Thought it had a wonderful and interesting build up, but was highly dissatisfied with the ending.
It is hard to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with the film. Ritchie's kinetic style, the period 60s setting and the design are all suited to the material, the film seems well cast and the tone of the film seems spot-on. Perhaps it hews too close to the Bond formula at times - Cavill almost seems like he is auditioning for the role here - but equally, there is a distinct lack of chemistry between the two leads. Both Hammer and Cavill are convincing on their own, but their scenes together don't seem to work as well as they should and for a film like this that relies on their pairing, not only for this story, but also for possible future instalments, this is a glaring problem.
I give it a full +1 on the rating just because...
Beating a guy to death with a Tonka Truck.
So, this where I learned that psychedelic cyberpunk experimental film is not for me. Despite two excellent horror sequences (the subway chase scene and the initial scene where the woman tries to comfort the man come to mind) and very sharp stop motion animation, the lack of a clear narrative really pulled this one down for me. The meaningless gore and moralizing anti-sexuality were incredibly off-putting to me, even as a fan, albeit a casual one, of horror and exploitation films. I might be convinced to watch the other films in the series, but this one was, at times, torturous.
I recommend watching Florence Foster Jenkins: A World of Her Own before you see this movie; it basically is a documentary on Florence and just how delusional she was and how the people around her basically took her money by giving her praise. I did enjoy this movie with Streep (and I am not 60+ years old). This movie was good, it stays true to Florence's character since that was just how she was; she's KNOWN to be the world's worst opera singer and the movie delivers in showing that and showing her iconic moment of selling out Carnegie Hall. It's silly and touching at times. If you're in the mood to learn a little bit and have a few laughs, I recommend this movie. If you want to know more about FFJ before seeing this movie, watch the documentary.
Movies like this are the reason I watch movies. The film doesn't promise you anything, and the plot sounds kind of silly. It even starts out a little weak, but it draws you in and doesn't let go, and by the end you don't even care that you just watched a movie that all took place in a small room. Amazing film.
The structure was a mess. Any enjoyment I would have had in the movie is ruined by how poorly scripted it was.
This movie is your brain on drugs. Lots of stuff going on, but someone forgot to include coherency... and a plot.
Some parts were marvelous, but I completely disliked the NSA character and the way it was presented.
I honestly think they could have done a better job with this movie. Not sure why it is nominated for best picture, but it's not my cup of tea. The plot is weak and some acting is even weaker, which makes it funny because it's about a play. The dialog is long and sometimes lots of words have been used but nothing is said.
Scales new heights when the film takes to the streets but hits potholes whenever it tries for quieter character moments.
While I walked in the theater I expected a good movie. Because I liked the concept of the story as it was set-up in the trailer. But mostly because I 'trusted' Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman to pick a good movie to play in. While I walked out the theater I had different thoughts unfortunately. The film was disappointing to me and I will try to explain why. It wasn't the acting and 'world building' but I disliked the directing, screenplay and filming.
First of the directing and filming, all of the action scenes where flooded with shaky cam. This was handled very badly in my opinion. I couldn't figure out what was happening most of the time. Due to the shaky cam, number of cuts, close-ups and the peace of all that. That was the main reason why I disliked 'Safe House', which is also made by Daniel Espinosa. It almost felt like he was trying the make the filming and directing 'not perfectly on purpose' to make it 'real' but it didn't worked out at all! It all felt kinda clumsy and there were way to many meaningless shots overall. There were some exceptions, some shots of the cities and area's they visited where beautifully. They really landed the rough and dark tone that they successfully tried the show. Although they over did it sometimes.
Then the screenplay or script, which is based on a 'best selling novel', again! First of you get a nice back story of Tom Hardy's main character, which felt real to me. All of the other characters felt a bit empty, like they were there to fill a place that was written for them. That made it almost impossible for my to understand the characters and the decisions they make. I also missed the whole balance in the story. The first part was way to long ( set-up ), the middle was rush ( plot kicks in ) and the final party ( ending ) was also rushed and kinda unbelievable. I think because of this I wasn't sucked in to the story. The second and third party felt way to easy and straight forward. Like solving a child murder case which is spread over thousand of miles is easy. I think the story could be told in a better and more interesting way.
