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Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Where is the "Folie à Deux"?

• Rating is 6.5/10
• Watched on Sept. 30 2024 @ Fan First Premiere (First Watch)
• Format: (Digital) IMAX

Todd Phillips repeats exactly what he did to The Hangover trilogy with Joker 2. The director goes on to make a sequel that is unfortunately empty and has no character development.

Phillips outdone himself in directing a film that has an outstanding cinematography/visuals that portrays every feeling and emotion that it wants to tell and express. BUT, he failed in creating an engaging storyline. From a part one to a part two, usually the characters of the film change. Their arc either declines or inclines. Their personalities change. Events/obstacles come along their way to shift their lives. OR new character/s enter their life which opens the door for more interesting events to come along their way resulting in a "Folie à Deux". In this film, Joker's/Arthur Fleck's life doesn't seem to change much as Gaga's character, Lee, is added. Instead, the film keeps repeating its events by REvisiting the past (the first Joker film) or reacting some of its scenes. It also keeps coming back and forth to the same locations and events within this film itself. Resulting in an overall dull film that is ONLY visually entertaining.

This film introduces two major characters within the Gotham world, Harvey Dent, who is played terribly by Harry Lawtey and written even worse. By the end of the film, I felt like he was useless and is taken advantage of because of his 'name' within the comic books fandom. Same goes to Lady Gaga's Lee that simply felt like it wasn't even in this film.

I enjoyed how this film uses music/songs to showcase that it's an ESCAPE for our inner selves. But, the song choices weren't on point. On the other hand, their performance was well done by Gaga or Joaquin Phoenix and Lawrence Sher's cinematography skills.

Emilia Pérez (2024)

Thriller, Crime, Drama, Romance, AND MUSICAL.

• Watched at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sep. 14th, 2024 (First Watch)
• Format: Regular theatre
• Rating: 8/10

Im surprised how this film is able to be so many things at the same time. Comedy, drama, action, thriller, self-exploration, AND MUSICAL. It balances each genre and gives it enough time in a way that won't make it seem too much.

Each acting performance in this film is outstanding specifically Zoe Saldana in the first half of the film and Karla Sofía Gascón in the second half of the film who played two roles in this film perfectly. Unfortunately, everything related to Selena Gomez in terms of her acting performance and character needed more effort to be put in. Very weak character that was just there as a filler to make things more complicated for the main protagonist and the events of the story.

Though musicals aren't my thing, this film dealt with that part in such a unique way that made each song performance creative in terms of the directing and lyrics. Two songs that really grabbed my attention is one that touched on a political aspect in Mexico that had such a creative and unique direction to it. The other one really proved Zoe Saldana's performance as it was great with all of the dark and minimum lighting that it had.

The Friend (2024)

A warm but chaotic story

• Watched at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sep. 11th, 2024 (First Watch)
• Format: Regular theatre

The story doesn't know what direction it's taking, which is why at most times it just keeps going on and on which feels like it's never ending and here comes the part where the watcher will feel the long and heaviness of its runtime which is not even long but it seems like that because of the slow and sometimes boring rhythm that the story has.

The dog is for sure the best part of the film. The way it was trained to showcase these emotions and use its body language to tell something is very impressive. I really didn't like the way the story approached Bill Murray's character as it felt very useless. The film to me is more like a story between a dog and a grieving person and not about a suicidal writer who died and left out a dog. It felt very chaotic in this aspect and it could've easily gotten more in depth in terms of this topic or showed a flashback that will support Bill Murray's character. Other than that, nothing more special but overall, a cute and warm film to watch!

Coraline (2009)

Ahead of its time!!

Rating: 9/10 REwatched on August 17th 2024 (second watch) Format: 3D Regular theatre

The first and only time I ever watched this film was surprisingly back in 2009 in theaters when it first came out. I remember I was about 6 or 7 years old and I really thought that this film is so unique in its own way and is different than any other animation film at that time. Even though I might have not fully understood the story, but I remember thinking how cool the visuals were and how unique and complex this story is. 15 years later...I got the chance to revisit this film the same way I last did, which is in the movie theatre. And, I am 21 now.

Coraline is truly an animation film that is ahead of its time. The stop-motion animation style of Coraline felt like it fit the whole story of the film. Everything related to the visuals is absolutely stunning and almost reaches the level of perfection to me when it comes to an 'animation' film.

The film really takes its time to tell its story. Which is perfect for its runtime that is 1h 40m. However, in the beginning it felt a bit slow and dull, until things got heated and the events started to evolve. The many different hidden details and theories makes the story very well detailed and enjoyable. Lastly, the music score of this film is literally perfect for the vibes and story of the film. The spooky theme that you would only hear during halloween season. Or the calm but spooky jazz theme to showcase the visuals that give a sense of comfort towards the characters...but we all low key know that it won't end well and something is sus about them.

