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85/100

Still just as great as I it being. 

While this movie doesn’t reach the highs of Fallout, it does do an awesome job of merging the various styles the franchise has seen over the years; the spy espionage of DePalma, the comedy of Brad Bird, the breakneck speed of Abrams, and the globetrotting adventure of McQuarrie. This is definitely the funniest entry in the franchise since Ghost Protocol, thanks in large part to Hayley Atwell’s introduction to the series and her chemistry with Cruise and of course due to the usual chemistry between Cruise, Rhames, and Pegg. The airport sequence is one of the best pure suspense sequences the franchise has seen since the CIA vault break-in from the original, the Rome chase is incredibly impressive and very ambitious with its sheer length and scope, the entire Venice sequence is super intense, and the climatic setpiece on the train is Mission: Impossible gold and one of the more creative sequences in action media in a long while. McQuarrie’s decision to take the franchise back to the roots established by DePalma is awesome to see. His heavy usage of dutch angles, low angle closeups, paranoid editing, and focus on suspense over action sequences is all done with brilliant execution. It really makes the franchise feel full circle. 

Despite clocking in at nearly 3 hours, this movie flies by with a sped nearly rivalling Abram’s third entry. The first hour especially is incredibly fast moving and hits you with huge set piece one after another, but it never feels rushed or overwhelming, say for the opening 20 minutes or so. The setup of the entity and of the story at large feels very rushed and choppy, similar to Final Reckoning. At the time of this films release I chalked the heavy exposition and strange camerawork choices(the frequent breaks of the 180 rule) felt like casualties of COVID, but with its appearance in the newest entry as well, it seems that this is a problem that McQuarrie has been struggling with for a while. Most of the expositions scenes in this movie are a bit too long winded and choppy to be engaging or coherent. Things fall through the cracks very frequently. Also the entity’s introduction in this movie is quite a lot to swallow at first, especially with how sci-fi heavy it is in this film. In Final Reckoning, its role is much more subdued, working as more of an invisible enemy lurking in the background, but in this film it’s very active - mimicking voices, arranging entire parties, riddle encoded bombs, erasing a persons likeness from security cameras in real time, etc. . It’s quite a leap for the franchise since we’ve never seen anything to the effect of it until this point. And the films chosen path for Isla’s character still doesn’t really hit home for me. She’s been a major part of the franchise since her arrival and she quickly became a fan favourite and her characters conclusion here feels a bit anti-climatic, especially since the film seemingly confirms her and Ethan are romantically involved and never really commits to showing that fleshed out. Her fight with Gabriel is one my favourite moments of the film however along with Ethan’s mad dash to try and help her. 

While this movie lacks one HUGE standout set piece that most of the other films in the franchise have, it still has several that on their own are incredibly impressive and entertaining, as I’ve only listed out. The action is phenomenal, the stunts are amazing, the direction is solid, if a bit hindered at times due to the restrictions they undoubtedly faced, the team dynamic is as strong as ever and the new players introduced are also great. Say for Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis, they’re very likeable actors and I don’t dislike them in their two movies but they don’t add much for me. They kinda feel like the Russian dude in Ghost Protocol who’s chasing after Ethan in the wake of the Kremlin bombing, but that character was used mostly for comedic effect as we watch Ethan effortlessly and constantly evade him. But these two are much more straight forward and serious characters, and they don’t really add much. 

Overall though, this movie is awesome and one of the most exciting watches in the franchise in my opinion. It has the sweeping, footing adventure aspect that McQuarrie brought to the franchise and mixes in the best of the previous films in the best ways, especially DePalma’s paranoia and Abrams’ intensity and speed.

60/100

There’s something off about this movie for me that stops a lot of the humour of landing, and I’m not quite sure what exactly it is.

I think a lot of it comes down to the films core ‘romance’ between Joel and Lana which comes across as more manipulative and toxic than maybe it was supposed to. Or maybe that was the point, but regardless it makes the ending more frustrating than satisfying when we have to watch them ‘live happily ever after’ and ‘love on a real train’ when all I want is for the exact opposite to happen. Their whole dynamic just feels off to me. I don’t really feel like Cruise and De Mornay have great chemistry, they feel like they don’t even like each other most of the time, which again could fully be intentional but if that is the case I think it is misguided. I get no joy in seeing them together or in them bonding, I just don’t feel it at all. There are a lot of moments that I feel like were meant to land as comedic but I find more aggravating, idk if it’s just me tho. It’s confusing for me. Maybe I’m just not in on the joke. 

That aside, this movie does have a great style and some thematic elements that successfully resonate. Themes of making your own future and not having to conform to other people’s visions of success or happiness. Nothing innovative but interesting themes and compelling stories nonetheless. It’s got a great soundtrack with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, and Phil Collins showing up, and a phenomenal score by Tangerine Dream, one of their best in fact. But the film can have some clashing tones, partly due to the music choices. At times this movie can look and feel like a Michael Mann-esque crime thriller rather than an 80s teen comedy but I don’t think it was ever meant to feel that way in the script. It feels like a directorial decision and it definitely makes for a memorable and flavourful style that feels unique to this movie, but at times it does clash in ways that feel a bit distracting rather than immersive. This movie was directed by Paul Brickman and this was his first feature and one of only three he would end up making so it’s not all that surprising to see the somewhat messy presentation. All that being said he does craft very rich visuals and some memorable sequences, like the car chase sequence or the POV airport drop off scene or some really beautiful Chicago nightlife cinematography. 

Clashing tones and frustrating ‘romance’ aside, this movie is pretty funny but i think it takes a while for the comedy to really land. The last act is actually where I think this movie finds its footing completely. The scripting can be a bit meandering and takes a while for a real story to fully cement. I think if the titular ‘risky business’ lasted for longer than just the last act it would’ve made for a more engaging and entertaining watch. Cruise is really good in this movie and goes a long way toward making a lot of the comedy land. His line deliveries, physical acting, and charming vulnerability all play really well into his characters naive innocence and the situations he digs himself into(or the ones he’s put in by other….like his toxic girlfriend for example). 

I do think this movie is slightly overrated or maybe looked back upon with rose tinted glasses, but it is still a perfectly fine teen comedy with a unique style that is memorable and a fun lead performance by Cruise and a good ing cast of good actors.

85/100

One of my favourite sci-fi films of all time directed by one of my favourite directors starring my favourite actor. 

Really love how weird Spielberg gets with his treatment of this material, from the washed out, over exposed cinematography that makes everything feel grimy and dirty to all the weird, eerie imagery he interjects like the eye contraption or ‘floppy faced Cruise’. His world building in this movie is some of my favourite of any sci-fi movie. Spielberg has such a natural and unique way of introducing the sci-fi elements and technology in such a way that makes it feel so ingrained and tangible. It makes a lot of the more ludicrous and fantastical elements much easier to accept and roll with. 

Similar to M:I III, this is one of the more under appreciated Cruise performances in a movie that’s otherwise quite well known and well received. He’s really great in this movie and brings his own natural brand of vulnerability and weakness to John as a character. I like that it’s not ‘action hero Cruise’, he’s a much more tormented and tortured character, one who struggles with addiction and an inability to move on from his tragedies. It makes for a unique performance from Cruise and a much more emotionally satisfying character progression than it would’ve been otherwise. Max Von Sydow is also great, which is to be expected from him. Colin Farrell and Neal McDonough are great additions to the cast as well. But the real star of the show is Spielberg’s direction. As said, his ability to effortlessly immerse the audience into his films world is next to none and he also crafts some incredible set pieces. The spyder bot sequence is a favourite of mine, very suspenseful and creepy with a brilliant opening shot that tracks through various apartments through a bird’s eye POV. The alleyway fight against the pre-crime agents is a standout action sequence which immediately leads into a great chase through a car manufacturer. Sometimes the handling of more close quarters hand-to-hand action can be a bit shaky and poorly edited, but those moments are few and far between. 

One aspect of this movie that I’m not a huge fan of is the wishy-washy ending that feels a bit too fluffy and fairy tale, ‘they all live happily ever after’. The film does a fantastic job of crafting a bitter, dirty, grotesque world that no one would want to live in, with real consequences and a building suspense that remains constant throughout almost the whole film. And so the final wrap up, which is also very rapid, feels a bit hollow for my liking. Not that I have a problem with a happy ending, I just wish it felt more weighted and meaningful. 

Aside from that, I think Minority Report is an amazing film. One that has successfully stood the test of time, like many Spielberg films.

90/100


Just a great feel good movie. 

I’ve never been huge on rom-coms, there’s a few I like and a few more I love and Jerry Maguire is definitely among them. I think what speaks to me so much about this movie is that the actual ‘romance’ isn’t the main focus for either Jerry or Dorothy. It’s more about finding ion in another, finding motivation in someone else, finding someone that makes you feel complete. Of course those are all things found in romance but they’re also found in every healthy relationship, or they should be at least. They’re also found in work, in interest, in life in general. And this movie weaves such a heartfelt story about two people just searching for purpose, for motivation, for something to finally feel right. The way the love story is included in that along with the on going battle of Jerry desperately trying to succeed and stand on his own two feet always resonates with me. 

This is Tom Cruise at his most vulnerable, a quality that is often overlooked in a lot of his performances. He’s very good at portraying characters who truly feel desperate, who feel spread thin, who feel like the world is constantly baring down on them. He carries that weight throughout the whole movie and he does it so well, leading to some incredible moments of release that result in some of my favourite line deliveries of his entire career. Cuba Gooding Jr. is so, so, so, so damn good in this movie it’s actually unreal. It’s one of those rare performances that feels owned by an actor, like no one could’ve played this character, no one else could’ve brought to this character what Gooding does. Despite winning an Oscar his performance here still feels under appreciated. Someone else who doesn’t get a lot of credit from this movie, or at least not as much as I think they deserve, is Bonnie Hunt, she’s great here. Really really funny. 

Cameron Crowe is a fantastic visionary director and his work is really inspiring here. Very personal able and very visually bright. His script is also really tight and as I said very heartfelt and resonating. I do think the actual romance of the film is a bit rushed. I really enjoy Cruise and Zellweger together, I think their dynamic and their chemistry quite a bit, I just wish the shift into lovers could’ve been more fleshed out and given more time to naturally develop. It feels a bit sudden when it eventually sparks. And yet the film can drag a little bit. It comes in at around 2 and a half hours and while the entire experience is rewarding, there are some times where it feels like the movie needs to start wrapping up. 

One of my favourite Cruise performances, one of my favourite performances period from Gooding Jr., one of my favourite child performances of all time from Jonathan Lipnicki, and one of my all time favourite romcoms.

75/100

Was really rooting for this movie to be good cuz it’s been a while since we’ve had a great female led action movie and ever since No Time To Die came out I’ve wanted to see more of Ana De Armas in action roles. 

And in that respect this movies great. She kills it in all the action sequences and clearly put in a lot of work into preparation and in participating in the stunt work. This is a very demanding role and movie overall for that matter and she carries the weight of it all very impressively. Her character isn’t anything groundbreaking or profound but similar to the first John Wick the film takes on a simple plot focused on revenge. It does reach for some emotional peaks but most of the fall flat or fizzle out by the time the next scene begins. Keanu Reeves’ return as John Wick is definitely cool to see and while he isn’t necessarily needed in this movie his inclusion was a nice addition for the fans. 

While the plot is simple, there is still a lot of misnomers and plot details that go nowhere, entire sequences that exist solely for an action scene to take place, and dialogue that is spoken but than immediately rendered pointless by what follows directly after it. A large part of the first act is flashbacks and scenes introducing us to Eve’s character but a lot of it is information that we easily could’ve assumed without being directly shown it. There’s a training montage but when it starts Eve is already pretty damn good at everything and by the end she’s slightly more good at everything, so a lot of that time spent on less than important misnomers could’ve been better spent on giving us proper time to really see Eve evolve and train, if an origin story is what you really want to tell. So the movie can drag by the end and feel a bit longer than it really needs to be. Some left turns here and there but the plot is nowhere near as thin and contrived as some of the middle entries in the previous 4 films. And at the end of the day, these movies have basically become vehicles for action set pieces and this absolutely serves its purpose as such. 

Len Wiseman is an action director in quite familiar with and for the most part I’ve found him to be a fairly competent guy in that regard, but never overly impressive. His work is here is by far his best work in of action filmmaking. It’s the same high-octane, super charged, elevated action we’re used to seeing in the Wick movies but with a personal flare, given the difference in our lead protagonist. The action plays to Armas’ strengths and doesn’t shy away from showing size differences between herself and her opposition, instead showing it as a strength and giving her an extra challenge to overcome, making the action that much more intense and satisfying. The locations and production design are immaculate. Every fight scene is boosted by some phenomenal location, like a snowy mountain village populated by assassins or a nightclub outfitted with ice sculptures everywhere or a maze-like cabin filled with weapons around every corner. All things the franchise has become known for by this point are in here; neo-noir influences, comic book influences, bright vivid neon imagery, and an expansive world that continues to grow with each instalment. 

This is a great action movie, one of the better ones of the last few years. A ton of fun all while, for the most part, not trying to be anything but.

80/100

Probably one of the most unpleasant experiences of watching a horror movie in theatres I’ve had in a long time. 

I liked Talk To Me overall but after subsequent rewatches and sitting with it for a while, I realized how clunky and a bit scattered it was. Not at all unusual for a feature debut of two directors and overall it was a fantastic debut. It showed off the talent of the Philippou brothers and Bring Her Back shows that they weren’t a one hit wonder and they still have more to offer. Considering how quickly they got this released following Talk To Me is also very impressive given how tight this movie is made. It’s a slow burn, intentionally so, and even when things hit the fan, it’s still a bit more subdued than one would expect, but that doesn’t stop this movie from being dreadfully intense from beginning to end. There is a constant feeling of foreboding doom throughout every minute that keeps your heart racing and your blood boiling. This movie is frustrating to watch, again intentionally so, due in large part to Sally Hawkins’ portrayal as a highly manipulative, spiteful, destructive person who is hellbent on carrying out her sinister mission.

