What a beautiful message! And really well delivered as well. Went in expecting a love story and came out of it with a new perspective. I would say though, no one should be allowed more than a second chance in this world, third chance maximum. At least he never fucked up greatly and went back in time to fix it, he only ever fixed small harmless things, choices. Like imagine he had slept with Charlotte that night in London and then gone back in time to undo it that would have been sooooo shitty, but that's just an example of how, you know, this is a we could say "romanticized" or "optimistic" portrayal of time travel, in the sense that it shows it in the hands of a genuinely good guy. But yeah what I mean is, while I think I would have felt a bit cheated if i found out my husband had countless times to perfect our relationship/moments, I still think it could have been a lot worse - like the example mentioned above - and he used his abilities for good. So that would be the major flaw in the movie for me - how they portray something that's essentially cheating at life like something 100% good. But they do end up passing the message that it's best to just live life once and not mess with it anyways so it's all good. Very beautiful movie!
8/10
This film is a good exercise on what it means to live in a society. If you've watched this movie and are reading this comment right now, i think it's safe to assume you're someone who tries to rationally process everything around you and have at least once wondered about the societal structures we are thrown into from birth and how they dictate a big part of our lives from the first second. And if you're aware of how conditioned and ultimately stifled living can be most times, you must have thought at one point or another what it would be like to send it all to hell and go live in a forest and be self sufficient and not have to work to be able to afford food, and not feel like your worth is dictated by your career or how much money you have in your bank account. Well, this movie does that for you, arriving to the conclusion that to be truly human you have to live with other humans, which means you have to live in a society. In the end, that comes with a lot of downsides because as much as it is human to relate and seek personal connections, unfortunately, it is also human to seek power and control, which is attained through money, which in turn is what conditions and stifles us all. There's obvious upsides and downsides to every story, and the most captivating aspect of this film is that it explores the different dimensions of the most general possible concept: living. It makes you think, it does a good job in maintaining its balance and showing both sides, allowing the viewer to form their own opinions. However, it can get corny and a bit too on the nose at times, and technically wise it's nothing impressive. Solid and entertaining watch.
First time I watched this film I was a kid, I really had no idea of what I was watching, but I knew it felt earth-shattering. Second time I watched it, I knew it was a love story, I knew they couldn't be together because they were gay, that was about all that I could understand, no nuances, but still... earth-shattering. Have watched it maybe 12 times in total. Every single time, earth-shattering. Tonight was my most recent rewatch, the first one in a couple of years. The first one after studying film in university. The first one after watching so. many. different. kinds. of. movies. trying to catch up on all the ones I missed before I found the love I have for this art form. Little did I know... no matter what film I watch, the one I watched when I was way too young to understand half of what it really meant, what it really represented - or the reasons as to why it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever had the privilege to watch -, would always be the one every other movie would have to live up to. My experience watching it this time around was familiar, as it always is. Like always, I could recite every big scene, I knew most sequences by heart, but Ennis and Jack feel more real than ever to me, now. I feel like for the very first time I really understood the full scope of their emotions, and bonded with them more than I had ever before. I was also blown away by the technical aspects of it too, Ang Lee's incredible talent. I understood it was a beautiful movie before, but now I can see just how beautiful it is. And is there even a way of putting Jake and Heath's performance into words? To me there isn't. All they had was Brokeback Mountain, and I will always have Brokeback Mountain too.
100000000000000000000000/10
SAM WILSON SIR...... HAND IN MARRIAGE PLEASE??????????????
okay so now that my proposal is out of the way (i love sam wilson), a couple of things:
kind of upset they killed Karli and gave that Walker asshole a semi redemption arc where he saves a bunch of people instead of getting revenge... it made me gag. I hate him (really do not care about that USAgent crap unless it's to write him off eventually). Even if Karli IS dead, the Flag Smashers storyline was surprisingly well done, they really gave them more voice and more respect than I thought they would. It is a very worthy cause and incredibly relevant as of right now, with the current migrant crisis - having Sam see the good in it and defend them in that incredible speech was pleasantly surprising. That was truly the highlight of the episode - when he told those powerful world leaders that the helplessness they felt against Thanos is the same helplessness the underprivileged feel against them every day... that HIT HARD (Anyone who's been paying attention knows Thanos was always the stand in for dictators and imperialists, but it's great that they've finally driven the point home). Anthony Mackie did a great job this whole season, Sam Wilson is the perfect Captain America (did I mention I love him?). Bucky took a little bit of a backseat which is totally fine, he's had more screentime in the films over the years, it feels balanced. Sebastian and Anthony's chemistry is undeniable, I hope we get a second season or a film cus they're too good to waste.
