Reviews
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
Funny clips tied together into an ok comedy
High 6, low 7.
Seth MacFarlane stars in this signature MacFarlane comedy. It's a mix of Family Guy style comedy, some Airplane! Styled jokes, and a Ted styled cast. It's almost cerebrally funny, but doesn't feel quite as funny as any of Seth's other works. Not that you need to be intelligent to understand the jokes, more so that some of the jokes work on paper and just don't quite stick the landing. I'm not quite sure why.
Cast is phenomenal. Seth MacFarlane is great, Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron, all the side characters, fantastic. Movie has a story, it's not special. Movie has jokes, they're solid jokes. Overall it's not the worst comedy, but it wasn't spectacular. It does have funny or entertaining clips so you can get most of the enjoyment via YouTube.
The Menu (2022)
The quintessential black comedy film A24 wishes they came up with
From the trailers, I expected a cannibalistic rendition of The Most Dangerous Game. What a pleasure to see they've gone an entirely different route, opting instead to set viewers up to believe it's some grand tale of justice and a vigilante chef's cruel retribution and crush that setup to reveal it's really just a fun tale of a psycho who's lost it killing people that have slighted him over his miserable last few years as a perfection seeking chef.
It's simple, it's to the point, and at just under 2 hours of runtime, the pacing is quick, even and makes for a very enjoyable viewing experience. I'm not a fan of horror movies, but The Menu doesn't lean on jump-scares or gratuitous gore to get it's scares across. It's very much my speed.
To add on, it's shot, very beautifully, in the cinematic style of the food documentary shows like Chefs Table that Tyler sings praises of. I'm a big fan of that decision and they've managed to make some pretty beautiful shots in pairing with the lovely dishes. I know there's an element of parody layered in here, but I'm not smart enough to care. The food looks good and pretty shots make me happy.
Wonderful performance from Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes. Nick Hoult plays an obnoxiously pretentious douche in Tyler. I think Nick does a decent job, but his performance is just OK.
Yeah, fun film, lovely to watch, not super scary (which I prefer). High 8 out of 10.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Fun little homage to Project Stargate and Remote Viewing
It's a fun little movie on the remote viewing programs by the CIA / US Military. Cast is great, Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, all with tuned-in performances.
There's funny moments. The court scene, the various references to Jedi / Star Wars with Ewan McGregor learning about that stuff.
I especially appreciate the opening text "More of this is true than you would believe" which I think is exactly how movies that loosely base themselves on real events should be presented. Not like that misleading "true story" stuff from Fargo.
Overall, it's a good movie. Fun watch IF you have the context of remote viewing in mind before watching. If not, the movie may feel a little out of place, lacking context, or disjointed (not unlike this poorly written review)
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Dead Reckoning, meet Dead Horse
Mid to low 7/10
I know MacGuffins are not new to the MI franchise, but I think they may have outdone themselves on that bit in MI Dead Reckoning (MI:DR). The physical dual keys to a physical lock on a sunken submarine housing the hard drive for a rogue AI are uninteresting, transparently trite, and prompt more questions than they're worth. They do look nice though, so credit to the prop design team. Also props to whoever Pom Klementieff's hair stylist is. Her hair was far and away the star of the show.
The dual keys are reflective of a larger issue with MI:DR, we're starting to noticeably replay the same beats with the same characters and very similar dialogue. The sort of quasi-suave dialogue that sounds fresh and cool only to someone who's never watched a spy flick before. "You mean to tell me" exposition, goobidy gock hacking jargon, other ham-fisted exposition, the all-knowing omniscient arrogant predicting-your-every move stuff right before your MacGuffin unexpectedly gets pickpocketed from your jacket, again. I mean there were good lines too. The bit where Hunt is bewildered by his team not telling him about the potential nuke was pretty funny. But in all, the script this time around just feels more tired than before. Adding on to that woe, this did not need to be a 3 hour affair. The fact that the plot needs to continue in a second installment fills me more with dread than it does excitement. For such an action-forward franchise, the pacing of this movie sure does feel slow.
At the end of the day, I'm not watching an MI movie this far in the saga for the nuanced characters or compelling storytelling. I suspect that like most, I'm in it largely to see Tom Cruise's latest brain-damaged stunts and his efforts to have Paramount finance his inevitable on-tape death from a stunt gone wrong. So my review more heavily weighs the action than it does the plot. And the stunts in this movie are: just ok? Idk, after scaling the Burj Khalifa, hanging onto the side of a plane taking off, the big hyped up parachute off a motorbike was just OK. I mean it was cool, but with all the sludge I had to sit through for 3 hours, it wasn't as sweet a reward as I would have hoped for. The other action in this movie is fine. Nothing special, but still relatively clean action choreography.
