Reviews

People are giving this 10/10 cause I guess they're drinking the cool aid. I guess no one has standards for animation anymore. Dreamworks' latest product it barfed out with the help of Universal patting its back. Just like Camp Jurassic, this is a bunch of adults with no concept of writing teenagers looks like; pure cringe embarrassment. Every time a character speaks, it's like nails on a chalk board, and I want all of these teenagers to die in a fiery car crash; is that too much to ask? It's weird that adults are watching this show and defending it, just like they did with Camp Jurassic, cause I would've thought adults were smarter than that. I guess not. Only adults defend this show, and only adults watch it, cause I guess they have nothing else in their lives right now. If you people are thinking this is as good as any Pixar movie, don't bother writing reviews, cause I think you need at least some basic knowledge of film to know that this is terrible; also a dunctioning brain stem.

Batman: Death in the Family is the latest ripoff con job from Warner Brothers Animation. They were thinking to themselves, well our movies aren't doing so well, so let's just retcon an entire movie that we think still has some gas, how about Under the Red Hood? It's a recognizable title, a title we're still coasting off the fumes and good name of, and people still like it; let's slap together a 30 minute short with the cheapest animation possible through an overseas company with inferior quality, cobble that 30 minutes into another title and market it as an "interactive" movie. Let's stretch this thing out and pad the hell out of it by slapping it into another story in the most awkward way we can. We'll patch any of the holes with ADR dialogue and still images, and maybe it'll work. This movie is the equivalent of fixing a dirty carpet hack job. All right guys, get the hot glue, a bunch of duct tape, gum, plaster, anything that'll work, oh but we're still gonna charge you for it. Can you even call it animation when nothing moves on screen? Warner Brothers can't look me in the eye and say that with a straight face. Animation implies that something is moving on the screen. Instead of actually animating it, cause that's too much work, let's just make things stand very still then dump a whole bunch of exposition and narration, cause we aren't able to tell a story visually anymore. This is the worst tricking the audience gimmick since Cloverfield Paradox. We haven't even gotten to the story yet, which is another carpet crammed into a dumpster, then set on fire. Jason Todd is one of the worst character that DC created, and no one cares about him or his story. People realize they killed him off back in the day for a reason, right? I guess we don't learn from our mistakes, something that Warner Animation can't figure out. All this movie proved to me is that no matter what universe Jason Todd is in, he's still a dick and a murdering psychopath. Basically, he was screwed up from the start, and screwed no matter what. We can't do anything new with him, I guess. I'd be embarrassed to call myself a writer if I wasn't able to do something clever with a character. People are still drinking the cool aid thinking Warner Animation still makes quality films, which they haven't done in at least 10 years. It's funny to see them so desperate though, to the point of turning into a sleazy fix-it-up plumbing company that still charges you when they exploded your entire bathroom.

Great, but could have been even better. It was almost there. Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic and definitely deserves his long overdue Oscar nomination. It's one of the more interesting DC films out there. There are a lot of great sequences and moments that define Phoenix's version of the Joker; you can feel the tension and creepiness in almost every scene. The cinematography is fantastic, as is the look of Gotham City. It actually feels more like Gotham than the Nolan movies. The one detriment of the film is that it is Taxi Driver and the King of Comedy almost beat for beat. While it is inspired by the films of Scorsese, it feels like it's just copying it straight out. If it were altered from Taxi Driver, but still kept the same slow burn, it would have been just as great. It is an interesting take on the Joker, but the fascination with his character is the mystery, and having his own film will always feel unnecessary. It does deserve credit though, for being different and trying to do it's own thing. Phoenix's costume and mannerisms are fantastic, and I like its homage to Cesar Romero. While it could use some light editing and a few changes to the ending, the film works for the most part, but it's overall goal seems a little unclear. A lot of people seemed to be unsure of the message of the movie, but it feels more like it's up to your own interpretation. It felt like you have to look at it from a certain point of view. Depending on how you look at it, some stuff will work and some won't. I'm a sucker for gritty crime films, gangster movies, and the Joker himself, so if you're a fan of the character and those types of film, it's for you. It is very unique, great production design, great look to everything, and a noteworthy take on a fun character, especially in its ending. It's worth seeing, and I hope it gets a few Oscars.

Definitely an awards season film, although a pretty sad depiction of the life of Garland; though her life was pretty tragic in real life. Zellweger is the best thing in the film, she looks and acts exactly like Judy in her later years. The film is more of a look into Judy's behavior at the end of her life, what led to it at these specific moments of her life. A lot of stuff in the movie feels creepy and felt more like a message in regards to the current state of cultural sensitivity. Although, a movie like this almost feels oddly perfect for the current times, you almost want a biopic like Ed Wood, something lighthearted and done with a fairy tale flair. It makes the movie feel cold and unfriendly, but the sad truth is, that was the life of Judy's up until the end of her career towards. The movie could use a few more brighter, hopeful moments in regards to Judy's legacy, though there are a few scenes like that towards the end. Overall, a very good movie, great performances, and I'm sure Zellweger will be nominated for Best Actress. It could use more of a flair and a hopefulness like most biopics, but it makes you feel like Judy did in her final days, which isn't the best feeling in the world. I'm sure it was the intention of the filmmakers, but sometimes we could use a little whimsy and heart; something to make you feel brighter for having Judy in the world. When you think about biopics of figures in Hollywood, Chaplin with Robert Downey, Jr. comes to mind, and while Chaplin didn't have the best life at times, the movie has a charm that ties into his character and translates that feeling of joy and triumph to the audience. Not that Judy's life was life Chaplin's, but a feeling of joy towards her legacy would make the film a little better and more endearing. It would have been a little more whimsical if we had a montage of her film roles, her music, maybe something like Rocketman, a movie with some flair and charm. If it's a look into her life, then the movie did it's job, but it feels distant and weird. It's a period piece of a damaged person, and people tend to be drawn to those movies. Zellweger gives the best performance of her career, and overall it's a good movie, but not great.

Rambo: Last Blood is exactly what I thought it was gonna be. Predictable and played out in the safest way possible. Generic villains and a generic plot. From the trailer, you can guess everything that's going to happen in the movie. It has some fun Rambo kills and violence and Sylvester Stallone is all right; he has his moments. The best parts of the movie are the kills, traps and the violence. The movie is okay for what it is, it's not terrible, but nothing special. This is definitely Stallone's last foray into Rambo territory, although it's not the best ending to the character. It doesn't have the best plot points towards the end, but you get some mild amusement from it. By this point nothing seems to matter in the franchise since it's the 5th film. At this point, you just watch them for the violence. It seems to have a more blase ending to the Rambo character, unlike the Rocky movies which are treated with a little more dignity. Other than that, it's safe and predictable and you just watch it to waste 2 hours of your day, even getting some good laughs with the violence. It's worth it to see Rambo just killing more people for fun. It does have some fun 80s action schlock towards the end, and one moment I laughed pretty hard at that's straight out of a movie like Commando. If it was as fun as Commando, it'd be great.

One of the most enjoyable things I've seen this year. Much like Rudy Ray Moore himself, it's funny and just wants you to have a fun time. Eddie Murphy is at the top of his game, and it's one of his best roles. I've never seen any of Rudy Ray Moore's films, but I've heard all about him, and now I need to watch every single one. Everyone is fun to watch and I'm a sap for movies about making movies. It's from the writers of Ed Wood, one of my absolute favorites, so it gets extra points. There's nothing better than a movie about making movies, and I'm so happy to see someone knock it out of the park with another great Hollywood story. The movie has one of the best messages at the end; people can be critical and not understand you or what you're doing, but in the end it doesn't matter. It's all about having fun, making people laugh and making movies that people want to see. There's a great line in the movie, people want to see movies about explosions, girls and violence, and they're not wrong. That sort of entertainment will never go away, and Rudy helped contribute to it. People just want to see something that's fun, and that's what he understood. A lot of movies nowadays can learn the same lesson. Moore's career is a great Hollywood story of rising up from the ashes and making something of himself. He became one of the biggest box office stars of the 70s and his persona still survives to this day. Forget Gemini Man, make more movies like this. Fingers crossed for this one come awards season. Great message, super funny and a great look at a specific moment in film history; always a good combination. One of the best of the year.

