Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  The United States vs. Billie Holiday 2021

  ½ Added

  1/2 a star for Trevante Rhodes who has the most compelling presence in the film. Once you have seen the first twenty minutes of this film, you've seen it all. I regret watching the whole film.

  I'm sure Andra Day gave it her all. But I really hope she doesn't get nominated for Best Actress. There are far more deserving performances to recognize.

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  Ammonite 2020

  ★★★★ Watched 09 Nov 2020

  A beautiful but raw and intimate movie. Best sound design since Cuaron's Roma. Feels and sounds so lived-in, I was engrossed even with the film's leisurely pace.

  Kate Winslet's best performance since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A true joy to see Winslet's face soften as her character gets closer to Saoirse's and the walls between them dissipate. But heart-wrenching and heartbreaking when the barriers between them return. Winslet truly carries this movie.

  Minor complaint: the subtext is spelled out at times - thereby making the film's restraint feel at times at odds with its own self.

Popular reviews

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  Minari 2020

  ★★★ Watched 05 Nov 2020

  It's a nice movie. But like the Korean filmgoers at this year's Busan International Film Festival, I'm more than a little surprised that it's so beloved by American film critics and festival audiences.

  Not much emotional weight to this film. Some of the best moments were already captured in the trailer. I wonder if it's geared towards a certain audience.

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  The Farewell 2019

  ★★★ Added

  Could have been an hour shorter and nothing would've been lost.