Thoughts on 5 Films

1. I Swear - I really liked this! It's currently in my Top 10 of 2026, but I don't think it will still be there by the end of the year. I *DO* think Richard Aramayo should be in the Oscar conversation though! He won the BAFTA (because it was released over there last year) and he was listed as an Oscar snub last year by many outlets, but he wasn't qualified! I really wish people would do their research! Anyway, he should be a frontrunner this year (*spoiler* he won't be)! Although, I will likely be rooting for Jack O'Connell (I haven't seen Ink yet - I might get the chance in a few weeks at a festival in NJ, but I've seen a lot of people predict him getting a nomination and YES PLEASE! He deserves it for being screwed out of the Sinners nominations. I would also argue he should be getting a Supporting nomination for The Bone Temple, but I don't think that's likely). But Aramayo gives a stunning performance in a very difficult role to get right. It can easily sway to cliched, borderline offensive, and overdone, but he keeps this feeling very authentic and grounded. I also think that the film is very funny, which is necessary because it is funny to hear someone cursing and saying inappropriate things at inappropriate times!! It's a natural human reaction to laugh at awkward moments like this, so I appreciate that the film is open to that discussion while also showing how much this condition effects someone's life. I think it allows for empathy instead of judgement. It's kind of insane that life became film became life with the whole BAFTA controversary - the film is literally explaining this condition and how he can't control the things he says, and then the real-life person it is based on shouted racist slurs while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. I think the only person in the wrong were the BBC for not editing the slurs out the aired version (they were somehow able to edit out a "free Palestine" shout, though?). Anyway, this has a terrific supporting cast - Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, and Peter Mullan (legend!). Like I said, I liked this! But it also is in the same category as the film Coda in which the story is good, the writing is good, the acting is good but I don't think it should be in awards conversations like Coda was, because like Coda, there is nothing significant about the actual film in terms of filmmaking. It doesn't challenge the viewer or do anything new. I still can't believe Coda is a Best Picture winner. WILD. 

2. Disclosure Day - Okay...this is bad. It's not, like, the worst movie ever or even in my worst films of this year, but for the talent involved...it's bad. I think the biggest problem is that it feels extremely dated. And while I love all of these actors separately, together they all feel very bland. Admittedly, I haven't really loved a Steven Spielberg film in a LONG time (I did *like* Ready Player One, but before that....it's been a solid 20 years since I've loved one of his films). But I was excited by some of the reviews that described this film as a return to what Spielberg does well - and that is alien invasion/sci-fi films. I saw a lot of reviews calling it "bold" too, so I went in with the highest of expectations and those certainly were not met. It's all been done before and in way better films. The whole religious part feels shoe-horned in, and I just really don't think anyone in 2026 would give a fuck about seeing alien footage??? The world wouldn't stop - it would just be trending for a few hours and then we'd move on because that's today's world. I just don't think Spielberg has a pulse on that, unfortunately. And, the ending kept building and building to this point that had me thinking something really *interesting* was going to happen. I even thought for a minute of a REALLY CRAZY ending because I imagined the ending was going to be "bold" like some critics suggested (I definitely thought it was going to be a low-key E.T sequel reveal at the end, but then I realized that the internet definitely would have ruined that spoiler). But the end...is just...the end? Nothing about the world has really changed, right? Anyway, I usually praise Emily Blunt in everything, but she's gone way too far on the face fillers. She's SO beautiful, but films like this rely on facial expressions and her face does not move for the entire movie. It's really jarring and depressing. One of my favorite actresses can no longer *act* because of dumb societal standards for aging women in the media. 

3. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu - Wow this is so fucking boring! It's like a really, really, really long stretched out episode of the series and it's....rough. I like the show! It's cute! I'm also a fan of Solo and Rogue One, so I'm not a spin-off hater. But over 2 hours of this is insane and so unnecessary. Baby Yoda aka Grogu is adorable, as expected. Pedro is fine in a largely voice role. But stunt casting Martin Scorsese is dumb, and JEREMY ALLEN WHITE as a RIPPED HUTT??? LOL. What the fuck is even happening anymore? I have no words. The whole Gladiator scene is so dumb, as is the entire the entire Rotta the Hutt storyline. I completely stopped paying attention after about an hour and would look up anytime my husband pointed out Baby Yoda being cute. He's a big Star Wars nerd, and even he said this was boring so it must be true! I think we're just stuck in this big franchise world of trying to keep the industry alive, and I just don't think it's the answer. People don't necessarily want to see continuations of these franchises - they just want GOOD stories and QUALITY productions. This was clearly a cash grab, and not a good one. 

4. Deep Water - Oh my God, I watched this 3 weeks ago and I don't remember a *single* thing about it??? I keep thinking of the Ben Affleck/Ana de Armas movie with the same title from a few years ago (which was bad but at least I remember a few things about it!). So, in checking my notes I realize this is the shark movie! I rated it 2.5 stars, but I'm tempted to lower it since I don't even remember it. I do sort of remember it now, and I do think I actually liked the start of the film. There's an excellent plane crash sequence that is terrifying (that is caused by a power bank catching on fire LOL). I think Renny Harlin got a bad rap after Cutthroat Island (one of the biggest flops in history), but he's made some great action movies (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2 - which isn't my favorite Die Hard, but it's got its moments!). On a side note: (especially since I don't remember the movie) I'm fully convinced that this is how I'm going to die: In a plane crash that hits the ocean. The impact of the plane hitting the water kills me instantly. I had a premonition about it. And yet, I'm not really scared of planes. They're a necessity for someone who wants to travel the world, unfortunately, so I will still go on them until *IT* happens. What's even weirder is that my premonition happened a long time ago - I think I was a teenager/early 20s when I was broke, and I thought that maybe it wasn't a premonition because I was in Business Class in my premonition. I was definitely towards the front of the plane. And that's just not how I traveled for most of my life. But now I'm married and my husband refuses to travel unless it's in First or Business. He's very frugal and smart with this money, but when it comes to travelling he goes all out and splurges. So now I sit up in Business Class and go..."huh...maybe it will happen this time?" and then I put a movie on and hope for the best. ANYWAY!! The film really falls apart with the whole shark part, though. I love a good shark movie, but this just really isn't it. I actually didn't write anything about the shark part in my notes, so that tells you everything. I did write down that it moves very quickly, so that's something, I guess! 

5. Mayday - I was hoping this was going to be a fun action/comedy (sometimes Reynolds is good at those!), but it's far too serious to be fun. It's...fine. Another 2.5 star movie (actually aside from I Swear, the other four of these films are 2.5 stars! What a rough run...I think the next post is full of the same 2.5 or UNDER! I need to cleanse my film watching with some 4 to 5 star bangers! Good thing we're going into awards season). I think the roughest part of this is Kenneth Branagh's thick Russian accent - just hilariously bad. And Ryan Reynolds just does the same thing he always does, this just has less jokes. I will say that some of the action sequences are cool - I looked up to see who the DP was because it felt very Kingsman-like, but it's actually the same DP who did Game Night (same directors too), and that makes sense because that's a very funny movie, but also a SURPRISINGLY well-made film. And in my IMDB rabbit-hole I also learned that one of the directors is THE KID FROM FREAKS AND GEEKS?!! Holy shit! There's also a GREAT soundtrack (filled with Bruce songs including "I'm on Fire", which is my second favorite* Bruce song ever. *Ask me in a year and it will probably be a different song). I just wish there were more fun moments, a little bit of funnier dialogue & banter, just *something* to make it stand out from every other film just like this. 

4 Thoughts on The Emmys

1. The Host - I honestly think it was a huge mistake to have Mariska Hargitay host this. I have nothing against her. I also don't really know much about her, other than she's Jayne Mansfield's daughter and she's been on CSI or SVU or whatever the fuck it's called for like 40 years (I've never seen an episode!). But I think that getting a relevant comedian to host awards shows is a *key* to them being successful (although it doesn't always work even then, but at least it's a start!). You know you've failed if the most used word to describe your opening number is "cringe". It's the first word I wrote down, but then literally every person I follow on social media said the same thing. It's sooooo awful, and I can see a lot of "non" awards watchers being like "hey maybe, I'll check this out" and then instantly shutting it off. It never gets better, either. Just bad sketch after bad sketch, with some terrible musical numbers in between. I will give her a slight thumbs up for getting Taylor Swift to do a pre-recorded sketch, but I think most Taylor fans had already checked out. 

