Reviews

This episode sees some very interesting artistic choices; pushing the medium to its furthest logical expressionistic conclusion, and it is really quite interesting. We see more layers behind our protagonist, Shinji, and of others. It is a very unique 20 minutes; sometimes melodramatic, sometimes weird, and sometimes profound, I applaud the writers and animators of this episode for taking such bold artistic choice.

I am, of course, a tad bit biased since this was one of my favorite shows as a kid, but it really is that good. And unlike alot of other kids shows being pumped out every year, it actually has a center and isn't incredibly childish. Easily one of the best shows airing on PBS, along with Sesame Street and Arthur.

I can't believe this is a real fu{king movie lol Just watch it... you'll see

What a pointless waste of time. It is literally just a budget version of 2001, and doesn't try to do anything original whatsoever. One could argue it's an homage, but really, its just a rip-off don't waste your time watching it, just watch 2001 instead, it's much better.

Memento is probably one of the most unique - and confusing - movies I have ever watched. Memento does something that few other movies have done before: it is shown backward. There are scenes shown backward, along with scenes shown forward, and the two eventually converge during the climax. And while showing a movie backward may seem like a horrible way to craft a movie, it is everything but. It shows us something that will happen, and shows us how we got there. Whether we like it or not, the ending is inevitable. The movie opens with a murder, and at first, it seems justified; the man raped and murdered the wife of our protagonist, Leonard (Guy Pierce). However, as the movie progresses, or rather digresses, we learn that the man was, in fact innocent. Leonard has a strange case of anterograde amnesia that prevents him from making new memories. Every 5 minutes, he forgets who he is, where he is, and why he is there. As a result, he uses a complex (but heavily flawed) system of notes and photographs to understand his everyday life. He relies on these notes to survive, and track down John Doe, the man who raped and murdered his wife. Memento has so many plot twists that it is often hard to keep up with, but in fear of spoiling for you, I will end this review here.

With the coronavirus outbreak and the 5th Indiana Jones movie coming out next year, I decided to watch all of the Indiana Jones movies again. It is obvious why the series is so beloved; it has non-stop action and is the embodiment of the perfect 'family' movie. Of course, not all of them are masterpieces. While the first one is exceptionally awesome, and the third one is incredible fun, the second one is well, kind of stupid. That is not to say it is bad, because it is not, but it pales in comparison to the first and third. (It's better than the 4th one, but to be honest, that's not very hard) While the pacing and tone of the first movie felt just right to the story, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom never really finds its rhythm, and feels like an unorganized mess because of it. Indiana's sidekicks consist of a woman who spends most of the movie screaming, and some Asian kid, who, if I'm, going to be completely honest, is simultaneously the most annoying and most fun character in the movie. Harrison Ford, who is a great actor, does not do much in this movie. While he was incredibly charismatic in the first movie, he just seems pissed off the entire movie. (Which makes sense, that woman really needs to stop screaming) However, I suppose I have to give this movie some points for being the reason PG-13 was invented.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns back to its origins: non-stop fun and adventure, while the previous installment, 'Temple of Doom,' seems a bit more heavy-handed. And while it is not as good as the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is far better than the other two (soon to be three) in the series. I found that with the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones series coming up next year, I should re-watch the first four. If you have read my reviews for them (which you probably haven't,) you will find that I gave Raiders a 5/5 and Temple a 3.5/5, and I'm still trying my hardest to avoid the carnage known as Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now, if you haven't noticed, I have given the Last Crusade a 4.5/5. Why you may ask? Because, just like the first one, it is funny and thrilling, and original. (Okay, maybe not original) The original Jones movie featured a standard plot, guy vs Nazis with your standard love interest. It sounds lame, but it works incredibly well thanks to Speilberg's sure-handed direction. For the second one, they didn't have any fresh ideas; just turned the Nazis into some Indian cult thing. The last Crusade keeps the Nazis, which, if I'm going, to be honest, I prefer over the Indian cult with an underground Nike sweatshop. And instead of another lame and predictable romance side plot, it adds Indiana Jones' dad (played by Sean Connery) into the mix. Now that is awesome. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford clearly have nice chemistry in this film, making it funny in between all the action sequences, which, despite outdated special effects, are still awesome. (Which is another reason I didn't like Temple, the action sequences are super lame, but you should probably just read my review instead.) If you enjoyed the first one, I suggest you watch this one. It is (almost) as awesome as the first.

