Blue Moon

Do not steer clear of Ethan Hawke’s performance as Lorenz Hart. He not only transforms into a different person, he is also the most inviting character on the year. Hawke cloaks his real persona while pinning down a role that is so professional and passionate. He also proves more and more that he is irreplaceable. I was only mildly interested in the story but Richard Linklater once again gets away with enchanting an audience by delivering dialogue that you can’t help but fall in love with. Even though they won’t get mentioned in the long run, Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale deserve to be a part of the celebration here too. Ehtan Hawke is perfect and every line of dialogue elevates a pretty uninspired movie, for my taste at least.

3.5/5


Hedda

This very much falls into the -not for me- category of movies this year. While Tessa Thompson as the titular character is a strong contender for one of the better performances of the year, her range is a little wrongheaded and overshadowed by others around her. If emotion was the preferred outcome, I couldn’t seem to find any. Manuscript must have been the word of the year when this story is set and I hope I never have to hear it again, as it was said a profuse amount of times to no regard. I know it’s a film, a drama at that, but this story could have been avoided by everyone just going home and things could have been less dramatic and forced.

2.4/5


Die My Love

WOW. Never did I think I could dislike Jennifer Lawrence as much as I did in Die My Love. This is an agonizing watch (on purpose) but still brought me to the angriest point I have been watching a movie all year. Having talented actors just do crazy things on camera for no reason made for a horrible time. Every word spoken and every movement of the actors’ bodies drove me nuts. I can’t relate to this movie because I’ve never gone through postpartum depression, but I can’t relate to 99% of other movies either. At least they aren’t trying their hardest to be experimental when everyone involved has evolved past that point. It’s like if a tenured professor went to work at Wendy’s, they can do the job but you have to ask yourself, why the fuck would you? Every aspect is a rough time. The lighting is brutal, the direction is a headache, and it made J. Law and Robert Pattison annoying to no end. I guess if you want to see hot people naked, here you go. Just put it on mute so you don’t have to think to yourself “SHUT UP” the whole time like I did.

0.7/5



The Legend of the Ochi

The ugliest movie I have seen in a very long time. I hate to be so blunt, but oh my goodness was this hard to look at. I’m not sure if the production budget was razor thin or if this was intentional, either way it is painful on the eyes. The costumes are created with the flair of a Wes Anderson adventure, while simultaneously having the effect of a high school drama. I have also never been so off put by sounds in a film, as the noise the creature makes is atrocious and in no way cute. There’s times where the sound design is pulling in so many different directions that I wanted to plug my ears. The Legend of Ochi is an unpleasant experience for two of the five senses, which are arguably the two most important. What should have felt like a new aged E.T., ultimately turned out to be an annoying turn of misadventure and failed design from all angles.

1.4/5

Ballad of a Small Player

Edward Berger really fell off a short cliff after Conclave. Gambling movies are a tough pill to swallow for me, sure you have great gambling scenes in movies like Oceans 11 and Casino Royale, but those are a small part in the scheme of greater things. I don’t feel bad for people that do this type of thing to themselves, so maybe that’s why it is hard for me to buy in. It just felt like Eddy was trying to show off his camera skills without bringing anything new to the table. The color design is off the walls cool, but when the substance isn’t there, it’s hard to see it as anything more than performative. I like seeing Colin Farrell attempt to show off his range, but his skills work so much better when there’s at least a little humor involved.

1.7/5



Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater’s second outing in one month plays like a very well made documentary (without talking heads or narration) that might not be all that interesting for the uninformed (me). I might be the worst cinephile in the world after having no interest in watching how one of the most important films in French cinema history came to be. The casting is perfect for people I’ve never heard of, but you can just tell. The set design of the Paris streets is so realistic that I do have to admit I was a little in love with that more than the people. Zoey Deutch feels like she’s speaking a made up language at times, but still stands out in a mostly good way. It felt too hand fed and if I had to applaud, it would be scattered.

2.7/5


Baltimorons

I usually LOVE anything a Duplass brother touches, so I’m disappointed I didn’t have much of a positive reaction to this one. I was so uncomfortable watching these people do such weird and unfunny things throughout the film. The tow yard scene had my attention but after that scene ended it was such a repetitive drag of dullness. I easily understand why I’ve never seen these actors in a movie before.

2/5

Train Dreams

An under talked about film that hasn’t really even been released yet, but I know how these things go. Joel Edgerton is subtle, yet so important in his stature and emotion. When beautiful cinematography and soothing narration come together, it usually leads to an enchanting film, and Train Dreams is no different. This immediately became one of my favorite films of the year and presented me with hope and wonder for my ancestors.

4.5/5