Reviews

It's breaking my heart that The Last Duel is doing poorly at the box office because in my mind it is without a doubt the best film of the year. Just truly excellent filmmaking with vision and originality in spades. It employs the Rashomon effect with fascinating results. The cinematography, editing, and costume design are stunning. The score is superb.

The performances are excellent all around. I see a lot of people saying Ben Affleck's performance steals the show and a lot of excitement around Adam Driver because of his huge fanbase. I love those actors as much as the next person, but I feel Jodie Comer and Matt Damon's nuanced work is the heart of the film and they deserve more love. Both deliver awards worthy performances and they show the most range across the three parts. I think it's the best work of Damon's career and he is singularly suited to the role, tapping into numerous shades of characterization that are something to behold. And if together Damon and Comer are the heart, then Jodie Comer alone is The Last Duel's soul. She is truly phenomenal, grounding this sprawling story with her inspired choices and emotional resonance.

The medieval setting feels so authentic, gritty, and fully realized. And the message of this film is both timeless and timely, universal and harrowingly intimate. It takes a long sharp look at gender politics, rape culture, and toxic masculinity, dissecting these topics with scalpel level precision even as the storytelling momentum never lets up. Despite its length, there is never a dull moment. The battle scenes are unbelievably realistic, transporting you to war-torn France and Scotland. The climax of the film is one of the most visceral and suspenseful I've ever seen.

The Last Duel demands to be seen on the big screen to get the full sense of this historical epic's artistry and scale. One of the best period piece films in a long time, this one will appeal to fans of Barry Lyndon and Gladiator. I could even see it being a good discussion companion to Promising Young Woman (my favorite film of 2020), in its handling of topics relevant to #MeToo. If you long to be swept up in a classic cinematic experience and you don't want to see movie theaters become a thing of the past, don't let this one flop. Trigger warning for the film as it contains two prolonged scenes of sexual assault.

Baby is like an Italian version of the show Skins, with some Gossip Girl thrown in. It's very entertaining and has a big cast of characters to get invested in. Baby possesses a gritty realism that's rare in teen shows. It goes deeper.

The main trio of Chiara, Damiano, and Ludo are fantastic. They're sympathetic and appealing leads. I loved the friendships. They really care for each other and support one another even when they're making bad choices. It was nice to see supportive teens. This show makes you witness the spiral young people can descend in when pushed to it by the cruelty of their unfeeling families and bullying peers. You'll long for them to be safe and happy but you'll understand why they're acting out.

Baby is quite artistic. The cinematography is gorgeous; there are many beautiful shots of Rome. The wonderful setting can't be overstated. The occasional use of narration is perfectly employed. Baby's music is great, be it the electronic score or the smartly chosen song selections.

With intriguing storylines and all the angst and emotion of being a teen, this show really delivers. The depiction of social media and the characters' concerns make this truly relevant. There's plenty of drama, yet the production value and impressive performances elevate it. I'm so glad this entertaining, stylish show is getting a season 2!

I loved Maniac so much I binged it all on the first day it went up on Netflix. It's the kind of show where you have to see what will happen next. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone give amazing performances. (And I mean performances! They both bring nuance to several characters apiece.)

Maniac is set in a world that seems both futuristic and analog. This is a fully realized world with stunning visuals. Creator/director Car Joji Fukunaga clearly has a vision, and it comes across spectacularly. The high-tech equipment combined with old cars and an unclear time period are fascinating. It reminded me a bit of It Follows, with a timelessness to the setting that only serves to enmesh you further in the storyworld. Maniac also reminded me of Inception and the sci-fi novels Version Control and Gnomon, while still being very original. If you like any of the aforementioned things, you'll probably be a big fan of Maniac.

I thought this was the strongest performance of Justin Theroux's career. Sally Field is excellent and Sonoya Mizuno infuses her character with wonderful eccentricity. There are many familiar faces in this show, but I won't spoil all the great cameos. I found all the various storylines and characters to be equally fascinating. Maniac is the perfect blend of humor and drama. And in the end, it's incredibly moving. I feel like going back to the beginning and watching it all over again.

Black Spot is an intriguing crime show. It's about the fictitious town of Villefranche, a small town with a big forest where the murder rate is six times the national average. A new district attorney arrives who wants to be very involved with the police investigations of these baffling crimes. The police chief has her hands full with the high crime rate and the disappearance of the mayor's daughter.

I liked how Black Spot has episodic mysteries as well as an overarching mystery that spans the whole season. All the episode-long mysteries are equally engaging. And the ongoing mystery is fascinating and full of twists and turns.

