Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  John Wick: Chapter 4 2023

  ★★★½ Watched 04 Apr 2023

  enjoyable watch.

  as the presumed conclusion to the series there's some fun meta comedy where the writers take the piss out of the tropes that have built up throughout the series. wick survives increasingly improbable falls, car accidents and fights. 
  characters are significantly campier. 

  compared to its predecessors, wick 4 benefits significantly from its more competent companions and adversaries - their distinct fighting styles and weaponry use successfully provide needed variety

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  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 2022

  ★★★★ Watched 24 Jan 2023

  I think the only stain on the movie is the fucking annoying dog. I get that it needed to be in this Jar-Jar style to sell merchandise, but I was so frustrated that I docked half a star. Mercifully, it has less screen time than I initially feared.

  I think it is a good sign that this was my biggest issue. I enjoyed the overarching themes - they're compelling and tastefully resolve themselves. 

  I won't rehash the praise for the animation (excellent) but I will praise Benderas, Hayek and especially Moura for fantastic voice work. Pugh gives a surprisingly flat performance.

Popular reviews

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  Avatar: The Way of Water 2022

  ★★★★ Watched 18 Dec 2022

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  If part of the art of filmmaking is the financial and organizational engineering to bring one's artistic vision to life, then this is Cameron's masterpiece. Lesser directors have hung themselves with a budget and personnel count of this size. Instead this is one of the great successful film mega projects. 

  
  In practice there's clearly some problems here. Cliche story. Weird 24/48fps transitions. Some janky physics and CGI. Some odd pacing. A few poor performances. Odd narrative developments and plot holes.…

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  The Fifth Element 1997

  ★★½ Watched 23 Nov 2022

  Well paced, camp, great special effects, and ample content for a scathing feminist analysis.

  I applaud the French for their robust dedication to pedophilia.

  It's also great to see that even 300 years in the future, cops are still Italian-Americans from Staten Island.