In all, MI:DR could stand to cut a lot of fat from its runtime. The action central to the franchise is fine, but not spectacular and the writing leaves a lot to be desired. Almost everyone on the cast is hot though, so there's a plus.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
John Wick 3 of the Deadpool movies
High 7/10
Deadpool & Wolverine (D&W) is the John Wick 3 of the Deadpool franchise. Not a very captivating story interspersed between very captivating action sequences. It is the cinematic equivalent of Kobe ribeyes glued together with ground beef and transglutaminase. It's not high cinema, the exposition is heavy handed and the writing lackadaisical. But the high points of the movie are really fun. Fun enough that after watching in IMAX, I slipped into the neighboring theater and watched the last act of it again in Dolby.
I won't lie though, the first act and a half have pacing issues and they drag on long, an issue that Deadpool himself acknowledges with seemingly no regard. At times, I found myself bored, a first in 3 Deadpool movies. But the movie does open with the familiar action scene of Deadpool vs numerous goons that we've grown accustomed to. That scene kills, per usual. There's Deadpool suiting up, jumping through the multiverse in search for a suitable Logan, a smattering of satisfying fan service. All great. And it's not just the action alone. Throughout the movie, every action sequence is paired perfect bit of soundtrack that hits all the right notes. I don't think think there's a single action beat that isn't choreographed creatively with the right amount of humor, visual flair, and complexity and the perfect amount of punchy music. In fact, halfway through the movie, we get the hardest character introductions I've seen in a while, maybe ever. It's the old actors from Elektra, Blade, and the cancelled Gambit movie. It's not even that elaborate, but the walk in music in an IMAX theater and the slow mo as Gambit's card floats in. Unreal. I still remember watching the Gambit behind the scenes videos on the CGI proof of concepts back in 2015 when the movie was in production, so wild to see it finally come to life after a decade and in such a satisfying way. As a nice bonus, most everyone in D&W is hot, so really, on the eye candy front, this movie is firing on all cylinders. Anyways, that sense of boredom you got from reading my paragraph of ramblings? That's kinda what you have to sit through in this movie between all the good bits.
A far as story goes, there's a lot of the usual suspects. Glaring MacGuffins, reluctant hero ex machinas, fan service & associated cameos, heroic sacrifice fake-outs, 3rd act CGI, and oh so much exposition. The fan service is welcome and well done, but not nearly enough to absolve D&W of all it's sins. Multiple times Deadpool himself acknowledges the tropes, but the velocity and volume of it really just strikes me as an attempt to use the 4th wall to handwave lazy writing & padded runtime away. Not the biggest fan. And while the CGI is, for the most part, quite good throughout the film, there is one moment when Wolverine & Deadpool jump out the bus window near the end of the large Deadpools fight where the CGI is incredibly sloppy. I'm not sure why they didn't cut that shot away faster, but it was a strange directing choice. Uh, 3rd act has a lot of overall CGI fighting and taking on the big bad via fake sacrifice, but it's not the worst ending possible. The large fight is done well and the sacrificial fake out is ok at worst.
D&W is far and away the weakest entry to the main Deadpool franchise on story alone, But as a whole package, this movie is a great, fun time for it's action, incredible cast, soundtrack, directing, and fan service. It doesn't deserve to win major Oscars, but I'll be rewatching clips for years to come.
Fargo (1996)
Good for the time, just ok now
Closer to a mid than a high 7/10, but somewhere in that in between.
I'm not a big fan of when directors claim a film is a retelling of a true story and then go out and take wild artistic liberties with it. Fargo isn't even remotely based on any real story and while I understand this is some sort of Coen brother humor, I'm not a fan of that unnecessary addition to Fargo. In this movie, the "true story" token nonetheless feels like a gimmick used by hacks that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The actual movie is just fine. I suppose when this film came out, the trope of faking a ransom for money problems may still have been fresh for movie audiences, but it's a familiar premise for me now. As such, I'm reliant on the rest of the film for my quality cues and there's not much remaining substance that appeals to me. The criminals of this story are dim witted and plain, a common element in black humor, films, but I don't find them endearing or unique in any outstanding manner. Will Macy does a fantastic job playing a deplorably punchable Jerry Lundegaard. Just an all around loser with no redeeming qualities. The Minnesota nice accent gets real old, real quick. I mean it's a little funny in bits, but it's a lot for what feels like 2 hours. Steve Buscemi and Frances McDormand are both fine in this movie.