The crime solving squad is full of lovable characters. The chief of police also has a compelling mystery in her past, which is unraveled at just the right pace. There's some much needed comic relief with the police force and the district attorney. The setting of the forest is incredible and there are fantastic panoramic shots. Black Spot is very atmospheric.

Just enough is revealed in the finale to be satisfying yet they leave the door open for a second season, which is forthcoming. I'm so glad this show was available to me as an American on Amazon Prime. If you want a great crime show that will keep you guessing, this one's for you.

Tabula Rasa is an excellent psychological thriller. The acting is top-knotch, particularly from the three lead actors: Veerle Baetens, Stijn Van Opstal, and Jeroen Perceval.

This is a show that will keep you guessing, with so many twists, layers, and hidden connections. There's a fantastic air of creepiness and menace. The imagery is stunning and the cinematography is great. My jaw dropped in shock more than once.

Aside from the intricate and compelling central mystery, the relationship drama is also great. There's nuance in the performances and the show really displays the complexity of family life. As an American, I found it fascinating to see what life in Flanders is like.

There are just so many fantastic elements to this show. It's the perfect show to bingewatch. Tabula Rasa, along with Dark, prove that some of Netflix's best content is the foreign language shows. I can't recommend Tabula Rasa enough. It's such a smart show.

Go see Divergent. See it if you have read the book or if you haven't. But especially if you've read the book. As a fan of the book I really loved it, and the friends I saw it with who hadn't read it also enjoyed it.

I really feel that the Neil Burger directed film did Veronica Roth's book justice. It just felt authentic in bringing that story world to life, from actually being shot in Chicago, to many of the actors doing their own stunts, to the fact that it was perfectly cast. The changes they did make from the source material only improved upon some quibbles I had with Roth's characterization and plotting as a first time author, and made sense cinematically. Fans can also rest easy, because Roth was a producer, so she had a big hand in shaping this film.

Shailene Woodley was a great Tris. She is a great actress capable of conveying a wide range of emotions, and she totally embodies the toughness but relatability that is Tris. As a heroine, I found that she's a very good feminist role model for girls. She holds her own the way a male lead in an action movie is expected to, and she defies gender stereotypes. Theo James is Four. He exudes masculinity, mystery, and fierceness. He and Shailene played opposite each other very well, and their chemistry was palpable.

So if you're a fan of The Hunger Games, action movies, or the Divergent book series, definitely go to see Divergent in theaters. It's an action packed thrill ride filled with great performances!

The Wolf of Wall Street was absolutely insane in the best possible way. Words that describe this three hour movie experience: Outrageous. Wild. Crazy. Hilarious. Smart. Masterpiece.

I'm obsessed with Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. WOWS is reminiscent of that film-narratively and thematically-and in my opinion it exceeds even that masterpiece of filmmaking. Yes, WOWS is my new favorite Scorsese movie. Leonardo DiCaprio has said that with WOWS, Scorsese has inadvertently finished a film trilogy that began with Goodfellas and Casino. I agree; all three Scorsese films are told in the same manner and offer glimpses into seedy subcultures of American society. If you love Goodfellas and Casino, you'll love WOWS.

Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a genius performance as Jordan Belfort, the titular character, who makes a fortune through his self-made stocks company. Jordan narrates the story of his life, which is full of law- breaking, drug using, sex, and an ongoing FBI investigation into Jordan's illegal money making practices. Jonah Hill plays Donnie Azoff, Jordan's humorous and outlandish business partner. Margot Robbie gives a star-making performance as Jordan's second wife. Rounding out the cast are Rob Reiner, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, and Joanna Lumley. All the performances are stellar. There's never a dull moment and as the three hours sped by, I found myself laughing almost constantly. The editing is superb and fast-paced. Scorsese has created some truly memorable sequences.

I hope WOWS gets some love this awards season, because it's highly deserving of it. I found it to be far superior to The Departed, Scorsese's 2006 film that won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. So, if there's any justice, WOWS will snag these awards as well. DiCaprio and Hill deserve to take home the gold for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Whatever the results of awards season, WOWS will stand the test of time. It's a period piece that's extremely relevant and modern. It's sure to become a classic.

This latest version of Carrie is definitely my favorite, having already seen the campy but fun '76 version, and the laughably bad '02 made for TV adaptation. Chloe Grace Moretz is perfect as the socially awkward, bullied, and abused Carrie White. She really lends sympathy to the role and her appealing performance makes you wince every time her peers humiliate her or her mother locks her in her mandated prayer closet. Julianne Moore is the crazy mother, and she has a good balance of religious fanaticism, misguided motherly love, and self-inflicted harm.

