Barbenheimer: Part 1 of 2
This is the kind of film I really don’t want to criticize, because we don’t get nearly enough other stuff like it. However, mr. Nolan has been in need of an intervention for a while now, and unfortunately all of the issues that have been plaguing his films since The Dark Knight Rises show up to some degree here. Visually it might just be his best film, and there’s some tremendous acting in here, particularly by Murphy and RDJ. However, it makes the common biopic mistake of treating its subject matter like a Wikipedia entry, thereby not focussing enough on character and perspective. As a whole, the film feels more like a long extended montage, I don’t think there are many scenes that go on for longer than 60 seconds. There’s a strong ‘and then this happened, and then this happened’ feel to it, which definitely keeps up the pace, but it refuses to stop and let an emotion or idea simmer for a while. There are moments where you get a look into Oppenheimer’s mind, but because the film wants to cover too much ground, it’s (like everything else) reduced to quick snippets. It’s the kind of approach that’d work for a 6 hour long miniseries where you can spend more time with the characters, not for a 3 hour film. I can already tell that I won’t retain much from this, in fact a lot of it is starting to blur together in my mind. There are also issues with some of the dialogue and exposition, such as moments where characters who are experts in their field talk in a way that feels dumbed down for the audience, or just straight up inauthentic. Einstein is given a couple of cheesy lines, college professors and students interact in a way that would never happen, Oppenheimer gives a lecture in what’s (according to the movie) supposed to be Dutch when it’s really German; you have to be way more careful with that when you’re making a serious drama. Finally, there are once again major issues with the sound mixing. I actually really loved the score, but occasionally it’s blaring at such a volume where it drowns out important dialogue in the mix. I’m lucky enough to have subtitles, but Nolan desperately needs to get his ears checked, or maybe he should’ve asked some advice from Benny Safdie since he’s pretty great with experimental sound mixing. My overall feelings are almost identical to the ones I had regarding Tenet; Nolan needs to rethink his approach to writing, editing and mixing. This film as a whole doesn’t work, but there are still more than a few admirable qualities to it.
Edit: I rewatched this at home to see whether my feeling would change. I still stand by what I wrote in July, though the sound mix seems to have been improved for the home media release. It sounds more balanced and I didn’t miss one line of dialogue this time around. I’m slightly raising my score because of that, but besides that I still think it’s unfocused, overedited, awkwardly staged and scripted etc.
5.5/10
The fact that the main stream media is telling you not to watch this movie tells you everything you need to know — it's a must watch for everyone!
Not sure what other people were expecting... I thought it was the perfect blend of humor, action, gore and even some heart.
At 93 minutes, it was a lot of fun and didn't drag at all.
"I do worry sometimes I might just be entertaining myself while staving off the inevitable."
The Banshees of Inisherin is one of the saddest breakup movies since Marriage Story. Well...in the film, they are not a romantic couple, but Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) were good friends, until one day their friendship ends abruptly, just because Colm decides that despite there being no bad blood between them, he does not like him anymore. The reason is: you are dull. In some ways, friendships are like relationships; it starts with the strong bonds you form with each other until that feeling towards them is not the same, and you no longer like/love them anymore.
I mean, everything was fine yesterday.
A strange occurrence that is not explainable but does happen. I believe it starts when one person changes while the other doesn’t. In the movie, Colm is a wise and articulated older man with an artistic ambition that he never acted on and never stopped to think about getting older. Living on a small remote island off the west coast of Ireland, where everybody is freaking boring and gossiping little bitches who love to stick their noses in other people's business and drama, because there is nothing else to do on the island. The movie does a fantastic job of giving you the impression that living on this rock slowly kills you on the inside. While being a supporting character, this is the dilemma with Colm. He does the same thing every day with his ex-friend, going to the pub at two pm and talking endlessly about meaningless crap and nonsense, and who knows what else happens the rest of the day, which is not that interesting, I assume.
The end of their friendship is hard to watch because it leaves the audience with everlasting pain. Brendan Gleeson is remarkable as the desperate and often cold Colm.
