Cine-File

	Getting Home The film reflects the life of everyone through confucianism I have a major soft spot for road movies so it’s great to see a mainland Chinese one that doesn’t rely too much on comedy or suck. But the most surprising thing for me has to be Zhao Benshan who for those of you didn’t know is the single most well known comedian possibly in the history of China gave a genuinely touching and heartfelt performance in this. Real shame he didn’t star in more dramatic roles because he could’ve easily pulled a Beat Takeshi acting wise and be recognized as a major talent in cinema.
	The Big Lebowski The Big Lebowski might hands down be one of the best comedies ever made. I don't know how, but from the very first scene all the way to the end, it was just non-stop hilarious moment after hilarious moment in a way that doesn't usually happen with many of the comedy flicks I watch, but this one certainly changed the game up for my perspective on comedy flicks from here on out now, that's for sure.
	Pokémon: The First Movie “I see now that the circumstances of one's birth is irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” ― Mewtwo Mewtwo ended racism
	Safe Very clean film without any unnecessary shots. It deserves Palme d'Or
	The Florida Project The moment at the end of the movie when the format switches (right before they head into Disney) is one of the more profound moments I’ve had in a theater in some time. As a filmmaker, I knew where this was going. I understood immediately the literal theft of the Disney footage that was to come. And in that moment, form was married to content, was married to character, was married to story in a truly transcendent way, and it shook me to the core. When the picture cut to black, I broke the fuck down.
	In the Mood for Love I hate to say it, but as absolutely stunning as this film is in so many ways, I think a bit of it went beyond me. Like, what’s up with the poetic inter-titles toward the end? Some of the other stylistic and story choices lost me, too. This is admittedly my first Wong Kar-Wai film, so maybe it’s just an acquired taste? Feel free to roast me for being out-of-touch. Overall, though, I did enjoy it. “He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.”
	Pulp Fiction F**cking perfect from beginning to end. Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is more than just a film, but a bona-fide landmark in cinematic history. The delirious, introspective, funny, and captivating set of characters are unhinged from any sense of convention, moving through the landscape of Tarantino's sunny little universe with wicked brutality and gorgeous fluidity. Every needle drop of groovy tunes, quick pan of the camera, and quick scrambling of the kaleidoscopic narrative all comes together in a masterpiece of profound audaciousness and sun-soaked perversity. The passion and the vibrant beauty radiates from the screen like the golden glow from Marsellus' briefcase.
	The Lighthouse It was clear the moment both actors appeared on the screen that this was going to be something special. To put it simply, this is the result of everyone behind the film being on the same page and doing their absolute best. It’s not something where I can pick my favorite aspect, it’s all overwhelmingly good. It was clear throughout the film that this was not the end of this experience, with sounds and images so specific and beautiful that I don’t see them leaving my head anytime soon.
	A Bloody Aria A film about violence and bullying and how it sometimes comes full circle. Shot mostly in one area, a sandbar along a river, in the middle of nowhere. The location itself doesn't even matter, because you're so engrossed in the acts of the dimwitted youths that are terrorizing a professor and his student. Brutally violent and completely unpredictable. South Korean horror often delivers many favorites for me.
	Abigail Harm I feel like the point was to have unapproachable characters at the center of this cause Abigail has a really hard time connecting with people but that means it’s also kinda awkward and stilted by design. I wanted to connect with her inability to relate to people and her need to be heard but it always felt too distant. Plus our secondary character is a strange maybe alien who doesn’t really have any understanding of English or regular human things like hot water and just sorta exists for a lot of the runtime. It’s the exact kinda movie where I see what it’s trying to go for and I appreciate the attempt but it only got far enough that I could recognize the outline of what’s going on but couldn’t draw a thorough enough picture. It starts off really cryptic and whimsical too but then once the magical narrator goes away it’s replaced with a silent sexy man and that’s not really on the same level tonally.
	Minari There’s just SO much incredible stuff about this movie that Will Patton’s performance/character feels like it’s never part of the discussion and that’s a shame. He’s just so f**king good. Every scene of his is perfect. The interplay of religion and class and race and immigration in this movie is handled so deftly and plays out without feeling like a heavy-handed drama that installs a cruel white character to exist as a synecdoche for all racial conflict. In fact, there’s no racial conflict here. There’s a small moment of ignorance in the middle that is clearly meant to play as childhood ignorance, and that’s it. It would be far too easy to let race stand out as the important factor in this story when it’s immigration that really tells us what each character is going through.
	In Bruges The plot of "In Bruges" centers around two hitmen who, after a botched job, are ordered to await further instructions in the tourist-friendly city of Bruges, Belgium. What begins as a potential odd-couple comedy with the two disparate contract killers eventually deepens into something richer; but the film is more about character, dialogue, and interaction than it is narrative. Still, the film's story provides "In Bruges" with a sturdy, compelling foundation.
	Taxi Driver You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who do the f**k do you think you're talking to? Oh, yeah? Ok.
	Nomadland NOMADLAND is a film about people above anything else. It cuts like a person, absorbs like a person, observes like a person, and moves like a person. To experience Zhao’s latest is to experience the feeling of sitting still while uncontrollably moving forward. It uses those rare pauses and moments of relief in life to their fullest potential. This is an incomparable piece of work that exists in its own bubble. A bubble gently floating through the air ready to pop but living in complete tranquility while it still can. This will only get better with time.
	Scott Pilgrim vs. the World “We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff.” The best comic based movie ever made. AN EPIC OF EPIC EPICNESS.