JulianneAlice

This will probably become more beloved than Dune for being a bigger, more action driven film. Personally I prefer the first film by a long shot, but there's a lot to like here. I loved Paul's new journey for this installment as it doesn't develop in the way you'd expect based on the ending of the first film. The themes of colonialism, false prophecies and religion reach a level of depth that cannot be found in other sci-fi/fantasy contemporaries like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars; this film certainly made me understand why this story is taken so seriously as a piece of literature. Despite the source material being so old, there's still something new and refreshing about it. You don't often see major Hollywood productions calling out religion as a manipulative force helping the people in power. On top of that this brilliantly subverts the concept of the hero's journey we've become accustomed to by everything that was in one way or another inspired by Dune. The acting is pretty great, Timothée does a great job at playing the transition Paul goes through. Despite his boyish looks I was sold on his performance as the leader of the Fremen. Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem are also scene stealers. The visuals are once again mindblowing, in terms of set/costume design, cinematography and CGI this is as close to perfection as you could get to right now. The vision and scope of this movie are truly unmatched, which leads to some breathtaking sequences that I'll remember for a while (sandworm ride; the black/white arena fight; knife fight during the third act).

However, for all the praise I have for Dune: Part 2, I think Denis is being uncharacteristically sloppy with this film. First of all, Bautista and Butler feel like they're ripped from a different franchise altogether. Their over the top, cartoonish performances are more suited for something like Mad Max than the nuanced world of Dune. The bigger cracks start to appear when you look at the writing. The brief moments where the movie pokes fun at religious zealots through Javier Bardem's character, while funny, probably won't age very well. Like the first movie, it has a tendency to rely too much on exposition and handholding, a problem which might be worse here. I feel like a lot of the subtlety is lost in order to make the movie more normie proof, and that's quite annoying for a movie with artistic ambitions like this one. For example, there's this scene where Léa Seydoux seduces Austin Butler's character, and everything you need to know as a viewer is communicated through Butler's performance. Cut to the next scene, where Seydoux is all but looking at the camera saying "he's a psychopath, he's violent, he wants power, etc.". I just feel like compared to Villeneuve's precise work on Blade Runner 2049, he's consciously dumbing it down here. It's understandable and somewhat excusable for a complex story like Dune, but he occasionally takes it too far for my liking. Then there's the love story subplot between Chani and Paul, which almost entirely misses the mark for me. It feels rushed, there's no chemistry between the actors and some of the lines are painfully cheesy. Because of that, the emotional gutpunch their story eventually reaches during the third act did little for me. Finally, I'm a little dissatisfied with the use of sound. I loved the otherworldly score Zimmer came up with for the first Dune, however this film is so ridiculously bombastic and low-end heavy that it starts to feel like a parody of his work with Christopher Nolan. For the final action beat of the film Villeneuve cuts out the film's score, and it becomes all the more satisfying for it.

Overall, I recommend this film, however maybe temper those expectations if you're expecting a masterpiece. There's a lot to admire, but it's flawed.

6.5/10

Ending could of told the audience more about the future of Cage. Great movie overall. Great acting by Tom Cruise and the storyline is surprisingly well put together for what it is.

This WILL be the best sci-fi movie of the year decade

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?”

Much more geniune and resonant than Spielberg’s version, this film while not without flaws still soars where it needs to. All the cast kill it, but God, Danielle Brooks is a star. Charismatic, heartbreaking, endlessly entertaining. She steals every scene, and this better net her at least nominations and a ton more roles. She’s been killing it since she made Orange is the New Black watchable. Barrino, Henson, Domingo, they all shine too. The choreography is so lively and earnest, and the colors all pop, so it’s as much a treat for the eyes as the ears. The songs hit where they need to and when everything works in tune, it really pulls the heartstrings.

