John

Coming out of retirement briefly to share a few words about Daft Punk. Growing up, they were easily among my favorite musical artists and are probably still in my top five. Their sound and style influenced my music tastes more than any other group. Really would’ve loved to see them dabble more in the realm of film scoring; their work on TRON: Legacy is nothing short of remarkable. Gonna miss them a lot. One more time...

I like it.

I rewatched the trilogy recently and there’s no doubt in my mind that FOTR is the best of the three. Darn near perfect movie.

Mean Streets?

Two hours later...

I enjoyed Bumblebee a lot overall. I liked the Iron Giant-esque direction they took the story, though the parts that stood out to me most were the scenes set on Cybertron. The entire opening sequence is just brilliantly animated and executed. Why couldn't we have gotten this in 2007?

Only the 2007 movie, Dark of the Moon, and Bumblebee are worth taking a look.

Groundhog Day (1993) This is actually the first time I’ve seen this movie, and I enjoyed it quite a lot! Very sweet and clever script with plenty of laughs. I’m not the biggest fan of Bill Murray, but I really enjoyed his performance here; he brings the perfect balance of snark and sincerity to the role. The movie probably would’ve not worked with any other actor but him. **** out of *****

K

I thought this had been confirmed for some time already?

Jojo Rabbit A decently pleasant diversion. Story felt a bit thin at times, and it often felt like it was aping the style of Wes Anderson, but it had some charms of its own, along with some unexpectedly poignant moments. Really enjoyed Roman Griffin Davis’ central performance; the relationship between his character and his mother gave the movie a lot of heart. *** and 1/2 out of *****

Indian actor Irrfan Khan has died at 53. Man this hurts. Really liked him as an actor; he was great in Life of Pi.

The Spider-Man trilogy The first two installments are classics for a reason; very stylish and self aware films that are often silly but have a lot of heart to them. Revisiting Spider-Man 2, I was impressed at how deftly the quieter, more emotional moments were handled. There’s a lot of great action in both, and it’s pretty clear how influential these films are in the landscape of modern superhero cinema. The third film is largely a mess and not very satisfying but there are some aspects that are enjoyable. The character of Sandman is portrayed well and definitely a highlight here. The Irishman Enjoyed this one a lot. This definitely felt like Scorsese returning to his roots; the subject material feels very familiar but that’s not a bad thing. It’s similar in some ways to Goodfellas and Casino, but it feels much more meditative in tone, like a contemplation of the end of an era. De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino give memorable and nuanced performances, and Scorsese’s direction is stylish and compelling. The period settings look gorgeous and the cinematography is typically great. The final 40 minutes are pretty powerful filmmaking. **** and 1/2 out of ***** Knives Out A clever and fun take on the classic murder mystery. Great ensemble cast, with Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig being the standouts; both are very watchable screen presences. It’s not especially subtle at times, but it’s well crafted and took some unexpected turns I appreciated. Well worth your time. **** out of *****

Official title treatment for Dune:

So Ford will be 80 years old by the time this is released? Please Disney, just cancel this already.

No.

Wait, is this Rogue One all over again?

Rest in peace

Interstellar (2014) I still like it a lot. Above average sci-fi film elevated by its score and visuals, with some great performances. It has ambition and some neat ideas, even if some aren’t quite as developed as they could’ve been. **** out of ***** Isle of Dogs (2018) Still great! It’s one of those movies that improves upon rewatches; there’s so much artistry in every frame and the humor is so wonderfully droll, it’s hard not to notice something new every time I revisit this film. Very playful, unique score by Desplat, really adds to the film’s tone and personality. **** and 1/2 out of *****