repojack Reviews

Dune (2021)

Epic. Chef d'oeuvre. Magnum opus. Masterpiece.

[10/10 · 22 October 2021]

Dune is an absolute feast for the eyes and ears-- stunning cinematography all accompanied by an immersive soundtrack that fits every scene like a glove.

For those that have been lucky enough to have read the novel, you will be rewarded. I've been waiting for more than 35 years for what I consider the best science fiction story of all time. Tomorrow when I watch this with my sons, I'll get a sense of how this plays with those that don't know the story as deeply as those that have read it.

Each ship, device, costume and technology is fantastically realized. While special effects technology has advanced so this can be made possible, Denis Villeneuve and his team deserve kudos for the creative vision in the adaption from book to screen. For example, I could never visualize the "ornithopters" -- the smaller flying ships on the planet Arrakis. Here they're represented as dragonfly-like X-wings that are mesmerizing. And then there's the stillsuits, the hunter-seeker, the

Every actor brings their A-game, but Rebecca Fergusson as Jessica and Timothée Chalamet as Paul are just fabulous. There's an iconic scene from the book where Paul is subjected to the Gom Jabbar, a life-or-death test. The scene requires both Jessica and Timothée to express themselves only with their facial expressions and body movements and they are fantastic.

Stellan Skarsgard is more menacing than Michael Meyers in Halloween Kills as Baron Harkonnen -- in fact his whole entourage are like human Cenobites.

While this should be seen in a theater, I watched it on streaming, and to be honest, I'm glad I did. I could rewind scenes I wanted to see again and put subtitles on as needed (there is a lot of whispering and "Dune" language that is hard to discern).

I felt like I waited 10,191 years for this to be finally released, and it was worth the wait. Please God let there be a Part Two.

The Beyond (1981)

What is it with Fulci and eyeballs?

[8/10 · 10 October 2021]

Southern gothic horror served up spaghetti western style, with an extra helping of red and white sauce served over steaming undead intestines. After enjoying his Zombi, I think I'm a now officially a Fulci fan.

I just loved the Louisiana vibes -- the scene in the bar with a jazzy blues band playing in the background; the funeral at one of the fantastic above ground cemeteries in New Orlean; the very long and flat overseas roadway. I could actually live there if it wasn't so bloody humid and hot.

Fulci continues to be one of the goriest filmmakers I've ever experienced. And what is it with the eyes? I think there were three separate eye gouging scenes. Now I get that line from the recent Censor movie about the "video nasties" era -- "Eye gouging. Must go."

The acting is horrible and the plot is non-existent. Each segment that moves the story one centimeter is really jus to give the special effects crew a break until the next loooooong kill scene.

And each of those kill scenes are gooey works of art and should be preserved in the Smithsonian.

V/H/S/94 (2021)

Look out for Ratman!

[10 October 2021]

I'm a big fan of horror anthologies but I gave up on this series after V/H/S 2. And I'm definitely not a fan of found footage in general. The shaky cam, the crappy video quality, ... I grew up on VHS tapes until my 30's and it's not nostalgic to have to relive that look and feel.

What I enjoy about anthologies is that there are always nuggets to be found amongst the stinkers. And given the short length of each story, these work best when the WTF twist happens quickly and the gore kicks in.

As usual, the wrap-around story sucks but luckily its intrusion is short and is tied up nicely in the end. And there is enough meat and guts (er, I mean, potatoes) to keep this intriguing.

Jakob's Wife (2021)

"I f*king hate old white dudes."

[7/10 · 17 April 2021]

I would too if that old white dude was a prude asshole minister (played by horror staple Larry Fessenden, going completely against type).

But Barbara Crampton is the stand-out star of this under-the-radar but fantastic new release about a brow-beaten preacher's wife who gets "bit" and comes into her own quickly.

Crampton burst onto the scene in the classic Re-animator (1985) by Stuart Gordon and was a staple in most of Gordon's work through the 80's/90's. Apparently, at some point, she took a break from acting until she got a call to appear in Adam Wingard's You're Next.

There is an awesome scene where she re-arranges the furniture with basically one hand (other hand holding a wine glass with "something" in it) to Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)". In fact, the entire score by Tara Busch is fabulous.

The movie doesn't take itself too seriously at all. It's for sure not going for realism which is oddly refreshing. The campiness/over-the-top moments just seem to fit.

I haven't seen all of Barbara Crampton's work but I'm going to put a stake in the ground (no pun intended) and say this is her best performance.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

All good things must come to an end.

