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philmoore2008
Reviews
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Yorgos is a master
This first story stars Plemons as a man who is asked by his boss to deliberately get in a car accident and kill a guy. He also meets a young woman played by Emma Stone that also gets an accident. Margaret Qualley plays a woman who walks around half naked and hangs out wife Dafoe. The themes running through this story are free will and sex. The next story Plemons plays a man who has a wife that is lost out at sea played by Emma Stone. He and his friends watch a sex video with the four of them banging each other which i thought was hilarious. She comes back but suspects she is not his wife and gets her to cut off a finger and take out her liver. This story has not giving up on love and cannibalism themes. The final story is a sex cult with Emma Stone and Plemons and they try find the perfect candidate where they find twins played by Margaret Qualley. I really loved this film and Lanthomis is becoming one of my favourite directors right now. The themes he explores and off kilter humour is very interesting and he is certainty unique. If you love his movies you will love this.
Uproar (2023)
Uproar
Josh Waaka is a young teenager played brilliantly by Julian Dennison who doesn't fit in at a private New Zealand school in the 1980's. He has a brother named Jamie played by James Rolleston who has an injury and was a huge part of the rugby team's school. His mother Shirley played by Minnie Driver is a cleaner at the school and they struggling to get by. Josh discovers he has a knack for acting and joins the school drama club. At the same time the Springbok rugby tour in New Zealand is going on and there are protests going on around the country because of Apartheid. I found the film really interesting and loved the performances from Dennison and Driver. There were many funny moments and heart warming moments as well. When Josh did a haka for audition for a drama school that sent shivers up my spine. As a kiwi i really identified with this film my father was on the side who just wanted to see rugby and my uncle protested this tour in 1981. I think if i was alive back then I would have protested as well because detest racism in any form. I can only say seek this film out if you can because it is really worth your time. See it in a theatre if you can it is one of top ten films of 2023 so far.
Asteroid City (2023)
Wes Anderson is still a master
The film is set in the 1950's a television host played by Bryan Cranston introduces a televised production of a group of actors in a fictional town called Asteroid City.
The film is populated with colorful characters. Jason Schwartzman plays Augie a war photographer and Scarlett Johansson plays an actress named Midge Campbell. There are so great scenes in this film, so much great Wes Anderson dialogue. The typical color pastels, and use the whip pan camera. I loved Anderson kind of making fun of himself sometimes with the dialogue. Like when a character says to Midge you were great in that play I don't why no else liked it. That is definitely Anderson poking fun people who have not like some of his films in the past. The scenes with the U. F. O's were very funny. I also liked some touching scenes with the characters in the last act of the film. Scarlett was a stand out for me and Jason as Augie with his dead pan delivery was hilarious and touching at the same time. I will need to see this again to really get a full scope of it which i will in two weeks time. But my initial reaction is i loved every minute of it. I laughed, i cried and Anderson has touched me deeply with his films. Especially re watching them all over the pandemic I think this will become one of my top 5 of his work.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Oppenheimer
This film is a true visual and intellectual masterpiece from Christopher Nolan. The film is a biography of the man's life from his time as a young academic right up until the atomic bomb creation and him losing his security clearance after the war. Cillian Murphy's portrayal is exceptional of a man who started off a misfit and became the most famous man in the world. There are different time lines in this film, that can confuse the viewer. If you pay attention and are interested in the subject matter this film with really assault the senses and the mind. Nolan created some exceptional visuals of the recreation of the atomic bomb Trinity test in the desert in New Mexico. The other performances were also outstanding. Florence Pugh was great also and the sexy lover of Oppenheimer. She oozes sex appeal and portrays her character with emotional depth, for a woman who had mental health issues.
Robert Downey Jnr as Strauss who helped Oppenheimer with the Manhattan Project but then tried to take him down after the war. He may have given the performance of his career. I loved the visuals and the black cinematography at times, used with colour as well. I loved the set design, the costumes and the classic style cars. I could go on and on about how great I think this movie is and I can't wait to see it again. Nolan has created a 3 hour epic about a man who grappled with changing the course of human history. I hope this film gets many Oscar nominations and I think it is the best film of the year so far.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
A great last adventure
This is the final entry in the Indiana Jones franchise and I think it will really satisfy fans and all fans of great adventure films. The film starts in 1944 where Indy is captured by the Nazi's during the liberation of Europe trying to retrieve a stolen artifact. Astrophysicist Jurgen Voller thinks he has found an even more important artifact the Dial Of Destiny which can turn back time. Indy escapes the Nazi's and manages to get away with a classic fight on a train. We then go forward to 1969 Indy is about to be retired and doesn't recognize the world of today with hippies living next door. It is the fourth of July weekend and he meets up with his goddaughter Helena played by Phoebe Waller Bridge she has studied archeology and follows after her father's footsteps. Off Indy goes on another adventure and this film really takes you back to the grand old days of matinee entertainment that I used to do on Saturday afternoon as a kid. The film has of course the personification of evil the Nazi's along with trips to Morocco facing off against gangsters and many other obstacles. It has great set pieces and real tug at the heart strings moments for fans that have been following Indy right from the beginning over forty years ago. It has the great John Williams score that we all fell in love with. I think Harrison Ford pulled off a great performance and if this truly his last outing as Indy that is just a magnificent way to go out. I truly love this franchise it means a lot to me and it will forever have a place in my heart.
