Directed by Gregory Hoblit   I am not the write person to properly analyze and critique Frequency because I love it too much.  Like Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, it's probably one of those movies that is really not that good, but, again, I love it too much to really notice. The movie has, to me, a fantastic … Continue reading Frequency (2000)

Directed by Ridley Scott Prometheus is about origins and aliens and an android who is a little too human to function.  I saw Alien: Covenant before I saw this movie, so maybe that messes with how I perceive the two movies, but where I didn't much care for Covenant, I thought Prometheus was much better than I had … Continue reading Prometheus (2012)

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku I first heard of Battle Royale after The Hunger Games was released.  From what I understood, Battle Royale was the same as that latter movie but it didn't hold back quite so much.  And when you start watching this movie, there is a long warning upfront about the the upcoming violence, so I expected this … Continue reading Battle Royale (2000)

Directed by Barry Levinson There are two types of Robert De Niro performances, in my mind.  After years of playing hardened characters (Jake La Motta, Travis Bickle, The Kind of Comedy, gangsters in Goodfellas and Casino), older De Niro has played characters known for their comedy or even charm (Meet the Parents, Dirty Grandpa, The Intern).  These movies, all later … Continue reading The Wizard of Lies (2017)

Directed by Francois Truffaut Bed and Board is the sequel to The 400 Blows (1959), Antoine et Colette (1962) and Stolen Kisses (1970).  Each film follows Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) at different points in his life.  While The 400 Blows was fairly dramatic, showing a kid's tough home life and his intense desire to escape that life, the following two … Continue reading Bed and Board (1970)

Directed by Jordan Peele Get Out is certainly exciting.  It's not quite a horror movie, but it is.  It's more of a thriller and a combination of movies like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Stepford Wives and even a little body horror out of something like Tusk or maybe a movie a little more serious than Tusk (it's … Continue reading Get Out (2017)

Directed by Ted Demme Blow moves quickly.  Before the 30 minute mark, George (Johnny Depp) has already reinvented himself on the west coast as the weed dealer, gotten arrested for trafficking large amounts of drugs and dealt with the death of his girlfriend following a sudden cancer diagnosis.  Then the rest of the movie happens. Drug … Continue reading Blow (2001)

Directed by David Michod War Machine is a little bit of a lot.  It's a satire, but it treats itself and its characters with surprising weight.  In one moment, Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) can be mocked for his self-seriousness and inflated ego, but in the next we're with him and his wife in a quiet, … Continue reading War Machine (2017)

"Directed" by David Fincher Alien 3 is truly awful.  It's the dying grasp of a franchise that didn't need to become a franchise.  Look, the film ends (spoiler)... with Ripley's death (Sigourney Weaver) as a big fuck you to the group of people who want to harness the embryo of an alien queen from her … Continue reading Alien 3 (1992)

Directed by Sean Baker Tangerine, as a story, is about the friendship of two women in a community in Los Angeles that doesn't have it easy.  They're both transgender prostitutes of color, but the story focuses on their personal ambitions, which of course have nothing to do with their position in society.  Alexandra (Mya Taylor) … Continue reading Tangerine (2015)