21 MAR 2024 · Janeen Damian once again directs Lindsey Lohan in the film "Irish Wish", a rom com about an editor who is in love with her boss who is the author of books that get published. Guess what, a fairy godmother of sorts grants Lohan's character's wish to get married with this guy. Then, it's a journey of love dispelling the notion of true love especially when she starts hanging out with this photographer who, guess what, gets her! Who would have thought, right? This is not a good film but it tries really hard. I talk about the strengths of Lohan's acting. I also discuss the screenplay of this film in which I think needs a lot of work and would have made Lohan's character be stronger for the film's overall message. But it wouldn't have mattered because the film gives itself away. It's waay too predictable but like I said in the podcast, this is a major watch due to Lindsey Lohan herself - she looks great, can still deliver a good acting performance, and is likable overall. And of course, I do like the film because it's set in Ireland and they did a good job giving us authentic Irish vibes. Two and a half out of four tokes. #irishwish #netflix

8 MAR 2024 · Jonathan Glazer is a trailblazer of a filmmaker. "The Zone of Interest" is another win for him and filmmaking in general. He was able to use sound to highlight the horrors of the holocaust. He chose to not show any kind of violance whatsoever and the sound makes up for. It's a simple story of a family of Nazis who live in a beautiful home RIGHT NEXT TO the Auschwitz concentration camp ran by Rudolf Höss. It focuses mainly on Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, seeing life in their evil lives, living peacfully, almost gracefully with the help of their staff which happen to be Jews. There are no happy endings, only the dissection of how cruel we can be as a people to one another and we don't have to see any deaths. It's through what some of the characters comment and how they are use to the fact that what goes on the next is completely normal to them. It's mind-boggling. It's hard pill to swallow throughout because these folks are living happily with no acknowledgement of the evil they are a part of and sadly, proud of. This film is sort of a meditation piece of cinema. We see dramatized facts unfold of evil and we also see how men can evolve by throwing the very last of human morales. I recommend everyone to see this film. Glazer did a good job getting us up and close to this film by having invasive camera work, attention to detail in almost every shot, and the cast is great. They play their roles convincing. However, the plot is is almost minimalistic. Three and a half out of four tokes. #thezoneofinterest #filmreview #morningreel

29 FEB 2024 · "Priscilla" shows a very mature and talented Sofia Coppola exploring the exodus of Elvis and Priscilla Presley's life as romantic partners. The caasting is pretty good. We definitely see how Priscilla grows up on screen played by the same actress. It's a dramatized version of their romance with a straightforward story and plot. It's pretty intimate, gets up close at one point where we see eyeballs, a lot of attention to detail. We get to know how in all apsects of hers and their lives as a whole. We do see relationship that is obviously built on lust in the most general sense (this was in the '50s) eventually enfolding to an adult and complicated marriage where Elvis is definitely KING and Priscilla not getting the respect she deserves as a woman especially of her age, she has no natural outlook of thr concept of love and the notion of "my one and ony" but the tabloid crushes her everything. Whatever news she gets is not being able to independently explore the outside world which is ironic beceause Elvis never toured outside the United States. Elvis wanted a certan kind of woman which eventually to Priscilla's self-respect, begins to break glass door down. It's a feisty film but it's like a slow climb where when you turn around, you see nothing but the beautiful landscape. But it's quite a climb which is hard for the viewer to want to keep up. Three and a half out of four tokes. #priscillafilm #filmreview #sofiacoppola

22 FEB 2024 · Kevin Smith wrote, directed, and edited "Zack Miri Make a Porno" which is an ambitious film about people who get together and make something especially when you gotta make quick money. But life is about more than money and that's where this film stands out and it especially stands out from Kevin Smith's filmography. The man proves he is more than just a "sequel" director. The characters in this film prove themselves even as simple as making an adult film. I dig the film the film for it's premise. It's plot is plain for the most part because we can already tell what's gonna happen at the end but it's fun to see HOW that works out. It's a fun watch but it does have serious moments when it comes to love & romance even between the main characters we have. This film is sweet overall because it tells us that it's never too late to change your life for the better. If you believe in yourself & your ideas and have a strong supporting cast to back you up, you can conquer. Yes, this film as raunchy as it seems, does that. Watch it. Three out of four tokes. #zackandmirimakeaporno #kevinsmith #filmreview

