerks story from 1994, but I just don't really like some of the choices they made. I really enjoyed the premise, because it's pretty interesting for a sequel. The film is about Randal having a near-death experience and deciding to write a film and shoot it. What's interesting is, this film that he's writing is basically just Clerks. He takes stories from his life (which are from Clerks 1) and shoots them at the quick stop (the exact same one from the first movie). What I really don't like is the fact that they have killed off Becky (Rosario Dawson's character from Clerks 2) between films. They gave Dante a really interesting position in Clerks 2, but they threw that away in a very lazy way. It's an alright movie, but not really a good sequel for this series.

9/15/25 "Barbarian" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Nope." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's insane how Zach Cregger's first attempt at horror kicked off in a huge way. This is a really bizarre movie, but its out-there premise and story structure are really interesting. We follow a woman (Georgina Campbell) who gets an Airbnb for a job interview, only to find that she's double-booked with a mysterious stranger (Bill Skarsgård). The way that this film is shot really astounded me. The camera is so fluid, and it really makes use of fish-eye lenses in particular scenes. The action is captured really well, and it does a great job of only showing a little bit at a time. This is one of those movies where the plot is well-explained, but it's more about the feelings and frights than the actual plotting. I think Weapons does what this movie does, but better. But this is still a really good horror movie.

8/14/25 "Terrifier 2" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You're really weird, you know that?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a huge step up from the first movie, actually having a plot and characters this time around. The film is shot pretty well and has a few great moments throughout. Art the Clown is a really fun antagonist that takes a creepy delight in the gruesome murders he commits. That's part of the problem with these movies, though, I feel like they're trying too hard to be shocking to the point where they're no longer shocking. Some of the actors weren't really giving it their all, especially the mother character. As a whole, this was a fun horror movie, but not a masterpiece in the slightest.

12/29/25 "Women Talking" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Sometimes I think people laugh as hard as they'd like to cry." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a great character study, sort of reminded me of 12 Angry Men. We follow a small community in a religious colony discussing what they should do after they find out that the men have been secretly sexually assaulting them. The film is well-written and uses only dialogue to progress the story. The characters of the film also feel very realized and have very real reactions to what's happened to them.

1/1/24 "Pearl" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Seems like there's something missing in me that the rest of the world has." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This prequel is way better than "X" in my opinion. We follow Pearl (the antagonist from the movie "X") as a young farm girl in 1918 wishing she could be a movie star. The problem comes when her mother wants her to stay on the farm to take care of her sick dad. We see how she doesn't have a clear grasp of reality and has some murderous tendencies. The scoring of the film is very genius. It has such an amazing "old Hollywood" feel to it. Mia Goth gives an incredible performance, she gives such a powerful monologue towards the end. This is a pretty good psychological horror film that can be a bit slow at times but is worth it in the end.

4/13/23 "If These Walls Could Sing" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's tea leaves", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I feel like I saw 9 documentaries in this one. Abbey Road Studios is an interesting concept for a documentary, but the execution was all over the place. It was like 60% Beatles, 20% Star Wars, 5% Oasis, 5% Kanye (ruh-roh), 5% Pink Floyd, and 5% Other people. It just felt sort of messy, like if you're going to put that much Beatles into it, stick with it you know? I love the Beatles, but if this was supposed to honor all of the artists there, it could've been more even. Also, some of the artists that took up time were people who nobody really knows. A good effort, but not the best

6/9/23 "The Whale" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I need to know that I have done ONE THING RIGHT WITH MY LIFE!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I was looking for this movie for quite a while and was really excited to see it finally! It was a little bit of a letdown, but it had some great moments! The main problem of the film comes down to the writing. It's funny, Brendan Fraser's character is always talking about how his student's writing needs to feel honest, but this feels very disingenuous. Almost every character feels like an over-the-top caricature of an actual person. My sister put it best when she said that it felt like a student-written high school play. Brendan Fraser does an amazing job. It's no coincidence that the best moments of the film come from his character. He delivers such a powerful performance deserving of the best actor award. I can see why people like it a lot, but I felt like it was pushing too hard.

7/11/23 "Don't Worry Darling" 2022
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "What is the opposite of progress? Chaos. Chaos, an ugly word." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
Trouble in Harry's House. I can see what they were going for, but I felt like a lot of the ideas weren't fleshed out enough. There was great direction with some really cool shots, but that doesn't really save some of the plot. It's such a cool ride, but the end sort of felt like a cop-out. I don't want to say a lot since I don't want to ruin it. Overall, it's a good thriller that keeps you engaged for two hours

1/15/23 "The Banshees Of Inisherin" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Have we been Rowin'?", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: yes!
I feel like this is a strong contender to win best picture. It has a great screenplay that plays the dullness of Inisherin perfectly. It's definitely a slow movie but it sort of needs to be. It feels like it's leading up to something huge, and then it ends in a spot I don't think it should. Incredible acting from everyone in the cast, especially Barry Keoghan, he was amazing.

2/4/23 "The Menu" 2022
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You will eat less than you desire and more than you deserve." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
Such a chilling thriller with an incredible cast. This feels like an A24 film with how original and unexpected the movie feels. With incredible directing and cinematography. This film is stunning to look at, every frame is so carefully picked and composed. The story is also very interesting, I was never bored for a single second. This film had me on the edge of my seat almost the whole time. I can't talk too much about it because it might give something away, but this was an INCREDIBLE movie

12/26/22 "Glass Onion" 2022
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I want to be in the same breath as the Mona Lisa"
I hated the first movie, I'll come out and say it. I feel like the mystery was really weak, the main twist was really dumb, and the characters weren't memorable. This is the exact opposite. I loved every character, they were all played so exceptionally well. I also have to commend the screenplay and plot. This movie was so well thought out and pieced together that it made such an engaging mystery that had such exciting twists and turns throughout it. Little gags they throw in come back later in such a smart way. A huge improvement over the last one and one of my favorite movies to come out this year

8/10/23 "Werewolf By Night" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There will be no mercy, I promise"
This is sort of a movie. It's more of a special but I feel like it counts. I'm really happy they didn't make this a TV show, this was the perfect length, it never felt like it dragged since it was 50 minutes long. I'm surprised Marvel didn't milk this for an entire 2-hour movie or a 6-hour-long tv show. This is directed by first-time director Michael Giacchino, who was actually a composer. He composed films like The Batman, the Holland Spider-man movies, and Up. The same guy who wrote "Married Life" and "Bundle of Joy" made one of the goriest and most artistic marvel projects. I don't think I've ever seen a more stylized Marvel movie. They didn't even allow Sam Raimi to take this many chances. The whole movie is black and white and the premise is quick and simple. A monster hunter community gets together to honor a dead monster hunter at his funeral, but the dead monster hunter sets up a competition to hunt a creature that he has in the backyard he caught. Whoever wins gets the bloodstone, a stone that gives the wearer a ton of power but harms monsters. So it's a full war between 5 hunters trying to capture the beast. This was a very fun special and makes me excited for the future of the MCU

12/16/24 "Hundreds Of Beavers" 2022
5/10 Stars, Favorite Scene: "The meet-cute scene" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Did I watch the same movie as everyone else? I really don't get the hype behind this one. I do have to admit that what they did on such a small budget is very impressive, and the idea of having a modern-day silent comedy is really commendable. We follow a down-on-his-luck Ale company owner, Jean Kayak, as beavers ruin his business. After that, he spends the whole movie trying to bag beavers for money. It is enjoyable seeing him learn how to get better at it, but that's about it except for a love interest. The problem is, that it doesn't follow what makes silent movies successful. The comedy is modeled a lot more on Looney Tunes like gags more than silent comedies. A lot of the gags in the movie are CGI-focused more than physical. I'm going to compare this movie to Chaplin's Gold Rush because both take place in the North. Why the Gold Rush works because of the character, which this film lacks at certain points. The little tramp is funny in the Gold Rush, because of how much physicality Chaplin gave him. The shoe scene, the bread dance, him dancing at the tavern, etc. All these little aspects work because we can see the effort he put in. Here all the jokes are ruined because the main character isn't dealing with anything real, all of the gags are set up with CGI, making it less impressive in my opinion. There are also a lot more juvenile jokes in this film than I would've wanted. The main character had potential, but never really got interesting. It's a shame because the scenes with him and his love-interest are really charming, but they don't spend too much time on it, because we need more Beaver scenes. I really wanted to like this movie, but I just felt like it missed the mark.

