recent product reviews
Parasite (2019)
First half is wonderfully simple, fun, and theatrical, perfect for a stage play. But then things get awkwardly sexual, and both the family and story lose their innocence. Things suddenly dark and twisted and graphic, and by the end, it almost feels like we’ve watched two different movies: the first…
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Knives Out (2019)
Why do all the great detectives have such distinctive accents and wordplay? When was the last time you saw a brilliant detective with a standard American accent just telling it like it is? Interesting cast of characters. I’m sure Craig and Evans both loved playing against type for a change.…
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1917 (2019)
Intense and humbling, like Saving Private Ryan and any good war movie. An amazing accomplishment of camerawork and editing. The shortest unbroken shot was 39 seconds long, while the longest single continuous shot was 8 1/2 minutes long, both of which are impressive. The steadicam shots through trenches and houses…
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Joker (2019)
Artsy, weird, intense, disturbing. We’ve never seen a superhero movie as dark and twisted as this one. Beautifully shot. There is some magic here. Great character study. Joker is solidly developed with rich backstory, his descent into crazy is wonderfully paced and deep. This is the first act of a…
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Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
A bit fast-paced, with wall-to-wall dialogue and dizzying scene changes, almost like there’s a rush to wrap up the story and franchise as thoroughly and as quickly as possible. Maybe it had to be like this. Maybe there was just too much for Abrams to do, too much ground to…
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Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Damon and Bale play off each other nicely, with Damon pulling off a Bill Clinton accent and a believable performance. But it is Bale, with colorful wit, a charming accent, and goofy facial expressions, who steals the show. Miles has his own dramatic arc, and I found myself wishing the…
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First Blood (1982)
The one that started it all. It seems strange to watch it now, but apparently disdain for Vietnam veterans really was a thing back then. This was a confusing time for America. The country’s opinion of the war and the veterans who returned from it was confused and changing. In…
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The Interview (2014)
Great banter from Franco and Rogen, and some South Park-level irreverent political humor. The script could have been written by Parker and Stone. But it starts to get a bit old after a while. A lot of gay humor. Where’s the outrage?
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The Polar Express (2004)
The animation was meant to be the spectacle. Even on cable television, you can see that Zemeckis was pushing the limits of the technology and really going for it with the 3D gimmicks. And then you have Zemeckis’ clever use of impossible camera angles, an easy trick to pull off…
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Office Christmas Party (2016)
Mildly amusing at best, just people being drunk and stupid. Impressive cast they got together for this one. Thank goodness they got someone like Bateman to make it watchable. Lamest movie title ever. The cheap title graphic leads me to believe that maybe they changed it at the last minute.
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I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,321 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
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