And she is fantastic in this movie. Truly a detestable, hatable character who you desperately want to see get her comeuppance. And yet by the end, through her performance, you end up feeling a sort of pity for her. Billy Barratt is someone I was unfamiliar with prior to this movie, he’s been in some ‘big’ projects that I just haven’t gotten around to seeing, but he was also really damn good in this movie. And he’s tasked with carrying a bulk of the work in this script, both emotionally and physically speaking. The Philippou brothers show once again they are very experienced in horror as they flirt with multiple subgenres here - found footage, psychological, supernatural, demonic - dipping their toes so to speak into different ponds, and show that they have a firm understanding on how to elevate their horror from just being loud noises and creepy imagery into truly unsettling themes that, even without gore or a high body count, can affect people even more so than the former. There are moments here that harken back to the ‘head bashing’ scene from Talk To Me but they’re more subdued as I said and their impact is just as hard hitting since they come about later in the film when we’ve had time to properly immerse ourselves in the characters. It doesn’t feel performative or showy. They also have a great way to feeding us information that steadily builds upon itself to reveal what’s really going on without big dumps of exposition or the villain lazily explaining their plan to us. 

Like with Talk To Me, there are a few elements in here that I feel are underbaked; some supernatural elements that feel underdeveloped and unexplored by the end and some loose ends that are left hanging that with proper emotional payoff could’ve made the ending even more hard hitting. The story is much more streamlined and forward moving than compared to Talk To Me, which I think was wise. Less ing characters that don’t add much to the story, less subplots that end up going nowhere, and even those supernatural elements that feel underdeveloped aren’t as contrived. The edit can also be a bit strange at times. Certain scenes are cross cut in a way where it’s hard to really judge the ing of time and some things aren’t given the proper time to really simmer and make their impact felt. Scarily enough, I feel like there was a version of this movie that could end up being even more hard to watch and even more frustrating. Not sure I want to even see that one though. 

I think this is a perfect sophomore feature from this two guys; it builds upon what was great in their previous attempt, fixed their shortcomings, and showed that they have much more to offer and many more ideas that are just as disturbing and effective. Be weary though, not a pleasant watch.

100/100

One of the best action films of all the 2000s and maybe even of all time and the pinnacle of the Mission:Impossible franchise.

Fallout does just about everything perfectly both as an action film and a M:I film; the set pieces are some of the best in the franchise and some of the best of all time - the Paris motorcycle chase, the bathroom brawl, the foot chase through London, the Halo jump, and the whole finale - the pacing is immaculate, the tension is constant, the characters are fantastic, and the story is absolutely riveting. Aside from III, this is probably the most personal film yet for Ethan and I think that was a great decision. Bringing back Michelle Monaghan as Julie and Sean Harris as Solomon Lane were inspired choices as it gives us a rare chance to see an emotionally vulnerable Ethan who is faced with regret about how things ended with his wife and anger about having to face off against a bitter rival once more. Seeing Ethan angry and desperate only makes the mission feel that much more intense and threatening, along with Henry Cavill serving as an intimidating physical rival for him to fight against. Their dynamic on screen is genuinely a threat to watch, both as reluctant partners to start and as bitter rivals to close. In fact, this is probably my favourite performance of Cavill’s career, he’s awesome in this movie and he kills it in the action sequences. He’s also got this great running vibe throughout the movie where he’s experiencing all the IMF shenanigans we’ve grown accustomed to for the first time and rightfully calls them out for being so ‘fucking complicated’. He and Harris are probably the best villains the franchise has outside of Hoffman in the third. 

As said the action scenes in this movie are all instant classics. The bathroom hand-to-hand fight has already become a modern masterpiece of fight choreography and stunt work. The whole finale is perfect suspense filmmaking and is one of the most intense climax’s of the whole franchise, especially on the initial watch. It’s also great to see each member of the team get involved and have a moment to shine, something the franchise has done better and better ever since Ghost Protocol. Watching Luther and Julie interact and work together to diffuse the bomb is awesome and a great moment for both characters. Rebecca Ferguson gets a few moments to flex her action skills and even Simon Pegg gets to get involved with the fighting. This movie also has some fantastic quiet moments that build the characters up more than most other entries and lay the groundwork for later films to further build upon - Luther’s conversation with Isla not only perfectly sets up her and Ethan’s relationship but is also a very sweet moment showing us the depths of Ethan and Luther’s relationship, and lets us in on how deep it truly is. 

The score by Lorne Balfe is probably the best in the whole series. The mix of heavy drums and very classic piano riffs makes for both an incredibly tense score but also one that feels like it shares DNA with old spy films of the 60s and 70s, with a modern flare. Every set piece in the film is enhanced by his electric score. This is also the most astutely edited entry imo. All very tight and utilizes some very clever and unique techniques that feel fresh and new; like showing us Ethan's internal rundown of how a mission is about to go down and how wrong it will go down. I think future instalments would abuse that technique a little bit but its subtle use here is perfect. All the editing in the action sequences is also pitch perfect and very intense, like everything else in this movie. 

This is Cruise, McQuarrie, the writers, the composer, the editor, and all the cast and crew firing on all cylinders and the product speaks for itself. One of my all time favourite action films and films in general, if I’m being honest. An effortlessly rewatchable movie and one that never fails at getting my heart racing.

85/100

A damn good start to the Christopher McQuarrie era of Mission:Impossible. 

Over time this has been the instalment that I’ve warmed up most to over the past few years. I never disliked and never thought it was anywhere close to bad but for a while I considered this movie to be one of the less re-watchable films in the franchise. Now I think it’s the opposite. This is one of more effortlessly re-watchable films of the bunch but also sometimes one of the more disposable ones. At times this movie feels like a bit of a mix-and-match of the various directors’ skill sets we’ve seen from previous instalments, almost like McQuarrie soaked up some tricks from them over the years. It never feels plagiarized and I’m not at all saying McQ isn’t a talented director, he most certainly is, but you can see the burgeoning of what would come to be his style in future films here while mixed in with some of the trademarks we’ve seen from other earlier instalments the franchise, especially Brad Bird who was originally meant to be this films director. 

That burgeoning style is present like I said and even at an earlier stage in his career, McQ already had an incredible talent for helming fantastic chase sequences, which is a big part of the M:I franchise. The car chase he assembled in Jack Reacher was spectacular but his motorcycle chase here is even more remarkable. Nail-biting and high octane, this thing is absolutely incredible. The camera angles featured in this chase are some that you’ve never seen before and McQ, as well as Cruise and the entire crew that worked on it, clearly understood the physics of everything and were hellbent on making it appear as real and tangible as possible, which is a staple of the entire franchise when it comes to its stunts. The editing is top notch, the score by Joe Kraemer is pulse pounding and constant, and the pacing of both the action and story are excellent. Just like its predecessors this movie flies by for the most part with only a few moments of lagging toward the back half. 

Rebecca Ferguson’s introduction into the franchise here is one of the best decisions the franchise ever made. Her character is awesome, I love her in these movies, and she only gets better from here on out. Simon Pegg’s role is once again upsized, he’s given a lot more to work with and he kills it. Renner and Rhames return, and while they are sidelined, they have a lot of fun banter between each other and are a lot of fun alongside the rest when they reunite. I actually like Renner a lot in his two movies. It’s nice having him as sort of a physical equal to Ethan who can engage in the combat side of things in ways Luther and Benji can’t, while also being a much more analytical and calculated person compared to Ethan. I wish he did more. While the set pieces in this movie don’t sur some of the ones prior to it(the CIA infiltration or the Burj Khalifia scene) or some after it(the helicopter finale of Fallout or the train sequence in Dead Reckoning or the plane sequence in Final) the opening plane stunt, the underwater break-in, and the motorcycle chases are some definite highlights of the franchise in a vacuum. 

While this film can feel a bit more commercialized and run of the mill as some others in the franchise(sometimes feeling like a new director gathering his footing) it’s still an excellent action thriller that speeds by at a great pace with fantastic action, nailbiting tension, several jaw dropping stunts, and a really fun cast of characters on a globetrotting adventure.

90/100

The Mission: Impossible franchise regains its footing and it never again loses it.

Please God, whoever put Brad Bird in director jail remove him immediately and apologize for what you did. It is a crime that we haven’t seen this man direct a movie in nearly a DECADE. His direct here is so, so, so good. So smooth and elegant - sweeping through one iconic scene after another with efficient poise and never breaking stride. Whereas III was incredibly fast paced almost to the point of becoming overwhelming, Ghost Protocol remains consistently quick moving but still allowing time for characters to interact and banter amongst each other while still allowing for the plot to progress. Very few scenes feel unnecessary or wasted, even the downtime. One of the things missing from the ‘McQuarrie’ era of the franchise is the individualism each instalment had during these first four - DePalma’s entry: paranoid and tense, Woo’s: lush and artistic, Abram’s: high strung and unstoppable, and Bird’s: sweeping and exciting in a genial way. This movie is by far the funniest entry in the franchise, purposely so. It also has a more fantastical tone, with a lot for he technology feeling a bit more advanced than we’re used to seeing. One minor flaw is that this movie can look a bit flat visually speaking. It’s never dull looking or even close to ugly, it just doesn’t have much of a visual flare, which also works against some of the visual effects, leaving them out in the open so to speak and revealing a bit more of their flaws which may have been better covered if the film had a more contrasted look. 

One of the best parts of this movie is how it constantly puts Ethan and his team at the disadvantage. Not only are the stakes raised from the previous film to a more global stage but the agents technology is also constantly failing them; the ‘sticky’ gloves, the laser cutter, the masks, even the mission self destruct device malfunctions. Our heroes constantly feel outnumbered, outmanned, and out of their depth, and the decision to disavow the whole IMF, leaving only Ethan and his team left, is great because it pits them against the bad guys and their own government, making it feel like the whole world is against. This is one of the best films in the franchise at actually making the mission they’re attempting to complete feel impossible to accomplish. This is also the first film to have each team member feel fleshed out. The team interacts as a whole and conflicts with each other throughout the film. And their relationship and teamwork is actually a massive part of the films themes and plot. Simon Pegg being bumped up to a regular is an inspired choice, I’ve always really liked Paula Patton as Jane, and I like Renner’s addition as a bit of the straight man to the team’s craziness that we’ve grown accustomed to over 4 films. Ving Rhames missing as Luther is a big loss but his little cameo at the end is a highlight of the whole film. The choice to have more of an ensemble cast of villains is also a nice change of pace but unfortunately they’re also a major step down from Hoffman in the last one - just random Russian dudes out for some launch codes to blow up the world. 

This movies big action set pieces are among the best of the franchise. The Kremlin infiltration, while not quite suring the CIA break-in from the first, is definitely the best since and still holds as one of the best over all the films. The Burj Khalifia sequence is not only a franchise best but one of the greatest of all time, and not just the stunt showcase of Cruise scaling the wall. The entire buildup of changing the hotel room numbers to the meetings with the villains to the sandstorm to the foot to car chase afterward, it’s all expertly done and checks so many boxes of what makes Mission Impossible great. Michael Giachinno’s score is once again masterful, perfectly playing up the movies more theatrical tone and wonderfully mirroring what’s happening within the film from a location standpoint to the tone of each scene to even the sound effects within a scene, which is great sound design as well. At times the sound effects in a scene will match up with the rhythm and pace of the score in an Edgar Wright type way. 

This is one of the best entries in the franchise and has remained one of my all time favourite action movies ever since I first saw it.

65/100

The perfect shot of adrenaline this franchise needed after a bit of a slip with its last instalment. 

This movie moves SO damn quickly. It can honestly sometimes be a hinderance on it; with things moving so fast from scene to scene that there isn’t a lot of time to really engage with the characters or invest yourself in the plot. It goes from a drone blowing up a bridge to rushing to save somebody from being kidnapped to getting arrested to breaking out of the CIA headquarters to flying to Shanghai to robbing a high rise in Shanghai. The movie literally opens with a line revealing that a bomb had been implanted in Ethan’s head and if he doesn’t answer the villains questions in 10 seconds he’s going to kill his wife. There’s hardly a moment to breathe and a lot of times things tend to fall through the cracks. Ethan and Julia’s relationship is okay. Cruise and Monaghan have good chemistry and you buy them as a couple but were given no time to truly get invested in the two of them together or have any emotional tie to them being together. Which is where a stronger second entry, preferably one that sets up a relationship like this one, would’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting and made this movies stakes much higher and more charged. This movie is probably the most emotional one for Ethan as a character, with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain targeting him and his wife. 

And Hoffman as Davian is by far the best villain the franchise has ever had. There’s not much in the way of depth or motivation but his performance is so strong that it doesn’t matter. Hes an incredibly intimidating figure whenever he’s on screen and is a perfect example of what a good Mission Impossible villain should be; a brain to Ethan’s brawn. Most of the movies challenge Ethan with battling a villain of wits, someone who is able to constantly put him in lose-lose situations and manipulate the world around him to get what he wants, and Davian is the franchises best example of that. Cruise is, also, really damn good in this movie. He commits to the stunts and the physicality of his character, as he always does, but his performance suitably matches the films breakneck pace with a super high energy and heightened emotions. At times this movie is the only real time, except maybe the first film, where we get to see Ethan crack and we see the perilous situation he’s involved in really get to him. The introduction of Benji is a fantastic decision for the franchise as he’d go on to become one of the most endearing parts of the future films and his smaller role here does a great job of introducing us to his character. The other of the team, Maggie Q and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, are pretty disposable. This is the last entry in the franchise where the team is kinda nonexistent, except for Ethan and Luther. 

This was JJ Abrams first feature film and while it does show from time to time, he does a good job of juggling this movies insane pace and, as I said, setting this franchise back on track. I often call this movie ‘the most expensive TV movies of all time’ given how Abrams sometimes chooses to direct it, with a LOT of closeups and tight setups and a color palette consisting of a lot of greens and yellows, which looks very CW/Criminal Minds. It’s not to say the movie looks bad or ugly but it can feel very cramped at times like Abrams wasn’t yet used to directing for the big screen and utilizing all the potential of each frame. Michael Giacchino’s score is one of my favourites of the franchise. There’s a lot of elements that sound also horror-adjacent, with lots of piano segments, loud, bombastic drums, horn sections, and heightened tensions. It’s also very old Hollywood at times, with some tracks sounding like they’re from John Williams’ catalogue in the 70s or 80s. It’s very good music. 

Not a perfect movie but a fantastic action thriller with a nonstop action and thrills. One of the fastest paced films ever made, I feel.

90/100

What to say that hasn’t already been said???

