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anthonyberes
Reviews
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023)
There is no Santa Spoiler !?
Parents and perpetrators of the great Christmas lie need to get your stories straight. First of all, the spirit of Christmas in our home is all about giving to one another. The magic of Santa Claus is really just a bonus but is not the only source of gift giving. So this story fits easily into that cosmovision, and if anything, the spooky elf made Santa even more convincing to my 7 year old. So, I'd tone down your overprotective helicoptering and trust your kids to embrace the complexity of real life. Secondly, this story packed several classic holiday elements into a tight package and reminded me of the way classic movies like The Christmas Story told stories from the kids point of view. And that is exactly what made the story fun and relatable to my kids. And lastly the story made classic holiday magic by combining a tumultuous naughty kid story with a family coming together against the odds and triumphed with a transformation from fear to acceptance and finally to genuine benevolence. So it actually was my family's favorite holiday movie of 2023.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Why this movie gets mixed reviews
The reason this movie is a masterpiece and won so many awards is because it pushes the boundaries of modern cinema. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have done something remarkable here but in order for you to get the wisdom, you have to surrender to the journey. You are not going to be able to make sense of this in your mind right away. But, if you try to stay in the moment and follow Evelyn through each scene and each experience as it unfolds, then you will find yourself laughing out loud at the absurdity. You will find yourself feeling regrets and remembering your own life as a series of choices and failures and could have beens. You will find yourself opening up to your own life and coming to terms with your own choices and ultimately realizing how important kindness and love really is. You will find yourself crying and wanting to hug your family. You will find yourself cherishing the moment.
The surrealism and utter wackiness is a device to help you surrender into the nothingness of everything. Because in the end, this life is a hot mess and we are all in some crazy vortex of limitless possibilities. And even though it doesn't make sense, we hold onto love. This movie IS a genuine modern day masterpiece. With a work of art this advanced it is almost certain that many people won't get it. Because true art pushes the boundaries of perception and most people are too comfortable in their box to let it in. But if you let go of what you think you know and surrender to this film, you will see what I mean, and it may change your life. Thanks for making this film. Thanks for being true artists.
Dragged Across Concrete (2018)
Death porn for people with gun violence fantasies
The fact that this film even exists and is allowed to be viewed by anyone with access to Netflix is a sign of very disturbing times. When did we decide to normalize senseless violence? I'd rather my kids watched porn. But if you're looking for a film to inspire the next mass murder, then this one's for you.
I'm an artist and I love artistic films with meaning and a story, even if it's dark and twisted. And I get trying to be crazy just to be crazy. But in this film, S. Craig Zahler is trying so hard to be like Tarantino that he is coming across as a desperate bitter psychopath with no regard for human life. Tarantino also killed people brutally but it was always colored with so much context and humor and form. However, this film fails to provide any artistic integrity. There's no developed characterization. There's overly trite boilerplate poor family issues with classic sick mom, handicapped son, blah blah blah. Then, in a weak attempt to imply some sort of mysterious darkness, there is this unknown masked man committing outlandish violence with absolutely no respect for life. And this character, who ends up portraying the absolute worst side of humanity that has ever existed on a film (right up there with Jeffrey Dahmer) has absolutely no character development. In fact you never even know his name until the end of the film. This movie misses the point of creating violent films entirely and simply ends up polluting your brain with darkness that has no resolution and no light at the end of the tunnel. No only do I highly not recommend this film for human consumption, but I'm concerned that it's existence is a sign of something much darker brewing in the human experience right now. Who would allow such a film to be made? I'm sorry S. Craig. I really appreciate good art. But please, what was the point of this one beyond to inspire people to kill each other? It's a dog eat dog world. That it?
Messiah (2020)
Brilliant Storyline
In my opinion, this is exactly the kind of program that the modern world needs. This movie manages to address the complexity of world religions and geopolitics while maintaining a spiritual reverence in divine guidance and awareness. And I think it is attempting to shake up the Hollywood formula a little bit and potentially create a new type of genre. There is no super hero with fire shooting out from his fingers. There is no evil bad guy to destroy. In fact, in a way, there is really not many black and whites in this script. It is hard sometimes to even tell who is the chosen one and who is the charlatan. I love what the writers have managed to do here. It is rare to find a script that tries something brand new ... and pulls it off brilliantly.