Letterboxd — Your life in film

Chadwick Boseman and and Viola Davis absolutely excel in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and undoubtedly deserve the heavy amount of Oscar buzz they’ve both been getting.

Unfortunately the film doesn’t transcend it’s stage play roots but George C. Wolfe fantastically assembles these set pieces and constructs the most cinematic version of this script possible. The writing is obviously excellent and the monologues are wonderfully performed, while conveying themes which often feel relevant to present today. Of course by it’s very…

Red Dot begins as a concise and engaging thriller that develops into an over-convoluted but ardent final act.

The first act does a solid job of introducing us to the main characters and I found it easy to believe in their relationship due to the actors excellent chemistry. The character development remains consistent up until the third act. I really dug the second act and the direction the film was going in, it had turned into a fun cat and…

Willy’s Wonderland works as a quick-fix gimmick film and is a completely hilarious and superficial Nic Cage vehicle. It’s pretty clear that they’re trying to make a B-level trashy cheese-fest here and they do just that, if you’re expecting anything other than what was provided in the trailer you will be disappointed. 

My issues with the film feel inconsequential given the fact that if I was to make this film I would have no idea how to alleviate the clear…

Malcolm and Marie accommodates two delightfully energetic performances from John David Washington and Zendaya, but unfortunately suffers from being ferociously overwritten and narratively straining. 

The main problem with this is Sam Levinson’s achromatic and flagrantly pretentious script and direction. Not only does the film look like a perfume advert made by a student, but the dialogue allows the character’s to feel one-dimensional despite the sheer amount of minutes they spend whining. Despite the overabundant and often overlong monologues, the film…

Outside the Wire is in many ways the most execrable type of action film, as it’s a completely mindless elongated set-piece that pretends to be mindful while unremittingly proving that every plot line and character within it is completely expendable. In many other ways, this is completely fine, it’s generally watchable and zealously round the clock, and many people will get a rush out of the conspicuous plot. I found myself somewhere in the middle, I couldn’t help but find…

I regrettably have not seen the previous two entries of the “Burning” trilogy, so I had to ignore the fact that these characters have probably been explored much more deeply previous to this film. Although I doubt my lack of knowledge heavily tarnished my viewing experience here, as the film plays out very straight-laced and easy to follow. 

In many ways, Asphalt Burning is a lot of fun, there’s some gorgeous scenery, fun car chases and some decent but lazy,…

This has quite a sturdy sense of humour but the administration of the comedy is poor. It’s consistently mildly funny, but the comedy can’t help but make the film seem more uneven. It’s disappointing because the genuinely funny stuff feels quite heavily out of place. The characters strike an accord a bit too early, and in general the characters aren’t hugely likeable or relatable. 

Technically it’s very good, they stay in their lane visually, and make the most of what…