THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

  Well, another year has come and gone, and with it a host of new films to enjoy. 2021, in the wake of 2020, has been an equally challenging year for everyone, but what was great to see was the resuscitation of the cinema. Movie theaters opened, providing safe experiences to come and view movies on the big screen, and man was that awesome! I've seen quite a few movies this year, and the variety of films we've been given has been awesome. Looking back, as always, is a challenging feat when wanting to narrow down the best or even the favorites. This list comprises both elements; before you is a list of my top 10 films of 2021 that entertained the crap out of me, that moved and inspired me, that left me questioning or bewildered, and gave me the feels like no other. Again, creating this list was difficult, and I'm sure your lists will look different. I hope it does, because movies and film criticism is subjective, which is honestly the best part. Anyway, on to the list! 10. Ju...

At the writing of this, Spider-Man: No Way Home has completed its opening weekend, smashing the box office and completely decimating any other movie's chances of making a buck. Its roaring success shows that theaters are still alive, and that people are starting to feel more comfortable venturing out to see a show. If you're one that is still apprehensive, that's okay. You do you, boo. As a theater-lover and passionate movie fan, I would be lying if I said I wasn't elated at the fact that theaters were packed (safely) with people anxious to see a new movie, albeit one that comes with a host of speculation and hype not unlike other larger entities, like Avengers: Endgame or The Force Awakens . I attended a Thursday night screening of Spider-Man: No Way Home , and the place was probably 90% full. The vibe was electric, and the experience was palpable. I hadn't experienced a viewing like that since Avengers: Endgame , and it felt really good to be there. Obviously, t...

  I remember seeing the original Ghostbusters (1984) for the first time and thinking how amazing and funny it was. For the longest time I was obsessed with that film, and its sequel. As I've gotten older, those two films have become special pieces of my childhood that have stuck with me, and I believe they're some of the most iconic films in cinema history. The premise was crazy, the humor was on point, and the action was just pure cinematic fun. Paul Feig's revamped vision in 2016 was a hilarious addition to the franchise, though it got a ton of unwarranted hate for not appealing to the fanbase and for not being a direct sequel. I loved that movie, and found it entirely entertaining. I will say, though, that as much as I liked that film, I also held out hope that a potential Ghostbusters 3 would turn up one day. Well, that day has come. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has finally hit cinemas, a sequel to the original films, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Single mo...

  The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is practically a well-oiled machine at this point. The success that Marvel has found is completely due to the products they create. Those films, themselves, are products of the hard work and talent of their casts and crews, and we as audience members and fans of the source material get to benefit from those efforts. This weekend a new Marvel movie opens. It's a momentous time, because theaters are open, people are feeling more comfortable to venture out of their homes to see a film on the big screen, and the continuing saga that is the MCU is reason enough to venture to the cinema. Eternals is a grand, epic narrative that is unlike any MCU film before it, while also delivering a narrative and experience that will change the course of the MCU forever. It's fantastic - don't let the critics' negative scores tell you otherwise. The movie follows the saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who have lived on Earth and have helpe...

  One of my most anticipated films of the year was one that was meant to come out in 2020 (maybe even 2019?) but got pushed back due to the pandemic. However, that movie is out in theaters this weekend, and just in time for the spooky holiday season. I'm talking, of course, of writer/director Scott Cooper's horror/drama Antlers . From the moment I first laid eyes on the trailer, I was immediately hooked. It promised a sense of dread, a sense of mythology and folklore, and a creature worthy of nightmares. So, did it deliver on that promise? Keep on reading and find out. In an isolated Oregon town, middle-school teacher Julia (Keri Russell) and her sheriff brother Paul (Jesse Plemons) become entangled with an enigmatic student of hers named Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas). Lucas is a troubled kid, who comes from a rough upbringing. The small town that he lives in seems almost decayed due to the rampant drug distribution and addiction found throughout, of which his father has also fallen...

