Brief thoughts on The Lighthouse.

Newcomer Robert Eggers made quite the name for himself with The Witch, one in a string of intriguing low-budget horror fare from distributor A24. Regardless of *my* unimpressed thoughts on the film, I can't commend Eggers enough for the trend he helped set, migrating horror away from jump scare factories, in favor of richer, more eerie fare. As such, I'm sure most had high hopes for his follow-up film The Lighthouse, in which Eggers migrates to the psychological horror, covering the deterioration of two men in unwilling isolation, after their station is struck by a storm. The Lighthouse is certainly a film loaded with secrets of its own, one that, compared to Eggers' freshman effort, leaves me fascinated to spill its beans.

Brief (conflicted) thoughts on Joker.

The Joker has long been the greatest enemy of Batman, the embodiment of chaos in its purest form. While conceptually a simple character, his methods of exploiting the fragile insanity of human nature, as well as his prevalence for anarchism, has made him an eternally iconic character for the ages, especially when brought to life by the likes of Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, and unfortunately Jared Leto. But away from Batman, is there a chance the Joker could stand on his own? If the latest incarnation is evidence, realized by Joaquin Phoenix, the possibility's certainly there.

Brief thoughts on Abominable.

It's been a while since I've felt like writing anything. Why not now?

After taking an extended break, Dreamworks Animation returned strong earlier this year, concluding their How to Train Your Dragon saga. Such was a big film that the studio was hopeful for, given the company's string of unfortunate underperformers in recent memory, and now being under Universal ownership, and supervision by Illumination's Chris Meledandri. After that film performed so well, I'm sure the studio hoped that their follow-up, Abominable, would be able to as well.

I mean, it didn't... but it's the thought that counts.

It Chapter Two movie review.

Published in 1986, Stephen King's It was a skin-crawling horror saga, following a group of friends on their quest to rid their town of an ancient shape-shifting monster, that feasted on their fear. Having been previously adapted into an ABC mini-series, the novel eventually inspired a 2017 film adaptation. Under the direction of Andy Muschietti, the film solely tackled the novel's first half, following the group as children in the 1980's. I was genuinely surprised by that film, finding it equally scary and emotionally fulfilling, and on its own would have made a great standalone film.

However, that still left the unadapted adult sections, making this one of the few justifiable instances of splitting one book into separate films. Once again under Muschietti's leadership, and recruiting much of the same team of the first, along with some stellar character actors in the adult roles, maybe Chapter Two of King's story could do just as well. But not everything floats down here, namely a sequel that can't, and in some instances doesn't try, to match that standard.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood - Brief Thoughts.

Quentin Tarantino is one of our most idiosyncratic directors, a master of conversation and snappy writing, coupled by his slow-burn suspense that's been a staple of his movies, from Reservoir Dogs to The Hateful Eight. Tarantino's talent has always been high, owed perhaps in no small part to his love of classic cinema, even in its most nitty-gritty. He's an unashamed lover of film and its classic Hollywood hallmarks, drawing from the auteur-driven golden age of the late 60's and 70's. And in his ninth film, we lay witness to his very own love-letter to that age, a story told Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

The Lion king (2019) movie review - 400th Post.

The Lion King is my favorite film of Disney's Animation Classics. It's a jaw-dropping, absolutely beautiful movie, that combined the magical charm of Disney with the sweep of an epic Shakespearean story, to tell a simultaneously mature and whimsical tale of heritage lost and regained. It's a stunning showcase of hand-drawn animation, bringing the African savannah vividly to life, and features an amazing soundtrack. It was such a mammoth hit, it remained Disney's highest grossing film for 20 years until Frozen.

But Disney is in a busy period right now, where they've given some of their most popular animated films a live-action update, this year alone already giving us Dumbo and Aladdin. The quality has varied, but in the case of this new take on The Lion King, at least that had the guidance of director Jon Favreau, who already made high marks with 2016's The Jungle Book, a film that itself could stand independently of its inspiration. Maybe this could recapture the epic magic of that original film. Unfortunately, the second time out, the mighty Lion's roar feels very tired, feeling cheaply wheeled out like a run-down circus show.

Mid-Year capsule reviews.

With how often I've been seeing movies this year, and how busy I've been with other priorities, it's not always easy for me to find time to write my thoughts on a movie down. In fact, even for some movies I like, I'm not always compelled to give detailed thoughts (not everything is deserving of 1,000+ word write ups). But over the summer, I've seen a fair share of films. Some good, some bad, some great, and some horrible. And for those I haven't gotten around to until now, I'll go ahead and give some of them some token acknowledgement, with the mid-year return of capsule reviews. Enjoy!