[10/10 · 9 April 2021]

Finally! After binging the previous 18, I've reached what are indisputably the best of the Avengers movies.

And why are these last Avengers movies so great? Because they took the time to build the characters and worlds they inhabit over 10 years and 18 ... freaking ... movies.

The first Avengers movie impressed me mostly because of the fantastic job Joss Whedon did in bringing six larger than life characters together with the requisite tension and witty dialogue, while delivering non-stop action.

What the Russo brothers were able to achieve in Infinity War is frankly astounding. They did what the first Avengers movie did but with 21 of the main heroes which includes Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Falcon, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Nebula, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Winter Soldier, Black Panther, and Nick Fury.

This doesn't include the excellent supporting characters of Wong, Heimdall, Okoye, Shuri, M'Baku, Eitiri, and Maria Hill.

Every scene that brings these characters together, especially those that haven't met each other before (Iron Man and Doctor Strange, Thor and Star Lord, etc.), or those that haven't seen each other in a while (Captain America and Winter Soldier), gave me goosebumps. All the personalities from their respective films are the same (Drax is still hilarious: "Die blanket of death!" after getting smothered by Doctor Strange's cape).

Thanos is probably the best villain in the MCU, toppling Loki. Josh Brolin does a great job making him a brutal and mildly sympathetic villain.

And the number of locations they bring us to in all of its (4K HDR) glory is just insane: Earth (New York, Wakanda, etc.), Knowhere (Reality Stone), Vormir (Soul Stone), Zen-Whobiri (Gamora's home planet), Titan (Thanos' home planet), and Nidavellir (dwarven "smith" planet).

100% of the credit can't be given to the Russo's. The writing, producing, special effects, and frankly all the teams involved deserve huge kudos.

The finale is essentially the last hour of the film. While it helps to have a $350-$400 million budget, it takes a perfect storm of all these teams working to pull it off. Multi-location action and drama.

And the bitter ending after the snap. What really got to me here was T'Challa/Black Panther reaching out to Okoye and says "This is no place to die" then turns to dust. With Chadwick Boseman's passing that scene is just too real.

Just wow.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

The funnest Marvel movie of them all.

[10/10 · 28 March 2021]

MY GOD do I love this movie. After two middling Thor movies, Taika Waititi does James Gunn one better and makes Thor: Ragnorak the funniest and funnest MCU movie to-date.

Chris Hemsworth seamlessly embodies Thor just as Robert Downey Jr. Is as irreplaceable as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Hemsworth is so comfortable in the role you can't imagine anyone else playing the character.

And damn if Tessa Thompson isn't the most bad-ass (anti-)heroine of the MCU -- she's like the Han Solo for Marvel. She's just fantastic. If Natalie Portman doesn't bring her A-game to Love and Thunder, (which she didn't to the first two) I'd like to start a petition that Tessa Thompson takes her place (without the horrible Valkyrie outfit).

Cate Blanchett rips it as Maleficent (er, I mean Hela). I love the way she just makes Karl Urban her boy-toy. Without her guidance would he really have manned up and jumped out of a space ship double wielding machine guns?!?!

The majority of the action and dialogue scenes with Hulk proves the point that the Hulk is SO much better as a supporting character than.

Lastly, is there a better song to go with an action sequence than Led Zeppelin's "Immigration Song?" If so, I can't think of one.

The Collector (I) (2009)

Reverse home invasion

[6/10 · 23 March 2021]

This is almost like a reverse home invasion -- a hapless robber finds out the home he's robbing has been completely booby trapped with the family still there either captured or in hiding.

The premise is preposterous -- the robber was at the house earlier that day. There is no way one guy could've set all of those elaborate, Saw-like, traps because, well, it apparently gets him off. And I am still not sure why this movie is called The Collector.

All that being said, this was far more entertaining than I expected. Instead of a bunch of annoying and vain young models being slain one by one, we follow the likable Josh Stewart as Arkin, trying to navigate the plethora of traps.

You could do much worse for a horror movie pick.

The Empty Man (2020)

Do you know that the brain can itch?

[6/10 · 21 March 2021]

After this movie it sure did.

I am very conflicted about The Empty Man.

There are scenes and elements of this movie that are fantastic. I think it could become a cult classic. But it feels like the "kitchen sink" of horror movies.

First, the fantastic first 20 minutes could have been expanded into a full-length movie in itself. It doesn't fit well with the rest of the film.

