Category: 5 Stars

Hamnet (2025)

By the time her film Nomadland (2020) had won her Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, Chloé Zhao had already finished her attempt at a superhero film, Eternals (2021), considered by many to be one of the most inferior in the MCU library (I know it is not good, but it is not near as bad as some of the others).

I never once thought to blame her for that and knew that her next film would demonstrate she is still a bona fide talented filmmaker. Well, I was more than correct, because after seeing Hamnet (her fifth feature film in ten years), she exceeded my expectations as someone who is truly a cinematic poet.

Tags Chloe Zhao, Hamnet, Jessie Buckley, Orpheus, Paul Mescal, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Shakespeare

5 Stars Movies

Flow (2024)

After the memorably disappointing Moana 2, it seemed like the end of the line for animated films in 2024. While the leader of the pack was clearly The Wild Robot, there was not much else apart from the admirable Inside Out 2 and the humorously bizarre Memoirs of a Snail (it may be hard for me to listen to John Denver for some time now.)

Then, as can only be described as a tsunami, entered Flow.

Tags 2024, Animated, Animation, Flow, Gints Zibalodis, Inside Out, Inside Out 2, Latvia, Memoirs of a Snail, Moana, Moana 2, Rated PG, The Wil Robot

5 Stars Movies

Sing Sing (2024)

In the thirty years since its release, it has been nearly unanimous across the globe that there is no other film about prison that can be any better than The Shawshank Redemption (it has sat at the top of the Top 250 IMDB list since I was in High School.)

I am not arguing against that (it is one of the very few movies you can find any dislikers for). I bring it up only because it gives a warm feeling of sorts that you would not get in many movies (let alone one about prison). That feeling does not come around often, and no other film about prison has passed that on to me since. Enter Sing Sing.

Tags Clint Bentley, Colman Domingo, Fear the Walking Dead, Greg Kwedar, Movie Reviews, Paul Raci, R, Rated R, Rustin, the color purple, The Shawshank Redemption

5 Stars Movies

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date October 22, 2023
1 Comment on Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

It should be obvious, but it is nigh impossible to call oneself a cinephile and dislike the films of Martin Scorsese (or at least not appreciate them).

His name is on par with directing giants of the past: Hitchcock, Ford, Ozu, Welles, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Fellini. He has been in the twilight of his career for a little over a decade now, but has never lost his unique cinematic eye. For those like him working into his 80s (it should be noted before this film, I saw two trailers for up coming films from two octogenarian filmmakers: Michael Mann and Ridley Scott), it is not easy to bring about something fresh as well as ones old tricks.

5 Stars Movies

Past Lives (2023)

My friend Kurt and I have known each other since 7th grade English class, and to this day, I still hold it over him about how he “stole” and dated the girl I had a crush on (to be fair, their relationship lasted about two weeks.)

The same girl ( I won’t give her name away in case they are reading this, and if she is, I truly hope she is doing well) moved away before I could try to make my move, but we did stay in touch and even managed to go to my Senior Homecoming. We even went to the same college, but by then, despite our friendship, I realized she would almost always be out of my league.

Tags 2023, Celine Strong, Greta Lee, John Magaro, Past Lives, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Teo Yoo

5 Stars

TÁR (2022)

Perhaps I should just state it from the get go here: If you are someone who wants as little ambiguity in a film as possible, then TÁR is not a film for you.

If you want to have a movie to tell people they need to seek out for the purpose of needing someone to talk to about what you just witnessed, you won’t find a better candidate on any sized screen this year.

Tags 2007, 2022, Cate Blanchett, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Mila Bogojevic, Nina Hoss, R, Rated R, Tar, TÁR, There will be Blood, Todd Field

5 Stars Movies

Licorice Pizza (2021)

While I admit to not seeing all of his films just yet, it does not take much to realize that director Paul Thomas Anderson is indeed what one could call an acquired taste. It is a lighter affair this time around for Licorice Pizza, but it does not at all make it less fascinating.

Tags 2021, Alana Haim, Benny Safdie, Bradley Cooper, Christine Ebersole, Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza, Lucille Ball, Maya Rudolph, Movie Reviews, Paul Thomas Anderson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, R, Rated R, Sean Peen, William Holden

5 Stars Movies

C’mon C’mon (2021)

This image released by A24 Films shows Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman in a scene from "C'mon C'mon." (A24 Films via AP)

After winning an Oscar for his performance in the titular role Joker, Joaquin Phoenix takes a big jump to the other side of the acting spectrum into subtle territory in C’mon C’mon.

Of course, that does not make his performance any less impressive.

Tags 2021, Belfast, Gabby Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Mike Mills, passing, R, Rated R, Room, Scoot McNairy, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Woody Norman

5 Stars Movies

CODA (2021)

The story has been told many times, in many movies.

A teenager/young adult is the odd one out of their family as he/she tries to follow their passion that will be in direct conflict with their family, despite the family being a loving one. These are movies such as October Sky (1998), Billy Elliot (2000), Bend it Like Beckham (2002), Sing Street (2016), and Blinded by the Light (2019). Even if the movies were good to some degree (as are the previously named films, in my opinion), we know the formula so well that it is near impossible not to predict what will happen.

Tags 2021, Amy Forsyth, Apple TV, Bend it like beckham, Billy Elliot, Blinded by the Light, CODA, Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Marlee Matlin, Movie Reviews, October Sky, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Sing Street, Troy Kotsur

5 Stars Movies

Summer of Soul…(or, when the revolution could not be televised) (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date July 10, 2021
3 Comments on Summer of Soul…(or, when the revolution could not be televised) (2021)

Why?

That is the question that was on my mind not long into the documentary Summer of Soul. It continued to grow more and more until the credits began to role. Most of the time, when this one word question is in our heads during a film, it is the beginning of the question “Why was this movie made? It is so bad!”

Tags Documentary, Movie Reviews, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Summer of Soul