Despite what film Twitter tries to tell you, Martin McDonagh has yet to make a bad movie. In the same vein as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, whenever McDonagh makes a new movie, I am 100% there. Every movie this guy has made has been brilliant, and Banshees is no different. A dark comedy at its finest cause you know when things go so wrong to the point it gets funny. Well, Martin McDonagh's movies are like that.
The writing is superb and has plenty of dry humour. The film-making is not anything grand or flashy; some comment on how stagy it is, but I do not feel it needs to be a technical marvel. With that said, there are some beautiful shots of the landscape of Ireland.
Comparing his work in The Batman early this year and this movie proves that Colin Farrell is one of the finest working actors. His character Pádraic Súilleabháin is a dim-minded, polite man who, unlike Colm, has found peace and happiness in his daily life. Farrell brings a child-like vulnerability to the character, where everything he does or says can be funny and depressing. His character arc is incredibly heart-rending.
Pádraic sister, played by Kerry Cordon, another standout performance, and some of her line delivery has implanted itself in my head. Her character Siobhan is trying to find the ultimate purpose in her life, echoing the problems that Colm is facing, which the two get along like a house on fire.
Barry Keoghan plays Dominic, and out of all the characters in the story, he lives the worst life under his abusive father. Keoghan continues to be an excellent actor who is on a winning streak. The character of Dominic is a playful and childish man, but the tragedy of the character is that he is lost in this life and has nowhere to call home, often appearing at the most random of places during odd times.
The score from Carter Burwell immerses you in this story and contributes to the stunning visuals.
Overall rating: On paper, a simple concept of a friendship breaking up, but its approach to mental illness, kindness, art, masculinity, and our inevitable death was strikingly profound. At times, it felt like Shakespeare mixed with the Brothers Grim tale.
It is one of the best movies of 2022.
It's an objectively well made and well acted movie that I really enjoyed. The plot is well structured, fast paced, and dialog well written.
It has the moral imperative to end sex trafficking but it's not through heavy handed guilt tripping, but through telling a true story about a man who made personal sacrifices to do the right thing and courageously go into danger to be a genuine hero. I think anyone who has any sense of altruism will leave this movie inspired to take action against this truly heinous evil that is real and happening now. Go see this movie.
Justin Long using the rape dungeon as an opportunity to boost his listing square footage is the most realistic portrayal of an AirBnB host I’ve ever seen.
will poulter's character is probably the best mentor marcus could have. he's so calm, patient and open. I'm curious to see the growth that the Copenhagen trip will bring to Marcus (in his culinary skills and in general).
Horrifying that this is actually happening in the world. And mind boggling that more people are affected by slavery now than when it was legal.
It also sickens me that they had to battle for 5 years for this film to be shown.
will poulter, the man you are
Walton Goggins has played some interesting characters in the past, but The Ghoul is iconic.
For the first two thirds, "Triangle of Sadness" is a really strong, funny, but also bitter satire. Director Ruben Östlund targets the world of the rich and beautiful and relies heavily on black humor. The cast is strong across the board. In particular, the long discussions between the main characters Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (the recently deceased Charlbi Dean) were always fascinating. The film is by no means subtle. Bodily fluids play a significant role in a crucial sequence.
What I didn't like was the film's final third, which dragged on far too long. The film is at least 20 minutes too long. The finale was neither surprising nor particularly exciting. Östlund most likely wanted to demonstrate what happens when the previously established hierarchy is turned upside down. That was unnecessary, especially at that length. Overall, I would still give the movie a clear recommendation.
Sisu feels like John Wick trying hard to be a Tarantino film. It ends up better than Wick but falls very short of Tarantino. If the impossible survivalism took two steps closer to realism, this movie would've landed higher for me.
The cinematography is great and dancing all looked fantastic. The score was amazing. The editing and sound design were great. It does a good job of creeping you out. A slow burn until the bat shit crazy third act. I need to see it again to even try and begin to understand what happened but I think I loved it.
Unexpectedly theatrical and with substance - like gothic thrilling vice laden modern Shakespeare. This is a film about consumption, the weakness and naivety of arrogance, and a complex first love emotion rolling obsession/jealousy/narcissism into one driving force.
