Dallas Fisher

    Tag: movies

    • FYC 2025 Part 3

      Shelby Oaks

      A video game cut scene of a movie, where every moment moves the plot backwards. You can definitely tell this was directed by a Youtuber and it hurts. It’s like Chris wanted to throw bits and pieces of every horror movie he liked into one. All that crowdfunded money made for one of the blandest stories and worst looking horror films of the decade.

      0.4/5

      No Other Choice

      You know how chaotic Horrible Bosses is? Well take that to a whole nother level where Park Chan-wook masterfully breaks open what it feels like to be on a job hunt in today’s working world. This is cartoonish, offbeat, rare, and his transitions that will blow your mind in all the best ways.

      4.3/5

      The Secret Agent

      Reverting back to high school math for this review. Imagine a bell curve on a graph and then flip it upside down. The first portion is so intriguing, and it quickly turns into something so uninteresting and bizarre. Wagner Moura is quietly impressive and I’m thrilled that the end of the movie turns everything around.

      3/5

      Nuremberg

      I was very scared this entire movie would be a courtroom drama, but luckily it’s only some of it. This film is so fascinating because of its history and hard truths. Rami Malek is likeable and fierce, Russell Crowe can play a Nazi too well, and everyone else is a killer. Should be contender for many things but will be forgotten in the ether of 2025 releases, which is a real shame.

      3.4/5

      Keeper

      Sleeper. Osbad Perkins. Whatever funny pun you want to use, works here. It was trying so hard to be original that it felt too familiar, and familiar here actually means second-rate.

      1/5

      K-POP Demon Hunters

      The movie itself is very very average, but I could feel the phenomena behind it from the jump. A majority of the songs are bangers and some actually gave me goosebumps. I loved the mix in animation style that was used and the main characters are a lot of fun to live with for the runtime as it exists. I wouldn’t hate seeing more movies like this, but for once the songs overshadowed the message.

      3.3/5

      Springsteen

      A complete nothing of a biopic. It’s never exciting or interesting and it chose a time in Bruce’s life that either felt like 1 month or 10 years, but it was impossible to tell. This also felt like a story of a man who wasn’t famous at the time of this story, or ever, so I was unsure why this was even told, espcially now. (I know he is very famous but this movie doesn’t convey that in the slightest)

      2.6/5

      Jay Kelly

      A movie where George Clooney is basically playing himself should have felt so felt hoity-toity,  instead it is one of the most endearing sotires of the year. Noah Baumbach deliciously unfolds a journey that had every ounce of my attention. It is one of the few films this year that made me chuckle, cry, and drop my jaw throughout. The screenplay is tremendous and the ensemble cast is a sight to behold.

      I will add that I’m thrilled to see Adam Sandler in more dramatic roles, but we’ve got to calm down on the Best Supporting Actor train.

      4.2/5


      Song Sung Blue

      Hugh Jackson and Kate Hudson are the most impressive actors that can sing, well with each other, that we have this year. Outside of their singing, they did feel a little out of place in these roles. For something that was a biopic, it felt like much more of a fantasy when it clearly wanted to tell a more down to earth story. If I was a Neil Diamond fan, I would have loved this movie, I think.

      2.4/5

      The Testament of Ann Lee

      Amanda, Fucking. Seyfried. WOW her voice is so incredible and whatever type of singing you want to call this, is her wheelhouse for sure. There were moments that gave me chills and I was wrapped up in the symmetrical displays of cinematography. I do my best to care when it comes to religion in any form of a story, but here it comes off as a little posturing (even if it’s historically accurate). The repetitive nature was overstimulating to say the least.

      In the words of my finance “I can admire a movie without liking it”

      2.9/5

    • Marty Supreme

      I think we know who the chosen Safdie brother is.

      Marty Supreme makes one thing very clear, Timothee Chalamet has the juice. In a role that requires him to not only be athletically skilled, he’s also allowed to show off many other sides of his talent. His performance here will go down as one of the best of the year (look out Leo) and should stand the test of time. Getting to spend almost every second of screen time with Marty Mauser is the delight of the year. Oh, and Timmy is the funniest he has ever been, so now we’re really in trouble.