Second, the viewer is subjected to a whiplashing of plot jumps for 137-freaking-minutes.

Not to say there isn't a lot to like in here somewhere. This would've worked much better as a mini-series which would've justified the runtime and more.

James Badge Dale is good and you can see why he's in a lot of military roles. He's like a pod creature (just saw Invasion of the Body Snatchers) with no emotions as he glances at a pot of blood or a bunch of dead teenagers, expressionlessly moving onto the next thing. Until the end when he emotes like hell.

There's a phrase I'm looking for -- something like "crushed by one's ambitions"? Not sure that's right but it sure feels what this movie is like.

P.S. Reminds me of so many things: The Mothman Prophecies, Deliver us from Evil, Candy Man, Ring, Kill List and that weird game -- Inside. All things I liked.

P.P.S. This review is too long. Like the movie.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

What a pleasant surprise.

[7/10 · 18 March 2021]

I came in having zero expectations. The countless reviews were all over the place. People loved it, hated it, and everything in between. And apparently some of the Snyder haters AND fanboys "bot-stormed" Letterboxd creating accounts just to add a 1/2 or 5 stars.

Thankfully starting where BvS left off (vs. the infamous CGI-stached Superman), almost EVERYTHING is different.

One of the first action scenes with Wonder Woman is just a great example of the differences between the two movies.

ANATOMY OF A SCENE: WONDER WOMAN In both movies, Wonder Woman intercepts a luddite terrorist group planning to blow up a museum. I don't think there were any re-shoots in this scene so it's a great example of how the editing and score are exponentially improved by Snyder. The scene begins as a bunch of these suited terrorists storm the museum. In the original, that setup is brutally cut short while the Snyder cut is similar to the tension building opening of The Dark Knight. The actual Wonder Woman scene goes from about one minute to three minutes in the new cut, from a sneeze-and-you miss-it of mediocre action into one of the most badass Wonder Woman action scenes in all of her movies combined. Every shot is paced meticulously (things are slowed down AND sped up seamlessly), all to a fantastic score, and with the cuffs off with no PG-13 rating, it was just fabulously brutal and visceral.

The movies extra time doesn't feel like filler. It's used effectively for building critical character arcs and establishing the important narrative of the threat of Stephenwolf and Darkseid.

And what a massive improvement to the CGI and the special effects. I it was difficult to enjoy most of the Whedon cut due to the utterly distracting and horrible CGI. As an example, in the theatrical version, you couldn't look at Steppenwolf without cringing at his mouth movement. In the Snyder cut, that's fixed and his shimmering spiked suit is fairly interesting to look at it.

Unfortunately, not everything is fixed, especially Ezra Miller's Flash. His introductory scene which is new is unfortunately muddled and oddly uncomfortable.

ANATOMY OF A SCENE: FLASH (minor spoilers) Barry Allen is introduced while walking into a store where he bumps into Kiersey Clemons' Iris West (future love interest clearly). They googly eye each other for what feels like five minutes, but her gaze at him is just ... weird. Love at first sight? Then Ezra Miller's manically speed-talks for an interview and then there's that scene from the trailer where he saves her from her car crashing into a truck. But before he saves her, they give each other more googly eyes in super-slow-mo but this time her stare is corpse-like. And then he lovingly caresses a monster weiner of a hot-dog (no bun) that is floating in front of her face and then -- puts it in his pocket.

I have so much more to say about the movies:

The pluses: how vastly improved the soundtrack and score is, the wonderful scenes in Atlantis, Cyborg's critical extra time on screen, etc. The minuses: the bloated finale, the multiple endings, the aspect ratio, etc.

But I need to close this review out because I feel like I could just write endlessly -- and I am not that great of a long-form reviewer.

AFTERWORD: I am very happy for Zack Snyder. To have that horrible tragedy happen and then have his movie essentially destroyed and pilloried, then to have that most rare opportunity to reintroduce what he originally intended, without studio interference. I feel like this is the justice (no pun intended) he deserved.

Dazed and Confused (1993)

If you were in this movie you probably became a movie star.

[11 March 2021]

Seriously, what a casting call: Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey, and more. Those are just off the top of my head.

Watching Dazed and Confused with that timeless, rocking soundtrack, is like getting in a time machine that takes you back to that fantastic, uninhibited feeling of being young with no responsibilities again.

I grew up in California, not Texas, in the 80's, not the 70's, and we didn't paddle incoming freshmen, but that doesn't matter a whit in terms of bringing me back to those naive, fantastic times.

