"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
Finally! I don't no why it took me so long to see one of the most acclaimed films of all time. The Shawshank Redemption really moved me.
The emotion that was put into it, was something really truthful and real. Even when there are moments where you predict what is going to happen next, its subtleness and immense depth affects you anyway. Since the very first moment, we are attached to it and not many films do that with the audience. Such a simple story but with such content.
Frank Darabont direction was amazing! The film has over two hours and you never get bored, you are driven by the emotion of the events and the great cinematography makes you feel the terrifying life in prison.
The performances from all the cast are something great to see but Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins are the ones who gave absolutely phenomenal performances. The performances of a lifetime.
I can see why many people love this film. They love it because is power makes it unforgettable. Now I love it too, and I will always remember it.
An absolutely beautiful story about hope and friendship.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dul boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no plany Makes ack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dul boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play make Jack a Dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All workand no play maks Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no plany Makes ack a dull boy
All work and no play make Jack a Dull boy
Initial Reaction
After two viewings
The Good
• Deadpool himself is as funny as ever. Ryan Reynolds keeps up a fantastic performance and really gives it his all.
• Cable is also really good. Josh Brolin, despite being in many movies this year. Has given a great performance.
• Jokes are really funny when they hit, and they hit hard.
• Secondary characters are also really well done. Some anyway. More on that, below in the spoilers
• It has a true charm to it. Making it more distinct than the first. But not outshining it.
• The action was on point. The director really knows how to capture a great fight scene, and there are plenty here to enjoy and marvel at.
• Villain. This point is actually a fairly good one, but also has spoils. So read below if you really want to know. What I can say is that Ajax is nowhere near as memorable compared to the bad guys here.
• The amount of balls this movie has. It just does things, I would never expect them to do. The first movie gave us shocks at what they could say and show. Now they just go and toy with that to the next level. And I loved it.
The Bad
• Plot. It's not the best. It's also not that simple. The first Deadpool was very straightforward even with the time jumps. Here, it's a bit of a mess. Not to mention it's kind of a rip off of T2. But it acknowledges this at least
• Some jokes don't quite land. They reuse some of the same lines from the first movie, and it feels as if it really is lazy writing. As far as it seems, they are trying to make Deadpool's catchphrases more clear. But to me, it was just annoying.
• The jokes seem to build off the story in this. Whereas the first one felt more improvisational and made it seem like the plot revolved around the humour. Here it just seemed like the comedy was slotted into this action film. But it's not all that bad, just let down the overall tone of the movie.
• CGI is actually pretty bad. It's so distracting, it takes away from the comedy they try to sprinkle over it.
• Wade. He is focused on more than the first. And I just didn't like how they were trying to go about it.
• Along with the focus on Wade, the emotional scenes don't mix that well with the comedy like they did in the first.
Other Things
• You're going to want to stick around for the mid-credit sequences. They are some of the best ever in a Marvel movie, and in movies in general.
• There are two mid-credit scenes (almost back-to-back) and no end-credit scenes.
Spoiler Things
• The X-Force joke is so damn good that I can forgive the lack of build in the team up until the very humorous end. Again such a great ballsy move. Props to the studio.
• The villains in this movie, aren't really present in terms of villains. The first Deadpool had a villain, he had to beat him. Done. This sets it up to be all about Cable, but it actually gives us villains that turn out to be the same as Wade. Which is great for a Deadpool movie to show anti-heroes having a connection with the villains they are fighting.
Conclusion
DP2 is not better than the first. It lacks the simplicity and catchy humour that it had. But, it does grab onto you and takes you on a ride that is not as funny, but is just as enjoyable than the original. I don't see it being as rewatchable like the first. But as its own movie, it holds itself up for a fun experience, wonderful character portrayals, and a damn good time.
Nothing to say really besides: that’s how you do it!
This has without a doubt the most impressive stunts of the franchise, and it really knows how to use its characters and challenge them. There’s a lot of propulsive energy, lush cinematography and great editing. Lorne Balfe does a great Hans Zimmer impression, and Chris McQuarrie does a great Chris Nolan impression. Alright maybe I’m oversimplifying there, because I have to commend McQuarrie for doing another stylistic reinvention of the franchise, the cinematography and general feel aren’t just that of Rogue Nation 2.0. I’m not even sure if the constant evolution of this franchise comes from a place of creative ambition or commercial opportunity, but at least it keeps the films fresh. Some of its core elements will always remain the same, however. For example, the plot’s once again just a vehicle for all the juicy stuff. You could call it out for being generic or basic, but they find so much creativity and fun in these tropes that it becomes very entertaining (intrigue, the mask sequences, the craziness and constantly rising intensity). Sure, there’s a very predictable twist at the end of the second act, but more often than not, it managed to surprise me. Henry Cavill is a great new addition, bringing back Rebecca Ferguson was the best choice they could’ve made, and Pegg & Rhames remain the reliable anchors that add some heart & humour. It’s all exceptional stuff, it could very well go down as the best action franchise in history if the next films stick the landing.
9/10
It isn't an easy task, trying to sum this film up in a couple paragraphs, but I will do what I can. This is one of those films that I walked into with sky-high expectations and it is one of the very few that not only met those expectations, but beat the piss out of them as well. Kingsman: The Secret Service has all the makings of a great thriller/comedy/action/spy/romance film and if you are a fan of movies at all, I highly recommend it. I am not going to go into detail about the movie, you should really just go watch it.
Throughout the film, there were a couple of times that I was reminded of the Men in Black franchise. Though Kingsman has nothing to do with extraterrestrials, the humorous secret service theming is very familiar. But I found Kingsman to be superior in several ways. The story is complete and satisfying with a few decent twists but nothing totally mindfucking. And if you are like me and expect a certain level of character development in order to be happy, you won't be disappointed.
There is a small bit of disbelief that you have to suspend in order to enjoy the movie, but I had no trouble with that. The fight scenes were ridiculously cool, even for someone like me that isn't really an action kind of guy. I am more about finding an emotional connection to the characters in a film and I became fairly attached to several of them in this one. My only real complaint was that a couple instances in the film that utilized a green screen were very noticeable and almost hard to get past. But what it lacks in green screen effects, it more than makes up for in humor and other special effects.
So, in conclusion, this was a movie well worth seeing. So hurry up and catch it while it's still in theaters.
Another stunning and thouroughly entertaining movie from Marvel Studios who continue to gain momentum with each successive film. Delivering something new and original all within the framework of the same genre and universe.
A coming of age film of sorts that sees T'Challa return to his native Wakanda following the events of Captain America: Civil War to deal with the pressures of the thrown and fulfill his potential as both warrior and king, T'Challa and Black Panther alike. Thus being an origin adventure without the obligatory origin story.
Wakanda itself is visually breathtaking and looks as spectacular as one can imagine.
Wakanda itself is an unofficial character in the film with a rich visual palette and identity. It's people, along with most visuals in the movie, are brightly coloured and looks like an.artists dream, as rich and colourful as the comics that spawned them.
All the principle and supporting cast bring it. There's hardly anybody that doesn't stand out or get a moment to shine in this deep ensemble, so much so that T'Challa himself is almost outdone in the movie by the performances of Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger) and the female supporting characters who are so good, I'd be disappointed if they didn't at least cameo in Avengers: Infinity War in a few months.
Highly recommended for any fan of Marvel Studios' movies, Superhero movies or action adventures with hints of political.drama thrown in for good measure. Not to be missed.
Imagine making a movie that has such big stakes, but make it so nobody cares about any of the characters.
Jean Grey - Yawn, she struggled with controlling her powers, controlling her emotions. Some part understandable but I felt no emotion.
Professor X - Acts like a Villain for the first half of the film.