      The confidence you must need to create such a big movie out of something so small, must be immeasurable. Josh Safdie is an absolute genius on multiple levels. He turned a story about a ping pong player into a certified atom bomb. Just when you think you’re going to get a straight forward story about table tennis, it flips into a non-stop thrill ride about self-inflicted bad luck. The volleys between the two aspects ultimately end up meshing into one perfect, out of control, being.

      This movie hits a rhythm immediately and never slows down. It’s full of performers that get to be fierce, yet cool and collected. Gwyneth Paltrow makes her biggest impact in twenty years and almost steals the show. I also hate to say it, but Kevin O’Leary brings a mesmerizing aptitude to the fold here and further proves what Safdie can do with non actors. There’s so many other people here too that will blow you away with their execution as well.

      In typical Safdie nature, this is the perfect NYC movie that only benefits from its world expanding passion. Moving constantly from place to place compounds the insanity of this story. I promise you won’t know where it’s going. It’s such a fresh world they built here. This movie will impregnate you with every scene and take you to term multiple times. It’s a movie that should not only be talked about consistently throughout awards season, but for years to come.

      Marty Supreme is good for the soul. 

      8.6/10

    • FYC 2025 Part 2

      It Was Just an Accident

      An all around story that keeps you on your toes. The direction from Jafar Panahi is some of the best of the year. The way he lingers on everything almost pulls your eyes into the screen and I couldn’t wait to see where this story went. I will never forget the final moments of this film.

      4.1

      The Mastermind

      Slow and methodical. Two words you probably wouldn’t use to describe a heist, but that’s how this one plays out. It smartly uses its dumb characters to play out this story. The framing (ha) of this picture is beyond words. If only it was showing something fully intact.

      3.3/5

      Bad Guys 2

      DNF


      Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

      My least favorite of the franchise and it’s still a blast. At times it gets a little heavy handed with its mystery, but the characters make this one run like always. Would you be shocked to hear that Daniel Craig isn’t the best at his craft in this? That’s because Josh O’Conner is doing something I’ve never seen before, and that’s to make religious characters fascinating. The costume design is top notch, it’s hilarious, dramatic, and it stays loyal to the franchise while still keeping you guessing. Even though you can feel the length, I’m envious of the superb level of seductiveness this ensemble cast brings to the table.

      3.8/5

      Sentimental Value

      I know this is going to sound too negative, but I found this to be a little dry. After The Worst Person in the World my expectations were so high, clearly too high. Everyone involved in an acting sense is so tremendous. Respectfully, they’re all doing some of their best work and deserve the highest of praises. That being said, I was waiting for the big, or multiple small, emotional moments, and they never fully came. I hate saying this, but it requires a second watch for me, but still lands in my top 20 on the year.

      4.1/5

      Rental Family

      The sweetest Bredan Fraser has ever been. Fraser and the rest of the incredible cast steal your heart immediately with a lovely story that goes in a direction I was happily surprised with. In many ways this can be compared to Lost in Translation, except the people are likeable. Prepare your eyes for tears and your mouth for smiles, Rental Family is the feel good movie of the year.

      4.2/5

      V/H/S Halloween

      Porn has better acting than most of these segments. The camera has become a crutch to the point where this franchise is overwhelmingly forced and repetitive. It’s no longer fun or scary to watch these, which is a shame when 2 is one of my favorite modern horror films. What used to be some of the most original anthology pieces has now become a yearly laughing stock at home. I don’t even know if I should say laughing stock, because I honestly get no physical reaction out of these anymore.

      0.8/5

      The Plague

      Mysterious? Sure. All that mystery ultimately leads to no payoff. The pool scenes are incredible to look at and I really dug the vibes. If someone would have told me equal parts Full Metal Jacket and Let the Right One In came together in a movie, I would have been stoked. Too bad it’s all edging. As always, I was hoping for more Joel Edgerton on screen.

      2.5/5

      Kiss of the Spider Woman

      This movie is so unintentionally funny because Jennifer Lopez is the worst aspect of her own movie. I get why they made this partially a musical, but it only detracted from the things that were remotely interesting. The story in the prison with Diego Luna and Tonatiuh is actually captivating but its impact is shortened every time it cuts back to whatever JLO was doing. This is a story that deserved to be told, just in a different way.

