KritPick's Reviews
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Episode 9 of The Last of Us serves as the final episode in the season and as usual, it has its ups and downs. The fact that this episode is the shortest in the season is disappointing as a two hour finale would have been a wonderful way to end a great season. They get in and out of this episode so quickly and the show suffers for it. Every episode this season has been dedicated to an individual story, exploring the themes and emotions of every person and situation the protagonists come across. Every detail has been painstakingly laboured over to create mini arcs for the characters that tether pieces together in the overarching storyline. However, in episode 9, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) find themselves in a dire situation once again and it is up to Joel to make some very important decisions for himself and Ellie.
This moral dilemma should have been the backbone for a larger episode. The two sides of this moral debate should have been given more time to have discourse, to elaborate on their sides, or at least give the audience additional time to assess their own thoughts and feelings. The pace here matches the source material but this show has been fantastic at deciding when to speed up and when to slow down and it seems like they made the incorrect choice here. It feels like they ran out of budget and had to wrap things up very quickly, which is a shame. It ends on a brutal note yet the effects of this conclusion aren't truly felt to full effect because we're left to surmise Ellie's thoughts on the matter. After the high intensity of the last episode where some very shocking events take place, we're left little time to let it all sink in. It's lightly shown that Ellie hasn't quite recovered from those events but they could have used this recovery time to process some of her emotions that would have served as a catalyst for the moral conundrum later on.
Despite all of this, what the show does provide is breathtaking. Ramsey has never not felt like the original version of Ellie but this is where she feels the most like Ellie. In the decrescendo, we get a moment to breathe after all of the chaos and just live in a moment with her and Joel. The beautiful but understated line delivery Ramsey pulls off more than proves that she was perfectly cast from the beginning. The same can be said for Pascal as he magically brings a real sense of depth, desperation, and urgency to his character. The intense action scenes flowing perfectly into the slower and more philosophical scenes are vastly aided by Pascal in the way that he can shift his energy so fluidly. But these things are what make the time length and the pace problems feel so egregious. Why would we not want to use these brilliant actors more and wrap up the season in the way it deserved to.
This episode also adroitly sells us on the idea that Joel is at best an anti-hero. There is a misconception that has been rife since the video game released that Joel is a good guy, a hero, an idol. This is conceptually bonkers since he has been ridiculed for his decisions and scrutinized for his brutality from the very beginning of the apocalypse portion of the story. The show did a much better job at displaying this than the source material. Earlier in the show we saw hints towards his past, implying he harmed innocent people, his brother Tommy explicitly repenting for his time with Joel. It finally accumulates in this episode as we see Joel go on a rampage, admittedly to save his surrogate daughter.
This may be the moral choice, however, if we examine this sequence and turn of events from any single character's perspective, Joel is a villain. He takes life when he deems it okay, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. He robs Ellie of a possibly world changing decision over his own regrets and point of view. He is a morally questionable character, but this is one of the things that makes him so interesting. I hope this thread is further explored in the second season as it's a huge theme in The Last of Us 2, which was quite controversial at the time of its release.
Despite all the flaws, this episode brings home everything that is great about this show. Brilliant and intense action, difficult decisions, heartbreaking unethical choices, outstanding performances, gorgeous and rich dialogue that progress two intensely complicated characters and most of all, a sense of consistent dread mix in equal parts with hope. So though this season ended with an accelerated landing and rough decline, I felt adequately satisfied with the overall conclusion. I'm going to give the finale of The Last of Us season 1 an... 8 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical).
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Episode 8 of The Last of Us is the penultimate episode of the first season but it doesn't feel like it at all. Usually, the second to last entry in a series is bogged down by setup with the audience waiting impatiently for the finale. However, this episode doesn't seem concerned with that at all. There was no tease as to where things go from here. It felt like just another episode of the show which is its greatest strength. When a show uses the penultimate episode to set up the finale, it feels like that episode loses its voice and it becomes a slog for the audience to get through as the writers position the characters for the final moments. We avoid that issue here because this is treated as a solo adventure within a story with no end in sight, making the finale hit sensationally hard, feeling as if it comes out of nowhere.
