You may be accustomed to reading movie reviews in paragraphs for which I have also published in this blog through the years. However, this new page on my blog is different as my movie reviews below are from my Twitter account, where as of 2020 has a maximum character limit of 280. Towards the end of 2019, I thought of challenging myself to write concise movie reviews that can be contained in the finite space of Twitter. #InVisualMusing is the hashtag I use.
LATEST REVIEW
2021, Malcolm & Marie /Levinson – A cinematic verbal wrangle of suppressed emotions sparked by an unintentional (or not) dismissal of gratitude that will likely echo our tendencies to exhume bygone issues as a means to validate oneself. (3.5/5)
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ARCHIVE
2020, Enola Holmes /Bradbeer – A cinematic delight that may be likened to a childhood experience of books, bringing awe and excitement to imagined adventures penned out of a writer’s beautiful mind. (3.5/5)
2020, Her Big Chance /Rourke – A remake of a masterful monologue that nakedly stares into the depths of undesired truth. Comer’s portrayal of Lesley is brilliantly unsettling that after all these years, our unnerving reality is even more questionable. (4/5)
2020, Holidate /Whitesell – A forgettable mess of misfires to a promising idea of a storyline, a holidate. It fails not in its predictability, but in its inability to be delightful to the heart like Hallmark movies, at least. (1.5/5)
2020, I Care a Lot /Blakeson – A chilling confidence of deception that leaves no space for thought to a mismanaged deluge of filmmaking ideas where the cast’s exemplary portrayal barely salvages its loose script and strained attempt for a justifiable ending. (3/5)
2020, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey /Talbert – A dazzling extravaganza that brims with lessons for reflection. Its intricate attention to details that brings limitless imagination to life makes it an instant classic. (4/5)
2020, Like a Boss /Arteta – A distorted and shallow interpretation on women competencies and women supporting women. Even the talented cast especially the performance of Porter cannot save the irreparable mess of a script. (2/5)
2020, Love Wedding Repeat /Craig – It began with a promise of something magical. Yet, it plunged into an unrecoverable disaster, miserably failing to keep its promise. (2/5)
2020, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom /Wolfe – A scene after scene of powerful dialogues and monologues where the outrage, prejudice, and bigotry of the 1920s is as intense as today’s indignation. Like Ma’s unyielding presence of attention, the film urges the same. (4.5/5)
2020, Miss Americana /Wilson – A documentary film that showed what Swift wanted to tell, a construct for which though controlled by the artist gives us also the freedom to think beyond the pop culture that is, Taylor Swift. (3/5)
2020, On the Rocks /Coppola – In a noticeable mastery of aesthetic displays of lights and shadows, it is deceptive yet full of empathetic subtleties. Even in its ordinariness, it gains attention in the genius of its overall cinematic storytelling. (4/5)
2020, One Night in Miami /King – A night of misconstrued impressions, deep and powerful arguments that echo the struggles of black lives. Its engaging display of celebrity friendships, understood in the language of brotherhood is filmmaking masterclass. (4.5/5)
2020, Palm Springs /Barbakow – A surprisingly clever spin on time-loops and rom coms. In a time of routinary living due to mandatory isolation, its aspects are familiar yet refreshing. (3.5/5)
2020, Pieces of a Woman /Mundruczó – In an agonizing 30-minute opening birth scene, Kirby’s performance with a commendable American accent is the highlight of the film. Then the film struggled with its lack of focus, scatterring pieces of ineffectual scenes. (3/5)
2020, Project Power /Joost et Schulman – While the pill unlocks a random surprise of power, its strong potential for a wild ride is hindered by inept cinematic order. However, Fishback’s perfomance is the movie’s saving power. (3/5)
2020, Tagpuan /Alejandre – A skillful display of sober palette with a script that is at times poetic, where rather than being persuasive, it asks life questions that may be deeply stirring or may be concealed in our hearts. (4/5)
2020, The Call of the Wild /Sanders – A heartwarming adventure of comfort to the unfamiliar where responding to an upward calling did not exist even in the wildest dreams. (3/5)
2020, The Old Guard /Prince-Bythewood – An engrossing display of martial arts that wrestles with existential ennui and fatigue where even through time, a fine justification still ends in a São Paulo 34 or an Oslo 67… Indeed, what have we become? (3.5/5)
2020, The Prom /Murphy – An eccentric musical extravagance with contemporary themes that is fairly likeable. Yet, it gets entangled in its own dazzle as it struggles to transcend the glitz. (3/5)
2020, The Queen’s Gambit /Frank – A sexy visualization of a cerebral feast that thrills in black and white maneuvers. With a brilliant ensemble, it is masterful storytelling for the ages. (4.5/5)
2020, The Trial of the Chicago 7 /Sorkin – While finely written and acted, its cinematic precision to portray the chaos of an anti-war protest makes it calculated. It weakened the urgent demand for equity that is as dire as today’s societal antipathy. (3.5/5)
