THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

2019 has been a fantastic year for movies. Compiling this list was no easy task. In past years I've just given the list in no particular order, but this year I'm attempting to rank them...since that's what everyone likes. That being said, the basis for my decisions were solely on how much they entertained me. I've included a list of Honorable Mentions at the end, some of which are better-crafted films than some that made the Top 10, but craft wasn't the only criteria. Let it be known that ALL movies listed in this post are ones that I loved for one reason or another. Listing them like this is arbitrary...but it's also kinda fun, so here we go! 10.  John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum One of the best action franchises to date, this movie proves that with great storytelling and execution, you can find success even within the realm of sequels. I honestly debate whether I like this film or the first John Wick the most. Chapter 3 just builds upon the my...

  Approaching my thoughts on Joker has been an interesting ride. I cannot, for the  life  of me, get this movie out of my head. It has been at the forefront of my thoughts from the moment I walked out of the theater after that first viewing. I have seen the film twice, and I can say without a doubt that this movie is like nothing I’ve ever seen—a sentiment that I’ll touch on in a bit. What director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix have created here is something truly special, unique, of its own, and incredibly of its time. Some critics have said that this movie glorifies violence, that it places its central character on a pedestal and celebrates the chaos and destruction he is so intricately connected to from the source material. Well…that’s an opinion, I suppose, one that I whole-heartily disagree with. Joker is a villain origin story that does something truly masterful: it makes you relate and empathize with the main character, until you just absolutely ca...

           I purposefully held off from writing any sort of review for IT: Chapter Two because, quite frankly, I needed some time to sit with it. Sometimes, movies are like delicious steaks. You gotta let them marinate for a bit before diving right in. I watched IT: Chapter Two on the Thursday night before its release, and again that following Tuesday. From the moment I watched it on the first viewing to this very moment where my fingers meet the keyboard, I have spent the better part of my days thinking about this movie, its source material, my love for Stephen King, how awesome the first IT movie was (from 2017), and when exactly I'll get a chance to watch IT: Chapter Two again...because believe me, a third viewing is inevitable. As of today, this movie is "number one in the world," an arbitrary notion  given the nature of theater marketing and lack of real competition at the box office, but a sentiment not to be taken lightly. I loved thi...

     I thought about posting a quick little blurb about my experience watching the new Disney remake of The Lion King (2019)  on Facebook or Instagram, but decided to write it all out here. It's been a while since I posted a review from this blog, and ultimately I figured that I had enough to say in order to warrant a post. This won't necessarily be a full on review of the film like many of my other reviews, but more of a discussion about my thoughts and feeling of both watching it and acknowledging its existence, so bear with me. Disney has fully embraced their campaign to remake all of their classics, a venture I personally think is unnecessary, but I'm no stingy stick-in-the-mud; art should never be censored, and I'm going to go see them regardless. So, maybe I'll just start with my perspective on this venture and then move into my thoughts on The Lion King (2019) .      Storytelling is a cyclical art form. I don't know who it was that origin...

  Little insight about The Optimist: I'm a literary junkie. When I'm not watching movies, reading and writing are my jam. Storytelling, in its many forms, has always been an intimate part of my life. It's probably the main reason I am so drawn to cinema; the visual art form is really quite engaging. As for literature alone, no day goes by where my nose isn't in a book. Many stories have captured my imagination over the years and have served as inspiration for my own storytelling endeavors. One of the greatest pieces of work to do that would be that of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit . Tolkien's mastery over world-building, language, and metaphorical examination is wrought across every page of those books. The film adaptations are some of my favorite pieces of cinema, so naturally when I heard that a film was coming out that explored the early parts of Tolkien's life and how he gained his inspiration, I was pretty stoked to see ...

    The horror genre is one of my favorite pools to dip into when it comes to storytelling. If you're an avid reader of this blog, this is not news to you. It's just one of the funnest types of movies to see in a theater. The build up of tension and then that epic release--it's a movie-going staple that I find thrilling, and it's one that has had its fair share of studs and duds. The Curse of La Llorona , the latest spooky flick to hit theaters, dips into folklore and mythology while attempting to deliver some serious scares. I knew nothing about the story, other than this was a tale children were often told by their parents when they misbehaved. From the initial trailers, this movie looked to be your standard spectral encounter, not unlike the ever-growing Conjuring universe. Little did I know that that observation would hit closer to home than expected.     The Curse of La Llorona is a story about loss and survival. Then again, isn't every ghost/evil spirit...

