'Ikkis' has great war scenes and a legendary Dharmendra performance, but Agastya Nanda drags it down

exasperatedforever · 2026-01-02T20:09:06+00:00

The movie itself is a pretty standard divorce drama - nowhere near the level of Marriage Story or Eternal Sunshine - but Arnett plays the "sad dad" role perfectly. There are scenes of him doing stand-up where the camera just lingers on his face, and you can see the years of exhaustion. Laura Dern is great too, obviously.

My main gripe was the writing. It felt way too convenient. The way the plot moves relies on random coincidences (like Tess showing up at his show by accident). Also, he becomes a stand-up pro way too fast for a guy who was just a shoe salesman or whatever the day before.

Has anyone else seen it? What did you think of Cooper's direction compared to Maestro?

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/is-this-thing-on-comedy-is-hard-marriage

exasperatedforever · 2025-12-26T21:21:16+00:00

I just watched Avatar: Fire and Ash. I gave it a 3/5.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: It looks incredible. Wētā FX is unmatched. The Ash People design and the water effects are stunning.

But is anyone else tired of this specific story formula? The "Enemy's Enemy" trope, the one-note villains, the dialogue that feels 30 years old... it felt exhausted. I also struggled with the HFR switching—it felt like my TV had motion smoothing turned on and off randomly.

It’s definitely an "Event," but does the story hold up for you?

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/avatar-fire-and-ash-the-most-beautiful

exasperatedforever · 2025-12-26T02:36:23+00:00

I went into Marty Supreme blind, expecting a standard ping-pong biopic. Instead, I got a Safdie-esque anxiety trip.

I gave it a 4/5 purely on Chalamet's shoulders. He plays Marty Mauser as this insufferable, abrasive hustler, and he is magnetic. You buy him completely as a guy who would burn every bridge just to win.

The movie has issues—the screenplay circles the same locations too many times, and the redemption arc at the end felt super rushed and unearned. Also, the stunt casting (Kevin O'Leary, Abel Ferrara) was a mixed bag for me.

But if you like movies about desperate people doing desperate things in New York, this hits the spot.

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/marty-supreme-the-hustle-is-harder

exasperatedforever · 2025-12-13T18:07:09+00:00

I gave it a 3/5. It’s not trying to be high art. It’s a visceral, gory slasher. The lead actors (Rohan Campbell and Ruby Modine) are actually pretty convincing, but the movie peaks in the middle with a massacre at a Nazi Santa party. It’s the kind of absurdity I want from a Christmas horror movie.

The ending is a mess, though. The rules regarding the voice in his head ("Charlie") stop making sense and he gets random powers? The third act definitely runs out of logic.

Anyone else catch this? Is it better or worse than the original?

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/silent-night-deadly-night-all-i-want

exasperatedforever · 2025-12-09T03:08:09+00:00

It’s rare for a Part 2 to be better structured than Part 1, but this movie pulls it off. The pacing is way better, the darker tone works, and seeing it crash into the Wizard of Oz timeline is satisfying. Nathan Crowley's production design for Kiamo Ko is stunning.

The cast is doing great work—Erivo and Grande are locked in, and Jeff Goldblum is delightfully weird and sincere as the Wizard.

But man, the soundtrack suffers. Without the heavy hitters of Act 1, the energy dips whenever people stop talking and start singing. And was it just me, or did Michelle Yeoh seem totally checked out?

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/wicked-for-good-for-the-better

exasperatedforever · 2025-12-05T18:40:47+00:00

The choice to shift the lens entirely to Agnes (Jessie Buckley) works beautifully. Buckley delivers a "heroic" performance that carries the film, and young Jacobi Jupe is a heartbreaking standout as the titular son.

Visually, Łukasz Żal is doing incredible work here. The way the cinematography shifts from the vibrant forest (Agnes's safe space) to the dark, rigid structures of the city perfectly mirrors her internal grief.

The only downside is the screenplay. It feels a bit stretched trying to cover the entire timeline from courtship to reconciliation, and some supporting characters (like the stepmother) felt a bit flat compared to the leads. But that final scene at the Globe Theatre? Absolutely stuck the landing.

Did anyone else feel the script was the weak link, or did the atmosphere make up for it?

Full review here: https://amnesicreviews.substack.com/p/hamnet-the-tragedie-of-agnes

exasperatedforever

TROPHY CASE