Night Owl

Sing 2

Viewed: 28 Dec 2021
Directed by: Garth Jennings
Listed in: Movies, drive-in

Madcap tomfoolery, pleasant enough diversion. The car didn’t like it. The battery died in the first minute of the film and didn’t get jump started until the second act.


Elf

Viewed: 25 Dec 2021
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Listed in: Movies, itunes

James Caan is great. Bob Newhart is fun. Zooey Deschanel can sing pretty well. Will Ferrell gets into some fun situations.


Pig

Viewed: 06 Dec 2021
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Listed in: Movies, hulu

Nicolas Cage plays a man whose life is defined by loss in a high-concept take on the Portlandia food scene. It subverts expectations in ways that work and don't.


Zodiac

Viewed: 03 Dec 2021
Directed by: David Fincher
Listed in: Movies, netflix

Amazing. Masterfully made, wonderfully acted by the perfect cast. When it gets going, it doesn't stop. Ticking like a 1968 Swiss watch.


Highlander

Viewed: 22 Nov 2021
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Listed in: Movies, amazon

Dumb and fun, it knows what it is and delivers. From Princes of the Universe to some surprising nice cinematography. Grade-A 1980s schlock.


The Old Guard

Viewed: 21 Nov 2021
Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Listed in: Movies, netflix

It has its moments, brief glimpses of a risker and better film. This is just a teaser. Never showing enough of a thousand year lifespan. Show 1835 in São Paulo. Show wars in ancient Greece. Show people so old our time period is inconsequential. The Old Guard is just middlebrow.


No Way Out

Viewed: 21 Nov 2021
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Listed in: Movies, amazon

The third act turning of the screws is a masterpiece. Truly suspenseful. There is no way out.


La La Land

Viewed: 12 Nov 2021
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Listed in: Movies, hulu

A Charming throwback, full of spectacle. Ryan Gosling knows how to pull those heart strings.


Hearts Beat Loud

Viewed: 09 Nov 2021
Directed by: Brett Haley
Listed in: Movies, hulu

A quite thin, performance driven story. It sets up emotional beats and it hits them. Whimsical fantasy setting (most of all the price of out-of-state UCLA tuition). It's fine.


The Nightmare Before Christmas

Viewed: 27 Oct 2021
Directed by: Henry Selick
Listed in: Movies, library

What an amazing vision. Extremely imaginative and very holistic. The visuals are so strong. The songs are so strong. There are some real bangers in there, rattling around in my bones. It's a blast.


1296 quick reviews and impressions of every movie I've watched since 2002.

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