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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Motorcycle Diaries (04): It’s fine. It’s noble, well made, strongly acted, and has beautiful vistas and photography…and that’s about it. For all those plaudits, it’s just kinda bloodless. I wish Salles had been slightly more ambitious in any part of the telling. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Fall of the Roman Empire (64): What a stunning, lumbering bore. Mann certainly has a flare for action, but he can’t do anything with the dull politicking or the leaden romance between Boyd and Loren. Tiomkin’s score is an immaculate MVP and Guinness gives his best. C

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The Drama (26): Complicated yet still stingily dark romcom that pushes our leads to some of their best work and the audience to consider their own partners and more importantly themselves. How often are we suppressing ourselves for the couple? Loved the final scene and its deeper implications. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Eddington (25): Tiresome in the ways the pandemic and Aster clearly intended, but I wish it wouldn’t be so purposely “provocative.” Impressed by Aster’s technical skill and work with actors throughout, and that needle drop is beyond perfect. The final shootout saves it. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Apollo 13 (95): Howard crafted an ebullient, thrill ride stamped with heart and the highest dangerous heights. Hanks is solid as ever, but the 1, 2 punch of Ed Harris and Gary Sinise elevate it even more. Crisp, clean editing and maybe Horner’s best score. It’s hopeful and fun. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Henry V (89): Such a exciting, rewarding rewatch. Branagh’s direction is bold even by today’s standards. It never forgets the stage bound nature of the work while successfully opening it up. Branagh’s a phenomenal Hal, but the score and photography are such juicy additions. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (23): Felt the sagginess and length more on this rewatch. The energy, technical showmanship, and that score are only bettered in revisiting. Love the wide prism it’s trying to tell this story through. The audacity of Mumbaihattan alone. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Steel Magnolias (89): “So she went on to a place where she could be a guardian angel. She will always be young, she will always be beautiful. And I personally feel much safer knowin' that she's up there on my side.” This rewatch had obvious added heft after Dolly’s passing, but

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Patton (70): A more nuanced and scrutinizing character study than I remembered. Scott is remarkable as the titular general and pushes all of Patton’s contradictions and vulnerabilities together—sometimes in the same scene. The action is all right, but it could be tighter. Worth revisiting. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Pt 2 (12): The drama is delectably silly and the dialogue is clunkier than ever. The final battle has a ridiculous crescendo, but that twist was so much more fun. Glad the series found Condon who gets the drama and thrust of what it should be. C+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Network (76): Masterpiece that I still feel runs out of steam in the second half. More impressed by the photography and Lumet’s direction this time. Paddy gonn’ Paddy, but the Holden character feels pretty extraneous by the end. Finch, Beatty, and Duvall give my fave perfs. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Oscar Best Actor 1979 1. Roy Scheider “All That Jazz” 2. Dustin Hoffman “Kramer vs. Kramer” 3. Jack Lemmon “The China Syndrome” 4. Peter Sellers “Being There” 5. Al Pacino “...And Justice for All” One of the best lineups in the category I’ve ever seen.

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Oscar Best Actor 1971 1. Gene Hackman “The French Connection” 2. George C. Scott “The Hospital” 3. Topol “Fiddler on the Roof” 4. Peter Finch “Sunday Bloody Sunday” 5. Walter Matthau “Kotch” An all timer winner

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Oscar Best Supporting Actor 1979 1. Robert Duvall “Apocalypse Now” 2. Melvyn Douglas “Being There” 3. Frederic Forrest “The Rose” 4. Justin Henry “Kramer vs. Kramer” 5. Mickey Rooney “The Black Stallion” A lineup I like even if it isn’t my favorite. Having already won in ‘63,

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Guys….we are NOT doing five months of bad faith BS trying to reclaim the 00s Narnia movies as good… I’m a huge Narnia fan. Red them first in second grade, and they’re ripe for reinterpretation and experimentation. Let Greta cook. She’s 3 for 3 so far. Her Bowie inspired Aslan looks badass.

