Wes Anderson’s newest film, “The French Dispatch,” is a love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch.” The film brings to life 3 stories from the final issue of the magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city. It stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. The overall concept of the film is exciting and could have been explored more. However, it is muddled and a bit sloppy with execution. The storytelling and acting in the film was phenomenal, but with Anderson breaking up the film into 3 different story lines and it being a little long of a movie, by the time we got to the 3rd story (which was the most boring by far), I was ready for the movie to wrap up. 

“The French Dispatch” is an incredible artsy and out of the box 8.2. Wes Anderson is an amazing story teller and enlisted a near perfect cast to bring his film to life, but if you aren’t a huge fan of Anderson’s style, it will be hard to fall in love with the movie. I personally struggle to love his style and find “The French Dispatch” hard to fall in love with despite great elements being there. I did however enjoy it and will give this one a rewatch here soon. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson and his films, you NEED to watch this one. If you enjoy artistically styled movies with great storytelling and acting, I definitely recommend checking this one out from your couch.

“Judas and the Black Messiah” might be the best Black History month movie to go see this February. The seemingly untold historical drama of Fred Hampton was inspiring, motivating, and incredibly gripping. From start to finish, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plenmns, and “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya were brilliant on screen. Shaka King delivered an exceptional film featuring a phenomenal cast, brilliant cinematic shots and came through with a unique method of telling a historical story.

Judas and the Black Messiah was a dramatic 8.5 out of 10 and should be number one on your watch list so far this year. While I saw it in the theaters (thank God movies are back), I’d recommend staying at home for this one since it’s heavily story driven and dialogue intensive. There are some exciting scenes throughout, you don’t need a big screen to get the most out of it. Judas and the Black Messiah was well worth the watch and is the movie of the year so far. It was extremely educational and hits home in Black History month. 

From start to finish, “The Green Knight” encompasses everything an A21 film stands for. David Lowery’s “The Green Knight” is an epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous “Green Knight”. From a craftful story and phenomenal acting, to a creative, emotional and organic tale, “The Green Knight” hits on all cylinders and is the most underrated movie of 2021 so far. Dev Patal shined and brought Lowery’s film to life with a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table. The overall ambiguity of the film, and its open-ended finish push the boundaries of filmmaking. 

“The Green Knight” is an adventurous 8.3 out of 10. While some parts of the film are a bit too drawn out, David Lowery leaves us wanting more of Dev Patel’s character and creates a mysterious world of lust and wonder. I’ve heard little to no press about this one and it saddens me there hasn’t been more buzz. Come festival season, “The Green Knight”, Dev Patel, and David Lowery will all be bringing home some serious hardware. If you’re into the whole medieval, fantasy, adventure genre or are a film junky like myself, “The Green Knight” needs to be on your watch list this winter. 

Netflix’s latest smash hit film, Malcolm & Marie was PHENOMENAL. Zendaya and John David Washington might be the most electric actress and actor in Hollywood right now. Sam Levinson deserves his roses for his latest film and even though the film is in black and white, he still manages to get some vibrant and exciting shots. 

Malcolm & Marie is an emotional 8.4 out of 10 and is one of the most wild, messy and brilliant films that have come out in the last few years. If you only have Netflix, Malcolm & Marie needs to be number one on your watch list. The film’s reministment of the 2019 film, “A Marriage Story”, but is able to succeed at all of the things that “A Marriage Story” failed at. The film is extremely realistic, convincing, and relatable. The emotional storytelling/writing and dialogue is nearly perfect and both Zendaya and John David Washington took full advantage of their heavy screen times, since they were the only two in the film. Sit down and watch it ASAP with someone you care about or love.

It seems like Tom Holland has been in EVERY movie the last few years. He’s already off to a hot start in 2021 after starring in “Chaos Walking” and now being the lead in Apple TV’s newest film, “Cherry”. From start to finish, Cherry is an emotionally brilliant film. Tom Holland was born to play his role in the film and the Russo brothers directed a near perfect cinematic movie that featured phenomenal acting, writing, color schemes, and production. 

Cherry is horrifically brilliant 9.0 out of 10. Going into the movie, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was blown away with the quality of the film as well as Holland’s performance. The story is unique and told in a beautiful yet tragic way. Cherry is raw, emotional, and sometimes almost too hard to watch because of its authenticity and realness. 

Cherry is more of a social commentary on the struggles of post war life than it is an actual war movie, but that doesn’t take away from how incredible and hard hitting it is. The whole film is emotional, sad, but profound and relatable. I can’t get over Cherry and Tom Holland’s performance throughout. If you have Apple TV, it deserves to be high up on your watch list. It might not get the recognition it deserves in the media, but it’s 100% worth the watch and worth the time investment. With the Russo Brothers’ track record, I didn’t expect anything less from them, but Cherry shows that they can also dominate any genre they choose.

Netflix has absolutely outdone themselves with Adam McKay’s newest film, “Don’t Look Up” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. Although it just came out on 12/24, if you haven’t heard of it or seen it; I urge you to go watch the trailer or just look at the cast list. “Don’t Look Up”  is the latest in fantastic cinematic satire – in this case of our current society, government, and media indifference to the existential threat of climate change (although in the film climate change is swapped for a disastrous comet about to strike Earth). With a star studded cast alongside DiCaprio and Lawrence including Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, and Meryl Streep, Adam McKay gives us a phenomenal well-rounded cast paired with intriguing/hilarious dialog and a captivating plot. 

“Don’t Look Up” is satirical and realistic 9.7 out of 10 and is one of the BEST movies of the year. As Leonardo Caprio’s biggest fan, you could say I was “over the moon” to see this one and I wasn’t let down. Not only did Leo give a breathtaking performance, but the entire cast gave elite performances from start to finish. “Don’t Look Up” crushed all my expectations and truly delivered everything I could have wanted in the film. The satire is overall a “chef’s kiss’ ‘ and is without a doubt one of the best movies we’ve gotten in the last few years. If you have Netflix (like most of you do)  go watch this one ASAP. 

The resurrection of Sci-Fi has arrived. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is an astonishing future-shock epic that reinvents the Sci-Fi genre in an original and exciting new franchise. I haven’t been this excited for a movie to release since Tenet, and to my surprise Dune blew every expectation I had for it out of the water. From start to finish I was hooked and on the edge of my seat wanting more. I was entranced in the world of Dune and everything it had to offer. From incredible special effects and cinematography to a PERFECT, star studded cast of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, and Oscar Isaac – Dune is a near perfect movie and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the franchise. Timothée Chalamet shined on the big screen and showed why he is one of the best young actors in the industry. 

Dune is a cinematic masterpiece and a 9.8 out of 10. It is absolutely a must watch and I HIGHLY recommend spending the time and money to see this one on the big screen. The overall movie going experience adds an invaluable piece that makes this the near perfect movie. At the very least, it’s a cool fucking movie with amazing acting, crazy cinemotagphy, and some of the best special effects you will ever see. While it would be crazy to say that the Dune franchise will be the next Star Wars, I am certain that Dune WILL be the next great Sci-Fi movie franchise to hit the big screen. Whatever you’re doing this weekend, cancel your plans and go see Dune – I promise you, you won’t regret it.