If you’re going to make a vampire film in this day and age you better be confident that is going to stick out from the huge crowd of vampire films that proliferate cinemas, DVD and Blu Ray players and streaming devices around the world. It is endemic and you must make a good and interesting film. There is no doubt that Ana Lily Amirpour has done this, which in itself is a major achievement. Particularly with considering that this is a black and white, Iranian vampire film, spoken mainly in Farsi and filmed entirely in California which doubles well for Iran, as far as I can tell anyway.
Let the Right One In and Byzantium in recent years have risen above the crowd of blood-suckers and overall as a film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night joins this small group.
Dialogue is sparse and the viewer is not lead by the nose through the storyline and there is little in the way of in your face action sequences and little to no gore. Instead the film focuses on the characters and their place in the decaying and dying city, Bad City.
The black and white cinematography is superb and suits the film and story perfectly, giving the setting and characters a sense of otherworldliness. Clever locations and shooting means the film could have been set anywhere in the world.
The acting throughout is good and even the weaker dramatic moments hold up. Shelia Vand superbly plays ‘Girl’ swinging from both rather scary, to terrifying, to vulnerable and lovely in the space of minutes. Dominic Rains drug dealer is the biggest monster in the film and plays his role just on the right side of scenery chewing, Arash Marandi is truly believable as Arash, a nice boy but a nice boy who would do anything to help his hopeless father, if that means breaking the law so-be-it. We even have the Spaghetti Western stable of the little boy in the town who sees what is going on stoically and is indeed he, played by Milad Eghbali, who plays in the best and scariest scene in the film, a scene that the gore-hounds of Hollywood really need to watch. How to be scary with no-blood, slashed flesh or death. Fantastic stuff.
The film is certainly not perfect and flawless though. At times it seems to be playing up to its influences. Trying too hard to be a Jim Jarmusch sibling. too hard to be mysterious and cool but despite this and the fact that some judicial editing could have shortened some of the less than interesting longer moments and tightened the whole package up this film is as good as most film goers have been saying.
Certain sections of the public are never going to like this but they again they are never going to watch a black and white film, subtitled from Farsi to start off with, even when the word ‘vampire movie’ is dropped in the mix.
Despite some reservations there more than enough in this film to make looking out for all of the main participations next projects a worthwhile endeavour. If they can produce more stories that mean I see something different and something that makes me think whilst being entertained, then lets us hope that I don’t have to wait too long.
Anyway if your contribution to the cinematic world is a skateboarding Iranian vampire then you need to make more films.
Superbad wasn't super bad but for me it wasn't super awesome has I thought it would be. It's definitely a very good and smart teenage film, entertaining and funny but not as funny as I thought. It has it's moments.
Jonah Hill and Michael Cera always make me laugh a lot in every film I see with both of them but in this film the times that they made me laugh were very few. The absolutely hilarious parts of the film were the ones involving McLovin and those irresponsible cops Officer Slater and Officer Michaels. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader were so so good! I couldn't stop laughing with those three. Their scenes are the best thing of the film.
Despite the whole unrealistic situations the film knew how to manage them well, but some of the aspects about puberty comedies were just more of the same that we are already used to see in films of this genre.
Overall, I had a great time watching it. I thought that I would give it five stars but I have to stick just with four, which is a pretty good note for a good comedy with an heartwarming touch like this one.
"If my best friend hides his farts from me then what else is he hiding from me, and why does that make me feel so alone?"
Honestly, I am just glad a movie like Swiss Army Man exists.
Coming from the directors of the "Turn Down for What" music video comes one of the weirdest films I have ever seen in my entire life. The film opens with Hank (Dano), attempting to hang himself on a stranded island, but instead ens up finding Manny's (Radcliffe) deceased corpse wash ashore. After this, Hank discovers Manny is not only just alive, but he has an array of unexplained supernatural abilities, including an "erection compass" (I shit you not), extreme flatulence, super human strength, and even more.
The film's premise is so bizarre, but it constantly manages to be relatable, no matter how crazy the movie continues to get. The film feels rewarding as you watch it, and not just based on a gimmick to show a bunch of dumb stuff happen on screen for 90 minutes. The film has an apparent purpose, and thats what makes it stand out; Beneath all the insanity, it has a lot of heart.
The cinematography is beautiful, and coupled with the score, there are many scenes in this movie which are absolutely serene
Its well acted, its genuinely hilarious, and it really will make you think at times - which was a pleasant surprise, to be honest. My only gripe with the film is that the third act (the last twenty minutes to be specific) drags on too long and the momentum is somewhat lost by the time the credits roll by.