1/6/23 "Matilda" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I GOT BUSY!!!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Very close (just Matilda)
When I was a kid, I was a huge Roald Dahl fan. It was in 5th grade when I picked up some of his books and instantly fell in love with his style. I saw the Broadway musical that summer on a trip to New York and was blown away, so I was excited to see this film but also a little scared. The last couple of Broadway adaptations were huge letdowns (Dear Evan Hansen, and In The Heights). This not only lives up to the Broadway musical, but it also lives up to the original book. The shots look like Quentin Blake's Illustrations and they added more dialogue from Roald Dahl's book. They also masterfully imported some of the best scenes from the book that they couldn't do on stage, like Miss Truchbull throwing Amanda Thripp. Speaking of Miss Truchbull, Emma Thompson does a fantastic job. She's insanely funny in the role and really makes the character come to life. Although traditionally played by a man on Broadway, she makes the role work. My one gripe with the film was the odd exclusion of Matilda's brother. I feel like his presence is really seen in the book since it adds the humor of how his parents love him despite him being an idiot while hating their clearly gifted child Matilda. They also cut the Telly number from the film which is a CRIME. Other than that, this is an incredible movie musical that has great cinematography and acting

11/20/22 "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" 2022
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Only the most broken people can be great leaders."
This is one of the greatest MCU movies I think they've ever released. There's so much to enjoy here. I feel like they really took Chadwick Boseman's death and did it in a respectful way. Some people call it emotionally manipulative, but I don't really see it that way. Of course they're going to grieve T'Challa, he was their king. I feel like the world-building of this movie. They really make Wakanda and Talokan feel like real places. I also really enjoy the pacing of this film, it really fits the long runtime very well. The shots are also incredible, it really feels like they actually let a director add their style to a movie without sending it through the marvel AI. The characterization is also amazing. To be honest, I didn't really like Shuri in the first movie. I just thought she was a little annoying, but not here though. This movie refines her character and makes her way more mature. Overall this movie feels like a great send-off for Chadwick, and a great start for several.

12/7/22 "Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me" 2022
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Let me make a promise. I'll only tell you my darkest secrets."
I never really had an interest in Selena Gomez, it's not personal, I just never really got into her music, but this special was really good. I feel like the use of montage really heightened the emotion of the scene. I never realized how much she's gone through as a person. This was a great insight into her life

11/25/22 "Spirited" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You look stupid!"
This was one of the most refreshing films I've seen in a while. I was nervous getting into this because the last modern movie musical was disenchanted which was awful. This film is a Christmas Carol remake but it does it so cleverly and makes it feel like a whole new story. Instead of just Scrooge who gets the 4 ghostly visitors, every Christmas someone new gets one and it's a whole afterlife company that tries to fix one person. The musical numbers are fantastic, a fair amount of them get stuck in my head after watching ("Good Afternoon", "Do a Little Good", or "Unredeemable" needs an Oscar Nom"). The writing is really funny and gets meta in a smart way that isn't just "stop the movie because funny reference". I like how the story takes risks and I would say all of them work. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are great in this movie and are surprisingly good singers/dancers. This is a really fun Christmas movie that breathes life back into the old Christmas Carol story

3/15/22 "Strange World" 2022
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You both are the bad guys because you are annoying me AH!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: NO
When people were calling this one of the worst Disney movies, I thought they were just being over dramatic. I mean, there's no way this movie could be worse than Black Cauldron! It's worse than Black Cauldron. I'm going to start with the abysmal style of the film. It looks like they were looking at Genndy Tartakovsky's Hotel Transylvania paper and decided to copy it without going all the way. The style of Hotel Transylvania works since they made the CG characters move and feel like they're classically animated, in this film, they look static and slow causing them to just feel out of place. Plus, the eyes just feel too small, so they have beady little eyes. The voice acting is pretty bad too. Not a single good performance in the group, maybe Dennis Quaid who at least tried to give the character a distinct voice instead of just his own voice (like with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jaboukie). This film is also lacking a lot of plot, they joke about not having a villain and try to make us seem like the bad guy for wanting Disney to tell compelling stories again. Maybe it's not the villains that were dragging down older stories, maybe it was every movie having a twist villain that dragged down the movie. This film also follows the generational trauma train that Disney has been doing for a while now which just gets so old. I'm so tired of seeing this plot point, especially when the Goofy movie does it more seriously. The GOOFY movie has more serious moments than this serious movie. The twist was also really dumb, I guessed it but didn't believe it because I thought there was no way Disney would do such a dumb twist (especially if it was just being a Steven King ripoff). It's sad when Dreamworks and Sony Animations have been making better movies recently than Disney. Mitchells Vs the Machines, Spiderverse, PUSS IN BOOTS. Hopefully, Disney will take this failure and see that they need to try harder when it comes to making films and not that they need more sequels to shove down our throats (@Zootopia 2, Toy Story 5, Frozen 3, Inside Out 2)

11/19/22 "Disenchanted" 2022
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Mother what???"
Heartbreaking. That's how I would describe this movie. The first movie was such a great film that I grew up watching. The first film's charm and humor make it an underrated gem. The first film was Disney poking fun at themselves before they could do it in their mainline animation. I feel like this new movie takes the first one and ruins it. The whole point of the first movie is how out of place Giselle is and that's where the humor lies. The saddest part about this film is seeing how good James Marsden is. That could've been the entire movie, just more fish out of water. Instead, they drowned everybody else and just cut the satire entirely, and just made a bad Disney movie. I didn't laugh once in this film and I cringed at almost every musical number, which is rough because I love musicals (and Alan Menkin, the composer) but these songs are forgettable and laughably bad. The animation is also horrid. They tried to make it look like classic '90s Disney, but they didn't go through with actually hand animating it so it looks like a Disney XD show. If you like the first film, you need to skip this one.

3/11/23 "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish" 2022
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "What took you so long IDIOT" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Animation is art Oscars, sorry. I know the Oscars love saying that animation is just a babysitter, but it's really more than that. This film is simply wonderful. Better than anything Disney has put out for years. It's funny because I feel like Walt Disney would've actually liked this film quite a lot since Walt always believed that animation could be a lot more dramatic and character-focused than just silly gag after silly gag. This film does have some great gags, however, like all of Jack Horner's screen time. John Mulaney as a villain is something I never thought I needed, but I needed it badly. This film is also animated beautifully. Every frame looks amazing. The story is even better, it's actually a really mature theme and goes to places that I would've never thought a kid's movie would go to. To recap, this film has deep themes that a child would understand (Does it better than Soul), has a joke villain that's actually intimidating (does it better than Luca), has a clear theme that isn't in your face (does it better than Raya), and has clear characters who's motivations always make sense and lead to an amazing story (does it better than Turning Red). PUSS IN BOOTS SWEEP AT THE OSCARS BABY!

1/28/23 "You People" 2023
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "YOU DON'T QUIT IN HELVETICA!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I can see what they were trying to do with this one. It's like a 2022 "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" but sort of the other way around. However, my problem with this film is just how mean Eddie Murphy's character was. I understand going like the "Meet The Parents" Robert De Niro direction but this goes far beyond that. In the end, he doesn't even really get apprehended for it. There were some funny jokes, but I feel they don't do a good job with some of the political scenes. Overall, this is a movie I'm sure I'll forget in like a month

9/18/23 "Little Richard: I Am Everything" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "SHUT UP!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This documentary was pretty well made! This was all about Little Richard, the "Architect of Rock n Roll" who had two very different sides to him. This documentary does a good job of keeping track of his different eras and sides. Little Richard was such an important part of Rock N' Roll, and he deserves to be recognized for all he's given us and this documentary does a good job of that.