Absolutely adored this movie as a kid and it still maintains that same feeling today. So unabashedly fun despite how violent the movie is, how awful the villains are, how cynical the satire is - it never loses itself in its own message or in its own nastiness. This movie is hilarious. The satire is pitch perfect and several jokes and bits still resonate today, scarily enough. The 80s-tastic action is still awesome today; the effects are still top notch, the gore and over the top violence are so much fun, and I love how the movie has its own sense of humour about it. The blasé way in which the businessmen react to Ed-209’s ‘glitch’, the incredibly ludicrous and absurd death of Emil, the climax of Robocop and Ed’s fight in the tower, everything has this perfect little twist of comedy that never overshadows the tension of the action or the seriousness of what’s happening in the story. It’s a great understanding of tone by Verhoeven and one that is so often attempted by modern directors and scriptwriters but who very rarely get it right. 

Verhoeven’s direction throughout this movie is fantastic. He never pushes the effects past their limit and he understands those limits to a level rarely seen in directors as he knows exactly how to use them without giving away the trick so to speak. Both visual and practical effects are like magic tricks, there’s always a ‘trick’ behind getting them to work, and a good director knows how to hide that trick so that the audience doesn’t instantly figure out how it’s done. The mix of stop motion with miniatures and animatronics with early digital effects are work wonderfully together in sequence. And even the more ‘dated’ effects have that old fashioned charm to them that I always love seeing. The fast paced editing employed in this movie is also timeless and is a big part of why this movie flies by. It feels like there isn’t a second wasted or a line without a point. Every scene has a memorable moment or line or important thematic resonance and once the scene has fulfilled its purpose it’s done and onto the next one.

I think the acting can be a bit of a mixed bag overall but Peter Weller is the definite highlight. This could’ve been a very easy role to ‘phone in’ or take lightly. You’re essentially playing a robot so all you gotta do it talk in a very monotone voice and move very rigidly and that’s it, but that’s not at all what Weller does here. Hes actually able to convey a lot of emotion through the Robocop suit which is especially impressive considering half his face is covered for the most part and he’s wearing a suit that’s so heavy he was losing 3 pounds each day from water loss. Kurtwood Smith is also a standout as Clarence. He’s a very charismatic but dreadfully slimy villain who is clearly having the time of his life revelling in his characters nastiness - effortlessly entertaining. I’ve always enjoyed Nancy Allen in this movie as well. I really like her relationship with Murphy. 

A timeless classic in every sense.

60/100

A big, bloated, self indulgent, confused sequel that completely misses the point of the franchise and its lead character BUT… is still quite fun.

John Woo is of course a very talented director who is more than capable of crafting both a beautiful and stylish project, but I don’t feel like he was the right choice for the M:I franchise. The action in this movie is great - it’s a lot of campy fun but knows when to take itself seriously and get real - and the overall look of the movie is gorgeous. Very bright, vivid colours, interesting production and set design, sleek cinematography, and some great camerawork. Where his direction falters is in the framework of the franchise and what makes M:I what it is. This films plot of two spies fighting over control of a deadly virus and a thief engaged with them in a love triangle is a complete departure from the core crux of M:I. And the films turn on Ethan Hunt as a pseudo-playboy, adrenaline junkie who revels in risk and theatrics is not at all why people come to see his character. The stakes of this film are also noticeable lower, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if the stakes at play(the romance and its survival) were interesting or fleshed out but they’re just not. The romance isn’t at all compelling or entertaining and while both Thandiwe Newton and Cruise share chemistry, we don’t spend nearly enough time with them to care and they’re bond with each other is hardly even present. 

The action, when it happens, is worth the wait. The injection shootout, while the infiltration segment comes nowhere close to rivalling the first film, is very stylized and entertaining. The car chase/dance between Newton and Cruise is cute and an interesting spin on what one would expect. The entire finale sequence from the stealthy infiltration of the compound to the motorcycle chase to the fight on the beach are all early 2000s action movie gold. The stunts are all fantastic, Cruise’s insistence on doing them all himself, even against Woo’s objections, is again commendable and it goes such a long way. Even more so in a movie like this of lesser quality than some of the others in the franchise. What really bogs this movie down is the pacing. The setups okay, moves along quite well with some fun sequences( the rock climbing, the car chase) and the whole last hour of action is awesome, but the second act wherein the love triangle and surveillance aspect takes the front seat is where things slow to an absolute crawl. 

Dougary Scott is really entertaining as Ambrose and is clearly relishing in the characters villainy. While his character is pretty lackluster his performance is one of the more memorable aspects of this movie and in a franchise with some pretty weak villains, his does stand out. Ving Rhames being back is a joy to see, his character is still a lot of fun in here, and there’s something about him and Cruise being the only actors to appear in each film that makes me happy. The music score by Hans Zimmer is very hit and miss for me. The very early 2000s influences are quite dated(the drum and bass, Juno Reactor type) and even at the time didn’t early fit in with the M:I franchise but there are some high points. The ‘Injection’ track is a definite favourite of mine from any film in the franchise, I dig the electric guitar riff for the theme and for the finale action sequences, and the operatic, haunting female vocalist featured in a lot of the score is beautiful music, it just doesn’t really fit in with the tone of what this franchise is meant to be(once again). 

Nowhere near a bad film but also nowhere near a Mission Impossible film. The style can be a bit much at times but the actions great, the stunts are great, Cruise is great, and the production value is as high as ever. It is a shame though that considering where we see Hunt in the next instalment( married and living happily retired) we don’t really get a solid bridging between where we saw him in the first(paranoid and slightly immature in his ‘career’ as a spy) to then.

85/100

A fantastic start to an iconic franchise that even without its ties to its future instalments stands on its own as a highly effective, taught action-thriller.

I don’t think a single entry in the M:I franchise has benefitted more in retrospect from McQuarrie’s era as an M:I director, and his pseudo ‘showrunner’ role, than this one. It’s always been great but looking back now after some of the wrap arounds we’ve seen and the arcs we’ve seen the characters go on from here, it really marks this movie as a phenomenal introductory course into this world and Ethan Hunt’s character. Cruise’s turn as the character here as a high-strung, paranoid, frantic agent, unfamiliar with the world against him plight, is so compelling to see in retrospect after seeing his character go through so much. Watching the tendencies and confidence we’d come to see in the character develop here is so riveting. Watching him go from trainee to leader, baby face to the man in charge, is so satisfying and portrayed perfectly between the films opening credits and final moment. And, again, the themes the franchise would later explore with the character, in DR and FR in particular, like Hunts obsession with preserving life and doing whatever it takes to protect are perfectly seen within the first act alone. His reaction to Jacks death, his immediate disregard of orders after hearing Jim’s in distress, his unraveling and anger upon hearing of Kittridge’s hidden operation, all within the first half hour and tells you everything you need to know about Hunt right away.

DePalma and M:I was a match made in heaven and it’s a bit of a shame we didn’t get more of the tandem. His unrivalled suspense filmmaking and chronic paranoia fit right in with a world of constant mistrust and revelations. The mark of a director successfully revelling in suspense is their ability to assign terrifying importance to simple objects that on their own are weightless, like a single bead of sweat or the inability to slightly raise your voice, and DePalma proves he’s a master of doing just that. Elfman’s score is also fantastic, doing a great job of perfectly complementing the film as a great score should do. The way it echoes what’s happening thematically and perfectly echoes it back is brilliant, like the iconic switch from suspenseful and harrowing to the main theme during the climatic helicopter sequence. And something that can often get overlooked when looking back on this movie is the casting of Ving Rhames as Luther. Looking back we know it’s a great casting but at the time casting this hulking, cool, baritone man to play a nerdy hacker character was a really brilliant subversion.

This is a movie that requires you to pay attention to virtually every line of dialogue(which is absolutely not a flaw btw and more movies should be that way) but even in doing so there’s a lot of plot that falls through the cracks and a lot of things still don’t make sense even after subsequent rewatchs(“Job doesn’t quote scripture). And the one aspect of this movie that has aged rather poorly(but I kinda like it for that reason. It’s charming) is the films portrayal of the internet. It’s very 90s(in the best way). And again looking back in retrospect this films editing has aged very well. Seeing it recreated and referenced so heavily in the recent instalments has only reinforced the notion that it was rather ahead of its time. 

Absolutely love this movie for both its ties to the further franchise and how well it works as a standalone. Like the first 4 M:I films, this one has its own identity, that being a more suspense/tension oriented thriller with a few action sequences sprinkled in. I miss when Cruise was adamant on changing directors with each new entry but I also understand the franchise started leaning toward a more coherent narrative over several films and you’d want one man heading that direction. Still, it makes these early entries standout as kinda the black sheep’s of the franchise, and I love that.

45/100

Cool to see another FD movie after all these years but unfortunately the return is more of a whimper than some grand resurgence.

The cast does a fairly good job; Brec Bassinger is really good but unfortunately she’s only present in the opening scene. There’s some clever direction and camerawork and there’s some good uses of misdirection. The directors clearly understood the game that is Final Destination’s death scenes and their buildups and they have a lot fun with messing you so to speak as an audience member. Unfortunately pretty much all of the kills are undermined by very poor digital effects and complete absence of logic.

For me personally, FD worked best when it played off relatable fears(plane crashes, roller coasters, highway driving), tangible death traps one encounters in the real world(dentists office, elevators, gym equipment, hospital), or just clever twists of fate that are hard to see coming. Bloodlines falters for me in the sense of the kills are so cartoony and illogical to a point of being completely weightless that there isn’t much in the way for real tension. The characters act in some very irrational and convoluted ways that it makes their deaths and plights hard to sympathize with because they feel self inflicted. And the digital effects are so poor that the deaths themselves lack that real punch that make them horrific or shocking. The bus scene in the first movie shook audiences SO much at the time that they had to add in a random scene of Ali Larter making alka seltzer drinks to calm them all down before the plot started again. That’s how impactful the deaths used to feel and now they’re pretty much just loony tunes gags or shock humour moments. 

The lore and mythology of FD has never been its strong point or even a point in general tbh but here it’s at its most convoluted and numbing. Nothing really matters or makes sense, characters contradict themselves constantly, the plot itself contradicts itself, the films own franchise contradicts itself, but who cares, we’re here to watch people die…only the deaths suck. Now you see the problem lol. 

Not an awful movie. It’s a dumb fun movie that serves its purpose as a crowd pleaser or a late night watch with friends and is in no way some drastic drop in quality from other instalments(I mean Final Destination 4…Jesus Christ). So this movie will serve its purpose but in the grand scheme of things, I feel this franchise has been left behind by the horror genre in favor of being versions of it like Smile.

75/100

Not ready to say goodbye so I’m going to stretch this out for as long as I can. 

The first 40 minutes had me REALLY worried as a fan. Similar to Dead Reckoning, the first act of this movie is almost entirely exposition, both new and old, and a LARGE amount of which is accompanied by incredibly unnecessary flashbacks and flashforwards. I assumed a lot of that choppiness and abrasive editing was a side effect on COVID in DR’s case but its presence here makes me feel like it’s more of a conscious choice. And there is a part of me that thinks it’s effective because it does a good job of keeping you, as an audience member, a step behind. So much information is flying at you and so many problems and challenges arise that truly put you in a perpetual state of ‘how the hell are they actually going to do this(?)’, which is what Mission Impossible is all about( a mission that feels impossible, duh). So on one hand I think it is effective in that aspect of putting the pressure on you as much as it is the characters, but it’s makes for a frustrating watch, especially the first time around. And those flashbacks I mentioned are GRATUITOUS. Literally flashing back to the previous film and beating us over the head with callbacks and reminders of what happened as if we’re too stupid to without a visual aid, and it’s constant. For a franchise that has made an identity on putting audiences first and the real moviemaking experience, it was a bit disappointing they didn’t have more faith in us to literally anything from previous instalments. 

With that said, I think this movie gets progressively better and better and more immersive the longer it goes on for. As the pieces are put in place and everything starts to align, the movie becomes extremely intense and very entertaining. There are at least two set pieces in this movie that invoke and match any other in the franchise, like the Burj Khalifa scene in Ghost Protocol or the motorcycle chase in Rogue Nation or the helicopter chase in Fallout. These scenes had my palms sweating and my hand clenching into a fist at numerous points and asking myself; “how the hell did they do that?”. And ofc a large part of that is indebted to Tom Cruise. The guy is obsessed with doing the absolute most to make this movies feel larger than life and filling us with that awe-inspiring, mesmerizing energy films can have and unfortunately so rarely do have anymore. This movie truly forces you to question how it is they pulled certain things and just commend everyone involved in making it happen, and ofc it wouldn’t have happened without someone with the star power of Cruise being committed to making it happen.

The action sequences as well as the suspense sequences are phenomenal. Some great hand-to-hand, a lot of great chase sequences, and again a stellar cast of characters. Sometimes the roster of those characters can feel a bit bloated, like there were some that didn’t need as much screen time as they were given or some that couldn’t been removed altogether, but they’re all played by likeable, charming, talented performers so it never feels so much like a distraction. There are a lot of callbacks and references to previous movies and while some did fall rather flat, there were a select few that really surprised me or moved me. The return of Rolf Saxon and the movies use of him was actually great and actually added a layer of depth to his role in the first film and having Henry Czerny back once again as Kittridge was again awesome. I missed Vanessa Kirby and Rebecca Ferguson but Pom Klementieff is a welcome addition to the team roster, as well as Greg Tarzan Davis and Saxon, like I mentioned. 

There may have been a few things that fell flat for me here, especially if this really is THE end of this franchise, but aside from some shaky editing and those aforementioned nitpicks of mine this is another great entry for this franchise and one that did impact me emotionally as a fan on several occasions. For nearly 30 years now this franchise has been delivering and delivering quality action thrills and if this is the end then they had an amazing run that will stand the test of time as one of(if not THE) greatest action franchise of all time.

85/100

It’s kind of hard to objectively critique or even praise this movie because the brand of comedy is SO subjective and unique that it really comes down to the simple question of whether it works for you or it doesn’t, and for me it really does.

I thought this movie was hilarious for pretty much the whole runtime. Tim Robinson is most definitely an acquired taste and the films overall approach to comedy - sick, somewhat psychologically dark akin to Dream Scenario or A Different Man - really work in perfect tandem. His delivery is so pitch perfect and effortless that he can make mundane, simple lines into comedy gold just in the infliction or volume of his voice. Him along slide Paul Rudd as the charming straight man really work wonders together whenever they share the screen. Kate Mara is also really great and is a welcome sight to see since she isn’t as active as she once was. Really the whole cast is great, even down to the extras populating some of the scenes. They’re all committed to the bit 100% and their reactions and the way they play off the bizarre timing of Robinson really makes a lot of the comedic moments as effective as they are. 

