Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino: The Chronology
I am pretty sure most of those reading will not agree with my number 1, or even my number 9. That’s okay though. Let me know your own list or thoughts in the comments.
Knives Out (*****) is a donut inside of a donut hole
“This is one of the best films of the year. It’s also one of the best mystery films I remember seeing. My daughter solved it about midway through. She just wasn’t sure how she’d solved it until Johnson let us all see. “
Forgotten Gem: Jackie Brown (*****) – Robert Forster lives on
The ending sends chills through me every time. Especially today, knowing that the end of El Camino is the last time I will ever see the deep story told within the eyes of Robert Forster.
Forgotten Gem: The Limey (*****)
“This is one of Soderbergh’s best. Coming directly from Out of Sight and just before Ocean’s 11, it’s easy for The Limey to get lost in the shuffle. Don’t let too this one pass you by. “
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (*****) The work of a master
“Brad Pitt has simply never been better. If he doesn’t exactly expand his range to 12 Monkeys range, his portrayal is spot on. He’s carries the load, quite literally. “
I Am Mother (*****) the future is then
Keeping the characters to a minimum in no way diminishes the effectiveness of the story. This is dystopian future story telling at its best. It makes us think about more than the story. It makes us think about who we are and what we could be.
Shaft (*****) is damn right
John Shaft is the urban answer to the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” It’s a remarkable statement that no doubt has lead many critics who live in big cities to blanch at the apparent crudity espoused by the filmmakers. Now in their 5th film and going on 5 decades. All it really does is show the difference between those who prefer a nanny state and those who’d rather think of it as a distant uncle they see once in a while.
Rocketman (*****) How about a hug?
“This may not ascend to the highs of Bohemian Rhapsody. It deserves to, though. We don’t have a martyr here. We have a survivor who moved past the stage of needing love from those who’d never give it to him. What he finds is a way to be his own friend. From there, he woke up to the world and embraced it. As he let it embrace him.”
Avengers: Endgame(*****) – I love you 3000 (no spoilers)
“After four Avengers films, they’ve finally made the perfect one. There’s but one overly gratuitous moment for me. It easily washes out, though, when the rest of the film feels so comfortable, so tense and anything but inevitable.”
Forgotten Gem: Miller’s Crossing (*****) catching a star on the rise
“This film is a definite display of two of the best filmmakers of their time in Joel and Ethan Coen. They show all of the range that would later be used to make some of the films which I really enjoyed, even if there were still those weird one offs that still haven’t grabbed me. “
Forgotten Gems – Lone Star(*****): John Sayles is still the king
“This is just the tip of the iceberg that goes down into the depths of a deep sea of the human condition. If there is one film that shows a completely honest viewpoint of life on the border of so many things.”
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse is a world without end
“Every once in a while, something comes along that opens your eyes to a new way of viewing cinema. Star Wars did this for me first back when I was 6 years old. Goodfellas did it in 1991. Now we have this…a comic book cartoon movie.”
Eighth Grade (*****) – If you could only see you…
“…I cannot attest to how accurate the portrayal is from the perspective of a teenage girl. I can only say as the father of two he’s done a magnificent job of showing us – rather than telling us – how it feels. “
Roma (*****) – Share the Well
#roma “It’s a tough viewing, to be sure. It is also incredibly rewarding. It is so much higher a level of movie making that one is used to seeing. It’s not the kind of film that everyone could make it through, but it’s the kind of film that is utterly the point for art itself.”
Netflix The Haunting of Hill House (*****): We water that seed
The Haunting of Hill House – 2018 Director Mike Flanagan Teleplay Flanagan, Liz Phang, Scott Kosar, Merideth Averill, Jeff Howard, Charise Castro Smith, Rebecca Klingel based on the book by Shirley […]
A Star Is Born (*****) Flawless Imperfection
#astarisborn “If you are tired of the trope where one star rises and another star falls, I think you should still see this film. It’s better than any film I have seen this year by a long shot. That’s likely because it’s filled with several moments that are just one weakness shy of being perfect. Like life.”