It Ends with Us (2024)

A total hit and better than what's expected

Rating: 7.5/10 Watched on: August 10th, 2024 (first watch) Format: regular theatre

I walked into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about the novel, the story or characters, and I haven't even seen the trailer or read the synopsis beforehand. However, I am aware of its popularity among readers due to the novel that carries the same title. Moreover, I have read about all the different issues that the production of this film went through.

The film was totally better than what I expected. Again, I haven't read the novel so I don't know how the film could've dealt with the story in any other way. All I can say is that the film was able to handle the story and keep it tight together in a way that made it very engaging. At some times the script feels rushed, specially that the film jumps back and forth through different time periods. More content could've been shown to perhaps support the story and win the audience's sympathy like showing more scenarios or interactions between characters.

Justin Baldoni really well directed the film. From the chosen camera angles to the way that each scene was built to reveal a climax at the end of it. Baldoni was able to control every watcher's emotions and feelings, all through his vision. On the other side, his acting as Ryle Kincaid is unfortunately a miss. At most times, he seemed like he was trying way too hard to act a good scene. Therefore, every scene that had both Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, seemed so weird because one is acting so good and the other wasn't. The casting choice of young Lily Bloom might be the most accurate and perfect casting choice ever, due to the similarity that she has with Blake Lively herself, they look almost identical.

The music and soundtrack of this film is a total hit. Perfect song choices for every scene that the lyrics of every song almost matches up with the story of the film and connects to it. Cherry by Lana Del Rey, Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex, and White Iverson by Post Malone. The soundtrack included every pop hit and fan favorite song and was just thrown in this film.

Voy! Voy! Voy! (2023)

A GLIMPSE OF REALITY

Rating: 8.5/10 Format: home TV screen Watched on: July 8th, 2024 (first watch)

A rollercoaster of emotions and an accurate reflection of the harsh reality. Voy Voy Voy's script is very solid and a powerful script that doesn't allow for any dull scene to be present as it keeps the watcher engaged throughout the whole runtime of it.

The acting is well done and every actor/character was able to have a decent amount of screen time that is enough to showcase their acting. It was a clever choice to focus on a small amount of characters and tell the story through them, because otherwise it would've felt too much. But at the same time, this felt like some characters (the side characters) were left out. I would've loved to know how some of these side characters got to where they were.

Very shocking to know that this film is the director's debut film. It is very well directed and has a warm color palette that adds more drama to the story.

One negativity is that during some of the shocking revealing points of the story that are basically considered important points and what keeps the story moving forward, is that the film treats them as if they are normal things and doesn't prepare us well for them. Meaning it doesn't take its time to tease it for us and instead it mentions it in a way that makes it seem rushed.

IF (2024)

What IF the storytelling was different?

Rating: 6/10 Watched on June 2nd 2024 (first watch) Format: regular theatre

John Krasinski really does an awesome job in terms of directing. The color palate in this film is very calm and gives the film this warm feeling of a cute family friendly story. However, the script and method to tell the story unfortunately lacks especially in the first act and beginning of second act which are the most important ones as they set up the story and help to decide wether it is worth to continue or not...

Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski really does capture some amazing shots of this imaginary beautiful world in an aesthetic way. And not to forget the music score of Michael Giacchino that is in nearly every scene as it gave the film the vibe its needed.

The film really discusses and touches on many topics like childhood or life and how our actions react to them. All through the lenses of some imaginary characters (great cgi by the way) and a little girl told through a small imaginary journey filled with emotions. But what ruined all of that, is the poor screenplay and dialogues that were not enough at times.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

An epic origin story with lots of disappointments.

Rating is 8.5/10 Watched on May 27th, 2024 (first watch) Format: IMAX theatre

A well made origin story and prequel of one of the best action films ever. Furiosa is a very interesting character that a revisit of her story and past was a must and a need and would have been not fair to not be told.

However, this film is unfortunately missing so many elements that prevented it from being close to Mad Max: Fury Road's (2015) level. Firstly this part missed the dramatic element or the dramatic connections between the story and the audience. For instance, taking a look at the Green Place was such a disappointing scene that had nothing in it as I was really looking forward to the visuals that this place had to present. Moreover, I wish if the film spent more time with Furioso's mother to perhaps increase the sympathetic element towards her character.

