Uncut Gems (SPOILERS)

This is me. This is how I win...

Adam Sandler is one of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood. He's built a career starring in comedies, some good, great even, and others...not so much. Given the track record some of his more infamous outings have left behind, it wouldn't be a surprise if there are those out there who said he was one of the worst actors working today. However, I am here to tell you that that is not the case...far from it in fact. Uncut Gems is a film that proves with the right creative team, any "bad" actor can show the true talent they have buried inside them:

UPS

1. Adam Sandler is terrific! Absolutely, positively terrific! He plays the character of Howard with an endearing sleaziness that only he could pull off. Howard is a selfish, greedy, self-destructive scumbag who would probably gain the utmost disdain from just about anybody, and yet we find ourselves attached to him because Sandler provides his own brand of charm and humor to make him amusing to watch, even as the writing and direction make no bones about what kind of man he is. Speaking of which...
2. The Safdies. I think as great as Sandler is, these two are the crown jewel. They have such an incredible style that imbues this frantic energy within the film that has the audience immerse themselves in Howard's journey...which could prove to be a challenge given how anxiety-ridden and overly intense it is. Combine their direction with a sharp script written by them and Ronald Bronstein, and these brothers are two filmmakers worthy of recognition, which brings me to my next point that can be a more general topic of discussion as opposed to being regulated to the film itself...
3. A24. This studio, man. It has produced some of the most well-regarded and critically acclaimed films of recent years, with this fortunately being one of them. To have this film made the way it is shows that A24 is a company that cares about and allows filmmakers the creative freedom to produce the passion projects that they wish to bring to our world. For that, I find the company to be very commendable.  

DOWNS

1. The overly excessive cursing. This maybe pretty hypocritical of me given my own rather colorful vocabulary, but I feel that when every other line out of a character's mouth contains "fuck" or "shit" or any other variation, it could prove a little tiresome after a while. This movie is no different. This is very minor in the grand scheme of things, but it was just a little distracting once the movie got further along.  

OVERALL

Uncut Gems is a great movie. A really, really great movie. If I had seen it at the time of its release last year, it would've definitely made the Top 10 and have a very good chance of being near the top. If you love Adam Sandler, A24, or just need something that'll give you an experience unlike never before, then go see this! You won't regret it! 

And that's it for this post, guys! Tune in for more coming your way and till then, take care :)

Retro-Reviews: The Mandalorian (SPOILERS)

This is the way...

Oh Star Wars. One of the most beloved and successful franchises of all time, it has seen trying times ever since Disney acquired the rights. With a fandom completely ripped apart and a trilogy that didn't have a clear vision going in, there was a lot going against the franchise. With the unveiling of Disney+, Jon Favreau brings the audience a show that deals not with the Jedi, the Sith, or the Skywalkers, but rather takes a look at a different type of character: a Mandalorian. Already, it was indeed refreshing to see this side of the universe, and the result has been quite possibly one of the best things to come out of this franchise in a long time. In this review, I will go over exactly what makes the first season of The Mandalorian an absolute success, and whatever quibbles it may have that could be improved upon with time:

UPS

1. Mando. To start things off, I have to talk about our titular protagonist, who is as great as they come. He's incredibly badass, and yet what really sells him is his heart and humanity. The more the season goes on, the more layers are peeled back to reveal the psyche of this character. Best of all, almost all of it is done with body language instead of dialogue. That right there is enough to sell this show as something that is truly pushing the franchise in a different direction in regards to storytelling.  
2. Baby Yoda. I know, he's all everyone's talking about, but I still think he deserves mentioning. It's not so much about him being so damn adorable (which he really is,) but it's also about what he represents, and that is the personification of Mando's humanity. All that he does is in service of preserving the life of this innocent little creature. The bond these two share is the clear heart of the show, and I hope the show builds upon this relationship in the second season as the child gets older and more powerful. 
3. I really enjoyed how the season was structured. Many had a problem with how the middle three episodes essentially boiled down to being standalone stories that had no bearing on the plot, but I found myself really enjoying them. I thought they worked well in worldbuilding and of course showing us different parts of the galaxy, and I really enjoyed the characters introduced in these episodes. Of course, the series was at its strongest when dealing with the core story, with Episode 3 and the season finale in particular being the highest points of the season. Overall, the show should break away from the standalone episodes going forward, but for the first season, I found them fitting in just fine. 
4. The theme song. It's just...so awesome!

DOWNS

1. This going to be a little controversial, but I wasn't a fan of the premiere. It did pretty much what a premiere is supposed to do, but it felt more like a checklist instead of an actual episode. It didn't have a good flow and it felt like a lot got crammed in just so the producers could move on to the next thing. Fortunately, the first and last scenes are some of the best of the season, and the show obviously got better from there.  

OVERALL

The first season of The Mandalorian is a breath of fresh air for Star Wars. I hope the series only gets better from here and hopefully be something that will be cherished by everyone who has the pleasure of viewing it. 

And that's it for this post, guys! As always, tune in for more coming your way and till then, take care :)

The Best of The 2010s (SPOILERS)

Well here we are, the end of the decade. There have been several amazing films to come out of this decade, some of which you'll see on my list. Probably the hardest one I had to make, I really tried my best to pick the ones that I felt the best about. To make this fair, I picked two films from each year that I saw and felt had the best chance of deserving a place on the list. I'm sure they'll be disagreements, but hey, opinions are opinions. Reviews for movies I've covered will be linked, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies from 2017, 2018, and 2019. Now let's begin:
 20. The Revenant
 19. Rise of The Planet of The Apes
 18. Alpha
 17. Deadpool
 16. The VVitch
 15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 14. The Wolf of Wall Street 
 13. The Irishman
 12. Prisoners
  11. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
 10. Django Unchained 
 9. The Dark Knight Rises
 8. Coco
 7. Logan
 6. Whiplash 
 5. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes
 4. Avengers: Infinity War
 3. How To Train Your Dragon
 2. Joker
 1. Toy Story 3

And that's a wrap on the 2010s. What a decade it has been! Here's to what the 2020s have in store. As always, tune in for more posts coming your way and till then...

The Best of 2019 (SPOILERS)

Well, we are about to each the end of the 2010s, and what a decade it's been. Before we take a look at the best that this decade has had to offer, let's take a look at some of the best the year of 2019 had to offer first. 2019 was an interesting one in that it started off pretty good before meandering in the middle then blowing me out of the water by the end. As such, this was a pretty hard list to make. Reviews for the movies I've covered will be linked here, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies of 2017 and 2018 in the links below:

• The Best of 2017
• The Best of 2018

Now let's begin:
 10. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

 9. Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood

 8. Avengers: Endgame

 7. IT: Chapter Two

 6. Toy Story 4

 5. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

 4. Doctor Sleep

 3. Marriage Story

 2. The Irishman

 1. Joker

And that's it for this list guys. Tune in for my Best of The 2010s coming up!