Mystique - Shouldn't have hired Jennifer Lawrence, she couldn't handle the make-up. Attempts a death scene but leaves no emotional impact.
Quicksilver - Has some of the most iconic scenes in comic book films and they don't give him his scene. Gets injured early on and just disappears until the end of the film.
Storm - Was just there to do damage.
Beast - The only character with correct motivation and you somewhat understand why he feels the way he does. Just feels like bad casting personally. Hoult is just too youthful and skinny for beast.
Cyclops - His character is just completely centred around Jean. Feels like we never get to see just Scott.
Nightcrawler - Where does this come from, he just become a murdering psycho and the build up just seems too out of character for him.
Magneto - Probably the best performance, character flipped sides very easily considering his motivation for wanted to kill Jean.
Jennifer Chastain/Aliens - Why, what, who, what, why.
Good scene - Using their power to fight over control of the helicopter
Bad Scene - Every single one with Jennifer Lawrence
As much as I wanted to like this movie, and ESPECIALLY not wanting to throw shade on Dave Bautista, I'm afraid the words of none other than Macbeth are the most fitting as far as a review of this enterprise goes:
A.O.D. is but a walking shadow, some poor players
That strut and fret their two and a half hours upon the stage
And then are heard no more: It is a tale
Told by idiots, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
That having been said, the REAL shame here is, that, with just a little bit of re jiggering, and a little less stupidity on the part of any one of the panopoly of characters, and, this could have not only been an epic movie, but, possibly a even a (2 or 3 movie) franchise!
Any movie that starts from the jump with nekkid zombie stripper ta ta's is a go for me, just on the "Hmmm, I ain't seen THAT before factor alone. Now, throw in Siegfried and Roy's zombified Manticore' , and, you're going to hold my interest. Add super quick and agile "rage zombies, and a mix of your usual suspect "shufflin' and bitin' " zombies, as well as a full auto Drax the Destroyer, and a crew of mangey former tier one operators, who served their country honorably, but per current SOP, were promptly shat upon by the country that they so dutifully served, then, give them a chance to for once not just even the score but come out ahead, and, you HAD the basis for a pretty decent horror adventure flick.
But then SOMBODY had to go and try to grow a brain, perhaps thinking they could be "edgy", and, instead of delivering a fun, intelligent live action "Walking Dead" (first few seasons only), they decided to suck all the common sense from EVERY characters brain, and then have each one of them suddenly go mute at the most inopportune times, when a word, a note, or even a cryptic whisper, could keep someone from becoming zombie snackos'. Now add to that mix, a teenaged girl with one of the most full blown cases of narcissistic personality disorder ever witnessed on film, and have her played by an actor who every time she opens her mouth you just want to backhand her and send her to her room with no dinner. But, she's also a master of either guilting her father (team leader Scott Ward) for doing something she later admits "he had to do", or, forcing him to let her accompany the squad, (to "rescue the aforementioned STUPID friend) by threatening to run off and do it alone anyway, which is a certain one way trip. So, welcome to mercenary baby sitting, Z/A style.
All is not lost though as there are some nice bonding moments between Zen "man some of the shizz I've done" Vanderohe, and newbie merc / safecracker Ludwig Dieter, especially when it is discovered he doesn't even know Zombie 101 basics. Raul Castillos' "Mickey" who at first seems to be either a You Tube poser, or just a bit crazy, then actually turns out to be an honorable guy. Samantha Joe's "Chambers" is a formidable street fighter, but, sadly , her heroic last stand is wasted when in the end, she got a case of the mutes, when she could have saved the entire crew with a shouted warning.
Nora Arnezeder is believable as Lilly, The Coyote, even if she does let little miss prissy teen smack her around a bit, for helping another of Kates IDIOT friends do something stupid, that, in the end, does not bode well for the entire team. Tig Notaro I guess is OK, especially since she was a last minute "digital" substitute for Chris D'Elia, who was unceremoniously cancelled and erased from the movie due to misconduct of the sexual kind. It's not seamless, but, it's not distracting either. But, she too, got hit with the idiot stick at the last minute, and, her indecision literally was catastrophic. In BOTH their story arcs, Snyder chose to plagiarize, er, uh, be "inspired" by ENTIRE SCENES from "Aliens", then "edgily" flip the script, by declaring opposite day at their individual conclusions.
The longest walk of shame, IMO, goes to Bautista's character Scott Ward, for being either too blind of just plain dumb, to not see through the machinations of neither his Japanese Benefactor, nor his henchman sent along to fulfill the ACTUAL goal of the "heist". But, in his defense, a couple hundred million dollars tax free, can buy a mighty dark pair of rose colored glasses, and, even though he can't see the forest for the trees, nor, apparently when the passion fires of his former flame have burst into a bonfire. Her end was so telegraphed, that even as it occurred, you weren't really shocked, just saddened. Just as his end, and the way it came about, had one waiting for the sound track to cue up Alanis Morrissette, but, perhaps they couldn't get a music clearance..
ONE final chance at redemption comes in the form of the epilogue with Vanderohe, and, it could have played out the epic revenge scenario, but, alas it was not to be, and he, along with any chance at a sequel, was D.O.A.
So, in conclusion, I don't dislike this movie for it's short comings, but, because of it's unfulfilled potential. It didn't necessarily have to be all happily ever after, but, as you watch it, and the idiocy starts leaking out of the characters, see if you can glimpse the great movie that COULD have been.
Gun Fu, Gun Porn, Stylized Ultra violence, call it whatever you want, but, one thing is certain, John Wick 3 delivered it all, and then brought you second and third helpings. Tom Cruise gets a lot of cred for doing his own increasingly elaborate stunts for each M.I. installment, but I'll see you EVERY stunt the couch jumping Mr. Cruise has done his ENTIRE career, for the first two action sequences in this movie ALONE! Also, Keanu Reeves isn't just harnessed to a plane or rappelling down the side of a building and leaping across roof tops. Reeves weapons handling and combined intricate fight sequences aren't the result of Steven Seagal style quick cuts, Fast and Furious edits, post SFX, or tricky camera angles to disguise whats actually happening. It's VISCERAL, because the camera lingers on the mayhem so that the viewer can savor each strike, slash, stab, and gunshot, and ALL the accompanying carnage. Not in Sam Peckinpah slo-mo, but in real time, yet, somehow, one is still able to take it all in, and then the sequence would end, just about the same time you remembered to BREATHE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=nrawit53W7s
Yes, it's over the top, but this is the world John Wick inhabits. A culture of hired assassins, an entire society, existing just beneath the surface of the one you and I can see, the one the rest of us inhabit. A society with rank and file members, management, service, and executive classes, and RULES. And it is the rules, which have kept order from devolving into chaos for hundreds of years, that have made them "different from the animals".
For the love of his deceased wife, a car, and a puppy, John Wick reached his proverbial "last straw". (John Wick 1) For his loyalty to a blood oath, which was broken, he violated a cardinal rule, and was marked for death. (John Wick 2) Yet, using those same rules and oaths, (and his particularly unique set of skills) he was able to braid for himself a life-line, tenuous as it was, but a life-line nevertheless. The powers that be cannot allow that to happen, and seek to intimidate, punish, and if necessary eliminate each of those who extended him a thread of that line, even if they technically only "stretched" the rules. What they have failed to realize is that John Wick's reputation as the "Baba Yaga", the proverbial Boogie-man, is not only well earned, but, if anything, it is UNDER stated.