All in all, Swiss Army Man is an extremely enjoyable film, and one that truly is memorable, especially in a time when we're constantly being plagued by sequels and unnecessary reboots.
This movie is exactly as good as you think it will be.
Remember how you were wondering how they could pull off such an ambitious movie like the Avengers and then they did some how? Well that, but again, and it is still excellent.
(this review gets a little into details, but nothing really spoilery)
When Tony Stark, a man who thinks he is justified to do anything in the name of protection shockingly goes too far and creates Ultron, a murder bot who loves murder. Ultron, who is basically evil Tony, is very quippy. But this being a Whedon flick, everyone seems really quippy (don't worry, it's not as annoying as that sounds).
One of the best things about this movie is the destruction that you see happening in the action scenes. Something about the other Marvel movies never really made the people seem in danger when everything was exploding, but there are people everywhere in these scenes, screaming in horror as the super people punch the murder robots. Many innocent bystanders die in this one. Easy. Some of the other movies just seem too "clean", no sense of danger.
I also really liked the characters in this one. The other Marvel movies always seem like maybe one or two supporting characters from the other movies show up, but this movie has so many people in it. All your favourites!
Also, it had a really great "adventure continues" vibe. This movie starts with Avengers action and ends with Avengers action. There is no more "how they came together" or "this changes the very foundation of the universe". It was an awesome addition to what is now a serial story. More of this and less of origin stories!
So in conclusion, check out this sweet indie Whedon film, you might not have heard of it but it's pretty cool.
The saga continues. After a false fresh start, it’s Roger Moore’s turn to step into Bond’s shoes with Live and Let Die.
007 is tasked with solving the mystery of three murders across the globe, all MI6 agents. As ever this takes him all over the world and he meets bad guys, women, shoots guns etc etc. This is the eighth film in the series and we’ve learned by now that it’s not about what he does, it’s about how he does it.
Despite being superficially the same as the others, this is a genuine change of direction for the franchise. The camp tone that was so irritating in Diamonds are Forever actually works in Moore’s hands.
He’s the definition of nonchalant. While Connery was always ready, clenched fist and hand on gun, Moore gets out of danger with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. It sounds silly but he’s so good at it one can’t help but be charmed.
The other changes they make are more hit and miss. There’s no crazy villain trying to take over the world, just a gangster running a drug business. However, even with the apparent simplicity of the story it still manages to be overly convoluted.
Trying to ‘get real’ hurts the film too. The villains simply aren’t that threatening. Not that everyone should be Dr. No but it’s hard to imagine why they send Bond on a errand that frankly should be a matter for the local police.
The producers also clearly attempted a shameless cash grab by imitating the then popular Blaxploitation theme. Bondsploitation. It can be fun to watch at times for the fish-out-of-water value but mostly it makes the film feel too much of its time. No one really wants to see Bond tackling the ‘issues’.
There’s a lot of good though. Jane Seymour stands out as the ‘Bond girl’. She’s only 20 years old here and it really shows. She manages to lend a genuine vulnerable air to the role without hamming it up. However, it is slightly unsettling to watch Bond shamelessly try to screw a teenager using some rigged tarot cards. He’s only one step away from slipping a pill into her drink…
Also good is the theme tune. It’s the first break from a big band style song and it’s a true classic. McCartney still plays it live on stage.
There are some very slick action sequences in Live and Let Die. It’s a shame they are often swamped by really boring ones or just wind up being overly long and losing our interest.
The boat chase is the best example of this. It feels like it’s never going to end, we don’t really know why there even is a boat chase, never mind where it’s actually supposed to be happening (the Bayou I presume?). A shame, because it is punctuated by moments of true greatness. One of the boat jumps broke a Guinness world record. It’s ambitious footage spoiled by a very poor edit.