Not much to say about the score, direction, or anything else. Script is fine as are most other things. Fargo, for me, is a product of it's time. I think in 2024, there are better Coen brother movies (and better movies in general) to spend your time on. But if nostalgia is your seasoning of choice, Fargo isn't a bad movie by any means.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Fun and visually appealing Wuxia movie
Low 8/10
It's a fun wuxia film with great actors (Zhang Ziyi in particular) and beautiful settings. Story's a little hard to follow at times, in particular the plot lines involving Jade Fox, but idk, that might just be because I'm a slow reader or slow in general.
The action is really nice. It's similar to traditional wuxia type action, but I don't know enough about the traditional wuxia lore to identify how authentic or true to form Ang Lee's interpretation is. Whatever the case, it flows well and visually comes across clearly.
Ange Lee directs well here and his camera team's work is great. Solid story that, while at times somewhat hard to follow and varies in pacing, is a nice and simple tale about following your heart.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Iconic movie
First intimate scene this movie hits you with was real uncomfortable to watch for me. Not that it was done poorly or anything, just kinda not my thing.
Uhh, movie itself, beautifully shot. Star studded cast and near every major character is hot. If you're bi, this is the eye-candy movie for you. If you're not, there's probably still more than enough eye-candy here.
It's a sad tale, that's sort of the point. It's really strange that there's some major components of infidelity (the characters are very much meant to be flawed) but it seems to be handled pretty well. It's somewhat moving, but not an incredible movie, just a good one. Very iconic though, there's not really any other movie in my recollection that fits what Brokeback Mountain does. Liked it better than Moonlight even though the two are very much different movies.
Solid performances all around. It's still really strange seeing Heath Ledger pork Jake Gyllenhaal.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Not as good as the first Volume
The second half to Tarantino's Kill Bill movie, Volume 2 gives us an adequate ending to The Bride's quest for vengeance. I'm not blown away by Vol. 2 and it feels like a weaker version of the first Volume. Gone is the caliber of character and flair that blessed the first volume. Gone is the sense of mystery carefully cultivated in the first volume, replaced by backstory that's wholly acceptable but ultimately uninspired. The dialogue is fine as well, it's Tarantino dialogue, but still not as good as the first volume. Soundtrack is fine, but definitely not as iconic as the soundtrack of Vol. 1.
Volume 2 doesn't take itself seriously, a continuation of the same signature demeanor of the first Volume, but while Vol. 1 pulled it off in an irreverent manner, Vol. 2 comes across as goofy and slightly overdone, and not goofy in a positive way.
It's an OK movie, my critique sounds overly negative but 7/10 really isn't a terrible film. I just don't think this lives up to the preceding volume. I'm sure there's some deep film-lover layers of meaning that flew over my head, I saw another review waxing poetic about how this was the best thing Tarantino's ever done and talked about all the homages to other film inspiration layered into the film that I very much did not pick up on. So if that's your demographic, this might be the movie for you.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Good soundtrack, good movie
High 8/10
Tarantino brings incredible energy and character into his bloodiest film. It's kind of an irreverent, action piece in the same style as many of his other works, where context is added on layer by layer through flashbacks and time period splicing. There's a lot of blood, but none of it particularly nauseating. There's a lot of action, and though we're reminded that Tarantino is not known for his hand-to-hand action choreography, it's still very fun to watch and entertainingly creative.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is one of those movies that reminds you of how much positive impact a great soundtrack can make on a film's overall ambiance and quality. So many iconic songs and melodic motifs in this Volume. Really nice synergy between the audio and visual components. The dojo/club fight in particular is shot colorfully in the right ways, cutting out to black and white just before our eyes are oversaturated and cutting back into color just before the climax. There's an overuse of slow motion that, in my opinion, doesn't hold up well, likely as a result of the limits of slow-motion cameras from the early 2000s. Overall though, it's a great sensory experience, especially considering the technology of the time.
All the actors do a solid job, not much else to say. Lovely film.
Minari (2020)
Much like deer-antler tea, chasing dreams is a bitter vocation
It's a good movie, but a tough watch. No re-watch appeal for me personally since I'm not the biggest fan of tragic dramas.
No weak links in the cast, there's a strong performance delivered from everyone, large to small roles, old to young, normal to eccentric characters, all wonderful, immersive performances. A24 seems to consistently have great child actors, no idea how they keep pulling it off, and Minari is no different. Alan Kim, Noel Cho are great in their respective roles, as are the actors in the other supporting children roles.