Those who were paying attention saw that we actually DID get quite a bit of origin/back story on the eponymous Mr. Wick, as well as a glimpse into the world of the contract killers, as to how the contracts are put out, and the hierarchy that pulls the strings behind the scenes. I look forward to seeing this expanded upon in future installments
Kudos and Props this installment to Iron Chef Mark Dacascos and a host of other Asian Martial Artists as the closest thing John has to true competition, yet, they are at the same time fanboys who geek out at getting a chance to fight him.
To Halle Berry, for NAILING her fight sequences, then being a trooper and not quitting when her scenes cost her a couple of broken ribs. Her character obviously has some issues with the menfolk, considering how many she shot in the "kibbles and bits. Also props to the trainers of her two pups, and the stunt men for allowing same said puppers to gnaw precariously close to their kibbles and bits until she shot them. OUCH!
In case you doubt me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=66&v=xa2RJPrY2Og
To Laurence Fishburne, for making sure that Neo still has Morpheus as a Mentor, even if you "sometimes have to cut a Mo Fo".. All we need now is Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity to show up in the inevitable Part 4, and all will be right in the Universe. (make it happen writers)
10 out of 10 - Best of the 3 so far IMO
This is my go-to joke-answer when people ask me what my favourite Christmas film is (the truth is I don’t have a favourite anything), but what always catches me out is just how Christmassy Die Hard really is. From end to end, in his own way, McTiernan captures the spirit of Christmas nicely without making a saccharine or overbearing film.
Bruce Willis is just a regular guy trying to get home to see his kids, and patch up his failing marriage. What says ‘Christmas’ more than family? Alan Rickman is the Grinch that tries to get in the way of his plans. I don’t know who Santa is in this analogy; maybe the limo driver. The cop on the outside is Joseph and the film itself is baby Jesus.
In all seriousness though, something about Die Hard clicks with me every time. The regular-guy-having-a-bad-day idea borrows from the better Hitchcock films, and the way it melds with the action scenes is so fun to watch. Willis clearly enjoys playing a bad-ass. His cocky charm is infectious, as is his determination.
It’s not easy to take a simple idea and execute it well, but Die Hard shows that with carefully orchestrated action scenes and slick screen writing one can achieve greatness without having to stray from a central story. Makes a very difficult job look easy.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/12/19/diehard/
With all the great reviews I suspected a hidden jewel, and it kinda was. However it annoyed me a lot.
Especially the dialog was extremely hectic and kind of retarded in the first 30 minutes. It got a bit better after that, but never really good. The actions and decisions were of people that just did not think, something that doesn't fit in a movie with a smart setting like multiverses. imho it only fits with comedy and some exceptions here and there, but that's just me.
One of the flaws that showed itself a couple of times was the time flow. Time is not really consequent throughout the whole movie. In 1 scene someone drinks up a bottle of wine within a minute, and on a few occasions people were gone for a longer period of time (10-20min) while in the house itself no more than 5 minutes were passed at best. This could be explained by the major plot twist in the end, but it would be nice if there were made 1 or 2 remarks about it if that was the case.
The movie is also not giving the viewer time to make their own construction of the situation but making a few emotional scenes right after an info-dump and repeating this process.
And when the characters finally start to understand how complex the situation could be, they decide to pop open the alcohol and get wasted.... seriously?
It brings the movie to a dramatic impasse that is completely unnecessarily and just slows down the mystery.
Luckily the movie manages to get some points in after that. More focusing on story development, having some very interesting plot twists and using the mystery to its benefit in stead of for the drama.
Those last 15 minutes are a good home run, and the movie sets up a completely other pace and setting. Suddenly moving from a group of people with no clue what's going on, to one main character with an objective.
Maybe they should've done this from the beginning to make it more interesting. The girl (Emily?) who took on this role was from the beginning one of the few actors I did not have many complains about, and was doing a good job.
Usually I am a big fan of the 'quantum multiverse' theory worked into a movie, and the concept in this one is very nicely done. But even though they tried (and to be fair the creators have a good grasp on the subject) it kinda failed with the overly dramatic setting and insulting the viewer by letting characters make dumb decisions.
Since it is a low budget movie, I decided not to be too harsh on the rating itself (it really is a movie that can match itself with the high budget ones) and I definitely would upvote for a remake with some better scriptwriting for dialog and some actions. Because I think that this flick could be even better.
I finally watched A Star Is Born, and boy... was I just blown away. This film is a literal whirlwind of emotions culminating in one truly tragic ending. I was hyped for this movie for months, and it definitely lived up to expectations (even exceeded them). I was totally floored by the performances of Lady Gaga and especially Bradley Cooper who completely disappears into his role of Jackson Maine (in a good way). The soundtrack to this movie is just spectacular with some of the best ballads that I've heard in a long time in both "Shallow" and "I'll Never Love Again". That first scene where Gaga and Cooper perform together on stage is just a revelation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A
While this is a story that has been done many times (literally, this is the 4th remake), Cooper's version is just masterfully built and developed amazingly well even though it does run a bit long. It was over 2 hours long (135 mins), but at times I actually wish that it could have been longer due to how much I connected with the characters. It's a true "modern take" on a classic tale. And definitely prepare to cry as well. My god, the last 20 minutes of the movie were just... beyond brutal. If you've ever dealt with or really known/loved someone with addiction and/or depression problems, this movie hits so close to home that it is scary.
A Star Is Born is an instant classic and a definite Oscar favorite in multiple categories. If you told me that in 2018 the guy who played Sack in Wedding Crashers 13 years ago would direct and star in an emotional and moving film like this, I'd call you crazy. I'm definitely going to watch this again, but those last 15 minutes of the movie truly were gut-wrenching. Maybe I'll just stick with listening to the soundtrack over and over again... :P
I don't know how many times I've seen this film but it never gets old, just gets better.
Robert Zemeckis has done a great job on this film. The film tells a story of a not so bright guys life and all the adventures he takes, the events that take place in his life, people he meets on the way, and his best friend that he grows up with Jenny.
They were like peas and carrots.
It shows you that he runs like the wind blows and It's got a bit of every genre, bit everything for everyone, It sets of sad and happy emotions, It's quotes are beautiful and always gives off positive vibes and good advice.
The picture in this film shows how beautiful are world really is, shows there's much more to explore and I think all actors did fantastic and had great chemistry, Also Tom Hanks showed off a great performance to show how great he is as an actor and he's proven that in future films ahead of this film.
I was sad that they've not made a book on this film, would love to read other than watch as the book they’ve based it on was about a guy called Forrest Gump that crashed landed on an island, where he was captured by cannibals but only the name Forrest Gump followed.
Life is like a box of chocolates because you don't know what you're gonna get. Well I'm glad i got to see this film for the first time years back because It's honestly a film to watch before you die and the best film I’ve ever seen.
They are all the ingredients to make it a classic comedy, but it just doesn't take.
The casting is amazing, that's for sure. It's full of cool ideas and nice jokes all along the way.
- the daylight time being weird
- Most of Tilda Swinton character
- The make up for the dead
- The zombies looking for chardonnay and wifi instead of brains
- Driver's character direct assumption that it's zombies
- The "Is it a wild beast ? Several wild beasts ?" bit
- Zombie Iggy Pop
- the wtf exit of Tilda Swinton
- Murray and Driver discussing the theme song or the script
- etc.
And for all this I can't count it as bad. But it just doesn't fit into a story. Between this bits it all seems long and boring. And most of them are not even exploited correctly. A 20 minutes version of it would have worked a lot better.
The daylight times being weird ? Nice, but what about it ? Nothing.
Murray and Driver talk as themselves instead of the characters could have been interesting, but it's not even correctly used. When asked how he knows it end badly, Driver answers he read the script and Murray says he only had his scenes. Well, he IS in the litteral last scene of the film, the one that ends badly... So he should have known too. It just feels like it's been added there to add a few lines and that's it, it's not been though through.