9/19/23 "Theater Camp" 2023
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm honestly insulted", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This definitely feels like if "Waiting For Guffman" had a baby with "Wet Hot American Summer". It centers on a rag-tag group of theater teachers running a run-down theater camp. When the main camp director gets into a coma, her non-theater son starts running the camp and is trying his best despite not knowing anything. This has some pretty funny jokes making fun of the aspects of theater, but it never really feels like they go all the way. There are a lot of characters in this film, and they seem really fun! The problem is we don't get enough time with the characters to really have a fun ensemble cast. In a film like "Waiting For Guffman", there are basically five characters that we pay attention to as an audience (two of them being a very clingy couple, leading to them feeling more like one character). All this time we spend with the characters makes us feel like we have a firm grasp of who they are. Ayo Edebiri and Patti Harrison feel very unused, despite being some of the highlights of the film. This film has a lot of heart though, and was pretty entertaining throughout. Nothing incredible, but it was still a fun watch! There are some amazing original songs in this film from their fake musical. I could definitely see "Camp" running up against "I'm Just Ken" and "Peaches".

5/20/23 "Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania" 2023
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Why is jail calling?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is Marvel's "Strange World". Both films introduce a boring world and expect us to care about it despite spending no time developing the world they are in. This film felt like a little bit of a mess. The writing is very dull and very few jokes landed. Also, the effects were pretty lousy. Seeing people compare this to Spy Kids 3: Game Over was the funniest thing since so much of this movie can be compared to that film. Also, I need to talk about MODOK. His design is so awful in the movie. It's funny because I felt like they needed to make him uglier. The original Modok has a shriveled face, no pupils, and a ghastly smile, the Modok we got was just Corey Stoll's face stretched out and poorly rendered. Speaking of villains, Kang was alright but it was just hard to see his efforts after watching Guardians 3. It's sad that the best villain in the MCU was relegated to just being a one-off character. The High Evolutionary was one of the most intimidating villains, so it's hard to see Kang after seeing that. Kang's alright, I mean he has his moments. I just wished they stuck to the more charismatic version of him in Loki than making him just a Thanos stand-in. The end credits were great though, but they also sort of explain why this film felt off. This whole film was just to develop Kang and set him up as the big bad. They sacrificed the story and making the movie feel like an Ant-Man movie just so they can try to sell us on the new phases coming up. Let's hope the future films are more Guardians 3 and less Quantumania

11/30/24 "Bottoms" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You don't care about feminism. Your favorite show is "Entourage"!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was such a refreshing comedy movie. It feels like a classic 2000s comedy but made today. We follow two friends, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) starting an all-girls fight club just so they can sleep with two of the cheerleaders. Someone spreads a lie that they're from Juvie, which leads to more people (including their crushes) joining the club. It's a classic liar storyline, but the film really doesn't take itself seriously (in a good way). Their rivals are the football team, which the school idolizes in such an over-the-top way. The performances of Sennott and Edebiri are really great, they have a wonderful chemistry that carries the comedy.

5/20/23 "Air" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I would say this is a good step for cinema right now. We desperately need more middle-budget films because right now either it's the smallest A24 film in theaters or the largest-budget Marvel or Fast and Furious movie. This movie is pretty inspiring for telling such a niche story. I didn't think I would like a movie about shoes so much, but this was a really interesting story. The film does however fall into the "In your face" method of period pieces where they shove the time period in your face. This takes place in the '80s and boy do they let you know that it does. Some of the scenes play out like "Hey! Turn down that Van Halen! I have to hear my beeper to see when I could get my new copy of Amadeus on VHS! I spilled Ecto Cooler on the last one!" Ben Affleck does an ok job directing, it's the directing where you don't notice it which means it's not noticeably good or bad. The actors all do fine, no oscar winning performances here, but just a solid film. I can see this being nominated for smaller potato oscars but not winning

4/11/23 "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That is cinema." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Hey, Illuminations tried! I was so scared when I saw that Illuminations was making this since I expected a lot of random pop culture references and characters whose whole appeal is that they're annoying. This film feels like a love letter to the Mario games. I never really notice a film's score, but this film, it's a treat to listen to. Playing all the Mario games growing up and hearing the little motifs of the classic games there really warmed my heart. The references also felt very at home and never really took away from the film. The characterizations of the characters are also very natural. I like how they honored the character's history, but added more to their character to help them adapt to the screen better. My one complaint is how fast-paced the film is. Don't get me wrong, it's better than if it was dragging the whole time, but I could've used more one on one moments with the characters. I mean, the fact that Luigi and Bowser only had one scene together was a crime. If there were 10 more minutes spread out of more character moments this film would've been better. Also, everyone did a great job voice acting, including Chris Pratt who didn't deserve the hate. Maybe we should've just waited and heard his voice in the film before judging him so quickly.

5/6/23 "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3" 2023
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Did that look cool?", Did they say the title of the movie within the movie: no
One of the freshest Marvel movies I've seen in a while. Recently Marvel has been on a downward slope when it comes to quality. I mean, I'm sure we all have noticed how downhill it's gotten since they started developing Disney+ shows, but this is a fantastic movie. First of all, written and directed by James Gunn, which is a great sign. The characters are so consistent throughout which is great. They feel like the characters from the first one but more developed and advanced. Also, the fight sequences are some of the best shots and choreographed I think in the MCU. Seriously, try to tell me that there's a better fight scene than the "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" scene. This is the darkest film in the MCU which feels very welcomed. Learning how Rocket became his cynical self is very depressing. It was a really bold choice to focus on the pain and anguish of the animals on the ship and the planet. Many times Marvel movies will cut away from that to keep the light vibe, but here it's shown to us in horrifying realism so we can see the horrors of the High Evolutionary. Speaking of which, he is one of the best actors the MCU has seen hands down. He gives such a chilling performance in this film and is such an intimidating presence. The soundtrack is pretty good! I'm completely biased though because the '90s are my least favorite decade music-wise, but they have great picks. The acoustic version of Creep was a nice touch since it shows how all of the guardians feel out of place. Overall, this shows a bright future... for DC. Marvel's losing their best director and ended their best franchise.

8/13/23 "The Little Mermaid" 2023
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Oh, there it is!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No.
I think the original Little Mermaid is one of the best-animated movies of all time. The lovable characters played by the incredible cast, the genius songs written by the power duo of Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman, and the incredible pacing makes it such an entertaining and timeless film. So let's throw all of that away to make some more money! I don't think I've ever seen a film that's been so poorly cast. Halle Bailey was pretty alright, although it's clear that she's more of a singer than an actor but she is far from the worst performance in this film. She really didn't deserve the hate for this film. I can see her going on to do great things, but this just wasn't it. Jonah Hauer-King literally has no personality in this film and feels like a Harry Styles replacement. Javier Bardem is definitely not a children's actor. He works better in more adult projects that allow him to be the scariest. He also plays a weird combination of triton where he's not as mean as the original one, but he's also not as loving so it's a watered-down version of the original. I'll give the film one thing though, Melissa McCarthy is a great choice for Ursula and is so much fun to watch. She seems like the only cast member who was having fun on set. Daveed Diggs as Sebastian has to go down in history as one of the most baffling casting decisions in a film. He sounds bored while delivering his lines and seems way too young to be Sebastian. It's funny because the random sailor that picks up Ariel sounds more like Sebastian than any line that Daveed says. Awkafina isn't funny which isn't a surprise. I've never really liked her brand of humor and I find her very annoying, not charming annoying like Buddy Hackett, but just annoying. The songs Lin Manuel Miranda wrote for the movie are all terrible. The Prince Eric song just felt unnecessary and Jonah Hauer-King just didn't sing it well at all. The gravity song has such Lin energy of just explaining what's currently happening on screen and being pretty annoying. Lastly, the dreaded Scuttlebutt. What. I'm sorry, huh? This went past a board of executives and creatives to make its way onto the screen. One of the worst songs I've heard in a while. Disney Live-Action remakes just never work and I really hope they just stop.