Where it falters is the relationship between Celie and Shug. Certainly an improvement over the original, it still feels a bit overly cautious in places. Still afraid to show overt sexuality, and oddly afraid to show any edges. It sands out the relationship, removing the conflict and break up fight that made Celie, and I’m Here, even more powerful. It removes a layer of depth and specificity to the show stealing number, and it’s a shame.

That aside, it’s still a powerful, rousing, and emotional film worth the watch. It pulled a good amount of tears from me, and stirred the soul.

Now, I’m not terribly familiar with this musical (I’ve only seen the stage show once, with Cynthia Erivo). But to put it simply, just like its stage counterpart, The Color Purple left me beautifully devastated.

There were, of course, MANY cuts and changes in the transition to film. But not only is this a good thing, it is an ESSENTIAL thing. The two forms are so vastly different that a direct port would work against itself. (I only wish the events directly preceding “I’m Here” hadn’t been altered quite so much.) But what remains is the powerful story of a woman named Celie, told across 38 years (the years being show on screen were a helpful touch), and the people that came in and out of her life. There’s a heavy layer of communication with God, but it’s not necessarily religious, if that makes sense. I felt as though even I could feel and understand what the characters were saying, and I haven’t been to a church service in over a decade.

At the heart of this film is Fantasia Barrino’s performance in the role of Celie, and it is stellar. She has a way of playing such a wounded bird that when true joy erupts from her, it cracks your heart right open with the beauty of it. She hits you hard with a deep undercurrent of wistful melancholy, even in those happy moments, until a major turning point changes that. The rest of the female cast is excellent as well, but Fantasia really stands out. The men are generally good as well - it’s just that, because of either the direction, script alterations, or performances, most of them come off a little flat.

So, YES, it is a musical (there seems to be a ton of confusion about that in the general public) but this story is absolutely elevated by the story form, and it absolutely deserves to be seen.

Waaaaaay better than I expected. Slasher comedy fans wet dream. Roth nails the tone for this one expertly. Best kills I may have ever seen from an over the top standpoint. Perhaps 10-15 min shorter would have benefited pacing, but small gripe. Some silly choices here and there, but overall a solid 8.0. Happily surprised.

Will be really interesting to see how this is gonna be received here in the west. It's a weird one. Couldn't help myself to actually feel disappointed after the credits rolled, and a lot of people in the audience felt the same way. It's super vague, the story jumps constantly, new ideas and (seemingly) new plotlines are constantly opened but never resolved. It's confusing. And because of this, I just never really cared about any of the characters. Which is something that usually never happens to me in a Ghibli film...no emotional attachement whatsoever. After sleeping over it and reading some reviews and interepretations from Japan, I can accept and respect the film much more now. It's a supposedly final goodbye from Miyazaki, a potpourrie of his ideas and visions, a micro-history of Ghibli itself. It's fine. But it's not for me and probably a lot of other people. But that's okay.

Not really plot or character driven, this is more like one of those emotional rollercoaster/experiential type of movies. Think Gravity, where it’s less about the plot or Sandra Bullock and more about experiencing anxiety in space for 90 minutes. This plays with similar emotions, but with Ari Aster behind the camera there’s a stronger focus on subjective filmmaking and surrealism. The entire film is a unique, comedic nightmare. Unfortunately I think it’s also quite easily Aster’s worst film to date. To start off, it simply doesn’t have enough meat on the bones to keep the viewer engaged for the entire runtime, too often does it fall back to the same bag of tricks whenever we go into panic mode (e.g. people yelling, absurdist imagery, match cuts, dark comedy). I won’t say that it wasn’t effective or memorable, but it should’ve been condensed to the best moments. Moreover, it’s unable to carry itself with the characters or story. I found Beau to be a poorly developed protagonist, it’s hard to connect with him due the lack of detail in the writing and one-note performance by Phoenix. He’s a representation of an idea, and because of that he feels more like a type than a character. The bigger picture that the movie gets at is somewhat interesting, but like Midsommar, it could’ve dug a little deeper with its ideas (especially given its runtime). It doesn’t comment on social anxiety or paranoia in any way that’s particularly mindblowing, if anything it feels like a surface level exploration of its causes and effects. I think the movie is truly at its best when it’s simply Aster playing the viewer like a violin, the most interesting scenes here are constructed like a maze of emotions. Thankfully there’s more than enough of that, but like already mentioned, it’s not enough to carry a 3 hour movie. Aster continues to be a great filmmaking talent (excellent cinematography & editing, interesting sound design), but he needs a creative partner to reign himself in.