If you don't have time to watch the whole movie, just listen to Boston's "More than a Feeling." That song and its lyrics could be the condensed review for Dazed and Confused.

Ant-Man (2015)

I want the Edgar Wright cut!

[7/10 · 10 March 2021]

Ant-Man was a lot funner than I expected it to be, but I would have loved to see what Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame would've done with this before he left as director.

Paul Rudd has got to be the most affable/likeable actor on the planet and he's pretty damn good at balancing the humor, drama and action as Scott/Ant-Man. But Evangeline Lilly was my fave -- her snarkiness was a welcome change from her tear-filled stint on Lost (she only cried for five seconds in this).

And Michael Douglas! I can't remember the last movie I saw him in. He's the origin story, the family dynamic, and the fulcrum of the team. Corey Stoll was very bland as the villain with little sense of danger.

And last but not least is Michael Peña as Luis leading the robber-three stooges. The lip-synching story rap was fantastic.

This was a perfect setup for Ant-Man's over-sized role in Civil War.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

James Gunn, a crazy genius.

[9/10 · 4 March 2021]

I honestly believe Guardians of the Galaxy would never have worked without James Gunn. I have to reluctantly admit that Joss Whedon put it the best when he said: "James Gunn is what makes me think it will work ... He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart."

The casting was fantastic. Each of the major actors fit their roles like a glove.

And it's another example of how music elevates a movie. GoG is he first MCU movie to actually have real songs (nostalgic 70's music) played throughout, setting the tone in the first 30 seconds with the melancholic I'm Not In Love by 10CC.

But what really sets this apart from all the others MCU movies before this is the mastery of the humor. I think this is the first Marvel movie that I busted my gut a bazillion times while watching. Nearly everything that comes out of Drax's mouth and so many quotable quotes it would fill up a cassette tape.

It is so apropos that James Gunn was tapped to reboot Suicide Squad. I hope his R rated version kills at the box office and makes Kevin Feige reconsider his stupid "only PG-13" for MCU movies (except Deadpool 3) rule.

"We are Groot."

Pet Sematary (1989)

I read the book in one night - this is one of the better adaptions.

[8/10 · 21 February 2021]

Mary Lambert's Pet Semetary is one of the better Stephen King adaptions. One of King's most disturbing novels, she captures that sense of dread and horror masterfully. Skip the 2019 remake and stick to this gem.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Where's Jimmy/Saul Goodman from Better Call Saul when you need him?

[7/10 · 21 February 2021]

Seriously, this was fun to watch. The director J Blakeson has matured a lot as he channels the Coen brothers. After writing the horrible Descent 2 and directing the forgettable The Fifth Wave, he gets most of the pieces working for I Care a Lot.

All the acting, from headliners to cameos, were great: * Macon Blair in the beginning -- totally felt like several deleted scenes from Blue Ruin

* Rosamund Pike going full evil in her best role since Gone Girl.

* Dianne West as a fantastic bad-ass senior. She's an excellent match for Rosamund Pike.

* Peter Dinklage as a surprisingly muscular mobster ripped from John Wick. (Wait, maybe Pike's character is related to Wick? Now that would be interesting.)

The soundtrack is excellent, from the opening song to the Carpenter-esq synths.

But there are a few plot holes that don't make sense ... if Rosamund Pike's character is so suave and clever, it seems to me she'd drop the case once the sleazy lawyer started threatening her; and Peter Dinklage, as the nefarious crime lord, employs completely moronic goons.

This is a divisive film based on other reviews. Fortunately I was able to take it for what it was -- outrageous and entertaining.

Nomadland (2020)

Frances McDormand has become a legend

[8/10 · 21 February 2021]

Nomadland is a surprisingly balanced look at the van living, nomadic life within America. It is hauntingly beautiful, beguiling and poetic while not sugar coating a difficult lifestyle.

Frances McDormand has become a legend. From her debut in Blood Simple to her iconic role in Fargo to her latest gritty, down-to-earth performance in Nomadland, she disappears into her roles like a perfectly fit glove.

Nomadland is comprised mostly of actual American nomads. If it wasn't for her star factor, McDormand could be mistaken for her real-life counterparts. She is mesmerizing in a few scenes where she flits around in gorgeous natural settings like an eight year old beholding these views for the first time.

The third act is a bit jarring tonally as it shifts towards scenes of a "normal" suburban life, which I'm not sure were necessary, but thankfully it was short.