Ojo Rabbit is the funniest, loveliest, saddest and best films I've seen so far this year. Taika Waititi nailed it and this one is his Oscar gold. Mental note to start a riot if this isn't nominated for Best Picture or Best Adapted Screenplay. I was looking forward to it ever since I heard about it, and it didn't disappoint. Taika's been a fascinating director since he made the best Thor movie, and all of his projects make me more and more excited. If you're a fan of Time Bandits, he's making a new tv series with Terry Gilliam, and that's a match made in heaven. Everyone in the movie is amazing, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Sam Rockwell keeps nailing it. He's amazing in every single thing he does. Scarlet Johansson plays the best movie mom since ever and Waititi is the funniest man on the face of the Earth as Hitler. Top notch writing, casting and cinematography, the entire film feels like a love letter from Taika to Wes Anderson. Funny, quippy dialogue and bright colors, just make up a beautiful film. The film couldn't have come at a more perfect time and it's slogan isn't a lie; it's a movie that goes to war on hate, and it has the best message of anything else that came out. Don't be turned off by anything about it, it's one of the funniest things I've seen, and it's all worth it. It has heart and soul and it teaches you to be a better person, and no other movie this year has accomplished that. I'll be there front and center for Time Bandits and anything else Taika does. He's becoming one of my favorite directors and he has the Midas touch. Keep on nailing it, Taika.

Since Halloween is very close, let's take a look back at the latest Michael Myers film. It's called Halloween, aka Halloween 2, aka the other Halloween 2, not to be confused with the other Halloween 2, is the last film in the Halloween franchise, at least it should have been. Despite it's awkward title, it's technically the best film since the first one in 1978. It does have some weird scenes for comedy effect, which is surprising that the film is directed by someone most known for comedy. There's a long single take shot which I absolutely love, and Myers is treated as scary and as an actual threat compared to the sequels. It could have used some more murders, and some more elaborate ones at that. The one thing about the film is that it made me immediately tired, tired of Halloween films and tired of the franchise. It would have been the better book end to the series, but we're getting more, always more. It made me sick of all the films, and you feel like you just want it to end. It has a great ending, but a dumb twist. Despite some weird scenes and missed opportunities, it's actually pretty good as far as reboots go. I'm not lying when I saw it's the best Halloween film since the first one, this one is more fresh in my mind and it captures the feeling of the original film. The music is great, because it's actually done by John Carpenter himself, and he seemed like he had good input on this one. If you want a good Halloween movie, listen to John Carpenter. Seeing any new films would just make me feel exhausted and tired, like going to a job you don't care about anymore. I've no doubt the sequels would be better than the others, but let's please stop. Myers had a good run, but now it's time to let the franchise disappear. I just want John Carpenter to make a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China.

We thought Terminator: Genysis was dumb, Terminator: Dark Fate takes the cake. You think to yourself, well, Genysis was terrible. Then you see Dark Fate, and you're like, that was also terrible, but it gets worse in different ways. It was reminding me so much of Dark Phoneix, a bad movie that thinks it's trying to spout a good message; then it falls flat on it's face. While shot slightly more competently than Genysis, it quickly turns into a Looney Tunes farce, complete with flying Terminators. It's dumb, frustrating and I just wanted it to end. It also answers none of my questions and throws its own message into the garbage. It's like watching a messy nightmare happen before your eyes that you can't understand. It's not treated like any direct sequel to Judgement Day, it's like it forgot the first two movies existed. Every decision about it is either confusing or irritating. It's clearly a soft reboot, though I think we need to invent a new term, sledgehammer reboot (to the face), where it's not trying to be subtle about letting the past die (kill it if you have to). So thanks for that, James Cameron. It's dumb, it treats me like I'm dumb, and is filled with ham-fisted social commentary. If it's one thing people want to see in their action movie about killer robots from the future, it's social politics. There's weird acting and awkward acting from our main characters and moments that just killed the franchise outright. There's terrible visual effects that even the movie was embarrassed about, where the trailers had some of the worst effects I've ever seen, and they quickly cut them down or out entirely in the finished product. During the movie, I could see the exact moment in Arnold's eyes when he stopped caring about this stupid franchise; the moment he realized he was too good for even this. It's one saving grace is that it was rated R and had a few decent action scenes, but given the state of movies, that's no victory in this or any galaxy. It's like the producers were thinking, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the long lost season 3 of Galavant. If you pretend it's a third season, things seem slightly less stupid. If it were a musical, you could guess every moment that they would come in. Once that thought was in my brain, it made the movie more funny and easier to get through. Surprisingly, it's better than the first film, but it's still got it's fair share of stupid. I never knew that Sonic The Hedgehog and Toad from Super Mario Brothers would ever be in a fantasy film. I'm surprised Nintendo didn't notice the comparison. The characters are actual characters this time, considering the first time Aurora had no personality and just ran after shiny things like a cat. Prince Philip is replaced by another bland actor man #2, which tells you how much confidence they had in him in the first movie. He's a character this time, but it's your standard loyal prince persona, and at least he stayed consistent. Angelina Jolie seems to enjoy playing Maleficent and she gets some mildly humorous dialogue. Other characters are just there, no purpose or character, just filler for the background. If you ever want a cold manipulating person in a movie, cast Michelle Pfeiffer, she seems to enjoy it. The production design is actually thought out this time, with Maleficent's race in different environments and showing their culture. It reminded me of How to Train Your Dragon 3, which is a detail that was sadly missing from that movie. Our Hidden World should have shown different dragons from different environments and how they live. One point to Maleficent for detail. The rest of the movie seems more fit for children than the first, it's safe, bland, sappy, but it's harmless. I was actually shocked to see Warwick Davis in the movie. He looks like he wandered off the set from the latest Harry Potter or Willow film, but he's always fun to watch. The title is weird too, cause Maleficent really doesn't do anything evil in the movie, and there are still some moments that are too dumb for words. It's flopping, which shouldn't be a shock to anyone, but it's not as infuriating as something like Dark Fate. Good thing for kids, bland distraction for adults, better than the first, but bland and safe. The movie just made me want season 3 of Galavant.