Swinton's character is good with a sword. But it's 5 scenes of her decapitating zombies behing her back. OK. Show me her fighting 50 zombies, give me something new not 5 copies of the same scene!
As for the chatacters, Bill Murray has been playing various versions of the same character since what ? Lost in Translation ? And I usually love it. It kinda works here too. But not enough.
Adam Driver is actually quite ok. So I'm starting to think it's not his fault and Kylo Ren was just an horrible miscast.
Tilda Swinton is creepy af, just as usual, and has the best character. The way she speaks, the way she walks, her makeup for the deads, her sword skills, etc. Every scene where she's in is good.
Nice to see Steve Buscemi and Danny Glover, but again, they're like the usual cinematic version of themselves here. They feel more like cameos.
And then several characters seem to have been added just as fillers. The kids in detention center ? They do nothing, do not interact with anybody, or with zombies. They just go through it. You can totally erase them and lose nothing. The Selena Gomez crew ? Same thing. Well, you lose some scenes of various guys drooling over Gomez's small shorts and yes, the great head chopping scene, ok, but it could have been done with any other character. Hermit Bob is observing as an outsider. Doesn't bring anything to the story. And Chloe Sevigny's character is just painful to watch.
I get the concept, I loved some slow movies and watching some characters that are on the side and do not bring anything to the story. But here nothing ever works. It's almost heartbreaking to see the movie try so hard, imagine what it was supposed to be and see it fail so hard.
[9.8/10] In recent years, when it comes to horror films, I’ve come to appreciate mood over scares. Scares have become cheap, with scads horror flicks offering monsters popping out of nowhere or surprise deaths or gruesome images to the point that it’s all too easy to become inured to them. Instead, I’ve come to really like films that do well at establishing an atmosphere, something that may not make you jolt out of your seat in a given moment, but that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end for the entire runtime.
Get Out has that in spades. Long before anything goes bump in the night, there is a tension in the air, the sense that something just isn’t right or comfortable, even if you can’t quite put your finger on it.
Writer/director Jordan Peele does that perfectly through blending multiple kinds of anxieties into one unsettling collage of moments. There’s the horrorful text of the piece, with hints that maid and groundskeeper on the Armitage estate are not all there, and ominous portents like dead deer or rustling trees. There’s the anxiety of meeting your significant other’s parents for the first time, the relatable sense of being off balance as you’re both trying to be on your best behavior while also feeling out a group of people who are likewise feeling you out.
And then there’s the fact that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), is made to feel like a curiosity, like something out of place, as he steps into a lily white world where seemingly well-meaning folks patronize or unwittingly insult him. One of the great achievements of Get Out is how it steps into the proud tradition of using social anxieties and real world fears and discomfort to undergird the textual horror the film slowly unspools. Peele manages to wrap so many facets of that sort of experience in this work -- belittling compliments, a sense of being out of place, and questionable, othering comments -- in a way that fits perfectly, and gives force to, the straight horror movie he’s presenting.
This seems as good a place as any to acknowledge that, as a straight white male who grew up in the suburbs, there is a limit to how much I can speak to the way those experiences are depicted. Get Out touches on any number of ideas -- how even committed progressives can have old prejudices behind their facades, the appropriation of black bodies and black labor for white needs chief among them -- that I’m simply not qualified to do anything but note with appreciation. Those elements, and the social commentary that comes with them, are one of the most striking and effective parts of the movie, I’m woefully ill-equipped to analyze them in the depth that someone who’s lived those experiences could.
But one of the stellar things about Get Out, and well-made movies in particular, is how they can convey those experiences even to those who will never live them. Peele uses all the tools in the cinematic toolbox to make you feel Chris’s discomfort, the way in which he’s ill-at-ease in this place that seems unfamiliar and off-putting. He combines that cross-cultural discomfort, the awkwardness of meeting your significant other’s family, and the hints at something more supernaturally sinister to create a film that affects the viewer on multiple levels.
That’s just one of approximately fifty things Get Out does incredibly well. It’s a nigh perfect film at nearly every level. The acting is superb across the board, from Kaluuya who carries the film, to the familiar sense of the different Armitages, to a superb turn from noted character actor Stephen Root, to a gobsmacking scene from Betty Gabriel as Georgina, done almost entirely in close up with nowhere for her to hide. The pacing is outstanding, with the hints, uptick, build, and climax of the mysterious events each coming at just the right time.
Technically, the film is just as remarkable. The use of color in the film is incredible, with golden hues in the background that symbolize visually how out of place Chris is, lush naturalism, and spooky blues and grays in the dark. The cinematography and editing are just as superb, with Peele, director of photography Toby Oliver, and editor Gregory Plotkin able to make an impromptu hypnosis session in a well-appointed den feel like the most intense thing in the world, and manage to make chases and close calls feel just as dramatic. In the same way, Michael Abels’s score perfectly accents the unsettling quality of each scene and moment.
The most miraculous thing about Get Out is that as terrifying, tense, and thematically rich as it is, it’s also a damn funny film. Chris’s friend Rod (LilRey Hower) initially seems like minor comic relief in the film, but his role goes much deeper than that. Still, between his amusing dialogue and the wry tone to Chris’s less creepy interactions with the Armitage’s well-heeled friends, there’s plenty of laughs, naturally, in Peele’s script, even as he’s just as able to bowl you over with the complex commentary and horrifying developments at play.
It’s also as sound a screenplay as you’re likely to see realized on screen anytime soon. More than a few horror films mix their haunting with a layer of social commentary, but few of them balance the text and the subtext as well as Get Out does, with the film working just as well at both levels. At the same time, its reveal is impressive, a swerve from the predictable read on the Stepford quality of the situation that deepens both the horror and the metaphor. And it’s a tightly-written script to boot, with details like the stir of a spoon, the taking of a picture, or a childhood memory each established and revisited at the perfect time. It all comes together to tell a story imbued with that deeply unsettling atmosphere with seeds planted that bloom in horrifying splendor.
But as great as that atmosphere is, as much as it primes the audience for what’s to come and sets a tone that makes the film unnerving even when nothing particularly dramatic is happening, Get Out has just as much virtuosity in delivering its scares. When the scales fall and the reality of the threats and machinations at play unfurl, Peele and company are equally adept at delivering that tension, intensity, and fear that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
There’s been no shortage of outstanding horror films in the last few years. Everything from the moody inventiveness of It Follows to the period paranoia of The Witch, to the psychodrama of The Invitation. But with Get Out, Peele has set the new standard by which each of these modern artistic successes must be judged. It’s a film that works on every level, bringing wit, atmosphere, story, metaphor, horror, sight and sound with equal success. It’s a film that wants to scare you and wants to challenge you, while never letting the one get in the way of the other.
8.6/10. Grief is a difficult emotion. On the one hand, it’s something we want to move past, because it can be debilitating, it can prevent people from living their lives and leave them mired in the tragedies of their pasts. But on the other hand, it’s something we want to carry with us, because to do otherwise means to forget the people and events in our life that shaped us, that meant something to us, even if those things were so cruelly ripped from us.
That is the essential difficulty at the heart of The Invitation. In a horror story with no supernatural elements, grief is the ghost that lurks in the halls of the house that provides the film’s setting. When Will and his girlfriend Kira, return to his old house for a dinner party held by Eden, his ex-wife, and her new husband, David, there is a sense memory for him being in the place where he once called home, where he and Eden and their son were once a family. He’s constantly seeing images of his son playing in the den, or washing his hand, or gazing at him from the other side of the bed. There are no real specters in The Invitation, but there is still the ghost of their child, haunting this place and the people who dwell within it.