Minari follows the story of a poor Korean-immigrant family as they navigate an unfamiliar life settling into and setting up a rural Arkansas farmstead. It's a tale of the father's stubborn dream for his family to have something more than a life a chick sexer can provide, even if the cost of pursuing that dream is living a life that's measurably worse. There's elements of racial and cultural unfamiliarity, generational friction, poverty, community, fighting for your dreams and unsuccessfully balancing your family's. The slice-of-life performances are warming at times, cold at others, but always exactly as intended. It's a mundane story that's incredibly immersive, possibly since I see bits of my own life in the generational immigrant portion of the film.
Pretty much everything that can go wrong does, but at the end of they day, all they can do is rebuild and keep moving. It's well executed, just not something I enjoy watching over and over.
American Fiction (2023)
Come for the social commentary, stay because it's a actually a really good movie
Low to mid 9 / 10.
If you're always droning on about woke this, woke that, this might actually be the movie for you. Not that this is some right-wing, Ben Shapiro wet dream of a movie, there's still black people in it, so if you're a bona fide racist, prepare to be disappointed still. American Fiction is a well-written, thoughtful adaptation of a societal satirical-commentary on race and expectations. The cast is phenomenal with no weak links, the dialogue flows naturally (in a similar manner to a Tarantino film, but without feeling like Tarantino dialogue) and hits hard where it intends to. It's funny, at times poignant, and, despite it taking the setting of a tragic drama, it's uplifting and light.
Camerawork, shot framing, coloring, all lovely. Reminiscent of the style Manchester by the Sea was shot in but with a different, more yellow-tinted color grading. Direction was immaculate, the comedy beats never fell flat, there was several entertaining illustrations of the creative processes come to life.
The main commentary of American Fiction is that there's an overcorrection in racial sensitivity that's resulted in superficial and ultimately negative appreciation for black culture. It's an issue that's often perpetrated by well-meaning left-leaning white folks who want a quick way to satisfy their ancestral guilt. While they mean well, their concern is often performative, selfish, and results in an unintentional pigeon-holing for black artists (in this case, writers). The optimistic case for why this is a real problem is that black artists have so much more to contribute than sympathy garnering trauma porn. That black art should not exclusively be a way for affluent, privileged folks to vicariously experience the "ghetto life". Both this movie and the book it's adapted from are fictional, so technically the problem illustrated is imagined. But it's also a very real reflection of reality and the scenarios American Fiction imagines are exaggerated sure, but the point made is not far from reality. There is an abundance of black-oriented media these days and much of it is trauma porn or expects commercial success because it features a black, female, or minority lead and then lashes out when the lack of substance fails to garner any market traction. What I'm impressed by is American Fiction's ability to navigate this discussion gracefully. It's not overly preachy, there's even a discussion in the film in defense of certain flavors of this type of "pandering", though Monk still maintains his convictions that his philosophy is correct, which it is. Really that spiel I wrote up above is more tiring than any point of American Fiction (side note, apologies if anyone who's not me is reading this. I write reviews for my own recollection, this isn't really meant for other consumption).
Yeah, very fun watch and a good movie. Fantastic dialogue, natural writing. Perfect casting and performances on all levels. Great camerawork and direction. Decent soundtrack. Ending wasn't the best I've ever seen, but it's optimistic without being a fairytale and does nicely to tie off the movie.
Rustin (2023)
More of an important history lesson than an interesting film
Low 7/10, but I can see why someone might give this a 6/10
At the time of writing this, the top listed review sums up my thoughts better than I can hope to articulate, so here's the headline: "Great historical persona, [...] lackluster biopic".
The opening sequences are well framed, well shot, and set a strong tone and high expectations for the movie. In fact, the whole film is sprinkled with moments like this, good dialogue or pivotal plot progressions, but each felt isolated, so instead of a continuous, exciting movie, it's a compilation of nice clips pasted together in a passable movie. There are also points of the plot that are relayed in murky ways. Why Rustin's partner was relatively unfazed by his unfaithfulness, what exactly the initial fallout between MLK and Rustin was. I'm not sure if I missed something or if it could have been more intentional on some narrative points.
Playing MLK Jr. Is a pretty tough task. Aml Ameen does not rise up to the occasion and delivers a dull rendition of MLK's famous "I have a dream". Not the main attraction of the movie, but still a small disappointment to see.