Something that gets ignored a lot in comedy films in recent years is their cinematography and presentation, since so many nowadays look very polished and artificial, but I actually loved the way this movie looks. It’s very authentic and almost nostalgic in a way. The locations all feel very recognizable and real in a relatable way, which helps the awkward, uncomfortable humour be even more effective since it occupies situations and locations we see as familiar. 

If you’re looking for this movie to be a straightforward narrative with consistent, investing storylines and character arcs, you’re not going to get it, since this movie is was a sketch comedy show with a faint underlying connective tissue. It can make the overall viewing expert of this movie feel a bit hollow, like you’re not really gaining anything from watching it, but in the moment of watching it and experiencing it for the first time(especially with a crowd) it’s absolutely hilarious and immersive, so who really cares. 

Really surprised by this, since I walked in with little to no expectations. Definitely one that I want to watch again and show to some friends.

60/100

A charmingly stupid, stylistic action movie with a surprising loaded cast of talent. 

A solid go-to for me whenever I’m looking for some dumb fun action and likeable actors doing their thing in a group dynamic. None of the characters are all that memorable or fleshed out; they’re all given their tokens of sympathy , I.e. the pregnant wife back at home, the friend that was killed - but all the actors are surprisingly committed to the material and play to their strengths. Brolin as a tough as nails lieutenant, Gosling as a charming, lone wolf boozehound, Robert Patrick as a grizzled cowboy type, and then Pena and Mackie playing the side kicks with likeable charisma. The script never tries to go above or beyond - or even an extra inch - then it has to, but the bare minimum here is still solid and committed to by some great talent. Sean Penn is really hamming it up as the villain and I think it’s a lot of fun. He’s clearly enjoying himself immensely as he harkens back to old gangster movie cliches and tropes in fun, over the top ways.

The film is definitely going for a style over accuracy approach, both in the depiction of LA and the building of the world within it. The style is very sleek and unique (very pulpy and comic book-esque) but sometimes it can be a bit much, like with a few of Fleischers films. The style can sometimes be the substance in a bit of a distracting way. That’s some very unnecessary slow motion at times. And some of the action suffers from this distracting effect in the camerawork in which motion blur and locked down tracking movements are used to try and force your focus onto a particular actor or subject or blend two different shots into one with a mix of CGI. Most of the time it’s very distracting but there is one scene involving Gosling’s character going off the deep end so to speak which utilizes the effect very well. 

One glaring issue with this movie is that LA feels empty for large portions of it, and it’s painfully obvious at times that certain locations are sets on a lot and the rest of the scenery has been digitally added via green screen. It makes the world feel very empty and artificial. And the stakes also feel lesser as a result. There isn’t much urgency or care from an audience standpoint regarding the city as a character since we never get a real good understanding of what the city is or if regular people even exist in it. Everyone we meet is either a cop, a gangster, a friend of one of two, a family member of one of the two, and that’s it. There’s only a handful of scenes that take place in a crowd of bystanders or extras and that feel like they’re taking place in a real, tangible location. And considering how weak the setting up of the main characters is, there isn’t much to latch onto in of tension or stakes or emotion or really anything. 

But I digress, cuz I never come back to this movie for deep characters or a realistic depiction of a true crime story, I come for solid action scenes, fun actors being likable, and a quick runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and I get that, each and every time. The musical score is also very good. Ok, bye.

85/100

One of Hughes’ best and a film that is effortlessly good natured and kind hearted, in all the right ways. 

John Candy is one of my most beloved actors, the guy could do it all and proved time and time again how loveable, vulnerable, and hilarious he can be all while being an amazing dramatic actor, as seen in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and JFK. And ‘Buck’ is one of his best roles because it perfectly goes against the narrative of what his type of characters are. He isn’t a bumbling buffoon who the whole family resents for completely understandable reasons. He’s a very knowledgeable and self aware person who knows he’s stuck trying to live a fantasy life while the rest of the whole moves past him in quickening speed; as expressed in a great scene where he drunkenly laments to the family dog where it all went wrong. Hes a lovable, kind hearted, but stubborn mess of a man and Candy plays it marvellously. And the dynamic he has with the kids, especially Macaulay Culkin and Gaby Hoffmann, is so enduring and adorable. 

This is definitely one of Hughes’ most family-friendly films, with nowhere near the amount of crassness and vulgarity found in The Breakfast Club, Vacation, or that one iconic scene in Planes/Trains, but I feel his script for this movie is one of his best. It perfectly rides the line of being a great family film while still having a strong backbone of maturity and adult/dark humour to satisfy fans regardless of their age. No matter when you first watch this movie, whether it’s as a child or an adult, I feel it works, which is why it holds up after all these years as a phenomenal 80s comedy. 

It can kind of get ignored sometimes in movies like this but this movie is shot beautifully. There are multiple moments that stand out as memorable simply on their cinematography and lighting alone, couple with Hughes’ direction as well. And the music follows in Hughes’ usual approach and is as nostalgic and bright as ever. 

It’s John Candy’s show but this movie is great from top to bottom when you look past his massive talent and lovable screen presence. One of my favourites.

75/100

While my faith and excitement in the MCU has severely dwindled over the last few years, in my heart I’m still a comic book fan and a comic book movie fan and I still want to get excited for these movies when they arrive, which is why I was very happy when I realized I was actually very excited to see this movie and that I wanted to rush to the theatre to see it to avoid spoilers. 

Not to say this movie is a complete course correction for the MCU nor is it a classic of genre or anything, but it is the first time in a while where one feels cohesive, motivated, personal, and with a clear purpose in mind. This movie interested me from the moment it was announced simply because of the cast. I’m fans of just about everyone in it and I was excited for the sole reason of seeing them together. And I’m a sucker for an underdog story. For the most part this is a straight forward action-thriller-comedy about a group of misfits banding together out of necessity to survive a perilous situation, and I love that. It’s simple and formulaic and cliche but it’s a good cliche, and seeing these characters occupy it makes it feel special. The chemistry between them all is a lot of fun and all the actors do a great job. 

Florence Pugh is definitely the star of the movie and she’s fantastic. Lewis Pullman as a newcomer was awesome, I loved what he brought to the character and the story. David Harbour proves to be the heart and soul of the film and the team, and his chemistry with Sebastian Stan is arguably the best duo in the film. While their characters roles are unfortunately relegated to the side, Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen are a pleasure to see return as well. John Walker has been my favourite new addition to the MCU since Endgame, along with Yelena, and once again I loved him in this, although he is somewhat sidelined as the ‘asshole’ of the group, he still has some great moments and I adore Russell’s portrayal as him. I want to see a lot more of him going forward. And it was cool to see the franchise give Ghost another chance to shine, after being somewhat forgotten in one of the more forgettable entries in the franchise. She’s great here too. 

The film can suffer from common flaws the MCU often runs into to; misplaced humour, a somewhat messy setup and finale, and some contrived coincidences that don’t feel natural at all, but I appreciated the films devotion to being a simple story. A story about grief and regret and redemption and wanting more in life. Wanting to be more. Wanting to not feel like you’re drifting day to day without purpose. It’s familiar and again very simple, but sometimes superhero movies work best when they are that way. This movie feels a lot like the ‘lifting the hammer’ scene in Age Of Ultron but extended to a full runtime. It feels like we’re spending time getting to know these characters rather than focusing on another world ending threat. This feels more personal, more sympathetic, more human. It feels like Marvel actually gave a director a chance to make the film they wanted to make, without hindrance or interference. It has a somewhat unique look when compared to other films and the action sequences are very well helmed and feel unique to this specific project. There are moments that feel very horror inspired and the emotional moments are handled with clear respect for the characters and the films themes.

So aside from some missed character opportunities and some familiar nitpicks and cliches, I had a great time with this movie, and I’m actually excited to see where it leads and where these characters go next. It’s not the best since Endgame or Infinity War, but it is the first time since that safe ended that I’m actually invested to see where these stories go.

80/100

A very underrated film. 

Don’t why but I actually saw this movie in theatres when it came out and was very surprised by it, and to this day I think it’s a very underrated true story film. I know some people took issue with this coming out so recent after the tragedy and while I understand the wounds an event like that cause take a long time to heal(if ever), I think the recency actually benefits this films overall effectiveness and impact. Since the weight of it all was still being felt in 2016, and even now, it made the retelling of it all the more real and hard hitting. The moment the bomb goes off is absolutely terrifying and eerie. How quick everything goes to hell and seeing it from the first responders POV as they’re forced to handle the situation with a certain level of normality is really discomforting. And then seeing the fallout hit them later is all the more effective. 

I know Mark Walhberg is not everybody’s favourite guy, or even necessarily a good guy perhaps, but he is very good here; a solid reminder that the guy can act when he’s not doing shit like Max Payne or Uncharted or Flight Risk. He’s very vulnerable here, more so than he maybe ever has been before. And he leads a stacked cast that all follow suit with terrific performances; JK Simmons, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Alex Wolf, in a very uncomfortable and challenging role especially. The shootout sequence towards the end is one of the finest in recent memory imo. Very real and very scary, as is the violence throughout the whole movie, but it’s never played for entertainment. It’s all real. The bombs feel deadly when they go off, like you’re feeling the debris through the screen. The bullet fire feels like it’s happening within your own ear shot. 

And while there are some questionable aspects(Melissa Benoist’s casting) and there are some things that fall through the cracks, this remains a very well made film about a tragedy that the people of Boston turned into a rallying cry. There’s a very hard hitting story of survival and human resilience weaved into the horror of this moment, and it’s hard to really dislike any film that manages to capture that as well as this film does. 

Out of the unofficial quad trilogy of true story Wahlberg movies Peter Berg pumped out in the 2010s(Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, this, and Mile 22) Patriots Day is definitely my favourite and definitely worth more praise and recognition than it gets.

100/100

Just one of the best MOVIES of all time man.

Some of the best character work ever conceived and some of the most well rounded scriptwriting ever done. The characters in this movie are so, so well written and portrayed by every actor on screen that they take on a complete life of their own, and the movies picture perfect grey morality complements their contrasting ideologies so beautifully. The way they interact with each other and how their lives intertwine is so enchanting to watch, and the dialogue between everyone is absolutely superb. The diner scene has been spoken about to death but it’s truly one of the best conversations have put to film, and it does a phenomenal job of setting up these characters arcs and their eventual climatic face off . “I’m never going back.”

This movie excels at being so many things; a fantastic police procedural, a riveting heist film, a compelling character study, a modern city set tragedy, and above all else a brilliant, challenging film that causes anyone who watches it to look inside themselves for the answers this story brings up. What are labels in life? Who constitutes a criminal? Is a criminal inherently bad? Am I any better or different than someone from the other side of the law? Am I truly doing the right thing? Am I rooting for the right guy? Is there ‘a guy’ to root for? Or just a bunch misguided, lost people like me? It’s fantastic writing that perfectly mirrors and reflects realistic and relatable qualms anyone has in the real world, regardless of who or what they are. 

And that’s not even mentioning the technical brilliance of this movie from beginning to end. The moody score, topped off with that hauntingly beautiful Moby song, the lush cityscape nighttime sequences, the amazing cinematography all around by Dante Spinotti, and the immaculate handling of the shootout sequences. Nerve shattering sound design and expert direction by Mann make the bank robbery shootout one of the finest in film history. The gritty, rapid fire pace and pressure make it feel real and visceral. The way the camera bounces from side to side as the robbers fire back and forth down the street. The perfect handling of characters locations in the scene, never getting lost in the chaos and leaving the audience confused. And of course how all of it is in camera and performed perfectly by the cast, Kilmer, De Niro, Pacino, Studi, Sizemore, Levine, all of them do an amazing job. 

I could write and write and write about this movie all day and all year long. There’s so much I love in this movie and every time I watch it I become overtaken by creative inspiration. It’s truly Mann at his absolute best and it’s one of the greatest films ever made.

75/100

A worthy, albeit very different, sequel that equals and in some ways improves upon its predecessor.

I really appreciate the fact that Gavin O’Connor didn’t come back to this franchise after all these years to remake the same film over again. This is a very different film from the first, both in tone and execution. There’s a much cheerier, more comedic tone this time around, with a lot of downtime dedicated to Affleck and Bernthal engaging in brotherly bickering and bonding, which they both do great jobs in. Affleck’s performance is much more emotive and expressive, and similarly, more comedic. I’m glad they decided to bring back Cynthia Addai-Robinson, she plays a god role as the voice of reason compared to the brothers more rebellious and less than legal actions. Although there were a lot of opportunities for more conflict between her and them that the movie didn’t take. 

Right from the opening scene, this movie improves upon the action, intensity, and pace of the first. It’s a very tense action scene which does a good job of throwing us back into this world and setting up the complex plot that’s about to unfold, plus JK Simmons gets to get involved in the action, which was really cool to see. The action sequences throughout are all very well done and tense. And the musical score is more present and riveting. 

Sometimes the tones clash a little bit, the comedy and the thrills, causing for some jarring moments, but overall I think the more comedic moments were handled with as much effectiveness as the action. But the smaller cast makes for a more even flow and pace, since the edit isn’t jumping around as much. Similar to the first film however, the screenplay isn’t great at introducing us to characters and it can get a bit confusing and messy when names are brought up we don’t recognize and plot points are explained without fully knowing who anybody involved is just yet. The film takes some swings regarding certain abilities that characters have that is a bit too far to really believe and it reminded me of some of the stuff often criticized in Shane Black’s Predator sequel. Sometimes it’s a bit too much. And the film does a good job of setting up a great antagonist that can rival Affleck and parallels with him nicely, but the film decides not to feature her nearly as much as it could’ve. Perhaps they’re setting up another sequel but I’m never a big fan of that style of writing. I think it would’ve benefitted THIS film nicely rather than planning to make a hypothetical sequel better. 

This proved my doubts wrong though, I really didn’t think a sequel was necessarily needed but now I’m glad we got it. And I’m happy O’Connor took any many chances with it as he did, I always love when directors take chances and go in different directions when tasked with crafting a sequel to one of their films.

75/100

With the release of its sequel upon us, I felt the need to go back and rewatch this to see if my opinion held up, and it does.