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Bringing Up Baby (38): Pure orgiastic joy and silliness abound. Grant and Hepburn clearly are enamored with each other and how it activates their acting—they’re bliss. Every time it feels like the set pieces could become a hat on a hat, Hawks knows the right cut or move. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Project Hail Mary (26): Still about 20 minutes too long, but the charm, brains, and heart on display is big tent moviemaking that’s harder than it looks to do this right. Won over multiple times. Gosling and Ortiz are aces, but the production design and sound still my MVPs. Love the overall tone. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hit Man (24): Took a scene or two to settle into its tone and laid back swagger, but it achieves it with surprising big dick energy. Powell is that bitch and he knows it, but I loved seeing him flex character actor chops (especially his Tilda S. impression). Nice low stakes. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Spoiler Alert (22): Impressed by its candor about gay male relationship dynamics and sex but vexed by seeing it scratch at more fanciful cinematic ideas (the fantasy sitcom?) that needed to be juiced or eliminated. Parsons emotionally always feels at arms length, but Aldridge’s work moved me. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Mother Mary (26): At odds with itself because every time we get a thrilling image or moment of horror we get another ten of philosophical machinations that just feel too purple in the writing. Lowery can craft a film and both leads are good. Kinda want them to switch roles. The songs do slap. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Shakespeare in Love (98): The definition of entertaining. The script is a stunner of wit and romance, but it’s well performed across a big ensemble. Paltrow repays how lovingly she’s lit with a luminous, unfairly maligned performance. The final act is instant waterworks. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The Seduction of Joe Tynan (79): Impressed by the light yet serious tone throughout. The themes in political films never feel as revelatory as they likely did in their time, but it’s well-observed. Alda and Streep are good, but Barbara Harris as Alda’s wife is remarkable. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The Godfather (72): Certainly isn’t a single element of the film that hasn’t been analyzed or dissected, but it’s a masterpiece. The photography is richer on each viewing, Brando’s a sly genius of physical choices, and Pacino makes the cerebral exceedingly watchable. Clemenza! The line readings! A+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Gangs of New York (02): Big sigh…it’s just not good enough or not for me…eh? I love the detail Scorsese puts into the world of the Five Points (A+ production and costume design), but the editing scars, the pacing, and Leo and Cammy are just wildly miscast. I don’t like it. C+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The Last Dance (20): Creates the Chicago Bulls as Gods and Michael Jordan as Zeus in grand mythic cinema. This braided story is edited with scope, nostalgia, and much needed humor. Shows a bygone era of both professional sports and pre-social media celebrity. Essential even for non-sports fans. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse (18): A dazzling, groundbreaking visual style, crackling dialogue, and most importantly—heart, the film reinvigorates the genre with ideas to burn. The movie is still an emotionally evangelizing experience. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spider-man: Far From Home (19): Works harder at the writing and the emotions than most MCU films. Nimble and funny without sacrificing character. Holland is still the chief reason these films work as well as they do, but I like the whole cast esp. Zendaya. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Reds (81): Pursuing political ideals that are come crashing into the human condition, intimate romance that has to face the outside world, and trying to stay a person through it all, Beatty wrestles with so much a creates a New Hollywood epic—with all its hubris and skill in equal measure.

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Lured (47): Wish Sirk had made more potboilers, because this is great. You can see him honing his style and flourish for shadow and color, but simultaneously seeing Lucille Ball beginning to create who would become Lucy Ricardo. A lovely and sultry little combo of a film. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A League of Their Own (92): Broad and crowd-pleasing, and that isn’t a vice. Maybe a few too many squishy/overly saccharine moments, but the good drama has real stakes. Davis is the ultimate movie star, but Hanks steals it. Well…so do Rosie and Madge; what a great ensemble. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

And how about Marla Hooch? What a hitter!

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The Killing (56): Nothing novel, but the incredible clockwork machinations of fate, backstabbing, and greed leading to the superbly ironic middle finger of an ending left me breathless. Kubrick’s photography—especially the outdoor noir elements are top notch. Perfect that guy ensemble. Essential. A

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Challengers (24): Three tries and I just don’t love it. I have major believability issues with the marriage, everyone’s chemistry, and that unnecessarily disjointed screenplay. I wish Faist and Z were just better. Looks good but sounds incredible—soundtrack is a revelation. B

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Frankie and Johnny (91): When you get past the heavy-handed score, you’ll see a smart film of lonely people trying to find connection and love. A great supporting cast buttress the leads, Pacino— nervy and funny and Pfeiffer—vulnerable, tired, and lovely are top tier. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Air (23) It’s Diet Moneyball, but it’s still chewy and satisfying. Often silly, but well made, Affleck makes the case for branding and ownership stakes to be deeply personal story of finding your place. Viola Davis is pitch perfect. But needle drops are fairly ludicrous. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (11): It’s not great, but I had fun watching the filmmaking and performances finally meet the moment of the fomented melodrama. The gender politics of the story have somehow gotten even worse, but it’s sudsy and stupid. Condon gets it. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

My motivation right now. Best there was. Want that too.

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Test Pattern (21): Stark, emotionally complex, and refreshingly uncertain drama about the effects of a sexual assault and its adjoining bureaucracy for the victim, her extended relationships and even her newish boyfriend. It’s a high wire concept, but acted with raw honesty. A-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The Invite (26): Seth and Livy and Pen and Eddie. Maybe I was too over hyped… It’s well made and consistently funny—glad I saw it with a crowd. But where I expecting to be wow’d in the direction and the writing, I found it good but not surprising. Wilde has style and taste,

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Pressure (26): D-Day military strategy and trying to be right about the weather—the ultimate dad movie. That’s not entirely negative either. Scott’s internal stoicism and taciturn performance is easily the best element while Fraser’s Dwight D. is utterly abysmal. Builds good tension. Nice score. B-

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The Roaring Twenties (39): The day-to-day hustle of rising in the organized crime from small time bootlegger to multi-millionaire is so effectively shown by Walsh and Cagney you don’t realize how dramatically you’ve been taken on such an grander, epic journey of the American dream. Perf ending. B+

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Drew The CineGiant @cinegiant.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The Mortal Storm (40): An absolute revelation to me. The way it digs into the insidious and pernicious creeping of fascism without losing character beats or drama is exemplary. Performed well but shot with such attention to detail and faces, Borzage did the damn thing. Timely, but still moving. A-

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