Another fascinating real-life character is Bob Wells who apparently is the face of this lifestyle. While not an actor, he is so charismatic and authentic. I plan to check his story out next.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

What a horrifying but powerful movie.

[9/10 · 17 February 2021]

Judas and the Black Messiah is one of those movies that doesn't feel like a movie at all, but an experience so mesmerizing you feel like you are a reluctant passenger observing real life events.

The acting is just superb. The performances by LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O'Neal and especially Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton were outstanding. I still remember watching Daniel Kaluuya in an early season of Black Mirror, in 2011. It's a joy to watch someone outdo themselves in movie after movie.

The script is amazing. That scene where J. Edgar Hoover (a mostly recognizable Martin Sheen) asks a massively loaded question to O'Neal's handler Roy (played by Jesse Plemons) was beyond tense. Hoover is pure evil.

Judas delivers the most seething social commentary since Blindspotting.

WandaVision: On a Very Special Episode... (2021) Season 1, Episode 5

I think I smell a "muti-verse"

[8/10 · 9 February 2021]

This episode finally found the right mix of sitcom "dreamland" and real life action. That's why I think it was smart to have the "big reveal" last episode to allow a bridging of both worlds to move the story forward and ultimately make it more interesting.

And they added some much needed gravitas to what is essentially a morbid situation in which Wanda is painfully brainwashing the Westview population.

And that ending!

Evan Peters shows up in a classic sitcom trope. A knock at the door reveals her long lost brother Pietr from Fox's X-men, recasted as QS ATJ (who I would love to see back as well).

I'm smelling a multi-verse theme ... 🤔🤔🤔.

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Better than you remembered

[7/10 · 9 February 2021]

To be honest, I didn't have fond memories of Jennifer's Body first time around. I think at the time I subconsciously discounted Megan Fox's performance given her role in the mostly forgettable Transformers and that was a mistake.

It's easy to be distracted by Fox given she was sexualized from the very beginning, but both she and Amanda Seyfried are absolutely excellent in this.

There's something deeper going on within story which I'm not going to even try to analyze or express. If someone wants to start a discussion around this in the comments I'll try to contribute some of my thoughts.

So for now I'll play it safe and give a shoutout to the soundtrack. There were so many good songs on here including:

* Kiss with a Fist (Florence + The Machine) * Death (White Lies) * Violet (Hole) in an incredible credits scene.

And that KISS! I can't remember a more erotic kiss, gay or heterosexual, in the thousands of movies I've seen.

There are so many interesting things going on in this horror-comedy that elevate Jennifer's Body rom just being another teenage splatter fest.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

There's a great movie in here somewhere.

[6/10 · 7 February 2021]

MCU 2021 Marathon

MCU #3:

I enjoyed Iron Man 2 much more on this re-watch. It was definitely all over the place and too long, but you can see how it subtly sets up the best of the series, Iron Man 3.

And whoever is in charge of casting at this point forward in the MCU should get an Oscar.

Robert Downey Jr. is again excellent, flipping from the entitled sarcastic playboy to the brooding dude with daddy issues to the manic inventor and boy-genius.

Mickey Rourke oozes Russian bad-boy masculinity as the villain. His scenes in the first act are excellent.

And then there's of course the introduction of Scarlet Johanssen as Natasha/Black Widow. Damn if she doesn't suck up all the air in every single scene she's in as she insinuates herself into Stark's inner circle. She morphs from Tony's "siren" (Stark's a better man than I would likely be in a similar circumstance) to a bad-ass MMA fighter.

It actually calls out the absurdity of not spinning off a Black Widow off earlier. This was clearly pre-Me Too, but shameful nonetheless.

The special effects are again excellent. The first big fight scene at the Monaco 500 scene and the suited up fist fight between Iron Man and Rhodes/War Machine are epic.

"Sir! I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the doughnut."

• Nick Fury

Iron Man (2008)

This is where it all began. Queue AC/DC.

[8/10 · 7 February 2021]

MCU 2021 Marathon

MCU #1:

Iron Man was my favorite Marvel hero. As a teen I collected 1-150 with the main series. I doodled the Iron Man helmet during class at high school when bored.

So it was a huge surprise when this came out in 2008 and it was so freaking GOOD! Jon Favreau, the guy that had done Elf and Zathura (the Zumanji sequel) had just started a cinematic revolution? What!?!? (And Favreau is doing it again with The Mandalorian).

