The Seven Samurai plot but with The Mandalorian and a rogue soldier. A bit of love interest side-plot. Baby Yoda is still cute. Doesn't progress the story, expands the world a little bit. Nothing to really write home about except for the battle. It's nothing new under the sun.
Woah, splendid representation of what could happen if you sit down and actually talk to people and about yourself, show interest in a person. What a difference it could make and how people can be influenced. Glad I finally got around to seeing it.
The turning point episode. I'm glad to see that The Mandalorian is not an entity devoid of moral grounds. Then again, had anyone expected him to be? Maybe a bit more down the season, but the story line forces him to make the decisions now. It does leave him with some big enemies though, but I'm sure he'll get some back-up soon. Jon Favreau is a good writer, I'm just waiting for him to write a story that will really fly off. I hope it's this one. This is the way. I have spoken.
The only thing wrong with this movie is that it should not have been made in English. Besides that, it is filled with colour symbolism, amazing camera work with a story of epic proportions.
Well, I liked this one way better than Love Actually, that's for sure.
I know what this thing wants to be, it's very clearly aimed at children. It feels like a children's book brought to life and it is definitely filmed like it too. If done well, something like that can be charming and heartwarming, but this movie is neither of those things.
A lot of scenes feel like excuses to have Will Ferrel do what Will Ferrel does best, play a big child. Now, this fits his character well enough, but I got to wonder that during 30 years living at the North Pole, Santa or his wife didn't educate him thoroughly about how the world works outside of their magical Christmas land. Especially when Buddy decides to leave the safety of his home and venture somewhere he is very unfamiliar with. He doesn't know social cues, customs or how anything really works. The least he could do is give him some safety tips but he leaves it with some funny quips about peep shows and gum on the street being not for eating. (I gagged when he actually put some in his mouth from a filthy looking iron bar).
Buddy's supposed innocence gets really tiresome halfway through the movie. I mean, after a couple of days, wouldn't he realize that he needs to adapt to be able to be accepted in this world? Even after being beat up by a wonderfully great Peter Dinklage, he remains positive. He doesn't even wonder /why/ he was beat up or ask what he did was wrong. Instead he just accepts the beating and makes a quip about Peter Dinklage (he calls him an elf because he's small, har har) being a South Pole elf. Even if he grew up as an elf, he still has human emotions. I mean, even the elfs at the North Pole are mean to him, as he overhears a conversation that he's pretty useless in the shop. Words hurt more than physical violence, huh? In any case, watching Peter Dinklage kick Will Ferrel's ass was very satisfying.
The movie features a lot of movie tropes that are forgiveable, because it's aimed at movies and the rest of the actors are charming enough that it elevates the movie for me. It's not bad, but it's not good either.
Robert Egbert looks like he doesn't know what the hell is going on half of the time and the lines do not feel right to him at all. Zoey Deschanel is very charming, but doesn't add a lot more to the story besides being a love interest. James Caan pulls an incredible amount of patience from... somewhere. He must love his wife very much (a forgettable Mary Steenbruggen) because it's her that convinces him to let Buddy into his life. A selfless choice from her that's only there to have Buddy move in with the family and cause mayhem.
Not everything in this movie is annoying, I was pretty charmed with it. I loved the scene in the shop where he spends the entire night decorating the place. It shows that his background as living as an Elf is good for something in the real world, and feels like it's something that he can contribute to society over there. Despite that, there's not a lot going on that makes him a valuable character to society. That's not something he actively persues, not even if he wants to impress his dad. But at the end he ends up being a writer for a children's book that gets popular? There's not a single mention about him being interested in that anywhere. His father just took the story of his arrival and adventures in NYC and cashed it. Well done Dad.
Conclusion:
I didn't hate this, but I didn't love it either. It's a good attempt at making a child-friendly Christmas story, but the charm is partially ruined by Will Ferrel's man-child acting.
