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Letterboxd Reviews

So as you know, I stopped writing lengthy reviews on this site this year, keeping the blog as more of a film diary of sorts.  Lo and behold,...

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Good Time

Good Time (2017)
Starring Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Buddy Duress, Peter Verby, Taliah Webster, and Barkhad Abdi
Directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When a bank robbery lands his brother (Benny Safdie) in prison, criminal Connie (Robert Pattinson) does what he can in order to break him out of jail.


The RyMickey Rating: B

Friday, December 21, 2018

I Feel Pretty

I Feel Pretty (2018)
Starring Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Rory Scovel, Emily Ratajkowski, Busy Philipps, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell, and Lauren Hutton
Directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein
Written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After hitting her head at SoulCycle class, insecure and incredibly body-conscious Renee (Amy Schumer) suddenly becomes a confident woman who decides to go out and get everything she wants.




The RyMickey Rating: D+

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke
Directed by Rob Marshall
Written by David Magee

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The iconic Mary Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael Banks save the family home on Cherry Tree Lane.



The RyMickey Rating:  B

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins (1964)
Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi 

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A magical nanny (Julie Andrews) arrives at the Banks household and changes the lives of the children (Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber) and adults (David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns) therein.



The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Widows

Widows (2018)
Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Carrie Coon, Lukas Haas, Jacki Weaver, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson
Directed by Steve McQueen
Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After their criminal husbands are killed while attempting to complete a robbery, their widowed wives are forced to contemplate committing a crime of their own when a shady man demands money their husbands owed him.
 


The RyMickey Rating:  B

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Jungle

Jungle (2017)
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell, and Joel Jackson
Directed by Greg McLean
Written by Justin Monjo
***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Based on a true story from the 1980s, Israeli explorer Yossi (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to the Amazon rainforest where he meets fellow adventurers the Swiss Marcus (Joel Jackson) and his American friend Kevin (Alex Russell).  The trio decide to travel into the Amazon jungle on an expedition led by a mysterious Austrian man (Thomas Kretschmann) and find themselves in a chaotic situation struggling to survive.


The RyMickey Rating: B-

Friday, December 14, 2018

Christmas in July

Christmas in July (1940)
Starring Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Ernest Truex, and Raymond Walburn
Directed by Preston Sturges
Written by Preston Sturges

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Jimmy MacDonald enters a $25,000 contest to create the new catchphrase for Maxford House Coffee.  When his friends send him a joke telegram saying he won the contest, Jimmy goes on a spending spree that is complicated by the obvious notion that his winnings were predicated on a joke.

The RyMickey Rating: C-

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Schindler's List

Schindler's List (1993)
***viewed in theaters for 25th anniversary release***
Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, and Embeth Davidtz
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Steven Zaillian

Summary (in 500 words or less): Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) attempts to save hundreds of Jews in danger of being sent to Auschwitz by hiring them to work at his factory during WWII.
 


The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Saturday, December 08, 2018

Creed II

Creed II (2018)
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu, and Dolph Lundgren
Directed by Steven Caple, Jr.
Written by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone

Summary (in 500 words or less): Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is approached by a wrestling promoter to take on a bout against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) who defeated and killed Creed's father in the ring decades ago.



The RyMickey Rating: C

Friday, December 07, 2018

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle (2017)
Starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, Ella Anderson, and Max Greenfield
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Written by Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon
***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In the 1970s, a family with four children moves from place to place as they live in poverty that is self-inflicted by an artist mother (Naomi Watts) and an anti-establishment, anti-government father (Woody Harrelson).  When the 1980s roll around, the children have grown and left their parents, but find themselves having to reconcile with their past.



The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Thursday, December 06, 2018

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
Directed by Chris Moukarbel
***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A documentary focusing on Lady Gaga in the months leading up to the release of her album Joanne and her halftime performance at the Super Bowl.
 


The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

Okja

Okja (2017)
Starring Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, An Seo Hyun, Byun Heebong, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Yoon Je Moon, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Woo Shik Choi, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Written by Bong Joon Ho and Jon Ronson
***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less): Teenager Mija (An Seo Hyun) has raised a genetically engineered super pig for nearly a decade in the mountains of South Korea, but when the Mirando Corporation headed by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) comes to take their pig back in order to begin selling its meat, Mija takes matters into her own hands with the help of an animal rights organization.



The RyMickey Rating: D+

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Pottersville

Pottersville (2017)
Starring Michael Shannon,  Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Thomas Lennon, Christina Hendricks, and Ian McShane
Directed by Seth Henrikson
Written by Daniel Meyer
***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After discovering his wife (Christina Hendricks) wants to leave him, small town store clerk Maynard (Michael Shannon) goes on a nighttime drunken romp through the town of Pottersvilee in a gorilla costume.  When he wakes up the next morning, Maynard discovers that the town is all abuzz with a sighting of the mythical Bigfoot the night before.  Upon realizing how much Pottersville community has come together over this Bigfoot excitement, Maynard decides to continue dressing up in the gorilla costume in order to keep the town at its best.



The RyMickey Rating: C-