Olivia's Cinephile Critique

  The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Directed by Jonathan Demme Two can play the mental game. Clarice Starling, a rookie at the FBI’s training academy, must seek out the help of imprisoned cannibalistic killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter,  to try and catch another serial killer.  Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰✰ ½ /5 Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 4.34 stars based on 2,978,013 ratings.  Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Ted Levine, and Scott Glenn Truth be told, I have avoided this film at all costs because I believed it was a “jeepers creepers” type of horror movie, but come to find out, it is more psychological than I would have ever guessed. I still find myself thinking about this movie. I feel like The Silence of the Lambs fits more into the category of thrillers, as it functions simultaneously as psychological horror, crime ridden, and character analysis. Here is my review:  A film that was meticulously crafted, deeply unsettling,...

The Iron Claw (2023) Directed by Sean Durkin A true story film based in the early 1980’s on the infamous Von Erich brothers and their journey through tragedy and triumph all while making history in the professional wrestling world.  Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰✰ ½ /5 Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 4.11 stars based on 1,037,915 ratings.  Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, and Lily James The Iron Claw has been on my radar since it came out, and when it was finally released on Netflix this past winter, I could not pass up the opportunity to watch it. What followed was nothing short of a gut wrenching viewing experience, leaving me absolutely devastated. I would describe this movie as a drama-tragedy disguised as a sports biopic, leading viewers like myself who know nothing about the Von Erich family on a road of utter heartbreak. Here is my review:  I want to start out by stating that The Iron Claw receiv...

Gone with the Wind (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming In what’s considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, Scarlett O’Hara is a spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner who conducts a chaotic romance with a profiteer during the American Civil War.  Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰/5 Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.86 stars based on 254,529 ratings.  Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, and Leslie Howard I have always loved classic old-time films, especially since I started getting into movie-watching more avidly. Gone with the Wind is one I consistently heard about, having it in my watchlist for months on end, avoiding it because of how long it is. I finally sat down and watched it over winter break, and I was disappointed. In all honesty, it was a waste of time. Here is my review: One of the most culturally influential films of classic Hollywood, Victor Fleming was able to create a visually ambitious and gran...

The Way (2010) Directed by Emilio Estevez In an effort to understand somebody else, you end up learning more about yourself. A father decides to hike the Camino de Santiago after losing his son on the same pilgrimage, joining other travelers who are all on the search for something.  Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰ ½ /5  Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.46 stars based on 15,447 ratings.  Starring: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, James Nesbitt, Deborah Kara Unger, and Yorick van Wageningen A recommendation from Dean Beckman himself, so obviously I had to take him up on it! The Way directed by Emilio Estevez starring his father Martin Sheen is a road film centered around the Camino de Santiago, which is a pilgrimage known for its historical and Christian significance. Here is my review:  What starts as a grief journey for Martin Sheen’s character Tom ends as a journey of rediscovery. I went into this film not knowing much, as I had only heard ab...

Soul (2020) Directed by Pete Docter Sometimes discovering your true passion means helping someone find theirs. Joe Gardner is a middle school band teacher whose life hasn’t gone the way he wanted it to. After a sudden accident that transports him to another realm, he learns what it means to have a soul.  Letterboxd Rating : ✰✰✰✰✰/5  Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.94 stars based on 2,340,144 ratings.  Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, and Angela Bassett In what was a random watch over winter break my freshman year of college turned into a movie viewing experience that has stuck with me. I watched this on a whim, basically with the intention of watching something comforting, and after reading Soul’s description on how it was about someone who loves music, I was intrigued because who doesn’t love music?! Needless to say, this is in my top three favorite Pixar movies… ever. Here is my review:  Soul is a film that I consider to be one of Pi...

Midnight in Paris (2011) Directed by Woody Allen Is it literary magic? Gil, a nostalgic screenwriter, is on a trip in Paris with his fiancée’s family. Each night at midnight he finds himself going back to the 1920’s, surrounded by household names such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, yet can’t begin to explain how.  Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰/5 Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.71 stars based on 827,408 ratings.  Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Tom Hiddleston I would be lying if I said that TikTok did not introduce me to Midnight in Paris , directed by Woody Allen. As a romantic-comedy movie connoisseur, this romantic fantasy caught my interest. I was skeptical at first, but pleasantly surprised. Here is my review:  In one of Woody Allen’s most beloved films, he tells a story that blends nostalgia, identity, comedy, and wistfulness. On the surface, it’s an imaginative story about a writer wandering through...