About half-way through I realized I wasn't watching something in the ordinary. I've only watched it once before and wasn't really paying attention to it. I was now, and I think it's one of those hidden little gems that combines very good acting with a funny homage to the neo-noir genre. The dialogues beteen Robert Downey Jr's Harold Lockhart and Val Kilmer's Gay Perry.
"Look up "idiot" in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?"
- "A picture of me?"
" No! The definition of the word idiot, which you fucking are!"
Yes. More of this please. I need more dialogue humor like this in my life.
Sam Esmail does it again. I shall follow his career (and this show) with great interest. I love his use of camera, aspect ratio and pretty much all the rest. I'm really glad they give him a platform to perform to the best of his abilites on.
Despite half of it being a talking head documentary, which I'm not for, the combination of the powerful women telling their story with the images shot in the eighties of the race is absolutely stunning. You cheer them on because they're there to set the trademark for all women after them, opening a door for them for opportunities. These girls are saying now again that if you listen to what people tell you you can't do, human kind would not have been great at all. And that is a strong message that I will take to heart.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut and it's a strong start. Stuck in the fields, young William needs to find the courage to battle all the elements against him. Heavy rains followed by a dry season in a country which government does not provide enough for the lower classes of people, forcing him to work the fields so his family has enough to eat.
Being a bright young man and good with technology, he soon knows that he can find a solution for the drought and help his family. The battle between William's duties and ideas is well translated. Ejiofor is a strong player as his father, yet due to this performance it is him that kind of steals the screen.
It's not that the rest of the acting is bad, it's that one person stands above the rest, but it is unintentional. The photography is absolutely gorgeous and brands your eyes with the harsh thruth these people have to live with. Their goals are primal and the mistrust in technology to save them is warranted because having to build it takes away from the work needed to put in the field. The fact that they almost have to resort to praying for rain to survive is heartbraking enough.
In the end, it is a story about persevering in what you're good at and following an idea that can actually help and improve people's situations in a decor that we're not used to seeing in any other Hollywood movie. Props to Netflix and Ejiofor for picking up this story and putting it on the screen.
Tight and gripping. Dips 3/4th in. Very human and a great attempt at creating something very real. The atmosphere is very dense in the sense that there's only the sound of the engines on the background and the set is only lit by the interior lights and any kind of moonlight/city lights. It's bleak and serene and I found the attemps to keep it as simple as possible commendable. If it wasn't for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's excellent perfomance, it would not come in as strongly as it does. In my opinion, it's one of those little gems of cinema that try something else, succeed, but will never have a big audience. For me, it could have done with less chaotic camera movements, less cuts, longer takes to really drive home the situation.
It almost begs for a new scan, touch-ups and colour corrections. It does not go deep, but with a great cast (and legion of cameos), it features a fun travelogue kind of adventure filled with slapstick and awesome wide shots of locations.
Sometimes I wonder why certain things exist.
This is one of them.
I don't know why I tortured myself sitting through all 135 minutes of that, but here we are.
The only thing that makes this movie somewhat tolerable is the cast. There's a lot of big names in this, but not all of them are featured as prominently in the movie as they are on the art in front of the bluray. Especially Rowan Atkinson isn't even a full minute in the movie, it's just another big name to add to the list of people that are in this.
It just makes it feel more like a feel-good Christmas movie cash-grab. The best is Emma Thompson, she's amazing in everything.
It could have been so much more. It starts and ends with people meeting with their loved ones in the airport, but it's not where the story starts off. It would have made a lot more sense to start off with that and build up characters through that. But it's just 10 or so stories that are slightly connected somehow (mostly done by things happening on screens). It just feels so bloated and convoluted because by the end of it, you barely know anyone from this movie, and that's a real shame with these kind of actors.