      2/5

      The Roses

      Multiple levels of unfunny comedic bashings that continually try to no avail. Its unrealistic nature ruins the realistic setting that could have worked if you played to any of the actors strengths. I never saw The War of the Roses, but this feels like a slap in the face to it. This is all such a shame when most of the people involved have the capabilities of being funny and entertaining. Really hard to watch at times.

      1.5/5

    • Eternity


      Why yes, I would like to put my name in the running to spend eternity with Elizabeth Olsen.

      I don’t love to complain, but I’ll get those out of the way first. This movie feels like an eternity and a half. It’s a little complicated, uncomfortable, and sometimes the humor doesn’t quite land. Miles Teller is playing the perfect role of annoying option guy and it’s really hard to tell if it’s acting or not. There always needs to be that more annoying guy, but at points it was a little frustrating to sit through his screen time. So those things made it hard to fully buy in when I felt the choice was so easy from the jump.

      Now, there are a lot of positives here so lets get into those. Eternity is so creative! I couldn’t believe something like this hadn’t been put to screen before. Even though I wish the worlds would have been explored a touch more, it was exciting getting to see the behind the scenes of this eternal after life. It asks so many questions. How do you compete with a memory? Who is the best for you? Is it okay to be selfish without regrets? These things have been asked countless times in romcoms, but not in a setting like this.

      Now I will say, this movie isn’t the most romantic (probably because I didn’t love either of the male leads), but it has its moments. Elizabeth Olsen in the middle of it all really helps propel the romance forward. Her attendance here is the dreamy glue that holds everything together and she is just so lovely as always. I wish we got more of her and less of the overly comedic and sitcomy style comedy from the rest of the cast. If you didn’t know, this is so much more a comedy than anything else. At times the dark comedy really works, especially since this is technically a dark time in everyone’s life.

      It was cathartic, relieving sweet moments of these character’s lives. I’m sure some people will bawl their eyes out at times here, but for me I couldn’t bury myself in some of these characters or the overall comedy. I will say the colors are the most pleasing thing to the eyes here, well, if you don’t count Olsen.  Eternity proves that comedy and romance can be both enough and not enough.

      I forgot to mention Callum Turner, he’s there too. Hot and there. 

      3.3/5

    • FYC 2025 Part 1

      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

    • Is This Thing On?

      I have been on the Bradely Cooper director train (very short train)since the beginning, but people seem to dislike his attempts. With Is This Thing On? I was once again hooked and entranced with the story he was telling. This follows a man, Will Arnett, in the beginning of a midlife crisis and his turn towards stand up comedy as a form of therapy. First off, I think Bardley cast Will as the lead because he looks exactly like him now, or like if you were to draw him from memory. Arnett doesn’t quite have what it takes to be a leading man in this type of role, but it works 75% of the time. I’m glad Cooper did not cast himself as the lead this time around, because his presence as the friend stole the show and made for one of, if not the best, comedic performances of the year.

      I was impressed with the abundant handheld long shots that solely focus on Arnett’s face as he worked through every line of his routine. Justice was brought to the New York comedy scene through many facets and utilizing the real Comedy Cellar and the comics that hang out there was such a nice touch that I applaud the realism. I have been to that club a few times and it was so cool to see it on the big screen as a character of its own. It’s a complicated and insane movie that also pursues the awkwardness of breakups in a graceful way. I love the idea of working through pain with comedy and it leads to my favorite transition shot of the last year or two, you’ll know when you see it.

      Looking back on my time with this film, I noticed it worked as a personal form of therapy. This taught me that life happens to us, which is something I really need right now. Cooper crafts another adult film that will hopefully work for the masses. It’s filled with cameos that are let off the leash and situations that are justified and hilarious stories about life. It inspired me to look at relationships and life choices differently. There’s just something so real within the way Cooper chooses to tell stories about larger than life people in a smaller world.

      3.8/5

    • Twin Cities Film Fest Recap

      Twin Cities Film Fest: 10 Days. 150+ Movies. 2 Theaters.