Live and Let Die has not aged well. It’s confusing and keeps trying to bring race into the plot for no reason. However, one can’t help but enjoy Moore’s performance and if this film does anything, it makes us want to see where he goes with the character.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/06/05/liveandletdie/
By no means the terrible film that many critics suggest, this is a rather generic action film, that was unfortunately hugely spoiled by the marketing, but is still a lot of fun. The plot as a standalone film makes little sense and ties itself into knots trying to explain a timeline that was already confused enough. Perhaps future films may explain some of the key questions raised, but ultimately the story shown here should work on its own, especially given the nature of the central villain and his importance to the overall story arc of all the Terminator films. Indeed, there is an interesting core concept created here in the identify of the central villain of the film, but the potential is largely wasted after the reveal in favour of a slight variation of the T-1000. That said, there is certainly a lot of fun in seeing elements of the timeline only hinted at in previous films as well as the recreation of various scenarios from the original film. The action sequences are all largely well done, apart from a terrible helicopter chase near the end of the film. Surprisingly, given his 12 year absence, the best part of the film is seeing Schwarzenegger in his signature role and it his relationship with Clarke's Connor that form the strongest character moments, despite treading similar ground covered in Terminator 2. Whilst Emilia Clarke does pretty well as Sarah Connor, Jai Courtney unfortunately is no Michael Biehn and his rather bland take on Kyle Reese makes it difficult to care about such a key character. Whether there will be any future films to take this story forward is uncertain - the biggest failing of all the Terminator sequels after Cameron's films is their efforts to continue a storyline that was essentially completed at the end of Terminator 2. But this film is a step up from the previous two sequels and there are hints that future films may explore other elements that don't simply rely on the Terminator as protector/killer.
James Bond number 5! No one can stop us now!
An American space shuttle gets swallowed by a mysterious other space thing. Tensions rise between the US and the USSR. Bond is sent to Japan to follow a lead and investigate further.
Oddly enough I reviewed this just over a year ago. It’s worth a read since I will be trying not to repeat myself here.
This was supposed to be Connery’s last film as Bond. He was allegedly tiring of the role and it shows. Not a surprise that he didn’t return for the next film.
In fact, everything about You Only Live Twice indicates that the franchise is beginning to show signs of fatigue. Yes, it’s a ‘bigger’ film but it pushes the boundaries of plausibility too far. There are so many gadgets and crazy things happening. It feels stupid rather than cool or entertaining.
Roald Dahl penned the script and was unable to base it on the book, because the book doesn’t actually contain much material! Instead, panicking about what to do, he wrote what can only be described as a Dr. No remake. The problem is, Dr. No wasn’t that long ago.
Ironically enough the film starts with MI6 faking Bond’s death so that he can fool SPECTRE, yet this doesn’t affect the plot at all. The worst we get is mild surprise from SPECTRE; hardly enough to warrant naming the whole thing You Only Live Twice.
There are a few memorable elements to the film though, notably the appearance of ‘Little Nellie’, Bond’s tiny gyrocopter he uses to recon the volcano. It’s also the first time we see SPECTRE-chief Blofeld, but this is a bit of a wasted opportunity as it turns out to be an anti-climax. I’m not sure it was a good idea ever showing his face.
The set design, although again reminiscent of Dr. No, is big and brash. Apparently the hollowed out volcano set at Pinewood could be seen for miles around. It’s also a little flimsy and lacking in depth. Looks great from afar, but when we get closer things are wobbly and bit rough around the edges. Some of the vehicles are clearly just painted tractors.
You Only Live Twice shows us that Bond films require a surprising amount of talent and care to do well. It tries to fly on a big budget and lots of explosions, yet ultimately fails to make an impact.
From my site http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/05/16/youonlylivetwice.html
The main reason why I wanted to watch this was Kevin Spacey's name involved. I really like him, I think he is a fantastic actor and once again it was impossible not to like his performance in this film. Unfortunately Shrink was not as good as I imagined it to be.
The story is centered in the world of cinema. Hollywood is the land of dreams for the ones who want to be someone in that magical cinematic world. Dr. Carter is a celebrity shrink but he is dealing with some psychological problems too. He starts to loose his abilities to help others because he became a drug addict due to a tragedy in his life.
We follow a lot of different stories from patients that go see Dr. Carter and also stories of some people that are not his patients but have something to do with them. All are kind of connected even without knowing why. As the film develops we start to understand why they are connected but this was not done at the best possible way. There are a lot of messy things, things that are not explained the way it should be. A lot of questions are left in the air and I would like to have understood more aspects of the life some characters. At times the pace might not be the best.
At the end of the film we feel that the characters had some closure with their problems but it was not enough. We spent the whole film trying to figure it out some questions and that not helped to create a feeling for them. I think it was not engaging to the point that we really care about all of them.
The acting was good from all the cast, being Kevin Spacey's performance my favorite. He delivered a very strong performance and we can really feel his pain and struggle. In my opinion he was the best thing of the film.
I think Shrink had all of the elements to be a great drama but unfortunately things didn't go so well.
