DolphinSpurs
Film Freak
Member Since: 30 Jul 2009
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
Recent Ratings
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Monkey Man (2024) - Rated 07 Jan 2025
"A stylized revenge flick. Dev Patel plays his hero as John Wick with less bullets and a living dog. Lots of brutal fight scenes enliven the standard fight-your-way-to-the-big-bad plot. Some political intrigue thrown in as well I guess to show that corruption only exists with the backing of those in power. Lots of plot armor saves Monkey Man, but for an action romp, it could be worse. PSI: 76"
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) - Rated 06 Jan 2025
"Michael Cera is all wrong for Pilgrim. It's a tough balance to pull off, but the movie can't decide whether it wants to be a cartoon for edgy kids or a send-up of edgy kids for knowing adults and fails to be either. It's also VERY much of it's early 2000s time in terms of bro-ish non-PC humor. So much so, in fact, 13 years later Scott Pilgrim Takes Off tries to correct the focus of the story. A true time capsule. A bright spot is Culkin's turn as egotistical best friend, Wallace Wells. PSI: 84"
Hundreds of Beavers (2024) - Rated 15 Sep 2024
"A madcap take of hunger, survival, a thousand sight gags, and of course, hundreds of beavers. This demented Elmer Fudd-esque 1950s Looney Tunes short surprisingly fills a 100-minute runtime with murder, Rube Goldberg machines, world building, a splash of American myth-making and enough beavers to shake your stick at. What a ride. There are less than 5 words spoken throughout but the stakes are clear and plot easy to follow. How a movie like this was distributed in 2024 I'll never know. PSI: 90"
Evil Does Not Exist (2024) - Rated 15 Sep 2024
"A quiet movie full of symbolism about the loss of nature and banal evil of capitalism. Or maybe it's about the loss of innocence and banal evil of progress? The themes are certainly open for interpretation in this slow, dreamy treatise of life in rural Japan. Strong acting and cinematography are highlights, but the apex are the 20+ minutes dedicated to a town hall meeting with developers. The divisive ending explains very little of the previous 2 hours. I didn't like it, but some will. PSI: 86"
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) - Rated 15 Sep 2024
"Serviceable entry/sorta reboot of the newest Planet trilogy. New lead Noa cannot compare to Serkis' Caesar as the main monkey protagonist, but doesn't detract as he goes on his hero's quest to avenge the sacking of his village by a rival tribe of simians. The sidekick apes (both good and bad) are the standouts. The human presence seems superfluous throughout the movie but pays off nicely at the end with a neat zag of intentions and promising setup of the next entry into the series. PSI: 75"
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) - Rated 14 Mar 2024
"My best movie of 2023. Scorcese shines a harsh light on (yet another) little known black mark of American history: the systematic murder/financial pillaging of the newly rich Osage Indians in Oklahoma. Every actor provides a tour-de-force performance and the 3 1/2 hours truly fly by as Scorcese dives deep into the terrible schemes. The third act arrival & justice of the nascent FBI feels rushed rushed following the care shown to the previous 2/3rds but still, a modern American classic. PSI: 86"
About Time (2013) - Rated 14 Mar 2024
"Richard Curtis (of Love Actually fame) puts together another modern romantic classic in this underrated gem. If you gloss over the whole "loser-man-repeatedly-stalking-woman" angle that hangs over the initial pairing of Gleeson and McAdams, the movie is a charming English rom-com fantasy. Like cotton candy at the local fair, the plot is sugary sweet while you're watching, but ultimately, a bunch of air. Bill Nighy predictably steals the show and look out for a fresh faced Margot Robbie. PSI: 80"
American Fiction (2023) - Rated 17 Feb 2024
"Make no mistake, American Fiction -- this year's black diversity invitee to all the Hollywood awards -- tiptoes into the white pandering it lampoons, but director Cord Jefferson pulls off quite the feat in keeping it light enough to make his heavy point. Jeffrey Wright is excellent as the angry & lost intellectual writer. Sterling K. Brown shines in his supporting role (Brown should be getting the 2024 Oscar buzz Charlie Melton is...). The movie insists upon itself, and rightly so. PSI: 85"
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - Rated 10 Feb 2024
"Nintendo really got boned releasing this movie the same year as Mattel's "Barbie" juggernaut. There's little redeeming about the voice-acting, animation, plot, characterizations, or fan-service going on here. In this day and age, nostalgia IP is king, so even if the movie is squarely for the kids market (no one in Gen Alpha grew up w/ Mario and Luigi; they don't care), better effort in appealing to kids of ALL ages would have benefited proceedings greatly. Go watch Sonic instead. PSI: 70"
Godzilla Minus One (2023) - Rated 10 Feb 2024
"A decent kaijiu flick as these things go. Godzilla remains a peripheral figure until the latter half of the movie, where finally gets his destruction on. The focus here is on a Japanese pilot who has deserted his post and must regain his honor via heroic struggle against monster. As a clueless American not really steeped in Godzilla lore, some silly special effects and overacting notwithstanding, G -1 works. PSI: 85"