2. The Show - I feel like I say "this is the worst Emmys/Oscars/GGs ever" and then every year it somehow...gets worse. The whole thing was a disaster - the host, the sketches, the presenters, the speeches...all of it, with one minor highlight: John Mulaney presenting for Best Actor in a Drama. First, it proves my point that a comedian should be up there hosting, and second, GOD DAMN he KILLED IT. And the thing is - he even dates himself with a Fonzie and DJ Khaled reference, but it's FUNNY. I also think Amy Poehler does a funny bit about bullying the winners. Otherwise, this whole thing was a bit hard to watch. I was disappointed that Rachel Sennott and Odessa A'zion completely bombed because I think it's actually these *it girls* that have a chance at saving awards shows. Like, if they killed it everyone would be talking about it today and younger audiences would be watching clips and consider watching the next awards show!!! But this whole show felt like it was geared towards a female audience of 60+ in age. It certainly wasn't geared towards television fans either - they cut important awards to make way for "fun" stuff, but I didn't feel like this had any more "fun" stuff than previous ceremonies. What was fun? The cast of the new Baywatch having no personality whatsoever (and what the fuck is up with the three lead actresses looking identical?? I literally can not tell them apart). I actually think the Emmys from a few years ago that recreated classic tv sets had more of a "this is for television fans" than any other show in recent history (and I don't think they cut awards to do it? I'm guessing it was very expensive, though). This year they did a few "reunions", but all mixed with tragedy???! Like Buffy and Angel!! YES! I was so excited! And then they did this weird "tribute" to the cast members they lost without even saying their names? How weird. Then the In Memoriam does a tribute to Catherine O'Hara featuring her co-star children (Macauley Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy), which was nice but I would have loved a video montage of O'Hara's start in television. Then we cut to another tribute to Rob Reiner with Jamie Lee Curtis (who is sooooo *cringe*. I can't help but roll my eyes with every word she says. It all feels so fake and performative), and they don't even really talk about Reiner's relationship with television at all other than calling him "meathead" and mentioning his very minor role in The Bear. It's all so weird. Why aren't we talking about TELEVISION?? 

3. The Winners - Just like last year, I don't really have a problem with who won the awards - they are all deserving. The Pitt, Jean Smart, Matthew Rhys, Sally Field (!!), Rhea Seehorn, and Allison Janney???? I'm never going to be upset about those wins. I like that there were a few surprises too with Tom Pelphrey winning for Task (I knew The Pitt was going to split the votes, but I was rooting for Lowden) and Kate O' Flynn. I watched the first 3 episodes of Widow's Bay and...uh...I don't get it? I've heard that it gets better, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. And it's is MOST CERTAINLY not a comedy. I do think it's funny that the creator of it is the woman that tweeted about being at a Halloween party dressed as The Babadook when nobody else is dressed in a costume (classic all-timer of a tweet). I also don't think everyone expected Rhys to win for The Beast in Me (he was a lock for Widow's Bay though). So he won TWO performance Emmys in one night and is now the only actor to win an Emmy for lead actor in a drama, comedy, and limited series!! I've loved him since Brothers & Sisters. He deserves the praise! And Jean Smart also broke a record for being the only actress to ever win an Emmy for every season of a show! That's cool. She's a legend. I do think it's *wild* that one of the best comedies in years went away empty-handed (Shrinking - it's also *wild* that I'm upset about Harrison Ford losing an award! But also how on Earth did Michael J. Fox also lose???). BUT, I'm happy that Love Story and Beef walked away with nothing also because those shows fucking suck. 

4. The Fashion - Hands down my favorite look is Chase Infinity. I do think the dress looks a little heavy on her, but it's cool, interesting to look at, and she's styled to perfection - the loose waves, the simple fresh makeup. She looks chic but also young and cool. There's a few other dresses I liked: Zendaya - just never misses - although she looked eerily like Halle Berry with this dress and that pixie cut (complimentary, obvi). Linda Cardellini's strapless shell/pearl dress is very pretty. I like Rachel Sennott's dress a lot, but her styling is awful (the high pony tail makes the look dated instead of modern). It was clear that red was the color of the night (other than the sea of neutrals and black dresses) - Rhea Seehorn, Mariska, Cailee Spaeny, Jackie Tohn, Fiona Dourif, but Neicy Nash-Betts is the standout red dress this year (love the Jessica Rabbit vibe). There were also some very bad looks too: Let's start with the obvious - Shailene Woodley. I actually appreciate what was being attempted here, but the fit is terrible and her hair back like that makes the look dowdy. Florence Pugh is SO GORGEOUS but the dress is very Disney princess (derogatory, obvi). Dakota Fanning's dress is fine, but I've seen it A MILLION times, which makes it offensive. Ayo Edebiri looked gorgeous from the front, and then there's this giant clashing red bow in the back that made the dress look like a superhero costume. Quinta Brunson's dress literally looked like it was falling apart as she walked (which is A CHOICE!). You know what's weird, though? When I google Emmy fashion, it's all "best Emmy looks" or "all Emmy looks" instead of "best AND WORST"?! Are we not allowed to talk about bad fashion anymore? I miss Joan Rivers so fucking much. 

