Terrific, classic John Wick action in the first 2 hours + probably the best writing and dialogue in this series. Then the last 50 minutes kicks in and delivers three of the best set pieces in the franchise stitched together back to back to back. Couldn't believe my eyes at a certain point. Wasn't sure how well 3 hours of this would go down after the concept seemed to stretch thin towards the end of the third movie. But this…
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods 2023
For the most part, this is exactly the sort of passable, good-natured amusement you would want out of a Shazam! sequel – until the incessantly noisy finale and eye rolling conclusion. But the arguable quality of the movie couldn't matter less in light of it all feeling dead on arrival. DC is rebooting and this is a leftover, so who cares? I'd like to see these characters in Gunn's next phase, but no one's holding their breath. We had this…
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Sleepless in Seattle 1993
I get not bringing the leads together until the big, sweeping, romantic ending – but that does turn this into more of a madcap comedy than a traditional romcom for the majority of the runtime. In different hands, that easily could've kneecapped the movie. But Nora Ephron is so good at grounding the romance and comedy in her films with genuinely poignant character moments, and this is no exception. Love how much Ephron wears her inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood on her sleeve. Someone needs to pick up the torch and do this kind of blatant homage again.
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Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022
Most crowd-pleasing Best Picture ever? Makes me think that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would win all the awards if it instead came out next year (a compliment to both films).
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Man Push Cart 2005
My man can't catch a break 😔 Such a weirdly effortless film – it's exceptional and it doesn't feel like anyone involved is trying too hard. I guess I would say that it has no pretensions, it's just good.
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Creed III 2023
We're firmly in the goofy, heightened reality Rocky III/IV-era here. Much has been made of Jordan's anime-inspired filmmaking, and while those storytelling choices are the boldest this franchise has seen since Rocky IV, they don't seem very appropriate for the story being told. At its core, Creed III is a very worthwhile entry about shared trauma, overcoming earth-shattering mistakes, and ultimately forgiveness – and in the hands of Ryan Coogler, I can imagine this being a tremendous sequel. But I…
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The Other Side of Hope 2017
Takes over an hour to set up its log-line, and it's lacking much of the humor and rhythm of Le Havre. Certainly not bad, but it didn't have the zip that I was hoping for.
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Jesus Revolution 2023
What I genuinely respect here is that it feels like a movie. It feels like a real, like, you know, ‘go to the theater’ film - movie.