They did the God Emperor ending hahahahahahaha I was fucking right the entire time. Suck my omniscient cock. In case you are unfamiliar, there is a book series called "Dune" that George RR Martin is a huge fan of. In the later books the main character is Leto Atreides II and Bran's story very much mirrors his own. They're born into noble families, are forced to journey out at a very young age because of the politics around them, they both have a sort of transformation that happens to them that makes them lose their humanity but grants them certain power, etc. Long story short, he is essentially this omniscient being that ascends to being "God Emperor of Dune" and his main purpose is to teach the human race not to rely on political systems and higher echelons of society to determine their fate. Now put this into the context of Game of Thrones, both in the show and in the book the first true point where we see an injustice happen to protect the power structure is Bran being thrown out of the Window and crippled, then throughout the rest of the story we see this boy who should be dead become the most powerful living being in the world, capable of taking control of even other humans. Now to have this first victim of politicking to be the savior against those very schemes is hugely symbolic, especially because he can force people to do what he wants but chooses not to. As Tyrion says he has an incredible story (which may be referencing the fact George took much of it from another book) and his position essentially "Breaks the Wheel".
Now that I have that out of the way.
Pros
+The aftermath of the battle was AMAZINGLY shot, one of the best sequences in all of GOT if not THE best
+Tyrion and Jon's conversation was great
+Dany's final scene was amazing and I love that Drogon melted the throne as if saying "If she can't have it no one can" and simultaneously symbolizing the end for the rat race for who would claim it (although the way he took off with her body was a little weird)
+The meeting of the lords was well done for the most part, particularly with Tyrion's proposal
+ending sequence regarding the different paths of the remaining "Starks" where each seemed to perfectly fit all of them
+Brienne's entry into the Book of the Kingsguard regarding Jaime
Neutral
*I actually loved the pace of this last season but the assassination of Dany did happen REALLY fast. I'm not sure if that was a bad thing though. I think I just expected Jon to go along with her for a little bit longer
Cons
-Grey Worm was annoying. They could have done a better job with his writing
-Not gonna lie, I enjoyed a lot of the scenes but they could've been shorter and spent more time on the assassination of Dany and/or immediate implications of it whereas they chose to skip ahead a bit after that
Not gonna lie, I have had my ups and downs with the show. I have seen them leave out the most important scene in the entire book with the House of the Undying, I've seen Dany be a merciless power hungry bitch and have the fans cheer her and then her continue to do so and fans claim it's inconsistent writing, I've seen the poetic beauty of the Hold the Door scene and the hack job that somehow decided that Littlefinger marrying Sansa to Ramsay made any sense, but I must say... This season has saved the show. Them retroactively making Dany's idiotic writing make sense because it turns out she was fucking crazy, saved that character. Having Jon fulfill the Azhor Ahai prophecy by stabbing his lover through her heart and seeing Kit Harrington grow into the role and turn into a great actor after being very weak at the start was amazing. Seeing Arya finally put the assassin skills to the test with the Night King, Sansa becoming Queen of the North, Davos keeping everyone straight on the moral path, Tyrion becoming hand, the Cleganebowl, all of it.... It was unexpected how good this season was.
Pros
+Acting all around. I am not a huge fan of Cillian Murphy but he delivered big time, Downey Jr of course did his thing, Damon was great, Safdie was the surprise hit imo, Florence didn't even have much screen time and she made a big impression, Blunt was good (her character is a terrible bitch but she filled the role well). And these are only a fraction of the main cast, but then every other scene has a major actor filling in a minor role, with of course Gary Oldman's Truman being the most notable.
+Sound design was phenomenal with the train going off it's tracks as both a fitting metaphor and a believable match for so many different scenes/sounds
+cinematography was excellent, the way it tied the sound with the events being a highlight as well as the visions where the moral self analysis of Oppenheimer was substituting reality with his mental state (the naked section of the interrogation, skin peeling off a cheering crowd, the missiles flying past his car). The visuals at the beginning are also wonderful, the moving electrons Oppenheimer visualizes to make his theories make sense were gorgeous. Lighting was great as well
+This movie nailed the tension maybe better than any other movie I've seen. This was something that made me concerned before watching because 3+ hours seems too long to maintain tension while also creating interesting events surrounding a science project in the desert but the early life, days as a professor, start of the Manhattan project, and the finale all bleed into each other incredibly well while mostly using metaphor and recurring themes to convey how Oppenheimer views his responsibilities, how others react to them out of his control, etc. in a way that makes a movie about the creation of a bomb complex but entirely worth every scene it contains. The bomb is NOT the only thing this movie is talking about and in my opinion that makes this so much more profound. Everything being interrupted by the "trials" of Oppenheimer and Strauss breaking down the complex questions for both the characters speaking and for the audience, both allowing anyone to be able to understand a very complex series of events but also using that time not to explain but to expand the characters and force them to address their actions which is the core of what this movie is about.
+It was never preachy, which is extremely hard for a movie about a highly political series of events. They address very interesting involvements Oppenheimer has with the Communist party but are sure to accurately portray them as more tangential than defining his beliefs and to address his continued work on a weapon he knew could destroy the world and the pride he takes in that work while also making it clear he is not a chud robot trying to blow up every enemy the US has. They had an excellent metaphor near the start where he explains how light is both a wave and a particle and it is contradictory but it still is the truth. People change their minds, you can associate with those without believing the same things as them, your work is not an encapsulation of your entire being, etc.