     Okay, so... Hellboy .      Let me just start by saying that I was on board with this movie the moment I watched the first trailer for it. Was I bummed that the Guillermo Del Toro brand was missing? Sure. Was it weird to see someone other than Ron Perlman don the horns? No doubt. But gall all mighty...seeing Hellboy riding a demon dragon while wielding a flaming sword was so effing metal! Look, I get that franchises get rebooted all the time, and I'm not surprised that this one followed suit. From the marketing of this movie, I was promised one hellavu time, and I will say this: this iteration does not fall short in the spectacle arena, that's for sure. However, it's a lot to take in. If movies were like meals, then Hellboy was the most unhealthy, greasy meal that was delivered with the same amount of pomp and circumstance as a Thanksgiving feast.      In this version, Hellboy (David Harbour) is caught between the supernatural a...

    As a movie-lover and an avid cinema-goer, I can say without hesitation that 2019 is off to a great start. There have been so many wonderful and amazing films that have come out, both on the big screen as well as the small (thanks to the ever-growing streaming world we live in). Genre films seem to be king of the box office, with Captain Marvel raking in over $1 billion globally. One of my favorite genres is horror, and it's one that doesn't get enough love by the critical community. Audiences love them because there's something inherently enticing about getting scared in a controlled environment, but critics tend to dismiss the craft behind the making of these movie, and it's sad. That all being said, one of my most anticipated films of the year opens this weekend, the latest adaptation of a Stephen King novel, Pet Sematary . I've been looking forward to this movie for a couple of reasons. One: the latest batch of King adaptations has been really, truly grea...

     Despite their huge financial success, DC has struggled out of the gate with their shared cinematic universe. Opinions aside, it’s only true. The amount of division among fans, and between critics and audiences, highlight this unsavory characteristic, from Man of Steel up to present day. For what it's worth, I have enjoyed all of the DCEU films, some more than others, and I’m aware that a lot of them have their flaws. But dang it, if they aren’t all entertaining, then I don’t know what is! As of late though, DC has begun to prove themselves capable of delivering films that speak to a fan base that knows and wants great films, while also appealing to critics. Wonder Woman was a huge breath of fresh air after the dower nature of Man of Steel , Batman v. Superman , and Suicide Squad ( all of which I thoroughly enjoyed ) . It was leaps and bounds above the lot, for sure. Justice League , despite its many flaws, was an extremely fun film, and I still think it’s a...

     Disney's current mission to bring their animated classics back to the big screen in live-action format has been one of the more interesting choices the company has made over the years. Despite the quality of these new iterations, the question that has always floated around my mind concerning this endeavor is: WHY? Disney's animated films are classics in their own right, and the overall need for remakes of the same stories just seem unnecessary to me. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed most of them. Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book is probably the best of the bunch, and that's simply because it took a previously bland original film and made something new of it. It is within this vein that I think Disney can, and should, capitalize on this remake endeavor. Too many of these remakes have been almost carbon copies of their originals ( Beauty and the Beast , Cinderella , etc), so having a fresh take would be the best bet. This weekend marks the opening of th...

I’ve been debating whether or not to post a review for Jordan Peele’s new horror/thriller  Us,  mainly because I’m still trying to process it. A second viewing would offer a greater sense of perspective, which isn’t necessarily a knock against the movie. Also, it will be tough to explore my thoughts about this movie without diving into spoiler territory. So, I will do my best to keep this a spoiler-free, surface-level review—and at surface-level, the movie is fantastic. I’ve had enough time to at least come to that conclusion. The more I think about it, though, the more I can’t shake how insanely memorable and layered the movie actually is. After having such a phenomenal break-out success with  Get Out , it’s hard not to expect something similar from Oscar winner Jordan Peele.  Get Out  was clear with its message; the connections it was making between its imagery, storytelling, and social commentary was concise and played a major part in its overall suc...