Micro Review – Paterno

This was exhausting to watch. The subject matter is obviously heavy. But there have been other films that have tackled similar stories with better handling (Spotlight, for example). Pacino is good, though I'm not sure he's really portraying Paterno much - he just seems to be doing his classic Pacino thing, albeit a bit subdued. I guess I don't really understand the purpose of t...
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Micro Review – Inherent Vice

A stoner-noir film starring an entire cast of people I enjoy, and directed by one of my favorite directors. Hell, it's even narrated by Joanna Newsom. I was destined to like this movie. Yes, it's often incoherent, and meandering, and seems to get stuck in places. But this isn't necessarily a movie you watch to get to the end. Yes, you want to know what happens. But more importa...
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Micro Review – The Witch

This is not a shock-monger. It's a slow-dripping brew of dread that builds and builds in it's eeriness until it reaches its nightmarish conclusion. There's an authenticity to this movie that I did not anticipate, and which is quite refreshing in the "horror" genre. The performances are all great too, from top to bottom. And while it was sometimes hard to follow (I eventually tu...
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Micro Review – Swiss Army Man

I'm not going to lie, this is a weird ass movie (quite literally). It's so weird, that I don't imagine many people will really understand or appreciate it. To watch this movie is to commit to it's strangeness as much as Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe commit to their bizarre roles. I laughed so hard at this movie, and yet I was also deeply touched by it. Wow. Never thought a mov...
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Micro Review – Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg clarified that he made a movie. Not a film. I think the distinction he wanted to make was that there are some movies that should be taken seriously - almost academically. Then there are movies that are meant to be enjoyed for what they are: a fun escape from the world. A chance to enter a new world and experience something amazing. In that way, Ready Player One...
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Micro Review (Re-watch) – Phantom Thread

It's a different experience, watching Phantom Thread for the second time. The first time you watch it, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into. On the second watch, you THINK you know what you're getting into. But then it hits you that you can watch this movie any number of ways. It can be so many different things, depending on how you want to watch it. It fee...
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