+Set/costume design was great, I'm not going to pretend like the 1930s/40s are the hardest era to replicate but they did their job
+Dialogue was above average but there were a number of weird bits
Neutral
*Kind of mis-portrayed Truman considering he literally almost ended his presidency to stop MacArthur from glassing China/Korea with nukes but the scene was fucking hilarious so it gets a pass lol
*You could put this in the negative section but it's more of an interpretation I have than necessarily a fault in the movie itself. The conversations this story had where phenomenal and they way they drove home the themes about the consequences of our actions is done in an exceptional way however one thing that rubbed me personally the wrong way was the entire time Oppenheimer (and his cunt wife) are continually placing the entire blame on him but that kind of goes against the story because he is just the catalyst and there are so many competing/cooperating forces that are determining the creation, use, and further development of the bomb. It feels like the last scene with Einstein is starting to get to this solution with all of these people praising him/Einstein to attempt to forgive themselves but the very end is just Wide eyed Cillian Murphy being like "Nah bro I set off a chain reaction that's going to destroy the world" so it works against itself. No of course you can interpret this multiple ways and maybe I'm reading this scene against its intention but it does really come off that way to me and with the friend I saw it with
*Midwit Nolan fans are going to bitch about this movie not being eventful because they can't appreciate an actually good film
Cons
-Smooth brains will think it's too long (this is not an actual criticism)
-Smooth brains also will not like that they don't show the use of the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (This is also not an actual criticism)
-The big twist in the trials is extremely predictable and almost everyone could see it coming from a mile away (The good thing is that it isn't really a major linchpin, at least in terms of you needing to be surprised for it to affect the viewing experience
-I think there is a fair argument against the use of black and white in the Strauss hearings. Yes, it kind of makes it look like a 1950s news story but it goes against the traditional psychology of film that says "Black and White=Older, Color=Newer" Since it is some of the last stuff to happen chronologically in the story
Pros
+Daenerys feeling betrayed and the talk with Jon about how she doesn't inspire love in the Seven Kingdoms so she has to resort to fear. fucking excellent dialogue.
+Jaime once again being chained to a pole and Tyrion returning the favor to him
+Cleganebowl was good, maybe not as amazing as it could've been but it was more that satisfying
+Euron fighting Jaime
+Stalemate in the city
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dany's fury Particularly from Jon and Arya's viewpoints, was amazing
+Acting was WAAAAAAAY stronger than normal
Neutral
*Varys' death was kinda fast but it had to be
*First part of the battle was fine, nice of the writers to take the heat seeking missiles off of the ballistae
*Not crazy about Jaime returning to save Cersei as a storyline but it does make sense
Cons
-Golden Company had no point
Fuck any of the brainlets who say Dany is acting against character. Remember that part about her being raised by her psychotic brother, or when she walked into a big ass fire expecting to die, or when she threatened to burn down Qarth moments after arriving there while her dragons were still babies, or when she just gave all of slavers bay to a mercenary because she broke up with him, or how she has a savior complex and resents anyone who doesn’t immediately accept her as queen, or how she’s gradually becoming less and less accepting of criticism while being more sure of her “destiny” to rule, or when she killed Sam's family instead of imprisoning/ransoming them or how she continues to try to bang her nephew. Yeah, this came out of nowhere though lmao. She's always had that edge, seems fair that watching her best friend get her head chopped off set her just over. This isn't to say she's completely crazy either, she very well could justify making an example of King's Landing in order to inspire fear in the rest of the Realm. Remember, just because a show doesn't do what you want it to do doesn't make it bad or not make sense.
The reviews on this episode are depressing.
"It was too political" says the people that try to bring politics into everything
"It wasn't sci-fi enough" says the people that watching it on that level
"There weren't enough twists" says the people who watch this show on a superficial level.
"It was brokeback mountain for tv" said the homophobic people
"They've covered some of this stuff before" says the people that think that every story has to not resemble any other story in any way.
"They wrapped it up too quickly" says the people who value the destination more than the journey (shoot me now)
I don't know what more people want from this series. The series is meant to discuss the human condition in our quickly-changing world. It is meant to provoke thought and conversation and make us think about where we are going and the challenges we will face. In that regard it very much reminded me of San Junipero - probably my favorite episode of the entire series. While not being as uplifting as that episode (which is irrelevant as I don't watch media to be uplifted) it was actually interesting that the leads in the show had actually found what seemed to be a balance where they could co-exist.
There were so many layers and things to think about - I can't believe that others didn't see it the same way. While so many of their episodes are cautionary tales I thought this did a fantastic job portraying the complexities that we are now starting to do deal with in our relationships.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies. I look high and low for good movies to watch.
Pros
+Effects looked great
+Action sequences were decent
+Outstanding costume design and visuals in general
+The moment with the surprise lightning was neat
+I like the general idea behind Ben Solo's redemption
+The acting was good enough
+Cone Head droid was BASED
Cons
------------- The main story line was absolutely moronic Even if we suspend the disbelief in that There's this massive sith fleet of planet destroying ships. Why the fuck are they waiting to do anything? They're literally just asking to be destroyed. Even if Sidious wants to wait for Rey to claim the throne he could have facilitated her arrival in so many ways. Waiting for Kylo Ren to provoke her into coming was awful, lazy writing
-There is almost no connection to any of the previous movies' plot line. It felt like they just decided that they should forget all of the build up done in the past two movies and said "Fuck it, we'll just do episode 6 again."
