Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  The Holdovers 2023

  ★★★★ Watched 02 Dec 2023

  I’m holding back on the 4.5 because:

  - Payne, like virtually every white filmmaker, is terrified of handling his black characters in such a way as to suggest that they might be flawed or possess an emotional life beyond dispensing good-natured wisdom or angelic regard for all those around them. But, it’s Payne, so his handling of this handicap is still light years ahead of most. 
  - While luxuriating in fine character work, it shambles to its destination, and I’m not convinced some fat couldn’t be trimmed. 

• 

  Vacation Friends 2 2023

  ★★ Watched 24 Nov 2023

  The first was just barely good enough to make giving this a chance over a glass of a̶p̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶p̶i̶e̶ ̶j̶u̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ ̶j̶u̶i̶c̶e̶ wine but I’m ready for the series to be over now.

Popular reviews

• 

  Vice 2018

  ½ Watched 12 Dec 2018

  This has to be the smarmiest piece of shit in cinema history, starting with a smarmy voiceover blasting everyone in the world as frivolous unless they’re as smart as Adam McKay, which, according to Adam McKay, is no one. 

  Really, this ain’t good, people, and pretending that it is just because you hate Dick Cheney is dumb. I could go on and on, but here’s a big one: The film even makes the argument that Lynne Cheney is more insidious…

• 

  Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood 2019

  ★★★★★ Watched 25 Jul 2019

  I was a little surprised to see that QT's jump from Harvey to Sony was *more* indulgent than usual, but perhaps that makes sense; rolling out the red carpet and writing him a blank check was surely part of the bargain.

  The result is something I suspect is too meandering and esoteric for wide audiences, even as it allows QT's fearsome auteurial charms to delightfully simmer for nearly three hours. Brad Pitt deserves (but probably won't get) a nom for Best Supporting, while DiCaprio nails two scenes that are likely the most emotionally moving of QT's filmography.