Micro Review – Patriot’s Day

This was a lot better than I thought it would be. I hadn't really intended to see this. I have a bit of an aversion to post-tragedy exploitation films. But it happened to be on TV last night, and I have to say...it gripped me. It's not without its faults, but it does a really good job of plotting out the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing in both a technically impressive and...
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Micro Review – Okja

I like the ambition and weirdness here. It's a bizarre story, with some bizarre performances (what the hell is the deal with Jake Gyllenhaal in this movie?). Paul Dano is actually pretty good. But I'm not really sure what to think about this movie. I can't really make my mind up on whether I liked it or not. I guess I'll go with a 3 star for now. Maybe upon further reflection i...
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Micro Review – Cafe Society

Cafe Society has all the ingredients for a great film. Great cast, great sets and cinematography. It's got that rich, golden look to it that lends bygone eras an air of magic and nostalgia. It's about the movie business in the 1930's, which is always fun subject matter. But something is off here. The performances are stiff and awkward, like the actors needed a couple more takes...
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Micro Review – Suicide Squad

This move is a piece of shit, about pieces of shit. It’s manufactured by hopeful movie studio decision-makers for a certain type of person with certain sensibilities. Only problem is, I don’t think this movie’s target audience actually exists. It’s what they think people will like. But everything about it is pandering. And ridiculous. But hey, Margot Robbie is in it, and Will S...
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Micro Review – Hostiles

Hostiles is a stunningly gorgeous film with fantastic performances from the entire cast - particularly Christian Bale, who really carries the film in a way only a star like Bale can. I wanted to like this a lot more. But with such a bleak storyline, it was hard to really enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I don't have anything against bleak films, but for some reason this just di...
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Micro Review – Hacksaw Ridge

There's no doubt that this is an incredible story. But I found the execution lacking for much of the film. Hacksaw successfully tugs at the heartstrings, and plays to our sense of bravery, honor, and personal conviction. But it seems a bit manipulative at times, like it's specifically trying to play with our emotions and make us cry. And what is the deal with Vince Vaughn's rol...
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Micro Review – The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

I can't help but think this is Noah Baumbach's version of Royal Tenenbaums. He's got a connection to Wes Anderson, and sometimes that connection manifests itself in the form of stylistic and thematic similarity. Potential copycatting aside, I liked this movie. I found myself slightly annoyed by the characters at the beginning. But they endeared themselves throughout the film (D...
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