21 FEB 2024 · Jonathan Demme is a master filmmaker and he shows us his storytelling prowess with "The Silence of the Lambs". The film is not only great because of its premise and engaging plot but the power of the close up. That close up is a very powerful use of cinematography and by keeping us at that close up for the majority of the film, you cant help but continue to watch. I can understand why people would pay to see this film on the big screen. Those details are scary. Jodie Foster played a great Clarice Starling, showing a character that is compassionate about people and justice itself. The film is pretty straightforward for the most part with minor twists but all the juice is simply from how the writer was clever to put plot motives at the right places. This is a film where you don't anticipate an ending like we see and it's a great payoff. Four out of four tokes #thesilenceofthelambs #jonathandemme #filmreview

8 FEB 2024 · "A Ghost Story" is a film all about time as it states in its poster. And it is. It's a strong film written & directed by David Lowery who casted Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara about two people who love each other and they eventually lose each other. It's more really more about the journey than it is about the couple itself and how the film works, it's meditational piece of art. Now there are cons as I talk about them in the film just in the aspect of how the story can push forward and with a film like this I can see it's a bit tough to make an action legit. Lowery did what he could in the logic of the film to strike heavy in the second act. It's a good film to watch not just 'cause of its cinematography of seeing a human being completely draped by a cloth, but how lives are introduced and shown. The different aspects of life who don't know each other still share the same Earth, the same time that's being offered. And the major connection is how humans can bring us together but they can also separate us. Really strong approach that Lowery brought into this film. I enjoyed it a lot. I feel this film is meant to be seen in the big screen and the sound design needs its flowers. It adds to the minimalism of the film. I would see it again as it teaches you about handling humans, handling your safe space and overall how we can make a film with putting a sheet over our heads and being the best ghost we can be. For that, we are in debt to celebrate this film. Three and a half out of four tokes #aghoststory #a24 #love

28 JAN 2024 · XG joins me on this episode for the film "Leave the World Behind". He requested it so we did it. Funny because I was gonna review this film down the road. The film isn't bad, it's just a bit too long and there's not much of a plot to work with which is crazy because you can do so many things with this type of story. It's weird that I had a hard time connecting with these characters. Almost as if they're robots in a sense except for Ethan Hawke who played Clay. He relly shines in this film. I really thought Julia Roberts playing Amanda was great. I don't think she's a bitch to be a bitch. We can all relate when we're just not fuckin' with nobody because everybody sucks, in general. Her character's behavior and mindset really does mold and move the story throughout. XG and I talked conspiracy theories concerning the things that happened in the film such as scamming, the 5G singals that suppresses life & alike, and Obama somehow was involved in this? And if he was, what's the conspiracy, haha. It's an enjoyable film but there's so much realism in the aspect of post-apocalyptic scenarios, we can't be ignorant about it. Kevin Bacon's was GREAT in his character and really encapsulates human behavor. Not the best film in the world but ti doesn't move the pendulum. Three out of Four tokes. Thank you XG for being a part of the podcast episode. Y'all can chek him out on: http://fullytoxic.com #leavetheworldbehind #filmreviews #morningreel