Overall I was disappointed by Child 44. The dark Russia after WWII was displayed intense but the story lagged suspension and balance. The action scenes sucked even more than the conversations because of the directing and filming methods they just. Tom Hardy did is part good but not brilliant and unfortunately Gary Oldman's characters was barely in it. I give Child 44 an 5 aka 'Meh'! Thanks for reading!
Suffering Sappho!
If there were ever a movie I wanted to be good, (though, realistically, I want almost every movie to be good) it would probably have been this one. Believe me, I was pretty hyped for this film. Actually, my initial reaction to the trailer for this movie was an awesome (in the literal, Biblical sense) headdesk, crashing to the table below, as I bellowed my indignation that I could not have been involved in the making of this movie myself! Is that a little grandiose? Sure, but so am I, so bear with me.
Unfortunately, the reality of this movie turns out to be a little bit of a patchy mess. It is uninspired in its aesthetic (not terribly surprising from the director of infamous Disney reboot "Herbie Fully Loaded," lesbian B movie "D.E.B.S.", and several episodes of "The L Word"), the pacing is erratic and jumbled at times, and the writing flies in the face of historical accuracy and vernacular speech.
Where the movie deserves praise, although sometimes at the expense of its worldbuilding mise en scene, is in the casting and performances of the three principals, Evans, Hall, and Heathcote (in credits order, though not truly in order of importance or merit). Here, each had moments of true brilliance, as the triad stood alone (sometimes too alone, to the detriment of the too-flimsy film world around them) against a sea of angry, very red, very white faces.
I never felt disengaged from the characters, and they were written flawlessly. Where these figures deviate from history (which, I hear, is at many points) I will allow poetic license, because they are painted so vividly and with such charming life. Even when the script is bad, the actors presented it well. Just as even when the script called for the location to be set in New York state, it still looked like Massachusetts.
This movie was truly robbed. With a better cinematographer, two more really good rewrites, and maybe some more specific focus, this movie could have been a serious awards contender, and a very great piece of art. As it is, it's been a blip through the cinemas, to be misunderstood and forgotten until such time as polyamory is more accepted in the social mores of the day, and it can be further misunderstood and miscategorized as evidence of how backward society was in 2017, that this was our take on the Marston/Moulton story.
Of course, by that time, there will be a better "Wonder Women" movie. There had damn well better be.
It's really really pretty, gorgeous, beautiful, but the plot is so all over the place...
This is a smart, funny and very entertaining movie with a killer soundtrack. The soundtrack has a little bit of everything and is choreographed perfectly into the action. Ansel Elgort is great and so are Kevin Spacey and Jon Hamm.
EDIT: Saw it again and it is still just as great.
I got massive GTA 5 vibes from this. Just look at it: heists, hijacking cars, more heists, criminals being portrayed as eccentric & nuts, planning heists in an abandoned urban building; hard to miss the influence.
It still feels like an Edgar Wright film though. In fact, it very much starts like one of his comedies, but then it takes a complete tonal shift around the halfway mark. It becomes much darker, and it’s suddenly driven by tension instead of jokes.
A lot of movies can’t pull that off, but this one does simply because you can look at this premise as lighthearted, but there’s nothing too ridiculous or stupid for it not to work as a serious thriller either.
The directing and editing are really stylish and inventive, the performances are good, plenty of character development (a lot of which is done visually), excellent music selection, and there are a few twists in the second half I didn’t see coming.
My only complaint is that the romance subplot starts a bit clunky, but it evens out as the film goes along.
8.5/10
great Actors but but terrible movie. The first part was okay but the end of the movie... no no no
Really enjoyed this - way better than those stupid churned-out Furious chase movies... it actually has a story... and acting!
The movie was absolutely exhilarating during the action sequences, especially the car chases. But, the second the action sequences stop, the movie grinds to a halt with stereotypical writing and characters. What also doesn't help is the self-conscious need to be cool that the film has. Some would call it style, I would call it distracting.
One last job? Seen it before. And the characters in the film are cardboard cutouts. The worst of the bunch is Jamie Foxx's character Bats. Bats is a homicidal maniac who is hired by Spacey's Doc for a two jobs. Doc seems to be a very careful man who plans meticulously. Why Doc would pick an unhinged impulsive person like Bats to do a job is beyond me. The whole thing reminds me of the same flaw in Michael Mann's otherwise excellent heist film Heat where De Niro's McCauley hires a similarly homicidal and impulsive Waingro onto his team.
