Morning Reel

"Inception", to me, is Chistophher Nolan's masterpiece. The most understandable complex film in his body of work, this episode puts me back in 2010 when I saw the film the day it came out and how I addicted I was to it because of it's original storytelling, the use of its ensemble cast, and it all came from Nolan's writing. I also briefly explain how Nolan's chooses his scenes carefully that help push the story even to those who would have a hard time getting around the concept of time in a fake dream state.

Requested by Anthony Soto

"Gravity" is the film Alfonso Cuaron finally got some serious recognition because of the numerous awards its earned back in 2013. I explain why by praising his writing, the team that made the sound design and the team who did the CGI for this film--which looks great. It's a sci-fi adventure led by mainly Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. It's a film of the triumph of the human will. There are actions that leave you no choice but to succeed, no exceptions. How Bullock's character progresses in the film from beginning to the final shot is almost a masterclass of storytelling. Simple is all you need sometimes.

I know why Martin Scorsese casted Nic Cage to be in "Bringing Out the Dead", he knew that this man can unravel such as that and he knew he can. This film is a wild trip into the dangerous streets of New York but in that ugliness is beauty that changes your outlook on life. Paul Schrader wrote this excellent film and Scorsese brought it on screen. It's shiny and dirty, the ying and the yang but all blend in "BRINGING OUT THE DEAD". I go into the complexities of actors in this film through the bizarre mind of Schrader.

The debut film of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. This is a solid film with a great screenplay and a great cast to knock it off the pageant floor. I dig the strengths these cast of characters do and aren't afraid to show their weakness which is interesting to see in any film.

"Lost Highway" is one David Lynch's quasi-pyschosexual neo-noir masterpiece where the screenplay leaves your head scratching but at the same time it gets you to watch more. I talk about the strengths of the film in how its visuals not only create a style but also pushes the story and the mood of it all just lingers. It's those films that you have to accept as you see it because it's so out of the norm but it's set in a realistic world.

"Child 44" tried it's best to centralize corruption and murder in early Soviet Union era but it's confusing plot and heavy burden on Russian accents rather than actual spoken dialog left me searching for more. The actors did their best on this film but it just wasn't enough.

"Big Eyes" is Tim Burton's passion project about artists Walter and Margaret Keane but more primarily on Margaret for she is a pioneer in modern art of the time with her paintings that have the signature "big eyes" on the subjects. It's a fairly written film about standing up for yourself especially when it's stuff that's be distributed all around the world. I just personally felt that the acting in the Walter character is too much and the character of Margaret was a bit too weak. I can't say if the plot itself was a bit too laid back in a sense but the third act does make up for it. 2 1/2 of 4

"Beautiful Boy", a dramatic bio film based on David and Nic Sheff's memoirs about meth addiction. The film looks into it, bringing the true story to life in a character-driven way with the swells of music that adds to emotions of the film. It's harsh take on reality especially to those who struggle with addiction. It's a really good, the actors do a great job portraying a family that really does care about Nic whether they don't know how to really help him.

"Saving Private Ryan" is the perfect war film directed by Steven Spielberg that even today still stands strong due to all kinds of aspects that the man visioned and set in stone. I talk about those aspects such as direction, cinematography, acting and even screenwriting. Even if it wasn't visually pleasing, the screenplay could carry it, it's written that well. I love the film for its dissection of PTSD and the innocence of war and sometimes it's simply told through visuals.

Yasujirō Ozu's "Tokyo Story" is considered one of the best--IF NOT--the best film of all time. THE BEST FILM OF ALL TIME. Like, if Stranger Things went on 20 more seasons, "Tokyo Story" would be still probably the best film of all time and I don't explain that but I explain what it does to the human psyche. It asks ourselves very important questions that every human in society goes through and if it hasn't, it's gonna come and it comes hard. A film so simple but so beautiful at the same time. I explain the cinematography, the slow pacing and how the film reflects on family life and what's crazy is that this film came out in 1953 and its subject matter STILL resonates to this very day in our modern society. That's the power of cinema, that it can affect us in a deep way.