5/10

After 3 hours, I don't know what I've seen.

Is it just me or is there some circlejerk going on at Disney where they keep using the same group of actors over and over again for their different brands? Just stop using Taika Waititi already.

The movie itself is pretty whatever.
It reminded me a lot of Onward; you could do a lot worse, but it probably won’t be remembered within the broader Pixar catalogue.
Not a lot of depth or subtext with this one, it’s a pretty straight forward adventure (which is also fine of course).
Some good animation (lots of visual ideas are being pulled from Star Wars), decent voice acting, fine characters, story’s alright.
It’s kinda inoffensive and doesn’t really warrant some of the extreme reactions it’s gotten.
The whole ‘woke’ label is baffling to me, it just seems like a smokescreen certain people use to cover up for their own homophobia, which only emphasizes how the word ‘woke’ carries little to no meaning nowadays.
Any regular person will be fine watching this, regardless of their political leaning.
Ffs, it’s mass entertainment after all.

5/10

It is enjoyable to watch the movie, and it moves fast so you won't be bored. It has good laughs and it discusses a good idea at the end so it is not just a waste of time.

Perfect atmosphere (you can almost feel the hot), realistic dialogue (the italians are hilarious) and above all great message. Spike Lee's masterpiece.

It looked pretty and the story was ok but I don't know... something about it seemed off. Maybe I'm just jaded and can't buy into whole "happily ever after" storylines any more.

I wish they had done a mini series with this IP. It has a lot of potential but the movie felt a bit rushed. Still really liked the movie, well done, good story even though it is quite predictable, but the world is great and I wish we could have seen more of it.

I kinda loved it! Sometimes you just want to watch a rom-com and this one hit it for me.

I had been putting off watching this film for a few weeks now. The "platonic friends navigate the wedding season" genre has been beaten to death in so many mediocre rom coms. I decided to give it a chance based on some of the reviews - this was a good decision.

The film was in fact very different from so many others. I won't go too far into the details as it might give some of it away (is that possible?). I recently watched and enjoyed Always Be My Maybe - I dare say that this was better. The two leads were excellent and perfectly cast the film seemed to find out a unique niche in the genre. I was invested from beginning to end and it is definitely one of the better films that I've seen this year.

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LIFF33 2019 #2

Time to spill the beans…’The Lighthouse’ is a masterpiece! I loved loved loved loved it! I loved every minute of it. One of my favorite movies of 2019 and I honestly don’t think anything can top it. A slow descent into madness that creeps into your subconscious and won’t be leaving anytime soon.
From the very first frame, I immediately knew this was going to be special. I was hooked throughout until the end credits.

Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson both deliver career defining performances. They play off each others insanity beautifully. I could tell just from the accents and dialect that plenty of homework went into making an authentic portrayal of the time.

Robert Pattinson is fantastic as a quiet and private lighthouse keeper that witness the madness slowly unfolding, but also feeds the audiences curiosity on revealing the strange happenings on the island. Pattinson is a chameleon when it comes to portraying characters.

Willem Dafoe, on the other hand, was mesmerizing as the old sea dog captain with a love for farting. His long and insane monologues are the main highlights, because it was so electrifying to watch it was hard not be captivated. He’s strict and often unpredictable, but once you see it, you won’t forget it.

