Arrow’s Art Archive

February:
The Brutalist
Do you think there was a studio mandate for 1 hand job per hour of film.

February:
Captain America: Brave New World
This is a Hulk 2008 & Eternals sequel that sets up X-Men & Avengers 5 that steals the plot of Iron Man 2 beat for beat. None of this had anything to do with Captain America and he feels like an afterthought to his own movie. Anthony Mackie deserved better.

February:
10 Things I Hate About You
I saw the best scene before I saw the movie which is disappointing to me but at least Heath Ledger is very hot

I adore a simplistic sci-fi concept being taken and played with to its fullest extent. I love how this show unfolds it’s ideas and it’s story and it’s characters out. Every piece you understand more and go more insane. It’s rare to see something executed so tightly these days. Can’t wait to start S2

February:
Severance Season 1
Ben Stiller is one of the best directors of the decade and this writer’s room is top tier. Every little detail of this show is thought out and constructed to build all these incredible themes. The cast is fantastic, the sets are great. 1/?

February:
Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger
I was pretty disappointed with this finale. This was a season that had some great characters but it felt like things happened in the wrong order. It’s not the weakest season of sentai by far but it’s definitely a step down from Donbrothers and Kingohger.

February:
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (Rewatch)
I get nothing out of this movie despite loving Steve Martin’s other work. I just dislike the misery and how their relationship is built on contempt and then attempts a heartfelt friendship ending without ever earning it along the way.

February:
The Producers (2005) (Rewatch)
Normalize making Nazis feel like total losers

February:
National Treasure (Rewatch)
The moral of the story is doing crimes against the United States of America makes you a hero

February:
Om Shanti Om
The sets and effects here are incredible and I really love the lighting and visual design of everything. The cast is also fantastic. The movie probably could have cut a few musical sequences but the songs are good enough that I can give that a pass.

February:
Rocky V (Rewatch)
When it’s about Rocky & Jr’s relationship I love it. I don’t love Duke as antagonist and I think Tommy kinda falls a bit flat. The street fight is a fun twist on the premise but I think it kind of goes against why he retired to begin with.

February:
Rocky IV (Rewatch)
Weaker than the last 3 movies thematically and emotionally. It’s still not a terrible time and the montages are fun but this could have been so much better.

January:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Rewatch)
The water wheel scene alone is like the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in a movie and then it has good character writing AND an interesting story AND good visual effects AND good cinematography AND a good soundtrack on top of that.

January:
Heretic
I have issues with them preying on “don’t trust strangers” terror. But beyond that the theological conflict is really fun and narratively bouncy. Hugh Grant is properly terrifying and fascinating psychologically. Fantastic cinematography here as well. Really enjoyed this one.

January:
Tear Gas Squad
Sorry about Multiversus

January:
September 5
Bit late for a birth of a nation sequel but whatever. At least it was well shot? I have very little nice to say about blatant propaganda.

January:
Nickel Boys
I think the perspective gimmick sometimes holds the movie back but the story and the editing and pacing here are harrowing. Definitely worth a watch.

January:
Romeo + Juliet (Rewatch)

As someone who is not a fan of Shakespeare prose I find this to be the best interpretation of Romeo & Juliet. A balance of modernization & staying true to the source. Finding a way to make frustrating prose work with incredibly talented actors and fun visuals.

January:
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Rewatch)

I don’t think you can make a better trilogy than this honestly. The fight choreography, the lighting, the sets, the effects, the cast, the dialogue, the story is all just fantastic.

The Roxanne Tango is such an insane and overwhelming experience of top notch lighting break-neck editing, it’s just stunning. I think all the performances here are stellar and boy are they difficult roles to make work. It’s not a perfect movie and it’s not for everyone but I love it. 2/2

January:
Moulin Rouge! (Rewatch)

The first act of this movie is messy and crammed with insanity like the green fairy and overly hyper but by the time you hit Come What May it’s 10/10 musical number after 10/10 musical number. 1/?

January:
The Apprentice

You can almost pity the monsters. Almost.

A wonderful job deconstructing why he’s like that and a scathing cut down of it all. He didn’t come up with any of this shit. He’s copying another guy’s playbook. It’s the purest display of his patheticness.

January:
Hundreds of Beavers
One must imagine beaver Sisyphus as happy

January:
Flow
I have a hard time deciding if I am impressed by the restrictions of blender or if this film is actively being held back by it. I am impressed by the story they build without dialogue but I also think it muddies some of the themes and intent in the 3rd act.

January:
Anora
This movie is hard for me to read I think. I guess this is what happens after The Graduate? All I really took away with this is don’t throw your life away for a nepo baby. Don’t think I liked the ending. Idk, I wasn’t the target audience for this so I never expected to mesh with it.

January:
A Different Man
Possibly the best set up and punchline for a dark joke in film. Very depressing but also kind of fun and I love the way it plays on expectations.

January:
Only You
Cute movie, you can tell they had a lot of fun making it. Tomei & RDJ also have really good chemistry together.

January:
Tekken
This movie’s fight scenes are neat and it looks cool but the writing is terrible. At least it kept me engaged the whole way through so I give it props for that.

January:
DOA: Dead or Alive
This movie is goofy as hell and I love it. The fight choreography is fun, it does weird fun things with it’s cinematography, and I was not prepared to like Kevin Nash this much.

January:
Scooby-Doo with Cast Commentary (Rewatch)
Yeah I still love this movie it rules and the cast are delightful