Cinematic Reviews

The Irishman is a deep-dive into the underground world of Italian gangsters. It should be noted that when I say deep I mean 3 and 1/2 hours deep. Despite it's length, the movie also has several well known actors. The top 3 that shine in the spotlight among this group are Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. They all preformed very well with a shot out to Al Pacino for his acting as the role of the famous Jimmy Hoffa. That said while the de-aging of faces is done well, the old stiffer movements of the actors tend to show through the movie editing magic. There is a lot in this movie, not just because of it's length but because it almost functions as a documentary about gangsters after WWII. The movie doesn't have much in terms of comedy, not nearly enough to keep someone laughing for 3 hours. The way it captures the interest of it's audience is by relying on them to pay attention and be fascinated or intrigued by the story they are unraveling. In reality the film is a

21 Bridges star Chadwick Bosman in a lead role as a detective known for being a killer of cop killers. A pair of robbers steal drugs in an unsuspecting job leading to a chase filled with mystery and action. I will say that what this movie really does is put Chadwick upfront as the star and mostly keeps it that way. The movie is straightforward as it begins to slowly unveil and unravel the circumstances of the chase through Manhattan island. The movie's linear nature is only broken up by the cuts of showing the perspectives of the cops and robbers. Overall there isn't anything too novel about the film, but that isn't to say that it's bad. Chadwick Bosman and a decent plot are the real saving graces of the film. It is also well directed and keeps the audience engaged, but it still lacks something to make the movie stand out on it's own. I would only recommend it if you just enjoy chase movies or if you can't think of anything better to watch.

I had the luxury of getting to see the prescreening of Knives Out, and I'm incredibly glad I did. I'd like to start by saying that I believe Knives Out is a movie for the sake of being a good movie. To me this is so incredibly important because I truly do believe that there is an art to making a movie. Now to break down Knives Out, there is the setup and the investigation. While the movie starts with several investigators already there, the most important one being Daniel Kreg, that does not mean it's where the investigation truly starts. The murder occurs in a mansion with the victim's all being possible suspects. The setup brings forth all the possible murder suspects and introduces each of them with the brilliant comedic levity of familial disagreement. As this unfolds the film begins to close on it's light hearted setup, and it begins to turn towards it's true mystery. This second part is less comedic and more intriguing. It engages the viewer not because t

Ford v Ferrari is such a great film for so many different reasons. For starters both Christian Bale and Matt Damon do a phenomenal job in their respective roles, and they also have great chemistry with one another. The summary of this film is that it is a rookie takes on the giant movie that actually happened. The movie is about the two stars of our film tackling the challenge of winning the 24 hour race at Le Mans in France in 1966, which had been dominated by Ferrari in the past .  In Ford v Ferrari you will notice two distinct themes of the film. The first is the passion, love, and heart that racers and mechanics put into their work, truly showing that when you love what you do it's a feeling like no other. I should also note that this is a theme that I truly love to see in movies because I believe in that quality wholeheartedly. The second theme that is found is how this connection to a craft is disconnected by the corporate agenda, and how those who just want to make something

Joker stars Joaquin Pheonix as Batman's greatest villain the Joker. Even though this is a Joker movie there is no Batman in sight. This movie is part origin story, part tragedy, and part social commentary of modern society. The movie portrays the DC villain in a way that makes the viewer feel almost uncomfortable with how easy it is to understand how a fictional villain like the Joker could exist in modern society. As I mentioned previously this is also the Joker's origin story, which means it's told from the Joker's perspective and in his mind he's the hero of the story. This also plays to how it's a tragedy because the rising of The Joker is not an intentional move, he is almost brought into that role by those around him which makes him disturbingly relatable. The Joker's rise could even be attributed to the lack of funding or resources that is put into Gotham's mental health care services. This dives into the social commentary in the film. Joker may n

Ad Astra is without a doubt the hardest movie I’ve had to review so far. The movie stars Brad Pitt and every single second of his straight, emotionless acting. This is not a bad thing because that’s just how his character is, and not a result of bad acting. I will say that everything in this movie, much like actually being in space, is slow and deliberate. This works for the purposes of the film but large portions of the movie are silent, accurately mimicking the sensation of being in space. These moments of silence are assisted by the score and absolutely stunning visuals that both serve to try to keep the audience engaged when not a lot is actually happening on screen. When I mentioned that everything about this movie is slow and deliberate, this extends to those moments of silence and Brad Pitt voice over. The journey is almost a character analysis of Brad Pitt playing Roy McBride. To summarize the plot of the movie, it is essentially a journey to Neptune but what makes it interest