I hope Robert Eggers continues making horror movies in the future, because right now he’s one of the best living directors working today. The slow-burn tension and lack of conventional scares seems to be his trademark so far. Every choice he made was so carefully thought out and the results is masterful. According to Eggers, they actually built a lighthouse from scratch and everything we see, including the weather, is genuine. Even if some tricky was used, it was so seamless I couldn’t tell what was fake.

I loved how the movie was shot; the dim black-and-white with the claustrophobic aspect ratio, giving it the appearance of a silent film born like a German expressionism - something you would’ve mistaken for a 1920/30’s horror folklore. Perfectly captures the time period and the overall dread. You really do feel cut off from the outside world and abandoned on this spectral-like island, and this black sheet of cloud strongly looming over the two men. A dark force in all directions, unseen but very eerie. The cold and heartless weather is a character itself. A big bully with salty intentions.

I adored the use of lighting through out, as the only light source is either natural light during daytime or candle lit lanterns, which cast many shadows that adds to the unease. There’s some gorgeous looking cinematography on display here. Seriously, even as am writing this right now I can memorize every single frame of this strange nightmare of a film. Absolutely breathtaking.

While the movie is mainly horror, but there is comedy sprinkled throughout that was actually pretty hilarious. Everything from Dafoe farting and some creative insults the characters would often spit at each other, which would later expand into long monologues that I sat back and watch in awe with a stupid grin on my face, because how something so silly can be so poetic. Never have I seen a movie that perfectly balances more than one genre so fluently. You can laugh at the moments where it’s suppose to be funny, but also take it seriously whenever it’s suppose to be taken seriously, which is sometimes all in one scene. The writing from Eggers is so excellent.

After only one viewing there was a lot I could easily dissect in terms of interpretation. There's masculinity and Greek mythology imagery that demonstrates a striking sense of power. There’s also a certain idea of sexuality being a sacred thing and the frustration it may bring. Or maybe it’s just a simple story about two guys on a rock getting drunk and then getting even drunker while holding each other until they drift off to sleep.

Overall rating: One of the best looking horror comedies of 2019.

Midsommar is a complicated beast. Those going for something as linear as Hereditary will be immediately disappointed by Midsommars somewhat convoluted plot elements and meandering pace. I sat in the cinema as the credits rolled by, deep in thought about what I just watched, and if it was any good. Nothing really sat well with me, and the film didn't really connect upon immediate completion, but I gave it time to digest.
Ari Asters two movies are very much at odds with each other. Hereditary slaps you with it's excellent presentation, pace, sense of dread and quality of acting on display. Then, upon further inspection, it's woven plot elements and symbolism shine through on subsequent viewing.
Midsommar is very much the opposite. The film almost dawdles in it's presentation and doesn't fully attack you with it's acting chops or narrative (although Florence is simply stunning in her portrayal of Dani). Midsommar more presents it's parts in a very matter-of-fact fashion, and then leaves it up to you to connect the dots of both the plot and what's on display. While there is far too much to unpack in this small comment section, I'd just like to detail some of my favourite themes on display in Midsommar, and why it went from a 6/10 during my cinema viewing, to a solid 8 - 8.5/10 upon reflection.

--- LONG DISCUSSION OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT ---

One of Midsommars central parallels is the individualism/selfishness of Western life and it's stark comparison to the commune we are introduced to. Examples of this are: During the intro, Dani is going through the trauma of a suicidal family member and her boyfriend, Christian, is encouraged by his friends to abandon her in her time of need telling her to see her therapist as it's not his problem. Christian echos these sentiments directly to Dani about her sister, telling her to leave her alone as she is just doing this for attention. Upon arriving at the commune in Sweden, Mark is unwilling to wait for Dani to be ready to take shrooms. Josh, knowing of Dani's recent trauma involving death, subjects her to the suicide of the elders for his own thesis and research. Christian uses the situation to further his own academic efforts, much to the annoyance of Josh. Everyone is acting in their own self interest regardless of the emotional toll this takes on their friendships. This is a stark contrast to how we see the commune deal with distress, emotion and personal issues. When Dani sees Christian cheating on her, the female members of the commune bawl, weep, scream and cry along with Dani, literally experiencing her burden with her to lessen the load. As described by Pelle, the commune "hold" you during your distress, helping you cope and living through those emotions with you. This is further cemented by the scene earlier in the movie, shortly after Dani's sister commits suicide. We see Dani hunched over Christian's lap overcome with emotion, screaming out the pain of the loss of her sister. Christian is anything but present however, his eyes vacant as if he weren't there with her at all. This is possibly my favourite theme of the movie, as it really paints how alone we are in modern society regardless of how many people we surround ourselves with. How many people are actually there for us in our time of need? Sure, they might be physically present, but are they actually there, sharing our pain? It's truly terrifying to think about.

