THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

     Year after year filmmaking as an artform has continued to grow, and with it the level of talent from film-makers have become more inovated, inspired, and extremely engaging. Christopher Nolan, one of the more technically-influenced directors of our day, constantly delivers films that boast some of the most captivating cinematography ever captured on film. His latest movie Dunkirk has no shortage of stunning visuals and amazing production. I really didn't know what to exect with this movie going in. Nolan seems to always employ a level of dramatic-sensory that raises his narratives to a higher, slightly more fantastical level than normal. Dunkirk is not that at all. This movie is grounded in reality and doubles down on the tension of the situation. How Nolan was able to capture that while delivering some stunning visuals (and a sound design to boot) is beyond me, and I tip my hat to the guy. That being said, this movie is probably Nolan's most experimental film (...

   People who know me will be shocked about the confession I will make here in this opening paragraph. It is quite aparrent that I love movies. The Lord of the Rings trilogy changed my world in so many ways. Those three films accomplished something that no other franchise was able to do. They told a grand, over-arcing story over the course of three movies, while each movie - in and of itself - were complete films with story arc and character development. They were epic spectacles that pushed the limits of movie technology in a way that had every epic that came after trying to emulate that same formula. The era of motion-capture was birthed through the geniuses at WETA who digitized the iconic Gollum over the unforgettable performance of Andy Serkis, who has since been the golden standard in motion-capture performances. On top of that, they were long movies that produced longer versions that fans enjoy more as the definitive versions of the films. That trilogy is probably t...

        It's taken six movies but they did it. They finally nailed the character of Peter Parker and Spider-man. Marvel's joint venture with Sony in Spider-man: Homecoming features the best iteration of the character (in my book) while delivering all around the best Spider-man movie since Sam Raimi's Spider-man 2 . Since Tom Holland's initial introduction as the web-slinger in Captain America: Civil War , his bout as the friendly neighborhood superhero in his own solo film has become one of the most anticipated cinematic events in some time. This weekend audiences will finally get to see what a Spider-man movie looks like in the hands (mostly) of Marvel Studios, and as to be expected given their track record, it's fantastic. It's everything I as a fan would have wanted from a Marvel Spider-man movie. So get excited.    There are so many wonderful things about this movie that I could easily see this post going on and on. This will be a spoiler-free rev...