FantasticMrMe04

The Candidate is a good political drama. Since today is Election Day in the United States I decided to watch a policial drama. This film was a pleasant surprise it was a neat time capsule into the political climate of the early 70s. The plot is good it’s an entertaining and character driven story. It’s a pretty simple story on the surface but deep down it’s really thought provoking. Slowly the story becomes deeper and more psychologically interesting. The pacing is good it’s well paced even though it can feel slow burn at times. The acting is great Robert Redford gives a great performance. His character is very charming and fun to follow throughout the film. His character honestly is a great example **** man being seduced by political/social power. Allen Garfield and Peter Boyle give decent supporting performances as well. This film would have been a lot better than it already is if the supporting cast matched up to Redford’s performance. The direction is good from Michael Ritchie and Jeremy Larner’s script is great. It’s such a fresh and realistic script, it definitely deserved to win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars in 1972. The cinematography is pretty good but nothing special or memorable. The comedy is decent this film has some well written and subtle humor. The humor mostly comes from witty one liners. The ending is a thought provoking and satisfying ending. Overall The Candidate is a witty and character driven political drama that is very memorable. 76% B+

If you don't like this **** wait, how can anyone not like this film?

Minari is an emotionally engaging and beautiful film. I had just learned this film existed a few weeks ago but since this film was getting such high praise I went into this with pretty high expectations. This is such a gentle yet emotionally straining film, it’s truly a special experience to watch. The plot is great it’s an entertaining and deeply engaging story. It starts off as a story that has been told before but becomes much much more. The pacing is great from the first scene until the credits role it’s well paced. The acting is great Steven Yeun and Yeri Han give great performances. Yuh-Jung Youn gives a fantastic supporting performance, she is easily one of the best parts of this film. Alan S. Kim and Noel Cho give great child performances as well. The direction is fantastic from Lee Isaac Chung, his direction is incredibly impressive and you can tell he was very passionate about making this. The script is great it’s a memorable and very well written script. The cinematography is fantastic, this film is full of shots that are so beautiful it’ll make your jaw drop. There is a certain shot where Jacob and Monica are watching the kids playing in the hospital waiting room and the camera focuses back and forth on the two faces. That one shot perfectly captures the story of the characters in less than a minute. The editing is great and the score is great as well. The comedy is very subtle but when there is comedy it’s wholesomely funny. In terms of the Oscars there’s a strong possibility that this will sadly be overlooked/snubbed. If this did get it’s deserved attention from the academy I feel this would probably get nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actress: Yuh-Jung Youn. The ending scenes of the film are very emotional and the last shot is just brilliant. Overall Minari is wonderfully wholesome and emotionally engaging film that is truly a special movie. 94% A

Soul is a fantastic movie. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year and after reading an abundance of overly positive reviews I started to build very high expectations. For the first time this year all of my expectations were met and some even exceeded. I had forgotten about how undescribable the feeling of watching a truly fantastic Pixar film could be, watching this all the more confirmed that Pixar is undoubtedly my favorite studio in the business. The plot is great it’s an unpredictable and extremely original story. It’s a story that questions every aspect of life while also reassuring the beauty of living life to the fullest. The story is full of unpredictable plot points that creates a engagingly fun tone. There is a few minor flaws with the story the most notable one being that there is a couple negligible plot holes. The pacing is great since it’s such an incredibly fun story there isn’t a single slow or uninteresting moment. The voice acting is fantastic from Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. I was hesitant at first about how their voices would fit with the characters but I was surprised at how well their voices fit with the personality of Joe Gardener and 22. Both characters are very well crafted characters that will most likely grow to become some of the most memorable Pixar characters. Moonwind, Terry, and the multiple Jerry’s are great supporting characters as well. The direction is fantastic from Pete Doctor and Kemp Powers, both men are some of the most promising men in Hollywood and through their directorial choices it’s obvious that they wanted to make this film like nothing that had been made before. When it comes to directors of animated films it doesn’t get much better than Pete Doctor. It’s hard to believe that he has never been nominated for Best Director at any of the major awards. The script is fantastic it’s an intelligent and very well layered script full of beautiful pieces of dialogue. The animation is phenomenal it’s realistic animation while also displaying cartoonish looking characters. The score is great it’s a simplistic and memorable score. The humor is fantastic this film is full of hilarious jokes, gags, and one liners. From watching the trailers the main thing I was worried about was that the humor would be dry but I was honestly surprised at how many times I was laughing. What always impresses me with (most) Pixar films is that they near perfectly balance genuinely hilarious humor and intense yet soft emotion. In terms of the Oscars I feel this film will definitely win Best Animated Feature and possibly (hopefully) get a nomination for Best Picture. Also I could definitely see this film getting a nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score. The ending is a completely satisfying ending that leaves you to infer what happens next with the characters. Overall Soul is an extraordinarily emotional and incredibly well made film that will truly be considered an animated classic in the future. 94% A