Tag: Chloe Zhao

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

2 Stars Movies

The Marvels (2023)

The increasing gaps between film releases in the MCU is becoming apparent.

This can be due to many factors, including the now (thankfully) ended SAG-Aftra strike. Yet the quality in the films (not to mention most of the TV shows) in the MCU have been dipping in the last year or two. True, the last movie we had, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, had its moments, but that was back in May. Since then, the only true good thing we have gotten was a second season of Loki, which arrived the same time as the newest film, The Marvels. It should be no wonder why the only MCU film to be released next year will be the long awaited Deadpool 3.

Tags 2023, Brie Larson, Chloe Zhao, Eternals, Iman Vellani, Marvel, MCU, Nia DeCosta, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Samuel L. Jackson, Teyonah Parris, The Marvels, Zawe Ashton

2 1/2 Stars Movies

Eternals (2021)

I was as shocked as the next person when it was announced that Eternals had a low score on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this writing, the critic score is 49%.) This still did not deter me, as I had a good amount of hope knowing that Chloe Zhao was at the helm (more on her later).

When it was over, I left the theater knowing I was on the fence for this film as much as I have been for any film in some time.

Tags 2021, Brian Tyree Henry, Chloe Zhao, Disney, Eternals, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, MCU, Movie Reviews, Nomadland, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, The Last Jedi

4 1/2 Stars Movies

Nomadland (2020)

When it comes to name recognition, it seems like the third time is definitely the charm for director Chloe Zhao.

While I have yet to see her debut film (2015’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me), I did manage to see her second film, The Rider (2017), the story of a young cowboy recovering from a near fatal accident and needing to find a new path in life. It takes more than one movie or so to discover a director’s true voice, but Zhao certainly is going down the path of intimate film making (it also helps that her first two movies were written by Zhao), which is more than evident in her third feature Nomadland.

Tags 2020, Chloe Zhao, David Strathairn, Frances McDormand, Nomadland, R, Rated R, Three Billboards, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri