I have been wanting to watch A Ghost Story for the past month, so when my local theater started showing it a week ago as part of its Indie lineup, I couldn't wait. And I get why it has a 91% on RottenTomatoes and lots of positive reviews and all that but... man, is it a boring movie.
I get that it is a well-made with great editing, direction and some amazing long single-shot scenes. I get the poetic message that it is trying to send, and it does a good job with that. However, I just can't get over the fact that the entire movie is incredibly boring. I honestly could not wait for this movie to finish (which is tough to do with a movie that is less than 90 minutes long).
Imo don't watch this in theaters. Wait for it to come out on home video. At least you can fast-forward at home...
This was a great adaptation to one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It's been a little while since I played the game, but its glory was all starting to come back to me as I was watching this first movie. While I enjoyed P4 as a game more, P3 definitely has a better and darker story which is more suited to an anime adaptation like this. And I think that from the first movie alone, the P3 movies have already shown to be better than P4 the Animation. Also, how can a movie with Mitsuru not be awesome?
I do think that Yuki Makoto (the name of the MC) was a bit too anti-social to start but I guess that it leaves a lot of room for him to develop in the next movies. We were beginning to see glimpses of it in the last quarter of the movie. The visuals were top-notch (much better than in the P4 anime series) and I think that the battles played out pretty well and never got too repetitive. While some may say that too many of the social links were cut, I thought that the creators did a great job with the pacing of the movie and were able to still flesh out the main characters with the little time given without things feeling rushed. And the music... Wow. Shōji Meguro is a based god amongst men. When I started to hear the high school and the dorm theme music, I just about lost it. All I need to hear is "Living with Determination (Iowato Dormitory Arrangement)" and my life will be f'n complete. If you haven't heard it, play the link below on repeat for the next 2 hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRYSk12SZvw
I am a complete Persona homer so I may overlooked some of the flaws of the movie. Still, I'm completely pumped for the next set of movies and I'm interested if the creators will still go with the same dark ending as in the game (perhaps with FES material added in) or make an anime-original ending. I'm kind of hoping for an original ending just to experience something different but the original ending is epic itself. Anyway, I can't wait for the next movie (and Persona 5!!) to come out and get some more Mitsuru action.
#Persona4eva
Just got back from seeing the new Tomb Raider. Not bad. Solid action albeit nothing too original going on here. Alicia Vikander was a pretty good Lara Croft, and I actually liked the way she developed in this one from the newbie that constantly gets 'owned' to the badass dual-gun tottin' lady at the end. As for the movie itself, there is fun action, some ancient "riddles", and a little bit of the "supernatural" thrown in. It was basically an update on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (like almost verbatim with the formula minus Nazis), plus some National Treasure bits thrown in. A tried and true plot line, but not groundbreaking.
While I wasn't the biggest fan of the "bad guy" played by Goggins in terms of his intimidation factor, I thought that they did a real good job on making his motivations quite real and believable. He's not out to destroy the world or conquer everything. He just wants to get this thing over with, find/give the weapon to his evil organization, and go back home to his family. Not bad. You could really feel his desperation in everyone of his scenes. As for the other characters, I didn't really like the incorporation of the twist, but it is what it is. Can't really go into it much more without spoiling things.
I'm not too confident with the way that they setup the sequel/s to come. I didn't really get the whole "the evil Trinity organization is everywhere" vibe that they really wanted to emphasize in the end. Plus, the movies to come will have quite a different feel since we now have a relatively "proven" Lara rather than the girl making all these rookie mistakes and learning from them. Kind of like how Casino Royale was for the Bond reboot, with Quantum of Solace being a big let down. Anyway, solid action and adventuring. Nothing too original here, but some decent character development along the way for this reboot. I give it a good 6/10.
"El Psy Kongroo" has finally returned for one last finale (this is the official end to the series) and boy was it worth the wait. As an absolute lover of Steins;Gate (I'm possibly biased), this was a very fulfilling and emotional conclusion to the series and really did a good job of tying up loose ends and plot holes that still existed. As the original Steins;Gate was a story about the journey, struggles and decisions of Okabe through time, this movie gives Makise (one of my favorite tsunderes) a turn to shine and really emphasizes the feelings and conflicts of love that the current Steins;Gate world-line Makise was facing that were only touched upon in the OVA.
The continued development of the romance and the true revealing of feelings between the two time-crossed lovers were a treat, and the creators were able to give a more in-depth explanation of the reading Steiner ability and deja vu effect. I and, more importantly, Makise could also finally understand the pain that the current Okabe was still going through even though he had "saved" everyone which was a critical development in my eyes. I also really liked the difficult struggle between the "scientist" Kurisu and the "woman" Kurisu on the decision of whether to risk saving Okabe against his "wishes". The movie could have maybe touched a bit more on the other characters, but in 90 minutes, the resolution of the story between Makise and Okabe is the most important thing to nail down (and they definitely accomplished that).
It starts a bit slow (as do all Steins;Gate related things) but the emotional pay-off is well worth it in the end. You definitely have to have seen the series and OVA in order to get any of this. I loved the movie and it's a must watch for anyone who has seen Steins;Gate. This is the end that we have all been waiting for so don't delay and watch this immediately. Here's to one final goodbye and "tuturuuuu".
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
So obviously, I had to see Lady Bird being the RT/MC snob that I am with a weakness for these independent films. Since it had a 100% RT fresh and 94% MC rating, I had to see what was all the fuss. I definitely enjoyed the film quite a bit and it definitely hit home with a lot of the emotional life situations the protagonist Lady Bird goes/stumbles through (even though I'm a guy). Saoirse Ronan has always been one of my favorite actresses and she kills it here. Her chemistry with Laurie Metcalf, who plays her tough loving and, at times, overly critical mother is fantastic and their relationship forms one of the major cruxes of the film.
The story is essentially about a girl learning (the hard way many times) what is truly important to her in this world (and, more specifically, in the town of Sacramento) and realizing to not take for granted what she has even though she is coming from an unideal situation. However, this theme is explored in a funny, witty and non-pretentious manner to the viewer that allows you to really relate and sympathize with the protagonist (while chuckling along as well). So many times, I was like "ohhhh man, that is just not a good decision, but I totally did the same stupid thing when I was younger..." moments that just really resonated with me throughout. It's a coming-of-age story that really progresses the protagonist but by using what seems like "common and mundane" life events that we've all undoubtedly experienced before at one point of our lives. They took a lot of cliche coming-of-age scenarios (gay boyfriend, going to a Catholic school, confronted by a nun, etc) but put a nice and realistic spin on them different from other movies. This relatability is what really sold the film for me.
In a short time, the viewer experiences a profound yet truly realistic and believable transformation of the protagonist, Lady Bird. I am reminded of another movie, The Edge of Seventeen, that I watched last year and didn't really enjoy or connect with, where the main female character undergoes a similar "journey", but I felt like I could connect (and, thus, sympathize) far more with Saoirse Ronan's complicated and stumbling character than Hailee Steinfeld's edgey for-the-sake-of-being-edgey interpretation of her protagonist.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie, and highly recommend giving it a shot. I think that it will really resonate with viewers who have experienced some financial and social difficulties at some point in life, and have gone through the embarrassing pains and those seemingly obvious and avoidable mistakes when trying to "grow up".
Just came back from the first official showing. My mind was officially blown / "awoken". Simply amazing. Best movie experience that I've been to in a long time (ago in a galaxy far, far away). This is what a Star Wars movie is supposed to be like.
The fusion of the new cast and the old was masterfully done and I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie not knowing what was coming next. Adam Driver and Daisey Ridley absolutely stole the show in this one but I honestly ending up loving all the new characters. The only downside is that I have to wait until 2017 & 2019 to complete this "new" adventure. I am contemplating if I should freeze myself in carbonite to shorten the wait...
I may or may not be watching this a few more times in the coming weeks (while doing my little dance)...
http://i.imgur.com/ZN51S64.gif
This movie was just pure Marvel at its best, firing on all cylinders (which means that it was absolutely spectacular). We are set off on one wild journey in a universe that not many other than the more hardcore Marvel Universe fans know of. I wasn't quite sure if this one was going to be as good as it was hyped, but I was gladly proved wrong. While Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't have quite the star power or following of The Avengers (honestly, what does?), I thought that the cast had just as good if not better chemistry during this hell of a raucous adventure. To pull off one of these large cast/group movies is no easy task. Zach Snyder, please take notes for the upcoming Justice League movie (and Batman vs Superman).
The standouts of this movie without a doubt are Chris Pratt (playing Peter Quill) and Bradley Cooper (playing Rocket) but all the characters (even the supporting ones) contribute to the hilarious dialog and tone of this movie. I never thought that I would laugh (and even shed a tear) from hearing the same line, "I am Groot" about 20 different times. Vin Diesel deserves an Oscar nomination for this one :) The humor is so good and ever-present that if I didn't know any better, I would have thought this was a summer comedy. The effects are absolutely stunning and the set pieces are quite original and brilliant.
Go watch GotG in the theaters and support this brilliant freshmen performance from this new generation of Marvel stars because, come on, "they're the Guardians of the Galaxy, bitch." I'm thrilled for this new franchise and where the new expanded universe is heading. Bring on The Avengers 2 and more Thanos!!
Millennium Actress, which is directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika, Paranoia Agent), is without a doubt his defining masterpiece in my opinion. This movie is a complete directorial tour de force and Kon literally blew my mind away with the editing, style and art that he displays in almost every scene. This is ultimately a biographical story about a young girl chasing after her first true love while becoming a popular Japanese movie actress but it morphs into something much more.
Millennium Actress probably had one of the most unique forms of story telling that I've ever seen in a movie. I loved how Chiyoko's story had a dualistic perspective as Kon seamlessly melds together images and scenes from the story of Chiyoko's own real life and from her famous films (which vary wildly from taking place in the Sengoku period to post-WW2 Japan to outer space). These transitions really add to the feeling and intensity of Chiyoko desperately chasing after and searching for her lost love. And you can't help but fall in love with the passion shown by both the main characters, Chiyoko and Genya. Just as Chiyoko says at the end, it was the "chase" that she truly loved and, by god, this film was one hell of a thrilling chase. This is an absolute must-watch for fans of Kon's other works.
Mamoru Hosoda strikes again. In my opinion, this is his best overall work surpassing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. As Miyazaki and Ghibli seem to be slowing down a bit, Mamoru Hosoda is ready to take the torch. The concept of wolf children growing up in our world is something that I've never seen, but the themes of acceptance, finding your own path in live, and, of course, a mother's love are what truly hold and elevate this movie. The duality in the development of Yuki and Ame and where they want to end up in this world are the highlights of the film. I can't wait for the dub to be released. Go watch this ASAP.
I actually really enjoyed this sequel. I saw the earlier preview of it last Saturday, and loved the musical numbers in this one even more. I enjoyed all the little arcs each of the characters got and how it was a bit of a different journey than the original. Each of the final musical sets is a great auditory and visual feast especially the final duet. The one thing that I would recommend most of you to do is NOT watch the trailers if you can. They honestly do spoil like 95% of the movie (no joking). Just trust my review instead ;)
This movie encapsulates my favorite saying of "I don't know what it is. But I want it". I have little to no idea what in the world was happening during the movie but I loved it. I'm gonna have to watch this at least 3 more times (and with subtitles) to even figure out what the hell exactly happened.
Just watched Mamoru Hosoda's new film Mirai and enjoyed it a decent amount. Beautifully made film with a lot of heart-warming themes, a very cool future/past interweaving dynamic and good development. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this film is that it was kind of boring. No matter the amount of other great elements in a movie, if it is not entertaining, it's going to struggle a bit in my mind. I prefer Hosoda's other works to this where there is a bit of a more over-arching plot and driving story arch. Still, this is a nice movie to watch especially with your family.
I just got back from a preview showing for the new Spider-man movie, and WOW. It is LIT (pardon my language). Soooooo funny with tons of personality and a surprisingly great depth of emotion in quite a few scenes (some tears may have been shed). I love this new take on the comic book hero origin movie and the entire film just screams originality. I wasn't 100% sure on the animated look before, but it really fits into the entire setting and "alternate dimensions" premise of the movie later, which injects a ton of creativity and potential into this new film.
After Sony released Venom, I thought that they should just stop trying with the Spider-verse. However, this new film and universe gives me a completely different perspective. I can't believe something like this came from Sony...
I watched Maquia: When the Promised Flowers Bloom last night and it was definitely a great and powerful movie. Well worth the trip and wait to watch it. It is an absolutely beautiful looking movie with some amazing characters, pretty interesting setting/world-building, and fantastically developed emotions and themes throughout. It was definitely a real tearjerker at times, especially towards the end.
There were a couple plot holes and things that were left unclear as to how and why they were happening/happened, but they were more minor concerns and quips on my end (don't really want to spoil them). They don't really hold you back from enjoying the movie. The ending was definitely an emotional whirlwind (I just didn't like one little part with Leilia), but well worth the journey and very well done overall. If your theater is still showing screenings this week (like in NYC) definitely check it out while you can. If not, pray for the BD release to come ASAP.
Got back from watching Ant-man and the Wasp. I really enjoyed this one. I loved how it was its own adventure and relatively self-contained in terms of the MCU. I actually really liked the original Ant-man a lot more than I thought I would when I saw it, so it's no surprise that the humor and tone of the sequel works for me as well. Paul Rudd definitely plays a solid Ant-man and I love me some Evangeline Lilly, who is the star of this one. Even the secondary characters of Ghost/Ava, Foster (and others) were pretty well fleshed out and had good backstories and development to them.
What really made me like this movie was that it had a very good "end game"/goal to strive toward (don't want to spoil it too much), so it made the adventure, journey and conclusion that much sweeter. It's definitely better than some of the other MCU movies where they just inject a rando bad guy trying to destroy the world for some nefarious reasons.
I definitely recommend checking this out if you liked the first at all. If you haven't seen the first, you'll miss out on a ton and not have a good idea of the what is going on emotionally and what is at stake. The original Ant-man is a great movie as well, so this just gives you another excuse to watch it :P
Wow. This was a lot better than what I was expecting. It's not the greatest movie ever, but a ton of fun for sure, and brings back a good amount of the charm of the original movie. Blows the sequels out of the water for sure.
Damn. Just got back from watching Hereditary and I don't think that I've uttered "Holy shiiiiiiiit" under my breath so many times during a single movie. This movie took creepiness to the next level and really delivered as a horror flick with minimal "jump scares". I'd definitely recommend watching this with a nice big audience because it's without a doubt an "experience" you won't forget.
Just watched Beirut in theaters staring Jon Hamm. Fun movie. It was basically 2 hours of Don Draper in the Middle East brokering a hostage deal (and drinking a shit ton of alcohol). You can't go wrong with that formula.
A Gentleman and a Scholar. Nothing more needs to be said of this Legend among Legends.
Really enjoyed this new comedy. I had really high expectations for it, especially after hearing all the positive buzz on it after SXSW and watching the hilarious trailers. However, if you are thinking about watching this movie, DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER/S and go into this clean. You'll enjoy the movie and jokes much more. They really used up some of the best jokes and moments in the movie to make the trailers (which were epic) and getting those parts spoiled is not the best way to enjoy a new comedy.
I went to go see Unsane tonight. Daaaaaaaamn. Soderbergh did a great job here. I can't believe the entire movie was shot on an iPhone. Crazy psychological thriller, and I really didn't know what was real or not for a good portion of the movie.
Definitely do NOT take a girl who is afraid of stalkers to see this movie. She will have nightmares for days after seeing this. Guaranteed. I even got freaked out as a guy.
My god... Does Ava DuVernay know that you can actually zoom out a camera? I've never seen so many "closeup" face shots in a single movie in my entire life. I'll never be able to get Oprah's giant-sized face out of my mind...
As for the movie itself, It's a bit all over the place. Some parts and themes are very well-done, such as Meg's journey to accept herself, while others are really half-baked (especially the relationships between Meg & Charles Wallace, Meg & Calvin, etc). Too many things just get thrown together or just suddenly happen by sheer "coincidence" without a solid lead-in or development. This could have definitely used some additional scenes and runtime to flesh characters and their relationships between each other out a bit more. Reese Witherspoon's character is actually my favorite of the 3 "Mrs."'s. Oprah and Mindy Kaling's characters definitely did not hit home.
Visuals were pretty stunning for the most part, but sometimes went a bit too overboard. Don't even get me started again on the cinematography and editing... This movie definitely had potential and I was excited to watch it, but it just misses out on some major points. It was enjoyable overall for the visual fest and seeing the world of A Wrinkle in Time, but other than that it is just an average film. I'd temper my expectations for sure. 5/10 as it is just an average movie...
Apparently this is just the third $100+ million budget movie directed by a woman. I'm not sure that Ava DuVernay's movie is going to help buck that trend...
I watched Annihilation on Saturday after being pretty excited to watch the movie for the past couple weeks as it was coming from Alex Garland, the director of the fabulous Ex Machina. I'm not going to lie though, I was a little bit disappointed in the end. Not because the movie was not good by any means. It was actually a very well done film with stunning visuals and art direction. It's just that I felt like it had the potential to be a "great" movie, and just fell a bit short in the last quarter/third of the movie or so.
I think that opinions on the ending sequence has varied quite a bit. Some people love it and have raved about it. I, on the other hand, felt that it was a just a tiny bit lacking and while visually stunning, not super original or "groundbreaking". I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't connect as well with the final quarter of the movie though (if that makes sense) without spoiling some major parts of the film.
While the movie is based on a trilogy of books (I've heard that it diverges quite far from the books though), the film borrows heavily from Tarkovsky's Stalker (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The influence is noticeable throughout, not just from both movies having a Shimmer/Zone. If you're a fan of Stalker (1979), I'd definitely recommend checking Annihilation out.
As I mentioned before, the visuals were stunning, and I thought that the set pieces and scenarios that evolved over the first 2/3 of the film were very well done. I liked the balance of the film being a thriller (both physically and psychologically), while adding lots of thinking points and contemplative questions of "who we really are", "what is actual destruction", just to name a few. The cast was well done for the most part, albeit I wish that the characters other than Natalie Portman's protagonist could have been developed a bit more.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and thought it was a grand visual experience. I was just disappointed a bit perhaps because I was expecting a bit too much coming in, and from what the first 2/3's of the movie set up. Also of note, the trailer definitely markets this film as something like a female Rambo/Predator action flick, which it really isn't. In the end, I think that I would give the movie a solid 7.5/10.
Wanted to watch an "easier to digest" comedy this weekend, so I ended up watching Game Night in theaters that just came out with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, and I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of good laughs and a very solid and honestly relatively unique premise for a comedy. In action, the "Game Night gone wrong" premise worked out a lot better than I thought it would from seeing the initial trailers, mostly due to a good balance of varied semi-believable comedic situations, a nice brisk pace over 1.5 hours, and a dash of "real life" themes for good measure (but not too much, of course).
There was great chemistry between the two leads of Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, and the supporting characters were all very fun and unique in their own rights (yay for Sharon Horgan from Catastrophe). Honestly, the specific interactions between each of the couples was done very well, and each couple gave off a distinct vibe that worked to keep the movie fresh. Most of the jokes hit ("Hey Denzel!!"), and things never got too overly "ridiculous" or completely "unbelievable" where all common sense gets completely thrown out the window (aka later Hangover movies). I thought that maybe Max "the stalker cop" would be a little too overboard, but things got concluded quite nicely in the end and worked out for the better (definitely stay to watch the ending credits and the post-credits scene).
I didn't have the greatest expectations coming in, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. A very, very solid 7/10 from me. If you want a nice comedy to enjoy with some friends and get some good solid laughs (this one will have jokes for everyone), I definitely recommend checking Game Night out. Or if tickets to Black Panther are sold out... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Saw Black Panther last night and I definitely enjoyed it. It wasn't earth shatteringly good, but it was a very nice change-of-pace from the usual superhero movies, especially those coming from Marvel. The entire setting of Wakanda was just amazingly done and is honestly the real star of the film. Black Panther has got its whole own mythos, culture, and set of vibes/themes that really sets it apart from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I really dug the entire look and feel of the movie.
The story was pretty solid as well. Very-Shakespearean as others have described with family, betrayal, royalty, etc. I liked what they did in terms of the villain with Michael B. Jordan and how things progressed, but I feel like just a little something was missing in the last third of the movie or so. Perhaps the conflict could have allowed to develop a bit more intensely, and then we could have gotten a story that was truly special. Instead, we get a solid redemption story type thing at the end. I don't really know what could have been added or changed to the story (that's why I'm not directing a multimillion dollar movie), but I feel like something truly epic could have materialized (albeit time restraints are a real thing as well).
Anyway, Black Panther was still a great movie, and very much part of its own universe. I actually liked this path that Marvel took for Black Panther by limiting the Marvel cameos and trailers/lead-ins to other movies as much as possible, and rather focusing on the characters and people of THIS movie. It's kind of like the opposite of what happened with Spider-man: Homecoming. Definitely go and try to check this movie out. if you can get a ticket... :P
I was kind of in the mood, so I watched this newest Netflix movie "When We First Met" with Adam Devine and Alexandra Daddario. Honestly, I kind of it enjoyed it. I'm a softie for romcoms, the Groundhog day mechanic and I love Adam Devine back from his Workaholics days, so this one was a fun watch. Don't expect anything breathtaking, other than some solid fun and shenanigans. I really liked the other female lead/co-lead as well (Shelley Hennig is her name). I haven't seen her in anything else before, but I'd definitely be interested in seeing more of her.
