While watching this I was in a constant state of what the fuck am I watching and why haven't I watch this sooner?
Watching this in a totally white audience was an experience. The little titters and nudges when 'make america great again' was mentioned, or about police officers shooting unarmed black people, or even one becoming president; to the we won mentality at the final phone call.
Then the deathly silence with the current footage being shown. I think quite a few people realised it's not just references.
These people still exist today.
They still have their rallies.
They still have their marches.
They still murder in uniform.
And they still hold these abhorrent views.
I think I even heard some people sniff away some tears right at the end once they saw the footage and heard the words of people who were there.
Enjoy the film; enjoy the jokes (it is a funny film) but make no doubt the characters shown still exist.
Despite it being visually and conceptually stunning, the film turned out to be extremely slow and actionless for my taste.
Many people think that the aforementioned positive qualities outweight the negative, but personally, I think that narrative must prevail over visuals,soundtracks, effects or symbolisms.
At the start this seems normal but man, does shit get weird. LaKeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson are great. I love me some coke snorting Armie Hammer too. Plus David Cross's voice over is perfect. This is not for everyone but worth a watch to see how bat shit crazy Boots Riley is.
This movie was a lot to process. The first half is a really great commentary on society and American culture, even if some moments seem forced or others are obvious setups for later. But half way through it takes a hard turn into a weird place. Also don't watch this if you are scared of horses
I'm aware this film is incredibly culturally significant, pioneered a boatload of film techniques, is one of the great american films, etc. The acting is great, the editing is great, there's nothing mechanically wrong with the film at all. At the time it was a magnificent feat of film-making; but also inspired the KKK to restart with its racist revisionism. It's an unabashedly racism film, made by a man who claims repeatedly to be an angel. All of this is very important information.
Why rate this a 1, then? I give ratings based on my enjoyment, and this movie is really fucking boring. I'm generally not a fan of silent films and this was no exception. It's three hours.
One thing I always ask myself when I'm finished watching Fast Times is why this movie is so well liked. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this movie more than most early 80s comedies, but it's not exactly a timeless classic. Except for the one contribution to movie history that everyone remembers (Yes...THAT scene. Thank you Phoebe Cates), Fast Times has not much going for it these days.
If you are looking for a trip through mastr...err...nostalgia lane, Fast Times might be a good way to spend an hour and a half, but there are more interesting choices out there.
Moving period piece romance about coming to terms with the past and moving on into a brighter future. Lily James is superb.
In Fabric was like a shopping trip with my mother when I was young: It demanded more patience than I had and I came away with surprisingly little.
Obligatory to watch after the original (2003) Fullmetal Alchemist series.
It's a beautiful work that closes this story arc, even if it fails to achieve all expectations - which leads to my 9 instead of a perfect 10.
The ending to my favorite trilogy. I love everything about these movies: the acting, setting, costumes, music, the drama, the epicness, everything. It's the Star Wars of this generation, setting new standards and creating new fans. I guess some people think it's hip not to like them, but every movie-fan who hasn't seen it out of principle should at least give it a try and start watching Fellowship of the Ring. Maybe you really won't like it of course, but chances are you'll end up watching all the way through Return of the King and wonder why didn't do it sooner.
One of the most controversial movies of all time due to it's anti-black racism and the fact that this film inspired the formation of the 2nd Ku Klux Klan in the same year, but it's also a very innovative film from the early years of cinema, as seen in it's running time of 190 minutes (it was the longest movie until then), the impressive battle scenes of the American Civil War, many technical improvements like tracking shots, movie shots at night (thanks to magnesium flares) and the immense production costs at it's time of $100.000.
So, obviously this film isn't for everyone, but I recommend it to people who are interested in the history of film, likes silent movies or simply want a deeper look in the events about the Civil War/Reconstruction Era or the founding of the KKK.
This is available on YouTube!