Did I like the film? Kind of. Yes, for the action sequences that are fantastically shot by Bill Pope and edited by Jonathon Amos and Paul Machliss. No, for pretty much everything else.
I liked the music and driving. Being hit over the head with the romance aspect of the movie? Not that cool. Also, not even a little bit believable. Maybe it would have been a better choice for him to have a little sister, or something, that he wanted to protect, and leave the lady love angle out of it. Also, Baby is a stupid name. Maybe there's some kinda reference there that I'm not getting?
(Why did they keep repeating Baby's and Debora's names? It got so annoying and awkward)
Amazing movie overall. I instantly fell in love with it, it's so charming and funny and the way the soundtrack blends perfectly with every single scene dazzled me. Most of the actors have some sort of musical background and it makes it even better. This movie is an ode to music in a way that it was more important to me than the story it was trying to tell. Every actor was crazy good, but kevin spacey and jamie foxx were amazing. Ansel was great in its way, I know him more for his music than his acting so I don't know if he was looking off because of the character or because of his acting. But it created a weird vibe and I appreciated that.
The only reason why this movie is not a 10 for me is the third act. It felt so rushed, one minute baby is trying to save the girl from the post office, the other he's Impaling Bats with a beam. Deborah didn't even questioned why Baby was suddenly killing people and robbing cars, she just went with it and helped him, all for that sweet escape. Did it ruin he experience? nope, but I left thinking it could have been even better.
Few other thoughts:
Opening credits with Baby walking to the street with his eadbuds: AWESOME.
Ansel pulling an Ansolo with his mixtapes: AWESOME.
Dollar bills and bullets sincronized with the song: SO FREAKING AWESOME!
You'll have a hard time watching this without a giant grin on your face or tears in your eyes.
That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Rogers... Go watch this.
I'm not a huge Winnie the Pooh fan so I have no nostalgia for it. This movie doesn't quite know what it is. It is a little too dark at times to be a kids movie and too boring to fully be an adult movie. The animals look weird at first but you get use to them. Eeyore was by far the best and had all the funny lines. Ewan McGregor was charming. Overall the movie is okay, if you are a fan then you will like it more but if you aren't then you can probably skip it.
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie gives a fantastic performance as a daughter who wants to move on and become independent instead of living of the fat of the land with her father. If you enjoyed The Survivalist, Captain Fantastic, Hunt for the Wilderpeople you may like this. There are a few subtle moments that reminded me of Tender Mercies too. It's a very tender film, especially how the couple interact with nature. The focus of the film is on the father daughter relationship arc, and how it changes, and this is key to the films strength as it focuses on the emotion of the strive for independence instead of the chase from the authorities. A really beautiful film. 8/10
how the hell did such a bad premise made a good movie?
I was really disappointed by this sequel. I enjoyed the first movie as it developed the theme of polishing a diamond in the rough, an unlikely but likeable hero, with wit and clever direction and writing. This second film did the opposite, it celebrated the crass and the writing was bad - there were huge holes in the story lines, and the character arches were undeveloped or fractured by missing/unwritten elements. The heros and villians were silly without comedic intent. The only bright spots were Taron Epstein, Mark Strong and Haille Berry's rapport, and Jeff Bridges. Colin Firth's character was butchered by the writers, Elton John' s part was unnecessary, unexplained and poorly executed, This movie is just BAD, and a waste of time. I give it a 3 (bad) out of 10. [Comedy?, Action, Adventure, Spy}
Probably the most heavy handed and clumsy exposition I have ever seen in any film, but still really good despite it.
The setting becoming a character in a film is a cliche. It's easy to give in to the charms of talented production designers and themes rooted in a particular time and place and declare that a well-established center of events rises to the level of personhood within a story.
But this desolate den of thieves and junkies and ramshackle mobsters in the Ozarks is more than just a character in Winter's Bone, it is a visceral realization of the mood of the film. What I love most about this film is it's restraint. There are few grand scenes of exposition, only a couple of big moments, and little in the way of on-the-nose dialogue to explain who these characters are or what their hopes and wants and weaknesses will be. Instead, it finds other, subtler ways to convey character and conflict and stakes.