The ant is a well made, efficient action-conspiracy-thriller with good performances and solid direction by Gavin O’Connor. While it does get off to a slow start, this is one of those rare films that gets better as it progresses. The first act is by far the weakest and can take a while to get going. And the editing is a bit lackluster at times. Scenes play out a bit like misnomers and don’t seem to gel with the natural progression of the story. The fleeting moments of action were given in the first half are unfortunately too shaky and chopped up to be satisfying, but the set pieces later in the film do get much better. Things are set up rather clumsily and with a lot of exposition at times but the payoff we get later and the twists and turns we see the story make towards the end make it all worth it.

The screenplay does a good job of fouling the audience as to how to feel about certain characters, and it asks you to be patient, only seeing them for who they really are later. J.K Simmons and Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s dynamic is a great example and one of the stronger elements of the film. While i don’t think Ben Affleck is bad by any means in the lead role, I do think he might’ve been miscast. He does well in the action sequences and he’s believable as this highly capable assassin and smart, meticulous man, but his screen presence and overall demeanour contradict his characters supposed cold, calculated, astutely efficient tone. His presence lends a certain charming, everyman type that we’ve seen him portray in other projects and despite his efforts to suppress it, it’s present in his performance here, whereas compared to his turn as Batman, he can use those charming, charismatic tendencies in his role as Bruce Wayne, the public playboy facade, and then contrast that with the vulnerable, vengeful, tortured person he truly is when he’s alone. Christian Wolff isn’t given much in the way of that duality, vulnerability, or even emotion, but when he does, Affleck does do really well. The relationship between him and Bernthal’s character that is revealed is very touching and adds a great footnote to the story. 

The cast is a bit bloated with big names and recognizable faces that tend to distract rather than immerse sometimes, just due to their characters overall importance to the plot, but everyone does a good job. The films overall look is a bit flat but the steady direction by O’Connor and the steady pace that progressively builds makes for an investing watch regardless. I really wish Gavin O’Connor would make more films because I think he’s very talented and very underrated in the industry. 

Overall, a solid action-thriller with some flaws but with enough quality and care put in to make it a film worth revisiting from time to time.

50/100

While definitely made with a clear purpose in mind and with a distinctively personal flavour, this movie dips its toes into several pools but never gets much further than the surface in all of them.

Lea Myren does do a fantastic job in what is her feature film debut. A lot is asked of her and she definitely lives up to it all, both physically and emotionally. She really goes for it and fully embodies her character. Definitely a talent and someone who I look forward to seeing more of in the future. Unfortunately her character, and every other character, is very underbaked and uninteresting. The extreme lengths her character goes to to ‘improve’ herself are never really earned and the motivations are very muddled. The prince she is enraptured with is an obnoxious asshole, and ofc I understand this is entirely intentional and we’re supposed to dislike him, but it makes it hard to root for Elvira and understand her desperation to woo this man when we know, and she knows, that he’s a douchebag. It’s like having a friend in high school who’s totally obsessed with this classmate that they regularly ignore every red flag and when they finally get with them, they end up getting burned. Yeah, we saw that coming a mile away. And the other motivation is that Elvira’s family is running out of money so she feels she must marry a well paid man so she can provide for herself, her mother, and her sister, but the movie routinely shows her mother spending large sums of money on these elaborate beauty treatments and dresses. So the motivations fall flat from both sides and thus the ending fails to stick any kind of emotional conclusion. 

The films colour scheme is very grey and drab, it looks like it was filmed on a perpetually overcast day, thus the image is very flat and uninspired. There are fleeting moments of interesting colours and dream sequences but they’re very unoriginal and bland. The music is also noticeably bad in a lot of moments; it’s very much all over the place. It features very old fashioned classical music, Irish folkish flute arrangements, gentle harps, and then heavy synthesizers. It’s a very mixed bag. Some of the music is decent and effective but a lot of it is grading to listen to and very distracting. The body horror elements feel secondary and unearned, they almost feel obligatory, like they were shoehorned in at times. It’s obvious to tell when a ‘gross’ moment is coming and even then they aren’t done with a lot of creativity or ingenuity.

Which is a flaw with a lot of things in this movie; there isn’t a whole lot in the way of creativity. This is supposed to be a horrific spin on a familiar fairy tale, the possibilities are endless for what you could include; magic, witchcraft, demons, goblins, trippy visuals, eye popping colour, etc. Now ofc I know this movie was done on a low budget but there are a host of low budget horror movies I can name that accomplished a hell of a lot more than this movie was able to, which sounds meaner than I want it to lol. 

I really don’t want to dogpile on this movie cuz I don’t think it’s going to draw a big crowd or make a ton of money at the box office, so I’m going to shut up now. Do see this movie if you have any interest because it might be your thing, unfortunately for me, it was not.

90/100

A wonderfully beautiful story that perfectly captures the childish innocence of grown men in uniforms playing a children’s game. 

There’s an element of fantasy woven into this movies fabric that makes it standout among other baseball films of its type. The story has an underlying current of classical good vs evil. The triumphant score by Randy Newman, of all people, makes this movie feel like some sort of superhero serial one would hear on a radio in the 1950s. It’s blissfully innocent and good hearted, something so few movies are anymore. It’s unabashedly happy, in a way that can sometimes feel cheesy or hokey, but it only works in the films favour. 

Robert Redford’s performance, while quiet and subdued, is relatable and somber in a melancholic way. His weathered face and stoic demeanour go a long way in writing a backstory for his character without a word being spoken, one of tragedy and regret. Glenn Close is wonderful in her role and her Oscar nom is well deserved, as it is for Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography, which really sells the old-fashioned fantastical sense this movie carries. The production and art design and do a brilliant job of selling the 30s-esque time period. Never once does this movie feel like it’s transpiring in the present or even on this planet sometimes, again attributed to this films unique tone and presentation that makes it feel like some kind of fairy tale.
 
The cast is rounded out by phenomenal character actors like Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, Michael Madsen, and Darren McGavin(in an uncredited role for some reason). While the sometimes implausible happenings and whimsical moments of storytelling may turn some people off, who are perhaps looking for more of a classic sports underdog story, ala Moneyball or Major League or Rocky, again, this movie is just old fashioned whimsy. A film unashamed to be old fashioned, to be happy, to be simple in a good vs evil way. A film that isn’t ashamed to be childish. A film that understands what baseball is; a children’s game played by grown men with an unquenchable ion for it. By men who can’t see themselves doing anything else. And this movie is a beautiful look at one of those man, albeit in a less then ordinary world, who reaches that point in every athletes life where they come to a crossroads; the sport they love and the life after.

90/100

BY FAR my favourite movie of the year and the best film I’ve seen in a long while. 

Ryan Coogler has always been a phenomenal director that I’ve been a big fan of but this might be his finest work imo. It could just be that this movie touches on so many elements of things I love from its music, to its time period, to its tone, to its horror elements, but even without that, this movie is excellent from beginning to end. A deliberate slow burn that brilliantly builds and builds and builds each moment after another, until the powder keg finally blows and the final act hits like a Mack truck. There is a phenomenal moment toward the midway point which beautifully weaves time periods together in a touching showing of humanity but that also feels like a bittersweet calm before the eventual storm.

Michael B. Jordan is fantastic here and as energetic and charming as ever. His portrayal of the twin brothers feels distinctly different as you’d want a performance of this type to be, and he brings subtle qualities and quirks to each brother to make the characters feel lived in and weathered. Jack O’Connell is phenomenal as Remmick. Very sinister and deviously entertaining with a charmingly, weasely quality. He’s intentions and motivations are fleshed out and explained in very simple, quick ways that never fall into full on exposition dumps. Cogler continues to show that he can craft an awesome villain to counter his heroes. Hailee Steinfeld is great as well in a more sidelined role than I expected but it went a long way to making her characters journey more impactful. Characters in this movie feel very vulnerable and expendable, even the ones played by big name actors you may recognize. They feel like they can drop like flies at any moment, which makes all the action-horror moments that much more intense and horrific. 

The real star of this movie though is its sound design and its score. Ludwig Goransson is quickly becoming cementing himself as one of the best composers working in film, and his work in Sinners may be his finest work. Similar to his work in Tenet, the way he blends several eras of music together to create this dizzying, transcendent listening experience, coupled with the fantastic sound design, truly makes this movie something very, very special. The lighting and cinematography are gorgeous as well. Literally every aspect of this movie is so astutely well done to the point of making one emotional just due to the pure brilliance and beauty of it all. 

There are a few edits that feel a bit choppy and incoherent and the scripting can be a bit repetitive during the transitional moments, but aside from minor nitpicks that don’t effect the overall enjoyment or quality, this movie is nearly perfect. A film that perfectly rides the line of being hard hitting and heavy and being a joyful popcorn blockbuster with awesome effects, Tom’s of gore and violence, and a very simple concept uplifted by ionate storytelling and deeply human themes.

70/100

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 

Knew this was supposed to be a horror comedy going in but didn’t think it would lean into the comedy as much as it did. To the point where it’s almost a comedy first. And it worked for me, for the most part. Theo James does a great job selling the comedic moments as well as the more serious stuff. His dual roles are well done and his performance as a certain underlying rage that boils over in some good freak out lines and moments. And while the father son dynamic isn’t particularly well and isn’t fleshed out in an emotionally satisfying way, the actors have fun chemistry with one another and are entertaining together throughout. 

The death scenes are very reminiscent of Final Destination, with the conceit of elaborate setups and over the top payoffs,  but the comedic tone and chaotic randomness of them make them feel unique to this movies tone and most of them we’re really effective on me. There’s a few that boast some iffy CGI work to put it lightly but most of them are pretty solid. There’s supernatural elements while present are never really the driving force of the narrative, which I enjoyed. The film wastes no time trying to explain what it is or what it wants, rather just that it exists and we have to accept it, much like death itself. It might put some people off that they don’t try to explain it  (which would mean they probably hate most Stephen King content) but much like films like It Follows, I like the approach of blind acceptance. Unlike It Follows however, this films rules are a bit in question. It doesn’t need any further explanation but the films dialogue and character motivations set out a somewhat clear set of rules for us to understand how the monkey and the dark magic(or whatever) work but it frequently tosses them aside either for comedic payoff or just off the hell of it. 

The second act of this movie was by far the strongest and the book ends are a bit weak. The opening had a bit too much narration for my liking for things that either didn’t need it or would’ve been better off without it all together. It returns toward the beginning of the third act to explain the villains motivations and again was not needed. But the scripts quick pace and consistent entertainment value make everything breeze by without much distraction or restriction. 

Osgood Perkins has proven to not be for everyone but he has definitely proved himself to be a true fan of the horror genre and one that isn’t restricted to a singular subcategory of it. With Longlegs last year, The Blackcoats Daughter before that, and now The Monkey, he has shown himself to be a directorial chameleon of sorts and while he may not bat 100 for all his efforts, he always seems to put an equal amount of effort and care into his projects. And the notion of him working with James Wan going forward is very exciting.

70/100

A tight espionage thriller that, aside from a few flaws, harkens back to the genre classics in an effective, riveting way.

Running just over 90 minutes, this movies pace is its strongest aspect. The films opening act wastes no time in throwing you straight into the conflict and forces you to play catch up as the plot is already in motion and lets you work in tandem with the characters as they work with you in piecing everything together. Then by the third act it flips and puts our leads a step ahead as we watch them show us the completed puzzle. It’s really smart work by David Koepp as it keeps the film engaging even through the dull moments. Soderbergh’s direction is as tight and sleek as ever and the camerawork is excellent. Really helps the movie flow from scene to scene smoothly and gracefully without much resistance from the edit. The music is a nice throwback to classic spy thriller with a bit of a modern twist thrown in with some synth elements. 

The characters are rather swallow however and serve more as vehicles for the audience as opposed to genuinely compelling rich people who we can get emotionally attached to in any shape or form. The actors do fine jobs but np are given much to work with beyond the surface level. Fassbender dips into his usual cold, stoic, efficient bag that we’ve seen him use before and he is good at it but it’s nothing we haven’t seen from him before in better roles. Same goes for Cate Blanchett. Everything she does here is something we’ve seen from her before but better. 

Similar to De Palma’s inaugural Mission: Impossible film, the plot is a bit scatterbrained and the lack of exposition can make it difficult to follow but it’s a real rarity nowadays for films to really trust their audiences and ask of them to piece things together on their own so it’s a welcome change of pace. The films visual look is very sleek as well. Very warm and incandescent with hazy glow emitting from the light sources. 

While it never reaches above and beyond, Black Bag is a solid spy thriller that never overstays its welcome or dips into mediocrity and, again, is a nice change of pace in the current landscape of Hollywood.

35/100

Solid performances from seasoned performers and some interesting concepts and themes but the final product struggles to earn those performances or make any use of those interesting concepts.

Shot nicely and edited in an immersive way that does a decent job putting you in the POV of a stroke ridden older man, there are qualities in this movie that are unique and somewhat compelling, but as I mentioned, they’re never used in a way that honours their interesting potential. The film is overly long and bogged down by drawn out sequences of nothing and others of numbing repetition. A slow burn can be very effective, especially in horror and thrillers, but only when they effectively build to a satisfying climax, which this movie just doesn’t. 

I was surprised that a psychological thriller starring John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush completely flew under my radar but after seeing it, I understand why this movie isn’t making any big headlines. Lithgow is good and menacing, it’s always entertaining to see him play these villainous roles, but there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen him do elsewhere to better effect. Same with Rush. His confused state and his annoyed anger are palpable in his delivery and physical presence, but for a lot of the movie he feels more bored than he does intimidated. And the psychological torment he suffers often feels like more of a minor annoyance to him during much of the runtime. The effect of his pride and willpower crumbling is never conveyed in a way that feels meaningful or interesting. 

The films themes of fear of abandonment in old age, living as a enger in your own debilitated body, and the somber fear of one day realizing you’ve wasted your life are compelling in concept, but they’re squandered in the films repetitive, tedious script. 

Kind of a nothing movie. Disappointingly so as I really wanted to be taken completely off guard by this movie when walking in blind.

65/100

While filled with a lot of compelling ideas and interesting dilemmas, the final product still feels somewhat unfulfilled and a bit underwhelming.