Black Mirror: Joan Is Awful (2023)
Classic Black Mirror
Joan is a normal person working for a computer company who is bored with her life and her boyfriend. She talks to her shrink about him and decides to reconnect with her ex boy-friend. One day they are sitting to watch Streamberry and what pops but a show called Joan Is Awful with Selma Hayek. It seems to have copied everything in Joan's life her work and her identity. Annie Murphy plays this role brilliantly. She is funny, plays the role with emotional depth and you really believe she is freaking out about her own identity beings stolen. This is great commentary on how possibly A. I has gone to far and if we give away too much information we can be impersonated. I found the show to be insightful, funny and scary for the time we live in. You feel sympathy for Joan even though she is not a very nice person and doing destructive things in her personal life. That is why Murphy is such a great actress and it is the best role she has ever had. She was great in Schitt's Creek but this is an Emmy worthy role that she will be remembered for her entire career. Congrats to the writing team and the production design and acting. This episode was fantastic.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Awesome
Spider- Man Across The Spider Verse the new film was Marvel coming off the hit off Spider-man - Into The Spider verse. Miles Morales is the new Spiderman continuing on from his adventure after he killed his uncle in the first film. He teams up with Gwen Stacy and goes through many different multi-verses to discover more about the Spiderman origins and where he fits in.
This is unlike any comic book film I have ever seen it is really like you are opening up a real comic book and watching it unfold in front you on a big screen. It has so many layers to the film it has emotional depth to the story with a young man trying to wrestle with saving the world and becoming a young adult. There is a great scene where after doing some Spidey work, he comes to a teachers meeting with his parents and tells them he wants to go Princeton University. One of America's most prestigious schools to study physics and with his grades and knowledge he will probably get there in a perfect world. But he doesn't live in a perfect world he lives in a Spider-verse world. His parents are too overbearing his mother needs to cut the cord and he is in love with Gwen Stacey. There is a lot going on in this film and Joaquim Dos Santos and Kemp Powers who directed this film and the first instalment have created something for the ages. A film for a new generation and possibly even generation who grew up with comics as far back as my father's generation. It is a real feast for the eyes and very stimulating and be warned if you have a small attention span and can't sit still like some of the Instagram generation. Kris Anka was behind the animation and design of this film which is so visually stunning and so creative drawing inspiration from futuristic looking cities like Manhattan and Mumbai. There are some funny scenes with the Mumbai based Spiderman when he goes through his daily routine. Going through his hair routine, going to class, finding it easy, hanging out with his girlfriend and then grandmother and having chai tea with her. Miles of course as America wants coffee. There are jokes about ATM crimes and cyber-crimes that really hit the mark. There is also real heart to the story about friendship, family and wanting it all but not being able to have everything. After the success of the first film which won the Oscar for Best Animated film this film took more than four years to make it the screen and it is a terrific achievement. Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment have really created an instant classic. The next installment has already been finished Spider-Man Beyond The Spider-Verse and that will be released in 2024.
Succession: With Open Eyes (2023)
Fitting finale that has divided fans
Roman is off in hiding at his mothers place overcome with grief about his fathers death. With a deal to sell the company with Maddsen looming Kendall and Shiv go and visit a distraught Roman and try to get him to come back. There is a great scene of sibling bonding late at night where they raid their mothers kitchen and anoint Kendall as the king. Meanwhile Maddsen has other ideas and it is in fact Tom that is the new successor. Back stabbing and dirty dealings is what the high ark corporate world is for. In the end none of the siblings were cut out for this job. Running a major company is for men like the Murdoch's the Trumps e.t.c. You need to have a narcissistic driven ego to run business's like this. The ending was so Shakespearean in a nature. It will take me a while to digest the whole thing. But overall Tom being the successor made sense to me. Brilliant show Jesse Armstrong you are now the new king of high quality television.