Movie Marathon: Die Hard

1. Die Hard - It's been quite a long time since I've seen this. I've said it before, but I'm a fan of the Die Hard movies, but I'm not a "die hard" Die Hard fan. Like, as far as late 80s/early 90s action films go, this is not among my favorites (I much prefer Speed, Demolition Man, Bad Boys, Terminator 1 & 2). To be perfectly honest, I don't think Bruce Willis is a good actor at all, but he's a great action hero. It's kind of like Keanu Reeves - terrible actor, but great in big franchise films like The Matrix, John Wick, etc. But I do think that this is a classic for a reason - and a BIG reason is because Hans Gruber is one of the best villains of all time. I love that all of the villains have incredible hair, including Gruber. Alan Rickman just really reveled in this role. It's also a very simple good guy vs. bad guy scenario, has some great action & fight scenes, and a spectacular ending. It's great! It's just not something that want to watch over and over again like other action films from this time. 

2. Die Hard 2 - Surprisingly, I was very bored by this. Especially compared to the rest of the Die Hard movies. The plot is overly complicated and kind of stupid. And it doesn't really make sense that they wouldn't just instantly reroute the plane to another airport in the area (Annapolis, Philly, JFK, Newark...the list goes on and they are all very close to each other). This also feels even more dated than the first one (I mean, air phones were the height of technology), maybe because plane travel/safety has changed so drastically. I also think that even thought the villain is even more ruthless - he is also somehow unmemorable. I rewatched these movies over a month ago (I'm behind on my posts again. Surprise, surprise!), and I couldn't even remember who the villain was and what his main evil mission was. I do love Bonnie Bedelia, so I'm happy that she gets a little more screen time in this one (at least it feels this way). I don't know...I just wasn't captured by this at all. It's in no way a bad movie (I rated it 3 stars, which means good!), but it's among my least favorite of these films (except the final one, obvi).

3. Die Hard with a Vengeance - Now this one I really enjoyed! I don't know, there's always going to be something more personal with an action film set in NYC. I LOVE the gritty 90s NYC vibe. I actually had very little memory of this going in, so I was shocked by the explosion in NYC right in the beginning! The danger is immediate and it just keeps the pace and intensity for the entire thing. And I COMPLETELY forgot that Sam L. Jackson is in this - and the chemistry between him and Bruce is incredible. I love that they don't shy away from the racial tension of it all. I do think this kind of copies off of Speed though - with the whole villain distracting the police with riddles (I mean, it's not a new concept, but Speed was released only a year before). I love Jeremy Irons, with his little slutty glasses and tight tank top, as the villain. I would say the only annoying part is that John McClane HAS A HANGOVER AND A BAD HEADACHE and he repeats this over and over again (he does the same thing in the 5th one, "I'm on vacation!"). I feel like the writers ran out of dialogue ideas, so they just make him even more cranky. Otherwise, this is a fun action film! 

4. Live Free or Die Hard - I think in my head I mixed this and the next one into one movie. And I think originally I was really hard on this movie mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of Justin Long. But he doesn't really bother me that much in this, and I actually thought that this is a fun action movie! I love the rest of the cast too - Maggie Q (I'll always argue that she should have been a megastar!), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (and I'll always argue that she should have been an Oscar nominee for 10 Cloverfield Lane because that's such an incredible performance!), and JAKE McDORMAN??? LOL. And Timothy Olyphant! Obviously in a villain role. Overall, I actually liked this - and I think they give a reasonable plotline for *how* John McClane gets himself into *another* crazy terrorist plot. And I appreciate seeing the advancement in technology within this franchise. I also like that part of the film's location is revolved around Rutgers because that's right by my house! I do wish that they gave MEW a little bit more to do, but otherwise this is far better than I remember. 