The film looks and sounds terrific and has several standout shots that really showcase an excellent visual style. The music and sound design are really great and go a long way in crafting a unique execution. The visual effects are also fantastic. Robert Pattinson delivers yet again and excels at making his doppelgängers feel distinct and easily identifiable. Naomi Ackie standouts as well and proves herself to be an actress worth keeping an eye on going forward. Mark Ruffalo’s performance seems to drawing the ire of some people but I thought he was really entertaining in his scenery chewing performance, albeit a bit on the nose in his mockery of politicians. Steven Yuen and Toni Collette are good, they’re never going to turn in bad performances, but their characters are given very little to do and even less to make them halfway interesting or compelling. 

This movie can REALLY drag in the second act and really the whole midsection. The pace can slow to a crawl and then, a scene later, speed up, causing tonal whiplash sometimes with how much it bounces around. The first act is edited almost completely like a montage and is littered with exposition to a point where it becomes hard to follow or get into to. There’s also a narration by Pattinson that works as his internal thoughts vocalized but it more so plays out like him literally talking to the audience and explaining things to us like we’re in a classroom. It’s not very interesting storytelling. The editing tries to compensate with a nonlinear approach that makes the early narrative a bit more investing but it feels more forced. It never justifies its existence or its purpose other than rushing us through the early events of the scripts in order to get to the later stages. A lot of the plot also hinges on the characters piecing certain things together and solving small mysteries that arise but they’re obvious to see coming and the answers the film reaches are SO obvious that you already know how they’ll be concluded the minute they’re proposed. Being one step ahead of your characters is sometimes effective and can enhance a films tension or intrigue, especially in horror, but here it’s a more distracting than it is immersive. 

There are a lot of subplots and side characters that pop up that are never given much reason to exist and are given even less reason by the films lacklustre way of resolving them. Steven Yuens character in particular is almost entirely useless and feels like a huge waste of time by the time you reach the end. And the satire the film makes, while funny at times, is a bit too on the nose to really be all that interesting. The comedic tone is a constant throughout the runtime but the films actual comedic value kind of vanishes by the time the midpoint hits. The performances, particularly from Ackie, do provide some effective moments but they’re few and far between. 

Overall, there feels like there’s a lot of wasted time in their movie. Too much effort focused on non sequiters and unresolved plot points really bog down the enjoyment factor, but the performances, the moments of dark comedy, the commercialized sci-fi aesthetic, and fun, thrilling finale make Mickey 17 worth checking out.

70/100

Finally got around to watching ‘The Bob Dylan Movie”. 

Mangold is one of the best directors working today and while his last effort, Dial Of Destiny, definitely fell short of what it could’ve been, his work here shows that that is most certainly the outlier. This movie feels very genuine and in camera, something lacking from a lot of films nowadays. None of this movie feels digitized or glossy clean. Things feel dirty, grimy, and weathered. Everything from the cinematography to the production design to the performances, which are all very strong. Edward Norton and Elle Fanning shined the brightest in my opinion but their presence diminishes noticeably in the second act and into the third. Chalamet certainly does a commendable job as Bob Dylan. His voice can be a bit inconsistent sometimes and sometimes feels a bit like a forced impression, but he definitely proved my doubts about his casting wrong. Monica Barbaro’s voice is incredible as Joan Baez as well. 

While the story follows a predictably similar formula to most other biopics, it does a good job of telling a neutral, indiscriminate narrative of Dylan’s life. The film never gets caught up in the ‘legend’ of Bob Dylan and never treats him as an untouchable iron without flaws like how some other biopics can get lost in portraying their subject as a god rather than a man. In addition to being rather predictable, the film can also feel rather emotionally hollow at times. There are certainly moments that slow down to allow for quieter interactions between people where we gain more insight into how they feel and what’s going on inside their heads, but for the most part, the screenplay is more of a straight forward telling of events without much in the way of emotional weight or depth. Relationships crumble and then repair off screen and conflicts are set up or hinted at without much in the way of resolution. 

Unlike some contemporaries, the film does a good job of keeping a cohesive flow of time through subtle dialogue and visual storytelling that never feels jarring or distracting. And the political context and world order of the time are explored clearly enough to give the films events more weight and make them more understandable in the time frame of the films setting. 

A really good movie but one that doesn’t feel too innovative or uniquely interesting among the status quo of musical biopics.

Watched on Thursday February 27, 2025.

75/100

1981 was the year of werewolves in Hollywood but most people tend to only think of An American Werewolf in London or The Howling. But there was an equally great contributor to that cause in Wolfen, a compelling, more unique look at the typical lore. 

Michael Wadleigh didn’t directly a whole lot of films in his short career and it’s a shame because the guy clearly had a unique vision as one. This movie is expertly, efficiently directed with a level of smoothness and ease that feels almost effortless. There are fantastic sweeping helicopter shots that create a great, authentic understanding of the 80s New York setting. Not a single shot in this movie feels faked or not in camera. POV shots weren’t anything new to film by 1981, certainly not in horror with the likes of Black Christmas and Halloween coming out previously and The Evil Dead in the same year as Wolfen, but the ones crafted here are some of the most effective and impressive given the time. Always close to the ground and spying from around corners as the unseen creatures stalk their prey. They also utilize unique filters that surely inspired the look of the predator’s vision later that decade. This movie looks phenomenal all around. Vibrant popping colours pepper the nighttime cityscapes, moody nighttime cinematography do a great job crafting a modern gothic tone, and the lighting and use of shadows are expertly used to craft tension and further build upon that moody vibe. 

The sound design is also excellent, and very inventive. There are some really impressive stunts as well, including a great scene between Albert Finney and Edward James Olmos atop the Manhattan Bridge. Finney also does a great job in the lead role and leads a cast of recognizable up and coming actors like Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan and even Reginald VelJohnson in a quick role. The cast also brings a lot of charm and subtle humour throughout as well, given Wadleigh’s decision to cast a lot of unknowns and theatre actors in ing roles. Finney’s character, albeit, isn’t the most fleshed out or unique but he’s given enough backstory, personality, and character by Finney’s performance to make him likeable and entertaining. The romance that blossoms is predictably easy to see coming and the script does next to nothing in of making it interesting or at all believable. It’s next to non existent in the final product. 

The first half of this movie is undoubtedly its strongest part, as the mystery of the film is still developing. And the pace slows quite a bit by the hour mark. Things do pick up in the last half hour though, leading to a thrilling finale. James Horner’s score is rather forgettable in his catalog but he was also only given 2 weeks to complete it. There’s even some tracks featured here that he would later recycle and use in Aliens. The film also boasts some impressive gore but is also restrained with how much and when to show it. Choosing certain moments to only describe the violence while balancing moments of quick glimpses as well. 

Some definite faults but this is an overlooked thriller of the 1980s, especially among other werewolf films of that time. Not at all conventional and quite effective.

70/100

Liked this more than I thought I ever would. 

Movies are really missing Tony Scott’s presence. His directing always feels so energized and ionate. He’s able to create so much excitement and adrenaline just from a single shot. And every shot feels like it’s given the same amount of attention and care. This movie looks fantastic and has such a tangible effect in everything it does. Everything feels authentic and in person, something sorely lacking from films nowadays. There’s a ferocity brought to the racing scenes in this movie in their direction, editing, and the storytelling in play during them. Sometimes it feels like there are pieces missing in a way that doesn’t come across as confusing, rather as insightful as to how a driver feels when racing. Things go by so quick and so fast that you don’t always have time to react or respond, and this movie conveys that feeling onto the audience through its direction. 

Alongside Scott, Tom Cruise really feels like he belongs. They both bring such a heightened state of energy and commitment that they always bring out the best versions of themselves. They’re an underrated tandem in each other’s careers. But it’s Robert Duvall who really shined the brightest in this movie. So lovable, so believable, and, in a backwards way, almost the main character of this film. Cruise is the focus and he’s the one driving the plot, no pun intended, but it’s Duvall’s character who were introduced to first and it’s him who gives us our closing moment and image. The cast is loaded and most do a good job but Nicole Kidman does fall through the cracks a little bit. She’s not bad but her place in the movie never really makes its case as an imperative. I almost feel like changing her character to a sports psychologist or therapist would’ve benefited the film and her role. It would’ve allowed us more insight into our main characters struggles with his fear of losing his identity and of lack of control in life, as well as shining a light on an often overlooked side of being an athlete; the mental side. 

The first half hour or so sort of feels like an extended montage and it makes it a bit hard to develop a connection with any of the characters since the movie kind of speed runs you through their introductions. And that editing I talked about, which works great in the racing scenes, sometimes feels like it pops up in the narrative in a less than helpful way. Perhaps some scenes were left on the cutting room floor but there are some sub plots and character interactions that seem left out. Enemies turn to friends, rivalries emerge without much motivated meaning, and so much time es offscreen it gets a bit jarring, like the movies giving you whiplash or making you question whether or not your mind wandered off and missed something.

By the end though, I think I might’ve liked this movie more than Top Gun. It flies by at a quicker pace, it feels like more is at stake, the cast of characters are more fleshed out and interesting, and the finale is more emotionally satisfying.

70/100

An often forgotten Ridley Scott venture but still a fairly solid, albeit a bit conventional, conspiratorial political thriller boosted by strong performances.

Led by two strong performers, DiCaprio and Crowe, this movie owes a lot of its success to their performances. DiCaprio really is a chameleon. He effortlessly fits into these roles to perfection. His performance as Ferris sees him dipping into his Departed bag a little bit, albeit a bit more stabilized and weathered. His cool efficiency and convincing physicality make his turn as a CIA operative completely believable. Acting across from him, Russel Crowe plays his character with a disionate, desensitized, almost darkly comedic, demeanour that perfectly personifies the US government, especially in a post 9-1-1 world. Carrying a strong pursuit for justice that often bleeds over into heartless vengeance, not caring who may get burned in that pursuit while he watches from an ocean away. It’s that dynamic and biting satirical look that makes this movie engaging in between the sparse action sequences. 

This movie can get rather scatterbrained at times, especially in the opening act where it bounces you as the viewer around like a billiard ball from location to location and character to character in rapid succession without much explanation. The structure cements itself more as the film carries on but it can get a bit messy throughout the runtime. The editing is quite good and has a bit of a Nolan feel to it, planting imagery from the outset without much motivation which then pays off in the end. The action sequences are violent and gritty in a disturbingly realistic way, as is to be expected from a Ridley Scott film, but sometimes they suffer from that quick cut, high frame rate look that plagued a lot of action movies from the early 2000s. The usage of real locations really elevate those action scenes and really the whole movie altogether. It’s a forgotten element that so many movies nowadays refuse to utilize in favour of volumes and green screens. Real locations with real breathing worlds within them occupied by crowds of bystanders go such a long way in making a movie feel big but also immersive. 

And despite feeling a bit hollow at its center, the characters and performances make the characters feel real enough to get you to care about them, even if they’re rather swallow and predictable. Aside from that dark satirical element I spoke of earlier, this movie fails to really stick with you after the credits roll. I think it could’ve, and I think it was really close to doing so, but the somewhat by the numbers ending leaves the whole movie with a bit of a by the numbers impact. 

Far from a bad movie, this is a pretty rewarding watch if you’re looking for a solid political thriller. Runs a bit long and is somewhat swallow, but good performances, sleek directing and style, and good on set locations make it worth a watch.

65/100

Original? No. Innovative? No. Simple? Sure. But intense? Yeah. Fun? Yeah. Quick and easy? Definitely.

This movie takes a lot from Alien, obviously, and sometimes distractingly so, but I feel like this movie does a lot of things differently enough to stand on its own. It’s a much more realistic portrayal of the Alien story, showing us what it would really be like if a team of scientists found life on a another planet and how wrong it could go if we did. In place of Alien’s disturbing erotic undertones and cosmic horror inspired iconography by H. R. Giger is a more cold, sterile, tragic take that feels more personal and human than Scott’s film. While the characters are nothing groundbreaking or even really interesting, they’re played by really talented actors who all bring performances to the table that feel uniquely theirs and thus the characters do standout as realistic feeling people, making their deaths and plight more relatable and sympathetic. 

The film is very visually appealing, very well shot, the effects are great, and, like Alien, I feel it does a good job of portraying its central alien entity as something to fear. Its appearance as it rapidly evolves is very gross and visually uncomfortable and the way in which is kills its prey is very unsettling, quite like the Xenomorph but in different ways. The score by Jon Ekstrand is very good and feels suitably old fashioned and modern at the same time. 

Again, nothing new, nothing deep, but for a quick 90 minute sci-fi horror movie, you could do much, much worse than Life.

70/100

Felt inclined to rewatch this movie for the first time in like 7 years after watching Brave New World and was surprised to that I actually like this movie quite a bit. 

While I’ve never been a huge fan of The Hulk from the comics or their adaptions, there are elements of his character that I’ve always found very appealing when done right. The element of a modern, superhero spin on the tale of Prometheus wherein a scientist looking to help further the human race through scientific advancements is cursed for his acts against God to become a monster. And this movie portrays that facet of the character fairly well, particularly because of Edward Norton’s performance. It’s clear he was ion about the role and the character and had a vision for what he wanted a live action adaption of him to be. He’s the right amount of unassuming and ‘nerdy’-looking to portray Bruce Banner while also selling the pent-up rage and aggression bubbling beneath the surface. The rest of the cast kinda gets slighted in my opinion. William Hurt is good as Thunderbolt Ross, he’s never going to turn in a bad performance, but his character is pretty much relegated to ‘General’ throughout the whole movie. He doesn’t have much going on emotionally and the film never tries to achieve anything on substance between him and his estranged daughter, who also doesn’t have much going on despite her estranged boyfriend showing up, who she then ditches her current boyfriend for without resolution. I wonder where he is now in the vast world of the MCU. Tim Roth is fun as Emil Blonksy, but his character also never takes the next step in of development. I like the aspect of his own thirst for power and narcissism being his downfall, it clashes nicely with the story of Steve Rogers, but it’s only surface level in the film, as is his character altogether. 