Rustin is clearly an influential historical figure. The story this film tells is powerful and important. An educational tale that we should know, but many didn't learn about in their history classes. At the end of the day, Rustin does well to pass on Bayard Rustin's achievements and legacy, it just does so in a lukewarm package.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
A much better version of the Live Action Flash movie
High 7/10
Pretty solid movie as far as animated superhero flicks go. Miles ahead of the live action Flash movie with cleaner action execution, more coherent and well-fleshed out story, and more interesting and likeable characters.
There's a neatly tied up lesson in it for Barry, going back in time to save his mom only to realize he's sacrificed far more for what's ultimately a selfish action. In the end, he has to come to terms that, despite his ability to traverse time, there are things that he can and can't change and the past is something he shouldn't try to change. It's touching, well done, and not a belabored point.
Like I said, solid movie, not sure if some of the wind was taken out the sails because I saw the live action version first, but I wasn't blown away by this movie. Also, not a fan of some of the animation choices on making Aquaman's and Superman's faces big and bulky.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Solid Mario movie, less than solid casting for the two leads
High 7, low 8 out of 10.
It's a neatly packaged Mario film. Pretty much every expectation you could reasonably have about a Mario film has its box ticked. There's organic and well-integrated fan service, decent humor, top-notch animation. The story is paced well and at 1.5 hrs of runtime, it doesn't overstay it's welcome. It is ultimately a straight-forward story. Little in the way of novel story-telling, but even so, the story we get is well executed within it's well-trodden parameters. Ending is a little weak and boring, but oh well, it's a Mario movie.
In terms of casting, I cannot wrap my head around Chris Pratt and Charlie Day being cast as the titular leads of this movie. Every scene they're in, their performance is jarring and incredibly recognizable in an immersion destroying way. Even Seth Rogan, who makes no effort to disguise his voice, fits better in his role than Pratt and Day do in theirs. Really a glaring black mark on an otherwise solid Nintendo movie. On the flip side, Jack Black, Anya Taylor Joy, and Michael Keegan Peele give great performances.
I would welcome a recast of Mario & Luigi if they end up making a sequel.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Lovely visuals from the mind of James Cameron and.. what technically counts as a script.. also from the mind of James Cameron
Boy am I not a fan of this franchise. Some of the most involved VFX art and creative world-building in the history of cinema and they continue to dump mediocre script after mediocre script into this. James Cameron's lack of pretense with these movies is admirable. I'm convinced he knows these scripts suck but he just keeps chugging ahead to fund this monument to his imagined sci-fi paradise. Kudos for that.
If you didn't like the first plot of the first film, you won't like this one either. It's the same recycled, boring beats that didn't work the first time repackaged into this second installment. There's the literal same antagonist (despite dying in the first film), there's Jake learning a new way of life again, humans destroying the environment, and then a final battle between Jake and the Colonel. Riveting stuff, hard to see what's coming next with all the twists and turns the story has to offer. In fairness, there are children in this film, that's a new addition, but they're bland and the similarities drawn between the younger brothers of the two chiefs and the lone whale-creature are pretty much surface level and end at they're all "outcasts" however dramatized that may be. I'm not really invested in any of these characters and when the older brother dies or the younger sibling is in grave danger, I struggle to feel anything.
The colonel loves to threaten to kill Jake's children, but he seems way more invested in announcing how he'll definitely do it rather than actually kill anyone the 3-4 plentiful chances he gets to actually kill the kids. Not really a fan of that. Either write the children out of these cheap farces or have him follow through. The only thing more laborious than sitting through 3 hours of this slog is listening to the colonel repeat himself over and over again as he continually lets opportunity obnoxiously slip past him.
The soundtrack is forgettable, it wasn't till the 3rd act of the film that I realized there even was a soundtrack. Not that every great movie needs a memorable soundtrack, but this movie is already missing a lot.
Zoe Saldana is in this. Good for her, get that bag girl.
Idk, VFX are fine. The first one was groundbreaking for its time, by this point in 2022, I'm not entirely sure the VFX have been pushed much further than the first movie. It may have been my imagination or the fact that I watched this on a TV instead of a theater (55in 4k OLED screen though, so still no slouch), but parts of the VFX, largely the mix media between real humans and their CGI surroundings / alien fauna & flora weren't even top of the line by modern standards. Either way, Pandora remains a visually spectacle even if it's not enough to make up for the lack of story here. The ocean and sealife shots are still very cool to watch.