A funny, witty, and clever just like the movie Clue. As far as Who Dunnit? movies go, it's pretty solid and deserves some credit for it's take on dark comedy and characters. A lot of people are gonna say it's a Clue ripoff, but you can blame the trailer for that. There are similarities, the house is a character unto itself, and it's filled with a bunch of wacky weirdos trying to solve a murder, but that's as far as it goes. It has great production design, a fantastic cast and a very funny script. I love a good dark comedy, like Clue, Death to Smoochy, or anything from the Coen Brothers. Daniel Craig has one of the best parts in the movie, but everyone steals the show in their own way. It's the kind of movie Rian Johnson should be directing, something original, quirky and fun to watch. A lot of old people in the theater, which was funny, because we all know they like Murder, She Wrote. You could almost guess what might be going on, but it still manages to be it's own thing. It's a fun watch, and it's good to see something like this still being made.

Clint Eastwood's films have been 50/50 of late, some good, some bad, but he's one of the most prolific directors working today. Richard Jewell is one of his best, and one of the best of the year. Such amazing casting and performances. Sam Rockwell, god bless him for having the best agent in Hollywood, is always a treasure to watch. Paul Walter Hauser is so natural and talented as Jewell. Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm all take the cake and nail it. I never knew the story of the '96 bombings or of Jewell, but this movie does a fantastic job highlighting what happened and makes it into a very dramatic and sad story. It'll make you cry, it made me cry, it's one of the most dramatic things I've seen. It's quite clear that Eastwood cared about this story and telling it to people. He knew how he wanted them to feel and he knew what he was doing. Other than Gran Torino, it's one of his best films and deserves all the recognition it can.

A game I wouldn't want to play. Bland, generic villains, no opportunity for some really clever video game jokes, and nothing to prove warranting further movies. As amazing as it is, it's slightly better than Welcome to the Jungle, but that's only because of the antics of Danny Glover and Danny DeVito. Kevin Hart is funnier impersonating Glover and Dwayne Johnson is fun as DeVito. The movies lack the heart and soul of the original, and Sony can't make good movies anymore. Making a wacky video game movie is perfectly fine with me, but I don't know why they're doing it with Jumanji. The original is a fun action, adventure fantasy with great practical effects. It has some laughs, but it's no comedy by any stretch of the imagination. I miss the primordial jungle with giant spiders and man eating plants. They really need to get back to their roots. There are some fun video game moments, but there's not enough of them, and the ones we do get aren't strong enough to be clever or entertaining. If you've seen the trailer for Free Guy, that's a movie that's getting the video game stuff right. Wreck-It Ralph is also more entertaining for it's antics. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the gold standard for video game movies, and Jumanji just can't get there.

