8/10 - Charming, funny, and powerful, Scent of a Woman is a good film anchored by a legendary performance from Al Pacino. Without him, this film would be nothing extraordinary. But, with him, it is elevated significantly. Overall, the story is ok and is somewhat compelling, but every line spoken by Pacino are a mixture of emotions. On the surface, many undeniably funny, but it is also hard-hittingly powerful or inspirational, while many of them are simply depressing, as he is a man who thinks he has no further purpose in life. On top of Pacino, Chris O'Donnell does a great job (as does Philip Seymour Hoffman in a small role RIP), making this even more of an acting showcase, rather than a superb film. However, regardless, the film is incredibly enjoyable and endearing as we learn to love Slade (much like Charlie) and all of his little quirks. Plus, his monologue at the end is absolutely phemomenal and really stands as one of the best monologues in film.

On the negative side of things, it is a tad long. I love getting to see this much of their lives, but if it could be cut down to at least 2:10 rather than almost 2:40, it would be really beneficial. There is really no reason for this one to be so long. Otherwise, Scent of a Woman is a solid film that is lifted to new heights by a bravora performance from a living legend in Al Pacino who continously wows you throughout the film.



8/10 - Right from the onset of the film, it is entirely clear why it got so many Oscar nominations for its visuals. The visual effects, sets, and cinematography, are all absolutely gorgeous and this film absolutely qualifies as eye candy. On top of that, it is a fantastic look at film history. I did not expect that going in and while I knew some of what was discussed, it was still very cool to see it come to life in a film. In terms of the story itself, the film was very cute and charming as we follow the events that transpire for this kid living in the train station. The acting was also pretty good. There were moments when I had to pause and take in how bad they were, but for the most part, they did a solid job for being child actors. Ben Kingsley also turned in a reliably good performance.

On the negative side, there is not much, but the aforementioned times when the acting was...less than sub-par. In those moments, it took me out of the film a bit. In addition, in the beginning, it is a tad hard to get into. However, once you are in, you are in for good. Overall, Hugo is a very enjoyable film that really demonstrates the magic of film and is a very different work from Martin Scorsese, but certainly right up there with the rest of his amazing filmography.



7/10 - I am a sucker for a good courtroom drama and this is certainly one. It is certainly formulaic in parts, but is still very well done as a whole. Both Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, the latter of which I am not typically a huge fan of, did fantastic and really made for really interesting leads. On top of it, the plot was absolutely gripping and really had you guessing as to how it would end (however it does become clear towards the end). However, the film is never really great. At many turns, it is quite good, but really, it is just a solid entry in both Hopkins and Gosling's filmographies. The film certainly is not Oscar worthy, but it is still very entertaining largely thanks to its two leads who really are at the root of why this film is successful. Without them, it really would have fallen flat, even with the compelling storyline.



7/10 - I had low expectations for this one and, honestly, expected the cross dressing of Hoffman to be a little...odd. However, as a whole, the film is very funny, endearing, and quite charming, as we watch Hoffman transform into a woman in order to try to rescue his acting career. Easily the funniest part of the film is watching serious scenes with serious implications unfold with the knowledge that Hoffman is actually a man and being the only ones aside from his roommate (Bill Murray) who knows this. In addition, him working on his interpersonal relationships from both sides really leads to some interesting conversations that also help to add to the comedy of the film. In terms of acting, really everyone did well and aside from Hoffman who obviously stood out, Bill Murray was great. He was his usual self from the 80's, which really made every scene he was in quite funny. Overall, Tootsie is a fun film to watch (there are some awkward moments that make you cringe, but those aside) and is a solid way to spend an afternoon.



9/10 - This film is horribly inaccurate in terms of history, but screw it, it is fun as all get out. Like all Tarantino fare, we get our stylized violence, our pitch black comedy, and of course our closeup of an actress' foot (Diane Kruger here). Also, we get a great film. A close second place for me behind Pulp Fiction in terms of Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds features great cinematography and great acting, namely from Christoph Waltz, who absolutely killed it. Brad Pitt was also great and quite hilarious, to boot. From the onset of the film, Waltz' performance takes center stage as we watch him do what he does best: hunt Jews. We then see the same from his counterpart, Pitt, who is great at killing Nazis. These first two parts of the film really setup the film incredibly well for the final act, where spoilers. In addition to Waltz and Pitt, the whole cast did exceptionally well, in partucular Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger. Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, and shockingly, Mike Myers, all have good turns as well. Throughout the film, there are many different genres being used terrifically. Of note, the comedic elements were great, in particular the scene in which Pitt attempts to speak Italian. These moments of comedy help to lighten the mood against the hyper violence that takes place (though never too dusturbing, typically the stuff depicted would bother me more, but Tarantino is so stylish, he gets away with it). However, the film also includes many thrilling/suspenseful scenes where your heart is in your throat as you await what happens, while coupling that with elements of war, drama, adventure, action genres, all of which used very artfully and really help to add to the general entertainment of the film.

On the negative side, the final part is a tad over the top. It came off as extremely odd and slightly off putting. However, the impact on the viewer is certainly still great and any over the topness is not a major complaint, rather something small that bugged me a little bit. Overall, Inglourious Basterds is one of Tarantino's best films and ultimately worthy of the praise it has received since its release.