In this post, I’ll give you my thoughts on my first Aki Kaurismäki experience, a 2-time Cannes award winning Farhadi film, an underseen Joaquin Phoenix film, and Viggo Mortensen’s latest film as a writer-director.
Continue reading “‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘C’mon C’mon,’ ‘The Salesman,’ and ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’ | Bite-Sized Reviews”
We’re now in 2025. Granted, it’s only the first day of the new year, but, hey, we have to accept that 2024 is now in our collective rearview mirror. Like has become tradition on this website, I start every year by listing the ten articles or reviews written in 2024 that were the most popular based on views. At the very end of the article, I’ll even reveal what non-2024 written output was the most popular in the year to which we have now all said goodbye. Let’s get to it!
Continue reading “10 Most Read Articles and Reviews: 2024”
I watched so many television (and/or streaming) shows this year. In my notes, I was trying to jot down all of the shows that I had seen and, given that I also watch a lot of movies every year, I was even a little bit shocked at how much time I spent watching entertainment (especially because I was very busy with other stuff this year). But, hey, I do love crashing and/or chilling in front of the television, watching a good show, and then jotting down my notes. And, you know, there were a lot of good shows this year. Some of the shows that it hurts to have to leave off the list this time around are Bad Sisters, Disclaimer, The English Teacher, Under the Bridge, The Boys, and Sugar (and I could, honestly, go on). But there can only be ten shows on this list, and let’s now have a look at what shows made it!
Continue reading “Top Ten TV-Shows of 2024”
Series created by Thomas Vinterberg.
Dogme95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg has had quite the career. He burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort, the Cannes-darling and Danish classic The Celebration, and, though he struggled in the early 2000s overseas, he rebuilt his career on home soil with Submarine and The Hunt, the latter of which was a particular international success critically and with awards bodies. In the mid-to-late 2010s, he took another stab at filmmaking overseas with Far From the Madding Crowd and Kursk (with the Danish drama The Commune sandwiched in between the two). Then, at the very beginning of the 2020s, his binge-drinking dramedy Another Round took him to new heights as he not only accepted an Oscar and a BAFTA for the picture but also became the first-ever Danish filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Now, he has turned to TV, as he has crafted a television series about the calamitous potential of climate change that works as an eye-opener and much more. For me, it’s been one of the most interesting shows of 2024.
Continue reading “Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW”
Directed by Edward Berger — Screenplay by Peter Straughan.
How do you follow up successfully directing a German-language version of All Quiet On the Western Front to critical acclaim and multiple little golden men statues from the Oscars? It’s a good question, and it is exactly the kind of challenge German filmmaker Edward Berger had in front of him. Now, two years later, we have our answer with Conclave, as Berger has crafted yet another adaptation of a major novel. This time around his film is a big screen adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 thriller novel of the same, and his adaptation was written by Peter Straughan, a BAFTA-winning co-writer of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Straughan’s writing and Berger’s direction are paired with a stellar cast spearheaded by Ralph Fiennes, together that trio has brought us a political thriller for grown-ups that is deeply engaging.
Continue reading “Conclave (2024) | REVIEW”
Directed by Sean Baker — Screenplay by Sean Baker.
When Sean Baker walked up to the stage to accept the Palme d’Or prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, he stood next to George Lucas, who had just received an honorary award. There the legendary creator of Star Wars, essentially the blockbuster film that changed the direction of American cinema for the next many decades, stood next to perhaps the most well-known American independent filmmaker who was enjoying the biggest moment of his career with his latest film, Anora. Arguably, no two filmmakers could better symbolize the vast breadth of American filmmaking, and here Baker was becoming the first American competitive Palme d’Or winning director in more than a decade (since Malick in 2011). Frankly, for Baker, Anora marks arguably his feature with the most public appeal.
Continue reading “Anora (2024) | REVIEW”
Directed by Ethan Coen — Screenplay by Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke.
Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls is set in the late 1990s and the film follows friends Jamie (played by Margaret Qualley) and Marian (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) go on a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida. However, what complicates things is that, due to a misunderstanding, the drive-away car that they are given the keys to a car that three criminals had planned to take and which contains an all-important cargo that they desperately need to get ahold of. As a result, while the more promiscuous Jamie tries to get Marian laid on the way to Tallahassee, criminals are desperately following in their footsteps in an attempt to retrieve what the drive-away car contains.
Continue reading “Drive-Away Dolls (2024) | REVIEW”
In this review compilation, I have shared my thoughts on a Michael Haneke classic, as well as one of the most devastating wrestling movies. In addition to this, I have highlighted three different horror films from 2024, none of which, sadly, won me over. Read more below to find out why that’s the case.
Continue reading “‘The Piano Teacher,’ ‘The Iron Claw,’ and More | Review Compilation”
Directed by Maisy Stella — Screenplay by Maisy Stella.
The strange title made me very curious about what this film was, and I am glad I found the time to watch it. Megan Park’s My Old Ass is such a sweet coming-of-age film that is oozing with charm. Here we find an 18-year-old young woman (played by Maisy Stella) who, through magic mushrooms and other unexplained occurrences, finds a way to communicate with her 39-year-old self (played by Aubrey Plaza) from the future. That is about all you need to know about the film, and, even if you have reservations about watching something with unexplained timey-wimey mechanics, I would suggest that you should get over that and enjoy this film for what it is, even though I, too, sometimes, raised an eyebrow at the mechanics of it all.
Continue reading “My Old Ass (2024) | REVIEW”
Directed by Max Barbakow — Screenplay by Macon Blair.
Max Barbakow’s Brothers, from a script by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), is a buddy action crime comedy that follows twin brothers Moke (played by Josh Brolin) and Jady Munger (played by Peter Dinklage) who, after a shared history of crimes over the years, team-up to do ‘one last job’ together. During their previous ‘last job’ years ago, Jady was apprehended and sent to prison while Moke managed to get away, and so at the start of the film, they find themselves on opposite ends of life. Jady has just gotten out of prison, under suspicious circumstances, while Moke is trying to start a family and live as a law-abiding citizen. However, when Moke loses his job due to his criminal past, Jady finds an angle to convince his brother to join up with him for a road trip and a heist. Meanwhile, we discover that Jady made a shady deal with an aggressive crooked cop (played by Brendan Fraser) and his judge father (played by M. Emmet Walsh), who intend to keep track of whether or not Jady follows through on their deal.
Continue reading “Brothers (2024) | REVIEW”
I'm Jeffrey Rex 