Another good step in the right direction for video game adaptations, but also another step back. I'm not familiar with the Witcher, the games or the books, but it's a pretty interesting world they've created. There's great fight choreography, good drama and acting and some pretty darn good production design. Henry Cavill is actually pretty good as Geralt. I'm happy Netflix is really throwing more money into quality TV shows. More fantasy series need to be made like this and Dark Crystal. The problem with the show is the timeline and the linear story of events made my brain go haywire. I just couldn't figure it out for the longest time and it was driving me nuts. If the story was straightforward and chronological, then it would have been much better. Events jump in time all over the place and that's the kind of thing that just takes me out of the series. There's also a lot of terms and plots to keep track of, and it's more hard to do with such weird names and characters. Dark Crystal, while having way more characters, is much simpler to follow. The show is kind of a weird intro to the world, especially if you're not familiar with it, and it seems like it was created without considering people who don't know The Witcher universe. It's a good adaptation of a video game, one of the better ones we've been getting, but it also has a ways to go to improve. Like Detective Pikachu and Castlevania, we're getting more game adaptations that are getting better and better. So far the best has been Castlevania. I'd see more Witcher, but let's get that story to be cohesive this time, and that way we can enjoy a decent fantasy series without interruption.

Well, time to ruin everyone's Christmas. Hold onto your butts people, this is a long one. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a huge train wreck. I've seen a lot of movie catastrophes, and it's pretty rare and funny to see a film that was so miscalculated, like the Justice League. It's a big, rushed sloppy mess and the ultimate example of how not to plan your trilogy. It's like playing a fetch-quest video game, only you're not enjoying it. It's the living embodiment of everything and the kitchen sink; whatever we got, throw it in there. The Last Jedi felt like some college students thesis statement on Star Wars, and this one feels like one of those big cork boards with a bunch of pictures and threads connecting to each other, like the one a nutjob conspiracy theorist would make. The whole movie is written as a response to all the negative criticism Last Jedi got, instead of being written for fun or to create a compelling story. That's not how you write a movie. Batman v. Superman and Justice League did the exact same thing, and they're both considered some of the worst blockbusters ever. and The whole thing moves by so fast that you can't process what's happening, as it's rushing to the finish line. This movie is Justice League in every sense of the word. It wants to make you completely forget the film that came before it, but just ends up falling flat on its face in attempting to fix it. It ends up falling into an even bigger mess. I suppose we should be happy that this film is trying to fix the Last Jedi, but every creative choice for it just adds to the mess. Not attempting to write a cohesive, compelling trilogy is the fault of everyone on board the production, and any new ideas they had to try to fix it are either completely baffling or dumber than a doornail. There were a good number of rumors swirling the movie, and each one I heard was worse than the last, and most of them came true. I don't think I can give them points for trying to fix it, because I couldn't stand their ideas and it just contributes to an even bigger, complicated mess. While the visuals partially save the movie, it doesn't feel like it's enough at the same time. There's good cinematography, great atmosphere, and some decent production design, alien effects, and practicality to everything, and some good moments. It feels so tiring saying all the effects is good for a Star Wars movie, because that tends to be the only good stuff anymore. It just feels like for every positive that comes up, more negatives take its place. The whole cast does what they can amid the burning wreckage. Boyega has charisma, but he's at his most irritating, Poe is more interesting in this one than the other films, and Daisy Ridley does the best she can with a completely underwritten character. Adam Driver is the most interesting character and is the rock holding up the entire franchise. Ian McDiarmid is fun as the Emperor, and he's completely hamming it up for our enjoyment. The only characters not ruined were Lando and Chewie. Billy Dee Williams just brings his signature cool. One of the worst character moments in the movie is Carrie Fisher, who could have had a real emotional moment, but it fails completely. The cyanide cherry on top is a young CGI Leia and Luke brought in to ruin Leia's background even more. All of our characters end up not doing anything in the movie, and most of them have no impact in the plot. It makes for a never-ending frustration. Even John Williams' score has been pretty forgettable for the last three films. All the questions I had are never answered and the movie feels like it's insulting me for asking. Plot points come and go so fast that you're not giving time to process any of it, and things just happen because they can at the drop of a hat. Nothing makes sense, especially with the Emperor, and we'll go to our graves wondering what happened and why. Since Avengers: Endgame is the gold standard for blockbuster endings, this movie wanted to be Endgame so badly, that it just ripped it off. So much crap is thrown on the screen at the end that it's headache inducing. It's Throwaway Line the movie, where everything is brushed aside in one swift stroke, and any plot point that comes up is immediately resolved in the next scene. They just want you to ignore it and enjoy the spectacle. It's over stimulating, over compensating and a complete disaster. I think we're all a little happier that the franchise is over. Avengers: Endgame, the perfect ending to a monumental franchise, except this one ended on a real whimper. It also doesn't get credit for replicating the exact ending of Return of the Jedi. All three movies just rehashed the original films and it shows a complete lack of imagination and creativity. The funniest part of the film is when it went full Independence Day in the end. Never go full Independence Day. I think we'll always get more Star Wars projects, but our enthusiasm is done. Some may be good, some may be bad, but we're all just getting tired. Force Awakens is still the best film, but the whole trilogy feels like a huge waste of potential. It's more and more I feel that Spaceballs is the best Star Wars movie, just like Galaxy Quest is the best Star Trek movie.

