Benjamin's Movie Reviews

There’s a lot of content to consume out there right now, we got new streaming services popping up left and right, countless movie releases opting out of a theatrical release for one on VOD. Even though, it’s been close to 5 months since I last went into a movie theater, the river that is streaming continues to flow.

HBO Max:

Ford V Ferrari- 

This movie is fantastic.  I already praised it in a review on this website, but I watched it again recently and it is absolutely thrilling stuff. It consistently reaches this point of pure visceral rush that most movies never come close to achieving.

Megamind–

A masterpiece ignored in its day. No joke. This is a stand-alone superhero story and a loving ode to comic books long before those became the norm. It’s the classic Superman story, but with a few wrinkles to it (Take notes, Zack Snyder). Megamind, played by Will Ferrell, sent away from a dying planet out into a wide universe with an uncertain destiny. On his way to a new home, his journey is interrupted by another child sent on a journey of his own, Metroman, played by Brad Pitt (!). Thus, an unparalleled rivalry begins. Oh, yeah and with a standout score by Hans Zimmer. This movie rules.

My Neighbor Totoro- 

This movie is pure magic and a fantastic way to acquaint yourself to the work of Hayao Miyazaki.

Alita: Battle Angel-

An equal parts schlocky and epic sci-fi adaptation. Definitely feels like the product of Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron,  2 accomplished cinematic voices with pretty disparate styles. Not sure it was the best idea to have them collaborate because the final product is MESSY. It feels like 2 drastically different visions at war with each other, fighting for control on the same film. Cameron’s sense of scope and Rodriguez’s cartoonish sensibilities (more akin to something like Spy Kids than Sin City). Alita is a visual feat all her own, but the performance by Rosa Salazar is even more impressive. She brings so much life to this character and by extension, the film as a whole. Alita, a warrior searching for her identity. Discovering who she was and becoming the hero she was meant to be. I have a feeling that her and Paddington would get along. Can someone make that happen? That’d be pretty cool.

Aquaman-

This movie is a Saturday morning cartoon come to life and it is. So. Much. Fun.

Drop Dead Gorgeous-

What initially seems like a chance to give the world of pageantry a mockumentary spin (rightfully so) becomes a semi-slasher. semi-whodunnit as the death toll accrues. Anchored by a knock-out ensemble consisting of actors like Amy Adams, Kristen Dunst, Allison Janney, Brittany Murphy, etc.

Hulu:

Palm Springs- 

I. Love. This. Movie. Palm Springs gives you a familiar setup, but does something entirely new with it. It unfolds and evolves into a rollicking, fizzy, incredibly enjoyable comedy with an earnest edge. Groundhog Day is like the epitome of the time-loop movie. It’s engaging, hilarious, thoughtful, take your pick of a positive superlative, that movie’s probably got it. Palm Springs has a lot to live up to, and fortunately it does. More of a riff on Groundhog Day, a slight homage than a straight modern-day adaptation. It continues it’s way of exploring what it means to be a human being through these extraordinary circumstances and how these people discover themselves within them. Groundhog Day is about self-improvement and enlightenment whereas Palm Springs chronicles the connections we make in our life with the people around us because there’s a chance that life can be a little less mundane with them in it.

A Quiet Place-

A Quiet Place  is a horror film that stands out amongst the crowd. It’s riveting  and ingeniously plays with one of the building blocks of film itself: sound. I wouldn’t call A Quiet Place purely a horror movie. The way I see it, it’s a family drama that takes place in horrific circumstances. 

Netflix:

Train To Busan-

What every zombie film should strive to be. (Can’t wait for Peninsula!)

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark-

Kinda perfect. The pinnacle of 80’s action blockbusters and the franchise. Pure rollicking, rewarding fun. Perhaps Spielberg’s finest film. Insane how tightly paced this film is.

The Shining-

The Shining is this incredibly unnerving descent into madness. It’s built on unsettling imagery and that uneasy feeling that something has gone very awry deep in the halls of the Overlook Hotel. Director Stanley Kubrick masterfully builds tension and that ever-encroaching sense of dread never lets us go.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- 

10 years later, still one of my favorites that never quite got its due.

Disney+:

Avengers:Endgame-

Endgame is a blockbuster at it’s finest- spectacular, deeply moving and built as much around character as it is action. A sprawling conclusion to a grand cinematic saga. I struggle to fathom how the Russo’s pulled this off, but I’m so glad they did.

Fantastic Mr. Fox-

 It is such a wonderful film to revisit. It’s one of the few films I watch where I continue to notice new things every time I revisit it, not just in the animation and look of the film, but also the script and these characters. It’s a film so human and understanding set in this heightened, surreal world. Willem Dafoe plays a mangy, Southern-accented rodent who sports a swiss army knife and guards a room full of alcoholic cider. Like, honestly, what more could you want from a movie?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier-

Does for Captain America what Skyfall did for 007. If every Marvel movie were on this level, the MCU would be the greatest modern franchise.

Criterion Channel:

Certain Women-

Director Kelly Reichardt seems to have a deep affinity for people. Their experiences, their imperfections and trials and tribulations. She makes the mundanity of everyday life feel worthy of exploration. Reichardt does something I think only the best filmmakers know how to do well. You can douse your film in glitz and polish and stuff it with bombastic filmmaking choices, but the mark of a talented filmmaker is knowing when to let the camera sit. When to take a breather without grinding the film to a halt.

Hollywood Shuffle-

Robert Townsend is a talent. This feels custom-made to show off his versatility and dynamism as a comedic force. He made a satirical, sketch-based comedy that still feels it has something to say about the Black experience in Hollywood not just then, but now too, over 30 years after its release. This is a film about a struggling actor that feels like its made by someone who understands those struggles. Also thank god for high-quality movies that clock in under 90 minutes.

Virtual Cinemas/VOD:

John Lewis:Good Trouble-

If you want to have even an inkling of the magnitude of Congressman Lewis’s life and work and how monumental his legacy will be, watch this documentary.

The Fight:

It’s pretty good. Shines when it showcases the micro-struggles these lawyers face within the monumental ones they face-whether its a lawyer trying to put their argument through faulty voice-to text software or a lawyer’s phone dying just as a ruling comes in. It’s incredible current and I think an important watch to understand the issues we find ourselves talking about everyday and who’s fighting them.

First Cow:

Fantastic. A delicate, intimate portrait of friendship between a cook named Cookie and a Chinese immigrant named King Lu in frontier-era America that becomes a larger look of the systems and institutions that hold them back from achieving greater. Director Kelly Reichardt’s films operate at such a distinctive rhythm that tiny, minuscule moments within the movies have the ability to stand out as something much greater.

Alright, well that’s it for now, but look out for another one of these roundups in a couple of weeks.