But to that end, the film does a nice job at making the audience question whether there is something legitimately off about this informal reunion between Will, Eden, and the group of their friends that splintered after their son’s death, or whether the nagging doubts about the gathering are all in Will’s head, a byproduct of the pain and difficulty at revisiting a place that once held so much life and promise for him, and now is just a constant reminder of a son and a life that are long gone.
Beyond the thematic resonance of the film, it’s best feature is the mood it creates at this gathering. Director Karyn Kusama does a superb job at making this feel like a genuine yuppie dinner party, with subtle cues that something isn’t right. It’s a tough line to walk, to make this gathering of young, presumably wealthy people, feel relatable and familiar enough that their interactions and the mood of the party feels real, but that there is enough unspooling weirdness, enough disquieting little moments, whether it be a strange video from Eden and David’s retreat, or the sort of bizarre but easily written off behavior of Sadie, or a man telling the story of how he killed his wife and moved on.
What’s impressive is how long The Invitation let’s all of this unfold before genuinely pulling the trigger on the film’s big turn and reveal. As much as it’s steeped in the meaty thematic points, The Invitation is a parlor mystery at heart, and a well-constructed one at that. We get little moments between Will and almost everyone else at the party, just enough to give everyone enough of a personality, enough of a motivation, enough of a characteristic to make them feel like a part of the ecosystem being constructed. Little details that build up to the twist, like their being bars on the windows or a lack of cell reception or the front door being locked, each have plausible enough explanations that rattle Will, and by extension the audience, a little bit, but aren’t enough to definitively prove anything.
All of that building, all of that slow burning development, all of the ways in which The Invitation lingers with its characters, gives them each a chance to spark off one another and to let its simmering storyline froth to a boil, makes the eventual climax, where it’s revealed that Eden and David intended to poison themselves and all of their friends in an unwitting suicide pact, real power. It shines an interesting light on the ways in which Eden and David and their accomplices encouraged the other party-goers to indulge, to give into their urges, to experience bliss before their unwitting end.
But the reveal also has power in what it represents for Eden. Eden wants blindness, insulation, and escape. She, and the similarly grief-stricken David attended this retreat in order to convince themselves of the idea that death did not take their loved ones away from them, that it’s nothing to be sad about, that it’s a release and a relief and a mere delay until their reunion. By killing themselves, and their friends, they mean to wipe the slate clean, to treat these tragedies as something that can be smoothed over, that they don’t have to feel, in life or in death.
In the end, however, Eden admits the façade. She shoots herself in the stomach, symbolic of the place where she once carried her son within her, of the pain and guilt she could not outrun despite all of this effort. She admits that she misses him, that she thinks of him, and tacitly confesses that she could not deal with the pain, that this was a way for her not to have to face the horror that once made her attempt suicide in much less gilded, much less self-deluding terms. Whether it be barbiturates or new age philosophy or a gentle slip into the end, she must somehow turn away from the truth that gnaws at her, that causes her unimaginable pain.
That is the difference between Will and Eden, and the import of the film’s opening scene. When Will hits a coyote and sees it suffering, he doesn’t turn away from it or just drive off. He goes and gets a tool from the trunk and ends the creature’s suffering. It’s clear that he is affected by this, that seeing an innocent creature experiencing its last gasps of life brings him back to the moment when he saw his son in a similar position. But despite the difficulty of it, the hardship it causes him to have to take this matter into his own hands, he knows it’s what’s right; he knows that however hard it is for him, doing this mercy is better than ignoring it or pretending that it’s not there.
There’s symbolism in the film’s Twilight Zone-esque ending, a nicely subtle way of showing that the lessons of The Invitation have spread much further than Eden and David’s house. But to the extent that the film itself is filled with yuppies and new-age philosophy, in sinister terms, there’s an implicit criticism of the way of life implicated. More than one recent article (or thinkpiece) depending on your parlance has criticized the current era for its hedonism, for the tranquilizing effects of our pleasures and our technology and the other facets of modern life that insulate us from such hardships.
The Invitation seems to exist in the same terms. It stands for the idea that blocking out these negative emotions, giving into our shallow desires for pleasures and epicurean and carnal desires, makes us lesser as people. Even if it can give us happiness, that happiness is shallow and fleeting. Pain is real. Loss is real. Grief is real. The film acknowledges the ways in which these things can haunt us, the way they haunt Will and make him feel as though he’s been waiting to die since the moment he lost his son. But it posits that the alternative, turning away from the harder parts of our past, turning to base joys and self-delusions, is a betrayal of them, is a betrayal of the things that once made us happy, even if they can now hurt us. As hard as it is, as changed as he has become, a shaggy and quietly burning soul in contrast to the clean cut smiling dad we see in flashbacks, he chooses to do what he has to do to keep going, to make the hard choices. He chooses to live his loss, to know he may never be fully “fixed” again, to accept the pain of that, but also, to go on.
This great piece of Sci-fi movies shows us a society engulfed in the power of genetics, Everything you do must have an absolute perfection to it. This movie show that the way society achieves this bij geneticaly enhancing its members, Children born without genetic enhancements are excluded from the higher achieving ashalons of society, one of these children "Vincent Freeman",played by (ethan Hawke), however takes it to another level when he decides by taking the identity of Jerome Morow (Jude Law), a genetic altered human who rents out his identity because he has fallen from grace by a personal tragidy (accident), he suffered. Vincent is hell bent on trying to cheat the system and show its flaws. By becoming a pilot for the saturnus mission. Cheating the system however isn't as easy as it seems, The film explores humanity and its many inperfections and in Essence what it means to be human.
The movie was nominated for an Hugo award, personaly i think its realy oscar material. The great acting of (law, Hawke, Uma Thurman). makes for some enjoyable viewing, with of course some smaller roles for "old school" actors like (Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal,
Although The Movie did receive positive reviews it wasnt a box office succes, it also sparked some discussion of genetics and discrimination in the common day world. The film however manages to achieve cult status amongs sci-fi viewers. and is an absolute must see for Sci-fi Fans
SPOILERS AHEAD…. I don’t even know if I can put into words how much I fucking love this film!!! American History X is such an underrated masterpiece—literally, from start to end. This is not an easy film to watch, but damn is it worthy of every second.
A 1998 film directed by Tony Kaye presents to us the story about a neo-Nazi skinhead named Derek Vinyard—marked with a life of cruelty, violence, racism—who is sent to prison after brutally murdering two black men who attempt larceny. Once released, he desires a change and understands his mistakes. Derek sets off to change and fix the things he did wrong, specifically that his younger brother Danny doesn’t follow in his footsteps.
American History X obtains beautiful cinematography. There is an extremely distinct and intelligent representation of hatred in the movie’s photography. The past is shot in black and white to portray how Derek viewed the world as plain as black v.s. white; and the present is shot in colour to represent Derek’s change and comprehension of what social hatred has done to better his life, which is simply nothing but pain.
Sadly, 20 years later, American History X is still relevant to this day. Recently, many problematic hate groups have been exposed and often include neo-Nazis. Never had I thought I would live in a world filled with this atrocity but disappointingly, they have always been there. Deep inside, I have this raging gut to show this film to all people that commit hate crimes or simply hate. Hell, how could that ever happen, right?
Why is it that I love American History X so much? It is because the message that this film sends out is astonishing. The script is in every single way a lesson, and it all concludes perfectly at the end. This movie in no way sets out to present white people being victimized by different races and ethnicities. It simply speaks to the world about not only racism, but how hatred can affect individuals and tear loved ones apart. Technically, this entire movie should be the definition of hate. That “Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it.”