11/10/23 "Fool's Paradise" 2023
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "The best way to experience something is by drowning it out. That's what I did with my ex-wife! I didn't talk to her or look at her for a month... she left me, she didn't get it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Charlie Day is no Charlie Chaplin. I feel bad saying this because I love Charlie Day. He's incredible in "It's Always Sunny Philadelphia" and all the films he's in, but this just wasn't it. It's a shame because there are so many great ideas in this film that just fall flat. It's about a mental health patient being thrown out of a mental facility because his treatment is too expensive. He has the IQ of a small child and can't talk. Through sheer luck, he looks just like a famous movie star who's misbehaving, so a producer accidentally finds him and has him take over the film. Fun idea right? The problem comes from the delivery. Charlie Day doesn't really do a lot with the silent character, leaving him to be a pretty unimportant character. Also, all the secondary characters are very over the top and slightly obnoxious. There are a lot of them to shove as many cameos as humanly possible. I hope this doesn't deter Charlie Day from filmmaking. The directing is pretty great, but the writing and performances are all over the place.

11/29/24 "Anatomy of A Fall" 2023
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I can't cry anymore, it's so exhausting", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I don't get how this won over the Holdovers. Anatomy of a Fall kind of fell flat for me. We follow a woman as she's on trial for the possible murder of her husband. While she goes through this, her son goes through his own journey questioning his mom. Is it sad to say it reminded me of "Not What He Seems" from Gravity Falls (but not as good)? The camera work was sort of amateurish at times. It would randomly zoom in on things that didn't really need zooming. I just couldn't get into this film, especially when a film as touching and brilliantly written as The Holdovers got the shaft.

9/30/23 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" 2023
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "And this is where the British stole all of our stuff!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
What an insane film! The visuals were out of this world! Every character popped and had their own special animation quirk that set them apart. The writing was great, if only I could hear it. My one gripe with this film was how annoying the sound mixing was. The music was so loud in some scenes that I could not understand what they were saying. I don't want to spoil the film, but the plot was great. Warning: there's a part 2 coming out. Easy shoo-in for best animated

9/6/24 "Asteroid City" 2023
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You can't wake up if you were never asleep" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It seems that Wes Anderson's style gets better after every film. The film's look and feel are absolutely insane. The colors and overall composition are so well done that it's almost alien. The plot of the film can be a little confusing, but that adds to the film's charm. The plot seems like a mystery waiting to be undone. We follow a troupe of actors performing the play Asteroid City, but we barely cut back to the troupe, so Asteroid City is the main story. The story of the play is a convention in a small town for a junior stargazers ceremony. Things change, however, when out of nowhere an Alien comes to town and leaves immediately after. Every once in a while we see how the play was written and even how the actors are feeling about the play. This film has such a witty sense of humor that's so perfectly dry. Some great dramatic moments make this film really special. It's not his best film, but a really strong film through and through.

10/27/23 "No Hard Feelings" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I love salad." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was a little hesitant to see this because the trailers were trying to make this film look overly edgy. It looked like a desperate attempt to get people to go see this movie because of how raunchy and crazy it is. After watching it, it isn't that raunchy at all. It follows a woman who's down on her luck taking a job to be a rich kid's girlfriend. His parents set this up to get him more open to college. Jennifer Lawrence does a pretty good job (although she can feel a little miscast at times), but Andrew Barth Feldman is a standout in this film. He is so natural and a majority of the laughs in this film come from his stellar work. The plot is sort of cliche, but works as a vehicle for the comedy. I'm just glad mid-budget comedy films like this are coming out after COVID.

7/9/23 "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed" 2023
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Rock is the most successful creation of that golden age of Hollywood, the last of those manufactured stars where every aspect of their private life has been built by other people." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel like this was on the cusp of greatness but falters in some areas. Rock Hudson is such an interesting figure in classic Hollywood since he had to hide his sexuality from the public because he would lose his job if it came out that he was gay. They use clips of dialogue from his old films when it has to sort of do with what's going on. That would've been okay if they did it once or twice, but they do the entire documentary and it gets really annoying. Also, I feel like they don't really tap into Rock Hudson as a person or an actor when it came to the films all they said basically is "Rock Hudson was in this film and he had to hide his sexuality in this film" which is a sad aspect for sure, but he was more than just someone in the closet, he was a great actor and I would've liked it if they also talked about his process. This was a pretty good documentary, I just wished they would've gotten more into his professional career

7/22/23 "Barbie" 2023
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "A mother stands still so her daughter can see how far she's gone" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Yeah. I think Barbie is better than Oppenheimer. What of it? I just feel like the screenplay is so expertly written to praise the idea of Barbie as well as to critique it (I loved how they talked about discontinued Barbies as the characters say things like "these are actual Barbies that exist!") The story goes in so many different directions with so many twists and turns. The set design is insanely well done, it looks exactly like what a Barbie world would be. Don't even get me started on the casting. The film has such an incredible cast that can get really serious in one scene and then do the silliest thing imaginable in another. Shoutout to Michael Cera's Allen, easily the most iconic part of the film. The soundtrack is also really well done. Listening to it in the film, it definitely gives off Barbie energy. Lizzo's Pink is such a funny song in the way that it describes what's currently going on in the film. This film feels a lot like The Lego Movie with taking a toy brand and adding existential themes along with sweet moments. If I had a nickel for every toy brand film with existential themes that stars Will Ferrell, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

7/23/23 "Oppenheimer" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I have become death, destroyer of worlds" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm very conflicted about this film because it had some parts that are great and others that are just less than great. The cinematography was incredible, a true spectacle. I mean, Christopher Nolan setting off an actual bomb just to avoid it looking fake. Also, the background effect whenever Oppenheimer thinks about the bomb and it starts to shake like the bomb is going off. The acting is great, although there were two clear standouts. Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. both give oscar worthy performances, but honestly, Cillian Murphey does an alright job. My main problems with this film come from the screenplay and the editing. The screenplay feels like it's just comprised of famous people's names. Many of the scenes are just famed scientists meeting up with each other. The editing of the film also irks me in this aspect. Whenever they bring up someone's name they always show a previously established scene with them in it. I feel like Christopher Nolan knew how the audience would be confused about which character is which. The entire film is edited like a "Previously on..." section of a show where they just quickly show you what happened so you're not lost. It's weird how slow this film feels even with the quick editing. I just feel like the story had some unnecessary parts that didn't need to be in the movie. I can definitely see this winning best picture since it's an epic about World War 2 which would be a nice win for Nolan, but this isn't his best work

8/13/23 "Haunted Mansion" 2023
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Dear lord... give us a break?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I have no clue why so many people didn't like this film. Is it amazing? No, but it's not a 2.7/5 on Letterboxd. The film has such fun characters that all work together to create a fun atmosphere. There isn't a character in the main six that I don't love every time they're on screen. LaKeith Stanfield is such an incredible actor, he's easily the best in the bunch. My problem lies with the screenplay which could've used one more draft in my opinion. Some of the writing felt a little off and some aspects of the plot felt a little unexplained. The CGI isn't good, but that's what you get when overworking the effects team. The CGI is noticeably bad on Jared Leto who, yet again, doesn't give that good of a performance. A fun film that has some heart, but not one that'll last the test of time I don't think

1/15/25 "Remembering Gene Wilder" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "YOU'RE GONNA JUMP ON ME" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a pretty well-put-together documentary of Gene Wilder's life. I enjoyed the way they used the audio from his reading of his autobiography, it adds a connection to Wilder that the audience can grip on. I feel like the pacing of certain events was a little odd, for instance, they spent a lot of time on the "Frisco Kid" but sped through his partnership with Richard Pryor and marriage with Gilda Radner. It was really interesting to learn more about Gene Wilder, and this documentary really was a great way to do so.

4/27/24 "The Holdovers" 2023
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Life is like a henhouse ladder" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is such a wonderful film. It has the warmth and feel of a 1970s film. After the trove of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and comic book films, it's so refreshing to have a mid-budget, well-written film that exists just to be good. It's about a teenager (Dominic Sessa) being held over during the holidays at a boarding school with his teacher (Paul Giamiatti) and the lunch lady (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). These three characters feel so real. They aren't perfect, but they have their charms that make them endearing. The teen and the teacher are constantly at odds with each other because they are a lot alike, but don't want to admit it. They both have their ups and downs in the film leading them to have different moments of them being right and wrong. The lunch lady is one of the most compelling characters because she recently lost her son and it's her first Christmas alone. I wished they showed more of her character because she was amazing in every scene. As a whole, this was my pick for the best movie of 2023. It made me laugh, cry, and really feel.