Something that surprised me is how this part chose to completely change the vibes, environment, and colors of the world of Mad Max. In this film, everything seems lighter and brighter comparing to the darkness that was presented in Mad Max: Fury Road which I would have preferred to be continued in this part. Moreover, the color pallete and cinematography in this film was a bit disappointing and underwhelming. Nothing special or unique like Fury Road. At times, the very bad visual effects can be seen clearly which made the watching experience very much annoying at times.

On the other side, Anya Taylor Joy as young Furiosa is for sure a perfect casting choice that I would have not been able to see anyone else to relive Charlize Theron's performance better than her. At times i felt like Chris Hemsworth needed a little more push. Except for the last scene of the film in which he was given all the attention and focus into his character's philosophy and way of thinking, which was interesting and very good way to conclude the film.

I really wanted some scenes (especially the action sequences) to be shot using IMAX cameras as it would have made the watching experience 10x better and it would have hit different and a made a big difference as the Mad Max story needs to be told using the biggest aspect ratio.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

An epic Fury Road rage journey

Rating: 9.5/10 Watched on May 25th, 2024 (first watch) Format: Home TV

Truly one of the best apocalyptic stories ever filled with great action sequences and amazing cinematography to capture all of that. This film has one of the best color palettes I ever seen in any film. The editing of this film is what makes this long 2 hour runtime fury road action journey engaging as it feels like it is fast paced to match with the vibes of the fury road rage as if we are in this journey with the characters.

Despite having multiple characters, somehow the story was able to make them all interesting by either using their backstories or making them participate in the film's most important events. Charlize Theron as Furious and Nicholas Hoult as Nux truly stole the spotlight. Perhaps Tom Hardy's acting as Max was the only one that I was expecting a little bit more from and didn't feel anything towards his character throughout the whole film.

Really interesting choice of designs for costumes, make-up, hairstyle and production. George Miller truly used the perfect tools and inspirations to create this world in the way he intended it to be and the result can never be better.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

A conclusion to peak 2000s

Rating: 8/10 REwatched on May 4th, 2024 Format: regular theatre

Seeing this in theaters again brought back so many memories of when I first went to the theatre to watch it when I was 5 years old....and it proved how iconic and cool this trilogy really is.

Despite how messy the storyline is, we can all agree that this film will forever remain a classic and that it was a great conclusion to Raimi's and Tobey's Spider-Man Trilogy. This trilogy became the perfect representation of how beautiful the 2000s were and what cinema and blockbuster really was all about during that period of time.

Spider-Man 3 introduced 3 different villains and focused entirely on themes like friendships, relationships, heroism, and sacrificing. With all the chaos that was happening and the film trying to be so many things at the same time, it didn't disappoint in terms of presenting the ups and downs of the relationship between Parker and MJ, as well as the the friendship between Harry and Parker as it was building on the events of the previous 2 films in such a deep matter. Moreover, this part gave us the beautiful looking dark suite for the first time and presented Venom in the scariest and most serious way (comparing to Tom Hardy's comedic and UNserious Venom). Not to forget the plot-twisting and emotional backstory of Sandman that the film could've (and should've) touched on a little bit more in terms of his daughter and family, especially that it was left to be open ending.

Christopher Young shines in this Part of the trilogy as a composer, in which he gave us the famous theme music of the Black suited 'Bully Maguire' Spider Man and was able to deliver the dark side of the character whenever the venom takes over. Moreover, the music that's playing in the background of each fight sequences sounded really different and unique in this part comparing to the previous two films. Not to forget the amazing work of Danny Elfman that inspired Christopher Young in this part as he built upon the work of Elfamn.

Lastly, let's be honest and admit that this film has better CGI than half of MCU's current projects...and this film was released in 2007 by the way...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A 1968 sci-fi film???!!!

Rating is 9.5/10 Watched on May 1st 2024 (First watch) Format: regular theatre

Watching this for the first time IN theaters, will forever be the best cinema experiences I have ever had. I will forever be in a state of shock of what this film was capable of creating and presenting especially that it was made in the 1960s. A film that is so ahead if its time and touches on many topics that our world suffers from nowadays, like Artificial Intelligence. If this film is still impressive nowadays, then Imagine how impressive it was in the 1968??!

2001: A Space Odyssey builds its story using a very slow pace to deliver all the different themes and emotions that it's trying to present that might leave many people to be bored because it has less dialogues and relies more on the visuals, so it might seem like this film does not have a story.

The film is simply a combination of sci-fi and horror using a simple red dot and a struggling protagonist. The film creatively uses the color red, combined with a single dot and the scary deep voice of Douglas Rain to present the villein of this film that messes up the whole mission which is HAL 9000, the Artificial Intelligence device. This scary design simply provokes a sense of fear, fright, and pessimistic for both mankind's future (that we are in right now with AI being everywhere) and to the protagonists of the film.

