Absolutely loved seeing the care and thought that went into the final episode of Season 2. Appreciate the consideration from Favreau on how the technology of deepfakes can be used for good or for ill, and making sure that artists like this group are using it for the right reasons while at the same time, thinking about how to technologically keep things under control in the future in the interest of maintaining truthfulness.
Excellent job by all involved.
Grogu sounds just right. Best episode of the season so far in my estimation. Felt like it paid off the build up of the last four episodes though, and sets things up for a fantastic sprint to the end of the season.
I remember reading this book as a boy and it appealed to me because it was short. Much the same way the book Henry finds in this story, you can sit and read Dahl’s story in just a half hour or less.
While the entire production is top of the line, the cast is where this film really hits it out of the park. Cumberbatch is perfect as the titular Henry Sugar and Kingsley makes a fantastic man who can see without his eyes. All of the actors play multiple roles and Ralph Fiennes shines as Dahl himself, setting up the story from his writing chair and looking rather like the BFG or the pictures you’ll find of the real Dahl in the back of his books.
Read my full review on my Substack-https://theoscarproject.substack.com/s/reviews
This is what cinema was created for.
This film still holds up nearly 60 years after it was made. I went against Hitch's own suggestion and read the book first, but this didn't lessen my viewing experience. This film is absolutely incredible, from the shot composition, to the music to the subtle shifts in the acting of Anthony Perkins when things start to get to him. I loved this film and I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to finally see it!
This should be required viewing for every citizen of Russia right now, even though many will disregard it all as fake.
This is a fascinating documentary look at the crazy media obsessed culture we live in today and the immediate effects our reliance on social media has on our ability to digest and be critical of information.
Wait, this isn't a documentary? That just makes it even more depressing.
Don't Look Up is a fantastic political/social satire that gets right at the heart of the problems facing the world today. The horrible part about this film is that nearly every beat is fully believable. The pop-star going on a trendy talk show to spend 20 minutes discussing her recent public breakup followed by a short segment of the same show on a pending cataclysmic event that no one even pays attention to. Yet even as horrible as this is, it's also the genius of the film, getting us to look at this by presenting it in a way that is utterly ridiculous, but completely plausible at the same time.
This film is unique in that nearly every character has their likeable moments and their moments when you hate their guts (yes, I said nearly for a reason). The cast is stellar from top to bottom including the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, and Jonah Hill. It's also nice to see several of these actors playing somewhat against their standard roles. Streep plays the ruthless president, more interested in her party winning the midterm elections than the end of the world. Even Chalamet sheds the meek young man and shows up in the final act as a grungy kid from the street stealing booze from the liquor store.
My only qualm with the acting actually comes from DiCaprio's character, but it's more the script or the direction than Leo's fault. His portrayal of Dr. Randall Mindy at the beginning and end of the film is spot on, but he spends the middle third of the film in what seems like a different character that was cut from the script and blended into Dr. Mindy.
That small qualm aside, the film made me laugh out loud, ponder my own technology usage, and wonder to myself how much of what we see on the screen actually goes on behind closed doors, or possibly even right out in the open, without most people even noticing. The film is a wake up call of sorts for me and one that will stick with me for some time to come.
9 out of 10
All the intensity of the original contained in a tight 8 minute package.
The first thing you’ll notice about The Burial is the cast. While not packed with big names, the top billing of Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones is excellent. Foxx especially is in top form throughout the film and gets several opportunities to shine through long extended takes, fully inhabiting the personality of Willie Gary. I’m always a sucker for long takes in film, and when Foxx held the spotlight for a good five minutes delivering closing arguments in a courtroom early in the film, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Jones is exactly what you would expect from him while playing Jeremiah O’Keefe, an aging funeral home director from Mississippi in financial trouble. He plays the character pretty much one note throughout, but it feels real, exactly how a funeral director would be in every situation. Alan Ruck is chewing scenery as O’Keefe’s longtime lawyer Mike Allred, who brings some Southern “good ole’ boy” prejudice to fuel the conflict himself and Gary. It’s something that is simmers just below the surface of the first half of the film before exploding in spectacular fashion.
The great discovery for me was Jurnee Smollett, facing off against Foxx as Mame Downes, the lawyer hired by the defense. I remembered enjoying her in Birds of Prey a few years back, but don’t recall seeing her in anything else to date. While she is given a tough assignment here, she nails the portrayal as the ruthless young lawyer.