As a fan of the source material, I've been anticipating this section of the story. It has always been my favourite section because this is where we finally see Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in her truest form. She becomes vulnerable and desperate, but most importantly, a survivalist. No matter her situation and how much it worsens, she navigates it with confidence, even if it's counterfeit. She doesn't rely on Joel to get her out of trouble, assessing her surroundings and calculating her next move. This doesn't always work out and she fumbles because this is the first time she's had to be concerned with somebody beside herself. Lack of complete focus is where many of her weak moments lie. However, the events of this episode, stumbles and all, show promise for Ellie's survival in the broader story. We see the seeds of intellect that burrow into her every plan and Ramsey perfectly hits every beat. It's a performance that is not yet concluded but conclusively brilliant.
We also get more Joel (Pedro Pascal) in this episode. Pascal understands this character so well that it's often hard to distinguish what's written for him and what he improvises. With a show as high budget as this, I doubt much of it is improvised but that's how great Pascal is. He sets in motion this constant doubt that his lines are written because they feel so natural for him to say. He has brilliant one liners and acts with the energy of a bear trying to find its cubs by any means necessary. The flaw here is that Ellie's story is just more compelling and interesting, so every time we follow Joel it feels like just biding time to get back to Ellie. The stakes are much lower in Joel's story that the only thing keeping it even slightly interesting is Pascal's performance.
This episode encapsulates everything beautiful and dark about this show and in doing so it feels like a finale in itself. There's a real antagonist and the show attempts to endear him towards the audience and only succeeds halfway. Once he's revealed to be the villain, we sink deeper into his psyche to the most uncomfortable places. I'm surprised the show attempted going to these lengths because some of the subject matter is sensitive and if handled incorrectly, could be a severe miscalculation. However, they play everything very well and give this terrifying and vile villain the fitting end he deserved.
It's been exhausting to talk about this show every week because every week I deliver the same praise. The writing is fantastic, the performances are natural and emotionally complicated, the direction is sincere, and at times so intense it makes you choke. Everything is so illustrious that a review of every episode may feel redundant, but I continue to write them because the show is remarkable and it's so huge that not having a voice in the discussion seems even more redundant. I enjoy every single episode so the anticipation for the finale is much higher than a typical show. Expectations are unruly and that may be unfair, but the show has demonstrated that it's capable of literal perfection. This episode may not be that but it is exhilarating reminding me why I write these reviews each week. Though the praise may be similar every time, there is always something unique to that episode and in this episode it was David. Incredible performance and I may never trust Scott Shepherd again.
So to bring us to a close, I'm going to give this episode of The Last of Us a... 8 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical).
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy.
When I heard of Ray Liotta's passing in May 2022, I was crushed. Liotta was an actor that brought unbelievable performances throughout a career that was littered with some bad decisions. He was always brilliant despite the mediocrity of a lot of the films he was brilliant in. A lot of actors are in great films, but few actors make films great. That's what Ray Liotta did consistently. So when I heard this legend of cinema had passed away and that his final acting credit would be in a film called Cocaine Bear, I was beyond enlivened.
This film is more than a film, it's an experience, but not the way classics like Jurassic Park are. It isn't painstakingly laboured over to craft some of the most impressive visual effects in history and isn't the magnum opus of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. It is however a film that is like no other. This movie is exactly what it says on the tin, 50% cocaine, 50% bear, and 100% insane. From the start the film delivers high energy as it sets up the plot. The opening sequence is manic, loud, brutal and most importantly, darkly humorous. This energy never lets up the entire runtime and confirms every suspicion you may have going into it. It’s an incredibly self aware product and though director Elizabeth Banks doesn't have the most superlative directorial filmography, she proves herself more than capable of delivering an experience as a director just as fun and exciting as her own performances as an actress.
However, the greatest strength of this film is also its greatest weakness. The characters are fodder which is great since it’s supposed to deliver absolute carnage and the most absurd fun attainable. But the film also tries to make us care for certain characters more than others. They have some unique personalities and ways of being, but they're not developed well enough to truly care whether they live or die. They seem written to live without consequence so as to be available to die if necessary for the plot. This is part of the fun since any character can go at any point and there isn't a single person who feels off limits.