The only other positive thing I can say is that is was charming, but most of that is done by the excellent work of the actors handling a script that is laughable at best. The text just isn't written for the characters, it really feels like they've been put words in their mouth and had to fill in the rest by themselves. Luckily these people are pretty good at that. It particularly bothered me with Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Sam). The little kid talks about love like he's been through it all before and watching Titanic he knows exactly what it's like in real life. I'm just not buying it.
It would have been better if they cut half of the stories, connected them more deeply so it feels like more of a world of story. Make them come together for Christmas at the end. Not like only 8 of the 10 coming together for the nativity play. Get all of them in there, don't be afraid to get some drama in there (nothing is always lovey-dovey). Just... urgh, this feels too fantastical and whimsical.
Conclusion:
Not my cup of tea. I'm sure people love this for its charm, I just couldn't get into it.
Maybe one of the most important documentaries of the decade, showing how inequality, not only towards women, is still prevalent in what we call a 'modern' society. There are still many things we have to learn and change, but it is great to see that there is at least one great person out there trying her best to change things. And I'm cheering her on.
Perhaps a tad too long and a shade stretchy in its concept, yet the film drenches you in the personality that is Zain. The very young actor embodies this role fully.
A rough life, but sweetnes and love is found anywhere, even in the darkest of places. It's only so heartbreaking to see how this young boy tries to do everything he can to do the right thing, and yet the world around him is not letting him. Shockingly real for how it must be in real.
It had me in tears.
This movie excels in its simplicity and dedication to the art of acting. Brilliantly cast, Coogan and Reily have the right chemistry to play this iconic duo. But let's not discredit Henderson's and Arianda's work either, playing their wives. It was a brilliant move to play them off against each other as well, but to shape a bond between them too.
There are some side stories that do not go anywhere, but besides that it is a lovely homage to the art of theater, comedy and how a long lasting friendship can shape a carreer and life.
I'm a big sucker for horror/psychological thrillers like this, almost like a knockout competition. Something about the psychology about people arguing and deciding who gets to live or die really drew me to this movie. But besides the concept of it, I had a hard time agreeing with this movie. It wants to push humans forward as stereotypes too hard while it could have been improved if the characters had shown more nuances instead of mostly having to guess who they are. (But who would be able to with only 2 minutes of time between each kill). I think the movie would have profitted from a different pace, maybe stretching the time towards the end. The purpose just feels so empty. I didn't know enough about any of them to feel any kind of loss nor do I begrudge the choices made by the eventual survivor(s). Because I just want them to get on with it. On some level I did enjoy it though, I've been looking for this kind of pshycological setting like Coherence.
Bizarre and mostly hit and miss for me. I guess one has to be a fan of Martin's particular style of humor and it just really wasn't my cup of tea. It got a chuckle or two out of me in any case.
Smart, funny and has aged really well over 40 years. Jim Henson's legacy still rings high today.
Pretty disturbing and well acted by Jones, maybe he played the character a bit too spineless for me but that's maybe because of his great acting that the character frustrated me, so kudos there. The colour scheme was very consistent, the red contrasting very well to emphasize important scenes. I liked that they put as much importance to silence as loudness, makes the disturbence of the character dissolving into his crazy state. 8/10.
Alex Garland is a filmmaker who is masterful at his craft. He knows exactly what emotion to wring from you and the entire time I was on the edge of my seat. It gripped me, it gripped my humanity and made me look at what humans could do when all rules have been thrown out the window. We are a vile, vile species and what we do to each other is disgusting.
Beautifully shot too. Some shots look like photographs, exactly when a photograph is being taken. When an actual photograph is being shown, it adds to the tension.
We're only shown how these 4 journalists experience it, everyone else is just passing through. And these guys are brave. If that is really how they act, out there in war zones, my god.
I love movies that can make me feel something besides just entertainment. To enact an emotion from me that is not just pure awe at technological adeptness of the medium, but to show me with mesmerizingly neutral yet horrendous content is daring. I am so happy films like this are still being made.