-Dumb revisionist bullshit with 0 actual explanation literally all they had to do to justify the Emperor was say that his force spirit possessed a clone he had. Him surviving his fall is just as idiotic as Darth Maul's resurrection. Sidious is an awesome villain but his inclusion doesn't strengthen this film, it just cheapens the others. The backtracking on the Last Jedi telling us Rey was just a normal person was absolute dog shit too. It was JJ completely caving into moronic fans who want the canon to match their fanfics. And then when push comes to shove.... THEY FUCKING GO BACK ON IT AND CLAIM IT WAS MEANINGLESS. Like bitch! You just unnecessarily brought it up and made the entire movie about this dumb shit, you clearly thought it mattered enough to write 90% of the dialogue about it
-They just copied episode 6 except woah get this!.... There is a whole fleet of OP megaweapons and they're all just waiting for the rebels to blow them up OMG! There's just a massive amount of "OH you've seen this before but now it's even stronger!" and it is just so uninspiring
-That backtracking on Chewy's death objectively made the movie worse considering Chewy did literally nothing in the movie anyway after that bit. It's just another example of this movie being completely sackless
-the spy gag did not hit and served no purpose
-The execution of all the subplots was really rushed, nothing they did had any weight to it until the final confrontation
-The last part is literally just Mass Effect 3's ending but with less weight because of the messy lead up
-The dialogue was kind of typical of Star Wars... which means bad... but it is what it is
-The world building was non-existent after that one festival bit. I want to know why it matters that the Sith fleet was destroyed. Are there not entire systems still loyal to the First Order? They give us nothing to go on. I mean even Episode 6 gave us little glimpses of other systems revolting after the destruction of the death star
It's sad that this is how the series will end, just trying to copy the earlier iterations with no respect for the new additions to the story or the backbone to defend decisions that were made that were good. Star Wars became huge and stayed huge because of the creativity. The fan response to the Last Jedi showed they couldn't try to be creative and tell the story in a unique way so they end up killing off the series with boredom. Rise of Skywalker isn't horrible but it is not worthy of being the big finale and it is easily the weakest in the series.
Since we can rate the whole bunch now here it goes
God Tier:
Last Jedi
Empire Strikes Back
Excellent Tier:
Revenge of the Sith
A New Hope
Good/Entertaining Tier:
Rogue One
Force Awakens
Attack of the Clones
Phantom Menace
Average Tier:
Return of the Jedi
Disappointing Tier:
Rise of Skywalker
Dog Shit Tier:
Solo
Heavy with style but lacking in substance. That's the sum of Peaky Blinders.
Peaky leans hard on slow motion shots and a modern punk/indie rock soundtrack that you'll either love or hate. I actually like the choice of music but how many times do we need to see someone walk past a fire breathing factory with a cigarette in hand and punk rock blaring in the background before some actual character development happens?
Cillian Murphy is excellent but aside from one or two other characters the rest of them are very one dimensional. You see all the faces in the background pic on this page? Less than half of those faces have any real narrative in the show. Because of this you are left with just a couple of prominent figures that tend to be overused
The story-lines are never all that compelling either unfortunately, style wins out here as well.
I thought the first season was decent and I was curious to see if they would improve for the second. When it was announced that Tom Hardy would be joining the cast I was pretty excited. Sadly his role isn't featured that much so his impact was minimal.
I see people trying to compare Peaky Blinders with Boardwalk Empire and I just don't see it, Boardwalk had compelling story-lines and an ensemble cast it actually used. Here's hoping season 3 will be different.
Audience reactions in 2022 are a mixed bag considering all the...stuff cough*fascism/racism/bigotry*cough going around, but it's been truly, truly hilarious to look at online reviews for The Rings of Power now that I've actually watched this episode. Opinions are fine and I am legitimately able to distinguish when people dislike something because of it's actual content versus when they're just dogwhistling something more sinister. This comes with some caveats, of course, but I do ultimately respect that there is some dissatisfaction due to the changing of lore within Tolkien's universe. For me, I view that as essentially a non-issue as Tolkien's lore is a) extremely old, b) probably a little outdated due to the social norms when it was written, and c) because the rights to The Silmarilion are ultimately not owned by the service who made the show because the Tolkien estate is bafflingly stingy with it therefore making it kind of hard to criticize a show that is legally unable to represent the universe accurately. So yeah, I understand why some superfans are upset, but as someone who has only read the first two Lord of the Rings books, read The Hobbit a handful of times, and watched the movies a bunch, I'm not sure I care enough to pan this series.
This first episode is absolutely stellar for someone who isn't steeped in Tolkien's lore. There is a massive sense of scale, adventure, and grandeur that feels like it's about to bust out of your television without warning. I was on the edge of my seat, mouth agape as what I was seeing. While ultimately I don't really want to compare this to House of the Dragon, I'll admit myself a passing glance: these two series are playing entirely separate ballgames. While House of the Dragon can be reduced to "more Game of Thrones" (and it isn't even stretch to say it, tbh), The Rings of Power is meticulously interested in showing you a different side of Tolkien's universe while still feeling indebted to what came before. Tonally and visually you'll feel the similarities, but they pass quickly. There's also something I find ultimately more respectable about choosing to make an adaptation of extraneous parts of The Lord of the Rings universe when at this point Jackson's trilogy is nearly twenty years old and The Hobbit came out nearly a decade ago. I'm ready to go back to Middle-Earth.
This pilot, WOW. Morfydd Clark? Killer performance.
This show went from something I wasn't even aware of to one of my favorites fast. And a lot of that is owed to the great cast.
I have to give a lot of credit to Daniel Brühl who, until now, never really convinced me in any of his roles. I don't know the books, therefore I have no idea how Kreizler is described, but he seems to be made for him. Equally convincing Luke Evans, of whom I'd seen a lot before, but I couldn't tell you one movie his was in. And, of course, Dakota Fanning. The trio had chemistry right from the start and they carry it throughout the show.
The story is a well concieved psycho thriller that isn't loud and flashy but tries to get to you with calmness and the right amount of brutality when nessessary. To tell the story and not to attract attention.
The costumes look great, so do the physical sets. Both help sell the era this is based in. Yes, you can identify the CGI but I can easily overlook that in a TV production. On the other hand it doesn't deflect from the plot.
The dialogue ist great, too. It is refreshing to see people in a civilized manner on screen and not yelling and cursing and using foul language like it seems to be chic today.
I have a very short attention span these days and this is one of very few shows I watch without doing something else. That a quality label from my point of view. Since there are more books I hope this will continue.
Fantastic characters, fantastic acting, beautiful cinematography and writing. This show is good. More than good.
At first I was hesitant about a vikings spinoff. The original was a great show and I couldn't see anyone doing it justice, but although this show is set in the same time period (100 years post) it's vastly different in terms of what is going on in the world. With increased travel and trade comes the challenge of religion and Christianity spreading through the north, existing tension with England require a delicate balance of political wit and acuity in battle, all of which make this an entirely different show from the original vikings.
This is of course not 100% factually accurate and they've taken some creative liberties with some of the content of the show but it's pure action-packed, thrilling entertainment. And I'm especially taken by Freydis being played by a Swedish actress. Hearing the accent in her voice lends an authenticity to her character that I didn't realize I missed in some of the other characters, especially when they're speaking Old Norse. Love to see someone who speaks a Scandinavian/North Germanic language in that role.
And anytime I get to see badass women kicking ass on screen you know I'm going to like it.
Lots of potential washed down the drain with shitty writing.
Pros
+Great visuals
+Above average Dialogue
+Great acting
+Lots of imagination in the execution of everything makes it really feel like a cool fairy tale
+the first hour and a half of the movie is fairly solid, not perfect but it is entertaining and undeniably cool
+the cumshot scene is fucking hilarious and even though it shouldn't be in the story, it will be the one thing people remember about this movie and it will be the entire focus of every conversation about it.
Cons
-The writing went off the rails after the first night he stayed in the castle the whole "fuck my wife and then fuck me" thing was an idiotic perversion of the actual tale. In the myth the whole awkward situation of the kisses and the garter is punished and justified in the final act. In this we get some bizarro shame based ending that made no sense in relation to the rest of the story. Instead of "Make sure to stay true to noble values and strive for perfection regardless of temptation/faults" it became "If you do some weird shit then you will feel bad about it for eternity and ruin your life so just die instead" absolutely baffling how they threw away the framework for a good story to make this trash ending
-They pronounced Gawain like Gawen for some dumb fucking reason. Super annoying
Ok, so far I have four 5 star films out of my first six in my blu ray collection. I guess I sort of buy movies I love. Maybe you should take most of what I own as my recommendation. This is one of the best war films ever made. It blows my mind how large scale and realistic the fight scenes are. Sometimes I can't understand how the actors were willing to be in such dangerous conditions, shots coming right at them, nearby explosions, etc.
But, most importantly there are two perfect things to point out. Acting is phenomenal by everyone. Obviously though, Brando and Martin Sheen are the peaks. Both know how to convey a lot in subtile ways. Robert Duvall plays a great dick lieutenant so well too. I love when he tells people how much he respects someone dying, and starts to give him water out of his canteen... until he's distracted by something he finds entertaining and just lets water fall.
The other perfection is the overall tone. It isn't just an action movie about the war. You see the way this stuff can effect soldiers. Some good things, a lot of bad, and others that just get depressing. It gets into your head and makes you really think about this all in a deep psychological way. Check it out for sure.
Side note: I watched the original version. I've seen Redux, but I think I prefer the original. Redux doesn't add bad scenes, but I feel like the movie works better at the more standard pace. Worth checking out both for sure, and I think either way this is a great film.
At least this one is entertaining. Despite the fact that it mainly warns us about the dangers of adolescent popstar live.
It's also very long to start. Its 1h10 could easily be packed into 45 minutes. The whole Rachel awkard teen's story and how she can so easily be influenced by a toy telling her to believe in herself is way too long. First as usual with this type of character, I have a very hard type believing that a girl that looks like her would be in this situation at school. And it's not like she's even useful in anything as a character. She's just a plot device. She wants the Ashley Too, and she wants to do what she says. That's it. She's such a huge fan and that's her whole character. OK, the fact that she says that when face to face with Ashley that is tied to her bed and just woke up from a coma a few seconds ago, that's funny. But she doesn't do a single thing. She's in a back fangirling while Jack drives. She does nothing while Ashley Too unplugs the real one and Jack is handling the bodyguard. She does nothing at the end while Jack is actually playing with her idol. Such a loooong exposition for a character that has nothing to do after. I mean it goes through all the cliches and then deliver nothing...
I'm not really in the Miley Cyrus demographic, never seen her, maybe heard one song, I mostly have seen her in tabloids stories. But wow, I found her very good. As the cheery popstar, as the depressed ex child star (but maybe they're not such composition roles) and very much as the robot voice. Through the whole beginning the only interesting parts were hers, and the real story starts at Ashley Too's awakening.
This second part was fun, though it looked more part of a teen show than a BM episode.
As for the tech part, it's a lot less dark than usual. There's basically no downside. Previous season had a way harsher treatment on the duplicating consciousness thing. That was a constant theme in last season, with very dramatic to horrific consequences, but here it's like they wanted to show, look, it can be fun too. Very not Black Mirrory.
However it's not like we're talking about every day technology as it is usually the case. Even in this world, the tech used seems to be revolutionary. And that makes no sense in the story. So the aunt, or her company, or people who work for her anyway, manages to map an entire mind, industrial scale, and they use it for... a pop star doll ? Also it was cheaper to have a miniature doll with the capacity of containing and running the whole thing and put a limiter on it, than to just map and put the tiny part you want to use ?
Then their holographic tech, that seems pretty good too. Though weird moment when Catherine is in front of the (probably mostly teenage fangirls) audience and does her Apple keynote, being happy to be back into the most lucrative part of the business. She actually says that. Not at a tech investor meeting, in front of the live audience. Also fully customizable (even her clothes!) and scalable, like that's not the easiest part of an hologram.
And then there's this machine that allows to decipher songs from the brain of a coma patient ! That's fucking amazing. The applications just for medecine, are unimaginable. And the other ways it could be exploited...
