Well, this is a first. With a rewatch of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, it jumped up 8 spots on my monthly ranking to #2 first-time watch of the month, earned an added half star and found itself a spot on my 2023 Top 10 Contenders List. While the film is most certainly flawed, two compelling characters and one epic battle sequence make this film an absolute must watch.
Napoleon has received mixed responses and with a critical viewing, there are valid reasons. The…
Action Film Challenge - The road to my Top Ten
“I’m a killer. I’m a murdering bastard. You know that. And there are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard.”
I was curious how my rewatch of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 2 would go because it was historically my favorite. While if I had to choose now, I’d go with Vol. 1, it’s really by a hair, and these films are more halves to a whole then separate entities anyway. …
Action Film Challenge - The Road to my Top Ten
What you get when you add $96 million dollars to your budget? James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I’ve always been in the small camp that holds the original as the superior film and while I still do, it isn’t by much. With exciting action set pieces, outstanding FX and a great cast, it’s easy to see why this film is one of the most celebrated sequels of all time.
While…
American Fiction, co-written and directed by Cord Jefferson, is more like a 3.25 but as a directorial debut, I have to give it the merit bump as it’s quite well done. With likable characters supported by a charming cast and nice bouts of humor, this film will surely be well received when released later this month.
American Fiction is about Monk (Jeffrey Wright), an author fed up with his lack of success. Under a pseudonym he writes a book as a…
“If these Mississippi crackers could see you now.”
Clearly I watched a different film than everyone else because I had a blast with David O. Russell’s Amsterdam. With a quirky, well-paced script that would make Wes Anderson proud and truly entertaining performances from a stacked cast, Amsterdam is a pleasant surprise.
O. Russell’s script is filled to the brim with oddities. Valerie (Margot Robbie) collects shrapnel from soldiers she treats to make art, characters sporadically sing songs (such as the…
I’m a little disappointed by A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One. Based on the Sundance award, the trailer and general buzz, I was expecting a powerhouse of a film and that isn’t what I got. While the acting is strong, and the relationships endearing, the film doesn’t hit as hard as it could and Rockwell’s writing is to blame.
Starting with the good, Teyana Taylor is excellent as Inez. Inez is fiery and passionate but loves her dear ones wholeheartedly.…