As I'm reading J. Hoberman's "An Army of Phantoms", it's quite fascinating to see persons that are subject in the book be beatured on the big screen. Albeit a bit fictionalized, it takes place before the events in the book. Back in the day, politics shaped movies way more than they do now. (Although there are examples of this happening to appease certain nations in the world.) Propaganda in movies to shape the public's mind is something only Herman J. Mankiewicz frowns upon in Mank.
It took me longer to watch because I had to keep consulting Google and IMDB for the period correct mentions of events and persons. I left the movie not only better informed about how Citizen Kane came to be written, the impression I now have of the people involved helps me to humanize them. They're no longer just names on a page for me. The magic of the movies.
One has to mention the thorough effort to establish the particular sense of nostalgia for the 80-year old setting. They way it is filmed brings forth the unmitigated sense that this is a passion project. David Fincher did not hold back turning this era-defining story into this skillful product, although I do feel sorry for the actors having to go through multiple takes to reach his defenition of perfection. (Stanley Kubrick-flashbacks anyone?).
However, that leaves us with a picture that has accomplished acting, remeniscant of old Hollywood that is neither glamorous nor dismissive. If you love movies, this is a perfect addition to your "Must Watch"-list.
This one is firmed deeply into the following category, for me: "Things that have changed my life."
An incredible visualization of what animation could achieve about 80 years ago. Even now, in 2020 it has an impressive air. I cannot imagine how difficult it had to have been to time hand drawn animation to composed music. It is important to remember this movie, as it helped shape the industry.
There is something irresistebly effective in the combination of a heartwarming message with great oops-what-did-I-get-myself-into-humor. My favourite part was Nicole Kidman and Matt Lucas acting together.
One of the best movies of this decade that best catches the sense of the 80s and not the neon side of it, but that bleak, almost neo-noir feel of old Polaroids. Visually, it is gorgeous. The content pulls on your heart, the pre-adolescent love beats intensely and lingers wantingly while gruesome things happen in the background. And yet, it leaves a warm smile on your face.
Someone paid money to have this made.
Vera has been on the air for 10 years now and a lot has happened. It leaves it first couple of seasons far behind in this one, as is pretty evident in this episode. It's still good, it's just lost something essential. A bit of spunk, a bit of urgence that was underneath it and I feel was fueled mostly by Brenda Blethyn. Brenda will always be a delight to watch, but that fury to do what is right that was so enticing to the character has left her a little bit. It's still there, but it has just wittled away over the years. I'm not saying her performance was bad, I'm saying it has shifted tones. Either it's because Vera has been established enough or Brenda's years are finally starting to catch up with her, being that's she's well into her 70s now. She hasn't aged at all, she looks wonderful still. But her performance has undeniably shifted. I hope she isn't growing tired, because I absolutely love her and want her to do 10 more seasons.
The episode is absolutely cramped with plot development and you have to have a good memory to follow what is actually going on. I honestly always found it convoluting and I couldn't pay much attention. Now that I have, I can really appreciate the level of detail that goes into this mini-movie they're making. And that for 3-4 episodes each year! It's really impressing. It helps they have the police set, but a lot of it happens in what appear to be real houses and locations. There must be a lot of travelling around for this and I can't imagine the logistics of keeping track of what is happening. This is why I'm so into this series, it is produced and written so well.
On to the episode at hand. Spoilers ahead!
Luke, a 28-year old cleaner guy is found by some binmen behind a dumpster. He has a wound on his head, his ribs and possibly self-inflicted chemical burn wounds on his legs, caused by bleach. The wound on his head caused his death, happening 5 hours before it. His brain was slowly filling with blood and he was literally a dead man walking. The bruising on his ribs looks irregular and potentiall has a further clue to his murderer.
