MovieRankingReviews

  The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem of the same name. Nolan is one of those directors who I am willing to watch anything they do. Considering the amazing films he directed such as The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, The Dark Knight trilogy and Oppenheimer. I was absolutely hyped for The Odyssey! However, the film suffered a lot of backlash, even before release. Many complained of the casting choices, the costume design not being historically accurate and the modernized dialogue. Are the backlash justified or is the final product better than the complaints? Let’s talk about one of the big controversial stuff, the cast. Yeah, none of them are Greek actors, they are all big Hollywood stars. Now do they all do a great job? Absolutely. Matt Damon would definitely not by my first choice for Odysseus but he does some a great job in the role. I think he captures the...

  The premise of a Battle Royale but with Samurais is an incredibly fun idea! The fight scenes are incredibly well-choreographed, bloody and a visual treat to watch! There is also some wonderful cinematography and it genuinely feels like they brought the Meiji era to life! The music score is also excellent. I found that all the actors did a terrific job and special praise has to go to Junichi Okada as the main character Shujiro Saga. He does a great job in bringing depth to the character and also performing the fight choreography. While the story sounds generic on paper, I do love how they explore conflict between the old Samurai era and the new one while also handling some of the politics in a digestible way. It does have a lot of generic tropes including the old broken down man, the young naive girl who can be quite annoying and overly silly bad guy. However, I enjoyed a lot of this show and it is a great start for Season 1. I am most definitely looking forward to w...

  Ryan Coogler is an incredibly talented director! However, since his powerful debut with Fruitvale Station, he hasn’t made an original film, focusing instead on franchise hits like Creed and Black Panther. While those movies were great, it always felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to see what else he could create outside the bounds of established properties. Now, with Sinners, an original vampire movie, he finally returns to telling a wholly new story — and it’s absolutely worth the wait. The performances across the board are phenomenal. The cast nails the 1930s setting, with many adopting accents that feel natural and immersive. Michael B. Jordan shines playing twin brothers, delivering two distinct characters without overexaggeration. Through subtle body language and presence, he makes it immediately clear which brother is on screen — one serious, one carefree. Delroy Lindo is an absolute scene-stealer, bringing humor and heart every time he appears. But the ...

  Gladiator II is a disappointing, unnecessary, and inferior sequel. The story is a complete retread of the first movie, with the revenge plot, evil rulers to overthrow, and a gladiator who rises up to inspire the people. The only real difference is that everything is just worse. Paul Mescal is fine, but he’s not as great as Russell Crowe. The evil emperors are fine, but they’re not as great as Joaquin Phoenix. The music score is fine, but it’s not as great as what Hans Zimmer did for the first. The cinematography is fine, but it’s not remotely as gorgeous as it was in the original. The film lacks any real originality and keeps leaning on flashbacks and dialogue from Maximus in the first movie. I just couldn’t care about any of the characters. It does have some cool gladiator battles, and Denzel is a pretty fun villain—but that’s really it. Do better, Ridley Scott!

  This is an excellent drama set in 1600s Japan. The plot is incredibly engaging, and it exceptional explores political tension, religion, and Japanese culture. Hiroyuki Sanada gives a phenomenal performance as Lord Toranaga, and Anna Sawai is a surprising standout as Mariko. Cosmo Jarvis plays the white man outcast John Blackthorn, and he can come off a bit stiff in his performance, but I think overall, he does a great job as an outsider. My only gripe is the final episode, with the series not portraying what it built up in a more impactful way. Nevertheless, this is still one of the best TV shows in recent history, and I highly recommend it!