Letterboxd — Your life in film

Watched the Coda version after not having seen it since the theater when I was a teenager. Seeing it now after recently watching the first two, it’s a lot better than I remembered, though I’m not sure how much that has to do with this cut. Man, early 90s Andy Garcia. Some really great moments, including the opera house finale, which has so many Godfather hallmarks and really puts a final, tragic button on the series. Was this the original lega-sequel? Surprised they didn’t spin-off Garcia into his own trilogy, but I guess that’s more of a cynical 21st century thing.

For such a manic movie where everything is heightened I feel like it could have gone harder. A few laugh out loud moments but it felt like it was more fun to make than to watch.

Some great, tense moments with incredible sound design and pretty decent effects for such a low budget movie. Not that anyone really needed to speak but at times the lack of dialogue just felt gimmicky and unnecessary. The ending is a real head scratcher.

A great follow-up to the first Godfather. Loved the epic scope of it and the contrast of Vito’s sort of old-school gentle menace vs Michael’s more overt monster approach to Godfathering. I know a lot of people think this is the best in the series and, while it definitely has its moments, it doesn’t top the original for me. That said, the last 20 minutes or so really pack a punch, emotionally.

Classic 90s thriller with Ford and Jones at the top of their games. Damn near everyone with less than three lines in this movie is an actual Chicagoan. Would be on the Mt. Rushmore of authentic Chicago movies if they hadn’t shot the whole escape/dam sequence in the mountains of North Carolina and tried to pass it off as Illinois. Could have made up for it if one of the cops was eating an Italian beef with giardiniera and washing it down with a can of Old Style. As it is, I have to dock it one star.

I'm sorry but if you gave this film the same rating as Michael Bay's Ambulance that's an immediate unfollow from me, dawg. [logan-roy-not-serious-people.gif]

Oldboy might be the greatest revenge movie ever made. It's one of the few (if not only) movies where the person seeking revenge is actually the one getting revenged upon. Some incredibly memorable scenes/shots that still hold up 20 years later. I wish I had written a review of Spike Lee's remake, which I only have two stars and have no intention of revisiting, despite my love for Spike Lee. Why even try to remake something that got it right the first time?

Loved seeing Jennifer Lawrence let loose in a comedic role. (Don’t Look Up wasn’t particularly the best showcase for her comedic chops.) Her physicality made for some fun moments. Andrew Barth Feldman did an admirable job carrying his half of the movie but I didn’t really buy the chemistry between him and Lawrence. And no woman is going to pimp herself out for a busted-ass Buick Regal. You could tell this was written by a dude. (Two, apparently!)

Is this the most 90s movie ever made? I watched this again for the first time since then and it was like opening a time capsule. But instead of an overwhelming sense of nostalgia it was more like, “yep, the 90s were like that!”

A rare look inside the NBA’s developmental league, following a range of players from young, NBA hopefuls to one-time NBA role players trying to get back to career semi-pros. Following them through a season you see the physical, mental and spiritual challenges that come with trying to be one of the best basketball players in the world. Could have benefitted from being expanded to a series or focusing on fewer players to give more time to each player. From what you do learn about these players, it’s easy to root for them as they chase their dream.