Air (2023)
Air
If your going into the film thinking its going to show a highlight reel of Jordan the whole time you will be disappointed. This is a story of how the Nike executives came up with in idea of creating a shoe for a once in a life talent. Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro who bets on a young eighteen year old college kid named Michael Jordan. He thinks he will transform the NBA forever. He decides to go to North Carolina and convince his mother played by Viola Davis to switch to Nike. It is a lot of office politics that I found really interesting and fascinating about how deal were made back in the 80's. It is a very enjoyable film and I think one of the best of the year so far.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Four Minutes (2023)
Fitting finale
The show begins with a flash forward to 1965 where Lenny Bruce is in bad shape and going on rants about all the fines and run ins he has had with the police. It is a sad tragic ending to him. Even more so that he had such a great relationship with Midge and we all wish he had a real life Midge Maisel who may have saved him. We then go back to 1961 where Midge finally is going to get her big break appearing on the Gordon Ford Show. There is a funny scene where Abe finds out about it when Midge calls him dressed in her underwear while the male writers are looking. Abe tells Rose who does not want to go until a series of phone calls after Rose had left the phone off the hook for hours leads her to want to go. The writing from Amy in the scene is great, it is a throwback to old phone technology. Midge finds out she isn't on the show for the way she thinks but takes matters into her own hands and does her act. She blows the audience away and this is what we all know then and there finally led to her big break. This show has meant show much to me over the years. I feel the show came full circle and the flashback and flash forwards all made sense in the end. This show and finale was a wonderful tribute to comediennes who have the balls to live in a man's world. Amy Sherman Palladino has created a wonderful series about family, taking hard knocks and picking yourself back up again. The costumes, the rapid fire dialogue the characters are just so amazing and I loved every minute of this show. There will never be anything like show again for me it has meant a lot to personally over tough times during the pandemic and it will always have a special place in my heart.
The Great (2020)
The Great
This satirical comedy from the writer of The Favourite continues to make you laugh out at the outrageous humour and very witty dialogue. The characters are oversexed and love throwing insults at each other. Elle Fanning is so great as Catherine very funny, sexy and witty. Nic Hoult is great as Peter with his dimwitted but very oversexed nature. Some of the dialogue is so sharp and some of the best comedic dialogue in television right now. This is one of the best comedy shows on television right now. The show i think has a strong following but kind of goes under the radar of some people. If you loved The Favourite you will love this show Huzzah!
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: A House Full of Extremely Lame Horses (2023)
Masterful show
We have a flash forward to Rose doing a commercial in 1973. Currently in 1961 Midge is getting an offer to join a show and write scripts for a t.v show. Then we see a flashback to 1954 with Joel and Abe, Abe tells him to not corrupt his son. We then find out Ethan is doing poorly in school and Abe has a go at Joel. This show continues to be great, with its trademark rapid fire and witty dialogue. We know from previous flash-forwards that Midge is going to make it to the top. But the ride has been really interesting over the series to watch. The ups and downs and everything in between. Rachel Brosnahan is so amazing in this show she is on her way to becoming a comedy legend. Amy Sherman Palladino is one of the great writers and show runners in television history. Her show will go down as one of the greatest pieces of comedy ever created for television. I will truly miss it.
Women Talking (2022)
Masterpiece
Sarah Polley has created a masterpiece about a group of women in an isolated religious community set in 2010. They have three choices they can stay and fight against the men that abuse them, they can do nothing or they can leave. The film is them all talking in a barn wrestling with their choice of what to do. This film is very well written with great dialogue and great performances from the cast. Particularly Claire Foy as Salome and Jessie Buckley as Mariche. Both women have daughters and want a better life for them. This film is beautifully shot with a lower grade color saturation. Sarah Polley said she did this to make the story look near black and white and that it faded into the past. This film is a powerful story about women overcoming heinous acts of violence and making a decision to change their lives. This is one of the best films of this Oscar season and it should have got more nominations especially Polley being overlooked for director. I believe that is a travesty that hopefully will be made up for if she wins for the screenplay. I highly recommend this film.
The Whale (2022)
The Whale
Brendan Fraser plays Charlie a reclusive English teacher that teaches courses online. He is estranged from his daughter Ellie played by Sadie Sink. His friend and nurse Liz played by Hong Chau is great in this movie. This film is heavy a lot of the time and Hong Chau does provide some comic relief at times with some great sharp one liners. This film is incredibly moving about a man who is devastated by the loss of his gay lover. He psychically destroys himself by eating to extreme obesity. Fraser gives the performance of a lifetime and could well win the Oscar for Best Actor. Hong Chau also deserved her Best Supporting Actress nomination she is funny, heartbreaking and has emotional depth on screen. Sadie Sink does a great job as Ellie, Charlie's rebellious daughter. She has a lot of anger but it is warranted. She has some really great lines as well. This film will devastate you so be prepared. I highly recommend it.