Robert Downey Jr. was made for the part of Tony Stark. The origin story was modernized and handled well. They included most of the early Iron Man suits from the comics. They took the time showing the more modern invention of the suit and the challenges of making it work (e.g. maneuvering with the repulsors).

I finally understood what Spiderman's fans felt like when Sam Raimi's Spiderman series became a massive pop culture sensation years earlier. Fantastic!

There are issues. Pacing mostly. Jeff Bridges is too much the stereotypical villain with an over-the-top fight scene at the end.

This was the beginning of the MCU world building effort which was more "slight-of-hand" in the earlier movies -- Stark's OCD making itself evident, that Shield guy at the party, and Samuel Jackson pinging Stark about Avengers in the end credits.

It began and ended with Iron Man. That makes me happy.

"I am Iron Man"

Bloody Hell (2020)

A bloody good time

[8/10 · 1 February 2021]

Isn't it fantastic when you discover a hidden gem of a movie that seemingly comes out of nowhere?

Well that was Bloody Hell for me -- an excellent comedy-horror genre mashup that somehow ended up on my watchlist from who-knows-where.

Great script? Check. Great directing? Check. Great acting? Double check!

Ben O'toole carries the over-the-top movie mayhem like Atlas carrying the world. He plays both Rex and his conscience (who he sees and talks to) with charisma and flair. He balances humor and horror deftly and demonstrates his physicality for a good chunk of the movie as he hangs by his arms from chains where his "feet" (wasn't sure what word to use here ;-) barely touch the floor. I'm sure in real life he was actually standing on something, but that had to be a big effort to film.

It's rare a thing these days when a movie can surprise me and boy does it do that with some WTF moments that I did not see coming.

I have a few gripes but they're fairly minor. It takes far too long to explain what gets him in trouble with his role in the bank robbery, and there are some tonal inconsistencies which frankly is not surprising given how many things they're trying to go for here.

But overall this is a very fun horror-comedy romp that I'll definitely be re-watching.

Hereditary (2018)

A horrifying masterpiece

[10/10 · 20 January 2021]

Hereditary is one of the most intelligent AND disturbing horror movies to grace the silver screen in ages. Ari Aster's debut is a masterpiece. {This is how you do art and horror.)

What starts as a portrait of grief and multi-generational mommy issues turns into a twisted tale of familial horror, with what has to be the biggest WTF scene of any film in recent memory.

The acting is fantastic -- Toni Collette puts in an Oscar-worthy performance. Her facial expressions should frankly be patented .

As unsettling as it is memorable, Hereditary will likely haunt your psyche for a very long, long time.

Pieces of a Woman (2020)

This was a struggle

[6/10 · 20 January 2021]

I almost never watch movies like these -- mega-drama releases during Oscar season. But in my first year reviewing on Letterboxd, movies like this appear so consistently in the "Popular with Friends" feed I find myself drawn to them.

And after forcing my self to watch PIeces of a Woman knowing I'd struggle, I think I'm going with my gut next time around.

I don't really have much to add to what's been said before. The birth scene is heart wrenching. The acting is phenomenal. Shia Lebouf's performance was so excellent I kept wanting to slap myself in the face reminding myself that he's a complete asshole.

But the bulk of the movie after the first act is just painful to sit through. Not because of the depressing subject matter. Nothing really gels.

Overall it felt like a jigsaw puzzle that was half completed.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Powerful.

[7/10 · 20 January 2021]

Carey Mulligan is the Bernard Goetz of date rape as she gives male predators the comeuppance they deserve.

It's a bit tonally uneven as it flips between comedy, drama, horror and the satisfaction of revenge, but Mulligan puts in a femme fatale performance to die for.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

A forgotten classic.

[8/10 · 17 January 2021]

I think I know why 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers doesn't get more love.

I watched this many years ago as a teenager on TV and thought it was ok. I've never sought out to see it again as it didn't really make an impression.

After an uninterrupted re-watch in HD I was totally blown away. The first five minutes are mesmerizing as we are taken on the journey of an invasive species that eventually lands on earth and mimics a flower which ultimately is placed by the bedside of the protagonist's boyfriend.

Thus begins the journey of how humankind is replaced by unemotional replicas.

The practical effects are outstanding for its time. It masterfully builds a feeling of dread as you don't know who you can trust (ala The Thing).

And that fantastic, screech of an ending! This is going on my top 10 sci-fi horror list ( boxd.it/945OA ).