The Power Broker reveal... everyone and their mothers saw it coming, bit underwhelming. I'm interested to see what they do with Sharon's character now, she's incredibly hot as a rogue spy criminal boss lady.
Also, beyond Sam's speech, the scene with Isaiah at the museum sent chills all up my spine. This show is really important for the current moment we've living in. Marvel did great. PLEAAAASE give me a second season.
Pride Month 1 film a day challenge:
#2
Where do I even start with this film.................................................... Gosh it's so lovely, it's making me want to cry.
I'm gonna have to do bullet-points cus there's so much i want to talk about.
The fact that this film is based on a novel written by a woman, it's written for screen by two women, directed by a woman, and has two incredible female leads.
The way it gets w|w love so perfectly right (probably due to reasons explained in point 1). It's shown through subtle looks and growing tension, through friendship, understanding and romance. The characters fit so well together. Each of them is a complex, multifaceted, well built character with their own struggles and strength, and they each bring out the best in one another. Jean helps Lydia see her worth, helps her see she can stand on her own. Lydia helps Jean let herself go, conquer her past and breathe out.
Charlie and the bee subplot - honestly amazing. This film said gay rights and bee rights and literally that's all we, the human race, should care about too. The recurring idea of a beehive being composed of mostly females, living in perfect harmony. The recurring theme of bees listening to you, and keeping your secrets. The way Charlie finds purpose in keeping them. The way the bees freaking save the day!!!!!!!!! Oh my god... a dream literally a dream.
Still on Charlie: the way the film destroys toxic masculinity with the figure of his absent father and the way he tells Charlie he needs to be a man, just because he cares about nature.
Annie's subplot: telling yet another woman's story, and adding a interracial relationship too. The scene where they force her miscarriage is haunting and really drives the point of how little women could dictate their own lives then home.
The photography!!!!!! Rural Scotland's a breathtakingly beautiful scenery, but there are countless gorgeous shots all around (when Jean's watching Lydia take a bath........................................... and she looks back......................... poetic cinema).
The only reason I'm not giving this a 10 is, whilst i understand the ending, i still don't think there was a big enough reason for them to end up apart. Just let them be together for god's sake.
9/10
I've been a fan of Taylor's music for a long time but for a while I refrained myself from being too vocal about my support for her as a person, because it wasn't cool and we were all supposed to think this and that about her and if you didn't you were labelled all sorts of things, so instead of defending her i just didn't say anything, and enjoyed her music outside of that sphere of drama and controversy. But with Taylor it's really hard to fall in love with her music and not instinctively fall in love with her too, because everything that she is she puts into those songs, those lyrics, those melodies, so if you love her music then that means you love her, and i soon figured that out. The way she's grown and become more vocal about everything we all already thought she had in her is really inspiring and, in my opinion, what she needed to fully become an icon, because icons have to stand for something and help change history with their platform, which is music, which happens to be the wider reaching form of art there is in this world. I'm so so happy she's finally showing the world what she stands for, cus it's not hard to see that privately the values have been there from day one. I really never wanted this docu to end, i wanted it to have 3 hours. Fuck The Irishman, give me 3 and a half hours of Miss Americana instead.
Ahhhhhh i’m so happy they are not shying away from the tough conversations on what it means to be Captain America in this decade. I love symbolism in storytelling and there’s no stronger symbol than that shield, and the way they have used it as a vehicle and representative of the different American identities (good and (really) bad) has been incredible.
Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson and Isaiah Bradley all represent sides of the US that co-exist, and John Walker being the effective Captain America for most of this show isn’t accidental - he’s the side of America that’s most present and salient right now (in the world off the screen), but ending the show with Sam Wilson carrying that shield - and going through all the issues that that might bring up - is as powerful a message as any - one of hope and of what the US should aspire to be. Steve Rogers is no longer enough, Steve Rogers is the American Dream - Isaiah Bradley the American Reality - and Sam Wilson is both. This show, and all of Captain America’s storyline, is about so much more than just men in spandex and they’ve done a fantastic job taking it even further here. Glad Marvel is still delivering after so many years, makes me proud to be a fan!