      My stats: 7 Days. 6 Movies. 2 Theaters.

      This was my second ever festival experience and my first at TCFF and it’s safe to say there are many ups and downs to the whole thing. Here I will get into both sides of the coin and offer up my thoughts on all the films I saw, whether it was in person or at home with the screening pass.

      Before the fest even started I had the director of I’ve Seen All I Need to See reach out to me for a collaboration. This was such a cool opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I was able to create a post for a competition on instagram and thankfully two people won the chance to go see the movie. I was unable to see the movie in person but watched it on the streaming pass. If you like moody dramas and metal music, it’s worth checking out!

      I went through my first day scenario and Hamnet thoughts in a separate blog that you can find on my page, but I will touch on that a little more. I firmly believe sitting front row for a big time awards film affected my thoughts on it and that sucks. While the story wasn’t my typical cup of tea, everyone involved in it was, and I didn’t like it as much as everyone else seemed to have. Now I’ll never see it again for the first time and I might not ever want to in general. I’ve had a few situations where an important movie was watched in undesirable circumstances and I never take the time to go back to them. To end this paragraph I do want to give anonymous shoutouts to a few TCFF employees that reached out to me to discuss my issues that night, you were truly helpful and understanding.

      My second day was a much better time all around, as I was placed in a better seat and got to see one of the better surprises of the year in Christy. Can you believe Sydney Sweeney made a better combat sport biopic than The Rock this year?? Sweeney is likeable, at least to me, for the first time in her acting career. If you ignore her on again, off again accent, this is by far her best and most dynamic performance that we’ve seen from her. Sure, it’s not the greatest in the realm of biopics and its over two hour runtime isn’t ideal, but this does a lot of different things right. Seek it out when it hits theaters very soon.

      I know I said my second day at the fest was better all around, but that was a lie. That’s because I walked up on a guy actively breaking into my car as I was leaving the movie. I heard a car alarm go off in the direction of where I was walking and took the time to hit the lock button on my fob just in case it was mine. Sure enough, it was for me! And there was a guy standing at my car asking if the alarmed car in question was mine. Now listen, I’m a person with a pretty calm demeanor, so I wasn’t immediately upset or yelling at this guy. I just asked him what he was doing at my car and he tried to gaslight me by saying he walked up to it with the windows and door already open. At this point I had already locked the car again, yet his hand was still on the door handle. I told him “I can take care of my own car” and he said okay and got into his own car (which of course was right next to mine) but not before a few more seconds of spouting lies. I slammed my door shut and headed home.

      I took a few day break from the fest and returned back to the theater on Tuesday night to check out a movie called Cotton Candy Bubble Gum. The only reason I chose this one was because of its timing (my fiance was working) and it was a comedy, so I thought I would give something different a chance. This night was a disaster to say the least… Ten seconds into the movie, I knew this wasn’t for me. It’s a bad sight when a writer makes a comedian unfunny on screen while using every curse word and Final Cut Pro filter to only bring the movie down even more. I say all this with having only watched ⅔ of the films because of technical issues. Twice within the middle section of the movie, it cut to black. On that second instance, I cut my losses and left the theater knowing nothing could have changed my mind on the thing anyway.

      Now Wednesday night was a big night, I was seeing Bugonia. The Newest film, and most recent collaboration between Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone. I knew nothing about this film going in, except Stone was bald in it and that’s all I needed. I knew a lot of people at this screening and for the first time, this felt like a community event. There was a photobooth set up from the studio and they were handing out free t-shirts. These things brought a memory I will never forget.

      Now as far as the movie goes, I wasn’t quite as impressed. I will start with the things I was impressed by though. Emma is sensational.This was the most I have liked her in the Yorgos era. Not only was the shaving of her head worth it, it was necessary. The score is brilliant and magnifies the intensity of everything happening on screen. Yorgos also knows how to make the small things feel huge. Now Jesse Plemmons, he was out of place. I usually love him, but this felt like something he would have done early on in his career. The story also felt too similar to a different film that I won’t spoil (and yes I know this is a remake* of a 2000’s film). I can admit this is a very weird film while also feeling too accessible for the “normies”. Usually you walk away from a Yorgos film talking about how little you understood but how you still loved the ride. Here I understood everything and was left a little unimpressed with the outcome. I’ll score this one a 3 out of 5 here because of how much I loved Emma in it.