This is of course also a problem since an integral part of any survival film is wanting at least one of the characters to survive. If the film was portraying itself as a slaughterhouse and cared very little for the characters being pushed through it, all this would be forgiven but because it tries to drive emotional attachment to certain storylines and characters, it hinders the film overall.
Though the characters aren't always the best written, the acting is solid across the board. O'Shea Jackson Jr. is a stand out who finds the tough balance between tough guy, straight man, and occasional comic relief. He services all archetypes whilst blending them into one synergized personality. Liotta brings depth to his character, Syd, which isn't there in the script, but he creates a real menace that makes us actively root against him from both the bear and human perspective.
There are some great comedic performances from people we expect, but Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery both deliver great comedic roles despite being considerably younger than the rest of the cast. They never feel out of their depth when acting against veterans like Keri Russell which bodes well for their career. When the film isn't focusing on the characters, it's trying to be funny. The jokes land most of the time and though much of the humour is based on the same rough foundations (a bear liking cocaine, drug induced bear tears limbs of a person, and kid swears or says something inappropriate) they're foundations strong enough to make these jokes last the entire runtime. Because the concept is so ridiculous and outrageously demented, it would take far more than a 2-hour runtime before it became normalized and boring. In the end, it's difficult to imagine this film actually existing. A movie like this seems straight out of the 80s or 90s where any and all films would get a greenlight. today’s film landscape where less and less risks are being taken in the mainstream, especially in the comedy genre. So despite what you may think of the film overall in its quality, I think we're pretty lucky to get something that isn't afraid to be ridiculous and out there in a time where so many studio comedies are playing it incredibly safe in concept and casting. So for all I needed it to be and for all that it is, I'm going to give Cocaine Bear a... 7 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical).
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy.
Creed III is the 9th film in the Rocky/Creed franchise and with Michael B. Jordan stepping up to make his directorial debut, he faces the impossible task of keeping up the standards of this well established and adored franchise.
It has been five years since Creed II and you can tell some time has passed by how meticulously crafted every element is. Jordan’s directing is smooth and polished. Every frame looks unwrinkled and this is especially impressive as he follows Sylvester Stallone's challenge of starring in the movie as well, as the titular Adonis Creed. He pulls some impressive moves when crafting this film and considering he's directing the ninth installment, adding new elements to the tired format of this series is a feat in itself. He brings more slow motion into the fights which isn’t necessarily new but the way he utilizes it to emphasize Adonis's thought patterns are especially genius. It's an incredibly fun and clever way to shoot the fights whilst keeping the camera involved in the action.
Jordan also creates a feast for the eyes in the final fight, visually independent from anything we've seen from this series before so it's safe to say that he brings his own unique flavour to a franchise nearly 5 decades in. He does fall short however in some aspects, particularly the montages which this franchise is very much famous for. There's a small sequence of Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) in his home that should be a quickfire montage scene to rile up the main antagonistic force but it more-so comes across as a cheaply made music video edit. The final montages feel sloppily put together as if Jordan studied the previous great training montages and tried to replicate them without knowing what really made them special. He forgot to add his own flare to these moments and the film suffers for it.
The film tries to relate to Rocky 3 whilst keeping its originality. Like Rocky in Rocky 3, Adonis has become a domesticated fighter which Mickey explained as the worst fate for a fighter. Both Rocky and Adonis have to overcome that fate to win their fights. But in being domesticated, Adonis has become a father. This is a theme that gets touched on slightly but isn't as explored as much as it should be. The film relies heavily on ASL in this storyline which could be a risk, forcing the audience to understand large parts of the film through subtitles. This is treated as normal, which adds a nice layer to the film. The film never fully realizes the fatherhood aspect. Adonis is never forced to strain and the film attempts to show a glimpse of what that could look like but never commits to building that struggle.
