Tag: Margaret Qualley

REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Sony Pictures Releasing

The following is a spoiler review of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino has claimed that he will only direct ten feature films, and, since he considers his latest film to be his ninth, that puts a lot of pressure on this penultimate effort as a director. Having just recently rewatched and reviewed his filmography as a director, I had prepared myself for this undeniable event film for cinephiles. When I walked out of the theater, I had a soft smile on my face, and I kept on repeating these words to my mother and sister, who had seen the film with me: “I think this is his most moving movie yet.” Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is tense but also laidback, sometimes violent but generally quite kind, and much to my own surprise, as Tarantino ended his film, I had a lump in my throat — I got a little bit choked up. Continue reading “REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)” →

REVIEW: IO (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of IO — Directed by Jonathan Helpert.

Netflix is starting to build itself a — let’s call it — ‘fascinating’ library of original films. The service is filled to the brim with poor-to-average comedies, many of which feature Adam Sandler and his friends, and yet Netflix has started to make a name for itself as a place where unconventional or unmarketable films from great, noteworthy filmmakers are given a global reach.

But, in between these two piles of films of varying success, a film like IO exists. IO has a small but recognizable cast, the film is made by an up-and-coming filmmaker, and it struggles with themes present in films that sci-fi aficionados adore. Continue reading “REVIEW: IO (2019)” →

REVIEW: Death Note (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’s Death Note – Directed by Adam Wingard.

Adam Wingard’s Death Note follows Light Turner (played by Nat Wolff), a Seattle High School student dressed all in black that does other people’s homework for money, who one day finds a book that literally fell from the skies. The book is a ‘death note,’ and it gives him the power to control a death god named Ryuk (voiced by Willem Dafoe). Continue reading “REVIEW: Death Note (2017)” →

REVIEW: The Leftovers – Season Two (2015)

The following is a review of the second season of The Leftovers – Created by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perotta

After a terrific and underrated first season, the writers of The Leftovers decided to open their second season with a change of scenery. First, a supremely odd prologue that had me scratching my head and made me wonder if I was watching a different show. It’s a sequence that manages to foreshadow a lot of the events of the second season, but it was an odd way to open a season nonetheless.

Then, after the prologue ended, Axis Mundi – the first episode of the season – becomes a point of view-episode from the perspective of a family from Jarden, Texas — a town that lost zero people during the ‘Sudden Departure.’ We soon learn that these people are Kevin (played by Justin Theroux), Nora (played by Carrie Coon), and Jill’s (played by Margaret Qualley) new neighbors. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Leftovers – Season Two (2015)” →

REVIEW: The Nice Guys (2016)

The Nice Guys Poster
Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of The Nice Guys, a Shane Black film.

The Nice Guys, a crime buddy comedy, follows the enforcer Jackson Healy (played by Russell Crowe), who sees himself as an unlicensed private detective, and Holland March (played by Ryan Gosling), a miserable and cynical private detective. Healy and March start at opposite ends of the same case. March has been hired by the aunt of porn star Misty Mountain who recently died.

The aunt claims to have seen her niece alive after her death, and the clues point March towards a girl named Amelia (played by Margaret Qualley). Meanwhile, Healy has been hired by Amelia to intimidate a number of people who have been following her. This causes their paths to cross. As Healy and March inevitably team-up, they are now tasked to find Amelia, who is being chased by two thugs.

Continue reading “REVIEW: The Nice Guys (2016)” →