My other favourite theme is who is and isn't a bad person. I've seen many people online say they think Christian is a horrible boyfriend for how he treats Dani. While I can understand their position, I struggle to see how Christian is the bad guy for his actions. Christian finds himself in a dying relationship which he is mentally checked out from but decides to stay to help her through the grief of losing her parents and sister. Christian even goes as far as to bring her on vacation with him to help her through her trauma, even though he wants to split up with her. Would the audience have prefered Christian leave Dani right after she lost her family? That would have been MUCH worse. Do these actions warrant what happens to Christian? I don't think so at all. Christian is so misunderstood in this movie, I can't wait to see it again to draw more conclusions on his character. Is Josh a bad person for wanting to fully envelope himself in a foreign culture? Although we know it is largely for academic gain, Josh does seem to love learning about the culture of these people, wanting to see how they operate and know every intricacy of their faith. Does this warrant his murder for trying to document their sacred texts? Should an outsider be murdered for enjoying and absorbing someone elses culture and customs, or should they be thanked for their interest and passion? (Sidenote, I see Josh's character as a direct reflection of the usual racial stereotypes we see in movies of this ilk. Usually we see the white academic researching the savage native/minority tribe, but Josh is the exactly flip of this, which is a nice touch). Were Connie and Simon wrong for coming into another culture and expressing disgust at their customs? Should they have been so outwardly disgusted and vocal about their disapproval while being welcomed in by the commune? Sure it didn't warrant their ultimate fate, but this small subplot asks an interesting question about outsiders attempting to shape and alter other cultures and customs as it doesn't sit with their ideals.

Other small details:
While it's directly conveyed to the viewer that the red haired girl is attempting to cast a love incantation on Christian via pubes in his pie and runes under his bed, very little attention is given to the fact that Christians drink is a slight shade darker than everyone elses. From the tapestry we see at the start of the festival, we know exactly what the red haired girl has slipped into his drink :face_vomiting: Fantastic subtle horror/grossness.

Pelle talks about how his parents died in a fire and the commune helped him through the trauma of that loss. After the ending, it's pretty clear the fire wasn't an accident, and they evidently died for some kind of ritual.

Artwork above Dani's bed at the beginning shows a girl with crown kissing a bear. While direct foreshadowing to latter events, it also asks the question if this was all fate. Dani's sister's final message reads "I see black now" (potentially a reference to The Black One) before killing herself and her parents. Were Dani's parents 72 and this was the end of their cycle? Was Dani's sister already a distant member of the commune?

Runes are scattered all throughout the film to foreshadow certain character arcs or add more meaning. My favourite hidden rune is the doors to the temple, which when open, make the rune for "Opening" or "Portal". Amazing attention to detail.

Yeah, this movie is much MUCH better on reflection and I absolutely cannot wait to see it again. I really hope Ari's 3 hour 40 minute directors cut is released so there is more to dissect. While not as immediately impressive has Hereditary, Midsommar definitely has the layers and complexity to be a slowburn horror classic.

