Wake up, Donnie. There are 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and twelve seconds until the world ends… When I began watching Donny Darko, I was kind of disappointing, I had already seen too many ‘boy with mental problems meets terrifying imaginary rabbit telling him about the end of the world’ movies. In all honesty though, this movie is messed up, and I love that. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the movie, and it is one of his earliest movies in his career, and his performance is great. This movie is one of those movies that really makes you think, I took some time to process it, and I just like it even more. More than other movies, I think that Donnie Darko handles time travel very well. As the name implies, the movie is dark-o. Frank (the scary mecha-rabbit), tells Donnie to commit serious crimes so that he can save the world, driving Donnie into madness. One of the other aspects that I really love about this movie is that it also begins by playing as an 80s high school movie, and being that Ferris Bueller is one of my favorite movies (I’ll be reviewing that this Thursday), but that’s also where my largest problem comes in. The movie seems like it can’t decide upon a tone to stick with for more than about five minutes. It seems to jump all over the map, which is fine, but it becomes somewhat distracting, and trying to mix the 80s movie and a psychological thriller is a strange match. But again, the movie is really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the movie makes you think and the performance by Jake Gyllenhall is fantastic, however, the special effects are quite dated, and the tone jumps all over. Still, I would definitely recommend it, go and watch it. 8.2/10

Jeez is this a fun movie, I’m going to sound like a broken record, but Kevin Smith knows how to write. As a huge nerd, I felt that the conversations in this movie were very fun to watch and intriguing. Many jokes in the film land extremely well, and Jason Lee gives a really fun performance. As always, Jay and Silent Bob are a highlight, and it’s interesting to see how Kevin Smith develops some of the recurring characters as I go through his movies. Truly, that’s all there is to it, I can barely remember the plot, as it wasn’t that prominent. The movie was just a fun movie that can be put on in the background, and the Stan Lee cameo is flipping amazing, spoilers. Overall, I would totally recommend it, so go watch it, it’s a fun escape. 7.3/10 from me.

Gaining access to a new streaming service full of independent films, Kanopy, I was excited to see what they had to offer. So, being that Jojo Rabbit is my favorite movie of all time, and Thomasin Mckenzie (Elsa in Jojo Rabbit) starred in this, I figured that it would be fitting to start with Leave No Trace. In a lot of ways, I was reminded of Hunt for the Wilderpeople, except kind of the opposite. The arc of the characters goes on the same path as Hunt for the Wilderpeople, except backwards, which works. The story was emotional, and being that it deals with the affects of isolation quite a bit, I felt that it was very relevant to watch today. That being said, the movie has quite a few glaring issues. While the look of the film was clearly full of a strong motive and artistic passion, I just felt that overall, the way that the movie looked lacked differences between shots. Almost every shot was done in a very similar way, with a similar color pallet, which did sometimes make it difficult to make sense of some things. As mentioned, I was drawn into this movie because of Thomasin Mckenzie, from Jojo Rabbit, her performance of this definitely lives up to my expectations, she was definitely able to convey the appropriate emotions in an effective way. As for Ben Foster as the father, I enjoyed him at times, but truly, it seemed like he just really didn’t do anything too great. In terms of the script, I thought it was fine for what it needed to be, which has kind of been my overall feeling with the movie. It’s definitely an extremely fun movie, and it’s one that’s emotional in the right ways, however, it’s nothing that’s anything that great, it’s slightly above average, which is still just fine. 8.3/10

Finally finishing Wes Anderson’s filmography, I decided that I would rent Fantastic Mr. Fox. I watched it in the movie theatre when it initially came out, however, honestly, I didn’t remember any of it. So, I finally rented it and put it on, and what a ride. The movie is really fun, I’ve never read the Roald Dahl novel, but that really didn’t bother me. Being a children’s movie, the plot was whimsical and fun, but it also had some very prominent adult themes. Being a fox in a world straight out of a fairy tale, but also being able to add in the element of a mundane average life being flipped on its head is really what this film is. Being Wes Anderson’s first animated feature, it’s easy to see how he translates his typical visual style into the animated medium. The voice acting is great and the plot makes for a fun take on the heist format. Still, somehow, all of that doesn’t help the movie from some of my big problems with it. Although the plot is fun, I felt that some of the emotional beats didn’t work, I have noticed that this has somehow become one of my largest problems with Wes Anderson’t movies. Some of the character arcs didn’t come to the right conclusion either, and being a fan of strong characters, this did annoy me, as the characters were great at the beginning. But cuss it, the movie was a lot of fun, and I’m really glad I watched it. 8.7/10