None of these is so potent as the surroundings that Ree Dolly finds herself in. While the camera rarely acquiesces to the stark if scenic beauty of the area, it takes time to linger on the dull gray and washed out colors of the Dollies' corner of the Ozarks. The desperation of this place, the lack of hope and the sense that the same patterns are doomed to repeat in its grizzled confines come through without anyone needing to say it.
More than anything, Winter's Bone gives us an ecosystem, a hierarchy, more through implication than by anyone laying it out for us. We see the way that the women of this area have to look to men for approval, and yet are the real muscle and motivators that solve the problems the story presents. We see the elaborate games of telephone, the way that honor must be shown and recognized, that drive the characters from one point to another. And we see the bonds of family, the way everyone in this town is some distant relation, and the difference between what that's supposed to mean and what it does.
That strength is matched by the film's lead. Jennifer Lawrence may have gone on to win Oscars and headline blockbusters, with many striking performances, but I'm not sure she's ever topped this one. The strength and resolve in Ree Dolly, as she pushes her way through the Byzantine spate of resistance and blind eyes that threatens to leave her family penniless and homeless, with her vulnerability on display in more private, intimate moments, creates an incredible portrait of a young woman in an impossible position. Lawrence masters the layer of the character: her boldness tinged with uncertainty on display as she stands up to the men and women who attempt to stymie her, her doubt and fear as she pleads with her shell-shocked mother for help, her anxiety and pragmatism as she tries to teach her young brother and sister to be self-sufficient.
It's that pragmatism, the quality that takes a young woman with clearly enough smarts to make her own way in this world, that spurs the film to its climax. There's a parallelism to it. When Ree is teaching her brother how to prepare a squirrel, she tells him to remove its guts, and he resists. She tells him that he has to do it anyway, that he has to get used to stuff like this. That thought comes back to bite Ree as she's forced to reach into the water and pull out her own father's bloated corpse while her antagonists and accomplices take off his hands with a chainsaw to provide proof of his death. She too resists, but swallows her disgust and horror and does what needs to be done. It's a testament to that desperation once again, to the idea that painful things have to happen, that the innocent have to be broken, at least a little, in order for them to survive in a world with such ugliness.
There's an undercurrent to this story about someone trying to break out of a system that aims to hold people like her in place. When she walks into the local high school she looks longingly at what goes on there. She tries to enlist in the military to see the world and get out. She is, however, tied to this place, by the need to take care of a mother and siblings who cannot, and in the case of the former, maybe never will, be able to take care of themselves. She is needed, and that means putting the rest of a promising life on hold, in a community that feigns support (with pride and reputation being prized), but which is deeply suspicious and uncaring when their livelihoods or positions are threatened.
The one ally who crosses this line is Teardrop, who is a part of this same system but breaks ranks to assist his niece in her honorable quest. John Hawkes gives the performance of a lifetime. A far cry from the clean cut Sol Star of Deadwood, Hawkes is the apotheosis of the thoroughly-worn creatures of walking regret who populate the film. His sunken eyes mask a long-buried warmth and connection to the world, that begin to reemerge in the face of Ree's struggle.
That struggle, in its way, is a very simply story. A young woman tries to find her dad in order to save her family. But the layers the film adds onto that basic premise -- the conspiracies of silence and of gossip that loom in the background, the filial and fraternal issues that permeate the story, the understated, frightening nature of the possibilities from poking the wrong hornet's nest in this town -- make into something affecting and universal. Winter's Bone is a film about one resourceful, pitiable young woman's efforts to complete her Herculean labors, but it's also about the community she labors within, and the place, bereft of hope or opportunity, that spawned it. That place, and its fallow environs, show the depths to which this land has sunk, but also, through Ree's indomitable spirit, Teardrop's renewed connection to his family that suggests the support that might set her free, and the windfall that acts as her father's final gift, there's the hint that what has lain fallow may be reborn, that there is hope in the midst of this unmitigated bleakness, and that those old, destructive patterns can be broken, if only a little.
It's an interesting movie. The setting is not something we see often, I say that as I am from Missouri. Jennifer Lawrence is pretty good. The story is pretty straight forward. The cinematography is great, a lot of shaky cam shots to make you uneasy. Being mostly dialogue it can be a little boring.