1/10/25 "American Fiction" 2023
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Nobody in Hollywood reads. They get their assistants to read things and then summarize them. The whole town runs on book reports." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was such a genius movie. We follow Monk (Jeffrey Wright), a writer who writes about Greek myths but can't seem to sell a book. When he sees that fellow writer, Sinatra Gold (Issa Rae), wrote a very successful yet demeaning book exaggerating the black experience. In a stroke of disdain, Monk writes an extremely stereotypical and over-the-top book hitting every cliche in black stories. He turns in the book as a joke, but it soon takes off and becomes a big success. He hates the book with every ounce of his being, but he needs the money to care for his mom, so he keeps the lie going. It reminds me of Bamboozled, but I prefer this movie because this film isn't just satire, we also follow Monk's life and his strange relationship with his family. I can 100% see how this won best adapted screenplay, it's a real juggernaut of a film.

12/29/23 "Leave The World Behind" 2023
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There's a Starbucks." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. They try to say so much that they actually say nothing at all. This is a meaningless film that tries its best to be a masterpiece while flopping and flailing around like a fish out of water. It jumps from theme to theme without any care for the overall message. Is it about our dependence on technology? Sure! Is it about how divided we are as a country? Why not! Is it about how media can be an escape? Throw that one on! How about cultural tensions? The more, the merrier! Not only is the screenplay horrendous from a story standpoint, but also from a dialogue standpoint. The characters talk like AI programmed by aliens to capture how humans speak. Let's take the first scene. That's where we are supposed to meet the characters and get to know their world before the inciting incident. This film decides to scrap hundreds of years of storytelling and skips immediately to the inciting incident without having us know any of the characters. What's worse is that we never get to know them. They are all so stale that they don't leave any impact and you hate all of them. The acting is also just not there. If you respect yourself in any fashion, skip this TWO-HOUR AND TWENTY-MINUTE FILM.

11/12/23 "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life" 2023
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Where's the anesthesiologist?" Do they say the title of the movie: Close (they have two titles, just separate)
This is a pretty interesting documentary, if not a forgettable one. It was an interesting conversation between Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner, but it felt a little all over the place. I would've preferred to have the whole documentary in chronological order. It's a good special, but not something I would remember any time soon.

4/19/24 "Wish" 2023
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Watch out world, here I are" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Boy howdy yeah
An opening title, that's what the highest point of this film was to me. Looking at the title card and seeing "A Walt Disney Feature Production" made me nostalgic for the opening of Snow White, which was Walt's first feature film. I was happy that such a small detail was noticed and added to the film and that said film started. There's a common theory that the film was written by AI, and I feel like there's some merit to it. It's one of the most soulless Disney films and tries to make up for it in references to their older films so you forget how bad the film you're currently watching is. The writing is comically bad. There's no subtly or honesty in any of it. The humor isn't funny and the dramatic moments make you feel nothing. The songs are also very bland and leave a lot to be desired. The lyrics are unimaginative and dull. I would just suggest watching the "Once Upon a Studio" short to celebrate one hundred years of Disney instead of this bland and forgettable film.

11/21/23 "Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain" 2023
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Oh my gosh! Call the press, there's a road near the church so you heard a motorcycle... don't laugh, we're not friends." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was so nervous to watch this because the reviews for this were very mixed. After watching this, I'm so confused why people wouldn't like it. This film has a very tight screenplay with a bunch of gags and a very simple premise. The story is about three lifelong friends going on an adventure to get a treasure based on a compass they found as kids. The mentality of this film is "If it could happen, it will", such a surreal film that goes in so many directions at once. Conan O'Brien is a huge stand-out in this film. He has such great energy in this film that's so aggressive but in the best way. I would say this is one of the first Gen-Z humor films I've seen. I hope the mixed reviews don't deter these three from making another film because this really gave me "Hot Rod" energy.

5/17/24 "Anyone But You" 2023
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "2 showers in the span of 8 hours?! Go off King, GET CLEAN!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: yes
Never have I seen such an unfunny, vapid rom-com. This honestly feels like an A.I. written script. It's about two people (Glen Powell and Syndey Sweeney) who had a one-night stand that didn't go well, but they just happened to be at the same destination wedding. They pretend to be a couple for their parents and to keep the peace. This plot would've worked if the parents hadn't already seen the two fighting beforehand. They know that they don't work together, so the sudden switch should be odd. The film is rarely funny and their one-liners come off more lame than comical. They have one night together and then six months later they are mortal enemies. Also, Glen Powell and Syndey Sweeney are the epitome of "Go girl! Give us nothing!". They have a similar energy of flatness. It's odd because I know Syndey Sweeney is a great actress, she did a great job in The Handmaid's Tale and The White Lotus, so I don't know what they did to her directing-wise. The supporting characters don't fare any better, they all fall equally flat. I feel like the success of this movie is more a wanting for a traditional rom-com and less that this was a good rom-com. During the final speech, I found myself just quoting "When Harry Met Sally", because they were doing the exact same thing. This film shares a lot with "They Came Together" but instead of parodying the genre, this is just using the same tired tropes without doing anything new.

12/30/23 "The Family Plan" 2023
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "At least you got a real name. I'm Van. I'm a vehicle." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a really cute comedy. It's about a trained assassin who has become a suburban dad. When his past life catches up to him, he takes his family on a road trip to Las Vegas to change their identities and move. The problem is he hasn't told his family about his previous life yet. This feels like a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movie in a really good way. The family is really well-written and has a lot of chemistry together. The problem is how much they cut to the baby for a funny reaction. There are like 15 times when something crazy happens and they cut to the baby laughing. I can see myself forgetting this one in a few months, but as a whole, it's a really fun watch that's actually pretty funny at times.

5/19/24 "Mean Girls" 2024
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "This is not who I know you to be" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This wins the award of the most unnecessary remakes. This was mainly to capitalize on two things, millennial nostalgia, and drama kids. 20 years ago the original Mean Girls came out, so Hollywood loving their "20 years back" nostalgia kick clearly wanted to make a remake, but couldn't justify why they're remaking it, so they added some of the broadway songs from the musical adaptation to it to make it the musical version. The problem is, all these versions of the songs are worse and they cut out so many from the original show. They add awkward dialogue scenes which could've easily been told through song. Renee Rapp does a pretty good job, but it's obvious by the marketing and the direction of the film, this is supposed to propel her career. Unfortunately, this is not the same with Angourie Rice, who isn't very good in this film. It's not like she's an A-lister, so I don't understand why they chose her over several better Broadway people. Speaking of better Broadway people, Jaquel Spivey does a wonderful job as well as Auliʻi Cravalho. They also add a lot of modern references to try to justify the existence of this film, but they all pretty much fall flat. Just watch the OG movie over this.

11/24/23 "I Saw The TV Glow" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Sometimes the Pink Opaque seems more real than real life" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Leave it to A24 to make such a baffling and yet beautiful film. This film is really hard to summarize because it's sort of hard to distinguish what's a spoiler and what's just the plot, but we follow a young, shy kid named Owen (Justice Smith), who doesn't really connect to a lot of people. He meets a girl named Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) who's obsessed with this goosebumps-like show, "Pink Opaque". We see the two grow up and how they handle adulthood. It's a really interesting film that has a lot of lynch-like surrealism. Justice Smith does a really great job and sells the character. This is most likely not for everyone, but I really liked it.

2/11/24 "The Greatest Night in Pop" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "If a bomb hit this room, then John Denver would be on top again" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a really interesting documentary that has some great footage. It's the story of the song "We Are The World" and how Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Harry Belafonte were able to get the biggest stars of the day in one room to sing one song together in one night. The lead-up was a very interesting story, but seeing the footage of the musical artists warming up, joking around, and singing was really special. Hearing the different accounts of how the night went really let you in on how stressful the night was. It was interesting to see how much of a team player Lionel Richie was. He was the glue that held the whole project together. It's a really great documentary to see, I would recommend it.

