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Reviews
Naruto: Shippûden: Tâgetto rokkuon (2008)
It keeps getting better!
THIS officially is the best arc of this series so far. Loving every second of it. This episode had some fantastic moments that I'm gonna remember for a while.
Naruto: Shippûden: Kudasareta sabaki (2008)
Wow
Part 1 of this fight was already fantastic. Shikamaru is so smart, Asuma is cool, OP isn't ruined but I miss blue bird.
Naruto: Shippûden: "Akatuski" shinkô (2008)
Wow here we go
Feels like this show has finally hit an incredible arc. Kazekage Rescue mission was great and Tenchi Bridge had its ups and downs, but everything's lining up for this one. Great OP and Ending too. The new Akatsuki spotlights are intimidating af and this new Team Asuma squad is killer. Really looking forward to this fight. Plus I love a good training sequence. Also, Sakura's food pills being terrible cracked me up.
I don't know if that really counts as spoilers but better be safe than sorry.
Little Women (2019)
This movie is so damn good
I cried and cried from being sad and also happy this movie is beautiful on so many levels.
Django Unchained (2012)
This movie makes me sick and I love it
Yes I can wholeheartedly acknowledge that socially, this movie is problematic. There is far too much violence against black people and Tarantino (a white man) wrote far too many n-words for it to be ok-we all remember when he cast himself in pulp fiction so he could say it then.
As a piece of art? This movie is almost untouchable. The beautiful allegory to the tale of Siegfried and Wagner's Das Ring des Nibelungen, told through the lens of the pre-civil war south. The metaphors and parallels are relentless, and that's just the subtext. It has classic Tarantino dialogue, which creates some of the most intense and suspenseful scenes I've ever seen (before any guns even go off). The characters are beautifully realized and performed, the pacing is great (yes, even though it is almost 3 hours), and the music is a ton of fun. The cinematography and flashy camera work just adds to the spectacle of it! There are so many memorable lines and scenes, if it wasn't for all the n-bombs I'd quote this all day.
Even though I've mentioned it already, the suspense is what makes this movie. Leo plays such a terrifying villain and Candyland feels like the pit of hell (or the ring of fire on top of Hindarfjall) and watching Django and Dr. Schultz step into the flames is madness. Watching their plan fall apart because each of their Hamartia, both having too much pride to come out unscathed makes my stomach churn because at that point we love them and are rooting for them.
I love Tarantino, but there's something about Django Unchained for me. Maybe it's because it was my first. This is one of the best movies ever made.
Hagane no renkinjutsushi: Okâsan...... (2003)
Game changer
This episode really starts us on our journey. It firmly established Ed and Al's bond and their motivations. We feel everything with them and we understand how they made their mistakes. This episode defines why the whole show is so good. Two brothers who lose everything on an adventure to redeem themselves.
Naruto: Shippûden: Noruma kuriâ (2007)
Egg cracking transition
10/10 purely for the egg cracking transition. Didn't know Naruto was on that kind of cinematic level. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Naruto knocks a hard boiled egg off the counter at his favorite ramen stop, picks it up, and looks at how cracked it is. This is followed by a match cut to Gaara floating in the air, having just been blown up by Akatsaki badass no. 3, with his sand defense crumbling around him. Good stuff!
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Beautiful even though it's flawed
This movie is not perfect. It's messy, it sometimes doesn't make sense, and it can move at a jarring and uneven pace.
But this movie has that special something that sets it apart from the others. What it gets right, it gets right on a scale that I've never seen before. The emotional impact that is has on the viewer is staggering and demands a repeat viewing if only to process everything, because this movie is ambitious and there is a lot to take in.
It's just so deeply personal with its characters when it needs to be. It's in your face and makes you look deep into these ugly and confused and tormented characters souls. It gets under your skin and makes you really really feel something. I don't know if there is a version of this movie that COULD be technically perfect because it goes for so much at once. I know I wouldn't want it any other way and I love it despite its flaws.
Watch this and you won't be the same.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Everything I wanted and more
Yea, this movie is it. Super engaging plot, hilarious characters, and dramatic beats that feel earned by the end. I love Thanos--he's one of the greatest villains in recent times because he's actually a threat. Cap, Iron Man, Bruce, Spidey, T'Challa, the Guardians, Thor, Vision, Wanda--they're all great and this movie wouldn't be what it is without them. I don't know what to say. I've seen it 3 times at this point and liked it more every time. Marvel has been hitting it out of the park for years and this really is the crown everybody calls it.
Logan (2017)
This is a great movie
I really love this movie. I think everything about it is great. I've been an X-men fan for a while--probably my favorite super hero movies have historically been X-men movies. This one just blew me away.
The characters all make such great emotional journeys and if you've been with X-men as long as I have, you really feel the pain these characters go through. The antagonists all create a very real threat throughout the whole film and I truly believed whenever the characters were in danger.
That's the other thing--this film shows everything. Heads sliced in half, limbs flying, ridiculous gore. I finally understand the very real power that all of the characters possess in a way I've never quite seen before.
I love this movie.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)
Captured the surface, but not the depth.
I don't want this to be a giant review and I'll try and keep it as short as possible.
I consider the books as perfection. They are beautiful on so many levels and there are NO plot holes whatsoever. Everything is wrapped up perfectly and satisfyingly.
