Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Citizen Kane 1941

  ★★★★½ Watched 16 Aug 2024

  In 1940 Orson Welles was a young, cocky, self-proclaimed genius when he was handed the keys to the castle by the Hollywood elite. Completely unfettered, untethered, and unsupervised, he was given everything he needed to make any movie that he saw fit to make. What did he do? He chose to critique American Capitalism, the pursuit of power, and the American Dream by making a composite of wealthy, powerful American capitalists that so closely resembled the life of William Randolph…

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  Badlands 1973

  ★★★½ Watched 15 Aug 2024

  Terrence Malik takes the realist true crime story of young lovers on a killing spree and turns it into an ambiguous formalist film that left me wondering what the hell I just watched.

  Martin Sheen sometimes portrays Kit as a simple minded kid and at others as a complex and ruthless killer, but you never get the sense that his heart is aligned with his actions. He could be a psychopath or just a rebellious greaser that stumbled his way…

Popular reviews

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  Desperately Seeking Susan 1985

  ★★★★ Watched 11 Aug 2024

  This film does more than capture the zeitgeist of the 80’s and showcase Madonna, it crafts a compelling story from start to finish that feels more like a modern day fairy tale than a Hollywood movie. One thing I want to mention that I found noteworthy: I always wondered where the idea came from that getting hit on the head could not only cause amnesia, it could reverse the amnesia if you already have it. This film seems to be…

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  North by Northwest 1959

  ★★★★½ Watched 08 Jul 2024

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.