      The screening of the fest for me ended up being Rental Family. I had plans to see a couple more on the final night but life happens.

      Now Rental Family. Starring Breandan Fraser, this immediately became one of my favorites of the year. Brendan has recently been such a sweet presence on screen and this movie was no different. It takes this story in lovely directions that I was not expecting. I don’t have too much to say on it, mainly because my eyes hurt, but seek this movie out when you get a chance. It’s the feel good movie of the year with performances that will steal your heart, and I’m not exclusively talking about Fraser. I was so happy I was able to make a movie at the Edina Mann theater work in my schedule.

      Thank you to everyone that put these films on at TCFF. Thank you TCFF, MNFCA, and everyone that has read this. I will always be grateful for the opportunities to attend events like this. My experiences weren’t the most ideal at times, but some things weren’t in anyone’s control.

      Final Ranking of Films

      1. Rental Family
      2. Hamnet
      3. Christy
      4. Bugonia
      5. I’ve Seen All I Need to See
      6. Cotton Candy Bubble Gum

      Maybe if I ever become a full time movie person, I will have time for more films at festivals.

      Until next time.

    • TCFF Day 1: Hamnet

      This year was my first time receiving a media pass for the Twin Cities Film Fest, so I was at an all time high in my movie going brain. I was going to be able to bring my fiancé with me, we were meeting up with other members of the critics association before the opening night screening, and we were then going to attend said screening (Hamnet) six weeks before the general public would have the chance to see it. Before any of this could happen, I had to pick up my media ticket that was saved under my name in the ticket office. Upon receiving my ticket I read that I was seated in seat A5. A5!? I hadn’t sat in the front row for a movie since Mockingjay part 2, and that was only because seats were not yet assigned and I arrived too late for the midnight premiere.

      Obviously I wasn’t too thrilled to have been put that close, especially since I had purchased a ticket in a better row for my fiance. Nonetheless, I was still excited to be one of the first few people in the country to see this film. I found my seat right under the screen, and luckily I wasn’t the only critic to be sat that close. The showtime had come and gone, 7:15 became 7:30. I never expect festival screenings to happen right on time, but I also wasn’t in the mindset to see a flash mob dance to unlicensed music that had nothing to do with the film. After a few other speakers we were finally at showtime.

      Hamnet is the story of the Shakespheare’s, more specifically the time around the death of the title character and only son. My relationship with Shakespheare’s work is what I would call non-existent. I understand his themes of tragedy, love, and exploration of what it is to be human, but what I’ve never understood is the purpose of just saying his famous lines in a movie for the sake of having the lines there. At times this made it very obvious that this was in the Shakespearean universe, and at others it made changes or purposely avoided saying names of characters to confuse you out of the story. I know this is adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, so things were either changed on purpose for artistic freedom or pulled from historical works. Either way, those little aspects of how the story was told bothered me to an finite amount.

      Removing the issues I had with some of the ways this story was told, I found a lot of it to be quite extraordinary. Chloé Zhao puts forth her best looking and most potent love story. It’s once again impossible not to fall in love with Jessice Buckley and everything she brings to the screen. Her acting is clearly the most important of her career and it buckles you with every turn of the knife. While I can’t say I had 100% empathy for what her character goes through, you’d be remiss if the way she screams through grief doesn’t pierce your heart a million times. Paul Mescal barely needed to do anything to captivate the entire audience even when he wasn’t the only one who was begging for your attention. His and Jessie’s on screen presence makes for the most romantic outing of the year with a story full of young love and heartache.

      Most of Hamnet feels like a period piece that isn’t quite past being anything more than that, it does still have its grand moments and heroic themes though. The actors all do an incredible job at portraying every emotion necessary while the set design should go down in history as one of the best ever. It’s quite possible that my disdain and general uninterest in children muddled the impact of the emotion, or maybe it was my perspective of the screen. Either way this leads to the most competent and breathtaking finale of the year where its smarts are shown off in a profound way that catches you off guard. I shall expect to see a ton of Hament during awards season where I will be rooting for individuals but not the whole.

