Luis' Movie Log for 2018 (excluding new releases)

107. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

A true illustration to Brad Bird's talent, the guy is truly a visionary. Again, every positive that I gave the first and third film are present here: memorable action excerpts, a perfectly good and charismatic Tom Cruise, a film that feels fresh and unique yet still solidifies itself nicely in a franchise, and a great plot. This particular plot I felt was even a bit more complex than the last few and it really expanded Nathan Hunt's character arc very well. I think my favorite thing that Bird added to this franchise in this particular installment, is really infectious character interactions, sure all the MI films strive to bring forward a memorable assemble of characters, but none feel as seamless and natural as this one. Bird also made the franchise incredibly fun, I think the first three installments focused more on edgy action and edge-of-your-seat thrills, this one is just completely fun, and it's so good at it. Also, how amazing was that sequence displayed above?

SCORE - 84/100

Definitely not as good as Wonder Woman, but as far as the DCEU films go, I would say this one is better realized than Justice League and Batman V Superman, and miles above the abomination that is Suicide Squad. For one, the character writing around Clark Kent is pretty decent, you feel a sense of stake and imperfection in his character as he tries to find a role on earth, and he's just very engaging. I found the action sequences to be pretty cool as well, they felt very unique in the very fast and energetic way they are constructed. The pacing was a bit rough, and I found the villains of the film to be kinda terrible, but oh, well. I wasn't as invested in the whole "alien people in the spaceship" shenanigans as I was when it came to the character study around Clark on earth. Good movie, but definitely not a quintessential Comic-Book film.

SCORE - 68/100

This is my first time jumping into the franchise that pretty much began the superhero craze we see these days, this was really the first modern attempt at building a franchise around superhero Comic Book characters, and the fact that it's still going strong to this day is very commendable. I think the strongest point in this film is the characters, we get introduced to many mutants, a couple of which are the protagonists, and they are all given unique abilities, personalities, backstories, passions, and stuff like that, it was very easy to distinguish them apart from each other. I also really like what they did with the plot, and creating most of the conflict following political tension, and it is very feasible that a villain would rise from such restrictions, that being said, I feel like the villain is pretty good, I would've liked to have seen more depth to his character, but his motivation was abundant. This is a 2000 flick, so there was definitely a lot of cheese and the action sequences weren't all that impressive. Still very fun and entertaining film.

SCORE - 76/100

This is my third Tarantino experience, I'm a huge fan of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs was extremely engaging. I loved this one so much, not sure if it it'll dethrone Pulp Fiction, but it is definitely up there in terms of quality. I think the most commendable asset of Tarantino is his writing without a doubt, his ability to craft dialogue is unmatched, the guy is a genius. There are so many extended, dialogue-heavy scenes, some that even inch 15 minutes in length, and every second was as engaging as the last. There was a moment were I had to get up to pee, I paused the movie, thinking: "Oh I've probably watched 30 minutes" to my surprise, the movie was almost halfway over. The tension building was masterful on this one as well, with each passing minute, with each line of dialogue, every exchange of looks, one is on edge, anticipating that moment when all hell will break loose, and once it does, it's loud, it's energetic, it's impactful and it's fun. Acting was solid, editing was tremendous, ending was great, it's just a perfectly consistent film.

SCORE - 94/100

I saw Inglourious Basterds for the first time last year and really loved it. It's probably a contender for my favorite Tarantino film with Reservoir Dogs.

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My Letterboxd

Definitely up there for me too, how much of Tarantino have you seen?

Dislike Basterds and Pulp.

*Runs for the hills*

I've seen all of them now. I watched all of the ones I hadn't already seen last year. Only two films of his I'm not a fan of are Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2

Awesome, I'm you, except this year haha! Seen three, seeing Django tonight and the rest throughout the year. He's an incredible writer.

I'm so torn, I loved Inglourious Basterds so much, and I don't know if I like this one better. Again, Quentin Tarantino continues to impress with each film I watch of his, his staple is unmissable, and his skill is impossible to not notice. Again, he has the ability to make near-three hour films so engaging, and so addictive, and it's very dumbfounding given that he does it all through dialogue. I love the tension building in this as well, particularly in the last thirty minutes, I could not guess for the life of me where the film would take me, and every single gunshot shook me; for real though, that mansion shoot-out was really something else, one of the best I've ever seen. Jamie Foxx and Chrisoph Waltz play off each other so well, their chemistry on screen was electrifying, and Leo's performance was truly exceptional. Such a tightly written, epic western.

SCORE - 94/100

This is the best written film of 2017 in my book. It was so well-written, and the fact that the screenplay was done by the real life couple is such a nice touch. The chemistry on screen is fantastic, the dialogue is witty, heartwarming, and smart, the film is entertaining and so charming and often times so hilarious. I've never seen a love story that is told mostly through the relationship between the lead and his partner's parents. Such a great film, watch it if you haven't.

SCORE - 90/100

I think that's a good assessment. It's different for viewers like me who don't have that background with comics, only with film adaptations, and so the characters are our way into the film. And Magneto's got one of the best villain motivations, right from the beginning. However he's indiscriminately sadistic in this film – perhaps only in Days of Future Past is he quite as cold blooded even with his own.

And I liked Michael Kamen's music. Very stripped down but effective, particularly for Mystique (the best Mystique too ).

Oh yeah! Magneto was absolutely great! I haven't seen the rest of the films, hoping to have a marathon, I'll see how the character's evolve but it was definitely promising. Heard Days of Future Past is a lot of people's favorite.

First Class is mine .

Heard great things about that one too! Can't wait to see it!

It was a while since I've seen this one, and honestly I love it. It's just so well-realized and so beautifully written, and it kind of defies a lot of cheesy/on-the-nose tropes of tragic teen romance films and it just really turns into a very human film. My only flaw is the clunky editing that is very noticeable at some points. The chemistry between the two leads is really some of the best I've seen in recent years, and the dialogue is so fantastic, a lot of it taken directly from John Green's novel, a man who is obviously an exemplary writer.

SCORE - 93/100

Lmao! Is there any Tarantino you like?

Jackie Brown was in my last top 119 countdown. Really like that.

That's one of the few films of his I haven't seen yet. mmmm.

Preparing for The Nun this week. I adore this film, it is one of my favorite horror films of all time, and definitely my favorite of the past few years. The way James Wan uses the camera as an extension of himself to provoke true tension, the way he uses corners, sounds, darkness and angles to execute perfect scares. He has so much class as a horror director. The character development is surprisingly solid, we get an awesome look at Ed and Lorraine Warren's relationship, and it powers the entire film. It's just a perfect horror film in my opinion.

SCORE - 100/100