Favorite films

Recent activity

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Pinned reviews

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  Annihilation 2018

  ★★★★½ Rewatched by Ryan McCarthy 08 Jun 2021 16

  So, SO close to perfection. Some of the visuals were almost too ambitious for me and kind of took me out of the story. Nevertheless, this was an insightful and kinda harrowing look at what it means to be alive, conscious, etc. All the big questions. Whether intentionally or not, this story (and by extension screenplay) owes a great debt to Lovecraft. 

  Plot: 5/5
  Visuals: 4/5
  Acting: 5/5
  Total: 4.5/5

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  The Northman 2022

  ★★★★★ Watched by Ryan McCarthy 09 Jun 2021

  Can’t wait.

Recent reviews

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  American History X 1998

  ★★★★½ Rewatched by Ryan McCarthy 04 Aug 2021 1

  Absolutely incredible film. Haven’t watched this in years and years so it was fun to revisit it as an adult and as an LA resident. I’m glad teenage me eventually learned that life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. 

  Plot: 5/5
  Visuals: 4/5
  Acting: 5/5

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  Beetlejuice 1988

  ★★★ Rewatched by Ryan McCarthy 03 Aug 2021 2

  This movie is obviously iconic in a lot of ways, and I totally understand the cult classic status, but it just doesn’t really land that way for me. The acting seems kind of inconsistent throughout, and even the good parts feel a bit flat. It’s fine, I enjoy it, it’s a nice comfort/background film, but I don’t really love it like everyone else I know. 

  Plot: 3/5
  Visuals: 3/5
  Acting: 3/5

Popular reviews

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  The Green Knight 2021

  ★★★★★ Watched by Ryan McCarthy 01 Aug 2021 3

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  “Is this all there is?”
  “What else ought there be?”

  Best film of 2021, I can’t even really imagine this being topped. Absolutely floored by how immersive and gorgeous this movie was. Felt fully transported even though I was in a room full of people. The Green Knight was a very authentic interpretation of this tale, filled with all the ambiguity, mystery, and magic of the source material (Tolkien has a great translation if you haven’t read it). 

  I loved…

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  The King 2019

  ★★★★½ Rewatched by Ryan McCarthy 02 Aug 2021

  After watching this a second time, I’m even more on the fence about whether or not I think this is a 5/5. But I guess that uncertainty alone indicates that it isn’t. 

  If I HAD to complain, I would say that I’m not quite sure the runtime is justified. That said, I’m also not sure what I’d cut from the film, since everything is perfectly acted and enjoyable to watch. 

  Also, as someone who studied military history in college (has…