2019, 6 Underground /Bay – An excessive explosion of noise and violence for which the long opening sequence can get you pumped. But, as the movie rolls in scattered rush, it becomes repetitive and boring. (2.5/5)
2019, Ad Astra /Gray – A journey of emotions that explores the void of cosmic abyss and the reflective psyche of masculinity. Pitt’s captivating performance speaks through the depth of pensive stares, allowing space to ponder life’s unknown truths. (4.5/5)
2019, Anna /Besson – An overwhelmingly insipid picture that is trying to be cinematically stylish with its flashbacks as its heroine struts like that in a runway rather than being the sleek badass assassin. Chekhov or Dostoyevsky are far more entertaining. (2/5)
2019, Gloria Bell /Lelio – In an unhurried pace, the film moves through life’s ordinariness without trying to hide its flaws where as the song, Gloria, fades with the closing credits, it reflects on a midlife still to be lived. (4/5)
2019, Holiday In The Wild /Barbarash – A breathtaking panorama of the African landscape that is resembling of Hallmark movies. However, it struggles on the depth of characterization. It serves just as a holiday rom com to charm. (3/5)
2019, Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 /Young – A gradual unfolding of the struggles of a woman in a conservative patriarchal society. Profoundly honest, it takes from a culture that is persevering; inwardly coping of suffering in a monotone facade of emotions. (3/5)
2019, Last Christmas /Feig – In a twist that is cinematically familiar, the romantic comedy cliché thrived in Clarke’s quirkiness. While it has its own misfires, its regard on social issues draws some Christmas warmth that deserves a “look up”. (3/5)
2019, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood /Tarantino – In a pace resembling its era, it gradually unfolds its genius like making sense of an art that does not intend to astound yet reveals its beauty through its maker and talented ensemble. (4/5)
2019, Overcomer /Kendrick – An inspiring Christian movie that uses Cross Country Running as its focal means to evangelize.Though laudable for its overt moral message, it has latent sub-messages that are as powerful – worthy of reflection and discussion. (3/5)
2019, The Gentlemen /Ritchie – An artistically crafted and tangled montage of gangster schemes that will smoothly make sense as the film rolls. (3.5/5)
2019, The Two Popes /Meirelles – A highly speculative film inspired by true events on the rise of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis for which may be unsettling for conservatives but a breath of fresh air for liberals. (4.5/5)
2018, Destination Wedding /Levin – A loquacious picturesque movie attempting to be memorable like Before Sunrise. It is as miserable as the stiff clash of unlikable characters lacking chemistry. (2/5)
2017, Atomic Blonde /Leitch – An explosion of action talent from Theron who strides in style and lands punches in ruthless cool. However, the lack of visual storytelling skill is evident in its convoluted montage. (3/5)
2016, How to Be Single /Ditter – In between the craziness of insouciant living is a search of an identity that seeks not to be associated with another, but, an exploration of possibilities that overcomes a life bound to be trapped in a default. (3/5)
2016, Lion /Davis – A journey of finding home and an unforgotten identity in attempts of dissimilar circumstance, yet the same intense earnestness. While the film is with a brilliant cast, it is Pawar’s performance that makes the cinematic experience. (4/5)
2015, Carol /Haynes – In a restrained and mutual attraction, Carol, set in the early 1950s, is a slow dance with socially castigated love that brims with unspoken empathies, cinematic elegance, and masterful performances. (4.5/5)
2014, Edge of Tomorrow /Liman – Enmeshed in a conundrum of an alien war loop and military politics, it baffles and gradually edges out of its nonsensical daily recurrence. (3/5)
2014, Lucy /Besson – A glimpse of a scientist’s mind, curated by an artist through film, and set ablaze by an outstanding performance by Johansson where in the midst of all the chase is a crisis of our fading humanity as mental breakthroughs are discovered. (3.5/5)
2013, Blue Jasmine /Allen – In a weave of cinematic skill, the concurrent shift of abhorrence and pity through a recollection of the past to comprehend the present, initiates a dialectic exchange on societal views of comeuppance. (3.5/5)
2011, Hanna /Wright – In sleek and adroit movements, the willful acceptance of an ingrained fate exhorts a humane calling on the consequences of human advancement. (3.5/5)
2010, Somewhere /Coppola – A pensive and thoughtful gaze on the monotony of stardom. Like the loud Ferrari circling around an empty track in the opening credits, it wanders for existential meaning in adroit observation. (4/5)
2008, Vicky Cristina Barcelona /Allen – A charmingly unorthodox vignettes of relationships in tones of dreamy sepia that defy traditional love with the inherent allure of Barcelona as the backdrop. (3.5/5)
2003, Lost in Translation /Coppola – In the middle of Tokyo’s vibrance is a contrasting pensive perception on the enigmatic depths of relationships that seek to engage the audience rather than provide answers. (4/5)
2001, Bandits /Levinson – In a series of uncomplicated heists with a noticeably good soundtrack, Bandits cleverly rolls in messy tones with amusing repartees and excellent performances from Thornton and Blanchett. Its demise is in its 2-hour running time. (3/5)
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