A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

10/10 - Synecdoche, New York is undeniably one of the best films I have ever seen and, arguably, one of the best ever made. When I finished this one, I was absolutely floored and was on the brink of tears with my jaw hanging on the floor; I was that moved and that shocked by what I had just watched. Incredibly weird and at times almost unsettling, Synecdoche, New York is a tough nut to crack. However, before moving into my interpretation, let me discuss what I love so much. The direction, for one, is brilliant. Charlie Kaufman truly made his vision for this film into his own and in just one film, he has become one of my favorite directors. The acting is beyond brilliant. Delicate in nature and so artistic, it is just a treat to watch. The set design and writing are both of the highest order just are both impactful in their own unique ways. Truly a beautiful film in every sense of the word.

**SPOILERISH FROM NOW ON**
Now, this one can mean many things to many different people. I do not doubt that there are many interpretations of this one with all of them being right in their own way. For me, this was a film about life in every form: love, happiness, hope, betrayal, sadness, loneliness, and death, basically every element that make up every single person's life. Not only are our individual struggles not unique, but they are widespread. Everyone will go through all of those things in their life and while it may feel incredibly important to us in the moment, in the grand scheme of things, it means very little if anything at all. However, this sense of importance is what makes life almost like a play. After thinking about what I thought the film meant, I saw a quote by Shakespeare that essentially said that we are all the lead in our play, which is also something mentioned in the film itself. As depicted in the film with the continuous casting of new actors in the protagonist's play and the growing scope of the set, we all come together and play a role in the play that is life. We all mean something different to every person we come across and play many different roles in our life and embody many different personas.
**SPOILERS END**

But, what do I know? I am probably wrong on some fronts, but hopefully I am correct on others. Overall, this is simply a brilliant film with many different ways of solving it. Just watch it, please.



An in-depth examination of the ways in which the U.S. Vietnam war impacts and disrupts the lives of people in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania.

9/10 - The Deer Hunter truly lives up to the hype and more for me. Absolutely brilliant film. Entirely sombering and one of the most emotionally distressing films I have ever seen. I honestly feel as though I may have PTSD after watching this one, it was just that emotionally powerful and resonant. Many claim that this one is a little slow and overlong, but I never saw that honestly. One of the main points of criticism is the wedding sequence, but if you cannot tell that the joy and happiness in that sequence is meant to directly juxtapose the sadness and emotional turmoil of the rest of the film, I am honestly sad for you, because that is one of the most brilliant pieces of this one. An entirely beautiful sequence, I could honestly watch the wedding for the entire three hours, because at least I would not leave this one feeling emotionally defeated. The Russian Roulette elements, and the characters' transformations from the first one to the final one, are immaculately filmed and just so impactful throughout. The direction from Michael Cimino is truly remarkable, as is the acting from the two true stars here; Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep. Walken steals the show throughout, but Streep's emotionally vulnerable performance (especially considering what was happening in her personal life with John Cazale at the time) is heartbreakingly beautiful and stands tall as one of the best performances in a film littered with them. Finally, the final half hour is pitch perfect filmmaking and, while entirely distressing, just so mesmerizingly perfect you cannot look away. However, in spite of all this, it is a touch long and in terms of war films, I do think Downfall and Saving Private Ryan are superior, though I would rank this one over other Vietnam films such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. As a whole, The Deer Hunter is not for everyone, but I can entirely see why it is a classic and, to me, it deserves to be 100%.



A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to find a potentially habitable planet that will sustain humanity.

8/10 - There are many things here in Interstellar that work very well and some that...fall short. However, as a whole, Interstellar is a major success. First off, the visual effects are...breathtaking. It owes a lot to films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, especially some of the visual splendor that was on screen, but there was certainly some influence from lesser known films such as The Fountain. Some of the sequences in that film are almost perfectly emulated here, with some obvious changes, but the influence is obvious in that sense. Many of the sci-fi elements are also indebted to films such as 2001 and other far-reaching and technically brilliant sci-fi films. Sci-fi film wise, this one travels very little new ground. The score here by Hans Zimmer is perfect and truly served as a great sonic backdrop for the visual ecstasy that was taking place on screen. Interstellar is also a very emotional film, brought to life by strong writing and, in particular, strong acting. Matthew McConaughey is brilliant, as are Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, and Matt Damon. They all play great emotional roles here and it is hard to fight back tears at times. There are a ton of brilliant elements here contained here and the space visuals are king of that, but I do feel the story faltered at times. Namely, the ending seemed...cop outish. They kind of a held your hand a little bit at the end and pointed directly at what you needed to understand. It also ended very sentimentally and it could have gone in a far different direction and, to me, the ending seemed fake. Finally, there are some things that just do not make sense in terms of plot (plotholes, somewhat) that are not overly important because I barely remember them already, but all the same. In terms of science, it also seemed to try and go too far and get technical with science stuff, which was unnecessary and, largely, out of mental grasp, which was a bummer.

Overall, Interstellar is an astounding achievement technically and visually, though it is far from perfect and rather than blasting it for its imperfections, I think perfections need to be celebrated thanks to the profound impact have on the viewer and kind of leave in a trance as the final credits start rolling.



A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.

8/10 - Overall, The Damned United is a good film. Great performances from Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall, as well as assured direction from Tom Hooper ensure that The Damned United always stays entirely riveting and fulfilling. It feels a bit short at just a little over 90 minutes, but all the same, I would not change much here. It may not be the most historically accurate film ever, but watching Clough's career unfold was incredibly dramatic and, as a soccer fan, informative as well as entertaining. The shots of soccer were done brilliantly as well, as were the interactions between the managers and players. As a whole, there is not a ton to say about this one, other than: you will enjoy this even if you are not soccer fan, but if you are a soccer fan, boy do I have the movie for you.



A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour.

8/10 - Almost Famous is absolutely a very good film that I really enjoyed thoroughly. First off, the acting is great. Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, are all stupendous. All of their characters are endearing in their own way and really steal the spotlight individually at times. The directing from Cameron Crowe is great and the story is told wonderfully. It really does not glamorize rock and roll of the time, but it certainly makes you fall in love with these flawed human beings as we interact with them through the eyes of a young 15 year old writer. We truly fall in love with these people as he does and struggle through the same struggles he does as a writer on this trip that changes his life forever. Ultimately, Almost Famous is a resounding success and a film that provides laughs, drama, and just enough of romance, to keep you interested. A truly great film.


I love weeks where I really enjoy all 5 movies I watch. Dat hot streak.