5. A Good Day to Die Hard - My original review on this blog for this is CRAZY! There is NO WAY that this one is *better* than Live Free or Die Hard??? What was I smoking??? This one is just as bad at the reviews suggest (it has a shockingly low Letterboxd score of a 1.9, which is almost unheard of!). I didn't have fun with it at all, and it doesn't even feel like a Die Hard movie. It's soooo boring. I hate Jai Courtney in this and I really think they were setting it up for him to take over the franchise, and I'm glad that idea seems to be scrapped. I hope they actually never remake or continue this franchise out of respect for Bruce. And I would love for Jai to step away from the American action hero roles and stick to what he's actually good at (Aussie villain roles - he's SO GOOD in Dangerous Animals!!!). Anyway, I don't have anything else to say about this. But I did love that they establish that he's the "007 of Plainfield New Jersey" because I know they talk about him being from NJ from the beginning, but I don't think they specify Plainfield until this one? That's literally 2 towns over from me! My sister-in-law lives there! 

Ranking: 

Die Hard 

Die Hard with a Vengeance 

Live Free or Die Hard 

Die Hard 2 

A Good Day to Die Hard 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Mother Mary - I liked this, but I think I was expecting to get a little more out of it. There's some really gorgeous, downright breathtaking shots (like the shot with the red fabric floating over them at the end. STUNNING!), the acting is terrific, and the costume design is great. The story, itself, is very lacking. I think I was also expecting more of a horror vibe and this is definitely a psychological drama. I have a *little* bit of a hard time believing Anne Hathaway as a 40-something pop star in 2026 because I can only name one 40-something pop star who is still relevant in 2026 and that's Lady Gaga. I just don't buy it, unless they made more of a focus on the fact that she's aging out of the genre. But I think the scenes with her and Michaela Coel are great because they are both strong actors and not necessarily because it's interesting. There's also a great supporting cast with very little to do - Hunter Schafer, in particular, but also Kaia Gerber (I'm on board with this nepobaby, but I will never watch The Shards. Because it's called The Shards.). I like David Lowery as a director - so far I've liked all of his films that I've watched (Ain't Them Bodies Saints, The Green Knight, A Ghost Story), and I liked this too, I just wanted to like it more. I like that he takes risks, though, and it feels like I'm watching something personal and intimate. Oh and I always forget that Anne Hathaway can SING! She should really do more musicals. Or Broadway. I would definitely pay to see her on Broadway. 

2. Michael (2026) - Well, my mom said that this is the "best movie" she's "ever seen", so that's how I knew it was going to be atrocious. I just don't understand how the biopics with the least amount of imagination (this, Bohemian Rhapsody, Judy, Elvis, etc) seem to be the ones that get praised by critics and showered with awards. Like, I get why it's popular (the vast majority of people are dumb and lack imagination), but why do people who enjoy art and storytelling also praise films that literally just re-enact something that's been done before? And it's not like this whole reenactment thing can't be included at all (Rocketman, my favorite biopic, still includes a reenactment of the music video for "I'm Still Standing", but it's not the whole movie!!!). It just doesn't really impress me that someone can impersonate another person by copying them word for word, dance move for dance move, etc. It's like tracing over a Monet painting and then praising the traced copy for looking *just like a Monet painting*. I do, unfortunately, think that this will be heavily talked about come awards season, and will likely garner a few Oscar nominations (I think Coleman Domingo is a lock for Supporting Actor, and I will not complain, but only because he's Coleman Domingo, not because this performance deserves an Oscar nomination). Jaafar obviously has the moves down, and he does sound like him, but there are a MILLION documentaries about the making of "Thriller". It just doesn't need to be rehashed again, unless it's going to tell me something new! I just think the whole thing is so basic. And so purposefully non-offensive. It's WILD that they decided to make this movie and just *pretend* like Janet Jackson doesn't exist (because she didn't want to be included). Janet Jackson was and is an elite pop star! I also think it's really dumb to save the whole "controversial" part for a sequel. And, there is just NO WAY they are going to show this controversy in a just or fair way. And, they can get away with that because technically Michael was never found guilty of anything. There's just too many allegations to ignore, though. I think Michael definitely suffered from some deep mental health issues - and he suffered from Peter Pan syndrome stemming from childhood abuse. I think there is something to be said about celebrities who get TOO big to get cancelled - and Michael was definitely too big of a star (and he's not the only one! Brad Pitt still gets work every day. So does Tom Cruise. So does Sean Penn. I could keep going but it's depressing). I'm not going to act innocent either. I will still listen to Michael Jackson songs until the day I die. And on a related note, I actually have two Michael stories: (1) When I was in Vegas with my aunt, uncle and grandmother, we were in a car pulling out of a parking garage at the New York-New York casino hotel and suddenly a huge swarm of very large men stopped our car and we could barely tell what was happening, but then I saw THEE MICHAEL JACKSON walk among them to cross into the hotel. I screamed "OH MY GOD THAT'S MICHAEL JACKSON" and my uncle laughed at me and said "no we're in Vegas, that was an impersonator", and then a 12 year old me questioned "why would an impersonator have that many bodyguards? And some of them HAVE GUNS" and then my whole family started screaming "OH MY GOD THAT WAS MICHAEL JACKSON!!!". (2) I went to the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Not just for Michael. There were a TON of pop stars performing to celebrate him (Britney, *NSYNC, Whitney Houston, Mya etc.). The date for the concert? September 10th, 2001. I think it's the most life whiplash I've ever experienced. One of the best, most exhilarating nights of my young life (20 years old), to just the absolute worst day I've ever experienced, within mere hours of each other. Anyway, I think people confuse their love of Michael's music with this being a good movie. I danced and sang through the whole thing! It's BANGER after BANGER. But it's not a good movie. Period.  