As mentioned in my Dogma review, Kevin Smith is a brilliant writer, and his ability to make a realistic conversation is admirable. Clerks is certainly not exception. While the story beats jump all over the place, the dialogue is written in such a way that it could easily pass for the kind of conversations you would randomly hear on the street. The fact that the characters are intriguing helps this. Each character is distinct enough that, even though the film is visually bland, I was thoroughly engaged. As mentioned, the plot is somewhat bland, and so are the visuals. I understand this, as Kevin Smith spent the entire budget on the music in the film, which fits. It’s also important to note that the comedy did make me feel uncomfortable for a large chunk, but it was still quite funny. Overall, there really isn’t much to say about this one, almost everything is bland, but the realistic dialogue that Kevin Smith writes so well definitely makes it better. Overall, while Kevin Smith’s first feature is engaging and fun, I’d honestly say don’t watch it unless you own it already. 7.5/10

I know that I said that I wasn’t going to do any of the Wes Anderson movies that I had previously watched, but there was a live Q and A with Wes Anderson, so I couldn’t help myself.

Moonrise Kingdom is one of the best representations of Wes Anderson’s writing style. While movies like Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox offer a look at his visual styles, his ability to write really shines in this movie. Wes Anderson’s common use of disguising complex and dark themes with comedy and unique characters is more prominent than ever in this one. This movie really works in so many ways. The cast includes some famous actors like Bruce Willis and Edward Norton, but, it also introduces some new child actors as the main characters. These characters are cast perfectly, and while I think that there were certainly some problems with their reading, I think that overall, they really did a great job that I admired. Comedy in this movie works because of the deep characters that compliment it. Wes Anderson movies take a premise and makes it real, no matter what the plot is, Anderson manages to make all the characters and overall ideas relatable enough to carry an entire film. The number of moments in this film that will forever be engraved into my mind (the beach scene) tells me how memorable this movie is. It’s truly charming, and it explores the wonders of young love and childhood as a whole. This movie does have a strong emotional payoff, and the ending really is satisfying. The music fits with everything perfectly. Really, my biggest complaint with this would be the number of unnecessary scenes that seemed jammed in. Moonrise Kingdom’s story is simple enough, that it seemed like a lot of scenes were filmed just to fill some more time. There were also some shots that seemed to break the strong colour pallet and camera placement. When these scenes came up, they were extremely noticeable, and kind of annoying. Overall, it is a good movie that I would strongly recommend. 9.4/10

During Self Isolation, there are those who try new things, and there are those who fall into the habits of doing old things. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle, yes, I am constantly watching new movies, however, I have been challenging myself to try new types of movies, watching Buster Keaton’s movie was definitely one of those experiences.

Although this movie is old, it really has aged well. Buster Keaton’s method of film making, even though it is silent, has inspired countless film makers, including Wes Anderson (one of my personal favorite directors.) Although some of the plots may be old, the comedy is what stands. It’s amazing to think of how this was done at a time where film was limited, and there was little that could be done in post-production. I have always ignored silent films, I’ve always thought of them as a meaningless thing of the past, but after challenging myself to this, my mind has been changed. The story follows Buster Keaton, a train engineer, as he is turned away from joining the army in the civil war, but ends up getting caught in a battle himself. The setting takes place on a train for a large part of the film. This allows for some really fun comedy that isn’t typically done. There were also many improvised bits, and considering all of this is physical comedy, that makes the feat even more impressive. Obviously, while these films are really good, I did find myself becoming bored fairly quickly when the characters weren’t speaking for that amount of time, that being said, in the version that I watched, the music in the background really added to the fun that Buster Keaton presented. Overall, I am really glad that I pulled this old movie out of the collection, and I found that the way its humour still holds up to be amazing. Still, without voices, there was a lot that could have been done, but is missing. But, it’s free online and is definitely worth watching. I’m giving this one a 9.0/10