The movie accomplishes to teach us how individuals are never born hating. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, then they can be taught to love. There are numerous amounts of scenarios where this is shown through the film’s very memorable moments. From the curb stomp scene, which presents HATE, sending Derek to prison (presenting: hate does not mean better), where he soon experiences BETRAYAL from a group of neo-Nazis when they rape him, to unexpectedly befriending a black man, displaying LOVE.
Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D’Angelo, and Jennifer Lien did amazing jobs portraying their characters—each and every single one of them with so much pain. The most difficult scene to watch was the brutal dinner table scene where Norton gives a fucking powerful performance. He really demonstrated how deep the character’s hatred can go once he sends endless insults to the Jewish man whom during that scene was in a relationship with his mother. Not to mention the part where he begins to suffocate his own sister!!
The ending of the film was the most unexpected and completely heartbreaking. Although this is a film that revolves around white supremacy, I cannot be the only one who was hoping for a happy ending. Watching a family go through such horrendous events and then watching this former neo-Nazi noticing his mistakes and profoundly attempting to fix them, only to see them end on the murder of his young brother is truly fucking tragic.
In a way, during that last scene American History X presents the cycle of social hatred. One loses, and the other wins, continuing to pass on the hate. That kid was probably put up to a test, and as soon as Danny’s blood splatters over his face, the kid’s eyes open wide, and we know he regrets it.
I have read the original script of American History X and I seriously wish this film could’ve been longer. I really believe it still would’ve been successful if they included a few scenes from the original screenplay. AMAZING MOVIE!
Come on son! Amy Pond, Sarah Connor, Spy Kids Mom, Tina Turner, and Emperor Georgiou, take on the menfolk ala "Shoot Em' Up, and "Smoking Aces" having a baybay. Not meant to be cerebral and over analyzed, but a manifest celebration of feminine badassery. Yes the bad guys were inept, as the only casualty on the female side was clearly the result of a lucky shot, (and a surprising lack of body armor in an otherwise awesomely stocked armory), But, then, even Bruce Lee's opponents surrounded him in a circle and came at him one at a time. Honorable, yes, but madly inefficient.
In any case, this was a fun, entertaining watch, and, Chloe Coleman is a delight as "8 and 3/4" year old Emily, the flashpoint of all this chaos and conflict. Nothing that hasn't been done before, but, still, a nice take on the genre. They could possibly get a sequel out of it if they really wanted to, and, I'd be down for that one also.
@Callum - To paraphrase Dr. Raymond Stantz, "...You never studied"..., Those who are comparing "Gunpowder Milkshake" to the "John Wick" trilogy aren't saying it's a shot for shot comparison, or even a stylistic doppelganger, but, they ARE similar in world building, in that BOTH movies feature an underworld organization, with a hierarchy, rules, and regulations, which if violated, will earn one a visit from one (or in this case several dozen) highly trained, variously skilled, assassins, who will "balance the ledger" with your blood, bowels, and/or a bullet to the dome. What GM did that JW didn't, is to juxtapose the Peckinpah-esque (that's slo-mo, for those in Rio Linda) carnage and bloodletting, with a wry bit of levity, and to break up the somber situations with comedic beats on occasion.
Thus you have bits like the "Rag Doll" sequence, which was IMO hilariously done, yet JUST plausible enough that it could work. (no, stainless steel medical trays won't stop bullets any better than a car door, but that hasn't stopped countless hero's from hiding behind them in EVERY gun driven movie, EVER) But it was FUN, as was the Bowling Alley sequence, or the laundry room escape. In fact, if you look at most of the positive comments, they include the word "FUN".
You see, with what at times feels like the majority of the world being "woke", seemingly pissed off at anyone and everyone not affiliated with their particular "tribe", or insisting that YOU should be equally pissed off, socially stagnated, and intolerant, not to mention the unchecked romper stompering by feral humanoids that has infected cities nationwide like the T-Virus on steroids, sometimes, the remedy (at least for me) is a couple of hours of diversion in the form of some cinematic FUN. There of course is always a place for the cerebral and analytical, but that's not what this movie was going for. With age comes wisdom, and I have wisely learned that just because something does not fit my particular tastes or expectations, doesn't necessarily make it "bad", just not for me.
Watching a movie for the soundtrack is like going to see "Cats" because you're a veterinarian... Just sayin....
I don't know where all the negative comments are coming from. I loved this sequel.
The Matrix Resurrections keeps to the theme of the original movie, while leveraging plot points from the previous sequels to resurrect the Neo :heart: Trinity love story after 20 years (according to the movie timeline it's 60 years) .
The Matrix movie critics love to over-intellectualize the philosophy of the story arcs and characters. Over the last 20 years, I've heard critics trying to justify religion (ex: Buddhism) using the Matrix movies. Today, reading the comments here, this seems to have evolved into people trying to explain transgenderism using The Matrix (maybe because the creators of Matrix are transgender?).
I always believed that these movies oppose group think and are about breaking free from hive-minds and intellectual-echo-chambers (aka The Matrix). For example, Twitter today, with its Leftist cancel mobs, is a great example of a Matrix. Every time I read about a famous person getting "cancelled" or "de-platformed" by a social media platform, I picture an image of Neo being dragged out of the embryonic sac and getting violently unplugged by machines and thrown away (from the original Matrix movie).
For me, as a career software engineer, The Matrix movies are also about algorithms and logic. The unpredictability of a code base as it gets larger and complex. Eventually, leading to anomalies and vulnerabilities. I loved Neil Patrick Harris' performance as the new Architect of the Matrix. What a legend!
Is the franchise getting stale? Absolutely. It's a formula movie franchise. I watched all Fast and the Furious movies and the spin-offs too. I'm not the one to judge. :rofl:
Even as someone who rates this so highly, it is easy to see why so many may be put off. From the opening scene, this is a film utterly committed to its theatrical style and format, making no concessions to those who may be put off by the excess and editing style that dominates the opening scenes and many that follow. And yet this is not a film out of control - far from it, the format perfectly suits the environment within which this musical takes place and each of these moments serves the story and stage format that Luhrmann is trying to adhere to. Nor is it these scenes that remain with you at the end - fortunately for a film whose essential message is about the power of love, it is in the central love story that the film’s greatest strength lies. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman have yet to better their performances here and one would have to be a hardened cynic not to be swayed by their romance. Each of their musical moments together are beautifully played and so committed are they to playing their romance straight, that there is a genuine feel to their chemistry. It is also in these scenes where Luhrmann alters the frenetic style, allowing for these quieter moments to shine. The choreography is superb and the film is edited to within an inch of its life, the highlight of which is a stunning rendition of Sting’s "Roxanne" to a tango (though it is equally likely that the film’s version of Madonna’s "Like A Virgin" will linger in the memory too, but for different reasons). Luhrmann's finest film to date.
I’ll be one of the few voices in comments that will say this was a decent movie. It’s not perfect, by any means, but it is actually decent.
Adam Driver, whom I’m not a huge fan of, did a pretty good job in this movie. Why am I not a fan of his? Well, he’s not the greatest actor but, and this is more important, he killed Han Solo. That wrong can never be righted like an upside down escape pod.
I think the premise of this movie is fascinating to watch and ponder. It does leave a few holes to be filled, but you can use your imagination for this.
In all, this is actually good Science Fiction because while his presence is all fiction (or is it, could this have really happened?), some of the rest of the presence is fact and all good science fiction has some basis in science fact.
The idea that humans were on the earth 65 million years ago is an interesting one. One hole that’s left to the imagination is, “ok, then, was it the DNA brought by these people that seeded and then allowed evolution to eventually created earths human population?” It’s interesting to think about. It’s pretty far out there, but interesting anyway. In no way would I believe that Earth would have spawned human civilization identical in nearly every way as it’s other worldly travelers, so DNA contamination is the only logical conclusion.