The soundtrack is great and the vibe of the entire film is unique to this installment. Dr. Dre’s 'The Watcher' plays over the beginning flashback and a soundtrack exclusive remix reprises the ending. It's a good way to show the time gap and also how different Adonis has become in that time. You’ll also hear some older Rocky themes but altered slightly which serves as a subtle metaphor for the franchise.
The final resolution is well written but definitely not needed. There is an attempted commentary on legacy which was already covered in Creed and Creed II, reducing that theme to filler. This will likely not be the final installment in this franchise but it should be. It's a strong ending with some unique qualities, but the formula for the franchise is getting repetitive and I don't know how much longer it can last. With that said, I had a brilliant time with Creed III and would definitely recommend it to any fan of the series. For now, I'm going to give Creed III a... 7 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy. Episode 7 of The Last of Us is here and as expected, it was just as entertaining as the previous episodes. We dive into Ellie (Bella Ramsey) heavily this time, taking a huge detour from the main narrative to give some back story only hinted at previously. Ellie and Riley (Storm Reid) are together in a flashback telling how Ellie got bitten initially. The relationship they build between these characters in such a short runtime is impressive, though they did this before in episode 3. The difficulty in this relationship is to not build it all the way. Bill and Frank's episode was able to fully bloom and their arc was fully realized which can be easier than writing an incomplete love story. The challenge is knowing where to take it and not go too far. It must end in a tragically awkward place which can be difficult to find and upsetting if not found exactly. Riley is the perfect antithesis to Ellie. They play off each other's ideals and we see how both of them are falling into the propaganda cycle of their respective sides of the same conflict. It's interesting to understand how they can oppose each other in an idealistic way yet come together on the basis of their friendship. Their relationship is built very naturally, though there are moments and lines of exposition that feel shoved in to save time. Riley's character brings an edge to Ellie that we can see retrospectively affects her. Not only do we see Ellie's episodic arc here but we see how the events of this story directly affect Ellie overall. Within the present day action we see that Ellie hates FEDRA. She actively dislikes where she lives and doesn't want to enact change, nor does she seem as vulnerable. It's clear that these events shaped her into the person she becomes but they are also the building blocks of her insecurities. It leads to her fear of abandonment, a huge theme of the show. It's even more poignant as Joel (Pedro Pascal) is bleeding out and Ellie is faced with losing another loved one. Leaving this out of the story until now is genius since it demonstrates that while Ellie couldn’t help Riley, she can help Joel. Her character grows without a lot of action, lights or sound, just stellar writing and brilliant acting. The criticisms for Ramsey have become completely hollow. She perfectly portrays Ellie in this episode in every facet of the human condition tapping into every emotion one would feel in this difficult time; joy, fear, anger, sadness, regret, guilt, elation and anxiety. She handles each with the precision of a seasoned actor like Pascal himself. Speaking of which, Joel isn't in much of this episode. It is clearly the Ellie episode. The story comes from extra content away from the original source material and it was a bold move to do so. To utilize something not in the original story was brave, but since they have taken many liberties with the story, they have a lot of leeway in terms of creative license. It more than pays off though and considering it almost entirely excludes Joel, a fan favourite, it was a risk I'm surprised they were willing to take. However, telling this story comes with a particular problem, not enough stakes. We are aware of two things about this story. We know Ellie gets bitten but survives and the show implies there was a second person with her at the time. Since Ellie doesn't speak about this individual, we're led to assume she died. There are no stakes because we know the ending as soon as the story begins. This is different from the rest of the show since knowledge of the source material isn’t required and without that knowledge, you can only guess at the conclusions. When it comes to this backstory, you can deduce exactly where it's going from moment one which is a huge issue because this show is all about stakes. It's about difficult decisions and attempts to make us see how morality works in the apocalypse, how ethics are bent and how that reflects on our current society. There are layers of how we navigate relationships too but the point is, there are no difficult decisions to be made here. We can't toy with what we would do because we know what the characters are going to do. The story still has value in developing Ellie’s character, but the concept of this episode is fundamentally flawed in the context of the show. Despite this my criticisms don't extend much further than that. This episode was a step down, but a step down from near perfection still lands you in a decent position. So I'm going to give The Last of Us episode 7 a... 7 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical). |