Yeesh.
This feels like a slow, steady freefall. You know you’re going to hit the ground eventually, but the dread is in not knowing when. You feel every inch of the drop.
Benicio del Toro puts on a masterclass in quiet menace and controlled chaos - barely raising his voice, yet making it clear he has no qualms about killing anyone in his path. What really sticks, though, are the flashes of something almost tender underneath, which somehow make him…
This is one of those movies that grabs you from the start and never lets go. It’s a fascinating character study of three wildly different men moving through the world in parallel, each following their own code, yet walking the same doomed path.
The Coen Brothers strip everything down to the essentials - no score, no wasted words. It’s a perfect example of “show, don’t tell” which makes for some powerful storytelling. Can’t believe I waited this long to watch it!
Beautifully melancholic and painfully familiar for anyone who’s chased a dream that just won’t catch. The lighting and color grading are so well done - every frame feels cold, worn, and perfectly in tune with the early ‘60s folk scene. The music is stunning, raw but effortless, and Oscar Isaac sings like he’s been carrying these songs his whole life. Such an impressive performance! And don’t even get me started on the damn cat (or Adam Driver)…
As a former (always) theater kid, this one hits. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it, I’ve worn the hastily hot-glued costumes. And honestly, Red, White, and Blaine had better production value than half the shows I’ve done.
The cast is stacked. The improv is unreal - I genuinely don’t understand how people can be this funny off the cuff. Absolute comedy legends.
Waiting for Guffman is somehow both a tribute to theater and a roast of everyone who’s ever done it. What a freaking gem of a movie.
