UltimateTMN

While Everything Everywhere All at Once caught the end of the "Multiverse craze", it is one of the few films that actually manages to use the idea of a multiverse as a meaningful and significant plot driver. Going into the film in the zeitgeist it was released, the "multiverse" has already been done to pieces, often used as convenience or to introduce artificial issues (it is no surprise that all good movies that use the idea of a "multiverse" never relies upon it solely, this film included). It can also be said that this film is in many ways a trickster, ebbing between emotional scenes and action. This tonal shift serves a great disorientating effect, to the point of almost parodying itself in the beginning as a standard "multiverse action hero film" but blends together in the end as a way to find meaning and value in an absurd and unending world. As said before, the best "multiverse" films never use the "multiverse" as a crutch, but as a garnish. The stars of this film are all the characters (and all their different multiverse selves). Like in the film, without them by each others' and our side, this film would have been no better than the standard run-of-the-mill action film. Incredibly moving and inspiring story that becomes a real tear-jerker while making you laugh like never before.

One of the, if not the greatest, dystopia ever put onto film. Alfonso Cuarón's mastery of scenery and timing gives enough information for the average viewer but allows the attentive a treasure trove of details that makes this film worth many re-watches. Despite all the detail, this film builds its style around showing just enough, never more and definitely never less. Perhaps the greatest feat of this film is its ability to take an improbable world and making it alive and believable (the other dystopia to master such is The Handmaid's Tale, but Atwood nonetheless remains sadly more in the probable and not improbable), with the audience able to feel the desperation and despair of the people and the end of times they are facing. Children of Men is an experience, and like all experience, must be seen to be truly comprehended.

Perhaps not as accurate as a documentary, this biopic serves to cement the reason why Churchill is considered one of the greatest leaders in World War II through a basically "highlight reel" of his accomplishments prior to the Blitz. The dramatization done for the audience is substantial but does not detract from history, instead adding to preconceived motions of greatness that keeps the audience engaged fully in a up to the end.

A moving story that speaks about endurance in times of hopelessness, the cast does an excellent job in their portrayals and acting, and for various sequences the camerawork and scenes are masterfully filmed and cut. However, despite its focus on the life of Zamperini, it does quickly devolve into a traditional war film from which the earlier events only serve as distant reminders of hope and endurance, which sort of detracts from the core character and tells a more generally moving story. Overall, the film outstretches its ambitions but nonetheless still tells a compelling story that is worth watching.

An expertly crafted narrative tale that is only elevated by the skill and abilities of the actors; this films delivers suspense, sadness, struggles, and hope to the viewers that simply cannot be topped by many other movies.

An unapologetic epic, this film blends great emotional moments with a classic Bollywood flair that makes it an unforgettable experience despite its seemingly long runtime.

While it fails to be a full-on murder mystery, that fact allows it to succeed as a unique film that explores modern wealth and its perceptions. On a first watch, the plot is snappy and unpredictable in the most enjoyable fashion, never engaging in a dull moment by using its reputation to keep viewers on their toes. The cast all play their roles perfectly, each a believable stereotype that makes you love none of them but nonetheless invested in all of them. Danial Craig again delivers a masterclass of a performance as Benoit Blanc in this satirical and comedic film.

An interesting take on the apocalyptic genre, this movies really benefits from its small cast and singular setting; watching this movie is like being within it, trying to piece together parts of the puzzle of an apocalypse. While slow on the onset, the stylistic choice of this movie is frankly ingenious but definitely not suitable for everyone; the cast all act realistically and experience their own changes through the movie. It is easy to go into the film from the safety of one's own reasonable, safe world, the film instills that fear, that tentativeness, and that confusion which make it a visceral experience. Camerawork aside, which can feel too overwhelming, especially in the beginning where a plot just begins to form but not enough to distract from cuts and pans, this film has great camerawork that disorientates the viewer in the best way possible. Only a few minor stylistic and dialogue choices brings it down, but for any lover of apocalypses, narratives, and mystery (minus the action), this film executes this style better than any other film of such a nature. For many, the ending may become unsatisfactory, which I will only concur in part. The worldbuilding is frankly fantastic and the payoff is quite good on its own, but by the end of the movie its message and moral has been already told, and we have actively engaged in what the moral warned us about. The ending, storyline-wise, is haunting and open, but gives room to reflect on the moral of the story rather than a neat bowtie that does not invite consideration for the ending lines of the movie.

A story that does an incredible job in telling one of the most infamous trials in United States history within a two-hour time-frame. This film does not drag on despite its legal nature due to intermittent flashbacks and provoking discussions of the morality and political mood of the era. A vindication of those who are charged and forced to suffer through a heavily biased trial, this story pulls punches to its own detriment but for the story's length and comprehensibility, which should serve only as a jumping-off point for more interest in this era. A star-studded cast puts their all into the portrayals that can be believed and make the story never really have a single dull moment.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]