I can think of a thousand ways to make a shitload of money with that without needing to drug your niece into a coma ! They litterally invent technology worth hundreds of billions of dollars just to make a few millions out of a teenage pop star ! Pretty weird when the aunt's character is just presented as being driven by money.
And what's with the dad's machine ? It shows a brain, so I thought he was working on rat's brains, but he just has a small rat chasing robot ? And, without knowing anything (it's repeated enough), you can plug a toy, see it's brain and edit the limiter on it ? That was worse than any hacking scene in movie history, but maybe it was a joke on that ? Didn't feel like it.
Anyway, by far the best episode of the season, but that's not saying much. And still not a Black Mirror episode. I rate it 7 because it was entertaning, but if I was to rate it as if it was a BM episode, that would be lower.
A real BM episode would have gone over the spying part of the Ashley Too technology. A lot to do with that alone. And like I already said, all the brain mapping thing, there was a lot of ways to exploit that, though it was kinda alredy done in last season, there were still lots of possibilities.
Kinda liked the suggestion that if you're not kept under hallucinogenics drugs you would real music instead of pop :)
This movie is outstanding. Keep in mind when you go to see this that this is not a typical comic book movie that is just a ton of pow pow action, haha chaeesy joke, pow pow. It's basically a movie about a man going crazy but set in Gotham and that man ends up becoming the Joker. It is far more similar to Taxi Driver than it is to even the grittier Marvel movies. The only comic book movie I have seen which has even a remotely similar tone is Watchmen and even that is not as similar to it is to Taxi Driver or Apocalypse Now.
So as a short recap it starts with Arthur, an insane and severely depressed man. He has a condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably when he is uncomfortable. Literally everything in his life is shit, he gets his ass kicked at work by punk kids, he gets shaken down by his employer, his mom is completely reliant on his help and they live together in a cramped and squalid apartment and his therapy is barely keeping him hinged. In the background Gotham is experiencing lots of political turmoil around the government and wealthy residents showing a complete disregard for the well-being of the needy and Arthur is hit hardest by this. His psychiatric services are cut, he loses his job, his mom is expecting a wealthy benefactor to save them which Arthur knows is not coming, the TV show that Arthur loves and the host of it who he admires coldly shames him for something he was proud of. The shit continues to pile on him as he becomes more deranged and eventually he starts to crack and becomes more and more violent along with much of the rest of Gotham who identify with his same experiences.
The themes of this movie are easy to understand but they run extremely deep as well working on many levels. The top crust of society looking down on others, passing judgement, acting without any repercussions or any true understanding for the devastation they are causing for others. The prime symbol of this is Murray Franklin, this rich talk show host who Arthur initially admires and fantasizes about interacting with in the future but when it comes down to the reality he just stomps over his dreams and aspiration and treats him as a prop to use for his own joke. It's funny to the people looking down with Murray but it's devastating to Arthur. Joker coming onto the show at the end and turning the tables with his "Joke" is also symbolic of the other side of the message. Joker and the clown protests are not good guys, they are not right, they are not helping, they are rabid and reactionary and fueled simply by fury without logic. They have solid reasons for why they are mad but when it gets to the point where you are that beaten down it is hard to see if there is any way to improve it and so reckless fury is all they can muster.
The detailed execution in this film is OUTSTANDING and is really what takes this film to the next level. The acting of Joaquin Phoenix in obviously one of the greatest performances in recent memory. The way he talks, the innocence of his dreams juxtaposed with his tainted reality, the brutality, the way he contorts his body to make the viewer cringe and painfully stare without being able to blink or look away, the facial expressions, the crazy way he runs, the dancing, all of it. It's something you have to experience and feel as you watch it. The script itself is impeccable, the faux twists, the delusional fantasy that is impossible to pick apart from the reality, the dialogue (my god the dialogue during the Murray Franklin show bit was beyond perfect), the art style that puts you in the gutter with Arthur, the careful pacing to make sure that you saw and understood every bit of why Joker comes into being, the music and general sound editing, etc. etc. etc. it's nearly flawless.
Another part that needs further appreciation is the use of ultra-dark humor and the affect it has on being in the audience. This movie
is one of the more brutal movies I have seen in recent times and as it goes on there are these subtle jokes woven into these shocking and disturbing scenes. They are jokes that most people won't laugh at (like locking the door so a dwarf trapped in the apartment with Joker has to ask to get out after seeing a friend's head bashed against the wall, or this situational humor on the talk show with the inappropriateness of the drunk driving joke in the middle of Joker's final rant) but they are really funny if you have a certain sense of humor. The amazing thing this does is that it gets the sick bastards like me who find it funny to laugh uncontrollably in the audience. This has two opposite purposes; the people who laugh are now experiencing the uncontrollable laughter and cold stares that Arthur experiences every day. On the other hand the people who don't laugh get these creepy out of place laughs coming from the people around them in the theater and they know that they're surrounded by sick bastards. It is THE most creative use of humor I have ever seen in a movie.
If we are talking about down sides I can't really speak to that much. The only things that I think might give it a lesser score are the fact that it is not a movie for everyone. It isn't a comic book movie at heart so if you're wanting a Avengers-esque experience then you're SOL. It's extremely brutal and will make you uncomfortable multiple times throughout and it isn't fun action brutality where there is a good fight and one guy wins, it's blowing people's brains out in a subway with a revolver and then chasing down wounded victim #3 type action. I can see how people might not like the lack of justification with the Clown rallies but that is also part of their purpose as I said earlier so I can't knock that. Overall it is a super complex movie that is also easy to understand at a basic level which is an awesome thing because it's hard to do both and I feel like it allows anyone to talk about it and learn the depth.
