Some Dude Reviews Movies

Lynn Ramsay does not make easy films. Her meditation on school shootings,  We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), was compelling, but refused to shy away from the ugliness of the subject matter. I had heard a lot of critical praise for her most recent film, You Were Never Really Here  (which she wrote and directed) and decided that I had to see it. It's the tale of a man, ex-military and ex-law enforcement, who rescues kidnapped and trafficked girls. It sports a lauded lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix. And it streams on Amazon Prime. So I sat down and gave it a whirl. I. Just Ugly The "Sad Hit Man" genre of films has been done to death, at this point. The tropes are worn out and there are only so many stories of a bad man breaking good that you can tell. Where else can you go? Lynn Ramsay decided to go grim dark. She stripped away the fluff and the funny and the charm and gave us the ugly. Joe is a broken man. It takes a broken man to do wha

I am a fan of the Coen Brothers. I think they are, perhaps, the best American filmmakers working today. Their canon is littered with westerns, throw-backs, thrillers, and strange comedies. They are not a flavor for everyone. But I have been a fan of theirs since I saw O Brother Where Art Thou? in theaters in 2000. Since then I have travelled their entire catalogue, with, admittedly mixed results. I am not a fan of all of their work:  A Serious Man  (2009) still confounds me; I was not impressed with Hail Caesar!  (2016); but they have recorded more hits than misses in my book. When it was announced that they were working on an anthology film for Netflix, I was very excited. When I read that said anthology would be a return to the western genre, I was nearly jumping with glee. If you're reading this, I assume you care what I think. Read on, dear reader, and discover. I. American Icons The Coens are excellent filmmakers. They have worked with the industry's best cin

When I was young, I was a serious fantasy reader. I read George R. R. Martin, and Tolkien, and Robin Hobbs. I didn't have time for this children's series. These books about a kid who goes to wizarding school. I scoffed at them. And then I went with my family to see the first movie. And I was hooked. In the intervening years, I have become a Harry Potter convert and super-fan. My wife and I frequently talk about it, still. We've been to the theme park. We have wands. I have a Gilderoy Lockhart Pop Vinyl figure on my desk (as well as a few others). Harry Potter is a big deal in my household. I was always going to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald . But, in the wake of a series wave of bad reviews (it currently sports a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes), and having really enjoyed the film myself, this review is going to take a bit of a different tack. It is going to be both a review of the film, and a defense of it. Because I am not entirely sure I think a lot of the

*   *   * A Note Before Beginning: I had aimed to get all of these reviews out in a row. To review them while I was in the midst of watching them. And then life happened. You know, my job started, things got complicated, and I got distracted. But the reviews have sat, in note form, in my journal ever since. And, with the upcoming release of Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindlewald (2018), I thought it would be the best possible time (other than, you know, the time I originally planned to release the reviews) to put these out there. So, without (any more) further ado, here's the review.*   *   * How do you end a movie series that has been six films in the making? How do you tidy up the messy corners, and wrap up all the dangling threads? How do you even begin to wrap your mind around that monumental task? Well, you get creative. You expand the adaptation of the seventh, and last, book into TWO movies. This was a decision that would set a new (read: profitable) precedent for ye

I am a fan of Drew Goddard's work. I think  Cabin in the Woods  (2012), which he wrote and directed, might be one of the best pieces of meta-horror ever made. His work on The Good Place (2018), as an executive producer, writer and director, has been delightful. He even has a bevy of clever scripts under his belt (I'm looking at you, The Martian  [2015]). As such, I am more than willing to get excited about his projects. When I saw the first trailer for Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), I knew I was going to see it. It looked stylish, fun and clever. Well, some things got ahead of me, and I had to wait longer than I'd like, but I finally made it to the cinemas to see the darn thing. I. The Man's Got Style... Even if it Was Quentin Tarantino's to Begin With Goddard absolutely knows how to craft a good movie. His shot comp is wonderful. He lets Seamus McGarvey's (cinematographer) camera lovingly frame the actors and action, leading the viewer's eye