3. Hamlet (2025) - I will watch anything with Riz Ahmed!! AND I will watch anything Shakespeare related!! So this is a win-win for me. I didn't really hear much about it, so I was really curious to see if they used Shakespearean language or if they modernize it. I LOVE when films modernize Shakespeare, but keep the original text (ala Romeo + Juliet). And this does, in fact, do that. The film is set in contemporary London based around a British South Asian family but they keep the original language, which is about the only interesting thing about it, unfortunately. It just doesn't really do anything new. And if you're going to do Shakespeare either stick to the original, or make it fresh - there's no in between. There is an emotion and a realness to it that I appreciate, but I think that's only because the acting is incredible. Riz is fantastic. And so is the woman that plays his mother (she was also incredible in Bait). There's just nothing really memorable, nothing noteworthy, nothing making it stand-out from the millions of other Shakespeare adaptations (especially Hamlet adaptations). 

4. Backrooms - Uhhhhhh???? This is fine, I guess? It held my interest, mostly. Has an interesting concept. Great cast. But....that's it? It's certainly not scary, and I have no qualms about liminal spaces, but then again, I've never really worked in a office environment (other than some internships at record companies in NYC, but that was EXCITING for a 20-something-year-old. I didn't even notice how sad the cubicles were!). I do think there is a little bit of the whole backrooms bit working in a mall (and this is actually set in a retail environment, but definitely gives off more of an office Severance vibe, especially with the florescent lighting). Sometimes stores in malls will have offsite stockrooms that you have to walk down these long halls that are parallel to the mall pathways, and it can get kind of creepy if it's before/after hours. There's definitely a story to tell there, but this basically feels like Severance, Stranger Things, and Barbarian all rolled into one movie. And I understand that this idea was realized around the same time as these things - because it's based on a YouTube horror series from 2022, so I don't think it's intentionally copying these things, but that does mean that it certainly doesn't feel original. And honestly? I was kind of slightly bored for most of it. I mean, nothing significant happens for most of it. But also, I never knew what was going to happen next? Unfortunately, I didn't really care about what happens next! Renate and Chiwetel are great, though! And I love the girl from Shrinking! I'm glad to see her in something else! 

5. Tuner - This is my second favorite film of the year so far. It's a tough call between this and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but I *think* my love of Jack O'Connell might be clouding my judgement on that one. Although my love of Leo Woodall *might* also be clouding my judgement, but I don't even care - I loved this! I will also admit that it's basically Baby Driver, and I'm okay with that because I fucking LOVE Baby Driver. It's not as sleek, and there's very little action, but the plot is pretty much the same. But it's way more character driven, so it balances out. But back to Leo because he is SO HOT in this (especially in the white tshirt *chef's kiss*), but he's also SO GOOD in this. Just the perfect amount of charm, depth, and mystery. It's the kind of performance that I want to see nominated for big awards, but it just will never happen, unfortunately. And Dustin Hoffman will make you cry (and at 89 I don't know how many more movies we're going to see from him. He does have 3 more listed on IMDB though!!!). My husband didn't even recognize him - I made him watch the trailer to see if it's something he would want to watch and as he watched it he exclaimed "THAT'S DUSTIN HOFFMAN?!!! NOOOOO why is he so old?!". Anyway, I also love Havana Rose Liu!!! I feel vindicated after praising her performance in No Exit and Bottoms. She's excellent and the chemistry between her and Leo is OFF THE CHARTS. They are SO HOT together. I think the weakest part is definitely the end - it's very anti-climactic and just a little rough around the edges. The script just needed a little tightening, but otherwise this is just a fantastic adult thriller.