The story is divided well between Carrie's preparations for her unexpected date to the prom, Sue Snell, a popular girl and her efforts to be kind to Carrie, and Chris Hargensen's plotting for a vicious prank. By the end of the movie, it's hard to say what element of the film is scariest: Carrie's burgeoning telekinesis, her mother's religion induced violence, or the malicious bullying that is decidedly pervasive. If I had to decide, I would say that the bullying in Carrie packs the biggest punch. It's painfully realistic in it's depiction of mean girl antics and cyber bullying. It's even one of the few movies with bullying as a central theme that explores the issue of teacher bullying, which is a reality that needs to be faced more often. Whether you're looking for a commentary on our modern-day culture of bullying, a good scary flick, or a very extreme tale of revenge, Carrie is the movie for you.

So a few weeks ago I started a little show called Hemlock Grove, never knowing what I was in for. Now I've come to the end of season 1, am suffering withdrawals, and can honestly say that it is my favorite show ever.

Hemlock Grove is like Twin Peaks on crack. With werewolves thrown in. Which is a good thing. It's set in the small, seemingly normal town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania. Reminiscent of Twin Peaks, the show begins with the brutal killing of a high school girl. It appears that she was attacked by some kind of animal, but when other killings occur, in what seems like a pattern, authorities begin to question whether the perpetrator is really an animal.

Hemlock Grove has a deliciously entertaining cast of characters. There's Olivia Godfrey, the widow of the town's steel tycoon, who's as frightening as she is beautiful. Her daughter is a physically frightening giant called Shelley, who is really sweet and intelligent on the inside. New to town are Peter Rumancek and his mother. They are gypsies and immediately disliked; a rumor even begins to swirl that Peter is a werewolf. Norman Godfrey is Olivia's brother-in-law, a respected psychiatrist and family man who is hiding a lot of secrets. His daughter is golden girl, Letha, who is best friends with Olivia's son, Roman. And here comes my favorite part of the show.

Roman Godfrey is now my favorite character ever. He is played by the brilliant Bill Skarsgard, who manages to make you empathetic for Roman even as he behaves like a sociopath. Roman is a spoiled, swaggering, womanizing, drug using high-schooler who shouldn't be likable but is. Roman befriends Peter and the two of them decide to uncover the mystery of the Hemlock Grove killings.

And there is the basic plot of Hemlock Grove. What are you waiting for? Go try it! It's a Netflix Original Series, so it's only streaming on Netflix. Even if you don't have Netflix, it's worth it just to subscribe so you can watch Hemlock Grove. The show is that good! It definitely is a Gothic horror though, and can get pretty gory, so be forewarned, faint of heart.

I truly loved the Julian Fellowes adapted, Carlo Carlei directed film version of Romeo & Juliet. The costumes, hairstyles, and actual Verona setting were lush and beautiful, perfectly evoking the Italian Renaissance setting. Hailee Steinfeld was perfectly cast as Juliet. Juliet was, after all, only 13 in Shakespeare's play. Hailee was 15 during filming, and her youth and innocence made me empathize with this tragic heroine even more than usual. Douglas Booth was a gorgeous, emotionally wrought Romeo and I thought that he perfectly captured Romeo's rashness and romance. Paul Giamatti was great as the friar; his performance finally made me like the friar (I usually blame him for the bad outcome of events) and understand that he really was well-meaning. Ed Westwick was perfect as the snarling hothead Tybalt. I'll look forward to seeing him tackle another villainous role in future.

This Romeo & Juliet had the perfect mix of humor, romance, and heartbreak. I like that Julian Fellowes slightly modernized the language without compromising its beauty or meaning. There were also some additional scenes that offered some fascinating back-story, such as why Tybalt was so put out from the beginning of the story, the reason Capulet was so eager to marry Juliet to Paris, and the cruel twist of fate that caused Romeo to never receive that crucial letter. If you love historical romances, Shakespeare, or good movies, go see this one. It is now my favorite version of R&J ever. It is a great testament to this film, that during the whole film I felt anxious and hoped against hope that this time things would turn out differently, this time Romeo and Juliet would get their happy ending. The movie is that fresh and vibrant that it can make you long for a story of less woe.

666 Park Avenue is an excellent show. It's a shame it was canceled, because I could have seen the show going on to be developed for many more years. However, as the show only lasted for 13 episodes, they did a wonderful job of wrapping up the story in the premature series finale. The thirteen episodes manage to tell an engaging, smart supernatural story.

The plot lines are great and the actors deliver stellar performances in 666 Park Avenue. Rachel Taylor as Jane and Terry O'Quinn as Gavin Doran were especially wonderful in their roles. This show was genuinely scary and kept me guessing. I would definitely recommend it for fans of Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, and supernatural tales in general.