[9.2/10] All hail Megan Ganz! Having the Community pro come to IASIP has already been a boon for the show, and it’s especially great to have her write the show’s MeToo/TimesUp episode given her own part of that moment.
And it’s a brilliant, funny episode! Of course, The Gang is just terrible and completely fails to understand anything underlying that movement or sexual harassment or, anything decent really. It’s hard to decide which facet of this thing I loved most, but what I really appreciated was the overall picture. You have an episode which devotes time to each member of the game and their specific flavor of inability to understand, and you also just have their continual banter with the presenters that exposes their ignorance and misconceptions in a hilarious way.
I particularly appreciated the comic force of The Gang literalizing the concept of being in “this climate.” The way people got actually sweaty when they realized they could be liable for harassment and complained about the climate was a funny way to show that anxiety. And the sound design, with the ticking clocks speeding up as people realize that time might be up for them is outstanding. (It’s low key, but between this and the gong sound in the season premiere, there’s been some really superb use of sound design in this season.)
Of course you have Frank who has a retrograde view of the whole thing, and between him talking on the phone with his lawyers about states with no statute of limitations for sexual harassment, and wandering around in a not well-tied bathrobe, he’s his usual bowling ball of inappropriate energy.
I especially enjoyed the follow-up scene where the male presenter was walking Dee, Mac, and Charlie through a roleplay. The way they just could not comprehend what was wrong (and how Dee focused on the acting part of the exercise) was fantastic. Mac’s assault was ludicrous, and his inability to grasp that (in a “grab ‘em by the pussy” sort of way), and Dee remarking that it made her feel like “Thumbalina” was incisive and very laughworthy. Dee was on fire all throughout this episode, between trying to weaponize the climate and slowly realizing that she could be just as on the hook as the rest of The Gang.
I also like Charlie’s bit, where he squirms at the presenter’s hypothetical in a way that hits too close to home with him and The Waitress. I’ll admit, the reveal that Dennis set this whole thing up to teach the rest of The Gang not be sloppy about their harassment was a bit much for me in terms of story, but it works for Dennis to ply his sociopathic approach to this whole thing, while dressing down the rest of The Gang.
Overall, this is yet another instance of season 13 of this show combining uproarious nuts and bolts humor, outstanding social commentary, and a great understanding and use of the characters into one complete and fantastic package. So great!
I have no idea how to rate this episode. It is a technical masterpiece. The imagery of Dany wreaking her terrible vengeance on King's Landing left me awe-struck. "The Bells" doesn't just give us all the amazing CGI wizardry of flaming death reigning from above and masses of bodies hacking one another to bits. It firmly and fully conveys the abject terror that being in that situation would create, anchoring the Saving Private Ryan-esque horror in the reaction of Jon, the efforts to escape by Arya, the mother and child who are the audience inserts and vehicles our sympathies as innocents caught in this maelstrom. There is such an atmosphere, such arresting visuals, and such a sad, frightening mood that Game of Thrones evokes here. You could show this episode to someone who'd never seen the show before and, while it would spoil a hell of a lot, I still think they would get and appreciate the gruesome peak of the show's "war is hell" mentality in a potent and visceral way.
But god help me, the show writes so many characters so poorly, and rushes others, that when you step away from the sheer spectacle and emotion of what you've just seen, it's hard not to just be frustrated. Jaime's eight-season path of growth and development basically goes to pot in twenty minutes of "I just love Cersei", without enough time to grapple with all he'd done and how he'd changed. Cersei crumples in the face of loss and death, in a way that doesn't track with her actions in the Battle of Blackwater. And Tyrion has gone from being smart if a little unduly optimistic to being downright naive about his sister and his queen and pretty much everyone these days. Other characters get a bit of the short shrift in terms of their journeys too, but the Lannisters in particular, who the show spent so much of its narrative juice on over the course of the series, just get butchered in terms of their character arcs here.
I am still awed by the visceral brutality of the Cleganebowl, touched by Tyrion's farewell to his brother and The Hound's last lesson to his accidental student, and I even buy Dany's descent into madness 100%. The final turn happens quickly, but the show has been hinting at Dany's dark side for a long time, and I definitely can accept losing pretty much all the people she loves or cares about it in the span of a week as spurring her to unleash that. Again, the direction, editing, and aesthetics of the Battle of King's Landing is truly masterful, letting you feel the force and fury of Dany's quest for vengeance while rooting it in the lives of the innocent people she's wasting.
But I still just can't get past the sorry destinations "The Bells" had for a number of characters I really cared about on the show. As spectacle, as emotion, and the bloody ascendance of The Mad Queen, the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones wows and more than does its job. But as a vindication and culmination of character arcs the show has been seeding and growing for eight years now, there is so much to be disappointed with her, that it tarnishes the episode's otherwise stunning technical and emotional achievements.
[7.3/10] This is a fun, low-key episode after some of the bigger firework and theatrics of the first half of the season. I like the triptych storytelling, and how each slice of the episode features some experienced member of this regularly scheduled insanity tutoring some young babe in the woods through their first arching experience.
The funniest of these is Monarch & Gary coaching up August St. Cloud. We tend to the think of The Mighty Monarch as a bungler, but I like using St. Cloud’s utter ineptitude to show that while Monarch may not strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, he’s at least enough of a seasoned pro to get through the basics. He and Gary walking St. Cloud through weaponry and evil laughs and boasts was a treat, especially as cosplaying geek St. Cloud bumbled his way through it all.
Rusty and Brock teaching a panicked Billy and Pete how protect against being arched was fun too. Brock trying to teach them vigilance was good for a laugh, as were their emergency costumes. Plus their actual confrontation with St. Cloud, replete with boasts, misaimed clouds, and hallucinations, was spectacular, especially with Monarch and Gary on one side and Rusty and Brock on the other cracking wise about whether they were that bad when they started.
