The Girl with All the Gifts

Pretty interesting concept, but could’ve used a little more development. Not a fan of the ending.

Kung Fu Hustle

Greatest movie of all time.

Manhunter

Ok, I’m going to try and articulate my thoughts as best as I can. Below is my review for both Manhunter and Red Dragon (https://letterboxd.com/film/red-dragon/), seeing as how I watched them back-to-back and they’re both adaptations of Harris’ novel. Yes, in my humble opinion, Red Dragon is a better overall film and a better adaptation than this one. There are many reasons and observations that have led me to this conclusion. The two things I’ll applaud Manhunter for are its performances and cinematography. While Dragon has the bigger stars, this one has bigger characters. Will’s emotional and mental state feels more fleshed out, although I don’t find Peterson’s acting to be especially convincing. While I much prefer Hopkins’ sophisticatedly cold Hannibal over Cox’s regular ol’ psychopath, I think both bring something different to the table that can be appreciated. The same goes for “The Tooth Fairy”; both iterations of the character are totally menacing but in their own way. Dragon’s mentally unstable killer is jacked, confident, almost handsome, and more developed as a character, while the other is tall, ugly, and childlike, but sadly lacks further expansion on his background and motives. There’s not much to say about the cinematography, other than the same guy did both films and they’re vastly different yet beautiful approaches (Manhuntertakes the lead here). Now, the two biggest hits that drop my Manhunter rating down a smidge and elevate Red Dragon above it are the score and the ending. The former is filled with (what I refer to as) cheesy 80s synth and a handful of rock songs that play during moments, like the climax, where that genre doesn’t exactly feel appropriate. On the other hand, Danny “Genius” Elfman’s Dragon score is filled with epic orchestral buildups and a tense atmosphere that actually felt suspenseful. My biggest grievance against Manhunter, and I’m not exactly sure why this happened, is that they totally butchered the adapted ending. It’s one thing to make a slight tweak so that it translate better on screen, but to just completely change the climax (to a poorly edited shootout) and then leave out an entire portion of the ending, especially with that crazy of a twist?? I cannot forgive them for what they did. Based purely on the films’ conclusions, Red Dragon wins every time.

Red Dragon

Watched this and Manhunter (https://letterboxd.com/film/manhunter/) back-to-back, so decided to write just a single review (https://boxd.it/e9gRnd) for both.

Speed Racer

4K Remaster Re-release The theatrical setting may have affected my experience and overall rating (in a good way), but what a beautiful high-octane ride. It’s rather unfortunate that several moments look like something straight out of Spy Kids 3-D (https://boxd.it/1S7w); however, they’re few and far between. This film was so ahead of its time and I can’t believe people let it bomb.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

The entire Ruprecht sequence is comedy gold.

Fight Club

25th Anniversary 4K Remaster Yeah yeah, the picture is still beautiful and the story is still grand, but that sound design? Wow. Hearing every bloody punch, broken bone, fiery explosion, and goopy disgusting slop drop was a treat. “Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.”

Hollow Man

Besides the exciting story and great cast, there’s one thing that always draws me back to this film, and that is the visuals. I’m sure in the year 2000 it was an impressive feat, but what’s truly amazing is how well they hold up in this current decade.

Lost in America

That “Born to Be Wild” needle drop is probably an all-time best. Brooks, Johnson, and Hagerty together have crafted something so wholly unique and witty that I can’t help but love it. Don’t forget to avoid Nevada.

Duck Amuck

Genius-level 50s Looney Tunes short. Feels very much like an early inspiration for the Animator vs. Animation and Pencilmation videos.

Terrifier 3

It’s got loads more style and substance than a lot of other horror films coming out of Hollywood these days, and for that, it has my utmost respect.

Rakka

A cool little short that is unfortunately plagued by its low budget and stagnant plot.

Big Night

I love Tony Shalhoub in anything.

Wildlife

A standout directorial debut from Mr. Paul Dano. Diego García‘a use of camerawork and lighting are astounding, and mayhaps highlight his potential as a future big name in the industry. The fact that Dano hasn’t directed anything since this is a crime. Looking forward to his future comedy film collab with The Daniels.

Requiem

Minus a whole star for lying about being “horror”.

Final Destination Bloodlines

Still fun and gross. Probably the best in the franchise. Love all the little jokes and death references. Doesn’t feel lazy or apathetic. Practical effects are great. Minus 1/2 star for some wonky CGI and uninteresting in-between moments.

Versa

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

Probably would’ve rated it a little higher if not for that weird ending.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

A great “origin” story and probably one of the best third acts of any MCU film. Just a shame that it’s so visually ugly at times.

The Report

While pretty educational and smartly written, it lacks any cinematic style and could’ve used some extra breathing room. I don’t know that much about Dianne Feinstein, but she seemed like a real one.