The music by Craig Armstrong is actually one of my favourite scores from any MCU film. It’s very unique, very bombastic and almost eerie in a way. A fun melding of classic and modern music, and horror, science fiction, and superhero genres. It’s very intense during the action sequences and is present in nearly the entire film, making for a very brisk and entertaining pace. This movie flies by and is very cleverly edited and feels estranged from the other films in this franchise in that aspect. The editing can be a bit suspect sometimes though. There are scenes that don’t feel like they flow together properly and sometimes feels like a lot was removed from the Final Cut altogether. The effects are impressive for the time but a lot of them don’t hold as well now in all honestly. The Hulk himself is clearly going for a more animated appearance in contrast to the Ruffalo Hulk we know now, it feels more exaggerated and ‘cartoony’ in a way, and it doesn’t always work for me. He looks cool sometimes but the over the top, gratuitous vascularity and the disproportionate sizes of his facial features, limbs, and body look a bit off to me. Sometimes during the action scenes the details blur together into a weirdly muddled green mess that looks out of place among the live action elements. 

The action is a lot of fun but, surprisingly on rewatch, it’s actually the quieter moments I enjoyed more. Watching Banned try to remain unseen and undetected while on the run and evading any detection while searching for a cure is actually riveting, making the first act of this movie the best in my opinion. It’s like a Bourne movie mixed with the Hulk and I love it. All building up to the first glimpse of the Hulk in a dimly lit encounter in a bottling plant with the military, which is the best sequence of the film. Preceded by a great, tension filled chase through the Brazilian favelas, the horrific approach to showing the Hulk for the first time is great. Shrouded in shadow like a horror monster as he takes out the soldiers one by one. It’s awesome. I kinda wish the whole movie was that; Banner on the run, seeking a cure, with the military hot on his heels. Remove the romantic subplot that falls flat and all the big blockbuster CGI fights against the Abomination and replace it with high intensity chase sequences and more horror-esque action with the Hulk shown from a regular human’s POV. 

Not nearly as bad as some people have made it out to be in the pantheon of MCU movies and honestly, in retrospect, has aged well. It feels unique and different when compared to the grey, run of the mill slop we see pumped out by the company in recent years.

55/100

I need to stop saying I’m not going to see these movies cuz I always seem to cave. And then feel ashamed. As one of the few people who actually enjoyed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, I was holding out the faintest hope that this movie would be great. 

And I can say this movie wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it might be. After what seemed like years hearing about the nearly constant reports of reshoots and story alterations and the later confirmed rumours of several Hulk related characters appearing along with the Serpent Society, it seemed like this movie was going to be a massive mess. And it (kinda) is. In of tone this movie is all over the place. I appreciated its attempts at being more of a grounded political thriller and a throwback to some of the ones from the 80s and 90s, ala other Harrison Ford movies like Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, but that is in constant flux with the Marvel-esqe element they throw in, like a giant Celestial being growing out of the ocean or a flaming red hulk man or aerial battles between men with wings and fighter jets. It really feels like there’s three movies going on at once. So many characters bounce around and in and out of the story that they feel like props, being thrown from place to place to help the story along, rather than the story naturally progressing the characters through a journey. 

Between the multiple plots going on in this movie, all the stuff with Harrison Ford is by far my favourite. It’s the most emotionally resonate aspect of the film and actually feels refined in the sense Thunderbolt Ross has an arc and feels like he’s given the proper amount of time to complete it. And his performance is actually very solid, doesn’t feel phoned in at all. The more politically driven scenes with him as president actually succeed at being fairly tense and investing. But I feel the marketing of this movie did his character a disservice by selling his Red Hulk turn so widely in it, since, when watching the movie, it’s played out slowly and built toward in a fairly tragic way. Watching the movie really makes it feel like it was supposed to be a surprise. Despite that, him and Carl Lumbly completely steal the movie anytime they’re on screen. They’re by far the most emotionally interesting and engaging characters. Anthony Mackie is good as well, but he’s also slighted by the films too heavy cast of characters and scatterbrained plot. It isn’t until the 3/4 mark that his character is given a general theme or emotional arc to overcome, and he’s supposed to be the lead. The movie does a good job of showing why Sam makes a good Captain America as well as why he’s different than Steve and his own man and hero. I dont have the patience or energy to think about the implications of having an Israeli superhero on the big screen in the state the world is in right now but all I’ll say is that she’s basically entirely unneeded in this movie and only serves as another distraction in the overcrowded mess. 

The action ranges from solid to very clunky. Some of the hand to hand combat sequences are well done and fairly visceral to a level not seen in the MCU in a while but others are so chopped up and manipulated in the editing room that it’s hard to tell if hits are even landing or where certain characters are in the foray. Some are very quick cut and frantic and others are slow and sluggish. The aerial battles are fine and fairly unique, but pale in comparison to even the first Iron Man film, and that was (shudder) almost two decades ago. The big CGI fights are fun but also so unrealistic to the point of absurdity sometimes. Sam gets flung around like a pinball with so sense of weight or pain to any of the hits, it’s like he’s made of rubber. But it’s okay cuz he has a vibranium suit and wings. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, especially in a comic book movie, but as a result of this movie trying to have a more grounded tone and central hero, the absurd cartoony, bloated action clashes noticeably with the films attempts at being a procedural, clever action thriller. Even the score feels in conflict with itself, ranging from high strung and tense to bombastic and orchestral. 

There’s a lot more to be said but I don’t have the motivation to write it all out, plus no one reads these damn things anyway. Could’ve been a whole lot better than it was and had it tried to be a more streamlined attempt at giving Sam Wilson his crowning film as Captain America, it could’ve been one of the best standalone films in the MCU. Instead we’ve been left with ‘tying up loose ends: the movie’.

80/100

Sleek, cool, stylish, and soaked in rich, neon coated atmosphere, Thief shows Mann had the makings of an all time director from his debut. 

After watching this back to back with Manhunter, it’s almost impossible to confidently say which one looks better. Clearly, from the very start of his career, Michael Mann had a precise understanding of how to craft incredibly lush visuals, dynamic, creative, and unique lighting setups, and engaging, immersive blocking and framing. While Manhunter may be his most visually striking film, Thief may be his most efficiently directed one. Scenes blend together fantastically in a steady pace that feels both natural and consistently interesting, and the heavy dialogue scenes are kept engaging even with the simplistic coverage a lot of them have. The diner scene between Cann and Weld is particularly well done from a pacing standpoint, as well as visually. Despite it being a simple scene of two characters talking about their lives and wishes confined to a single booth, the backdrop of a night set Chicago and the sleek lighting within the diner make it visually stunning. Backed by the two performers doing a great job as well, this scene holds up as one of my favourites. 

This movie feels like a blueprint of sorts for a great Michael Mann film. It hits all the points on the checklist; beautiful nightlife cinematography, a rich colour palette, great crime drama, and a marvellously executed shootout serving as its climax. Tangerine Dream delivers a beautiful, synth heavy score as usual for them and it’s a perfect match between them and Mann. They always do great work together. Their blissful dreamlike music feels right at home in the neon soaked cityscapes and 80s-tastic locations this movie visits. Their music almost feels like it’s a natural part of the world within the film, like it fades into the background so seamlessly that you hardly notice how much of an effect it’s having on you and the film at large. The choice to have it be raining for a lot of the nighttime sequences was a fantastic choice as well, as it adds so much to the city as a character and to each and every frame, with the greens and reds of streetlights and blues and whites of street signs reflecting and bouncing off the rain soaked streets. 

While he is one of my favourite directors, a reoccurring flaw I find in a lot of Mann’s films is that they often suffer from an emotional disconnect. A lot of his movies can feel cold and a bit sterile sometimes, and it’s often not a fault of the screenplay. There’s usually quite a bit happening on the emotional side of his films on the page, but something about the way he approaches these scenes and themes from a directing standpoint can feel somewhat hollow or surface level. A large portion of this movie focuses on Cann and Weld’s newfound relationship and their desire for a child. Rich emotional stuff, but the film never really pushes it forward out of second gear. It feels it manages to milk it for the bare minimum amount of emotion. This is something I feel he would get better at overtime, but it’s still prevalent in some of his films past this and even in his recent films too. That said, I do find a lot of satisfaction and payoff in this movie’s ending. 

While a bit hollow, Thief remains one of the most impressive directorial debuts and one of the best ‘one last job’ crime films of all time. Elevated by a great lead performance from James Caan, an understated masterpiece of a score by Tangerine Dream, near perfect cinematography by Donald Thorin, and an unassuming tragic story.

80/100

A fantastic historical epic which unfortunately went widely unseen in COVID-era cinema and has been sadly forgotten ever since. 

As to be expected with Ridley Scott, this movie looks amazing. Not just the cinematography but the costume design is stellar, the production design and art direction are incredibly detailed, and the action sequences are marvellously edited. Filmed mostly with handheld cam, wide shots and closeups are edited perfectly into the mayhem to give the audience moments to breathe and fully take in the scope of the fight. The battle scenes are also very gritty and dirty and feel very authentic and, like all of Scott’s best historical films, sometimes feel like dramatic reenactments rather than theatrical battles. The hits feel real and painful and heavy. Really well done. 

The performances are strong across the board aside from some shaky work by Ben Affleck(and it’s not just that soul-patch I’m talking about) with the standouts being Adam Driver and Jodie Comer, who has proven herself to be a great actress both in dramatic roles, like here and in The Bikeriders, but also in more comedic parts. The films structure is very unique to this genre and it makes great use of it. Considering the film is a story about a woman coming forward about a sexual assault in a time where that was an extremely dangerous thing for a woman to do, even more so than today, the choice to have the film be broken up into three different POVs, the victim, the victims husband, and the perpetrator, was a fantastic choice. It allows for her struggles and emotional journey to be explored solely through her own lens, while also giving us a chance to see the twisted and manipulated reality of the man who assaulted her, as well as from an outside party in her husband. It’s interesting and very clever to watch the same scenes play out through different party’s point of view. And that structure allows for each principle character to have their inner character explored and explained without the use of much dialogue. The musical score, or rather lack of one, really elevates the action in a way that, again, makes them feel more visceral and real. It allows all the hits and grunts and slices to feel much more impactful and painful. 

Sometimes that structure does become a bit of a burden on the overall film however. The first act can feel very rushed at times, jumping through time and different settings in a rapid succession that makes it hard to fully grasp when the story is, especially that early in the film. Sometimes it can be hard to follow where our characters are, both emotionally and physically speaking, at certain points, what with the jumping around and changing of perspective constantly. And there are a few times the edit lets some shots breathe for a bit too long as well as cutting some scenes off shorter than you’d like. 

But besides that, it’s a shame this movie went so under seen and even more unfortunate that it’s been entirely forgotten now. In of Scott’s recent film activity, this is definitely his best film since The Martian and is the best example of his effort in recent years to explore more feminist themes and viewpoints in films like this and Napoleon and House Of Gucci and All The Money In The World.

75/100

Arguably the zenith of Michael Mann’s visual mastery and one of his fastest paced, most intense films. 

Meticulously directed and beautifully edited, this is one of Mann’s most well-assembled films and carries a breakneck pace relentlessly through the whole runtime. The way the film goes about setting up Francis Dollarhyde as the killer is brilliant. Opening with a POV shot from his perspective is nothing new but letting us see through his eyes and then building up his first appearance later in the film by exposing us to his crime scenes after the fact is very clever and super effective. And then his eventual first onscreen appearance alongside Stephen Lang is equally as effective and chilling. Tom Noonan is an incredibly talented character actor and he is at his discomforting best here. Emotionally vulnerable but still physically and psychologically threatening. William Petersen has been hit or miss for me as a leading man but I really enjoy his performance as Will Graham. It feels genuine and quiet but also intense and rightfully frustrated with the conflict he’s thrown into. 

Probably one of the best looking thrillers ever put to the film. The colours in this movie are constant and always so rich and vibrant. Every frame is dripping with atmosphere so much so that you can always taste and smell every location. The music is always great, both the score and soundtrack, very 80s but still very befitting of the film and its tones. It’s strange in hindsight watching this movie now with how huge Hannibal Lecter has become in the wake of Anthony Hopkins’ brilliant portrayal but I think the doctor’s subdued role in this movie works well. It allows the other characters(the REAL main characters) to thrive and grow, rather than the film be focused on Hannibal as some pop culture icon. 

There are some flaws here though. That editing I talked about, which is very well done for the most part, takes a bit of a nosedive in the climatic firefight between Dollarhyde and the cops. Very jumpy and quick cut and not as smooth or efficient as the rest of the movie is up to that point. I also think that breakneck pace I talked about hurts some of the characters, who aren’t given their rightful amount of time to grow. Like Joan Allen’s character, Graham’s family, or even Dollarhyde. 

Definitely a movie that has grown on me the more I watch it as a self reflective story about a man learning to come to with his own demons and own sickness, rather than letting them fester and infect those around him. Sleek, lush, beautiful, rich, fast paced, and wonderfully original in its style, especially as an entry into the Hannibal franchise if you consider it to be, Manhunter is definitely an underrated thriller.

60/100

An intriguing, albeit messy, entry in Michael Mann’s filmography. 

This is one of those rare films where it’s hard to nail down exactly how you feel about it. The style is incredibly lush and awe inspiring. Filled with vivid, eye popping colour and an excellent score by Tangerine Dream which manages to be both bright and sanguine and also dark and foreboding. It really helps the film weave this ethereal, dreamlike feeling which it maintains throughout its entire runtime. Which is where some of the incomprehensible aspects of the film come about. So much happens without motivation, so many strange visuals appear without explanation, and even the characters seem to be in a state of hypnotic trance throughout a lot of the runtime. It creates a very odd but alluring feel where you enjoy being wrapped up in the movies tone and world even without understanding what a lot of it means. 

Apparently the original cut of this movie ran over 3 hours long and while who knows if that’s true or not, it definitely feels like there was a LOT left on the cutting room floor. So many plot points arise without introduction and others end without conclusions. The ending feels very abrupt and there are several moments that feel cut short and subplots that feel removed all together. The characters are rather swallow aside from Ian McKellen and Jurgen Prochnow, they’re at least given something but the rest are pretty hollow. The actors do give their all, Gabriel Byrne is quite good as one of the antagonists, but Scott Glenn’s character falls into the stoic, mysterious traveller trope and it more comes across as him sleepwalking through the role. 

Not enough can be said about the visuals in this movie, they’re absolutely beautiful and a lot of the effects are pretty solid as well. The opening does a good job of building up the keep as a foreboding location one should fear and the production design and real locations used are great. They go a long way making the film feel bigger than it might’ve been without. 

Messy, incoherent at times, kind of hollow, but still interesting throughout with a very palpable atmosphere elevated by Mann’s always stellar attention to detail.

