Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Frances Ha) returns to Netflix with this heart-wrenching drama revolving around a couple going through the process of a divorce.  This film is a horror romance, not because it is scary or creepy, but merely because it shows the real-life consequences of marriage.  Marriage Story displays the fragility of love and the effects it can have on even the happiest couple.  Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Paterson, Inside Llewyn Davis) and Scarlett Johansson (Her, Lost in Translation, The Avengers) lead the cast as a seemingly happy couple, but divorce leads the couple to make choices that they did not foresee happening in their relationship.

At times, the film is hard to watch and tears at the moviegoer's heartstrings.  When the project was first announced, I was a bit concerned that Johansson and Driver were an odd choice to play the lead roles.  Yet, their chemistry cannot be denied and it is hard to picture any other actors playing these roles after viewing the film.  Baumbach clearly knows how to cast a film and this may be his best project to date.  Definitely look out for the multiple Oscar nominations that this film will get.  I'm not one to cry often during a film, but it was sure hard to hold back the tears during this one.  The film has the best scene between two characters that I have seen in quite a while.  Leaving out too much detail, there is a major climax in the film between the married couple, that builds more and more with intensity leading to a payoff that will leave the viewer heartbroken.

The film is subtle to create a realistic story, but the implications are nonetheless concerning.  Randy Newman's (Toy Story, Meet the Parents) original soundtrack creates a nice background for the onscreen dialogue.  The soundtrack has nice piano melodies that play off of the subtle environment and act as a more classical soundtrack. 

Baumbach's script is so real.  He is able to create slight comedy in a script riddled with wrenching emotion.  He can take a cast of well-known actors without giving any of them a sense of entitlement.  This film is NOT a blockbuster, but has the intensity of one.  As one of the best films of the year, I am quite excited to see how it will perform at the awards ceremonies.  Baumbach is no stranger to nominations, but this year has a very bloated field of great films so it will be tough to pick which actors and films will win it all.

The Bottom Line: Marriage Story is subtle, but heartbreaking nonetheless with a professional cast that carries the film to the next level.

Score: 9.4/10

Image Credit: ​By Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59740186

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

With the Barnes & Noble Criterion Collection sale ending today, I chose a movie from my Criterion collection to ponder last night night.  My Beautiful Laundrette is an aged film that seems ever-so-relevant to this day.  The film centers around a young Pakistani Briton named Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with ambitious plans to promote within the working world.  When greed, corruption, sexual tension, and racial inequality start to affect his lifestyle, he continues to work hard and tries to make a difference for the people surrounding him.  Omar opens a laundromat in order to continue rising in the working world, against the wishes of his father.  

For a film released in 1985, the message is quite progressive even in the modern world.  Gordon Warnecke (Venus, A Fatal Inversion, Boon) turns the main character from an innocent Pakistani young man into a hard-working money-oriented individual.  The character's identity is always shadowed by other characters, as Omar reaches out to his family and his white co-worker/boyfriend for advice along his journey.  Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans, Lincoln, Gangs of New York) plays the white boyfriend that causes a lot of the conflict surrounding Omar's life.  Day-Lewis hardly needs to talk in order to grab the audience's attention towards his character.  Johnny is a tough but also charming white Briton, raised around a rough group of friends.

Through clear direction, Stephen Frears's (Philomena, The Queen) early film portrays many powerful messages.  Hanif Kureishi's (Venus, My Son the Fanatic, Le Week-End) screenplay is simple, but includes many different aspects.  As a Pakistani in Britain, Omar is seen as a threat to Johnny's white friends.  The world is currently struggling with immigration policies, and this film displays some of the reasons why immigration is such a heated topic.  Furthermore, Omar and Johnny's relationship is a conflict for both of their friends/families.  The more the viewer looks into this film, the more conflicts arise throughout the short runtime.  While the score for this film is not the most powerful, it is interesting to note that Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Inception, Dunkirk, Interstellar) composed the music.  The music fits into the film well, but I never would have guessed that Hans Zimmer created this subtle soundtrack.

The Bottom Line:  While My Beautiful Laundrette dates back to 1985, the topics discussed are still relevant to modern society's political struggles.  

Score: 8/10

Image credits:

By Nrbelex - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8954299

By Towpilot - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1289613

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In honor of Liam Neeson's (Schindler's List, The A-Team) birthday yesterday, I decided to watch his most recent film.  From director, Jaume Collet-Sera (The Shallows, Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax), comes another thriller starring Neeson in a lead role.  Collet-Sera's past collaborations with Neeson have been fun to watch and well-made.  Unfortunately, The Commuter falls short of the previous collaborations.  While the cinematography and filming techniques are exciting, the storyline drags down the film and often reduces the weight of the superbly acted roles.  

Of course, Neeson brings gravitas to his role.  Ever since the release of Taken, Neeson has become an amazingly realistic hero for the common people.  From saving his daughter to saving a whole airplane full of passengers, Neeson has perfected the role of action hero.  Once again, his acting stands out in The Commuter and he is surrounded by other good performances.  Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera), Jonathan Banks (Mudbound, Gremlins), and Sam Neill (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park​) round out the cast.  Every character is unique and important to the story as it progresses.

