Aaron Jimenez

I don’t get it .It just feels like Tim Robinson wrote the party scene with the soap and then A24 said make this an hour and a half. . There’s a message there that I’m just not really getting and I’m just left all over the place. Maybe I just need to give it another shot but honestly I’m just disappointed.

"A guy told me one time, 'Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." - Neil McCauley. .Heat is one of those films that is rare in a world where Hollywood's action films focus on the biggest budgets for the explosions and violence rather than the story it is trying to tell its audience. Heat is a story of the duality of men caught up in their professions that they lose track of what surrounds them. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) are both addicts to their own downfalls; they are both the hunter and the hunted. For them, it's the inability to escape what they would both view as justice, one in the illegal aspect and the other in line with the law. Hanna struggles with balancing his relationships and the law, even on nights with his wife, Hanna finds himself back on the case. McCauley is similar; he can't balance letting people into his life and living the life he enjoys. When he finally lets someone he loves in, that love ultimately becomes his downfall. .But the film doesn't just focus on Pacino & De Niro, it focuses on the people who revolve around their lives. The film already boasts a stacked cast with its two leads, but the rest of the cast still stands strong, including Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Amy Brenneman, Diane Venora, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, and Danny Trejo. The decisions of our two lead actors play a significant role in shaping the lives of the rest of these characters. From the deaths of Breedan and Michael Cheritto (Dennis Haysbert, Tom Sizemore), the escape of Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), the betrayal of Eady (Amy Brenneman), etc. Their decisions, actions, etc, all come back to hurt them in the end because they bring them to the film's final crucial moment. The chase between McCaulle and Hanna, where our characters decide whether they're willing to put whatever they have to give justice to their actions, being able to put an end to the gun at the end of the barrel. .Michael Mann takes such simple steps to help make the film feel real in a way that most action films today miss. 1. Sound, while the film drives itself on music, Mann uses silence and real-life noise to his advantage. The iconic gun fight in the streets uses real gunshots, which brings us into the action as if we are running with them. 2. Color, the film utilizes a dull and dark color palette in a way that reflects the world around them. Even in the daytime, LA is pale, grey, draining, and at night, the twinkling nights of the city are the only thing lighting up the nighttime sky. 3. Attention to minute detail, Mann makes sure what he says or hints at pays off in a big way. This includes making McCaulley's choice to leave exactly 30 seconds, the choice for Hanna to go home, the light from the plane, or even the reloading of a gun. Everything feels calculated and executed perfectly..But in the end, what I love about Heat is how it tells this very broad story in 3 hours. Granted, it's been a long time, but the film can let the audience cruise along and enjoy it. I've only seen 3 of Michael Mann's films (Collateral, Ford vs. Ferrari, and Smokey & the Bandit), but they have all been very enjoyable watches despite all 3 being very different films from one another. Heat remains iconic today; its influence is all over, especially in The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan and, oddly enough, Grand Theft Auto V. It's clear Mann loves what he does; the work put into this movie is nuts, and I can't really describe it all because I don't even know how to put it into enough words. I'm going to have to rewatch this film, but it is 100% going in my top 10. It's chaotic, it's action-packed, dramatic, and an all-around thriller that gives the audience a satisfactory ending. 5/5 'Nough said.