2/8/25 "A Real Pain" 2024
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why are you walking alone?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's crazy that this film didn't score more Oscar nominations, because it's really great. We follow two cousins going to Poland after their grandma's death to honor her memory. The main pull of the movie is the strange relation between the two cousins. David (Jesse Eisenberg) wasn't that close with their grandma, or many people for that manner. He keeps to himself and lives a very straight forward life, a job with a wife and kid. Meanwhile, Benji (Kieran Culkin) is very extroverted and lets people know what he thinks, even if it makes things awkward. Seeing these two bounce off each other was really interesting to see as we see David both envy and pity Benji. Obviously Kieran Culkin gives a powerhouse performance, but I feel like we also need to acknowledge Jesse Eisenberg. He gives a great performance too, on top of directing and writing the movie. It would've been easy to make it a vanity project and have him be the stand out actor, but he doesn't really do that. Most of the scenes are equally divided between the two, with many of them letting Culkin shine. I can't believe Emilia Perez got a Best Picture nomination, but not this.

11/10/24 "Will and Harper" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Name one fun thing we did." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was such a unique idea for a documentary. We follow Harper Steele, a recent transwoman who used to write for SNL. She's best friends with Will Ferrell and loves America. So, Will suggests the two go to all of her favorite spots so she can experience them again, but in a new body. The two are very funny together and seem like really great friends. It's also an interesting exploration of what it's like to be trans and the type of looks you get. The reactions were a lot more positive than I imagined, but there were still some negative reactions out there, which were hard to watch. Some of the interactions seemed a little artificial with all the cameras around, but as a whole this was a pretty enjoyable doc!

5/25/24 "Dune: Part 2" 2024
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Silence" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was expecting my socks to be absolutely blown off, but this just didn't do it. It's still a good movie (way better than the original) but it was just that. I feel like the runtime was very long for a story that didn't really need it. They had time in the script to painfully explain what the characters were thinking or saying but didn't explain the rules of certain weapons. For instance, in the black-and-white fight scene, Austin Butler uses a weapon that can make him move quicker, but they never use it again. Wouldn't it be useful for them to do it in a later battle? I also felt like some of the deliveries in this movie are either mumbling to the point of not being able to understand them, yelling in an over-the-top manner, or white subtitles (which sometimes get placed in front of a white background). It's shot incredibly well and well-choreographed, but not the film of the decade like some say.

5/5/24 "Unfrosted" 2024
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Do I have time to change?" "No." "Ah!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel like Jerry Seinfeld can't write a story for the life of him. It's clear he's an idea guy more than a heavy plot writer. Larry David was his plot person and this is abundantly clear if you've seen Curb Your Enthusiasm. The stories in that show are so tight and clean. This is the opposite of that. There are some funny jokes, but the story is all over the place and the characters are very undercooked. Unfrosted is a parody of brand biopics like Flamin' Hot, Air, and Blackberry where they present the creation of the Pop-Tarts like it's the space race, which is a really funny idea but executed poorly. This film is desperate for laughs and you can feel that. Are there funny moments, sure, but that's not a high bar to reach when they throw out 200 jokes and you only laugh at like 25 of them. The acting is good, except for Seinfeld. He can't act to save his life. The other actors are trying their best with the poor material but they have the same laugh rate. As a whole, though not the worst thing I've seen, this is certainly not a great comedy.

6/7/24 "Jim Henson Idea Man" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Help!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Sort of (They say Jim Henson and Idea Man, but not together)
I wasn't expecting this documentary to be so amazing. There was A YouTube documentary series by the YouTuber Defunctland that covered the life of Jim Henson in 6 parts. It set the bar so high for what a Jim Henson documentary could hold, and I've got to say, this reaches that bar. It doesn't go as in-depth as the Defunctland series, because it only had an hour and 40 minutes, but they use that hour-forty. Ron Howard made a genius choice to replicate the feel of Jim Henson's early short films for the presentation of the film. He goes deeper into his short films than the Defunctland one did. It was such a well-told story of the man himself that you could tell this was filled with love. It's funny the difference in quality between this and the Beach Boys documentary. This feels like a major director took the helm and really made this his own.

2/8/25 "Emilia Perez" 2024
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "From Penis to Vagina!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Here it is. The great villain of the 2025 Oscar pool. I was honestly expecting it to be worse, but it's still not great. Let's start with the songs, they're all bad. The lyrics are the main thing holding them down, but the performances certainly don't help. It's a shame because some of them show hints of competent melody, but they get drowned out by the poor instrumentation. The story itself is so-so but has a very confused message. The movie puts on a front as if they care about the trans and Mexican community, but this film does little to actually prove that they know anything. The only trans character in the movie, the titular Emilia Perez, can be quite violent, angry, and deceptive. She has very few good qualities to her and plays into the harmful stereotype of trans people getting surgery to deceive. The Mexican backdrop doesn't fare any better, because they make Mexico out to look very dirty and poor. The first shot of the film is a mariachi band. This makes sense when you realize the director is a French man who doesn't really care too much about Mexico. None of the actors can really speak Spanish either, which leads to interesting accents and deliveries. I'm not even going to get into the troublesome views of Karla Sofía Gascón and her tweets. There were some interesting shots in the film, despite each one fading to black when it's done (did they run out of transitions?). The fact that this movie has 13 Oscar nominations shows that the Oscars are as out of touch as they've always been.

10/13/25 "The Substance" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Has she started yet? Eating away at you?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was such a hyper-stylized film; it really is a modern body-horror classic. You can definitely see the influences that it draws upon, but it never really feels like stealing, and more like a genuine love for the genre and the craft. We follow an aging actress, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who gets a drug that splits her into two people: her current self, and a newer, younger version, Sue (Margaret Qualley). The trick to keeping the drug working is that you have to switch back and forth every week to keep up that balance. It's such an interesting concept that has a lot to say about show business for women. Dennis Quaid plays this demented producer, whom he commits fully to. You absolutely despise him, and they make sure to paint him as disgustingly as possible, especially in the scene where he grotesquely eats prawns with his bare hands. This did so well that the Oscars nominated it for a ton of awards, but they just ended up going to Anora. As good a horror movie as it was, I can see why it didn't win many Oscars; it's too camp for the Academy.

2/28/25 "Anora" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "When you give me health insurance, workers' comp, and a 401K, then you can tell me when I work." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Everyone and their mom has been gushing about how amazing this movie is and how much Oscar buzz it has, and watching it I completely understand. We follow a sex-worker named Anora (Mikey Madison) who gets into a whirlwind relationship with the son of a Russian oligarch. The two of them seem really happy, but all of that changes when word gets back to parents in Russia who try to annul the marriage. The movie has a ton of twists and turns, the less you know about it the better. It's so interesting to see how well it balances drama with humor. The writing is really interesting, giving us some great characters (which are helped by the great performances). Mikey Madison gives such a wonderful performance, showing a wide range of emotion. As a whole, I really hope this film wins best picture this year.

5/24/24 "The Beach Boys" 2024
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If every word I say could make you laugh I'd talk forever" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a pretty entertaining documentary that's pretty shallow in some regions. I'm a huge Beach Boys fan, so I was weary about this documentary. A lot of the band's history doesn't really get covered, so I was sure they would skip over a lot of their later years... they did mostly, but they touched on more than I thought. The early years to Pet Sounds were really concise and well-told. They used great videos, interviews, and graphics to tell the story. After Pet Sounds, they sort of scrambled through a lot of topics to try to get to the end. They briefly mentioned the albums from SMiLE to Holland (completely skipping Carl and Passion's So Tough). This skips over Beach Boys Love You (Brian's coke-filled brainchild), Eugene Landy (Brian's abusive psychologist), The Death of Dennis and Carl, the addition of John Stamos, Kokomo, Summer in Paradise (Mike Love's brainchild that only sold 1,000 copies), and the 2012 reunion. Speaking of Mike Love, he was the main member who told the story of the Beach Boys due to Brian Wilson struggling with dementia. Mike Love definitely sways to story by having him as the hero and leaves out all of the bad things that he did. He claims to have been writing all the songs with Brian, but he later says in the documentary that while he was touring with the band, Brian was back at home writing the songs. SO WHICH IS IT MIKE? This was surprisingly sanitized in some places, like Murry Wilson. Murry was their father, and extremely abusive, but they treated it like he was grumpy rather than an abusive man. They discussed the Manson murders, but not their father (an important part of their lives). I feel like there are better ways to learn about one of the greatest bands, but this is a pretty good introduction.

