Christian Stevens

This was a very entertaining and well shot movie. I enjoyed Rocky as a character and Ryan Gosling did a phenomenal job with this role. Visually it was stunning and had some great moments, I just feel like the pacing in some regions could have been slightly better. Some of the highest stakes of the film also felt slightly short lived and did not linger for very long in the plot. Overall I loved the film and the experience of watching it. A lot of recent sci-fi films have not been near what I would call “remarkable” experiences, so this stands above with little competition. Maybe I would have been harsher rating it if there was current movies I could point to as being better examples but sadly they aren’t really there.

Note to self: When there is a dirt goblin behind Winkie's, we need to face that reality. This felt like watching Babylon and Donnie Darko but David Lynch was my sleep paralysis demon. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this film much like the rest of David Lynch's work that I've seen. He knows how to set a tone. The story itself left me scratching my head a bit, but once it clicks it is a very well crafted plot with lots of deep symbolism. I don't have many critiques for the film either, I think Lynch got across exactly what he wanted to. This style of film just has a hard time landing a satisfactory feeling when the credits start to roll. That feeling comes after mulling over the scenes in your head and watching the puzzle pieces connect. This leads me to have a deep appreciation for the film, but it cant retroactively change the level of enjoyment I had when the credits started to roll. I can tell I’d enjoy it more on a rewatch which is a testament to David Lynch’s skill.  This is a great film if you want a long conversation with friends after. I would just have a hard time recommending this to a general audience.

I’m having a hard time thinking of a worse movie. Satan himself wrote a script of rage bait slop from start to end. Save your sanity.

Miserable people want miserable friends. Lonely people want lonely company. This movie is a fascinating time capsule of the ills in the dating world of the 1950s and it’s incredible how many parallels I could point to in the modern world. It is a great portrayal of how selfishness looks in different aspects of life. From friends, to cousins, and even parents, selfishness can look many different ways in the face of loneliness. That fear is consuming, and drives them into self-preservation over empathy. That’s the real root it exposes. Loneliness can push people into utilitarianism, casting the pains of their life onto those around them. Everyone was more than happy to dump their problems onto Marty. His friend would leave Marty behind for a girl but was sore when it happened to him. His cousin asks a huge favor but can’t be bothered to return a small favor in the form of financial advice. His mom would nitpick his lifestyle until she saw it would cost her what she found comfortable if he got what he wanted. Marty is a simple film on the surface, but has deep messages about what it means to be truly kind. Being nice means showing up when it’s convenient, being kind is having compassion even when it costs your own comfort.