There are three acts for me: Oxford, Saltburn, & madness.
The first act didn't work for me till the second act kicked in. I was worried about a overly-parody-fied and caricatured script. Whilst I recognised the feelings and experiences of Oliver at Oxford, the people were too larger than life and the early laughs didn't land properly for me. Laughing at silly posh young people or uber geeks just wasn't my thing. Some of the cruelty and snobbery played out well though.
The second act puts the first into perspective. The first act which shows an alienated and floundering Oliver gain acceptance from a dislikeable group through the actually sane, kind-ish and likeable Felix sets up for the second act. More unlikeable rich people consuming each other and tossing people away like toys. But Oliver has Felix now and has picked up skills in getting things his way, seduction and sweet talking. But the acting from everyone at Saltburn estate is spot on - I properly laughed at Rosamund pikes and Richard e grants moments. Even though they are all spoilt, sheltered, unwittingly arrogant and judgemental - these characters you like, you see their vulnerabilities and insecurities - you have fun when they have fun.
Things start looking beautiful in the second act. Sometimes distractingly so. The light play, framing, and camera work are stunning. You feel you are in the throws of first love in the best summer of your life. Sometimes this was at odds with the drama or tension in the story.
Final act madness. The sympathy built up for the family now leads into the thrilling dramatic unwinding. The consumers become the consumed. Arrogance and haughty ideas of invincibility led to weakness and fractures.
This isn't an overly cohesive film for me, but I think that's intentional as mis direction. Clues for the real story are laid throughout and I had guessed the ending about two thirds of the way in. I really enjoyed the moments of summer headiness, where everyone is enjoying each other's company. Sometimes the inter-character drama and tensions were too much for me - almost descending into reality tv pettiness. I think thats intentional to show the unsympathetic side of the upper class and olivers push back - I just don't think it needed so much.
The pacing and focus was a little off for me at times. The film was full of symbolism and clever lines but it almost felt too full sometimes. Like vacillating rapidly between moods. There was a moment where I was full of tears at portrayal of grief when others were laughing - very interesting but it left me feeling a bit all Over the place. But excited!
The score and the setting and sterling acting efforts lift the film up into a grand feeling vision. I was a little disappointed that the tone of the trailers wasn't present in the film at all (bloc party song teaser trailer was amazing) . But the score takes this to a different place - British, establishment, old money, young love, hubris and longing - great score.
The film is exciting and there are unexpected moments and some brave choices too. I enjoyed watching this a lot and am excited for more films. There's a lot to enjoy here. Barry keoghans metamorphosis through the film is really really thrilling. Reliving 2006 is fun too - wish just a bit more was done with the music and feeling of that time. Some duff moments for me too so a 7.
Recommend
The acting. I need to start at the acting before anything. Every single person on that screen was every inch of believable. Even that dog, the dog, amazed me with its acting skills.
Next up is the cinematography, it was filmed almost like a documentary and I think that's what makes this different from most movies for sure. I loved feeling like these characters were real.
The story and the dialogue are both top-notch, and the ending is very controversial, I'd say. Also, the soundtrack is both soothing and chaotic. I love it.
The only reason I'm not giving it a higher level is because I didn't feel connected enough to any of the characters to care enough. The case itself is interesting, but the answers are too thin.
Adored this movie. Solid performances, amazing screenplay, and McDonagh’s most gorgeous looking film to date. All of the actors were fantastic in this. This has to be my favorite film of the year.
One of my favorite moments of the film was Siobhan correcting Colm about Mozart. It shows that Colm was not as smart as he appeared to be, and cracked open his wise old man facade. He was being truthful to about his reasons for tanking the friendship, but his methods for doing so are still bullshit. He is wise, but also bitter and stubborn, and that so he thinks that the key to breaking his monotony is by suffering.
Colm resents Pádraic for being content with his simple life and not being concerned with having a legacy or being remembered beyond those he cares about in life. Colm, due to his frustration with his own existence, concludes that the only reason Pádraic is so content and untroubled is because he is dull and stupid.
