Joe

Apparently critics trashed the hell out of this one back in the day. Doesn’t change the fact that I enjoyed this one a lot, it’s right up my alley. No disrespect, but it does feel pretty good not having to be so stuck up all of the time. What more can I say? I do love me some satire with a fucked up twist. Sure, it can be a little inconsistent at points, but when the jokes hit for me, they really hit. Combine that with the energy of the cast (especially from Robin Williams and Edward Norton), this is just gonna be my thing.

God, I’m so disappointed. I wanted to like this movie so badly, but it just does not work. For a while, I was teetering if I was going to put this above or below "Steve Zissou" in my Wes Anderson ranking - which I don’t think is bad, but meanders a bit. But I can at least tell you what the hell is going on in that film, because I sure cannot do it with "The Phoenician Scheme". I swear, there’s 15 different plot points going on, and the movie never takes the time to slow the down even once. I could definitely tell you there’s a story going on, but the connective tissue is very, very thin, making everything convoluted just for the sake of it. It’s not my cup of tea, and I’m hoping Wes is able to bounce back with his next film.

Honestly might be better than the first one? It’s hard to choose and I may need to think about this some some more, but I think Jones' dad adds more heart and humor to an already fun action/adventure flick. The same amount of thrills from the first two is ingrained into the DNA of this one, but the slight bits of emotions give me a little bit more to chew on. You know what, fuck it. The more I’m typing this, I’m realizing it genuinely is a cut above the rest.

Talk about giving me the thrill that I needed. William Friedkin's "To Live & Die in LA" truly packs a punch, gripping you right from the very beginning. It’s a bit similar to his other film, "The French Connection", but to be straight with you all, the characters and twists in this one are a bit more engaging, and it hooks you easier right from the get-go.