While the acting performances are good, the writing for the film struggles to create an impact for viewers.  At first, I was entranced with the plot as it started to unravel.  However, after the first half of the film there are major plot holes that open up.  We never get any sort of background for the main character because development is sacrificed for more action at the end of the film.  We are thrown into a situation without much meaning behind the actions that occur.  This leads to a final act that is merely disorganized and lackluster.  There are certain lines in the final act that are extremely cliche of past action thrillers.  The film becomes more of a cheesy blockbuster and less of an impactful story by the end of the screening.

The Bottom Line:  The Commuter tends to sacrifice a meaningful and organized plotline for more action towards the end of the film.  Liam Neeson once again acts the part, but the story holds very little weight for his character.

Score: 5.5/10

Image credit: ​By Karen Seto / ???? from Toronto, Canada - Toronto, Ontario, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5108817

If you like Spielberg's (Jurassic Park​) filmography, than I am certain that you will enjoy The Post.  The Post is a superb retelling of the struggle between the government and the press during the Vietnam War.  As a period piece set in the 70s, the setting is well-crafted and the costumes are fitting.  While the film isn't set in a time period too long ago, it is still clear that Spielberg's attention to detail forced him to use certain props and dialogues.  Every time we get to see the newspapers being printed, we get lost in the maze of the publishing facilities.  As someone who has never seen a newspaper company up close, I was astonished by the vastness of the Washington Post's offices.

As always, Spielberg brings us an all-star cast including Meryl Streep (August: Osage County, The Devil Wears Prada, Into the Woods), Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan), Bob Odenkirk (Nebraska), Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave, Carol), and countless other names.  Streep and Hanks are perfect in every scene and the other actors also seem to fit in their respective roles at all times.  Nothing seemed to stand out overwhelmingly, but it is hard to get a real standout performance from a lot of these actors because they are always great.

Throughout the first half of the film, everything flows and the script is clever.  Unfortunately, the final portion of the film runs dry because of the built-in applaud pauses.  When I saw the film, there were certain points where the audience applauded.  Depending on the moment I am usually okay with some applauding during a film, but these moments felt too formulaic.  They were preachy and at times I felt as though I was being converted into the Church of Spielberg.  Clearly, the film wanted to connect the past events with present events.  However, it is easy to make this connection without Spielberg choosing to spell it out in the last quarter of the film.

The Bottom Line: Spielberg brings another impactful past event to the big screen and capably connects it to current politics through an all-star cast.

Score: 7.5/10

From the visionary director that brought us Pan's Labyrinth comes another creepy and yet heartwarming film.  The Shape of Water is a lovely portrayal of a forbidden love between a creature and a human.  The plotline is spectacular, balancing the heavy-hitting politics of communist Russia and the United States in the 1960s and the science-fiction creature that drives the love story forward.  The tone is classy, with a jazz-inspired score that brings the audience back to the 60s.  The story is relatable to any time period, but the 60s backdrop makes it even more interesting.

Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim) never ceases to create beautiful effects for his visionary films.  The imagery throughout The Shape of Water is consistently fluid and spectacular.  There is one scene where we get to see two raindrops dance around on a bus window, acting as a metaphor for the story unfolding on screen.  There is blood and gore involved, but only the necessary amount for us to enter the world that the screenwriters have created.  This is not a film for children, but for a mature audience that can handle the darkness of a spy thriller and the nudity that comes with a full love story.  To gently push the audience through the film, Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, Argo, The Queen, Philomena) contributes a smooth score that juggles between intensity and charm.  The orchestral score fits with every single scene, settling and unsettling the audience at certain times.

I would go amiss without acknowledging the cast members that bring the story to life.  Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) easily gives the best performance of the year with her portrayal of a mute janitor.  While she cannot talk, there is emotion behind every sign that she gives.  Alongside Hawkins, Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) plays a fantastic sea monster.  Rounding out the cast, Michael Shannon (Midnight Special) is a scarily bigoted villain.  This is the big bad role that Shannon has perfected throughout his career.  Finally, the support for the main roles are brought to the screen by three well-seasoned actors.  Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station), Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers), and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name​) are all great additions to the film.  Overall, this is a top-notch cast brought together to create a top-notch film.

The Bottom Line: The Shape of Water certainly deserves all of the Oscar-buzz that it is receiving because of its tender and yet unsettling approach at a love story.

Score: 9.7/10

Image credit: ​By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54631984

Call Me by Your Name is a slow-burning coming-of-age story with bold direction and stunning performances.  Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) brings out the best of Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar, Lady Bird), with this realistic and yet unique love story.  The first half of the film flies by with a clever script that plays Oliver and Elio off of each other perfectly.  These two intelligent characters are fun to watch when they are alone and together.  As they often try to outsmart each other, they notice their similarities.  There is a purity in their relationship that is hard to describe on paper, but Hammer and Chalamet create the relationship with gravitas.