7/4/24 "Inside Out 2" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less joy." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I didn't expect this film to be on almost the same level as the first one. I saw the first one in theaters when it came out, and it became my favorite Pixar movie, so I was nervous about modern Disney doing a sequel. This was the best Disney movie since Encanto. They changed up the cast due to contract negotiations, so Fear is played by Tony Hale instead of Bill Hader, and Disgust is played by Liza Lapira instead of Mindy Kaling. I honestly prefer Liza Lapira as Disgust, she did an amazing job stepping into the role. I didn't quite enjoy Tony Hale as Fear however, he just brought a different energy to the character that Bill Hader just brought better. The new emotions are really fun, especially Maya Hawk as Anxiety and Ayo Edebiri as Envy. I also really like the direction they take Joy's character in this film. This feels like a worthy sequel that expands upon the first film. Overall, it's a really quality sequel with a lot of great laughs.

7/25/24 "Deadpool and Wolverine" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Huh. Paul Rudd finally aged." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I was nervously optimistic about this one. Marvel hasn't exactly had the best track record recently, but this film delivered. It seemed like it could easily be a mess, but it was organized really well. Let's start with the obvious, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds make a wonderful pair. They bounce off each other really easily and have such a great dynamic. It's a really funny film that has some wonderful fight scenes. They're really well-shot and stand out from most MCU films in a good way. There were some really sweet moments as well that really added to this film. The cameos are really exciting, and my theater absolutely lost it. I really recommend seeing this in theaters if you can.

3/3/25 "Conclave" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Innocent." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This film is such an interesting ride of emotion and secrets. After the death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) has to organize a conclave to decide who the next pope after the death of the current pope. The film follows Lawrence as he finds out dark secrets about each of the popes in his quest to find the perfect pope for the job. It's really interesting to see how all of these men have these secrets about them that'll make them not good for the job, it really presents the information well and at the right time. It reminds me of 12 Angry Men with the pacing. As a whole, I thought that this was a good movie!

2/28/25 "Saturday Night" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Have you ever felt nostalgic in the moment?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I love a good anxious movie, and this film has that in spades. This follow Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) as he tries to navigate the first episode of SNL ever. This film starts at 10 o'clock as we see the show count down to when it broadcasts live. The film is insanely well cast with a lot of the actors really embodying the people they're playing. I was so shocked at Nicholas Podany's performance of Billy Crystal, because he encapsulates his energy so well. I fell like they sanitized a lot of what happened behind the scenes, mostly with Chevy Chase. They give him a sort of redemption arc, but, if anything, this was only the beginning of his tirade on the show. Also, they portray Jim Henson as an uptight, nerd, when he wasn't like that. He was also funny and chill, but in a very different way. The way they portray him in the film was as if he was devoid of any talent. The film, as a whole, is a really great love-letter to SNL and an absolute treat to see the rise of the "not-ready for prime time" players.

8/19/25 "Terrifier 3" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Clowny, listen to me. I'm not really Santa Claus!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is probably the best one in the franchise. A lot of this comes down to the film letting David Howard Thornton do his thing with the comedy. The sick nature of Art the Clown comes from the comedy he adds to dark and often very gory situations. This film has a nice Christmas background, which really juxtaposes the horror. I also like how they explain why Art can do a lot of what he does in the series. They bring in a really interesting view with the "true crime" obsession, but I just wish they could've explored that more, because it makes for a really interesting discussion. As a whole, this is the height of the Terrifier series, and while not exact masterpieces, these movies are pretty campy fun.

2/14/25 "The Wild Robot" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Oh, bummer! He's dead!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
With all the hype this movie was getting, I was sort of expecting it to be better. It isn't a bad movie, but it's not a "Letterboxd 250 best movies" movie. We follow a robot unit called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) finding themself on a desert island where she tries to interact with the inhabitants. They have to take care of an egg from a nest they accidentally destroyed with help from the snarky Fink (Pedro Pascal). The characters and writing are really well done, if not very cliche. This didn't really surprise me too much with the directions this movie took. It felt like an animated movie I've seen dozens of times before. The animation is really beautiful, but the film as a whole was just alright.

1/2/26 "Heretic" 2024
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The only true religion is control." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty classic A24 film, but many of the aspects feel a little cliché. The film follows two Mormon missionaries who enter the home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who traps them there to go through a theological mind game. Hugh Grant gives a great performance, using his natural film charm to create an unnerving character. The plot, however, seems a little all over the place. There are many things in the story that seem to happen just to happen. This film has a lot of "forcefield destroyer" moments, if that makes sense, where there's no way that something would've happened that way in real life, but it has to happen in the story so it can continue. The script feels sometimes a little conveluted, as well as a little heavy handed with it's messages. I can't really put my finger on what the grand thesis of the film is, because they present so many different themes and questions in the movie, but I'm not sure what point they were trying to make. It's a good watch and really enticing, it just has maybe too many twists and turns that make the film a little more boring instead of thrilling.

11/26/24 "Wicked" 2024
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "And nobody in all of Oz. No wizard that there is, or was, is ever gonna bring me down." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I feel like the hype is completely justified. I was weary by this only being act 1 of Wicked and yet being longer than the whole play. Watching the movie, I really don't know how they told the story in that short of a time, because this movie was perfectly paced. It really let the characters shine and the relationships develop. The performances in the movie were great, especially with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. I really enjoyed Arianna Grande's performance as Glinda, although she slipped into Kristin Chenoweth a bit in this film, but she was really good. The numbers were really well choreographed, and the score was really well orchestrated. The "Defying Gravity" number is going to be remembered for a long time. As a whole, this was amazing and would highly suggest it.

12/19/24 "Beatles '64" 2024
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's why we screamed because it was just coming out of some non-verbal place." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's interesting to see this documentary because Beatlemania is both an extremely popular yet rarely talked about subject. Beatlemania was arguably them at their most popular, but since they were so popular, not a lot of films actually talk about this era. They normally talk about their start or their end. It was a treat to see the behind-the-scenes footage of them hanging out and just being their silly selves. It's interesting hearing the people who lived through it and explaining how much the Beatles meant to them. I also liked how they linked Beatlemania to America, which needed a lift of joy after the assassination of JFK. As a whole, this was an intriguing look at their early years and how even in the beginning, they were changing music.

6/28/25 "Novocaine" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "HE'S MY BROTHER" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty inventive action movie. With superhero fatigue, many people are tired of these action films, but this film goes around this with an interesting, but simple get-around. In this movie, Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) has CIPA (meaning, he can't feel pain), which makes the action scenes really interesting. He's not immortal, but he can't feel a thing. Jack Quaid is such a natural leading man; he's really charming and really makes this story work. Some of the other actors bring this down with some genuinely questionable acting choices, but as a whole, this was pretty underrated.

4/13/25 "Friendship" 2025
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I have a lot of great 'Would You Rathers'" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
What a wonderful bizarre film. It's crazy to see Tim Robinson used to his full potential. This is the perfect vehicle for him, and I really hope it pushes him towards more leading roles. This film follows a suburban dad named Craig (Tim Robinson) as he meets, and starts a friendship with his neighbor Austin (Paul Rudd). Craig is a little awkward and doesn't exactly understand social cues while Austin is very charismatic and cool. This has that "I Think You Should Leave" energy where the humor comes from discomfort and a hint of sadness. Tim Robinson plays this role very very well and really makes a unique film experience. It's a perfect blend of A24 and Robinson's humor that really makes a lasting impression.

5/22/25 "Not Just A Goof" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I went home and I didn't get much sleep those days, cause I went, 'Don't they want to hear Goofy when they hear 'A Goofy Movie'" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I never really thought much of the cultural impact of the Goofy Movie, but this documentary really helped lead to way. This film uses archived footage from the director's own collection, which was a really amazing touch, letting us see the behind the scenes process. It's a really interesting documentary that really lets us into the creative process.