At first you suspect his bosses, a maried couple who own the cleaning company. They act like they're the most caring and helpful bosses, but his ex-girlfriend and colleague Nadiya and her roommate Daisy confess to Vera and Aiden about the terrible working conditions they have to go through. Assault with bleach, unfair payment, exploitation, blackmail, terrible housing situation,... you name it, it's there. In the end the husband is arrested for assault, but has nothing to do with the murder of Luke.
Luke's father, Seth, was murdered when he was younger by a Terrence Kayle. His brother Raymond is the next big suspect. Terrence called the murder self-defense, but no one else seems to have backed this up. We learn in fact that Seth was an abusive husband and father, hitting his wife and son over many years. He was very aggressive and must have attacked Terrence immediately when he found out he was robbing his house. Luke seemed to have known this, as he had confessed this to Raymond, but he didn't want to accept it. That's why he hit Luke in the ribs (the strange bruising was from his rings), but the head wound does not seem to be made by Raymond, so he is also cast aside as a suspect.
Lastly there's Jasmine Asher, the last in the list of main suspects. When they were younger, Luke and Jasmine were a thing. But after the suicide of his neighbor Thea, who they hung out with, he broke up with her and left the town they lived in. Through the course of the episode Jasmine keeps denying things and lying about what happened in the passed. Arguing that Thea was depressed and a huge cannabis user, pushing her towards jumping of the edge of the crag. In fact, the three of them had used one joint and Jasmine had dared Thea to stand on the edge. She fell in. For years she has kept this silent, until Thea's sister, Georgia finally confronts Jasmine and her mother with this story. Luke had come to visit Jason, Thea's father, the night of his death to explain everything to him, because he felt so guilty about the whole thing. He was blackmailed by Jasmine the entire time. Instead of talking to Jason, Luke talked to Georgia, explaining everything to her instead. She grew angry and confused, starting to hit Luke overcome by emotion causing him to fall and hit his head. That caused a heamatoma in his head. Without realising it, or ever linking it together, Georgia has killed Luke.
This was an interesting conclusion to the story, mostly because the killer never realised that she killed someone, only at the very end. I think Georgia would have gone straight to the police if Luke had been instantly killed after hitting his head. She did not calculate his murder. But it's still murder.
My only comments would be is that the eventual murderer was not prominently featured in this and I kinda wanted it to go more into the subplot of the cleaning company. I could have gone without the Raymond subplot, instead filled it in with exposition of how the murder happend. I miss that, the little cinematic at the end of how it happened. It gives the actor playing the dead body for the most part of the episode something fun to do and we can better fit in the conclusion into the entire plot. That said, I do appreciate how the mystery branches off into dead ends, like a real police investigation. They cirlce around until they pinpoint the story that has the most potential to render a result.
Vera still has me, and I'll follow her adventures for as long as Brenda wants to do the role. I love you, please keep doind what you love as well!
Convinced that I would roll my eyes a lot with this movie, I did. But then it did something wonderful and captured me in the way that The Goonies, Hook, and all those other classics did. It teaches without being too overpowerful, it situates itself within this time (make quite a few nods to Brexit England) and it is filled with hope when there's a world where it seems that there's not a lot of it left. It's clear what Cornish wants to achieve here and I do feel like he did. He wants to fill youth with adventure, goals and hope while reminding those that had forgotten that not all is lost just yet.
It's not perfect by any means, but it is charming, heartwarming and decently acted. It just looks like it was a whole lot of fun to make and I had a whole lot of fun watching it.
I really just wonder how the hell they explained the remains of the battlefield at the school to the teachers... Or did Merlin just hypnotise them to clean it all up and forget all about it. But what about all the dents in the cars?! Oh but wait, the meek kid can multiply money now, it's all good. And shouldn't they be like all over the news if 4 kids disappear for 4 days straight? Mum didn't seem too devastated or angry about it. Ah well, it's a family-fun adventure movie, what the hell am I going on about, I enjoyed it.
The episode where we learn that there's finally more under the layers of what appears normal and from now on out we'll see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Lead the way Sam Esmail.