Read my full review on Substack (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/review-the-burial).
The high point of this short has to be Fiennes’s acting as he inhabits the role of a man who focuses so intently in thinking like a rat, that he has become quite ratlike himself. Ayoade provides the narration similar to Patel and Cumberbatch in “Henry Sugar,” but is able to interact with the other actors more than in his previous outing.
Read the full review on my Substack. (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/review-the-swanthe-rat-catcherpoison)
Need a Xanax after watching that even the second time around.
Stunning. Disgusting. Despicable.
Watching this in disbelief of how cruel some human beings can be to others reminds me just how far we have to go in this world. I feel like this needs to be mandatory viewing for everyone in this country, man, woman, black, white, immigrant, non-immigrant. There is no way we can build our society up until we look back at the skeletons in the closet and these 15 minutes have plenty of skeletons.
This film makes me ashamed to be human.
Watching this once again to refresh my mind before seeing No Time To Die and I forgot how absolutely beautiful this film is. Roger Deakins is in top form here. Amazing use of reflection and shadows to augment the story telling in a visual way. Best Bond in my lifetime...to date.
The film doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously as either The Gentleman or Wrath of Man, and that’s a good thing. Henry Cavill is in rare form and the supporting cast of Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin deliver strong performances.
I love the interplay between Babs Olusanmokun and Eiza Gonzalez, especially her flirtations with the German leader.
The soundtrack was on point too.
Story was a bit lacking and you pretty much know how it's going to end, but I didn't care as I had a ton of fun with this film.
I had been looking forward to this film for a long time and overall I was not disappointed. The one flaw was that I felt this film fell victim to the curse of showing most of the good parts in the trailers. I don't recall much in the way of big new jokes and one-liners from the film that we hadn't already seen in the trailers over the last several months.
That said, there is plenty to digest in this film. If the first film was centered around the idea of being who you are and being OK with that, this film focuses on being OK with your friends being different from you and even different from who you think they should be.
With action picking up six years after Vanellope and Ralph saved the arcade in the first film, there's a newly added WiFi router plugged into the arcade. When an overzealous gamer accidentally breaks the steering wheel for Sugar Rush, Mr. Litwak turns off the game and plans to sell it for scrap. Ralph and Vanellope venture to the internet to find the replacement and get into all sorts of trouble once they get there.
As expected, this film is flooded with references to just about everything on the internet with gleaming towers in the internet world sprouting logos of tech giants such as Google, Facebook, ebay and more. There is the long awaited scene with Vanellope crashing the Disney princess party and convincing them to throw off their gowns for comfy pants and sweatshirts. I feel like I could watch this movie frame by frame for a year and not pick up on all the Easter Eggs the animators put in the backgrounds.
But beyond the obvious plot points about friendship and being OK with differences, there is plenty of subtext in the film about our society as a whole and our dependence on technology, especially the internet and the devices that connect us to it. The biggest hammer over the hear moment of this comes when Ralph becomes an internet video star, essentially humiliating himself in any and every way possible to make enough money for the Sugar Rush steering wheel. There are truly people in this world willing to do dumb stuff just for some social media likes and in hopes of a few bucks, but at the same time there is an entire populace consuming that same content, becoming zombies and following the "trends" of what everyone else is looking at.
Ultimately I very much enjoyed the film and can't wait to see it again to be able to pay more attention to the background images.
Depression is such an important topic and I was so grateful to get an early look at this short AND speak with the director for my podcast. Check out The Oscar Project Podcast on iTunes or Spotify!
For people who like action in their films, you won’t find it here. The Assistant truly is a study in this character and what she deals with on this one day. We get glimpses of the broader world she inhabits when lower ranking managers get called to join the big boss on a cross country trip to L.A. that evening. We see bits of Jane’s relationship with her fellow assistants and her boss when the two men she shares the office with try to help her with an apology email to the boss when Jane says the wrong thing to his wife on the phone.
But it’s the things that go unsaid in the film for the first half that really strikes a nerve and keeps the viewer on edge. It should come as no surprise that the unfaithful film executive is at least loosely modeled on Harvey Weinstein and it’s hard not to envision his face when you hear the boss on the phone. While we never really see his character in the film, he is a weighty presence in the film, just based on his actions.