5/28/25 "Sinners" 2025
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You go dancing with the devil and one day he's gonna follow you home." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is easily one of the best vampire movies I've seen. Ryan Coogler really has such a firm grasp on directing action, but seeing him dive into horror was a really interesting and welcome turn. What I love about this movie is how they use vampires and mystical features to discuss culture and appropriation. The awakening scene sent chills down my spine, because of how well done it was and how it paints a picture of what the movie is really about. I don't want to give anything away, but it's paced perfectly and is really a standout in the horror world. If this doesn't get nominated, there will be riots.

7/3/25 "The Phoenician Scheme" 2025
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I recognized him, he used to work for me." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty disappointing venture from Wes Anderson. I love his movies, and there were aspects I really loved about this film, but it was really bogged down by one of his weaker plots. 50% of the movie is his classic, charming dialogue, while the other 50% is business talk that gets really dull. Someone called this film a Wes Anderson parody made by Wes Anderson, and I have to agree. This falls into a trend of recent Wes Anderson films that gets under my skin, where they get these big stars to say one line and then never appear again. These characters seem very underdeveloped and really slow down the film. For instance, F. Murray Abraham is in this film, but he doesn't say a single line. Why waste his talent then??? Michael Cera was incredible in this film, however, and should be in future Wes Anderson projects. It was just a slog with occasional great bits.

7/6/25 "I Don't Understand You" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Six people to return one passport..." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a really interesting movie because of its blend of comedy and horror. It's a movie where we follow a couple (Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells) on their honeymoon in Italy. They find out on the trip that their plans to adopt a child were successful. The problem is, they accidentally kill an old lady one night of their trip. The film follows the two as they scramble to try to make sure everything's alright with the old woman, but also not get caught, because then they'd lose the baby. The film has a great back and forth between Kroll and Rannells, giving them a lot of room to shine in these roles. It had creative ways to keep them innocent while still committing different murders. It could get a little silly at some points, but it adds to the charm of this film. The lighting in the old house really adds to the mood of suspense as these two try to get away with the murder.

7/8/25 "Oh, Hi!" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I don't like France! I mean, I can get better croissants at Dunkin' Donuts." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I feel like 2025 is a renaissance in dark comedies. They've been coming out frequently and really shining every time. This film is no different. We follow Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) as they go to the countryside for a romantic getaway. While there, they play with some bondage stuff as Isaac gets chained to the bed. When Isaac reveals that he doesn't want a relationship, he is just looking for some fun. In a fit of rage, Iris keeps Isaac in the chains and forces him to stay there until he likes her. It's a really funny premise that really blends the comedy and thriller genres. There are some really funny lines that keep this movie's tone light compared to its dark subject matter. As a whole, I can see this movie becoming a cult-classic.

7/25/25 "The Fantastic 4" 2025
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's just in the cartoon." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This feels like a sequel to a Fantastic Four movie that doesn't exist. This is one of the better offerings of Marvel since Endgame, and it has such a clear visual style that really shines through. The 60s futurism is a really nice addition. I feel like the characters don't really have an arc in the movie; however, these characters have very clear arcs in the comics. These characters start and end the same way. I feel like we didn't touch on the grief that Reed feels for turning Ben into the Thing (which is a huge aspect of his character). Also, sorry Stranger Things fans, but Joseph Quinn wasn't very good in this movie. He had a ton of emotional scenes that really fell flat. It was a mistake to introduce Galactus and Silver Surfer so soon into the lore. We hardly know the Fantastic Four, and now we have to get to know a being that devours planets. Overall, while it's one of the better recent Marvel movies, it could've used the characters better.

7/30/25 "The Naked Gun" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm like a teenager with 3 different babysitting jobs, because I don't need another babysitting job." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was very nervous for this film to come out, because it's a sort of make-or-break movie. We haven't had a spoof film like this in a while, so this could either show that comedies like this can survive or could totally fall flat. Luckily, this film soars. I remember when I first heard that Liam Nielson would be Frank Drebin, I had my doubts, but he was perfect in the role. He really had a similar vibe to Leslie Nielsen with his dry, deadpan delivery. Pamela Anderson also does a great job in the film, carrying her own as the Femme Fatale type character. What I liked about this film is how it honors the original by having some restraint. It's not overstuffed with cameos (although there are some fun ones), and while it does have some low-brow humor, it's well done and used sparingly. This film has some great sight gags that are tied together with a pretty tight story. The runtime is the perfect length, because I would want it to be a little longer, but not at the risk of becoming stale. As a whole, I can see this revitalizing comedies at the theaters.

9/3/25 "Weapons" 2025
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Willow!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is sure to go down as a horror classic. I remember walking out of the theater, jaw-dropped due to how well done this film is. We follow a small town where mysteriously one night, almost every kid from Justine (Julia Garner)'s classroom disappear at 2:17 am. All except the very quiet Alex (Cary Christopher). The film has such a great structure where we follow the various perspectives of the people involved (ala Rashamon, Pulp Fiction, or Hoodwinked). We follow a father (Josh Brolin) who lost his son and becomes obsessed with the case, a police officer (Alden Ehrenreich) who's friends with Justine, her boss (Benedict Wong), and a criminal that the cop is after (Austin Abrams), what ties all of them together is the mystery of these kids. Without spoiling anything, there's an actress in this movie who gives one of the most threating and evil performances I've seen in a while. Really reminded me of Harry Powell from "Night Of The Hunter". The chapter set up of the movie gives enough information to be in there, but just not enough for you to want more. The subtext of the film is extremely disheartening and really potrays it's subject matter well.

9/22/25 "One Battle After Another" 2025
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Do you have to knock so loud?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This feels so wildly different for Paul Thomas Anderson, but his writing really fits this type of movie. This film follows a group of revolutionaries who get caught and try to take down the corrupt Col. Lockjaw (Sean Penn). One of the members who got away, Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), takes 16 years off to raise his daughter. In that time, however, Lockjaw has climbed the ranks and is back to find Bob and his daughter. After the two get separated, Bob tries to find her but is incredibly rusty. This film has some really biting satire and really suspenseful sequences that honestly reminded me of a Hitchcock movie. Strangely enough, it's also really funny, having many great one-liners and realistic dialogue. As a whole, Paul Thomas Anderson steps out of his comfort zone and it really paid off.

11/21/25 "Wicked: For Good" 2025
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Sort of
This was the perfect way to close the story of Wicked. Many people have made claims saying that this film doesn't live up to the first one, and my response is... yeah, no duh. If you knew the source material, you would know that Act 2 isn't as great as Act 1, but it closes the story perfectly. There are a lot of great shots in this movie, and absolute powerhouse performances from the main cast, especially Cynthia Erivo's performance of "No Good Deed". The new songs written for the film felt a little out of place, in my opinion, with them coming off as an attempt to win "Best Original Song" at the Oscars. Despite this (and the annoyingly forceful use of "clock-tick"), I would say this film is a wonderful conclusion to the first film, making the complete package one of the best movie musicals in a while.

12/13/25 "Zootopia 2" 2025
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The world will never be a better place if no one is brave enough to do the right thing." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Disney sequels normally miss the mark completely, but this one was actually really good. I even dare say it might be better than the first movie. Nick and Judy are back again to solve a case involving a secret snake society that no one seems to know about. It's a really intriguing mystery that adds a lot to the world of Zootopia. The conflict between Nick and Judy being too different is a really smart direction to go, because you can easily see the two of them not seeing eye to eye. As a whole, this film takes the basis of the first one but expands it to a more interesting idea.c

1/2/26 "I'm Chevy Chase, and You're Not" 2026
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm sorry for being me." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is such an interesting documentary because it really doesn't hold back on the nightmare Chevy Chase can be. I have to give props to the director, Marina Zenovich. The entire time, she's very patient with Chevy and lets him be his usual jerk self, and doesn't let him get to her. She just presses on and really gets him to reveal a lot. The documentary paints a troubled figure, at best for Chevy, which is really interesting to see. They definitely can't paint him as a good guy, because of all the awful things he's said/done, but they show a more tender side of him and try to humanize him. It does a great job of neither villainizing nor sugarcoating what he's done. It's telling who gave or didn't give an interview, because of their opinion on him. As a whole, this offers a window into the world of Chevy Chase in a way I've never seen before.

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