Ironically I think Pádraic is actually Colm's muse, after each encounter with an impassioned Pádraic Colm seems to progress with his work on his magnum opus 'The Banshees of Inisherin'.
Moral of the story, in my opinion, is that men create meaningless conflict for contrived reasons and that leads to innocents being hurt (kind of like a civil war).
7 hours of Guy Ritchie and a bunch of crazy british gangsters. What more could you want?
I seem to be one of the few that actually really enjoyed it. Some people are saying that it's too vague and messy with different SFF tropes being mashed together, but for me, it gave the exact kind of vibe that I get from the 40k Universe, which is wildly popular. I don't really get the hate, but maybe it's from a wider crowd that isn't a fan of 40k. shrugs
The forgettable younger sister of Black Swan. A bland Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton playing type, and one good performance by Mia Goth. The score and the choreography are more than solid, the cinematography is alright. The rest of the film is not even worth talking about: trash.
Showing the studio set at the end and beginning was not necessary.
If you read this comment, it means you liked the series too. It ended leaving many questions in my mind. I'm glad the cowboy and the girl got together and her dad was a jerk. As always, as every good thing has an end, we have come to the end of this beautiful thing. Who will wait for the second season now? It's an excellent series, I've played and watched more or less the game. The acting, the environment, the effects, everything was good. Your efforts are like health and medicine.:blush:
This movie is already good on its own, but it becomes 10x better when you know what Patel went through to get it made.
The movie has already cemented itself as a classic of the vengeance subgenre, with echoes of Woo and Park Chan-wook, while bursting with enough originality for it to avoid feeling like a carbon copy.
It's a primal yell of a directorial debut from Dev Patel, already an underrated actor, who uses his unique experiences with religion and his own Indian heritage to bring the story of the film to life.
You can smell the blood and sweat wafting through the screen
I really gotta eat my words on this one. I talked so much shit about how it was gonna be terrible. On and on I went, with reason after reason. "The runtime!" "The color palette!" "The lead actress!" Blah blah blah. Stellar. I was so tense for so much of this thing. Absolutely amazing!!!!
Unlike the other review I actually watched it and understood it, and enjoyed it. Very different and something new, in a good way. Look forward to more.
Edit: After watching the whole season wow, just wow,. Haven't enjoyed a show so much in a long time. Hope to see a season 2.
Potential is what people see when what's in front of them isn't good enough.
"It is an absolute blast. Not only is it a cleverly written dark satire, but it also delves into emotional themes of self-discovery and acceptance that complement the satire in a satisfying manner.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the scene where they are picking the winner and what one group of voters says to the other... It was the perfect way to get the point of the whole movie.
I like the story but the camera work, especially the zooming, is annoying and poorly done.
This movie is a comedic masterpiece of nonsensical action, and the numerous plot holes and questionable choices disrupt the overall experience.
Expected it to be a WWII flick where some dude goes all John Wick on the Nazis, but it ends up looking like a parody of Rambo.
God damn. Alan Ritchson’s abs have abs.
I really liked The Ghoul’s and the little brother’s vault story coming to an epic shared conclusion. Lucy and Maximus had a really boring journey throughout, and never really seemed to grow as characters, Maximus is still a dumbass and Lucy is still clueless and gullible.
By squashing together two thematically juxtaposed storylines, American Fiction drives home its point about America's derivative, stereotypical and one dimensional take on race. Traditional media likes to pander, simplify and stereotype black lives, instead of just telling the breadth of variety to the black experience from each unique viewpoint. By showing both a satire of this oversimplification through Monks success, and giving us a window into Monks personal life full of family issues, relationship struggles and financial woes, we're given a running dialogue that equally critiques the current status quo while also showing the truth of a unique, valid black experience. For something with such a lofty message, American Fiction is very easy viewing; equal parts emotional, humourous and punctuated with a buttery smooth soundtrack, you'll be hard pressed to not finish this one if you start. Does its inclusion in the Oscar race play right into the very problem it's satirising though? That's another debate for another time.
