The Quintessentialist

Coda Movie Review This Deserved Best Picture So, I just got back from seeing Coda, and it was amazing! This was the second attempt to see this film as the first time, someone booked the entire theater for a private screening. I'm going to take from a summary from IMDB to summarize the plot: " As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents." The acting was  phenomenal, the  cinematography was beautiful, and the story was human. The way this film is crafted is nothing short but excellent. I will not that not everything is 100% accurate, but for narrative reasons, I understand the choices they made. The actors have amazing chemistry together. Everything feels natural between them and they all bring their characters to life. No per...

House Of Gucci Movie Review A Good Drama First off, I know I'm behind on some reviews, but I want to get a couple more out before the end of the year lists. A while ago, I saw House Of Gucci. I found it to be a solid drama. House Of Gucci follows the Italian Fashion Family, Gucci and their downfall as a family all because of one person. This film is based on a true story. I don't know how accurate it is to the true events, I'm judging this review only on the merits of the film itself. House of Gucci has a great cast of actors. The cinematography is sharp. And the pacing is solid.  Adam Driver is my favorite performance in House Of Gucci. Lady Gaga also did a solid job, and I know there was a little more focus on her character, but I think Adam Driver gave a stronger performance. Jared Leto was good. He wasn't great, but he was good. Al Pacino wasn't as strong as he could have been. He felt half invested in the film except for perhaps one particular scene. The suppor...

Dune Movie Review A Slow, But Grand Epic I was able to see Dune over the weekend and I must say that it is a perhaps the first true Epic of a Film that I've seen this year. However, that doesn't mean it's not without it's faults. I'm going to use the description from IMDB for this review, " A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, 'Dune' tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive." The cinematography is top notch in Dune. The acting is pretty solid as well. The score is a soaring. The pace, is a bit on the slower...

The Professor and the Madman Movie Review A Good Film I just finished watching, The Professor and the Madman and I found myself enjoying the film. It might be a bit slow for some, but it's still good. The Professor and the Madman is about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and how one Scot, and one American made great progress at the beginning of the Dictionary. James Murray (Mel Gibson) is presented as a hyper-polyglot at the beginning of the film and appears that he may be the only one up to the task at starting a dictionary comprised of every English word. Dr. William Minor (Sean Penn) is found insane for the murder of Eliza Merrett's (Natalie Dormer) husband. He is placed in psychiatric hospital where he faces what he has done and what haunts him from the past. Dr. William Minor discovers a plea for help in the creation of the dictionary and he assists James Murray in its creation, while attempting to make amends with Eliza Merrett. I found The Professor and the ...

Human Capital Movie Review An Enjoyable Flick So, a couple days ago it was my first time back at a theater since the quarantine began and I went and saw the film, Human Capital with a friend of mine. I'm not exactly how to describe Human Capital , so, I'm going to quote the IMDB page, " The lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident." Human Capital has a ton of actors you would recognize but may not remember  their names. There is a good pace to the film and it changes things up a couple of times which was really refreshing. Human Capital is a bit more of a character study than a plot heavy film, and it works for what it is. I think you'll probably enjoy this movie a bit more knowing that going in. Regarding the actors, I'm just going to listen their names:  Marisa Tomei ,  Maya Hawke , Alex Wolff , Peter Sarsgaard , Liev Schreiber , Paul Sparks , Betty Gabriel . Plus many oth...

The Pursuit Of Happyness Movie Review A Great Film A few days ago, I watched The Pursuit Of Happyness which came out back in 2006. I wanted to see it back then, but I didn't get the chance. However, a few days ago I watched The Pursuit Of Happyness for the first time and I loved the film. The Pursuit Of Happyness is based on a true story and follows Chris Gardner (Will Smith) as his life goes from bad to worse while trying to make a better life for himself and his son Christopher (Jaden Smith). He unsuccessfully tries to sell bone density scanners while going through a competitive internship to become a stock broker. I really enjoyed The Pursuit Of Happyness and thought it was a great film beginning to end. The highs and lows of this film are incredible. I think this is one of the best Will Smith films I've seen. There is such an emotional weight to it. The Pursuit Of Happyness captures your attention and holds it from beginning to end. Will Smith is a good actor...

Jojo Rabbit Movie Review A Really Good Movie I just got back from seeing Jojo Rabbit at the theater with one of my friends and this film was really good but not in the way I expected. Jojo Rabbit is a WWII based film that follows a young German boy named Jojo ( Roman Griffin Davis ) as he is a fanatic of the Nazis. But when he discovers his mother ( Scarlett Johansson ) is hiding a Jewish Girl named Elsa ( Thomasin McKenzi ), self doubt about who he really is creeps in. Is Jojo really a Nazi? Or just a kid caught up in difficult situation trying to figure out right from wrong? Taika Waititi  did a fantastic job Directing, Writing, and Acting in this film. Jojo Rabbit was a bit darker than I thought it would be and had a lot more heart too. I went in expecting a full on comedy, but Jojo Rabbit is way more than that. First off, I want to applaud the cast. Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, and Thomasin McKenzi all did a great job in this film. They re...

Still Mine Movie Review A Charming Canadian Indie Film Still Mine is an Indie Canadian Film which came out in 2012 and it was so fun to watch and it had so much charm to it. Still Mine Follows an old man named Craig ( James Cromwell ) as he wants to build a small house for himself and his wife Irene ( Geneviève Bujold ) who has Alzheimer's. Yet as Craig is building their house on his own land, he ends up in a sort of legal battle as he isn't complying with all the regulations. I really found myself enjoying Still Mine . The acting was done well. James Cromwell is a great actor already, and really liked him in this roll. I personally think this is one of the highlights of his career, but it acts as a sort of hidden gem. The pacing of the film felt appropriate and not to long. There was a simplicity about the film which I absolutely loved. The story was straight forward and the characters were relatable. It seemed like a fantastic film. Still Mine ticks all the box...

The Upside Movie Review A Rare Heartwarming Film A couple of days ago, my dad and I went to the theater and saw the movie, The Upside. I've seen the trailers a couple of times and it looked somewhat interesting to me, not like it would be great, but it did get my attention. So, we went and saw it, and I can tell you without a doubt how wrong the critics truly are about The Upside. The Upside follows the relationship between Dell Scott ( Kevin Hart ) a man who is on parole looking for a job, and Phillip Lacasse ( Bryan Cranston ) a quadriplegic rich man looking for a caretaker. Phillip is bored by everyone that applies for the position, until Dell walks in with a, "I don't care" attitude, and they hit it off. The film follows the friendship between them. This is a great film, honestly. Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart are both spectacular in their own right in The Upside . They played off of each other almost naturally like they had been working with one anoth...