A Complete Unknown (2024) | REVIEW

Edward Norton and Timothée Chalamet in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Photo by Macall Polay, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Directed by James Mangold (LOGAN; Ford v Ferrari) — Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks.

Set in the early-to-mid 1960s, James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown follows a young musician named Bob Dylan (played by Timothée Chalamet) who, in a New Jersey hospital, meets his music idol, Woody Guthrie (played by Scoot McNairy), who is suffering from Huntington’s disease. Dylan impresses Woody and fellow musician Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton) with a song dedicated to Guthrie, and, as a result, Seeger invites Dylan to stay in his home. As the two become fast friends, Seeger starts to introduce Dylan to the folk music scene, and soon, he becomes the target of the industry. Although Dylan makes a name for himself with folk music and protest songs, he gradually starts to struggle with being considered solely as a folk musician.

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Speak No Evil (2024) | REVIEW

James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi in James Watkins’ SPEAK NO EVIL — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by James Watkins — Screenplay by James Watkins.

James Watkins’ Speak No Evil is an American remake of Christian Tafdrup’s Danish culture clash horror-thriller of the same name. The remake stars Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as Louise and Ben, an American married couple, who are, at the start of the film, on vacation in Italy alongside their young daughter Agnes (played by Alix West Lefler). On holiday, the family trio meet and befriend a particularly self-assertive British couple, Paddy (played by James McAvoy) and Ciara (played by Aisling Franciosi), who are also on holiday with their youngest, their son Ant (played by Dan Hough). When the Americans return home from their holiday to their normal lives, the couple receives an invitation from their new vacation friends, who want them to come stay with them in the British countryside. So, Louise, Ben, and Agnes soon decide to visit and stay at Paddy and Ciara’s home. However, not everything they thought they knew about the British couple is exactly how it was first presented to them, and soon they start to question if they’re actually people that they can trust or if they’ve put themselves in danger. 

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REVIEW: True Detective – “The Big Never”

This is a recap and review of the third episode of the third season of True Detective — Expect spoilers for the episode.

In the third episode of the third season of True Detective — The Big Never — we get to see where Roland West (played by Stephen Dorff) is in his life in 1990, while Hays (played by Mahershala Ali) has a panic attack in a supermarket. The Big Never was written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Daniel Sackheim.
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REVIEW: True Detective – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”

This is a recap and review of the second episode of the third season of True Detective — Expect spoilers for the episode.

In the second episode of the third season of True Detective — Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye — as the search for Julie continues in 1980, Wayne Hays (played by Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (played by Stephen Dorff) ask around about the corn husk dolls. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye was written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye””

REVIEW: True Detective – “The Great War and Modern Memory”

This is a recap and review of the season premiere of the third season of True Detective — Expect spoilers for the episode.

In the first episode of the third season of True DetectiveThe Great War and Modern Memory — we are introduced to detectives Wayne Hays (played by Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (played by Stephen Dorff) as they investigate the Purcell-case. The Great War and Modern Memory was written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “The Great War and Modern Memory””

REVIEW: Destroyer (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Annapurna Pictures

The following is a review of Destroyer — Directed by Karyn Kusama.

In the first scenes of Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer, a seemingly inebriated LAPD detective, Erin Bell (played by Nicole Kidman), walks onto the scene of a crime to investigate what colleagues of her’s think of what happened to a murder victim with three dots in the back of his neck. What follows is a labyrinthine narrative complete with twists and shoot-outs as we learn what events made Bell, a former undercover officer, into a disheveled and visibly weathered revenge-seeking rogue detective. Continue reading “REVIEW: Destroyer (2018)”

REVIEW: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter — Directed by Jody Hill.

It is a good year to be Josh Brolin. Sure, we are more than halfway through the year, but, still, it is remarkable how one actor has managed to star in so many films this ‘early’ into the year. Over the course of this summer, Brolin has appeared in not one, not two, not three, but four films. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)”

REVIEW: War Machine (2017)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Netflix’s War Machine – Directed by David Michôd.

In 2015, Netflix acquired the distribution rights to a film directed by David Michôd and starring Brad Pitt, one of the true movie stars of our day. Netflix acquired the film prior to having premiered both Beasts of No Nation and The Ridiculous Six later in 2015, and this film was thus one of the first major motion picture projects that Netflix had acquired.

Now, in the summer of 2017, the film now titled War Machine has premiered. It has been a long wait for people like me who were excited to see such a high profile production premiere on the streaming service, but it is finally here and, honestly, I don’t think it was worth the wait. Continue reading “REVIEW: War Machine (2017)”

REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros.

The following is a spoiler-free review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a Zack Snyder film.

Batman v Superman is finally here! Comic book fans have been wanting to see this film for decades, and moviegoers have been waiting for a proper sequel to Man of Steel since 2013. Somehow this film had to appease both audiences. My complicated history with Man of Steel has been heavily documented on this blog, and I don’t think I’ve really loved a Zack Snyder-film since his remake of Dawn of the Dead.

Needless to say, I was really worried about this film. Superman used to be one of my favorite comic book characters, and Batman still is one of my favorites – I want them to be given a proper treatment on the big screen. I just wanted to like it – that is all I wanted from this film. But, to be perfectly honest, I did not. At least not all of it.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)”