Focusing on passion, the film also uses an interesting soundtrack to progress the storyline.  A blend of classical music and modern indie tunes composed by Sufjan Stevens tie character thoughts to the audience perspectives. The characters are deeply intellectual and the music brings us into their world at certain instances.  The soundtrack also gives us sweet and haunting melodies to portray the romance that unravels over time.

While I enjoyed this movie, I think that there is a drop-off point between the first and second half.  The first half has a fun script that kept me engaged with the characters during my first viewing of the film.  However, the second half slows down to focus more on the intimate relationship between Oliver and Elio.  We no longer get a good amount of the crisp and engaging commentary from Elio and Oliver, which is what really built their relationship.  There is one scene towards the end between Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man​) that is powerfully written, but aside from that there is a dramatic change in tone for the second half.  Yet, there is plenty to enjoy with these characters and I look forward to the Oscar nominations that the film will clinch.

The Bottom Line: Call Me by Your Name is a pure film filled with intimate detail and engaging characters.

Score: 9.3/10

Image credit: ​By Franz Richter (User:FRZ) - Own work (taken with Nikon D60 SLR), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56267295

The Age of Shadows is a simple cat-and-mouse chase film with a lot of details that become confusing at times.  As a whole, the film is very enjoyable and extremely well-shot.  From acclaimed Korean director, Jee-woon Kim (The Good the Bad the Weird), comes this thrilling and constantly progressing story involving cops, a resistance group, and untrustworthy spies.  These three elements make for an intriguing story full of twists and turns.  At a runtime of two hours and twenty minutes, the film never gets muddled down or boring.  The directing and shot choices keep every scene fresh and vibrant, forcing our eyes to never look away from the screen.

While the shots are clear and concise, there are certain pacing choices that could have been better executed.  At times, the setting jumps from one place to another in an instant.  Because of the constant setting changes, I found myself lost on occasion and was left trying to figure out what happened between the filming locations.  There is one scene that occurs at a nunnery, but it is hard to figure out who is at the nunnery at the time and how they leave the nunnery.  The transitions are fluid, but not detailed enough to explain what is occurring between scenes.  

The main plotline was easy to follow, with corruption and two-faced protagonists leading the charge.  Yet, there are a few subplots that are harder to comprehend and might require a second screening of the film to completely understand.  Yoo Gong (Train to Busan), Kang-ho Song (The Host, Snowpiercer), and Byung-hun Lee (A Bittersweet Life​) are all brilliant in their respective roles.  It is often hard to figure out their characters's allegiances, but that is a huge part of the storyline.  Often times Korean films include overly cheesy characters, creating comic relief for the story.  Yet, I usually find that these characters detract from the seriousness of the genre.  Luckily, there are no such characters in this award-level film.

The Bottom Line: The Age of Shadows is an enjoyable Korean cat-and-mouse chase story, filled with untrustable characters and exciting camera shots.

Score: 9.4/10

Image credit: ​By wasabcon - http://wasabcon.tistory.com/621, CC BY 2.0 kr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31364107

Your Name is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen in quite some time.  The story is touching, the visuals are awe-inspiring, and the music is catchy as heck.  Upon a first viewing, I understand the main idea without being able to fully place all of the details.  Your Name is a film that takes multiple viewings to comprehend the complexity of the storyline.  Without going into too much detail, the timeline is hard to follow right off the bat, but I am sure that there are very few flaws (if any) in this film.  There is a lot going on all at once, but the main storyline leaves room for discussion after viewing.  Every good film should leave room for discussion after the story is resolved, and Your Name leaves plenty of ideas hanging around in our minds.

Makoto Shinkai's (5 Centimeters Per Second) direction brings us beautiful visuals to guide us along the story's journey.  Every line drawn is thoughtful and concise.  The precision of animation in this film is reminiscent of Miyazaki's (Spirited Away) works.  In fact, Shinkai might be the next Miyazaki.  As someone who knows almost nothing about animation, it is still clear to me that the team behind this film spent long hours in its creation.  While there are plenty of Pixar and Disney films with good animation, nothing that I have seen from American studios can compare to this form.

I would go completely amiss without discussing the soundtrack for this film as well.  RADWIMPS's indie rock soundtrack brings the viewer back to their childhood with a punk edge added in.  Often times, the beauty of the film is complimented by the soundtrack's sweetness.  Some of the lyrics do not translate well into the subtitles, but I'll be damned if the sounds are not a perfect match to the visuals.  I have been waiting a long time to view this film after it's release because I missed it in theaters.  While I waited, I had to check out the soundtrack that all of my friends have been raving about.  At the very least, listen to the soundtrack as it pulls you into a foreign world, full of jaw-dropping inspiration and beauty.  For starters check out the song, "Sparkle".

The Bottom Line:  Shinkai's animated masterpiece will be cherished for a long time because of it's beauty and complexity.

Score: 10/10 (This is my first 10/10 since Swiss Army Man)