Read my full review on Substack (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/review-the-assistant).
For my money, “The Swan” is the weakest of the four films in this little series. Perhaps my vision was clouded because of how much I enjoyed “Henry Sugar,” but this one just felt a little flat. The acting is still top notch from Rupert Friend as an adult man telling the story of the time his younger self was tortured by two neighborhood bullies. The set design is also similarly excellent and integrated so well with the cinematography, but a few of the directorial choices left a bit to be desired.
Read my full review on my Substack. (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/review-the-swanthe-rat-catcherpoison)
Way more fun than I thought I would have with this film. Cleverly dropped in some classic lines of Buzz dialog from Toy Story (and beyond) and it was fun to see them playing with time.
I came into this with no prior knowledge of the video game series and probably for the better. Many reviews I've read from fans of the game are not happy with this film, but I found it fun. Wahlberg and Holland have a great chemistry together and I always love Antonio Banderas, even with the limited screen time he got here. Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle, both new names to me, put in strong performances against the 'A' list headliners.
This film felt like a modern Indiana Jones with a touch of Lara Croft all mixed with a Dan Brown novel. At times, I definitely had the sense that I was in a video game world, where the main characters were unlocking puzzles, each one leading to the next, but never in a way that didn't belong.
Judging by the credits scene, there will be more uncharted films to come, I just hope we get to see more of the cat!
Better film overall than the original. Appreciated the way it was updated for the modern day. Excited to see what some of these young actors and the director are able to achieve in the future.
I appreciate how the film is driving home the idea of the yin and yang, these two men both on the same mission, but from different sides. In nearly every scene, you wonder who you should be sympathizing with. It’s a difficult decision because one choice gives you the truly good guy (Yan) who is helping the bad guys, even at the same time trying to get information to his superiors. The other choice sides you with the cop who is playing at trying to stop the drug lord, but secretly working for him. It’s all very confusing, but worth every second of moral torment.
Check out my full review at The Oscar Project on Substack (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/classic-review-infernal-affairs)
The strength of the movie is that relationship between Percy and Maddie. Percy gets to learn a bit more about the world outside his room where he plays video games most of the time, and begins to understand how much his parents (Matthew Broderick with an amazing wig and Laura Benanti) have been stifling his growth with their helicopter nature. Maddie on the other hand learns how to be a bit of a kid again, enjoying her time with Percy despite her financial troubles and the fact that she feels stuck in Montauk.
Read my full review on Substack (https://theoscarproject.substack.com/p/review-no-hard-feelings).
Enjoyed this for what it was, an action film that tries to look at things in a little different way. Thought the trailers set things up a bit differently than the actual film, insinuating that Mills was sent back in time rather than from another planet entirely. I did like the fact that the story took place EXACTLY at that point 65 million years ago and actually appreciated the fact that I didn't initially connect that to the asteroid impacts that disable the ship in space. It could be seen as a bit of a contrivance, but thought the visual attention to that cataclysmic event was well done and was an interesting turn since that was the true danger, not the dinos we already knew about in the trailer.
Looking forward to more Adam Driver in action roles like this and absolutely loved Ariana Greenblatt ever since she played young Gamora in Infinity War. Don't go into this expecting perfection, just have some fun with the ride.
After watching Hughes's short "Happy Mart," I didn't have high expectations for this, but this actually had some story to it that I could engage with. I loved the tight editing and the sound design struck me, especially in the final scene. Fun piece.
Deadpool 2 brings the return of Wade Wilson and all his wisecracks, this time teaming up with a group of mutants he calls X-Force to help save a young mutant named Russell who is being chased by the time traveling Cable.
This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original while at the same time furthering the story of the central character. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is up to his old tricks, fighting crime and living his best life with his now fiancé Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). When Vanessa is killed by a baddie that Wade didn’t do away with, he falls into despair and tries to end things in a fiery gasoline-fueled explosion in his apartment. Of course, his healing abilities allow him to come back even from that, and team up yet again with Colossus Stefan Kapičić), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), both returning from the first film.
After an abject failure in their first team-up, Wilson is thrown in a mutant prison with Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison), a young mutant who had been abused at the hands of the staff of the “Mutant Re-education Center” where he lived. The prison facility is attacked by Josh Brolin’s Cable, taking a break from playing his better-known Marvel villain, Thanos. As Deadpool enters the MCU arena, it will be interesting to see how this is reconciled over the coming years.
