Frank-E-Hickey

I honestly was not expecting such a compelling film out of The Kid Detective. It is a dark comedy in every sense of the word. From beginning to end. There are moments that are drop dead hilarious, and also so sad. Adam Brody plays his role perfectly. It is non-stop melancholy fused with bits of rich humor. I loved it.

I've seen a lot of films. Over 1,000 from all generations and all genres. I saw every great film to come out this year. Yet, nothing has hooked me from beginning to end quite like La La Land. Damien Chazelle's last film - Whiplash - came quite close. But this is a masterpiece if I've ever seen one! It's magnificent! It's stylish, and cool, and mind-numbingly beautiful! This is the film that you must see this year! It will make you laugh, cry, make your brain tingly. And it just doesn't end. You'll have that movie high for at least a day after. It's everything you want; trust me. The score will stick with you for days. And you will find yourself listening to every song multiple times over. I can't recommend this film enough. Go see it!

I was mildly disappointed when the credits started to roll on Nebraska. By the end of the film, I didn't feel like anything happened. I thought about how that could be a theme in the film - they're in Nebraska, so everything is supposed to move slow and feel limited. However, I was expecting a solid, Oscar-worthy film, as it has been nominated for 6 of the prestigious awards. For the most part, though, I was just bored. There are a few scenes that made me laugh quite a bit, but I believe that the film is too long and could have benefited from another cut. The humorous parts actually make the movie in my opinion, because I think they reflect so much about the small-town culture. If they weren't there, I probably would have walked out.

Bruce Dern was incredible, and Will Forte had some great moments, but June Squibb did not seem to realistically portray her character at all. In the beginning, when she first confronts Woody, I felt like she was just reading her lines without putting much thought into the complexity of the character. I'm not sure if it was how the dialogue for her character was written or if it was her performance, but I just couldn't see her as Kate Grant.

I think the cinematography was exceptional, especially because it was shot in black and white, which adds a lot of complexity to the lighting setups. At certain points, I could see them refocus the shot (the screen either squeezed or expanded), and I don't know whether that is because of black and white or not, but I found that very interesting. I also really liked the wide shots of open prairie, as I believe it set up the world of the film very well.

Overall, I thought Nebraska was just sort of average. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I definitely did not watch an Oscar- worthy film. It was shot very well, and some performances were great, but there's really no point to the movie. None of the characters change, and there's no real overarching theme. I know that many people will probably love this movie for what it is, but I guess I just expected a little more. To me, it was just OK.