I remember watching this movie, and while I loved the first 2 acts, both full of endless laughter, I couldn't help but think that Ferris Bueller was something of a narcissist. He does many seemingly selfish things; lying to his parents, humiliating his principal, and putting his 'best friend' in danger, all so he can have 7 carefree hours off of school. It is not until the 3rd act that he becomes a 3-dimensional character, and we begin to understand him and realize he is not the sociopath we might have assumed he is. While it seems he does all the things he does for his own pleasure, it becomes clear in the last 20 minutes he was really doing it for his friend. At the beginning of the movie, Cameron is timid, constantly worried, and unsure of himself. We learn his parents argue, and his dad neglects him, and would rather work on his Ferrari instead of spending time with his son. Throughout the movie, Ferris tries to boost his friend's self-esteem, and by the end, he has succeeded. His friend is a completely different person, and most of the major characters are, notably his sister. However, Ferris doesn't seem to change at all. He helps his friends become better people, but in doing so, he isn't changing at all.

There is a moment in Lawrence of Arabia when the hero, T.E. Lawrence, and his guide, after a long trek across the desert, stop at a well to drink. Lawrence turns around to see a distant speck in the far distance, reluctantly shimmering in the desert heat, like a mirage. The speck reluctantly approaches the camera, before materializing into what looks like a man. There is absolutely no music, only the sounds of the desert winds and the footsteps of the man approaching. What are his intentions? We do not know. But judging by the reaction of Lawrence's guide, they must not be good. The man comes closer to the camera, until the suspense becomes so unbearable that Lawrence's guide runs to the nearest weapon--only to be shot. On television, this shot doesn't work at all; nothing can be seen, nothing can be heard. In a movie theater, looking at the stark clarity projected on the screen, the sound of the desert surrounding us, we lean forward and strain to bring a detail out of the waves of heat, and for a moment we experience some of the actual vastness of the desert, and its unforgiving harshness. I myself have only experienced 4 movies in the theater: Lawrence of Arabia, which remains one of my favorite films, Shazam, which wasn't half bad, and Home, which was. My family also went to see the sequel to Percy Jackson, and quite frankly, the first one wasn't even that good. And despite the fact that these movies may not be very good, the experience of watching it in the theater was enough to make them a memorable experience. Unfortunately, despite having huge blockbusters last year, ticket sales have been going down the past few years, and, given the current circumstances, it is unlikely that new generations will be able to experience the magic of the cinema.

The Usual Suspects is the kind of movie that you either love or hate. There is no in-between. You either consider it to be a masterpiece or a blot in cinema history. As I'm sure you have guessed, I am among those who consider it a masterpiece. The Usual Suspects is the type of movie where your heart is pumping so fast, you can't feel your arms after watching it because all your blood went to your head. It is expertly shot, written, and acted. This movie, along with Seven, L.A. Confidential, and later American Beauty are the movies that launched Kevin Spacey, and all four show off his incredible acting skills. He went on to win an Oscar for his performance in this movie, although I believe the only reason he won over Brad Pitt (12 Monkeys) that year was because he was also brilliant in Seven, but I digress. But, let's be honest for a moment. The real reason this movie is brilliant is because of the total knock-out ending. It is the kind of ending that pulls the rug out from under, and right as you stand up and figure out what happened, they do it again.

Se7en remains one of the most disturbing movies I have ever watched. Unlike many other movies made during and since its release, Se7en refrains from gore and somehow becomes even more appalling because of it. Over time, general audiences have been desensitized to violence and gore. What may have been considered absolutely horrifying back in the 50s is nothing nowadays. So instead of showing the results of the crime, director David Fincher uses a somewhat Hitchcockian technique; by refraining to show the results of the horrible acts committed, and instead of revealing it through dialogue and acting, notably in the 'LUST' scene and 'SLOTH' scene, Fincher lets our brain do the heavy lifting and figure out what happened, and what it must have felt like. Fincher also goes out of his way to come up with the most disgusting ways a person can die, although some are admittedly tame. ('PRIDE' had it easy) The acting is incredible, featuring one of Morgan Freeman's best performances as an old, broken-down police detective, and Brad Pitt in one of his finest roles, and his acting skills are on display in his explosive acting during the finale. However, the best actor in this movie is the actor who plays John Doe. Observe his acting. Smug, self-satisfied, intelligent, analytical. His composure and fearlessness. The movie rests on this one actor to say every line perfectly. He does. His performance is just as affecting as Anthony Hopkin's in Silence of the Lambs. But the most impressive feat of all, David Fincher does something impossible: he makes the villain seem like a hero. It is hard to explain, but there are some villains that give us a glimpse into our deepest, subconscious desires. And that's terrifying. We all have parts of ourselves that we try to hide and pretend don't exist. These types of villains hold up a mirror and say, look. This is you. It's like watching a perverted car wreck that you can't look away from that hits you somewhere deep and hidden.