Almost every single shot in this film is visually stunning and has an astonishing color palette design. Like, the constant use of the color red to indicate danger, the color white to represent peace and calmness that the otter space provides, and the color black that captures the vagueness of outer space. And of course this beauty that the cinematography captures, wouldn't have been possible without the production design that was made with much details to reflect on the futuristic world that the story is set in. The red chairs that are placed in a white space in the Hilton Space Lobby that was shown in the beginning of the film just shows how everything blends in smoothly to create something that is visually stunning. All of this is captured through different angles and camera lenses like the 'fisheye lenses' that capture the point of the view of the evil red Artificial Intelligence dot as if we are the AI device that is stalking the two astronauts.

The very loud sound effects that adds on to the elements of the film and tries to provoke a sense of different meanings like the loud and consist heavy breathing of the protagonist that gives a sense of nervousness and uncomfortable. Or the different sudden loud noises that pop-up through out the film that just makes the watching experience more realistic as if we are in the protagonist's shoes.

Perhaps the acting is the only thing that I truly didn't feel like it had a big impact on the film, as at times it felt like any other actor could've done what Keir Dullea did. Perhaps that's because they barely had any dialogues to begin with, therefore there was no time for their acting skills to shine. But, Keir Dullea was still able to portray the loneliness, confusion, and scariness of the protagonist who's lonely in otter space and is stuck with an evil AI device.

Challengers (2024)

Engaging and fast but the story lost itself.

Rating: 7/10 Watched on April 25th, 2024 (first watch) Format: IMAX theatre.

The film really does take its time to set up the story in a slow way that is very engaging and nerve-racking at times. By the end of the film, you'll feel like it fulfilled every aspect and nothing is there to be added anymore. However, the film loses its balance a little bit in terms of the events of the story towards the last act.

Zendaya's performance might be one of her best performances so far in my opinion. Although the story does not fully revolve around her and her screen-time was not the most as it was spread equally towards other characters as well, but her presence is the most dominant. She really played a character that the fans aren't used to seeing her play, so it's something new and different.

The film does a lot of tricks and details to make the story and events engaging that if it was told in the different usually way, this movie would've been 10x boring. And here comes the role of a great scriptwriter who has a creative director to guide the film.

The story jumps through different timelines A LOT and in fast pace, but surprisingly there was something about it that made this transition smooth and engaging. In addition, to showcase the themes that the film focusses on like obsession, greed and perfection it plays the music score on such a loud volume to the point that at most times it was louder than the speech, which made it seem at hard to listen and understand. The camera movements were amazingly done in a way that was so quick to showcase the fast pace that the tennis game is all about. One shot specifically captured the point of view of the tennis ball and was hit by the tennis racket multiple times making the camera to jump back and forth through the court with a very loud music playing in the background to increase the nervousness into who will get the last winning point of the match. Another shot captured the reaction of each character in one big space without cutting, but rather moving the camera around the whole one area in a way that made it seem consistent and one long take, but it wasn't.

However, through the third act the story lost itself. The events seemed a bit boring and were moving in a slower pace so not much was happening. They felt like filler scenes just to get to the final scene and end the story.

Civil War (2024)

Original and nerve-racking with few mistakes

Rating: 7.5/10 Watched on April 16th, 2024 (first watch) format: IMAX theatre

Civil War is a nerve racking and deep film that takes us on a very interesting journey as we experience a civil war in the US through the lenses of a press team. The film uses multiple interesting methods that will make it very engaging and one of the most interesting original movie scripts of 2024.

The beautiful cinematography that captures the dystopian world that the events are happening in, is mixed with some great still shoots. Specifically that at most times and during important sequences, it literally shifts through the camera lenses of one of the journalists as if we are holding the camera and capturing these photos. It is one detail that makes this film feel real and genuine. However, to me personally the film felt like it is 'more cinematography than storytelling' type of film. Meaning that the story itself needed more content, not sequences, but content. In terms of sequences, it fulfilled everything. For example, the protagonist Lee (played amazingly by Kristen Dunst) really felt like more could've been added to her character, specifically her past. Although the film is great at building sympathy towards Lee, then imagine if the film touched on a specific dramatic event that happened in her past? Or something about herself personally that makes her THE protagonist of this story?. This is the fist time in a while that Dunst puts on a performance in that level as it isn't something unusual based on her past performances, so Civil War is the comeback needed. Cailee Spaeny as Jessie proves herself again after Priscilla (2023) of why she is one of the few current young actresses that needs to be seen more.

