Official page of Tom Chatalbash, “YouTube's Most Reliable Movie Critic”, Chief Film Critic for @_filmspeak, Creator and co-host of @filmontap
New York
Joined January 2009
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I’m actually starting to use my Letterboxd so give me a follow if you want to keep up to date with what I’ve been watching! Link below ⬇️
boxd.it/15Fil
RAY GUNN feels like an animated film that was cooked up in a lab just for me. This is a retro-futuristic noir knockout from Brad Bird whose signature voice has been sorely missed. His singular visual storytelling and panache is on full display in spades, his love for the material etched into every frame of this passion project. Rockwell, Johansson and Waits all deliver terrific voice work, the animation is stunning and propulsive with gorgeous visuals, set pieces and stellar sound design to boot all done with creative flair and dexterous execution. Giacchino’s score is wonderfully playful and pitch-perfect, making for a lovely companion to this noir’s engaging central mystery. This is a ludicrously fun animated return for Bird who continues to showcase why he excels so effortlessly in this genre. What a freaking treat!
#Clayface is a frustrating, but still very enjoyable mixed bag. Rhys Harries has incredible screen presence and makes Matt’s journey of evolution and mutation suitably vicious and heartbreaking as his sense of identity has seemingly been eradicated. The practical effects and gore are wonderfully gruesome, but I actually wanted the film to push it further as I feel it actually felt like a very safe R most of the time. The main issue is that it feels like there are two visions of this film fused together, one a dark, disturbing and grounded character study and the other a more conventional and generic comic book film, the latter steering the wheel far too often with some iffy visual effects to say the least. There’s a genuinely great film in here somewhere, but like the man at its center, it doesn’t know what it truly wants to be.
#IPlayRocky is one helluva crowd-pleaser. Ippolito is absolutely remarkable as Stallone, capturing his voice, mannerisms, physicality and every little nuance down to the micro expression, delivering an emotionally compelling and magnetic performance to boot. Robb, Byrne, Kebbell, and especially Letts are also aces in supporting. The storytelling may lean a bit too conventional, but the execution is handsome and assured, hitting the familiar beats with oomph, plenty of laughs and grit as audiences get to see this iconic film claw its way to the big screen as it has to overcome hurdle after hurdle. Though it may feel very familiar, it’s nearly impossible to resist its charm and emotionally satisfying underdog story.
My review for KLARA AND THE SUN is now live! ⬇️🍿
m.youtube.com/watch?v=920_uc…
Check out my review of KLARA AND THE SUN for @_filmspeak! ⬇️🍿
tinyurl.com/bdrt9txr
I had the pleasure of sitting down with #Wildwood director Travis Knight for @_filmspeak to discuss @LAIKAStudios’ spectacular new stop-motion film! Such a treat. Check it out! ⬇️🍿
m.youtube.com/watch?v=MM9ApY…
My review for WICKER is now live! ⬇️🍿
m.youtube.com/watch?v=4IcTLL…
Here are my quick thoughts on #YouCanSeeEverything, one of the wildest, most entertaining theatrical experiences I’ve had in quite a while!
KLARA AND THE SUN is unfortunately another misfire for Waititi. What could’ve been an powerful, thought provoking sci-fi tale of grief, loss, friendship and what it means to be human gets lost in a bizarre tonal mess, hampered substantially by Waititi’s comedic tendencies whenever the film begins to finally find its footing and is building up any emotional momentum. However, Ortega shines bright, imbuing Klara with plenty of radiant, infectious charm, warmth and naivety as she navigates having her first human companion. Adams does the best she can with what she’s given, but feels far too underutilized here. There are fleeting moments where you see glimmers of a far better, much more emotionally engaging film, but those moments are few and far between. I wanted to love this one, but it left a considerable amount of potential on the table and left me scratching my head. Full review soon!
#YouCanSeeEverything is truly unlike any documentary I’ve ever seen. Wildly compelling, funny, fascinating, frustrating, unpredictable and incredibly cinematic. I don’t remember the last time I had my emotions and expectations played like a fiddle so dexterously. Fielder and Oppenheim are a dream team, the former’s signature style and sensibilities coupled with the latter’s filmmaking precision giving the film a spectacularly breezy three hour experience that flies by and somehow leaves you wanting even more. I’ve never seen an audience be so vocal during a documentary before and rightfully so. This is not only something special, but the rare film that not only reaches the dizzying hype, but manages to surpass it. What a RIDE!