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A24 has put out a couple of films recently that I quite enjoyed. Civil War is a grasping envisionment of conflict in America, while Warfare demonstrates the horrors of war very well without taking away from the cinematic experience. Now, regarding A24's newest film (or at least to my knowledge) The Legend of Ochi, I was thoroughly disappointed. The movie was just bad, dude.

Sure, it's got a decent (just decent) story, but it's nowhere near being unique: a girl finds an injured animal of a species her father hunts and claims to be diabolical, but she takes pity on the beast and decides to embark on a journey to deliver it home, learning along the way that the "Ochi" creature is not what she's been told.

GAHHHH.

Even if the story isn't outstanding, the environment and cinematography sure as hell is. I very much like the bleak post-Soviet-esque environs, and the camerawork is very nice.

The thing is, the film is boring if you aren't looking past the surface and aren't checking out, for example, the cinematography. I would literally rather watch "Burn After Reading", which was another film I could have slept through.

Like I mentioned in the review title though, it was a solid directorial debut for Isaiah Saxon. Much better than Tarantino's with "Reservoir Dogs"!

Whenever the newest episode of "The Rings of Power" comes out, I have to force myself to watch it. Every installment in the series has major flaws that ruin the entire show, whether they mess up Tolkien lore or just include completely unplausible moments that leave the viewer frustrated. The show is just unbearable.

Obviously CGI and other special effects have come a long, long way since the Peter Jackson LOTR and Hobbit films released, and the people at Amazon use it to their advantage in the show, but as other aspects of the show like storyline and acting fall short, it feels like cinematography and realistic models/effects are the only things holding the show together.

Season One was utterly disappointing for me, as it turned out to be a pretty corny bunch of episodes with poor moments and a protagonist reminiscent of a Karen (Galadriel). She was absolutely LAME (understatement) so thank God this isn't canon. The antagonist pushed by the showrunners (Adar) was also kinda cheesy.

Either the ignorance of in-universe lore by the showrunners or a deliberate choice to spoil it left the show in tatters when it came to actually relating itself to Tolkien's work. Both seasons are just stinking piles of crap with no respect for the source material. :(

Usually different ethnicities in shows don't bother me, but here it is a problem if there is no source material to justify, let's say, the appearance of an Asian elf. Even if they're onscreen for only a moment, it's still a major disrespect to J. R. R Tolkien, the fans, and the material. Tolkien is probably rolling in his grave right now.

A one billion dollar budget and they couldn't hire better actors! The only person I applaud for their effort is Charles Edwards for his role as Celebrimbor, the Lord of Eregion. He does a fantastic job while everybody else looks either WAY too dramatic or way too deadpan, or just unconvincing. For example, the Queen Miriel is a perfect example of overdramaticizing everything. Yes, she was blinded by hot embers, but she gets overemotional in every single scene with her. She's supposed to be this righteous leader, faithful to Numenor, but all I see her do is stand there and tear up, declaring "My place is here" or something about the people. Too corny in my opinion. Sure, you can have a strong leader who happens to be blind, but don't make them cry whenever they speak.

In terms of being deadpan, either Gil-galad or Elendil seems to be suitable for criticism. Gil-galad does display emotion at times, but generally he's this corny-ass dude who is supposed to be the composed leader. He's a wise Elf, sure, but in his interactions he's about as diverse in emotion as Todd Howard voice-acting in Oblivion. I'm starting to think he's bipolar. :D Elendil, although he is a morally upright dude who serves as an inspiration to his men/former men, is pretty unemotional unless it comes to having a tearfest with Miriel in her room, or standing before Ar-Pharazon and being restrained by guards in an outrage. Opinions differ, and you might think "Hey, Elendil shows more emotion", and you could be right, but this is what I percieve from watching the show, and I'm especially describing the state of things from the second season as it just concluded, and in the LAMEST closing scene possible.

I had high hopes for the show before it first came out, but now I can confidently say that "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power", after two seasons, is the worst live-action TV series I have ever seen. A relaxing Friday (I watch on Fridays) night turns into an hour and a half of torture as I watch this terrible show because I need to. Why? Because I feel obligated to.

If you still have sufficient free will, PLEASE DON"T WATCH this, especially if you are a Tolkien fan. You'll be disappointed sorely, I'm sorry to say.

"The Big Lebowski" is probably the crowning achievement in the Coen brothers' careers. The flick is hilarious, well-written, and overall engaging. I will admit that the film can be a bit scattered at times, but in the end everything just links up to form a comedic masterpiece.

The film's plot is simple: Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) otherwise known as the Dude, is an LA deadbeat who one day is mistaken for a wealthy figure with the same name by two hoods. They wreck his home and urinate on his rug, and seeking revenge Jeff becomes embroiled in a shady kidnapping situation involving the other Lebowski.

Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and a number of other notable actors like John Turturro and Seymour Hoffman, there is no lack of excellent acting. Goodman portrays Walter Sobchak, a foul-mouthed, quick-tempered, but utterly hilarious Vietnam vet who is part of the Dude's bowling team. Buscemi is Donny, the neglected third member of the team who is treated like crap by Walter. Turturro and Hoffman are a flamboyant bowler named Jesus and the other Lebowski's assistant respectively. They all fit into their characters perfectly.

I'm not as affected by profanity as some others may be, so I didn't have a problem with the dialogue, which can be pretty filthy at times but still funny. The film isn't for everyone, but everyone needs to see this comedic gem at least once...