I have been hesitant to want to claim that movies are progressively getting worse. However, it’s starting to get to the point where there are only a few outstanding films each year, whereas there would be upward of a dozen in the past. Last year, the best movies were
Promising Young Woman and
News of the World, two that, while suitable, wouldn’t have even made my Top 10 a decade ago. This year might even be worse. As we enter December, the best movie I’ve seen is a quiet little movie called
Blue Bayou, which could get some late Oscar buzz, but it’s unlikely to sneak into the top lists of critics like
Sound of Metal did a year ago. Likewise, movies such as
The Last Duel, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and
King Richard have had some excellent individual acting performances but have underwhelmed as a whole. The same can be said of Ridley Scott’s (
Alien, Black Hawk Down) flat
House of Gucci.
Continue reading House of Gucci (2021) →
Wow. I really wanted to love this movie. Bradley Cooper’s debut directorial performance was so close to perfect and yet so far away at the same time. I admire his vision and ambition for this movie so much that I want to credit it even in the areas it struggled with. Watching it through the lens of a moviegoer looking for an escape rather than that of a wannabe movie critic would have allowed me to see past some of its many errors. Ultimately, however, this film was far too flawed to be a legitimate contender for Best Picture or Best Director, despite what many seem to be already predicting. I will touch on all of the good and all of the bad in what will be one of my more thorough reviews.
Continue reading A Star Is Born (2018) →
Movies I Watch That Inspire Me to Critique!