I like the fact that there was a language barrier and I think they overcame it well. Greenblatt did a good enough job as the girl, no complaints there really.
The only part I find convenient, really, is that the upside down life pod was righted by the very Dino that he fought with earlier in the movie. A bit too convenient really. Let’s face it, once the pod got torn off the main ship, if the damage didn’t prevent it from ever running again I would be surprised - let alone magically getting righted just perfectly by Mr. Dino.
If I’m picking nits, then I’ll pick one with the fact that he was brought down to earth by the very asteroid that would soon - VERY soon - change it forever. A bit trite, but I get why it is an important part of the story.
The Dino’s were well done, in fact all the special effects, particularly the opening credits where they show this mind blowing view of the cosmos is breathtakingly stunning.
If you are a fan of science fiction I think this is worth the pretty light 90 minute run time (compared to many 2 or 3 hour movies that are far worse). I still find myself pondering some of the aspects of the movie and “what-if” scenarios and I’m still thinking about the movie, it made a mark and that’s enough for me to say it’s worth the watch.
If science fiction isn’t your thing, this may not be either.
Sure, you can watch it without having seen Breaking Bad, but that would be like watching Avengers: Endgame without having seen any of the Marvel movies. You'll get the essence of it, but you don't have a deeper sense about the characters and their motivation, or an understanding of some of the references that are being made. Personally, I really like that it builds on where we left off; it doesn't pander to an audience that isn't willing to invest their time in the show. So I'd advise anyone to watch the show first, mainly because the core of it was undeniably strong. The story and characters were magnificent. El Camino benefits from that. If these weren't the characters we'd know and love from Breaking Bad, this movie wouldn't be nearly as good. As a story, it is a nice epilogue to Breaking Bad, albeit fairly predictable and a bit needless (because Jesse's character doesn't really have an arc throughout this movie). The actors are, of course, great (Aaron Paul and Meth Damon in particular).
The weakest part of the show, to me, has always been the directing. I always found it to be fairly lifeless, particularly in the first two seasons. El Camino is no different. Scenes are often quiet and really drawn out, with shots that are being held for way too long. Some directors, like Alfonso Cuarón or Steven Spielberg, get away with this, but that is only because they constantly keep the camera moving. Some shows, like Mr. Robot, use really interesting angles and colour in order to make the longer shots hold your attention. Don't get me wrong, the show and this movie are definitely far above sit-com level cinematography, but the shots aren't so special that they justify being held for 8-10 seconds. Some people will proclaim it to be a unique and interesting style, but to me it has always been a recipe for bad pacing. And that's very strange when you think about it, because the show and this movie definitely aren't uneventful. Finally, I'll also say that some of the fan service in this movie doesn't work, because it doesn't add anything to the story. For as nice as it was to see Walter White and Jessica Jones again, they really should've been deleted them from the final cut of this movie.
6/10
I recently saw the movie "65" and overall, I found it to be a pretty solid film. One of the highlights for me was the incredible dinosaur effects, which really brought the prehistoric world to life on the big screen. I also have to mention the excellent performance by Adam Driver, who has certainly made a name for himself in Star Wars and brought high expectations to this film. The portrayals of the prehistoric world were also really well done.
However, there were a few negatives as well. One thing that stood out was the lack of background information on the characters. I felt that more could have been done to explain their motivations and histories. Additionally, the movie was fairly predictable and didn't offer many surprises. Given the dangerous world these characters were living in, I expected more tension and unpredictability. Finally, while the relationship between the main character and the girls was intriguing, I didn't feel like it fully developed and lacked emotional depth.
All in all, "65" was a decent movie that was definitely worth seeing on the big screen. The dinosaur effects and Adam Driver's performance were standout elements, but the predictable plot and lack of character development held it back from being a truly great film.
If you take this movie for what it is, an action / science fiction movie with emphasis on fiction, then it is, in my opinion, actually not too bad.
The movie starts of with the usual suspects, a bunch of political asswipes setting off to create their, equally usual, clusterfuck firing the one competent person they actually needed to run the climate control project successfully. To make matters worse the entire project are about to be turned over to “the international community” which of course is a well known recipe for disaster.
Hollywood lives in their usual dream world of course so they throw in suitable, old-fashioned, bad guy with the “correct” political views for a bad guy and with an outrageous and apocalyptic plan and we are all set.
Let’s ignore all that crap and focus on the movie. Once that nonsense is out of the way what is left is a fairly entertaining science fiction disaster thriller movie. The special effects are not bad and the movie moves along at a decent pace. The “raison de etre” for this movie is the action and the special effects so the story and the acting is adequate and nothing more.
Unfortunately, as is all too often the case, the story writer is a bit of a low watt bulb. This satellite network that is the foundation of the movie is fairly unrealistic even for a science fiction movie. Let’s forget about the total insanity in even trying to cover the planet in a network of satellites that are actually physically connected, the feats that these satellites achieve is just so far off the realism scale that is is annoying. What the heck are powering them? Anti-matter, black holes? This could have been done much better.
Then we have the self destruct sequence that is playing a large part towards the end of the movie. What kind of fucking self destruct blows up a few bits and pieces for show and then pauses so the characters can run around for half an hour or so? Either the story writer is dumb as a door nail or he thinks the audience is that dumb.
Anyway, the annoying parts aside, as a science fiction and fantasy geek this was a fairly entertaining movie for me.
Mr Peele, I was used to your everything-but-subtle fight against racial stereotypes with Keegan Michael-Key in Key and Peele, and blindly expected Get Out to be a thriller with racism against the Black community as a guideline.
While I wasn't wrong, I was glad to discover it went way further than that.
First of all, props to Daniel Kaluuya's acting here. His performance in the dystopian world of Black Mirror 1x02 "15 Million Merits" was astonishing already and I was thrilled to discover how it would compare here. It was definitely on par with it, if not better.
Allison Williams as the crazy white girl was also a wonderful fit.
But let's get back to the story. As Peele said it during interviews "I wanted to make a movie you have to watch twice": first through the eyes of Chris then through the eyes of Rose, as if you were an actual accomplice of the whole abduction/hypnosis/OP thing. While a first watch leaves you totally clueless about what is happening, what just happened, and what will happen, a second viewing is a necessity, as there is foreshadowing all over the place. Charlie Brooker, it seems like you have found yourself an opponent in the "let's leave clues everywhere, yet make sure you never understand them on first viewing until the final twist happens".
That first viewing is effectively just deconstructing the usual " black people in movies"(and by extension, in society) trope. Leaving us to experience the whole thing as Chris. Making the white family/friends here during the "big party" seem just like full of stereotypical racist thoughts (which they are indeed), and the black servants "off", even though we can't get why really.
The acting is genuinely impressing, as the hypnotized black "molds" play the role of older white people in the body of a younger black people to the perfection. Second viewing reveals you that they were not acting off, but that it was all a result of the Coagula procedure.
I can't help but be impressed by the complexity of it. The layers of foreshadowing is crazy, and I can confidently say that two viewings were not enough, and a few mores will be needed to get all the hints that are sprinkled. Any viewing after the first will make the movie look as a whole series of hints, while also making you aware of more imagery, either visual (The milk and cereals that Rose eats separately, the fact that they make Andre spin around as if at a slave auction..), or in the form of trope.
This is a 10 stars rating here, and I can't wait for what's coming next. I've heard a modern take on The Twilight Zone was in the books for 2019 ? Peele would definitely be the director for such a thing.