Midnight in Paris may honestly be the perfect comfort/ airplane movie I've watched in a while. I yearn to be a writer who can just enjoy the beauty of the world around him (tho I wouldn't choose Paris, I have problems with them) . To state the unfortunate obvious, the film is directed and written by the infamous Woody Allen. While it is said you can separate Art from the Artist, we shouldn't do so without acknowledging the problems from having a man like him make this ovie. .From start to finish, Midnight in Paris can suck its audience into the world of Paris, France. I think the fact that the montage at the beginning is the RAW is impressive and goes to show how beautiful that city truly is. The music meets with the environment, along with the lighting in this film, just brings such a sense of comfort. . The main thing about this film is the ideas of nostalgia and how, no matter how much we yearn for the past, those in the past likely yearn for their own past. If we were to remake this film today, our main character would be yearning for 2016 and the peak of social media, and people of 2016 would yearn for the hip hop days of the 90s, and those people would yearn for the 60s rock and roll craze. It's true, tho, and unfortunately, forced nostalgia is something that just drives me up a wall. We don't appreciate what we have now, and we don't value our lives. If we keep thinking about how good 2016 was, then we forget just how much we have now, the experiences, the technology, the people, etc..But I am truly glad that the film calls out this idea of ignoring the present. Owen Wilson's character, Gil, feels so real, from his dialogue to his actions. Gil knows that his escape was wrong, but learns that the past can teach us our mistakes so that we may make ourselves a better future. Adriana (Marion Cotillard) is such a delight; her idea of the golden years offers such a good clash with Gil. Her motives don't feel forced as she gets to live out her wildest dreams. .I do have to say I really do enjoy the stylings of the 1920s world, from F Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway ( Corey Stoll), or even Salvador Dali (Adrian Brody) do such a fun job setting the scene for 1920s Paris. Big shout out to Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein. I love Kathy Bates so much, and she's always a pleasure to watch. Of course, I doubt there is any historical accuracy, but I'd like to imagine that Gil's imagination is able to create these fake scenarios. The outfits are nicely picked out, the sets are beautifully constructed, etc..I do have to say what loses me about the film is the way it handles Gil's relationship with his fiancée, Inez. Some parts feel like they drag, while others just feel like they were rushed so that we could wrap up the movie. Also, not a big fan that Gil cheats on Inez in his own way and doesn't face much repercussion from it as he should. The last moment in the rain is nice, but a bit random when you remember that Gil had been engaged to Inez for quite some time. But it is still such a well-written film overall, and so enjoyable when you watch it without any prior context. -.5 cuz Woody Allen is a horrible person. 4/5

So the "tell the audience" examples of Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) struggle with his sexuality include listening to the Village People, watching, and listening to Barbra Streisand's Film/discography, riding a bike, enjoying English literature, dancing, and caring about fashion. .Yeah........I do have to say, tho, it is a fairly enjoyable film even though a majority of it has aged pretty poorly. Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) is an interesting character who struggles with balancing media and life, though his story kinda gets lost towards the end. Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) did great for the time allotted for her, but once again, her story gets lost. Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) is fine, but I would've liked to have seen more connection with Howard. .The film itself isn't trying to shame or antagonize Howard's sexuality (unlike Bohemian Rhapsody does for Freddie Mercury). It gives fair reasoning for Howard to not only cancel his wedding and come out at his wedding. It also criticizes Howard for the way he handled the situation, by occurred on his fiancée's special day, leaving her with few places to turn. Of course, our MC learns from that and begins to grow as he makes his way through a world that views him as other. .Though the film does get messy trying to wrap up all the subplots of the story. The students, Emily, Peter, and Cameron, subplots become a bit too mixed near the end of the second act and into the third. The 90-minute run time isn't terrible, but a lot of things feel incomplete or rushed to have them wrap up. For example, Emily's story ends with her dance with former student, Cameron. There's nothing wrong with the dance, but I would've liked to see more of how she moved on and dealing with questioning 3 years of love life. .I think the film could've done better if they had extended it slightly. The ending is fun; we get a Dead Poets Society ending that shows the town's support for Howard, which just makes this movie such a fun watch. Should Frank Oz have executed it better so that it remains timeless? Yes, I think leaning into media stereotypes just makes it cringy when trying to see him overcome his problems. Does Frank Oz have the most random discography? Yeah, the fact that he made this, Muppets Take Manhattan, Bowfinger, and Little Shop of Horrors, not to mention The Dark Crystal, is beyond me. But I still had a fun time enjoying a cheesy film that tries to send a message that's easy for audiences to understand, even if it is poorly aged. 3.5/5 Mathew Berry would've killed this role if they had to remake this film before he passed :(