The film is really bold for presenting such heavy sequences that were very much hard to watch because of how messy and bloody they were. Not to mention the multiple sequences throughout the journey of this story that had everyone on their edge of their seat, literally. They are so many and they were so detailed, scary and has big impact on the watching experience of the whole film. I really respect when a director choses to blend in a soundtrack that is far different from the genre of its film. In this case, most of the action and dystopian sequences had old songs being played in the background that just made it unique as 'exaggerating' in filmmaking can't be done by any director, which makes Alex garland filmography unique.

The Shining (1980)

Never gets old...

Rating 9.5/10 REwatch on April 10th, 2024 (2nd watch) Format: regular theatre

The Shining sets it itself in the top of the psychological horror genre as a piece of art that never gets old and a film that has to be used when studying filmmaking. That wouldn't be possible without Stanley Kubrick's magical vision and directing that takes it to a whole new level.

The film uses so many elements as powerful tools to deliver the psychological horror aspect to any watcher. The breathtaking production design that is very detailed yet an important element since most of the film is held in one place. That is mixed with the use of the red color to indicate blood, and 'REDRUM'. Not to forget the custom design that became a vital part of each character and represented them well In their unique way like Jack Torrance's (played by Jack Nicholson) dark red jacket or his green tie in the interview scene at the beginning of the film that looks so similar to the maze outside of the hotel.

Stanley Kubrick's directing and use of camera angles mixed with the sound like the loud or low music score at the perfect moments, or the sound of background noises like loud tv shows, news segments, radio station, and cartoon shows, presented such a genuine vibe/set to the environment and mood that's going inside the hotel and each characters' head that is simply close to being chaotic and psychopathic.

Danny Lloyd as the young Danny kid simply shines and it always surprises me whenever I watch a kid in a movie that steals the show with their acting skills. Jack Nicholson's oscars-worthy performance sets the perfect chaotic personalty of Jack Torrance.

Perhaps at times and specifically throughout half of the film, it feels a bit slow, and boring but it for sure picks itself up again with interesting and horrific tragical events leading to the big and unforgettable ending that is filled with memorable movie lines.

Bab el hadid (1958)

The 1950s in Egypt

Rating: 8/10 Watched on March 27th 2024 (first watch) Format: Home TV

An amazing portray of Egypt's 1950s and specifically the Cairo train Station.

The film touches on many topics like poverty, jealousy, simplicity, and revenge.

Hind Rustum shines as the pretty girl who sells drinks in a train station and plays the women that everyone looks at because of her beauty. On the other hand, Youssef Chahine (who's also the director of the film) as the poor Qinawi who sells newspapers and hopes for a better life with the women he's into, was an unfortunate acting choice. He's very dull and most importantly does not represent poverty, revenge, and jealousy that Qinawi suffers from accurately. Moreover, his character needed more in depth view and perhaps more dialogues but in my opinion that still wouldn't have saved or changed anything as someome else should've played the role of Qinawi.

The film's short runtime was a great choice because the story itself doesn't require any longer runtime as it would've resulted in many boring sequences. The film's second half really picks up and focuses more on the sensitive topics as it makes the story very interesting and leads to an ending that fits with every character.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

An expanded version with positivities beating its negativities

Rating: 9.5/10 Watched on Feb 25th, 2024 @ Fan First Premiere event Format: (Digital) IMAX

It's safe to say that Dune Part 2 is basically an expansion of Part One. More characters are added, the story is now more complex and 10x interesting with much going on, and the world of Dune is bigger.

However, with lots of negativities in my opinion, the positivities are much stronger to not ruin the experience nor lower the rating.

Director Denis Villeneuve proves himself again in Part Two that he is the perfect director to direct the Dune project. In addition, all the crew that helped in delivering this project truly did an accurate and amazing job to deliver this world the way it is supposed to be delivered.

The VFX in this film is absolutely amazing and not noticeable expect for very few scenes that is obvious about the use of green screens but this will not ruin the experience at all. Also, the cinematography that captures Arrakis (where most of the film is held in) absolutely supports the VFX in capturing some great shots that most of them are long wide shots to capture the beautiful desert. Moreover, most of the times the characters are positioned to be in the middle of the long wide shot to capture the size of the character comparing to the world around them mostly to show off their vulnerability or their strong abilities depending in the character.

The film is so much inspired by the middle eastern culture in terms of the language, clothings, production design, movements, and all the beliefs that most of the characters follow.

Hans Zimmer's music is perfectly composed and really loved how in most of the fight sequences, there is no music to be played in the background making the whole attention pointed towards the fight movements which increases the nervousness and tense vibe.