Several of the Lonely Island's SNL sketches fall into a few basic ideas that are well-employed for the most part: riffs on cheese from the eighties, takes on rap and hip hop, and pure absurdism. While hip hop is mostly sidelined for the duration of Hot Rod, the other two big tools in the Lonely Island toolbox are firmly present in the film, and extending them from five-minute sketches to a ninety-minute feature doesn't necessarily do the group's comedic voice many favors.
Hot Rod feels very much like a parody of the can-do films of the eighties and early nineties. The plot--where Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) is a wannabe local stuntman who tries to put together a big jump so he can earn enough money for his stepdad's transplant and earn his respect is ripped right out of the same kind of movies that South Park satirized in its notable "Asspen" episode.
The problem is that while South Park made a great deal of comedic hay from pointing out the ridiculousness of what they were parodying, Hot Rod mostly plays the beats of those types of films straight, and expects some exaggerated mugging from the main character, a solid dose of the usual Lonely Island randomness, and the performance of the admittedly very talented supporting cast to carry things in the humor department. The result is a film where you're never sure if the folks behind the scenes are poking fun at the usual tropes or lazily giving into them.
Nowhere in the film is this more apparent than with the character of Denise (Isla Fisher), who is Rod's former neighbor and love interest in the film. True to Samberg's SNL roots, Denise is a trademark "One-Dimensional Female Character in a Male Driven Comedy," with no interests, agency, or even real characteristics of her own beyond the fact that she cares for and supports Rod. Again, while South Park took on this same idea in "Asspen" by noting the weirdness of how two girls like the protagonist for no real reason and making fun of it, there's little sense of parody to the character of Denise. She simply exists to fill a very specific role as trophy and ever-admiring companion to Rod, without dialogue or performance that suggests the film is aware of the tiredness of that.
Which is strange because the film pulls a similar, albeit much more abbreviated trick with Jonathan (Will Arnett), Rod's romantic rival who is such an overly cliched jerk that his asshole behavior reads clearly as a parody of those types of characters in similar films. Maybe it's Arnett's performance, where the actor has perfected the role of exagerratedly pompous prick to a level of fine art, that even the mild writing can coast on his talents.
The same goes for Rod's stepdad, Frank (Ian McShane). Frank's constant belittling and attempts to actually beat up his stepson are so out there and absurd that the parody works, even if it keeps hitting that same note over and over again to diminishing returns. To that end, the film does best when it uses those standard "overcoming adversity" movies as a skeleton to hang the absurdity on rather than leaning into the clichedness of it all and hoping that the comedy just happens. The fact that Rod isn't trying to jump because he loves his stepdad, but that he wants to keep Frank alive long enough that Rod can kick his ass and truly become a man is the kind of inspired little twist that helps the otherwise standard premise have a little more comedic juice.
Frankly, the best parts of the film, however, come from the elements of it that are, at most, tangential to the main story, particularly its supporting cast. Danny McBride brings an inherent ridiculousness to even the most mundane lines, to where he can ask a simple question about who he's supposed to build ramps for now that Rod's "retired," and make it funny. In the same way, Bill Hader soars as the amiably, somewhat dim friend Dave who has a one-scene wonder when he asks Rod to give him a ride to the hospital after he injured himself operating heavy machinery while tripping on acid. And Chris Parnell steals the show as Barry Pasternack, the owner of an AM radio station who's convinced his station is one big event away from ruling the roost over FM Radio and Television once more, and has the strange tattoo to prove it. Unlike the film, Parnell walks the line between straight-laced and absurd perfectly, with his announcements over the radio that Rod's big jump "must literally be seen to be believed" and his general demeanor and awkward enthusiasm.
That said, most of the comedic moments starring Sandberg himself fall flat. The caricatured, somewhat whiny persona Samberg takes on as Rod either feels too cheesy to help keep an exaggerated comedy from spiraling out into the ether, and it makes the scenes where he's the focus frequently fall flat. To the same end, despite the hoary plot of the film, it often has trouble sustaining momentum. Particularly in the middle, the film devolves into what amounts to a series of sketches, some of which are amusing enough, but many of which default to easy gags that lack the cleverness, immediacy, or economy of Lonely Island's usual sketches.
Hot Rod tries to make this whole more than the sum of its parts. It hopes that the inherent ridiculousness of a Europe-heavy soundtrack, a fulsome dose of goofy male-dancing, and random asides like the "Cool Beans" detour can make up for the shortcomings of a sadly standard comedy. There's a quick-hit energy and well-observed specificity to counterbalance the absurdity of the best Lonely Island sketches and keep the comedy on point that's missing here. Instead, the film veers into several moments where it feels far more like its giving into the cliches rather than poking fun at them. There's a few laughs here and there, but overall, you're better off just watching a good episode of South Park.
This movie was a heartfelt tearjerker if you are a sensitive one. I appreciated the fact that the characters were more realistic about how their specific personalities would deal with the situation. I loved the main protagonists' meet-cute. Points for originality. It is a truer representation of the everyday muck that may happen and the some of the terrible and the repetitive things we do and say to cope with impossible situations like this. All ordinary people do in those situations is the best they can and I think that all of the characters struggle in their own ways to do just that. In the process they may say the wrong things or the right things in the wrong way or the right way. In the end it doesn't matter. Sometimes there is no right way or right words if the main character is just mad at the world, or mad at the situation, or whatever it is because they are just mad, sad, tired, sick, frustrated, lost, crowded, alone, bothered, pissed-off and holding on for dear life all at the same time. All they did was their best to struggle through it with love and hoped that it was enough.
I enjoyed it for that simplicity and level of honesty.
The music was lovely and non intrusive which lends itself to you just being present with the characters in those moments. I really hate when movies are overly dramatic about it. It is devastating but the world around you doesn't actually crumble YOU are the one that does. You are the one that has changed.
Christopher Walken's character, Myron, provided exceptional feedback and definitely added a wonderful and interesting dynamic to the story.
The lesson for the movie is the tagline: Don't focus on what if, focus on what is.
I just can't understand why this movie has garnered so much hate in this platform.
If we really compare this movie to past sequel & reboot like Pacific Rim & Disney's, this movie still stands out as far better than any of those. I don't think the commenters have actually seen the B grade movies seeing how they blatantly compare it with them. You need to actually watch the movies with B grade production values to understand one.
Yes, some moment & scenes might feel stiff and felt that it might could have been done better but overall not a single scene & story line felt unnatural and forced. And since it is reboot it's story line is fixed so, it is bound to go with certain flow but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its perks.
Even the best of the best movies either determined by actual movie or box office success is bound to have certain flaws. That doesn't mean the whole movie is actually bad. In my speculation people are getting swayed by majority's opinion which I think is the reason for disapproval.
I request the viewers to watch this movie with open mind & see it as it is without any preconception.
So I come home from an exhausting long day, find out there's something wrong with my internet and it can't be fixed until at least few hours (turns out it took about 4 hours to get everything back right) anyways, I was bored and then I look at my DVDs and I find this one. I always wanted to see it but never found the time. But, now that I do, I thought to myself, "why not?"
I laid on my bed with Oreo (my cat, he loves to watch movies lmao) watching this movie on my TV. At first I thought Peter was going to turn all Bryan Mills (from Taken movie series) or Michael McCauley (The Commuter), because it seems to me like everytime you mess with Liam Neeson's persona's family, you're going to get hurt lol. But, no, it was a really interesting deep and somewhat thought provoking. However, I thought this could have been better. I thought there was something that is missing but I can't put my finger on it. I do enjoy these type movies and I do like Liam Neeson(s performances in them, he was good in "Mark Felt", "The Third Person" and this one. I don't know exactly what was it that amde me a little disappointed. Maybe I thought I did not expect it to end this way.
However, I still enjoyed this and it made me forget about the internet for a good 90 minutes. Haha!
