Derrick Murray is a Los Angeles based stand up comedian, writer, and co-host for The Jack of All Nerds Show.
“The Brutalist” is a beautiful, profound, devastating journey that shatters our preconceived notions of experience and ideals of the American dream, utilizing the core of architecture as the construction and deconstruction of both the film’s themes and its characters.
Christmas Day is always a big release day for movies. There’s always a prognosticated awards contender that shows up around this time, and theaters bank on the holiday traffic of family outings and traditions, and this year is no different. The theaters are poised to be stacked with a wide array of new releases, with everything from a sports biopic to a music biopic to the failed attempt at “Barbenhiemer” title mashing “Babyratu.” With so much happening on a single day, we’ve got you covered with what to prioritize and what’s good, bad and/or indifferent. Since we’ve already reviewed “Nosferatu,”…
I know how we get about end of year lists, particularly those that highlight the not so great outings of the year. I get it, making movies is hard. But that doesn’t automatically except bad movies from criticism, and not all “Worst of” or “Disappointing” lists are as cruel as the Razzies. If it’s any consolation, it was much harder to find 10 films I really disliked this year enough to put on a naughty list. Some of that is personal selection and active avoidance of films that simply didn’t interest me, but my Best of 2024 list is 30…
“Nickel Boys” is a masterpiece unmatched and moving in ways that stir the soul, rips you apart and rather than put you back together again, leaves you with yourself to decide what you’re going to do next. It doesn’t get better than this, folks.
“Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” may be a middling return to middle earth, but it is better than most and better than most would expect, standing tall above its previous counter parts and only below the original trilogy.
The awards season is upon us, which means every film from every studio is in full campaign mode. This means that screenings, releases, interviews, BTS clips etc are flooding the interwebs and marketing, making it nearly impossible to keep up with it all to review it properly. I would love to tell you that I have time to review each and every film individually, but the post TIFF catch up has been even more daunting than ever and I simply don’t have the bandwidth to cover everything the way I would want. Nevertheless, I can give some quick reviews on…
Nosferatu is a deviously demented descent into the macabre, an impeccably crafted horror atmosphere cloaked in candlelight and shadows. Stunning cinematography, excellent cast, terrifying visuals and haunting score, it is impossible not to succumb to the darkness.
Longing has never felt so visceral, and “Queer” brings that to life with incredible visual flare and powerful, daring performances.
“All We Imagine as Light” is a quiet slice of life film that bursts with serenity and honesty as it explores the lives of women in and out of love.
“A Real Pain” is the real deal, a brilliantly smart road trip drama about grief and loss that seamlessly oscillates between humor and heartache in profoundly human, deeply personal yet somehow wholly universal ways.
