It's hard to keep an audience captivated for 3.5 hours, but Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver) does just that!  Not only is The Irishman captivating, but it is also full of content that is necessary to tell the story of Frank Sheeran, a mobster who had ties to the organized crime scene in the 1950s, orchestrated largely by Russell Bufalino and Jimmy Hoffa.  Going into the theater, I knew basically nothing about these characters.  Sure, I've heard of Jimmy Hoffa but I've never really done any research on him or the 1950s mob scene.  This story is so rich in history, that it is only fitting for the very knowledgeable Scorsese to direct. 

2019 has been a great year for movies and The Irishman keeps up the streak.  Scorsese's direction is organized and every piece of information given to the viewer is valuable from start to finish.  Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List) writes another superb screenplay for the audience to fully familiarize themselves with the many characters in this story.  I would encourage anyone who gets the chance to see the film on the big screen to run to the closest cinema and get a seat before the movie is solely on Netflix.  There is value in sitting through the whole plot without distraction, although this is probably the lengthiest film I have seen in a theater to date.  The direction never dwells for too long in one spot, but also never feels too rushed.

The characters are all rich with background and it is easy to get lost in the world of organized crime within the first thirty minutes of the film.  Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver), Joe Pesci (My Cousin Vinny), and Al Pacino (The Godfather) are the trifecta of mob actors.  The de-aging process used for each of them never really shows and it's likely because the acting is so good.  The facial expressions of the characters are never exaggerated, and at times I wondered if De Niro truly is a gangster in hiding.  The big story here was that De Niro and Scorsese were somehow able to convince Pesci to come out of retirement for this film, and we are given a lot to thank them for that.  It would be hard for any other actors to portray such a story with the smooth dynamic between the three leads.  Rounding out the cast, there are also notable performances by Anna Paquin (X-Men), Stephen Graham (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Bobby Canavale (Ant-Man, Blue Jasmine), Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Pulp Fiction), Jesse Plemons (Game Night, The Master), and Ray Romano (The Big Sick, Ice Age).  With all of these actors and characters hitting the screen, it is already clear why the film had to be more than three hours in length.

The writing for the film also deserves a lot of praise.  The script is clever, dramatic, and occasionally even funny.  This is the mob universe that Scorsese has built and is highly acclaimed for.  At times you feel sympathetic for the characters, but then you sit back for a moment and realize that these are criminals.  The film is an emotional ride, that constantly makes you think about what each character stands for.  From the premise, I never thought that I would be sympathetic to Frank Sheeran, but by the end I found myself in that exact position.  Therefore credit is due to the screenplay, setting up a movie that can be discussed for more than it's lengthy runtime.

The Bottom Line:  Everyone should see this film on the biggest screen they can and sit through the whole thing without distraction.  This is only fair for such an accomplishment by the partnership of Scorsese, Zaillan, and the many actors that can keep an audience engaged for 3.5 hours.

Score: 9.6/10

Image Credits: ​
​By che(Please credit as "Petr Novák, Wikipedia" in case you use this outside Wikimedia projects.) - che, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4443635
By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2000640

Thanks to AMC, I got the chance to see this film a week before it's wide release date.  This was certainly one of my most anticipated films of the year, and the anticipation was absolutely worth the wait.  Fresh off of his controversial Star Wars film (which I admittedly saw three times in theaters), Rian Johnson (Looper, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi) is back with an original murder mystery.  When family patriarch, Harlan Thrombey, leaves behind a large fortune in his mysterious death, his large family is left behind to solve the cause of his death and what will happen to the fortune.  Johnson hits the genre right on the head, but adds an entertainingy comedic twist to keep the audience fully engaged throughout the whole film.

Johnson's writing is so strong that it is only fitting his cast is full of top-tier names.  Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, Hereditary), Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies, Freaky Friday), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Don Johnson (Django Unchained), and Chris Evans (The Avengers) create a dysfunctional family dynamic that is believable and yet shocking to watch.  If those names aren't enough to keep you interested in this film, the cast also includes Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Short Term 12, Selma), Katherine Langford (Love, Simon), and Jaeden Martell (It, Midnight Special).  Every member of the cast is nothing short of amazing.  No one is given too much time on screen or too little time on screen.  To me, Daniel Craig really stands out in his role, with an accent that I would have never expected to hear from him.  With a southern drawl, it takes a good ear to stay focused on what his character is saying.  Furthermore, I have seen very few movies with Ana de Armas and this film really makes me want to become more familiar with her acting.  Certainly, everyone will find a character that is most enjoyable or most relatable to them in the film.

This cast works so well because the script and story is consistent throughout the whole movie.  This is a suspenseful and yet comedic murder mystery.  There are constantly new revelations in the story, but with so many twists and turns one might expect the film to grow tiring.  Contrary to this expectation, the twists and turns are perfectly timed and keep the viewer on the edge of their seat.  Within the plot we get a lot of family banter, especially with Chris Evans's character.  Evans plays Ransom Drysdale, a rebellious grandson of Harlan, who constantly bickers with the family.  Ransom provides most of the comic relief in the film, being crude and clever with his banter.  

Once all of the pieces are put together for the mystery, the audience is left craving more still.  Similarly to a Soderbergh (Traffic) heist film, Knives Out, releases the audience's tension at the end of the film.  The payoff is worth the nearly 2 hour wait, just as it was worth the wait for Rian Johnson's first original film in 7 years.

The Bottom Line: Rian Johnson is back with one of his best films yet. This is a wholly original murder mystery with a crazy cast that portrays Johnson's writing skills with gravitas.

​Score: 9.7/10

Image Credit: By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Rian JohnsonUploaded by maybeMaybeMaybe, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22894471

As the first feature length film under the direction of rising star, Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Patriots Day, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), The Cat and The Moon is quite an impressive debut.  Wolff captures the beauty and madness of high school in a way that only someone under the age of 25 can truly understand.  Sure, this was not everyone's high school experience (definitely not mine), but the characters are relatable and constantly evolving.

The whole movie is extremely well acted.  Skyler Gisondo (The Amazing Spider-Man), Stefania LaVie Owen (Krampus), Camrus Johnson (The Sun Is Also a Star), Tommy Nelson (Moonrise Kingdom), and Olivia Boreham-Wing (A Rainy Day in New York) all show promise as young actors and I look forward to seeing their careers grow over time.  Throughout the film, there are characters that we like at times and then at a later time may end up hating.  I found myself surprised with the characters thought I understood at first, but then ended up realizing they were much different once you get to know them.  As a father figure, Mike Epps (The Hangover) acts superbly and has one of the best scenes in the entire film.  Every character in the film is relatable at times, as they all have human emotions that change over time.  I really liked how this film captured the fact that people change with the crowd around them. 

This film is not a Hollywood blockbuster, nor is it meant to be.  After all, we are watching the life of a high schooler with family struggles.  For reasons that are further developed in the film, Nick (played by Alex Wolff) is relocated to live with a family in New York and starts attending a new high school where he makes new friends.  Some of these friends are good, and some are bad.  This is the  experience that Wolff captures so boldly behind the camera.  We've all been in friend groups that didn't suit us, but over time we learn what is good from bad.  We learn who we can trust and who we can rely on.  Another great performance comes from Mike Epps, who acts as Nick's fatherly figure.  He reminds the viewer of the rebelliousness of being a teen and how this affects their parents.  Overall, every performance in the film is near flawless and creates a sense of belonging for the viewer.

The Bottom Line: High school is a rough time, and Alex Wolff captures the good moments along with the bad that viewers can reminisce upon.

Score: 8/10