4/10 - Buffalo '66 is simply an ok film. It is an interesting character study of a very damaged man who is struggling throughout with the demons of his life. The film is at times very dark, funny, quirky, and absurd, but mostly the last of those. Usually, I do not have a problem with absurd scenarios, but with this one being essentially based around an absurd scenario (well, not based around, but a large part of it concerns it) is annoying. It really distracts you from the film. On top of that, I get what Vincent Gallo was going for in terms of his character Billy Brown, but it was a little overdone to the point that his quirkiness is overwhelming, and much like the absurdity, annoying. The film is far from horrible, but these negatives really took away from my enjoyment of it.

In terms of positives, the aforementioned characterizaton of Billy Brown was really done well, as well as his transformation throughout the film. The Billy Brown we first meet is totally different than the one the film ends with and it is enjoyable to watch this transformation take place throughout the film. In addition, the acting by Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci was quite good and really helped to carry this film.



8/10 - This one is absolutely crazy. Throughout, I could feel my brain exploding as I tried to grasp what was going on. However, once I had an idea (and that idea was later confirmed), everything made a little more sense, but even then, the ending is still completely open to interepretation. In many ways, that is what makes this film so successful. It is confusing as all get out, then it shows a little "hint" and then as that sinks in, you realize that that may not be the answer we were looking for. Ultimately, it is a film of decisions and how those decisions will change the course that our lives take. From a technical standpoint, the cinematography is great and Jaco Van Dormael is able to really create some interesting things with this film without question and really helps you to feel sympathy and happiness and then symapthy and then happiness over-and-over throughout the film.. On top of that, Jared Leto is great as always in the lead role.

In terms of negatives, the confusion is one of them. I love the confusion, but at times, it goes too far and you are left sitting there thinking "really?". On top of that, there are a few inconsistencies I noticed that disrupted the film slightly for me or left me more confused about the inclusion of a specific scene if it was not going to have an impact on other things. Other than that, I really enjoyed this film and it certainly makes you use your head.



8/10 - Great acting as always from Tom Hanks, as well as good supporting turns from Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Ed Harris, as Apollo 13 manages to capture the suspense, excitement, and potential tragedy, that is packed into this true story. The film is certainly slow at points, but for me, throughout, I was very intrigued by the film. From when they were preparing to when things start going wrong to the end, I was hooked. The film is never great, so to speak, but it was still very good and, while it needed no help in doing so, did a great job creating suspense when things went wrong, as well as sympathy for the families of the men aboard. The suspense is constant and really leaves you on the edge of your seat as you see the inner workings of the ordeal and it almost leaves you in tears as you watch their families deal with the ordeal back at home. Overall, a very enjoyable film that is not great, but is still very good.



7/10 - Big is a pretty good comedy overall with a touching story to boot. Throughout, laughs are provided as you watch the absurdity of the situations that Josh Baskin finds himself in and that is coupled with a touching story that we can all relate to as we age (though not quite as rapidly, haha). The film is admittedly a little cheesy at times, but it never really bothered me honestly. In the lead role, Tom Hanks is killer and plays the grown up overnight role perfectly and really embodies the little "ticks" you would expect from somebody who underwent the transformation he underwent. Overall, this film is far from a cinematic masterpiece, but is a cute little comedy that is endlessly enjoyable.



8/10 - Really good film here. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe turn in reliably great performances here, but the real star of this show for me was Ben Foster. From the moment he entered the picture, he began staking his claim as the actor with the best performance in this film. His performance honestly floored me and, while he clearly defined himself as the antagonist and pure evil, I could not help but root for him to some very small degree. Beyond the acting, the action was really well done and, throughout, the suspense and intensity of those situations and the non-action sequences were definite pros for this film. The characterization of everybody was very well done as well. The film was just two hours, but managed to go into shocking detail on all of the major players and that really impressed me. Another pro was the sets, costumes, and cinematography. All of those worked really well to encapsulate the time period and the cinematography really provided some "classic Western shots" that were as beautiful as always. I really have a thing for the cinematography in westerns and this one is a great example of that beauty. Finally, the ending was suitably tragic and, yet, oddly uplifting at times, which really made it all the more effective as we saw the end of every character's arc and it really leaves you feel satisfied.