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are absolutely amazing. Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) have reached his peak and prime level. By the end of this film, he is no longer the young Paul Atreides, he is the most powerful man in Arrakis and no one can top him nor control him. He is written with so much care that will make you recall the version that we saw in Part One and how his long journey that we experienced with him wasn't that easy. And this might be one of the greatest character studies/character development stories in cinema history, and Timothée Chalamet had a huge part in achieving that. By the end of Part Two, you will realize that Chalamet is indeed the perfect actor to portray Paul Atreides due to Chalamet's deep portraying during the different stages that his character goes through in this film and mostly moments of anger and strength on other characters. However, the real surprise is Rebecca Ferguson as her character really went through many changes in this film in which it was really shown due to Rebecca's acting. She was absolutely able to deliver the terrifying and powerful characteristics of her character Jessica. The second biggest surprise is Austin Butler as Fyed-Rautha as both his make-up design and acting was able to bring this character to screen the way it is suppose to be in the book.

For the negativities:

-With the same mistake that is in Dune Part One, Part Two (and the whole Dune saga) highly needs to be 'Rated R' to allow some gore, bloody, and disgusting violence scenes to be present in the film, and part Two has the perfect chance due to the amount of fight sequences specifically with Austin Butler's character, Feyd-Rautha that had epic fight sequences that were shot in Black & White and I think it's obvious the reason behind shooting them in Black & White.

-Unfortunately the seriousness in this film has been lowered significantly. Especially with Javier Bardem's character Stilgar that cracks most of the jokes. What happened to Stolgar that walked in on Oscar Isaac's Duke Leto Atredius in Part One with much confident and seriousness refusing to give anything about his people?

Also, Dave Batista's character Glossu Rabban is so weak in this film and we barely saw him defending himself or even being powerful which is something that does not fit with Batista's physical appearance nor the character's characteristics or the 'brutal' House Harkonnen that he represents.

-(NOT A SPOILER AS IT WAS ANNOUNCED BY DIRECTOR DENIS VILLENEUVE) Lastly, in case you didn't know, during the London premiere of Dune Part Two, actress Anya Taylor-Joy appeared at the red carpet and it was announced that the actress will be having a small surprise appearance role in the film. Can I understand why this was announced and why wasn't it kept as a surprise like it was this whole time????? Since when do actors and actresses that have a surprise role in a film appear at the red carpet premiere? This makes her appearance at the carpet very much useless and it truly ruined the surprise that was kept hidden perfectly the past few years.

Beef (2023)

Am I the only one who's seeing this?

Rating: 7/10 Format @ home

Ok honestly...I really don't see anything unique or special in this series. Like ye alright it is unique to be able to create this whole world, events, characters, and story just from a 'road rage' incident. A point goes for it being an 'original' story. But, so many events during the show were expected and most of them are not convincing in terms of making sense and being 'realistic'.

The acting from both Ali Wong and Steven Yeun is very much convincing. However, it's not the greatest like everyone described it or how it won that much of awards.

Finally, the editing was simply terrible and embarrassing. There is no way that I am the only one that noticed how in most of the scenes, the speech does not match with the lips movements pf the characters. It's obvious that they were saying something else bur rather they recorded their voices and just decided to add them over without caring how the final scene will look like.

American Fiction (2023)

Well written with a few holes and disappointments

A well written film that touches on many aspects fairly and balance it well. Monk (Played by Jeffrey Wright) is a writer and novelist who gets himself into many challenges after 'mockingly' writing a novel that in his opinion does not fit the criteria of what a novel that represents the African American cultural should be.

In addition of the novel, he suffers mentally and physically with some family issues and revisits some of his family's secretes and past.

The film discusses guilt, loneliness, regret, self control, love, hate, disgust and many more all through mainly Jeffrey Wright's character in which he gives one of the best performances of his career. As well as the supporting actors that gave the film it's topics and helped in delivering them.

The ending (last 2 minutes) is quiet disappointing and should've taken another direction. It was weird and did not fit with what we have been watching for the past 1h 58m. However, this did not ruin the whole experience of the film.

Finally, the jazz themed music score that reflects on our protagonist and African American culture was truly the perfect choice for this film and did fit the story and events very well.

Priscilla (2023)

Repeated events, weak Elvis portraying, and great directing

Rating: 7/10 Format: iPad @ home

An adapted screenplay that is beautifully directed by the right director. The film really portrays Priscilla's own point of view from the beginning of meeting Elvis to the collapse of the relationship. However, it is 1h 52m of repeated events.

I'm gonna admit it, I'm NOT FULLY convinced of Jacob Elordi as a talented actor. Most of the characters he plays in most of his films and shows are mostly cute and good looking big guys, nothing different each time. Euphoria (2019 - 2025), The Kissing Booth trilogy, and Saltburn (2023). However, his portraying of Elvis in this film is somewhat 'surprisingly' convincing to me. I would say about 60% convincing. But, I felt like having another actor would perhaps made it better for me especially towards the last 52 minutes of the film that is an absolute chaos in my opinion.