Deadpool puts together his team of heroes that he calls X-Force, again failing at the outset of their mission to save Russell, with only Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Wade’s cab driver friend Dopinder (Karan Soni) surviving. In the final standoff, we learn that Cable is not what he seemed at first, and get to see another classic Marvel villain, Juggernaut, appearing on film for the first time since 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
Deadpool 2 continues the idiosyncrasies from the first film including breaking the fourth wall and narrating the action at times. There is also a plethora of hidden cameos in the film from such actors as Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Terry Crews. It also deals with the ideas of time travel, something that the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe has delved into more deeply in recent years with Avengers: Endgame and Loki, just to name a few.
What works for the first film, continues to work here. But while the first film is a true origin story, this sequel takes Deadpool in a different direction, shifting from trying to save his damsel in distress by himself, to working with others to save someone not so much unlike himself. I hope that the third film is allowed to work in this same way and not hamstrung by Disney and Marvel executives trying to fit it into the more traditional MCU mold.
With the announcement recently that Deadpool 3 is in the works and includes a final(?) appearance by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, I felt it was time to revisit the first two Deadpool films and deliver some official reviews. So, without further ado, my Deadpool review.
This was such a nice pallet cleanser after the Venom films I reviewed the last two weeks. Looking back, it almost feels like both Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage were trying to have the humor and wit of Deadpool, but couldn’t take the leap, stumbling in the process. That said, Ryan Reynolds is the straw that stirs the drink in this film. It doesn’t work with anyone else playing Wade Wilson/Deadpool, but you can probably put just about anyone around him, and it will work.
That’s not to say that the supporting cast is bad. Just the opposite. T. J. Miller is great in a limited role as Wade Wilson’s best friend and Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa goes toe to toe with Wilson as their relationship grows through the film. Ed Skrein’s portrayal of Ajax is not as memorable, but sufficient as the lead villain. Further down the supporting cast list, Gina Carano as Ajax’s sidekick Angel Dust feels very one dimensional, and a bit of a wasted opportunity. On the other hand, Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) provide a lovely connection to the world of the X-Men, and feel like fuller characters than either of the villains.
Now, Deadpool does things often considered no-nos in film. There is plenty of narration from the main character and Deadpool breaks the “fourth wall” numerous times, giving the audience a knowing wink from behind his mask. It also blends comedy and brutal action into an R-rated piece that was well overdue from Marvel at the time.
Even being so self-aware, the film doesn’t diverge into ridiculousness. It toes that line, while flinging itself completely across the line of violence, something not seen in most other Marvel films. Not for the faint of heart, rather than tell you Deadpool is nigh indestructible, you see it in all the bone breaking detail. One scene is even reminiscent of Monty Python’s Black Knight with Deadpool fighting on despite having only one leg to stand on.
If yours is a family that likes watching Marvel movies together, make sure to put the kids to bed before putting this one on. It earns the R-rating, but everything that contributes to that rating feels relevant. Some of the blood and gore could be a bit excessive, but it still serves to drive home the point of Deadpool’s physical resilience, even if he is a bit weaker emotionally. A well put together film and worthy of a place in the MCU once that connection is made.
Even though I've seen The Rescue twice already and know this story pretty well, I was still enthralled with the portrayals in this film. I was struck by the focus on the boys and what they were dealing with that wasn't dealt with much in the documentary. Mortensen, Farrell, and Edgerton played the parts very well and captured what I feel like those men are truly like based on listening to interviews with them.
Well done keeping me on the edge of my seat.
Better than I expected. A few parts where I didn't wasn't quite able to suspend my disbelief, but loved seeing Gosling in a big action role. Appreciated Ana de Armas getting more action sequences after she only showed up in No Time to Die for about 5 minutes.
It's also clear that the Russos have a love of film that they dropped into this movie. Lines like "An extra $10 million to the first one to put a bullet in this Ken doll's brain" feel like a possible throw away, but knowing that Gosling is playing Ken in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Barbie film make that such a fun inside joke. A bit more obvious was the line about why Gosling's character is called "6" and he explains that 007 was taken. The film feels a bit self aware, but not to the point of overdoing it.
Fun for the kids. Got a laugh from the credits scene.
