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War, at the end of the day, is completely pointless. Pointless in that there's nothing to gain from the bloodshed, the fighting, the invading, all this blood and horror for nothing. After a lackluster attempt at showing this with Civil War, Alex Garland teams with war veteran Ray Mendoza to depict what life was like for the latter as a solider during the Iraq war. Sure enough, we're treated to some truly gruesome and nightmarish imagery that will surely stay burned into your memory for years to come. But at the same time, we also see how it affects the common folk through the inclusion of the innocent family caught in the crossfire. Sure, it maybe could've told more about exactly what kind of damage the war has caused people on both sides, but for the story Mendoza and Garland are trying to tell, I think it works well enough. In a rather lackluster year for cinema, Warfare is easily the best to come out so far and definitely a slight redemption for Garland after his mishap with Civil War.

Such a good movie, yet so depressing. Sure, that's honestly the true magic of this movie, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. On a technical level, this movie is immaculate, with gorgeous cinematography and a fittingly melancholy score. Couple that with a twist-turning story that only gets more shocking the further it unravels, and you've got a quintessential film noir to look back on. On a performance level, I honestly didn't see how Jack Nicholson could fit into this role (which ironic given how screenwriter Robert Towne wrote the character with him in mind), but like any good actor he pulled off a commendable performance. Meanwhile, Faye Dunaway provides the perfect counter to Nicholson with a ton of depth and layers to pull back from. But to me, the film's smoking gun is John Huston, whose performance just has to be seen to be believed. Overall, Chinatown is one of those films that works on almost every aspect, but even then, it's with its ending that it leaves a lasting mark on those who've seen it.

Honestly, this is everything Love Hurts should've been. A movie about a likable protagonist who becomes an action hero to save the girl and beat the bad guys. It's very easy to enjoy, even if it isn't perfect! I think what hurts it the most is the writing on many fronts. One, as great as Jack Quaid is at playing it, Nathan's dorky nice guy schtick gets old after a while. Secondly, the final act does lose a ton of steam and just overall doesn't really hold a candle to the first two. Thirdly, the cops feel very superfluous and there to just fill screentime (and I guess maybe add some realism to this rather larger than life plot). Finally, and most importantly, is the character of Sherry. As good as Amber Midthunder's performance and chemistry with Quaid are, the character herself just isn't that well developed and feels more like a plot device more than anything. That being said though, everyone in the cast does a great job, especially Jacob Batolon and Ray Nicholson (honestly imo one of the better villains to come out of a modern action movie in recent years) in addition to our two leads. The concept itself is pretty cool and interesting. And at the end of the day, it is a ton of fun to watch, with lots of brutal but exciting action the whole way through. Overall, in what hasn't been that spectacular a year of cinema so far, Novocaine isn't necessarily going to change that but proves there is still entertainment to be had.