Category: Cinema

Eastwood’s effort to pay tribute to these incredible heroes did not succeed in my view. The script was terrible, the three main guys (the real heroes) did their best and the film was filled with lots of empty meaningless space. The last 10 minutes were the best thing about the movie. That’s when the heroes came alive and made an impact. I don’t want to disparage this movie in any way, but this movie was just too slow for my liking and too much background story before depicting the actual event it was leading up to. 3 Stars⭐⭐⭐ from myself for this one.

For the most part, the acting is decent with Lin Shaye’s calm and pleasant presence performing exceptionally well for 74 years old. The intro is engaging and suspenseful, but as the movie unfolds, it falls apart.Not as good as the last Insidious but still worth a watch if you like the horror genre and follow the insidious series 3.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐✨

I personally enjoyed this film. Unlike most dance films it doesn’t try to be silly or uplifting. Instead it’s more akin to a moody indie film about a young woman who has been stifled all her life finally finding her voice.

This is two parallel movies: one about Polina’s artistic progression, one about her family. However, this division is only apparent: the harsh parts with her family stress Polina’s difficulties to progress personally. And far from trying to provide an easy background to the character, the family scenes increase the overall sense of loss, both for Polina and for us viewers through the ellipses and uncertainties noted above. We are lost as she is, in a materially and emotionally unstable environment.

It’s best to experience Polina’s rebirth as it happens, which examines different forms of creative expression from a woman who desperately needs to challenge the boundaries of her life. “Polina” achieves a fantastic sense of evolution and awakening, making the slow journey through the years rewarding, without melodramatic extremes, studying a fascinating character as she begins to discover what she wants from dance instead of living up to the expectations of others. It’s a simple idea, but executed superbly by the production.

The beats of the film will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched a dance film but the sincerity of the actors and the beautiful choreography makes this incredible to watch, which in turn allowed myself to give it an uplifting  4/5 Stars★★★★.

Rated – 4/5 ★★★★

Sappy films aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but when a film embraces its sappiness and turns it into something emotionally resonant, then I truly believe that they can be some of the best films out there. While Wonder may have looked a little overdone throughout its marketing campaign, making it out to be a film about a kid being bullied for looking different from everyone else, that’s honestly just scratching the surface of what the message of this film really is. There is always a feel-good movie that I attach myself to every year, and I believe Wonder is probably the film from 2017 that did it for me.  All in all just a wonderful movie for the whole family.

Awarding a high 4 /5 Stars ★★★★ for this one.

A Pixar’s masterpiece, impeccably done in terms of research (about the Mexican culture), animation, script, musicalization, direction and production. A subtle yet charming and inspiring story; with a quality of animation worthy of an Academy Award (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the great winners of 2018); with an extremely powerful soundtrack; an excellent script; likable, well-developed and relatable characters; and extremely respectful of the cultural component in which the story is inspired. In short, one of the best landings of Pixar , A perfect score from myself for this one.

Rated -5/5 Stars ★★★★★

OK for this particular Oscar contender, I have deliberated on for a bit , as on the one part , I did enjoy the pace and flow of the story , So far, this film has had an IMDb rating of 8.3…which is extraordinarily high. As for me, I think its has been incredibly overrated.

The story is about an angry mom,as her daughter was brutally murdered and raped…and the police haven’t done anything with the case. So, in desperation and anger, she rents out three billboards and tasks the local Police Chief to do something about this. Surprisingly, most of the town comes down against her…who was just exercising her First Amendment rights. What happens from there…well, just watch the film.

There were many wonderful scenes and characters in this picture. But, there were also many main characters who were just god-awful and unlikable…including the main character, making this movie a bit of a hard-sell for me personally.

I can see this being a winner at the Oscars for Best Actress, but for me this just made it to 4/5 Stars and with Meryl right alongside her with the Post , this might be a close one for Francis Mcdormand.

Rated : 4/5 Stars ★★★★

Here is a movie that caught me by surprise , I feel that if you are in your sixties and of African-American heritage this may really hit home on many levels. In general it is a film about holding on to our core values, then forgetting them to join the rest of society’s  madness only to realize that you were not alone in your view of the world. Restoring your original core only to pay the price of deserting it in the first place. Denzel  himself gave a magnetic performance but the movie itself did not in my view. Therefore a 3.7/5 Stars for this character sketch entry for the Oscars.

Rated : 3.7/5 Stars ★★★?

I didn’t expect much before watching this film… I’m not into figure skating or docu style movies (as per trailer), but I have to say, this one blew me away!

Margot Robbie and Allison Janney just nailed their roles! I’m sure this is Margot Robbie’s best performance… she got right into her character. Craig Gillespie’s outstanding directing contributes to the greatness of this film.

There isn’t anything bad to critique here. I highly recommend seeing this as I’m sure you’ll be getting more out of it than you’d expect. A well deserved 4.5/5 Stars for this epic Bio about Tonya Harding.

Rated – 4.5/5 Stars

The Post is an excellent re-telling of its era and the significant change brought about by courageous reporting. It is also a cautionary tale of what happens when the government attempts to intimidate the press.

The acting of Tom Hanks is stellar, as is Meryl Streep. I was impressed by the cinematography, appropriate color-keying, and director’s choices. Regardless of how one feels about the story, the underlying politics of the time, the persons, etc. this is a must-see moview if for nothing else by its craft.

Rated – 4/5 Stars