Patrick Pepples

i am conflicted. on one hand - this movie is made quite well. it’s clear everyone in the production of this movie cooked, and had an air of confidence around them? it’s an interesting vibe, like the movie knows you like it. the actors are all well cast and did well, obviously gotta name Jeremy Allen White. his voice in this movie is genuinely unbelievable. and jeremy strong has an interesting subversion in his role as an actually supportive, chill manager.  on the other hand - this thing really shouldn’t exist. there’s no reason. it is this years attempt at A Complete Unknown, which is 2024’s attempt at Bohemian Rhapsody, which is 2018’s attempt at Walk the Line, which - well you get the point. The story had these little vignettes that reflect on Bruce’s childhood and an altercation he had with his father that shaped this album. And none of any of this moved me. In fact, this movie bored me to death. Throughout the last 40 minutes I found myself checking the time every couple of minutes. I just didn’t like it. It wasn’t written well, they seemed to lean into the boring cliche aesthetic so tried and true and tied to this genre, and it seemed confident in its originality. I wanted more.

i hate when a movie clearly has so much ambition and tries to be something great but just doesn’t have the sauce to go the distance - written by someone else, directed by someone else, maybe if this movie focused on the subtleties of a black life of subservience in a post slavery america and as the civil rights movement changed your own context, rather than bashing us over the head with cameos and ridiculous casting - this could be great it’s got a decent story, forest whitaker is great. oprah is even better, but it just drowns in that ambition that makes it an attractive movie to begin with. it feels aged out of the year it released in - this was clearly cucked as the black history movie at that years oscar’s by 12 Years a Slave and it makes sense. that has what this movie doesn’t. FOCUS. all of that being said - it is cool to see cinematic representations of the presidents. they are a particular interest to me so seeing someone like eisenhower come to life is cool. i liked the historical aspects of this - even if its not very accurate. the acting and cinematography were working here.  i really do like this - it just should have and could have been so much better

I have watched Sidney Lumet's burst onto the big screen in 12 Angry Men, and now I have seen his swan song, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. This is such a cool movie. It's constructed in a non-chronological way - and it is utilized for interesting reveals and changes in perspective that make it a rich viewing experience. I've said it before and I will say it again, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is my favorite actor of all time. He is so real in everything he does! The anger and fear when he is interogating Hank feels so genuine. I feel like my father has acted exactly like that before, questioning in desperation and anger. A perfectly-acted role brings any movie up, and that's what PSH does here. However, Ethan Hawke also plays his role here as a "Fredo" archetype very well. It has the sheen of a clean, corporate movie from 2006, and that's alright. It's that kind of movie. It's not thematically too interesting, but it was a fun time. I liked it. P.S. - This movie came out the day before I was born. Just thought that was interesting.