Not a fan, looking forward to making the same review in 15 years when Avatar 3 drops.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
From history's archive of important stories
Judas and the Black Messiah (JBM) tells the story of car thief turned FBI informant William (Bill) O'Neal and his relationship with Fred Hampton, the charismatic, idealist leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther party. It's a tale of espionage, race, and betrayal. I'm reminded of another film, BlacKkKlansman, but while both films cover based-on-true-stories tales of espionage and race, the levity and sense of justice that makes BlacKkKlansman such a good movie are decidedly not in here. Where BlacKkKlansman has a very black and white morality where the protagonists are clearly the good guys, JBM is a much tougher tangle to decipher. Our lead character in LaKeith's Bill O'Neal is conflicted, struggling, and self-interested even as he takes on the word and scripture of his selfless black Messiah in Kaluuya's Fred Hampton. In some sense, it's a battle between the shades of black and grey on the scale of ideals. Not a knock against JBM, the two are their own, unique stories, but just something that came to mind when watching.
Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are the titular co-stars of this movie and both bring their A-games. No real notes to list here other than to say it's a flawless performance from both actors.
Soundtrack wasn't particularly noteworthy, camerawork was good. Dialogue was solid and writing overall met the mark. As I've said before, it's not a particularly fun film to watch and can be downright upsetting at times, regardless of how much you agree or disagree with the broader political views of the characters, but that's neither the intent of this film nor something I'd be justified in demanding, especially in the genre of civil rights historical dramas. Whatever the case, Judas and the Black Messiah tells an important story and tells it well. I wasn't aware of this piece of history prior to the film and I appreciate this well executed adaptation of Bill O'Neal / Fred Hampton's story.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Iconic movie, ok watch
Meryl Streep is fine in this movie. She nails her role as a unreasonably demanding, unappreciative, tyrannical, perfectionist boss. It's not a steal-the-show sort of performance though. I've only really seen that a few times and while Streep does excellently in bringing her character to life, it's not really profoundly better than other good actors in respectable roles.
Anyways, the movie itself is just OK. It's slightly better than generic rom-com writing. Girl meets world, world changes girl against her nature, girl realizes her faults and goes back to her roots. Emily Blunt is fine in this, Anne Hathaway is fine in this. Writing is questionable, I'm still not sure why Hathaway's Andy felt such fierce loyalty to Streep's Priestly despite all the unreasonable abuse she endures. Some mediocre romance / fling arcs. Pretty middle of the road story.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Nice Wes Anderson stop-motion movie
Great Wes Anderson film. The ambiance, color palette, humor, framing, and star-studded cast we've come to expect. It's well paced with loveable, semi-relatable characters and charismatic animation. On my watch through, I was satisfied with how well loose ends tied themselves up. Not everything is explained up front, but the important questions are answered exactly when they need to be.
It's not a profoundly deep film, though it does touch nice sentiments. Ultimately, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a lovely stop-motion / animated film that executes with the Wes Anderson film we've come to expect. Nice, chill watch.
The Flash (2023)
A movie this mediocre does not need to be this long
Opening 10 minutes are just a mess. There is nothing here that another movie hasn't done a better job at. The CGI is sloppy, painfully obvious. Acting is subpar. Unfunny comedy detours unnecessarily cut into mediocre action. Barry is really painfully unfunny though that's been a bit of an issue since his introduction in the initial Justice League movie but I guess credit where credit's due, the same stale tone carries on into his titular movie. It's really feels as if someone described the X-Men movies Quicksilver scenes to the director of The Flash and they then worked to recreate that experience without any understanding as to why Quicksilver's scenes worked. The small sidequest of Barry running low on calories doesn't even make any sense as he could just make his own sandwich or pick something up along the way with his powers. Stupid nitpick if you haven't seen the film, but seriously, at 2.5 hrs of runtime, this movie doesn't need any more padding. It's already rife with fat and not nearly good enough to deserve anything more than as lean and focused a story as possible.
There's cameos galore, Wonder Woman, multiple Batmen, (admittedly cool) retro Bat-tech, Alfred, a little bit of Aquaman and I really can't figure out why. I guess it might be for a cheap fan service bit, but it's seriously lipstick on a pig.
Second half of the movie is actually better than the first. There are several fight sequences with Keaton's Batman that are actually very well choreographed and thoughtful. They're sandwiched with sloppy and uninspired action sequences as well so consistency is a real struggle. The plot is convoluted and doesn't nail time travel as cleanly as Marvel's Endgame did. Fortunately, this movie is bad enough that you stop caring and turn your brain off fairly early into the movie. Silver linings.
Forgettable music / soundtrack, really bad and excessive use of CGI, uninspired and predictable plot, uncharismatic and unlikable lead in Ezra Miller, surprisingly great supporting cast (Keaton's Batman, Kara Zor-El), a mix of good and bad action scenes. The Flash stands out as a movie with great meme potential but only mediocre net entertainment value.