      7.4/10 for the movie, 6/10 for the start of the fest. We can only go up (the auditorium) from here.

    • After the Hunt

      Luca, Luca, Luca…..

      I’ve sat on this movie for almost three weeks now, so let’s see what thoughts I can get out.

      I never know if I should explain a movie in my reviews because if you’re reading this, I assume you know who’s in it, who made it, and what it’s about. Anywho, After the Hunt stars Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri. It is directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Suspiria, Call Me by Your Name). In typical nature, Luca directs a world filled with life-like relationships but somehow still handles things in the most Hollywood of ways. This film sees a college professor at odds with multiple close relationships amidst a dark accusation.

      The truth of the matter is, this movie has a lot to unpack when it really shouldn’t. The seriousness of the situations are heightened by their nature and then completely forgotten about by dinner. No evidence is revealed, truth is left in the shadows, and performance optics are more the focus than the substance. Trying to say a whole lot is great, but only when it leads to anything of note. Just because topics are important, doesn’t mean they make for anything thoughtful.

      The conversations between characters are oozing desperation. Every single performance felt disconnected from the other actors and the audience. They certainly paint a picture with their performances and words, but it drones on and on until it ends. Intimate shots of characters’ hands were supposed to portray what exactly? I’m not sure, but this could be the start of wikiHands. Once it pulls back from their digits, we get pretty well off performances that work better as a singularity. It does suck when Ayo is used as a baby instead of someone with a naive innocence, while Garner and Garfield give it their all without giving something that will last. The only stand out fragment of this film is Michael Stuhlbarg’s on screen fallout where he is saying everything I wanted to say to these fictional characters.

      I am sorry if this “review” is all over the place and couldn’t hone in for more than a sentence or two, I’m just basing my writing on how this movie was handled. Certain aspects of this are alarming and instead of feeling intimate feelings towards them, I was mostly unfazed. Luca makes a movie with some superb faces, but it felt like I was in a classroom with a great teacher and still couldn’t wait for the school day to end.

      Tick Tock

      4.2/10

    • A House of Dynamite

      Kathryn Bigelow is the master of political thrillers and it’s a shame it took almost a decade and a half to get another good one out of her.

      A House of Dynamite pits the president, journalists and everyone in between against a rogue nuke on its way to the United States, and that’s what makes this the scariest movie of the year. Not only is it too realistic for our own good, it’s laid out in a way that you can’t dare look away. Bigelow takes what could be considered boring, phone calls and Zoom meetings, and turns them into the most interesting spectacles of the year. This movie is absolutely the most engaging, edge of your seat thriller you will see for a long time.

      This plays out more like a three part mini-series than it does a movie, and that’s mostly for its benefit. Each segment is equally as gripping as the last even as it shows the same beats play out, just from a more specified angle. Choices are made that order you to pay attention to it beyond the film. Even at two hours with a repetitive nature, it moves quicker than most. It’s strategic in showing, or not showing, dilemmas that countdown towards a destructive ending.

      The acting from everyone involved is nuclear and decapitating, with the reality of these situations lifted to unbelievable heights. Some of my favorite performances of the year fill this movie, but they will never be spoken about because of their short lived status. Every performance builds tension with a taste in that air that can only be described as palpable. Rebecca Ferguson is a force, Jared Harris and Tracy Letts are demanding, and Anthony Ramos is finally likeable.

      Saying all these positives leads me to the most unfortunate aspect of it, the “ending”. Make sure you don’t look at your watch to know when it’s coming, because honestly it’s still nice to know what is coming, without knowing exactly when. It’s almost like the writer (Noah Oppenheim) wanted this to be a cliffhanger for a second season of a show we are never going to get. Instead, we get something that isn’t satisfying, nor complete. If the final few moments matched the rest of the film, we would be talking about one of the movies of the year.

      Brace yourself, catch your breath, and make sure you have the knees when this comes on your radar.

      8/10