Just got back from the new Jumanji movie, and I had a lot of fun. All of the characters were great and they had fantastic chemistry together. I loved the Rock and Kevin Hart (back from Central Intelligence), but Jack Black really stood out with the funniest and most eccentric performance by far. The setup for the movie was solid (albeit a bit simple), and it served its purpose in giving us funny scenarios for the characters. This is definitely a fun movie to watch and just enjoy for some laughs and action especially if you haven't seen the trailer (the trailer spoils a few of the funny scenes). 7/10.
Just got back from Blade Runner 2049... Holy Shit! That was awesome. Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong in my eyes after this and Arrival.
I don't want to get into the story too much as it's honestly a better thing to go into this "sequel" with minimal direct knowledge of the sequel's plot (via reviews and such). However, being familiar with the original movie and watching the 15-20 minute anime short Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (made by the director of the anime "Cowboy Bebop") are definitely recommended imo especially as the anime short fills in some holes about the "Black Out" event that is touched upon in this new movie a few times.
As for the movie itself, it is defined by fantastic direction/editing, story and acting. The themes of discrimination between humans and Replicants, what defines humanity, and what is truly "real", standout in this film even in many of the tiny subtle moments. A fantastic performance by Ryan Gosling is without a doubt the standout in and drives this film, to the point where it almost essentially devolves into a single-man epic at times (of course, in a good way). I wish that there could have been a bit more Harrison Ford, but honestly that is just the homer in me talking. In terms of the actual story and flow of the film, his presence was handled beautifully as a perfect supplement to the movie and the more important story at hand (unlike a few of his more recent reboot/remake cameos).
The runtime is a bit long at 2 hours and 45 minutes, but don't let that deter you. I honestly never felt that bored or overwhelmed by it. A few beautiful action scenes and some atmospheric sprawling set pieces are interspersed among the emotional core and chilling dialogue that drive the film to give it a great pace. I could have watched this movie all day.
This is definitely an easy 9/10 for me at minimum. Once I get a little more time, I'm definitely go in for another rewatch (hopefully in XD/IMAX 3D). I also liked how the ending was handled very tactfully, leaving room for the possibility of a sequel, but not hammering it down our throats like it was rebooting a new cinematic universe. I pray that we don't have to wait 35 years for the next one though...
Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan was just a fabulous experience. I definitely enjoyed the movie quite a bit from start to finish, and usually war movies aren't really my cup of tea (at least not anymore). However, cinematically, the entire movie is just a masterpiece. As a big movie buff, I could appreciate how meticulously crafted the whole movie was. It's so hard to create a movie like this within this genre while trying to remain "minimal", but Christopher Nolan accomplishes it in every sense of the word.
He seamlessly interweaves 3-4 different plot narratives/timelines, while using minimal amounts of exposition. He gives the viewer such a sense of a looming and foreboding threat, while never even having a Nazi soldier on screen at any time. He tells us "so much with so little" and allows the viewer to take in the conflict of each situation (and there are a lot of them) rather than point it all out to us. In that sense, you really feel like you're getting into the mind of each one of the soldiers/main characters when they are contemplating some very crucial decisions that literally determine life and death, for not just them, but many other men as well.
Nolan gives us continued development, closure and solid endings in each one of the tiny subplots that he sets off from the beginning. It's definitely a joy seeing how all the different plotlines intermingle with each other at the end especially with the civilian aspect added in. And, most importantly, he accomplishes all this in less than 2 hours (and by a damn good margin as well).
If you appreciate amazing direction, cinematography, and vision within a movie, this will be an absolute joy. It could definitely get Christopher Nolan that elusive Best Director Oscar come Academy Award season. I watched Dunkirk in 70mm, but, honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference, especially without being able to do a side-by-side comparison to a regular version. Overall, it didn't seem too different from the usual XD or IMAX type presentation at my local big theater. Still, the movie is a visual treat lending heavily to more practical effects that gives a nice sense of realism to it all.
Anyways, this gets a solid 9/10 from me, coming from a war movie curmudgeon. Watch it, and you won't regret it.
