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Showing posts with the label David Dastmalchian

Oppenheimer | Average Guy Movie Review

Christopher Nolan's epic biopic proves to be a beautifully chaotic examination of a brilliant but complicated man. Warts and all, so to speak. Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer , the story telling jumps back and forth through several periods in history in ways that feel random to show us how Oppenheimer became the "father of the Atomic Bomb", as well as the effect his work at Los Alamos had on him and his eventual fall from grace. And yet somehow it all pieces together perfectly. The movie should feel jumbled, but it unravels the man's story smoothly. It simply flows in a way that makes it as gripping as it is fascinating. But it would be nothing - well, nearly nothing - without the incredible cast that brings this story to life. So much so that t he passions of all those involved at Los Alamos - however misguided - are almost palpable. It  is a mammoth cast, filled with famous names and great talent, it's any

Boston Strangler | Average Guy Movie Review

In the early 1960's Boston was hit with a string of murders in which women were strangled in their own homes. Initially investigated by the Boston Police Dept. as individual killings, it was Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) - a reporter for the Boston Record American newspaper - who originally connected them. She and fellow reporter Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) struggled against obstructions put up by law enforcement and their own colleagues, as well as the sexism and misogyny of the time to report on the case of the Boston Strangler. Another 20th Century Fox property has arrived on Disney+  with relatively little fanfare. With this gritty noir writer/director Matt Ruskin attempts to make sense of the mystery surrounding this illusive killer and his reign of terror over the city of Boston. The movie - which sits somewhere between Zodiac  and Spotlight  - follows the case from the point of view of both McLaughlin and Cole as they carry out their investigation into the killings, ass

Dune | Average Guy Movie Review

At a time when his family is called upon to protect the galaxy's most valuable resource; Spice - a material that can extend human life, makes interstellar travel possible, and is only found on the desert planet of Arrakis - Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is trying to figure out if he's going to be the man everyone wants him to be. But with treachery closing in on House Atreides from all sides, and the Spice fields up for grabs, he's going to have to figure it out quick. The man who brought us an epic sequel to Blade Runner  has gone in search of an even bigger challenge, and the one he has set his heart on is Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic;  Dune . This highly influential novel has in the past proven rather difficult to adapt for both the big and small screen. Not that that would deter someone like Denis Villeneuve, for whom making Dune  has been a life-long ambition. Something that definitely shows in his recreation of this vast and rich universe. Everything is very

The Suicide Squad | Average Guy Movie Review

A new batch of convicts - as well as a few originals - are under the thumb of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who's once again offering years off their prison sentences in return for completing a few jobs for Uncle Sam. This time she's sending them to the island nation of Corto Maltese. There they must infiltrate the capital and destroy a top secret research facility. Sounds easy enough. Task Force X is back, and with James Gunn at the helm things are madder than ever! The Guardians of the Galaxy  director has taken what David Ayer started and blown the roof off of it. But he has done so in a way that is respectful of what has gone before. Fans of the original (of which there are apparently few) will have no trouble going from  Suicide Squad  to The Suicide Squad . And yet, the new movie stands quite happily on it's own two feet. Rather than making them drastically different, the returning characters simply feel like they have grown a bit. Well, maybe not grown, but adapted, t