The Karate Kid (1984)
A fine classic
It's a solid movie, Miyagi is a great character, he's got fantastic dialogue. Daniel isn't perfect. He's a bit prickly and ungrateful to Ali, it's a part of his defense mechanism, but it does make for some uncomfortable scenes.
The movie doesn't impart any profound life lessons on viewers, but there's enough to be heartwarming and enjoyable. Action in this movie is OK. It's just barely passable, but this was made in the 80s, so I'll take what I can get. Soundtrack is pretty solid, some good tunes matched up to the scenes.
Ending and resolution are abrupt, probably the weakest part of the movie but at least it makes for a happy ending.
Nomadland (2020)
A cinematographically beautiful movie about ugly realities
Nomadland is a movie without a plot; it's what I'd characterize as a realistic-fiction, dramatic biopic.
If you're looking for a movie with a plot or if you value movies with strong story and narrative direction, you can probably skip Nomadland without missing much. But if you're the type of person who really enjoyed the journey of Boyhood, the grief of Manchester By the Sea, the visceral nature of The Florida Project, or the cinematography of In the Mood for Love, you'll probably want to stick around for this movie. Admittedly, I fall into the first category of movie goers myself. But even so, there are elements of Nomadland that I can appreciate, and of the above movies I've listed, Nomadland is probably my favorite.
Even with a runtime of just under 2 hours (1hr 50min), Nomadland doesn't overstay its welcome and does a good job of keeping you somewhat invested in the characters just enough for watching the movie to not feel like a chore. The most laudable aspect of the movie is how beautiful the cinematography is. A good portion of the film feels like Wes Anderson took a crack at more depressing material and the framing of each scene is very deliberate and clearly thoughtful. The icing on the cake is the Cast, all of whom put on a tremendous performance and secure the critical centerpiece to making this film work: immersion. I wouldn't have any problem with Frances McDormand winning Best Actress for her performance.
As for the journey of the characters, it's nothing profound, but the movie does do a commendable job in delivering insight of the real struggles that many Americans faced to varying degrees in the aftermath of the 2008 financial recession. As of writing this review, the current top review on IMDB laments this film for presenting the ideas of freedom and free will as a misleading cover up for the failures of American society. I don't know if we watched 2 different movies, but I think that viewer missed a large part of what the movie is about. Without spoiling too much, there's an entire scene at a cookout dedicated to Fern airing out her grievances at the difficulties in post-crisis America. In fact, the underlying themes of the movie are precisely what this Top Review accuses the movie of overlooking: the cracks in the American Dream, the forgotten nomads of society, and the expensive nature of hopelessness, poverty, and lack of choice.
As an review afterthought, the movie is also heavily reliant on Ludovico Einaudi for what feels like 90% of the soundtrack. No complaint here as Einaudi is a fantastic composer and his pieces fit perfectly with the subjects on screen, but I found it amusing in imagining how easy the person in charge of finding music for this movie had it.
In all, Nomadland is a very technically-beautiful movie and while it may not be my favorite, there is a type of movie watcher who will appreciate this movie and Chloe Zhao's direction for all that it is. I look forward to seeing more from Zhao and am excited to see what she does with Marvel's Eternals.
Bullet Train (2022)
An ambitious, funny, action film that honors all it's inspired by
If you like the multi-threaded juggling of movies like Love Actually or Pulp Fiction, the action comedy of Edgar Wright, the mystery chronicling of Knives Out, the militant obedience of Chekhov's gun in Paddington 2, then you're gonna (hopefully) love this movie.
A star studded cast (Channing Tatum as a casually down to clown passenger? Karen Fukuhara as the cabin stewardess? Ryan Reynold's as the assassin that called out sick? Sandra Bullock as the almost faceless handler?) Unreal performances. We get to see Brad Pitt in an Action Comedy role as his character, Ladybug works hard to balance between his demanding job as a really professional criminal and his lessons learned from his therapist on being a better person. Aaron Taylor Johnson puts up a distracting accent that, much like his performance, I wouldn't change in the slightest. He makes an incredible pair with Brian Tyree Henry. The two have a very natural chemistry that is only bolstered by the character writing & script. Hiroyuki Sanada has an incredible presence and really ties together the climax of the film. Bad Bunny & Zazie Beetz, surprisingly good in their short-lived roles. Joey King, haven't seen much of her work, but she steps up to the plate here. And Michael Shannon, nails the villain role per usual.