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla proved herself as a talented you g actress that must be given more roles and will definitely steal the show like she did in this film. She gave us that jealous, young girl who is in love with the most famous Rock and Roll singer in history.

The film unfortunately takes a turn and loses its balance after the firs hour. It feels rushed and the build on that was happening in the first hour was finished terribly. Fast paced dialogues and events that resulted in actors getting out the worst of them due to the weak script and dialogues.

I don't have much comments on Sofia Coppola's directing as it was as great as expected. Great representation of the different timelines that we jump to throughout the whole film from production and custom designs and the music score too. At most times we hear romantic songs from the 1960s and 1970s. But, when Priscilla goes through major changes in her relationship with Elvis, the music score shifts to being a modern music score (as if it's very similar to a snythwave) that gives that feeling of being trap and that this relationship will end terribly.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Aquaman and the 'LOST SCRIPT'

Rating: 5/10 Format: Regular Theatre

A script that doesn't have any story to hold it tight together. It's a very interesting story that discusses many aspects like family, brotherhood, fatherhood, and leadership. But, perhaps this was its core problem, that it was trying to be so many things at the same time. At times i didn't know where the story was heading which made the story jump from discussing topics like fatherhood to an adventure with two brothers who had beef in their past. The film is unfortunately a typical superhero film in terms of expecting what's coming next from events, and sequences.

On top of that and with all the chaos, the film re-discusses the villain's story which revolves around his revenge but it was so weak comparing to how it was in the first film. I didn't feel his presence nor i felt his evilness. He was suppose to be much stronger here but i barely felt him. The film also brings back old characters that just all of a sudden showed up in some sequences to save the day and be the superhero of the act which felt so weird because they came out of nowhere.

The film's CGI is okay at most times. It's defiantly not as good as the first one but it is for sure better than most of the MCU's latest projects this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The cinematography unfortunately got downgraded which is something that I was anticipated for especially after seeing the first part. But I felt like there was no room for that because of how messy the sequences and story was especially that we were jumping between the past and present a lot and from one place to another.

Not to mention, the whole last sequence of the film was so good in terms of the action sequences and grabbing the audience's attention. Really got me hooked and interested and wished if the rest was like that.

Avatar (2009)

A 2009 SCI-FI FILM

Rating: 9.5/10 First watch was in 2009 in IMAX 3D

A classic that is ahead of its time and has visual effects better than most films made nowadays in the 2020s with high budgets and you cannot argue about that.

-A story about a beautiful world, land, and people of Pandora told in a runtime of 3 hours that are full of events and interesting characters. More importantly, a story about stealing, and trying to take control to gain...power and high position.

-A story about indigenous people and indigenous land -A love story and a connection between two different creatures that come together.

Interesting and creative design of blue creatures that are Avatars, as well as the world of Pandora from the landscapes, and just everything

Totally agree with those who say that the film is boring. It does have its flaws for sure where the story declines strongly. But, doesn't mean that it fails completely as a whole Sci-Fi motion picture.

Zoe Saldana shines in the film from her facial expressions, body language & movements, and voice specifically during emotional sequences and scenes where she has to express anger and grief.

The Holdovers (2023)

A heart warming Christmas break

3 main characters with each having a story that will touch your heart directly. Told through a once in a lifetime acting performance from Paul Giamatti who portrays the perfect role of the hated history teacher, Dominic Sessa, who is just a young boy trying to have a Christmas break like every other young boy, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, a grieving woman who misses her family.

As the story progresses, we experience a beautiful two weeks that the 3 main characters are stuck on together. The story develops and we start to know more about their personal lives, their experiences, and who they really are as individuals.

I can't put into words how enjoyable, comedic, and heart warming these 3 weeks were, told in a runtime of 2 hours 13 mins. The customs, make up & hairstyle, interior & exterior design, soundtrack, and the cinematography that made the film look like it was shot using an old camera. These elements were all able to portray the vintage vibe of 1970.

May December (2023)

empty empty empty

Watched on Dec. 5th, 2023 Format: home TV Rating: 6.5/10

No doubt that both Moore and Portman portrayed their role perfectly, specifically Natalie Portman. She portrayed the role of a woman who will portray the role of a sex offender in a new movie project. Her copying Moore's character and movements specially during some of the long and one take monologues that allowed her to shine and show off.

Charles Melton as Joe, was perhaps the worst portraying of a young man being stuck in a relationship and who carries on a burden of a childhood trauma. No expressions, no acting skills. Whenever he was on screen, I felt like I wanted to turn off the TV.

