Jarrett the Cinephile

Jeff Nichols' latest feature took as many twists and turns since its 2023 Telluride premiere till its recent release akin to those a roaring motorcycle would have taken. Thanks to Focus Features (and Universal), the film finally meets global audiences after some ten months approx. Still of Austin Butler ("Benny") in The Bikeriders (Credits: Universal Pictures and Focus Features) Nichols owed it to Danny Lyon's book of the same title (and in it, Lyon's interviewed accounts) of the American Midwestern motorcycle community in the mid-1960's through to the early 1970's for his inspired screenplay, which to me is mediocre at best. A community and their history much relegated to the margins of mainstream attention and discussion, it was interesting to learn a thing or two about this somewhat forgotten part of American culture and history through this film. A fine ensemble of performers salvaged this lackluster inspiration/adaptation. Still of Jodie Comer ("

Dev Patel just "springboard-ed" his own career. What an electrifying filmmaker debut. It's hard to imagine an intense action-thriller like this with SO much passion, perseverance and personal touch to it was almost shelved onto Netflix directly. Jordan Peele deserves even more respect professionally for bringing this killer (literally) debut by Patel from the depths of Netflix's catalog and having it screened worldwide, deservingly, for moviegoers to witness the sheer potential, and hardwork, of Dev Patel. Still of Dev Patel in Monkey Man (Credits: Universal Pictures, Bron Studios, Thunder Road Films and Monkeypaw Productions) Monkey Man (2024)  is not a perfect film, both objectively and subjectively. By setting this straight, I think we can all appreciate Patel's efforts better. The story he tells here is one probably seen by cinephiles at least fifty times throughout their lives - the underdog-revenge tale. What Patel does, however, that sets both him and this

I met an acquaintance after the screening, she said she was never terrified of Anne Hathaway before, suggesting this movie was the first time. I echo her opinion. Still of Anne Hathaway in Mothers' Instinct (Credits: Anton, Freckle Films, Mosaic, Versus Production) This remake is based on the French film Duelles (2018) , which was based on a French novel by Barbara Abel. Some commenters on this film's trailer on YouTube alluded how this is a frame-for-frame remake. I have already moved past the phase of watching the trailer for a movie I'm hyped to see, and now having read that, I can safely say I have joined the club called "Why is Mothers' Instinct being remade?" That said, both Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain carried the entire film on their shoulders, pretty much like how a mother would carry her child on her shoulders. These two Academy Award-winning actresses constantly challenged and surpassed each other throughout the film. It is yet another of thos

Hoshikawa: Are we reborn? Left: Hoshikawa - played by Hinata Hiiragi; Right: Minato Mugino - played by Sōya Kurokawa (Source: Gaga Corporation and Toho Co.) Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda returned to the Cannes Film Festival with his latest feature film " Monster " (2023) after making a stop in neighboring South Korea last year with " Broker " (2022). Kore-eda's productivity can be considered relatively high despite the state of the industry as a result of COVID-19, having made two feature films (on top of some television work) during the pandemic. It is also interesting to note that, speaking of these two films, they signify a departure from Kore-eda's filmmaking comfort zone - considering " Broker " (2022) was essentially a Korean film, and " Monster " is his first feature film where he did not direct a screenplay he wrote (I may have to confirm again on this). " Monster " also featured the late Japanese compos