There’s also a little more world-building, as we get to see some of the innerworkings of the Guild. Drs. Mrs. The Monarch’s interrogation of brian-dome there was amusingly extreme (as was Dr. Z’s ensuing bad cop/makeover routine.) I like her being large and in charge, and getting S-464 back with his lady love from OSI. I especially like Monarch talking her down from kicking the OSI agent’s behind, and actuallly looking out for her and complimenting her. Again, this has been a season with a little softening, and a little more possibility for success, and that includes their relationship, which is nice.
Overall, this episode is a bit of a breather, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.
EDIT 7/25/2023: On rewatch, I loved this one and would definitely bump up its score. The fun of both Dr. Venture and The Monarch coaching up their trainees was a blast, and the story with Dr. Girlfriend's turning a spy from the Peril Partnership was a great interconnected side story.
This movie objectively lowers the bar for any future Star Wars flicks. Before I go on, I am not one of the mega-fan boys who get angry at every new star wars, I loved The Last Jedi, I liked Rogue One, and I enjoy the prequels but Solo is different. It is not bad in a campy way, it's not bad in a controversial "I didn't like that even though someone else might" kind of way, it's bad in a they took a perfectly good story and fucked it up with a bunch of nonsense type of way.
Pros
+The main story is good. The idea of showing the Kessel Run, the involvement with the outlaw squad with the larger crime syndicates, Lando being introduced along with the Millenium Falcon; that all was great
+Acting: Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, and Woody Harrelson
+Beginning was solid
+The soldier/first heist bit was a great introduction to everyone
+Sabaak parts were good
Neutral
*The small throwbacks were tasteful in this one for once: the reference to Lando making deals getting worse over time, Solo shooting first, "I've got a good feeling about this", etc. They didn't take away from anything by having them be hammed up.
Cons
-That dumb Droid was not funny and annoying as fuck. I didn't feel even slightly bad when she died
-Those raider ending up being Proto-rebels was dumb and the way in which it was done was also really awkward. When the chick pulled off her mask it made it feel like you should have known who she was even though the intention was just to surprise you(?). I don't know it reeked of tired desperation to link the plot to other movies. This also makes it confusing as to when this all takes place. If the rebels haven't even formed yet it must be 5-10 years at least before the first movies, however Solo is not that old in the originals. Does this mean he's like 16 here? Is he supposed to be like 30 in the originals? It doesn't quite add up.
-Dialogue. Yes, Star Wars has always had absolute garbage dialogue right from the first mention of "power converters on tachi station" but this is a whole new level of garbage. It's awkward at all times.
-Directing felt absent. I love Ron Howard so it's hard for me to say this but there really didn't feel like much of a style to this movie and there weren't any scenes that I can say were really that gorgeous. The best was probably the intro to Dryden Vos with his yacht but even that was iffy. Not immensely disappointing but still slightly disappointing
-The effects. This is a FUCKING STAR WARS MOVIE! it has unlimited cash to do whatever it wants with effects. The millenium falcon looked ok but honestly it was a downgrade from literally every ship in TLJ or Rogue One. The droids even looked mediocre. The biggest issue is the hyperspace effect, they added some weird swirly shit in place of the lines. The one place where they add a new effect and it's absolute shit compared to the one created in the goddamn 70s.
-Acting: Donald Glover and Alden Ehrenreich. These aren't huge negatives but Glover's impression of Billy Dee is really awkward to listen to and it may have been just how Alden's face moves but half the time I felt he was trying really hard to contort his face into the typical Harrison Ford squints and glares and it felt awkward as well. Just try to do your own thing guys, you don't have to copy shit.
-10 million unnecessary back stabs that were added in to show "You just can't trust these scoundrels" without thinking about whether or not they made sense to the story or characters or greater plot, even slightly.
---------------The final twist This part was comically awful, making Darth Maul's resurrection cannon in the most absurd and fucking idiotic way possible is a really bad direction for Star Wars to be going. This is the type of shit that makes it okay for them to pull more stupid shit in the future and should never have gotten past the rough draft stages of the screenplay
--------------- The terrible revisionist main theme of Solo having him not in fact being a scoundrel who through living in the underworld is just trying to survive and turning him into a good guy who will do the right thing even when it isn't beneficial to him. It was apparent that the people who wrote this did not understand the purpose of Han Solo's character in the originals; he is supposed to symbolize how things have gotten so bad for some that all they can focus on is scavenging and surviving at all costs, eventually he is turned to side with the rebels because he sees a small bit of hope in them for something better and realizes that if he helps he could make a real difference. Revising this to make him into someone that will always do the right thing destroys the purpose of his character.
Holy shit! Lynch and Frost fucking did it! These past three episodes have combined to equal the finale of the original series, maybe even surpass it. This episode is not a tight bow tying up the loose ends of the show but that's because it's not supposed to be. This show is about how evil weaves it's way into everything despite being beaten back countless times. Evil hits you where you least expect it and no one is safe because no one is perfect, not even Cooper. Tying up everything is directly contrary to the very purpose and direction of the show.
This finale is not completely coherent and it's not going to make sense in the way you may want but that is one of it's greatest strong points. Cooper, Diane, and Laura are right there with you, they think they know what's happening and which direction they're going but really have no goddamn idea. Coop specifically thinks he knows exactly what is happening and what he needs to do but is mystified when little things go against his plan. Diane leaves and on the note calls him Richard. Immediately after he leaves his hotel room and it's clearly a different hotel and car. He winces and moves on. He meets the woman he knows is Laura Palmer and she has no idea what the fuck he's talking about. But he persists because he knows in his heart he is right. She invites him into her house while she packs and it's apparent she's just killed her husband. Cooper stares, yet he still knows his mission and moves on despite the signs that he's in over his head. He goes to Laura's house with "Carrie" and is confronted by people who directly refute that Sarah Palmer has anything to do with the house (though oddly mentioning the Chalfonts) and "Carrie" stands there not exactly knowing what to tell him. Then the final breakdown happens where Coop is visibly shaken in the streets. Cooper asking what year it is spins the whole thing in another direction. Is it past? present? future? How long in what direction? We don't know and forced to accept that just like Cooper. The final thing we see are the lights going out as Laura looks onward and screams, as if she is actually Laura not Carrie. As an audience member you are terrified but you don't know why. It's a combination of a universal reaction to a scream and the memory of what that scream implies within the story.
