Category: Movies
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20 Years Later: SPIRITED AWAY is Studio Ghibli’s magnum opus
Spirited Away is the dream project where decades of experience crescendo into a creative magnum opus. It’s why Spirited Away is often hailed as one of the greatest films of all time.
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KIMI shows the impact isolation and big tech have had on our mental health
Kimi has everything you would want from a modern-day thriller. It makes use of its setting and integrates every plot element to service the narrative. It has really masterful manipulation of tension across the film. It’s also has a strong visual style, in addition to its gripping screenplay.
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The Oscars and the Culture of Narcissism
This is what is at the bottom of Hollywood’s culture. A culture where everyone wants to be lied to about their importance. Everyone wants to ascertain prestige because prestige is the only thing anyone else cares about. It’s how people get funding, or attract talent to their films, or accomplish anything with powerbrokers in the industry like Weinstein. If for some reason you discover a person is undeserving of their position you are incentivized to keep that to yourself.
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THE HOUSE squanders its horror anthology potential and ends in disappointment
By the end of it I thought the movie did not justify its existence. It’s not offensively bad, but I didn’t find a lot of value in its narrative.
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MAD GOD is a veteran artist’s magnum opus, and also a miserable film
If you have any doubt Tippett deserves his accolades as one of the most technically proficient artists in filmmaking history, you need only watch five minutes of Mad God to be reassured. This movie is unlike anything you’ve seen before.
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2021: TOP FILMS OF THE YEAR
I feel pretty strongly about all the movies on my list this year. They’re all fantastic movies and in addition to that a lot of them are very unique. The art form continues to morph to the times and it’s very exciting.
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THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS is novel, heartfelt, and polarizing
I think it is uncontroversial to say there has never been a movie like this before and there likely will never be a blockbuster made in this way ever again. This movie was an attempt from a creator to retain their creative integrity in the face of their work becoming commercialized. This movie makes you feel for the creator’s dilemma, but also makes you ok with the future of this franchise. I think that’s a rare accomplishment and this movie got there in an unconventional way.
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LICORICE PIZZA is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most approachable film — and potentially his best
Licorice Pizza has the type of moments that can only be accomplished by a filmmaker with a strong command of the craft. There are a lot of coming-of-age movies, but Licorice Pizza is the one that I think is most exclusive to film.
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Last Night in Soho focuses on style over substance
Last Night in Soho is a horror film without tension. It is like a comedy without any jokes. It is a film with no substance and stylizing it won’t make it worth your time.
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Dune fails to convey the depth of the novel’s narrative
Dune is not so much an adaptation of Dune the novel, but an adaptation of your friend trying to tell you what Dune is about over drinks. It has all the weaknesses of that delivery of the story.