Tár (2022)
What a performance from Blanchett
Tar is a fictional biopic about an incredible conductor called Lydia Tar who has won EGOT. The film opens with a long scene where she is talking about her career in front of audience. The scene really sets the mood and the stage. Cate Blanchett is truly at her best here the performance is magnetic and a totally physical performance. The screenplay is razor sharp and Todd Field's direction is great. Some of the conducting pieces are thrilling, and so are some the conversations between the characters. Lydia has interesting relationship with her assistant Francesca and a complicated relationship with her partner Sharon. This film deals with themes of cancel culture and power dynamics between characters. It is one of the best films of this Oscar season and Cate Blanchett should win Best Actress at the Oscars.
Babylon (2022)
Babylon
Manny is an aspiring actor wanting to get into movies he meets Nellie played by Margot Robbie at a wild party. They both get into the movies and start their careers. This film is very colorful and comes at you at break neck speed. I really admire Damien Chazelle's ability to pull off such a fearless piece of film making. Brad Pitt also stars as a older movie star who is past his prime after the advent of sound in films. Nellie is able to make the transition from silent films to sound very well and she becomes a star. Margot Robbie is so great in this role, she is funny, sexy and heartbreaking. There are so many great moments in this film, so many outrageous moments. This era of Hollywood was such a crazy time. Damien Chazelle has a created a great love letter to this era of Hollywood. I loved every minute of the whole three hours of this movie.
The Fabelmans (2022)
The Fabelmans
Sammy Fabelman grows up loving movies, he is taken to see The Greatest Show On Earth in 1952 at six years old. That inspires him to make movies with his sisters and then later his friends. Steven Spielberg has told a deeply personal film loosely based on his own life. The film is about love and passion, but it also about heartbreak. Sammy is heartbroken over his parents divorce. This must have been a painful story to tell for Steven and he waited until parents passed to tell the story. This film has beautiful cinematography with a great score and beautiful acting. Michelle Williams is the real standout as Sammy's mother. She is beautiful, funny and heart breaking. It is great to see how Spielberg fell in love with film and such a young age at what inspired him to make these great movies. This is one of the best films of 2022 I loved it.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Masterpiece
Colin Farrell plays Padraic and Brendan Gleeson plays Colm two life long friends. One day Colm just suddenly decides he doesn't want to be friends with Padraic anymore. Not for any reason just that he thinks he has become dull. This leads to Padraic trying to everything to win his friend back. The rest of the film is populated with interesting characters. Padraic has a lovely dotting sister named Siobhan played by Kerry Condon. She showed a lot of range in the film. She is funny, heart breaking and very warm. There is Dominic as well a dim witted young man who his friendly with Padraic. This film has some very funny dialogue and dark humour. The film also has some great Irish scenery. The film deals with themes of death and the consequences of actions of one person on the characters around them. This film has some many great moments in it. It will make you laugh and cry and be shocked as well. It is the best film of 2022.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Great film experience
Jake Sully is living on Pandora with his family until a threat from Colonel Quartitch puts him and his family in danger. The visuals in this film are stunning and even more spectacular than the first film. The story is very engaging and has interesting themes of imperialism, racism and family at the heart of it. The cinema experience on the biggest screen you can find is what I would recommend. I really loved the characters, the score and the cinematography in the film. There many wow moments in the film and moments that will get audiences cheering in their seats. James Cameron has done a spectacular job with this film. I think it is one of the best films of the year.
Munich (2005)
Spielberg does best work in years
This is a film about a secret group of Israeils that are assigned to hunt down the people who are responsible for the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics. They travel all over the world to track down and kill everyone who was involved. This is Steven Spielberg's best film in years. Just when you thought he was near the end of his career and not going to do anything more great he hits you with this. He has always loved doing in your face subject matter e.g Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Eric Bana is great as the leader of the group assigned to track down the men who carried out the massacre. This film was nominated for 5 Oscars in 2005 including best picture. I do feel it probably was more superior to the film that did win which was Crash. I highly recommend this film
Lost (2004)
Great way to end a great show
My name is Philip Moore and I've been a fan of lost since season 1.
Although it has frustrated me at times, in particular the 5th and most of the last season, this was a great finale and tied up a lot of lose ends.
Sure we didn't get answers to all the questions, but it wouldn't be lost if we did get all the answers.
To me my view is all that stuff on the island did happen and at the end when they are all together again, that may be a version of heaven, purgartory, hell whatever you think you want to be
I would also like to say there were some great performances in this last season and if terry o'quinn doesn't get an emmy for best supporting in a drama series ill be shocked
Great show that will forever live in television history
The Little Rascals (1994)
Great
I love this movie. To me it's one best kids movies ever, it just brings you back to those innocent times of being a child. It's fun, its cool, its when you start to notice girls for the 1st time. This is one for the ages. It still resonates with young kids today. It has genuine performances by child actors.
It is everything you want in a kids movie and more.
Big thumbs up from me
It's girls will be girls
Boys will be boys
5/5