18 JAN 2024 · Ava DuVernay directed "Selma" that deals with the marches of Selma in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This actually happened that led to an official to pass signed by President Lyndon B Johnson. A dramatized film of course but it's straightforward, it's gets to the point and the performances from the talent really give this film the attention it deserves. We get to see a MLK Jr. very human, almost too human, seeing him deal with all kinds of aspects in life epsecially with things that have nothing to do with him. People look up to this man because he is a leader and for the greatest cause any man can put themselves in because it'll literally set course to what's to come in America. The scenes of the bridge crossings are brutal and DuVernay does not relent, she shoves it to us because that is what happened. Injustice all the way to the physical level and thankfully during that time, people all over the world were able to see it and it's messed up. I'm sure in reality, it was far more brutal, you have to give it to DuVernary for showing us just a fraction of those events played out. It's hard to watch innocent woman just get beat for walking. FOR WALKING. Then again, it was George Wallace's Alabama and he didn't give a f. Tim Roth knocked the Wallace role right out of the park as he usually does. Although I feel that the film itself was a bit too scripted, like I feel the other cast were kind of robotic in a sense. The main characters, you can tell they had a lot of range to play around with and used it to their advantage. Overall, "Selma" is solid, effective and entertaining. It does get real and it makes you mad as how politics work. You ask yourself, does the president really care? Does the government really care? Regardless, when you want something you real bad, you're gonna do what you can to achieve it. MLK Jr. is the greatest example of that and he led millions. Three and a half out of four tokes. #selma #avaduvernay #injustice

14 JAN 2024 · "Anatomy of a Fall" is a gripping courtroom dramam directed by Justine Triet. The film is literal in it's title. We are looking at a fall that resulted death to the husband/father of a family that secretly failing. We don't know if the fall was ruled out to be suicide or murder. The mother/wife is the only prime suspect and the family is thrown to the ringer. It's crazy how a courtroom is a place where the skeletons come out of the closet. One of my favorite characters is the dog in this film. The actor is named Messi and Messi acts his ass off and you'll know it when you see it. I talk about the film's screenplay, it's written very well because we out of those pages we see how creative the director was to give out this information for us to see. When we think we'll see full scenes of the married couple having a really aggressive argument, think again. All characters play their roles right and effectively. I talk about how flashbacks are used in this film Triet made it that work very well. We don't know much about the characters until we are witnessed through multimedia and not the characters themselves. Normally, this would be a problem in storytelling but the characters later shed their own layers to these surprises of sorts. The full fledged character is the son, as blind as he is, he wins people's hearts. Smart, understanding, and isn't afraid to show himself. The film won at the Cannes film festival and earned a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and it shows. We see a film where the elements of filmmaking are present but the characters drive the story. Even the dead man himself has light to shed. Leave stones unturned because eventually they will turn and it'll blow your mind. I wasn't feeling this film at first, with exception of the first act (which is a great first act), but when we the first courtroom scene, it brought me back and made me sit along with all the other people who were watching trial. Three and a half out of four tokes. #anatomyofafall #morningreel

4 JAN 2024 · "Juice" is a good film. It could have been greater if Tupac's character "Bishop" wasn't written to be so James Cagney and it's funny that the film ended in the fashion of "White Heat" but it's because of that film Tupac decided to go deep into the psyche of a man with practically nothing to lose at a young age growing up in early '90s New York. Harlem to be more exact. The film is about senior high schoolers trying to figure themselves out and it's root is basically the time and location they're living in. It's tough in the streets and if you want to make it, you might have to consider extreme measures. The film is not all violence, we are shown a window of Hip Hop which plays a deep role in the film. It's a character, it highlights a side of New York. You not only hear it, you see it in the fashion that is shown (great production design) & the music where society decides to vibe, and you also feel it as to how Bishop, Raheem, and Steel try to feign it as much as they can. But we all know, it shows us how music can be not only a way out, but it also has the power to fufill artistic purpose. I didn't mentioned this in the review, but Ernest Dickerson knows how to make a film and an effective one with his choice of shots that he knows it adds the right amount of tension and aloofness. Overall, what I saw is still ingredients for an iconic film such as "Juice". Three out of four tokes. #juicemovie #tupac #hiphop