  Director Denis Villeneuve has yet to make a stinker, and I know how loaded of a statement that is given the subjective medium of film. But I would venture to say that of the working filmmakers today, nobody is as constantly brilliant in his execution as Villeneuve...even if people don't like his movies. I've been excited to see his take on the literary classic Dune by Frank Herbert, not because I've read it (because I haven't...yet), but because Villeneuve boasts a visual experience like no other, and I'm always game for that. Some say that Herbert's novel is to science-fiction what The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy, and that's another heavy statement to really consider. When it comes to adapting such dense and important material, one can expect there to be vast differences between mediums. But if this literary comparison can be translated to the big screen, then that's something to really consider. The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest film...

  Scary movie season is upon us! I've been looking forward to seeing Halloween Kills from the moment the credits rolled on my first viewing of Halloween (2018). Well, it's finally here, the second installment of a new trilogy within the iconic Halloween franchise. In my book, this movie had a lot to live up to, because the movie that came before was so stinking good. I love Halloween (2018), and how wonderfully it continues the story from the very first Halloween film back in 1978. Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis as a seasoned Laurie Strode taking on the masked menace Michael Myers was thrilling, tense, and an epic ride. So, naturally, the continuation of that story - made by the same people who made the first one in 2018 - should be just as thrilling, just as tense, and just as epic, right?...Right?! Halloween Kills picks up right where Halloween (2018) ended, save for a flashback scene at the beginning which is meant to establish some context for what happens later in the film ...

  I went into A24's latest offering  Lamb expecting to see a specific sort of film. I had seen the trailers, which marketed this movie as a horror flick, and knew that if A24 was behind it, then I should be in for a wild ride. What I got was not a wild ride, nor was it a horror movie in any regard. Trust me when I say that the trailers do not do this movie justice. Instead we get this slow, weird family drama that verges on being some sort of nightmare. This movie is so bizarre, so extremely weird, that I don't know if it was meant to be taken literally or metaphorically. The ironic thing is, though, that if you view this film through either lens, it still manages to work. I'm going to do the best that I can to piece together my own understanding of this movie. Please don't take that as a turn off or a warning not to see it - movies are pieces of art, and sometimes there are pieces of art that take more contemplation than others. That's not a bad thing; I welcome t...

  My introduction to James Bond was when I was maybe 12 or 13. I remember sitting down with my dad to watch a VHS copy of Goldeneye  (1995), Pierce Brosnan's first outing as Bond. I didn't really know who James Bond was at the time, nor was I aware of the vast filmography that spanned decades before Goldeneye , but I do remember thinking it was one of the coolest movies I had ever seen. James Bond is a generational character. My dad grew up seeing Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and one-off George Lazenby, and he indoctrinated me with the lore of the spy who could woo any woman and wield any weapon. From the gadgets, to the action, to the snarky quips and uber swag, James Bond has resonated with audiences for years, and is one of my favorite cinematic characters. Because he's generational, everyone has "their Bond," the one that started it all, and the one that cannot be bested. For me, that was Pierce Brosnan, and his tenure as Bond will forever hold a...

  Fall is here, y'all! With it, comes a slew of highly anticipated movies that are sure to bring 2021 to an epic, cinematic end. When it comes to comic book movies, Marvel has a slew of them still primed and ready for release before the year is done; the MCU is alive and well. That being said, Sony's Spider-Man universe is also alive and well, with Spider-Man: No Way Home slated for December, and their latest film opening this weekend. Of course, I'm talking about Venom: Let There Be Carnage . The first Venom film garnered a mixed bag of responses and reviews due to its silly, corny, albeit crazy approach to a fan-favorite character. Personally, I really enjoyed Venom . I found it funny, entertaining, crazy, and pretty much what I would expect from a Venom film. It's not the greatest comic book movie ever made, but it doesn't box itself into the cookie-cutter MCU tone. It wholly does its own thing, and for that I commend it. Venom: Let There Be Carnage takes thos...