90/100

One of the finest caper comedies ever and arguably one of the greatest chase action films too. 

The stunts in this movie are mind boggling and so numerous that by the time you’ve wrapped your head around the last one, three more have already happened that are equally insane. Along with  surprising amount of special effects that still hold up to this day, not only does this movie succeed at being a funny slapstick comedy but also a terrific action movie. The energy and momentum this movie maintains through its entire runtime is incredibly impressive. Now, does it need to be as long as it is? Arguably, no. But the cast’s endless amount of energy and the never-slowing pace make it much easier to swallow when you’re in the midst of watching it. 

It’s impressive how many characters, subplots, cameos, and set pieces this movie is able to juggle without growing scatterbrained or overly chaotic. It manages to keep its story on a straight, easy to follow narrative and even as we jump around between its cast of characters, it never grows confusing or overwhelming. The performances are all top notch comedy, each of the actors bringing their own breed of comedic chops and timing. 

This is absolutely an unsung masterpiece and a film that deserves a little more attention nowadays, rather than being left behind.

40/100

A lot of intriguing ideas but let down by poor execution. 

The biggest misstep this movie takes is with its execution of its characters. What makes films like The Fly or, more recently, The Substance and Wolf Man so disturbing is watching characters we’ve had time to know and care about undergo their psychological and physical changes throughout the film. The Beast Within robs us of this by beginning the story with our lead character already in the process of his transformation. Thus as we watch it escalate, we have no understanding of how strange or troubling his behaviour is because we’ve never seen otherwise from him. The character is already off putting and sinister from the moment we meet him. Along with the fact that we hardly get any down time with the family to understand how they are affected during all this, the disturbing content never hits as hard as it could. And the characters we do meet at already forgettable and some are laughably bad(especially the love interest who is unforgivably poorly written and used like a prop). This movie tries to meld possession tropes with body transformation horror, which is a really interesting idea, delving into the psychological implications and fallout of a monstrous transformation, but the final product fails to make either side of the spectrum interesting unfortunately. 

The editing and screenplay are also horrifically bad at times. Surprisingly, since this movie was written by Tom Holland(no, not THAT Tom Holland) but this was his first feature credit so perhaps he learned on the job. The film hardly takes any time to introduce characters and even the characters who have a scene dedicated to meeting them are so poorly done you instantly forget their names. Other characters are introduced solely through their names being dropped in lines of dialogue only for us to never meet them. It makes the whole story incredibly hard to follow which is impressive considering how straightforward and simple it really is by the end. Along with that, the edit is so jarring at times that scenes seem to begin with introduction or purpose and end without a proper conclusion. 

It’s not all bad though. The music by Les Baxter is pretty entertaining. The performance from Paul Clemons, while a bit inconsistent, is pretty frightening at times and he brings a lot of physicality to the role. The small town harbouring a dark secret is a fun motif I always like to see it horror. And a lot of the effects are wild and over the top. Very entertaining. 

One of those movies where a remake would actually be a welcome surprise. There’s a host of great ideas in here that just weren’t given proper execution.

85/100

One of the best survival films of all time and one of the most underrated films of the last 25 years. 

Aside from Schindler’s List, this is the best performance of Liam Neeson’s career for my money. He is great here. While his character shares a lot of the tropes one would come to expect from his roles(the mysterious man with a particular set of skills), it’s the humanity and vulnerability he brings to his character in The grey that makes Ottway one of his most sympathetic and layered performances. Enhanced by really great editing work and storytelling, his characters development and arc are expertly told and, while ittedly not all that innovative or original, really hits home. And that goes for all the characters in this movie. None of them are all timers in of scriptwriting, but the natural performances and realistic portrayal of the survivors make them all very sympathetic and relatable. Especially since so many of them are flawed. So many of them are assholes or ex-cons or drifters lost in the world, and that makes their journey all the more investing. As they fight for survival, they’re also fighting for a last bit of redemption or purpose as they realize their lives may end at anytime and that no one is coming to save them, because…nobody cares. They’re expendable in the eyes of the world. The film is much heavier and more thematically resonate that one may expect from a mid-budget Liam Neeson thriller of this type. 

The film has a very gritty, digital look to it that makes the realism even more palpable. Looking like something one of the survivors could’ve shot on a camcorder. Pretty much all the camerawork is handheld with an emphasis on closeups and tight formatted group shots. You never leave the confines of the group, making you feel like one of the survivors along for the journey. The musical score by Marc Streitenfeld is absolutely phenomenal. It balances so many sharp turns in tone, going from pulse pounding and intense during the thrilling sequences and then extremely somber and emotional during the quieter character moments. The films threats are also extremely well executed. The wolves are terrifying whenever they appear on screen or even when they’re heard from the near distance. They’re utilized in the same way Spielberg used the shark in Jaws and Scott used the Xenomorph in Alien. Sparsely and usually shrouded in shadow or from a distance. ed by really solid visual and practical effects and a great understanding on director Joe Carnahan’s part of their limits. He never pushes them further than they can go and never ventures into overly ambitious effects shots. There are some grand wide shots with some digital enhancements that are noticeable but never to the point of breaking immersion or pulling you out of the story. 

This movie has always spoken to me on a very personal level for some reason and it always sticks with me after it’s over, which, again, is so rare if movies of this type. I love The Grey and I always recommend it to any film fan who hasn’t yet seen it. Seek this one out.

85/100

The movie that finally established Bond as Bond and perfected the Bond formula. 

It was a wise choice and an important one for the franchise for this movie to isolate Bond more than the previous two instalments. Rather than having a mainstay love interest, some government liaison, or a sidekick of sorts, this movie pits Bond against his opposition solely on his lonesome and forces him to overcome his obstacles solo. This is also the most physically involved Bond yet in the franchise. The opening action sequence, which would become a staple of the franchise past this point, is a great showcase of Bonds physicality and how capable he can be. While Goldfinger is by no means a great villain, he works nicely as an over the top character and his henchman, Oddjob, is a classic Bond side antagonist. 

Just like From Russia With Love did after Dr. No, Goldfinger improves upon its predecessors in virtually every way, especially in the action. This is by far the most action packed Bond film by this point in the franchise and all of the sequences are very exciting. The Aston Martin car chase sequence is a classic, the raid on Fort Knox and the battle with Oddjob is a ton of fun, and the climatic face off in the plane is a great high note for the film to go out on. The visual effects have also improved mightily by this point, and the film would earn an Oscar for them at the time. 

One flaw that this movie suffers from just as the previous films did is the pacing, particularly in the second act. After Bond is captured, the pace slows to a crawl and doesn’t pick back up until the climatic action set piece. Again, the lack of music hurts this movie in the action sequences several times, where a lot of them could’ve been much more effective and intense if infused with a more present musical score. 

This was my favourite Bond film growing up and remains one of my favourites still to this day. The film that made Bond Bond imo.

80/100

A noticeable improvement over its predecessor in virtually every way and a film that doesn’t get the credit as such in the same vain as The Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight for instance.

There’s a big improvement when it comes to directing by Terrence Young. He manages to craft a much more interesting, engaging film from a visual standpoint as well as an action one. There’s much more interesting camerawork, more immersive blocking, and the framing of the action scenes are much clearer, suspenseful, and tighter. The train fight is iconic for good reason as it still holds up remarkably well as both Sean Connery and Robert Shaw completed most of their own stunts. The helicopter chase boasts some incredibly impressive stunts and effects, and the climatic final boat chase is a great special effects showcase. 

One thing this movie changed up when compared to it’s predecessor is its portrayal of the villains. While Dr. No kept Bond and the titular villain separated for most of its runtime and kept him hidden from the audience as well, FRWL opens up with a great bait and switch where we get to see Robert Shaw literally kill Bond(so we think). The first 15 minutes or so are solely focused on the villains and establishing them as threats, which was a very wise choice. The lack of a villainous presence in Dr. No really hurt the films overall tension level and the choice to establish SPECTRE right off the bat here was a huge improvement. Even if Bond and Grant don’t share a scene until their climatic face off, his presence is felt throughout the films runtime. 

While the pacing can drag, especially going into the third act on the train, and the lack of a musical score hurts the films energy at times, this is a massive step up in quality and marks the first official great Bond film.

65/100

While it is the movie that started it all, it is rather dull looking back. 

Sean Connery is instantly iconic in the role and there are some fun action set pieces but what really drags this movie down is the lack of energy. There’s not much in the way of urgency or motivation, even leading up to the climax. We understand Dr. No is planning some sinister things but nothing is emotionally invested or motivated. It’s hard to care about a shuttle launch or the threat of it being bombed when we haven’t been made aware of it for the entire runtime. And while the intrigue and suspense leading up to Dr. No’s introduction is well done and effective, the complete disconnect between him and Bond for the majority of the runtime leads to a lack of tension and feeling of threat. 

There’s ing cast is fun, albeit swallow, and this movie does have a more fun tone overall. There’s lots of humour and the tropical island setting makes for a peaceful, picturesque backdrop. It’s fun to see the tropes and story beats first put into practice as well.

Dr. No was picked as the source material of the inaugural Bond film because of its simplicity, and in the that regard, I think it was a wise choice. This movie doesn’t stack up against a lot of the movies that followed but it served its purpose as a solid spy thriller and without it we never would’ve gotten those better films later in the franchise.

70/100

Simple yet effectively executed with a good understanding of what makes the concept of werewolves scary; the transformation. 

What makes a werewolf scary is the fear of becoming one, of being infected, of being turned. Losing control over your own body, losing what makes you you; your love, your thoughts, your identity. That concept has always been something that I’m drawn to and very disturbed by. It’s a very emotionally effective and unsettling concept and this movie does a really solid at portraying it. Especially from the other side, watching the infliction and disease from the side of the loved ones, watching as the person they care for wither away. The subtle approach to the transformation I think actually helped the film. The design of the final creature is much more human and realistic, not so monstrous, and it makes the emotional aspect of the film shine a bit brighter. 

The performances are fine for the most part, no one really amazes or goes above and beyond what’s on the page, but the lead performance from Christopher Abbott is emotionally expressive through the makeup and impressively physical. Leigh Whannel’s direction, as usual, is impressive but his work here feels a bit more restrained and by the numbers than his other films like The Invisible Man or Upgrade. The editing also feels a bit lacking as well. A lot of the films conversational scenes feel numbing to a certain extent with the way the camera cuts back and forth between characters over and over without a change of pace or coverage. The musical score was also lacking a little bit, not very memorable. 

Compared to The Invisible Man, this was a much more accurate retelling of the original Wolfman story but still succeeds at feeling fresh and modern in a positive way. While I agree this movie isn’t anything groundbreaking, the middling reviews are a bit surprising to me. This is a solid, tight 90-minute horror movie with some effective scares and tense moments that is a nice modern edition to the sorely lacking werewolf subgenre.

90/100

A late contender for favourite movie of 2024. 

Knowing very little of the Munich Olympics terrorist attack, only surface level details, I went into this movie genuinely curious and excited to learn about the situation, and I feel that resulted in the best viewing experience of this movie. Watching the events play out not knowing what will happen next was riveting and the film does a great job of misdirecting the viewer and dragging you along an uneven path of confusion, similar to the people involved inside the newsroom. As someone who is fascinated by the process of live broadcasting in the early stages of live television, that aspect of this movie was also very interesting and informative for me specifically. Watching the people in the control room manage the chaos and find solutions to the various problems that arise is really engaging and consistently riveting. All the performances are fantastic as well. Very believable, very real, and suitably frantic but never chaotic to the point of being overwhelming. 

This movie could’ve easily become very politically charged and pointed, especially with what is going on in the world right now, but it manages to successfully keep a neutral, informative POV of this event without alienating anybody. I loved that about this movie. There’s a great scene early on where some of the characters theorize the nature of the events and the people behind them until another character tells them to stop, that it doesn’t matter, that they’re only responsibility is to report what is happening and the facts as they see and hear them. That was a great choice. But that isn’t to say the film is unemotionally attached or completely grey, it does deal with how this event ties into ’s past and the history of WWII and how the German public as well as the government responded to this conflict in the moment. It was also interesting to see that alongside the people in the control room of differing backgrounds and perspectives. 

The films pacing can be a bit strange at times, with it feeling like it plays out in real time for a majority of the runtime only for a reveal to come that actual hours have past. It makes for bits of striking revelations at times that can be distracting. The resolution is a bit uneven as well. A lot of the characters are pushed to the sidelines when I would’ve liked to hear and see their reactions to the climax of it all. 

Nonetheless, a fantastic movie that I genuinely loved. A really tight, effective, efficiently edited and expertly acted, claustrophobic newsroom thriller that invokes qualities of Peter Berg’s real story thrillers of the 2010s as well as elements of other one room films like Saturday Night earlier this year.

Every film I watch and log on here ranked

1. Alien
2. Collateral
3. Heat
4. The Omen
5. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
6. Aliens
7. Oppenheimer
8. Minority Report
9. War for the Planet of the Apes
10. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

...plus 147 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Every new release movie I saw in 2025 ranked

1. Sinners
2. Friendship
3. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
4. Bring Her Back
5. Thunderbolts*
6. Ballerina
7. The ant²
8. Black Bag
9. Mickey 17
10. Wolf Man

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

*No particular order

• Collateral
• Alien
• War for the Planet of the Apes
• The Omen
• Suspiria
• 12 Angry Men
• Rear Window
• The Exorcist
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Inception

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
• Mission: Impossible
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Mission: Impossible III
• Mission: Impossible II

Every 2024 release I saw ranked

1. Dune: Part Two
2. The First Omen
3. September 5
4. The Substance
5. Saturday Night
6. Nosferatu
7. Longlegs
8. Abigail
9. A Different Man
10. Love Lies Bleeding

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

*No particular order*

• The Mothman Prophecies

  One of the best and most underrated thrillers of the 2000s. Tragically somber, brilliantly acted, and effectively scary throughout, this movie succeeds at being purely creepy, at an almost constant rate. 

• Ravenous

  Deviously grotesque, darkly comedic, abundantly gory, strangely erotic, tightly paced, filled with camp and over the top performances, and all wrapped up in a western setting, what more could you want">View the full list on Letterboxd.

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1. Oppenheimer
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
3. Dream Scenario
4. The Iron Claw
5. John Wick: Chapter 4
6. Anatomy of a Fall
7. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9. The Creator
10. Godzilla Minus One

...plus 33 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.