1917 is the prime example of any great war flick. It's quick to join Letters from Iwo Jima, Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket as one of the greats. It's one of the best technically minded movies of the year, with some of the most amazing cinematography and camerawork around, great locations, production and set design, special effects and sound editing. Roger Deakins is the best living cinematographer right now, and everyone should be kissing the ground the man walks on. Sam Mendes pulls off an almost impossible feat of a single-take war film, and while has its trickery and smoothness, it's still an amazing accomplishment, and you're left wondering how the heck they pulled everything off. A great cast peppered throughout, and the two leads deserve all the credit for pulling the entire film. It's a rather simple story like Saving Private Ryan and it feels too long since we got a good WW1 movie. It's in a league of its own, pushing forward the technical aspects and focusing on the big epic spectacle of a war movie. It's quite something to witness in the biggest theater you can with the best surround sound system. Don't even think about watching it on your phone.

A rocky start to the first live-action Star Wars TV series. It's like a kid learning to ride a bike for the first time. It stumbles out of the gate, learning to get it's bearings, slowly pedaling and pedaling, until finally it was set free, then the jet engines kicked in and that bike sailed over the gorge. By the final episode, it got to the point where it redeemed the entire series and all of the recent films. Although that's not to say it's perfect, far from it. There's a lot of dumb stuff, a lot of good stuff, both clashing with each other to where pros and cons are just at a standstill. With every step forward, it takes two steps back. Any dumb ideas for the show felt like holdovers from the animated side of Lucasfilm, Clone Wars and Rebels, headed by the hack Dave Filoni. A lot of elements and dumb ideas seemed like they were Filoni's idea, whereas Jon Favreau felt like he knew what he was doing. Favreau's track record is also far from perfect, but he was probably the best choice to kickstart the series. Filoni does an okay job with the first episode, but he's also the one that gave it it's rocky start. There's the typical not-so-subtle fan service, annoying references and embarrassing attempts at humor. The first two episodes don't seem to promise a good start to a series; one has one of the best moments I've seen in any recent Star Wars media, and the next it's a boring trek to where nothing is accomplished. By the third episode is when it really starts to kick in, and it slowly builds itself back up. It has a surprisingly decent cast, my favorite being Taika Waititi as IG-11, probably the best new character on the show. Pedro Pascal is great as the Mandalorian. Nick Nolte is so much fun to listen to, and Gina Carano is a great addition. Unlike the animated shows and movies, we actually get a decent villain in this one, played wonderfully by Giancarlo Esposito. Werner Herzog is the standout, and makes for a great new Star Wars villain. Sadly, he will not be back for a season 2, to the detriment of the show. Star Wars has a rather shotty history of casting great actors and then not using them to their full potential. Usually they don't give them anything to do or say, they don't use their talents, or they just kill them off. Any show that doesn't use enough of Taika Waititi also gets points off. The music is actually one of the best things. It's better than any of the recent movies, much more fun to listen to and it's actually memorable. It feels like it came straight out of a Western. Sometimes the overall plot feels lost in the shuffle, but it's to the benefit of attempting single note episodes that stand on their own. Some episodes do it better than others. It's odd choices in terms of directors for each episode, but some are surprisingly well done. The best thing the show does is take it's time to tell a much smaller story, and really scale back on loud dumb space explosions and mindless action. It finally goes back to it's roots in Westerns and adventure serials like the original Star Wars. Some parts feel like a child's interpretation of a Western, like someone saw The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly only once without understand what made it great. For some reason, every episode is timed to be forty minutes or less, which when compared to a modern series, a single episode is at least an hour. Baby Yoda is cute, anyone will admit it, but his presence seems to just bring up more questions and confusion, like what's his purpose, why he has force powers, and why wasn't it any other alien race. Despite that, he has become a huge internet phenomenon, and he's actually one of the best things in the show. We finally get a smaller scale Star Wars, with a great villain, a great cast of characters, fun action and a promising look to a second season. Takia Waititi directs the last episode, and it single handedly saved the series, being the best episode, great action, and some very memorable moments. If it were up to me, Taika would direct every episode. Thanks to him and Favreau, Star Wars is saved. The last episode made up for a lot, and automatically made it as good as The Force Awakens. While not perfect, it's fun and enjoyable and we can make a lot of improvement and headway for season 2. If we get rid of those people who have no ideawhat they're doing, I'm looking at you Filoni, then we can finally have something good in Star Wars.

Once Upon a Time...in Burbank, I watched the new Quentin Tarantino film. Best choice ever. Never a dull moment when watching his stuff, especially if it's almost 3 hours long. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is one of the best things he's made and it shows. You can tell everything he put in there meant a lot to him, much more of a personal film than the others. If Tarantino retires, we're out of one of the few brilliant directors left in this industry. He always has the best editing, the best soundtracks, cinematography and the most interesting stories. Everything is a straight up love letter to classic Hollywood and to all the stuff that Tarantino grew up with and inspired him. Lots of fun to see films like that, with period cars and locations from a bygone era to remind you of the simpler times. Tarantino also has the best casts, and no exception here. As good as DiCaprio is, seeing Luke Perry in there makes me think how interesting he would have been as the lead. It's definitely one of his more interesting films, with a great story and timeline, and it gets pretty downright funny, scary and over the top at the same time. Lots of scenes with great tension and classic Tarantino tropes, which are very fun to watch. The ending is by far one of the most entertaining things I've watched in a long time, and he put in one of the most satisfying twists ever. It's so good, and so refreshing to see something like this, a real "film" film, that takes it's time, has an amazing script and makes you feel a lot of different things. That's true cinema. Please make more. Make the fresh stuff, dine el fresco.

One of the best dramas. Not sure how Noah Baumbach does it, but if he ever teaches a writing class, I'll be there. Already I'm betting that he'll win for Best Original Screenplay. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are amazing, and every supporting role nails it. Some of the best acting I've seen from them. It's better than The Irishman and deserves as much praise as it can get, Best Picture included. There's a lot of scenes that remind me so much of things in my personal life, and I bet that's what Noah was aiming for. Amazing acting, an even better script and easily one of the best movies so far.

Thank goodness we still have filmmakers like Martin Scorsese around. Much like Tarantino, he directs true cinema. He knows what he's doing, he's very consistent, showing no signs of stopping or dipping in quality. The Irishman is his latest exhibit. A very fine movie, like a fine wine, enjoying the pure gangster atmosphere and world that Scorsese is known for. He and De Niro built that world and they're very comfortable in it. It's great to see a reunion of De Niro, Pesci and Pacino all together on screen, giving powerhouse performances and showing they still got it. It's the only movie that managed to make the de-aging effects work, and it looks much more natural than most attempts. Despite it's 3 1/2 hour runtime, it's another great addition to Scorsese's repertoire. While not my favorite film of his, it's still a class act and a true piece of cinema like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Scorsese never fails to deliver on great cinematography, performances and filmmaking on every level. It seems odd for such a great director using Netflix as a launching point now, but the Coens did it, and it seems to the way nowadays. Experiencing it on the big screen would be a plus, but Scorsese delivered and he's always worthy of recognition.

Overlord is the motherload of all Nazi zombie movies. It's such a well written, solid movie with pure intentions, and most of all, it's fun, entertaining, and not in the schlocky kind of way. It's a terrific war movie, and a great horror film, perfectly blended together to make a nice smoothie. It's good to see films that this given a chance, even though no one went to go see it. It's so much like District 9 or Krampus, a hidden gem found amongst the rocks. Terrific acting, setting, sound design, effects, music, and a perfect balance of tone. I'm usually very glad to find a movie like this between the cracks of the bigger blockbusters. Much like 10 Cloverfield Lane or Color Out of Space, it's probably not advertised as much, and will slip past a lot of people, but I'm so happy that people take the time and effort to make something tasteful like this and with so much care. It's something rare, no big name actors, no saving the world or being terrible, it just respects the audience enough to make a great movie. Everyone would immediately think that a Nazi zombie film is totally ridiculous, but this one is the top of the heap, actually taking it seriously enough and not going over the top. It tends to run a little long, but it makes up for it with everything else. Always look for those gems, the diamonds in the rough; they tend to be the best you can find.