To me the whole thing implies this constantly shifting time frame where the character's names and actions shift slightly. They are not exactly the same just as Dougie wasn't exactly Cooper, but they have similar roles. In one scenario Laura might find herself the victim of abuse and dying young from her abuser. In another she may find herself the victim of abuse but instead the roles are switched and she is the murderer. Cooper may find his dream girl investigating the case around a girl's murder, but if it never happens then even a relationship he had (Diane) may flounder for no specific reason. This uncertainty and randomness in the world gives rise for bad things to squeeze themselves into unexpected places, just as good things squeeze themselves in. David Lynch has stated that much of what Twin Peaks is about centers around coincidence. That didn't fully make sense to me until now where he shows us. Now the quirky nature of the show makes even more sense. These silly, unexpected things happen all the time and mostly they are good and harmless, but the bad also worms its way into everything. This episode and season in general are insanely complex and I'm writing this right after watching it for the first time so I may have mis-remembered some things ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and I have definitely missed some things and honestly I want to hear what because this ending just got my noggin joggin.
Hey, if you don't want spoilers then don't read this. I'm not like giving away major things, but just go see it first. I think you can find somebody to go with you (kind of a big franchise in popularity if you didn't know).
This movie feels a lot like the original trilogy, both in a good way and a bad way. First off, I enjoyed myself quite a bit the whole time. Action was great, camera work, alien design, and even post 3-D work were all great. I really enjoyed the new robot BB-8. They did a great job with small humor here and there throughout, and Oscar Isaac I think is perfect, probably the best new character.
But... I had a lot of issues with how repeat this thing is. I can hit soooo many specific details they do over from the other films that it isn't even funny. And no, I'm not talking about general film plot themes or funny lines done in new ways (although that does happen). No, I'm talking about literally having a new Death Star for the third Goddamn time. I'm talking about a person loading important info into a robot that is found on a desert planet by the new hero who joins up with another less force sensitive person and leaves on the Millennium Falcon, meets up with the good guy team, and goes to blow up the new Death Star while being chased by a dude in a black suit/mask combo.
I could keep going for a long ass time. However, that isn't all that bothers me. A lot of the third act has some problems. Big one is how the bad guy seems to be able to get beaten pretty easily by someone who has picked up a lightsaber for the first time. Yea, you have some jedi stuff in you so you start decent, but shouldn't beat a person who has that too and has been training. If it was simply there to show how amazing the new girl was, fine, but don't expect me to think this Kylo Renn & Stimpy guy to be intimidating anymore.
I'm getting a bit rough on the film I guess, but again I have to admit that overall I still had a good time watching it. It certainly knows how to balance the seriousness and fun. I hope the next one turns better though, since this felt like a lot of setup. Perhaps watching them back to back will make me appreciate this one more. Or maybe it'll suck and I'll be sad, who knows.
Oh, and John Williams' new score is a 5 out of 5.
"Are we all lost stars, trying to light up the dark."
Sometimes there are films that touch us in a special way, not because we identify ourselves with any particular character or any of the situations encountered in it. Simply connect to us giving us a fantastic moment of pure satisfaction and joy! That's what Begin Again made to me. A feel-good film that will make us stay constantly with a big smile on our face.
A very refreshing dramedy that warms the heart. In it we follow the stories of Dan and Gretta in New York. Dan is a music producer who has seen better days in his career and marriage. For years he do not get a great record deal as in his glory days and his marriage ended recently. Gretta is a composer, from time to time, as he likes to say, not believing her talent always hidden behind the shadow of her boyfriend Dave, a musician who has just been hired by a major record company. Dazzled by everything Dave ends the relationship of five years with Gretta and she wants to go back to England, her homeland. But fate preaches a game to Gretta and Dan. And a splendid and remarkable project makes their lives go back to light, thanks to the power of music! After all there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Two lives that intersect in a twist of fate, with a big push of Music. And what power has the Music in this film!! The entire soundtrack was purposely written for the film and fits perfectly into the whole plot, fitting each track at the right time. A great soundtrack full of songs that leave the audience delighted!
Mark Ruffalo, my dear Mark Ruffalo, once again fantastic! A very underrated actor who deserves more value that the one he normally gets. An actor who gives himself body and soul to any character he makes. Here we look at him and never doubt that he is that person, that totally lunatic, aimlessly, without any kind of guidance but a man with a huge love for the world of music. Keira Knightley has managed to form a pretty good career and is also quite convincing in this role of songwriter/singer (she even sings in the film and apparently went quite well in that area too). Never thought the chemistry between Ruffalo and Knightley would be so good, but the fact is that they worked wonderfully together. I love the fact that Adam Levine has accepted a role that ridicules some kind of the music career that he has. It makes me admire him in a different way, shows a very humble side that many others might not have the courage to accept. And in here we can see that he really is an excellent singer, singing different songs that he usually records with his band Maroon 5. Then we still have a good Cee Lo Green cameo and very good supporting cast with names like Catherine Keener, James Corden or Hailee Steinfeld.
John Carney did a great job directing this Begin Again, a film about starting over, dream, believe in ourselves, redemption and above all be happy!The fact that a film creates a bond with the audience makes it even more special. See it, because this is a film that will definitely make you very happy!
