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JakeLizarraga
Reviews
Oppenheimer (2023)
Christopher Nolan Has Done It Again
Oppenheimer is a meticulously crafted, narrative-driven film that evokes unanswerable moral questions while framing historical events from multiple perspectives - each with its own clashing interests.
With its veteran filmmaker at the helm, ensemble talent, daunting soundtrack, and peak cinematography, Oppenheimer manages to not only reach but surpass the highest echelons of the contemporary movie landscape.
The captivating tension and pacing of the Trinity sequence coupled with the inherent grandeur of IMAX theaters culminate in an unforgettable experience that I've been fortunate enough to bear witness to.
While one could argue the nudity gratuitous and the horses a superfluous highbrow cliché, these minor qualms do not even come close to taking anything away from the cinema mastery displayed in Christopher Nolan's latest entry.
Last but not least, Cillian Murphy's emotional, credible, and multi-faceted portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer perfectly ties the whole package together.
Elemental (2023)
Surprisingly Relatable and Emotionally Powerful
Elemental is not the first Pixar movie I've watched, nor is it the first that's made me cry. The animation studio is known for producing tearjerkers like Up and Toy Story.
However, I found Elemental to be much more relatable.
I don't know what it's like to be a widower or an abandoned toy, but I do know what it feels like to love someone so much yet not know if you'll get to keep them.
To feel so lucky that they're in front of you but terrified that you'll lose them because they give into their family's wishes instead of choosing what will make them happiest.
At a base level, this film hit differently than any other Pixar movie primarily because of how relatable it was (at least for me).
It was so similar to the origin story that my fiancée and I found ourselves in during the early years of our relationship.
Hurting each other's feelings - because we were ourselves hurting - yet refusing to give up on each other because of the distinct sense that we had something worth fighting for.
In summary, Pixar has once again managed to juxtapose hilarious scenes for kids to enjoy with a deep and relatable narrative for adults to ponder.
The Walking Dead: Here's Not Here (2015)
Practically a TV movie
Even if someone who has no history with the TV show or comic books could enjoy this episode. The lessons it teaches are solid and it's able to stand on its own two feet as far as storytelling goes - never relying on existing plots or arcs to carry it along.