The Invisible Man, being one of the most famous horror stories of all time, is a rather odd movie. It does have some good scares and set pieces, and an especially good scene in a hospital, but it just raises too many questions. It is one of the better Blumhouse horror films out there, but considering I haven't liked any of their movies except for Halloween. There's some good ideas, but by the end it feels mediocre and confusing. It also went on for another 20 minutes after it actually ended. There's odd camera work that doesn't seem to pay off in any way, odd character beats, and the ending message doesn't seem to work in any way whatsoever, at least not to me. There's confusing plot questions that seem to rack your brain and prevent you from enjoying some decent moments. It's got a more clever approach to the Invisible Man than most other adaptations, but it could have been a much better horror movie, with scarier scenes and scenarios. Overall just meh, but points for trying. If it's the kickoff to a new Universal monster franchise, I may be curious to see what they do next.

It's the religious version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and that's what makes it one of the best tv shows out right now. Series creator and secret genius, Neil Gaiman, creates his love letter to Douglas Adams and the mind of Terry Gilliam. It creates such a wonderful blend of quirkiness and poetry, a wonderful tv friendship of an angel and a demon. Every episode is filled with such wonderful British humor and wit, charming dialogue, and hilarious acting. Michael Sheen and David Tennant make that show what it is, creating one of the funniest and best friendships ever. There's so much of it that reminds me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, such heavy theme combined with a wonderful quirky story and characters, and giving it such a nice slice of life British way of cleverness. While hoping and praying for a second season, it's certainly the best Neil Gaiman adaptation we've had, making it feel like a long lost project Terry Gilliam directed in the 90s. The only downside is it's too short, only long enough to be a great adaptation of the source material, but it leaves us wanting more. There's nothing funnier than making fun of religion, Monty Python knew it better than anyone, and this would be the penultimate example. It's got incredible music, and one hell of an opening theme, wonderful cinematography, writing, acting, the whole shebang. Just like Sheen and Tennant enjoying life to the fullest, drinking expensive wine, dining on elegant food and watching humanity evolve and roll by, is exactly how I enjoy the show.

It's playing with clever ideas, good acting and premise, and a notable twist on the book. A lot of it feels like a Roland Emmerich premise though, and while it's better than his movies, it still feels like they kept his hallmarks; people acting dumb in an apocalypse, people needing to help in odd ways, following multiple characters in multiple locations, etc. It manages a slow tension-filled pace at times, creepy visuals and music, and some good drama. That being said, characters do act annoying, and it can get on your nerves. Things they do or say are often baffling or irritating, feeling more like a caricature of a 50s sci-fi channel movie. As a science fiction show, it feels reminiscent of a Ray Bradbury take on War of the Worlds, with odd, yet interesting take on aliens, but ultimately leading to a conclusion that is just more confusing, raising many more questions than answers, and they won't even be answered until season 2. It kinda leaves you stewing on possible theories and interpretations, which I guess makes it noteworthy, but weird. It feels like the movie Arrival at times, doing a cerebral, dark, moody take on an alien invasion, but also like a cheap sci-fi B movie at the same time with some cheesy character bits, dialogue and actions. That's a quirky blend, but it actually makes me want answers, as annoying or dumb as they might be. That goes into the leaving your audience wanting more territory. It's worth checking out, and gets credit for doing things differently, but this spaceship better be going somewhere interesting.

A doozy of a movie, and in a good way. It's loud, in your face, constantly shouting, and never lets down. It's probably the most tense, panic inducing, fast paced drug-adled state of a movie I've ever seen. It's got one hell of a performance from Adam Sandler, another stiff at the Oscars based on what I saw, amazing cinematography, and some of the best editing I've seen in a movie, both in terms pacing and sound. If you ever wondered what movie is the gold standard for gambling addiction, this is it. It's like living a gambling addiction live on screen, a frenzy and cacophony of noise, violence and vulgarity. It's like witnessing a drug induced fight, and it's not even about drugs. I've no idea how they managed to edit sound at parts of the movie, because everyone is constantly talking, shouting or doing something erratic, and it's one heck of an experience. I can see a lot of people not being able to sit through this one, it's like being on a simulator ride, and you don't know exactly where your head is at, down is up, right is left, and when you finally get off, everyone is sick. Some people will say that was something, some will not want to experience it again, and then some will get right back to ride it in an hour. It's one of those oddities of a movie that's worth checking out under the microscope, something to experience and talk about, and it's something quite unique and interesting. That microscope lens is warped like the prism of a diamond, and that's the movie.