As a fan of the improvised mockumentary style (i.e. Spinal Tap) and a theater nerd, I was really looking forward to finally watching this movie. And while it definitely delivered, I feel that it was less complete than other Christopher Guest movies, and that was kind of disappointing. The story is rather simple, a small theater group is working on a new show. They soon find that a New York Broadway representative is going to come to see the show opening night. What follows is a really wacky, fun, and (personally) an all too real experience. The improvised style works, and the character acting is really fun. However, this one just kind of missed what made the other ones as good as they were. I feel that too much of the film wasted opportunities for better options in the story. Which, I understand that this is due to the improvised nature, but it was disappointing nevertheless. And that’s really it from me. The movie is an extreme blast, and if you can, definitely go out and watch it. However, if you go into it with high expectations, you might be slightly disappointing. 8.7/10

If you know anything about my taste in film, you will know that Taika Waititi is my favorite director of all time. I’ve always found that his comedic, dramatic, and visual styles are always blended in a perfect way. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a perfect example of this, if it weren’t for Jojo Rabbit, this would definitely be Taika’s best. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a story about how family can come from the unlikeliest of places in the hardest times. The protagonist, Ricky Baker, is a perfectly cast teenage rebel who is put into a foster family where he meets Aunty, who really takes care of him. Without spoiling anything, the film really is an emotional roller coaster. Ricky Baker’s Journey of learning of life away from being a selfish brat is complimented by the journey of “Uncle” Hector, who learns to accept others and open up to new experiences. The film really delves into how relationships can be made in tough situations. Now, all of this makes it sound like an absolute drag, and really, it isn’t. This film is absolutely hilarious, and on point with Taika’s usual comedic style. Unlike Taika’s other work (excluding Thor: Ragnarok), this movie is full of wonderful action. The way that the entire film is set up really makes these extreme action sequences an extreme joy. The soundtrack is also really fun and different. Still, I found that the movie did suffer from quite a few jokes that didn’t land. And the ones that did were sometimes done just a little short. At the very end of the movie, I feel like there needed to be more, and another half an hour could have easily made the story a lot more flushed out and complete. Still, this movie checks all of the boxes for me, and it’s one of Taika’s best. I’ll give this one a 9.3/10

Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” is funny and intriguing, however, it somehow also fails in certain areas and doesn’t live up to my high expectations. I should clarify, I did have some really high expectations for this film, Monty Python is some of the most brilliant comedy ever, and the fact that Terry Gilliam was directing this made me excited, I’ll get into my complaints later on though. If you don’t know the story behind this one, you really should. The original time(s) Terry Gilliam tried filming this movie, it failed… epically, and a lot of it was documented it. Using a piece of that, Terry Gilliam added the element of making a film to the classic story, and that was definitely a piece that worked really well. Adam Driver’s character was the most Adam Driver character I’ve seen in any movie. He plays the typical arrogant, hot headed character that he has kind of become type-casted into. But I honestly don’t care, he plays the kind of character very well, and it definitely works very well for this movie. The first and second acts are complete joys, learning about Adam Driver’s character and Jonathan Pryce’s Don Quixote, along with some great backstory, the tone and story is set for a very interesting premise. As Adam Driver escapes the police, he does so through being drawn into Jonathan Pryce’s fantasies. I really enjoyed seeing their interactions as they went through Spain. The way the merge between fantasy and reality was merged was perfect, and the look was signature to Terry Gilliam. However, this movie was completely ruined by its final act. So many plot points made little sense, and the relations that worked just completely disappeared. Adam Driver’s character did a complete change with little explanation, and the overall quality seemed to decrease. It almost seemed as if it was rushed, and was more of an afterthought. Honestly, I would have been fine with two hours of Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce riding through the beautiful Spanish landscapes. But that last act completely ruins it for me, which is a huge disappointment, considering that this movie could have been so much more. For that, this movie gets a 6.7/10 from me. It was fine, but it just wasn’t good enough. It was certainly a fun watch, and given that you can get it online for free, I’d say go ahead and watch it.

Where is it available? – It’s free with ads on Sony Crackle and PopcornFlix (Both are legal, free streaming that have some great movies, check it out)