I loved most of this movie for its ability to capture the stakes of what everybody was fighting for, the human qualities of most of the characters, and the epic grandeur of this finale. The battle was magnificent and I sat in awe as the set you got to know and love got blown to bits before your eyes. My personal favorite part is when Harry goes to face Voldemort and he sees the visions of his family before he has to die. It was sweet and brought the significance of his sacrifice full circle.
Not to mention the visual effects and soundtrack were brilliant.
Unfortunately, that's the only piece of genius the story the books have that's translated to the screen. There are a bunch of small things that are left out that didn't bug me that much but the big things were really upsetting. The Deathly Hallows being totally forgotten, the rushed reveal of Snape's amazing character, Teddy Lupin/Percy, and questioning Dumbledore's "moral" memory.
The significance of the invisibility cloak is left out and the whole idea of being the "master of death" is forgotten. This is so egregious because it's the name of the damn movie!!! Check out the theory of Dumbledore being Death from the tale of the three brothers and you'll understand why this plot point is just so beautiful (Connecting the story being told to a mystical and legendary back story).
"The Prince's Tale" is a perfect chapter and it's done well, but you don't really get to see Young Snape develop his connection with Lily and though it's conveyed well towards the end of the scene, it misses the tragedy and real believability of the books.
Teddy Lupin isn't huge but it expands Harry's importance and the bond between him and Lupin, making the loss of Lupin and Tonks so much more significant. Then Percy coming back at the last moment and rejoining his family right before Fred is killed makes Fred's death that much more necessary. Fred died because the fact that the second the Weasley's are whole again they are ripped apart is just too heartbreaking to leave out (which they did). It adds so much to the Weasley's characters and I remember it as one of the most important parts of the book.
Lastly, Dumbledore is always regarded as a saint and undeniably "good". The last book makes us question that and we realize that even the most resolute characters can have some darkness, but more importantly that that's okay. You can still be as amazing and beautiful as Dumbledore was even with that history.
Of course, there are tons of things that were left out, such as the use of the cruciatus curse on the Carrows, the absence of the Centaurs or Grawp, the LUDICROUS explosions of Voldemort and Bellatrix into dust, and the unnecessary dragging out of "The Flaw in the Plan" chapter in order to squeeze in extra action.
All in all, the finale of this series in the books includes tons of satisfying action and conflict, but it focuses more on explaining why Harry is going to come out on top and showing how darkness cannot possibly defeat all the goodness in the world. The movies are breathtaking to watch but sort of cop out with making it as suspenseful and drawn out as possible which is the main reason why I didn't love the ending.
Sorry this was so long. I tried.
P.S. What freaking wand does Harry have now? Not Draco's, not his own Phoenix feather, and certainly not the Elder Wand.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Perfectly captures the shift in tone.
In this review I'm focusing on Character Portrayal, Differences from the book, and Mood.
The brilliance of the books and the story, in general, is how the characters grow and deal with their adversaries as children. They experience hormones and puberty in the background behind the main story and it never has to actually be brought up--it's just subtly recognized by the audience. The actors all capture this so well--whether it's Ron and Harry dealing with emotions of jealousy and becoming interested in girls or Hermoine growing as a friend and as an individual who also starts to become interested in boys. I entirely believe all of the relationships between the characters and how they develop in this movie, even if there are glaring differences from the book.
Now I think we can all agree that there are many great parts left out from the book, such as Ludo Bagman, Winky, the Crouchs' full story, S.P.E.W., blast-ended skrewts, crazy wizards at the World Cup, and loads more, but what the movie chose to include they did an amazing job with. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort remains today amazingly iconic and they captured his resurrection, Priori Incantatem, and Cedric's death beautifully and painfully (much better than Deathly Hallows Pt. 2's unnecessarily drawn out "The Flaw in the Plan" chapter). The other thing is that unlike many other of the adaptations is that they didn't really change anything, they just left things out. What I hate is when people rewrite parts of the story that worked perfectly fine in the book for seemingly no reason. That's why I'm fine with the edits in this one--it's just cut down and not tampered with.
What makes this one of my favorites out of the 8 is its mood. The atmosphere created by the soundtrack and the pacing is the most unique out of any of the others. The only other 2 I found that matched its success and consistency in this regard were The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. I may be alone here, but I like this soundtrack in particular because of the incredibly sweet moments where the strings take over and play sweeping melodies that capture the grandeur of this installment especially in the Priori Incantantem and return from the graveyard scenes ("Death of Cedric" track). Not to mention the Tri-Wizard Tournament motifs (Played in all Task scenes starting with "Golden Egg") and the Hogwarts band with it's comic relief ("Hogwarts' March).
By the end of the movie you've expertly experienced the subtle shift from lightness to darkness and you understand how everything really has changed for the characters. The Wizarding World is no longer going to be the beautiful, novel, safe haven it was before (Shoutout to JK Rowling for perfectly contrasting that with the fact that the international schools and Hogwarts form a bond over an amazing year and a group understanding of the tragedy behind them, the danger ahead of them, and the importance of friendship and cooperation despite differences between each other).
This installment really is the bridge between the light-heartedness of the first 3 and the seriousness of the last 3 and I'll always love how well it captured that.