EDIT: I am now 4 days out from my first viewing and I've not stopped thinking about this movie. I've become a frequent visitor of the films subreddit and have even purchased/listened to the films dread-inducing yet somehow joyous soundtrack a number of times throughout the days. I've been reading up on runes and their meanings, reading up set analysis for hidden meanings and any other small details others can find. A movie hasn't vibed with me like this for a long long time so to reflect this, I think it's only right I bump my score from an 8/10 to a 9/10. When I can get my hands on the digital download/Blu-Ray, I'm sure this might even go higher.

This was such an incredibly powerful movie. Even a couple days later after watching it, I keep coming back to it, feeling like I should watch it again. Either I might’ve missed something the first time or maybe I just want to ride the roller coaster again. There’s an incredible gravity to this film just keeps trying to pull me back in. I play the scenes again and again in my head and the emotions of it all swell within me.

This was such a moving journey of bullying, self-hate, suicide, and perhaps, redemption. I will never think about the depression around me the same way, and because of this movie, I will never, ever hesitate to reach out to those around me. Just one hand can pull someone back from the brinks of despair and every life is worth it.

It's OK. I didn't need my heart anyway.

For this review I will defer to my intrepid AAC*, 9 year old, Sophie. She liked the whole movie and didn’t think it had any boring spots. Her favourite part was when they all turned into cartoons. She was not surprised by the twist and felt there might be some good in the bad guy. She gave the movie a 9 (not perfect, but really good) out of 10.
*AAC = age appropriate critic

In my opinion, the movie was enjoyable but had some parts that lagged. I’m always concerned when parents are portrayed as clueless and silly, but the young audience found those points very funny. The acting was good. It was probably a good homage to the TV series. I give the movie a 7 (good) our of 10. [Family Friendly Action Adventure]

Would definitely recommend as a fun family film. It has bits of nostalgia and wraps it in an engaging adventure still keeping the same spirit of innocence of Dora (love that even though she was aged up she didn't suddenly become Lara Croft or a sexed-up version, but still pink on pink shirt and shorts and bob).

Dora wants to take on the world with just her map and backpack but encounters the real world when she stays with relatives in LA and has to navigate the wilds of high school for the first time. However, the adventure soon pulls her back to the jungle as she searches for her parents.

I thought it was enjoyable, even as an adult watching without children. Snags along the road keep it moving but the story does feel long overall....probably because of the different location changes between city and jungle that created big separated chunks.

Unlike The Hollywood Reporter review for this, I don't lament that the movie wasn't sexual or violent enough (yes that's a sincere gripe for them, look it up)

With that ugliness dealt with, let me say that I enjoyed the film much more than I thought i would. It's respectful to the source material while updating and tweaking it just enough with a fish out of water tale that it's completely endearing. Just a fun kids adventure film.

This was surprisingly good. It's a solid kids adventure movie with a few joking references to the show. Some of those jokes were the best parts of the movie. It's funny and silly seeing Boots and Swiper interacting with real people. Isabela Moner was really great and carried a lot of the movie with her charisma. Not something you have to see but if you are familiar with the show you might have a good time with this.

Trakt Community overrated the movie.

A great man once said, "It's a no for me".

On a serious note, why is Simon Cowell in a Scooby-Doo movie? I thought early 2000 references died years ago.

The only redeeming quality in the movie is Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly, but that's really it.

Every decision the film makers made for this movie was the absolute worst. The animation was bad and at times looks unpolished. How this new version handles the characters such as the old gang was painfully insulting. The Scooby gang are separated for a massive portion of the movie and we instead focus on this superhero-like story line, because superhero movies are popular right now. The voice acting was pretty terrible and how the movie applies modern technology into the story was straight up embarrassing.

It's a factory-made movie produced by a bunch of old boomers that try so hard to be hip for the modern youth, but it will age like sour milk.

I thought we would get a Scoob movie in the same vein as 'The Peanuts Movie' back in 2015. I guess not.

I wish more musicals would get released like this after their runtime in theaters for people like me who have no way to see them live.

if you've ever wanted to see scarlett johansonn choke on a cake then this is the film for you

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.