The film really sets off the perfect mode of feeling uneasy right from the beginning. Using the music that is very loud at times and the sound of the loud piano. As well as, the camera movements like the slow zooming both in and out on both objects and faces.

Todd Haynes really shines in setting us in the perfect mode that the film should have. His directing and choices of camera placements were all on point. Very well done effort put on.

Thus it being a very weird journey as we were inside this story and the understanding of the complex character that Garcia is and the relationship between her and Joe, I found myself asking at the end of the film, "ok so what was this all about?". A slow uneasy journey that is boring and kept me waiting for something 'intreating' to grab my attention, and it did not at all. Matter a fact, it lowered my excitement that I started the film with. The film is really really missing some events. Perhaps this is what the writer wants, to just let the story be about the journey of being with those characters without adding anything. But, wasn't that really slow and empty?.

Gojira -1.0 (2023)

When was the last time we've seen a well made 'monster film'?

Watched for the first time on December 2nd 2023 Format: IMAX My rating is 8.5/10

Synopsis: Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. (Source: IMDb)

When was the last time that we witnessed a 'monster film' that didn't have a cheap script with a target of just making lots of money?

Minus one proves that it's not entirely a film about a monster, rather it's a film about humanity, Inner self, grief, and family. The film was able to create a story about Godzilla but from a different perspective by combining both drama and action together. Brining a character that struggles with himself, his past, his grief, and his PTSD. As well as adding side characters that will bring a more dramatic experience to his life and to audience members.

Moreover, the film really surprised me by using Japan's tragedy after the WWII, and building the film's plot around it. Bringing room to some great political topics that connects and affects the film's story and events.

The film unfortunately lacks during a few scenes with bad CGI that looks bad and cheap and results in an ugly still frame. Moreover, I low-key found Godzilla's look to be...childish. It doesn't seem like he is a 'monster', rather a kids action figure.

Overall, an experience that must be watched on the biggest screen possible, especially that GREAT 'MONSTER FILMS' WITH A GOAL TO PLEASE THE AUDIENCE are very very RARE.

Saltburn (2023)

A unique original with an expected story

Watched for the first time on December 1st 2023 Format: Regular Theatre My rating is 7.5/10

Synopsis: A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten. (Source: IMDb) Saltburn is a great original story directed and written by Emerald Fennell that is a mix between gore, weird, funny, cold, and very very disgusting at times. The film takes audience members into a very long weird journey to 'Saltburn'.

When a film uses a 4:3 aspect ratio, it usually is a risky choice that must have an interesting result. Well, in this film, it truly was an on point choice. It really helped in delivering that feeling and experience of being trapped in this journey among the characters. As well as having to experience the weirdly situations that the characters fall into. The 4:3 aspect ration helped very well in tense scenes where there was stress and tightness among characters.

This links with the visually stunning cinematography that helped in delivering some amazing still shots and frames that may seem like they are paintings. Im fact this film is inspired by so many paintings. Finally, an intreating choice that was made was having dim lighting in almost every shit even if it was shot in daylight. One intreating indoor scene had the sun lighting hitting the red curtains in that room that turned the whole walls of the room and all the chvaracters' faces, red. Which foreshadowed so many things in that scene. The 4:3 aspect ratio, the cinematography & camera movements, the art inspiration, and the lighting choices were all elements that helped in portraying and capturing the final results of a visually stunning picture.

It was intreating to realize that in some scenes, and specifically those that include a tense moment, included no music score being played in the background. This created an even more tense feeling as the focus was entirely on the dialogue and the picture that is being portrayed. On the other hand, when there was music playing, in the background in tense scenes, it is noticeable that it was getting louder as the scene progresses.

As always, Barry Keoghan presents yet another weird character alongside an incredible acting performance. He presents the coldness his character has. However, Jacob Elordi presented something that unfortunately isn't new. Same 'naughty boy' character that we saw in Euphoria, in Kissing Booth and now in Saltburn. Archie Madekwe is the true surprise of the year. With his amazing performance in Gran Turismo (2023), he is now in yet another great performance that he nailed it. Not to mention the great yet short runtime performance of the parents played the great Richard Grant and Rosamund Pike.

A film that is so weird and not for everyone at all. Yet, its incredible filmmaking elements cannot be denied as stunning choices.

Despite the plot twists and the direction of where the story is heading to, it was easy to predict and to expect. This is something that made me personally not surprised whenever a 'shocking' event happened in the film. This is something that lowered my enjoyment of the story a bit and made just sitting and waiting for an event to happen rather than being surprised that it happened.