That Awkward Moment
“Unpolished. The script is formulaic and the conversations feel unnatural and forced.”
Jason Momoa – Conan the Barbarian
“I think Arnold will always be Conan, but now there’s just another one.”
Emily Rios – Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
“Anything you can do to express yourself is a form of art.”
Charles Melton – May December
“It’s great to be seen and to be recognized. My life is forever changed.â€
CineSnob’s Top 10 Films of 2023
Here are Kiko, Cody and Jerrod’s Top 10 Films of 2023 lists. Cody and Jerrod’s thoughts about each film can be heard on The CineSnob Podcast linked below. Kiko’s blurb reviews can be read on this page.
Allison Moore – Wish
“When you first see the animation, it’s mind blowing. It’s the most exhilarating thing.”
Fantastic Fest 2021 Review – Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
Kazunori Tosa in “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” by: Cody Villafana Starring: Kazunori Tosa, Riko Fujitani, Gôta Ishida Directed by: Junta Yamaguchi (debut) Written by: Makoto Ueda (“The Night is Short, Walk on Girl”) Part of the fun of film festivals is general is walking into a film that you know nothing about and being […]
Palm Springs
“Palm Springs is a delight, and as enjoyable of a respite as the film’s getaway location promises.”
Top 10 Films of the Decade (2010-2019)
KIKO MARTINEZ Editor and Founder 1. The Social Network (2010) Director David Fincher’s internet epic is an incisively written biopic where legal drama meets toxic ambition. It’s a story of greed, envy and the ruthless means one young man uses to rise to power in social media. Call it There Will Be Blood for the […]
Fantastic Fest 2019 Review – Jojo Rabbit
Starring:Â Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johnasson Directed by:Â Taika Waititi (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) Written by:Â Taika Waititi (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) In these perilous times when hatred and white supremacy have emerged as a prominent, dangerous voice in the United States, it could be seen as a dicey prospect to create a satire heavily involving […]
Cinematic Spillover: Short Reviews of Ready or Not, The Peanut Butter Falcon, David Crosby and More
It’s 2019 and, against all odds, singer-songwriter David Crosby is still alive. It’s a somber concept at the center of David Crosby: Remember My Name, a candid documentary on the unstable life and career of its title subject – one of the founding members of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. First-time director A.J. Eaton taps into Crosby’s mind as he contemplates the mistakes he’s made in his life, mortality, addiction, the friends and lovers he’s lost along the way and his contribution to the musical counterculture of the 1960s. Like the documentary Echo in the Canyon from earlier this year, the best footage comes when Crosby is front and center telling both funny and tragic stories about his past and exorcising his demons. “Every minute that you get is precious,†he says. “Time is the final currency.†As a documentarian, Eaton plays it straight – allowing Crosby’s words to direct the narrative and giving him a platform to speak from the heart. Most importantly, the film is not an exercise in hero worshiping. Crosby’s warts are visible for all to see. While it’s unknown if a project like Remember My Name can move some people to reconnect with Crosby (he’s burned a lot of bridges in the last half century) and make amends, the doc makes a good argument for why they should. In the end, Remember My Name feels a lot like the 2014 music documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me – a touching farewell to an exceptional talent.
Cinematic Spillover: Short Reviews of Good Boys, Gwen and The Amazing Johnathan
No movie with this many dick jokes has any business being this funny. That said, Good Boys is just that – an obscenity-laced comedy with just the right combination of audacious humor and heart that will win over adults who don’t mind hearing 6th graders drop F-bombs. Sure, you won’t see evangelicals get on board for the R-rated raunchfest, but without the script featuring the phrase, “Grab them by the pussy,†is that really a surprise? Taking a few pages from its most obvious cinematic inspiration, the 2007 comedy Superbad, Good Boys is just as side-splitting hilarious and a lot more adorable – like the Little Rascals if the Little Rascals wielded dildos and shot people in the face with paintballs. The film stars Jacob Tremblay (Room), Keith L. Williams (TV’s The Last Man on Earth) and Brady Noon (TV’s Boardwalk Empire) as best friends Max, Lucas and Thor. When Max gets invited to a “kissing party,†he makes it his mission to go, so he can kiss the girl of his dreams. But when the boys accidentally lose Max’s father’s expensive drone and then unknowingly steal a bunch of ecstasy pills from a couple of high school girls, their afternoon turns into a race to put everything back to normal before they get grounded for life. Co-written by Lee Eisenberg (Year One) and Gene Stupnitsky (Bad Teacher), who also makes his directorial debut, Good Boys works because of its incredibly likeable trio of tweens who are actually really sweet characters. If Max, Lucas and Thor were mean-spirited little punks, this would be an entirely different movie. Luckily for audiences, even with a few lowbrow jokes that don’t register as much as others, Good Boys earns high marks. Good Boys opens nationwide August 16. Grade: B+