The action is vibrant & creative. A good mix of Deadpool, Hot Fuzz, and John Wick. The character cards like something out of Suicide Squad (the one silver lining of that horrid film) or Scott Pilgrim with a very fitting neon Japanese aesthetic.
At a little over 2 hrs, this medium length film is paced quite well, revealing little bits of context sandwiched between eccentric new characters or action sequences and keeps you on your toes literally until the last seconds of the movie. The narrative is compelling and the characters very likeable. While not all the twists and turns of the movie are unpredictable, every bit of the movie does well to honor it's setup in the first half and there is a very clean payoff to each setup. There's chaos in the story, but the directorial style keeps the audience neatly organized.
It's a fun movie, it's a movie with mystery, growth, comedy, revenge, twists, and celebrities. A joy to watch and recommended viewing to all regardless of how silly the premise sounds (or trailers make it look)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Rolling a 20 with this surprise masterpiece of a toy/game movie adaptation
It's pretty amazing what you can do when you put together a good script, a fitting cast, and a director that lets both shine. There's a lengthy history of toys adapted into cinema and a far less lengthy list of successful efforts of that history. Battleship, Transformers, Jumanji, GI Joe may have brought in billions, but they're ultimately shallow stories that appeal with visual spectacle rather than memorable stories. Nothing inherently wrong with that -- those sorts of movies have their place in the grander landscape of Michael Bay action films -- but it does mean that when a toy-adapted movie comes out, expectations for a strong plot, developed characters, and good dialogue are left to the wayside. So it's extra surprising and a little special when something like DnD: Honor Among Thieves comes out and gives us a well paced, engaging, and clever story with developed characters and fleshed out motivations all while delivering even more visual spectacle than it's predecessors. This movie has everything and even does action better than standard action flicks. Even commercial smash hit Barbie doesn't really execute as well as this movie does despite the massive box office haul it was able to take in.
The writing in this movie is clever, most scenes set up to something more and have a payoff later in the adventure. The problem solving is creative and genuine to the game the movie adapts. The dialogue and chemistry between characters is witty and natural. Humor flows without feeling forced, overdone, or cheesy.
Action is choreographed flawlessly. Fights involving multiple characters are thoughtful in juggling the many fighters. Like the problem solving, the action is creative and the heroes utilize both environment and props to overcome the numerous goons. Camera cuts are used sparingly and not as a crutch for subpar stunt work. In honesty, some of these fights are coordinated at levels of sophistication rivalling that of John Wick or Shang-Chi. It's really a lesson Star Wars could add to their movie playbook.
The cast is really fantastic and fitting. There are well-known actors: Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Michelle Rodriguez, but they each pull their roles off so naturally that I'm confident their selection was for fit over star power the way Chris Pratt was selected for Mario or The Rock for any of his roles. I'm not even that fond of Michelle Rodriguez, but she does do the barbarian role justice. (Bradley Cooper had a fun cameo in here too).
Whatever vision the director had for this movie, it's come together beautifully. From the writing to the cast to the action and the camerawork that dynamically pulls it all together, this is a movie that really puts respect to the DnD name. If other toys should need to be adapted to movies, I hope the creatives in charge can take a close look at this movie and aspire to create something as faithful to the source material and to quality filmmaking as this movie has.
Yin shi nan nu (1994)
A love letter to food, family, and love
I'm not usually a fan of slice of life movies, but this is a really beautiful film and it's very much a joy to watch, both for the heartfelt story and the visual & culinary zeal. The artistry in the culinary scenes are hypnotizing, Ang Lee really got his money's worth spending weeks shooting all that food footage.
The navigating relationships part of the story reminds me a little bit of Crazy, Stupid, Love (CSL). This film is funny, but it's definitely not a rom com the way CSL is. However, it does juggle multiple threads and ties all of them up neatly and satisfyingly at the end of a meandering and beautiful journey. I guess Love Actually is another movie like that, but Yin Shi Nan Nu definitely executes the concept much more fluently.
The tone of the movie is pretty all over the place. It's funny one scene, somber & sober the next. For whatever reason, it works. I'm not sure why or perhaps I've misinterpreted the intent of some scenes. I think there's some deep message or lesson to take from the movie beyond it's title & the related quote from Chef Chu. If there is, it's certainly gone over my head. Even so, the movie has plenty to say on that titular point alone: life, and by extension happiness, is pretty straightforward. You eat, you drink, and you spend time with family and partners.
It's a love letter to Chinese/Cantonese/Taiwanese cuisine & artistry. To tradition, shortcomings in interpersonal communication (in the style familiar with eastern families), love and it's many expressions. One of the better foreign films I've seen.