and while it's the best of the prequels, that's a relative term as overall it's still only average. I explained why in my Letterboxd review below:
I concluded my Star Wars watching in prep for A Force Awakens by seeing this, the one prequel film that people seem to like but me, I can only say that it's about average, and it's still pathetic compared to the original movies. I always thought that about this, by the way. When I saw it 10 summers ago I did not dislike it like the first two but even though it finally set things up for the original Star Wars, it still felt unsatisfying and yet I couldn't fully explain why.
Well, thankfully Red Letter Media did their reviews of the prequels; I'll never understand the presentation and the Mr. Plinkett character, but the complaints they brought up are almost all accurate. Here, the explanation of how the opening 20 minutes made zero sense was an “Ah ha!” moment for me. Honestly, trying to figure out logically the kidnapping and rescue of Palpatine is impossible so that's why it left me feeling hollow and uncaring. It's just a bunch of noise, signifying nothing. The fact that it's also a CGI orgasm of throwing 5,000 different things at the screen at the same time and even Michael Bay would say it's overkill... that does not help. Admittedly, in this day and age both things are far too common in modern film and it is a reason why I don't see most “blockbusters”. That doesn't excuse Lucas doing it, though. I wish for the simple and elegant storytelling of the original movies. I don't mean old-fashioned like “dying of a broken heart” or-sigh-”NNNNOOOOO”, though.
Then, there's how the atrocious writing of the first two films and how it affects the story told here and it can't overcome that. All of the characters are morons so your intelligence is constantly insulted and the world of almost constant green screens makes it look artificial and as the Red Letter Media video explained, it greatly constrained things, and Lucas being a lazy director did not help there either. Darth Vader being a whiny emo teenager with a moppy haircut... no, just no.
At least I can rate it as average, meaning it's better than I or II. While ineptly told, the general idea of Anakin turning evil is fine. A mastermind manipulating things behind the scenes so that he is the victor at the end... that is typically real interesting to me. Some of the CGI hasn't aged well but otherwise-even though it's essentially meaningless-it did create nice images and there are some interesting worlds visited. As I stated recently, Ian McDiarmid plays the Emperor real well and does his best with what he's given.
Like everyone else I'll never comprehend how the prequels got screwed up so badly. But I am over that and I can just forget they ever happened. Heaven knows that it will be a long time before I watch any of them again.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Return Of The Jedi
Return of the Jedi (1983)
We all know the details already.
Yep, I saw this last night... and it was the original film in good quality in widescreen. Nevermind how but I did. I was quite happy I was able to. I talk about it in my Letterboxd review below:
As it's only about a week and a half before The Force Awakens comes out on the big screen, I figured it would be time to start wrapping up my rewatching of the Star Wars films by checking this out. After this I only have one more to go. Like with Episodes IV and V, I was able to watch the original theatrical version in widescreen and in good quality... nevermind how but I did. I don't want to do such things but when those versions aren't officially available... I saw all three of those movies many times as a youth but as an adult, it's less so. I mean, I've never seen the “Special Edition” of this film, which I know it's a good thing as I have-unfortunately-witnessed the clip where Hayden Christiansen is a ghost instead of Sebastian Shaw, and I know that bit with the disco song (yeah, let's be honest, it's a disco tune) Lapti Nek in Jabba's palace was replaced by some horrible CGI thing... how could you do that to the Max Rebo band?
Anyhow, while this isn't as great as the first two, it's still pretty great and it does a swell job of finishing off the trilogy. The beginning is the band getting back together and dealing with the awesome practical effect that is the slimy Jabba the Hutt. They then have to take down the new and improved Death Star (I guess the Death Star II; at least that's what I'll call it), soon to be completed. While it won't be easy for Luke to deal with trying to convert his dad and deal with the emperor, the forces on the forest moon of Endor to take out the Death Star II shields or the attack led by Lando on the DSII itself, this is classical storytelling so you know what the outcome will be... and yet it's still awesome. You don't need swerves or nonsensical crap for it to be interesting or fun.
As a kid I always enjoyed this like I did the other two. Even the Ewoks were fine with me, and viewing it again I still feel the same way, but I realize how nicely done the arc with Luke, Vader and the Emperor was, and how like with the prequels, Ian McDiarmid did a swell job as the guy formerly known as Palpatine. As for the Ewoks, like with Yoda it is nice that you can't underestimate them despite their appearance and how they look like bipedal teddy bears.
This is grand entertainment, from the long first act at Jabba's palace to all the space battles, Vader's redemption to the action on Endor. It was awesome as a kid and I am thankful it is still awesome as an adult in his mid 30's like I am. I mean, the Speeder Bikes are still really rad to me. Like I said it ends a great trilogy and an epic story on a high note, and the viewer feels happy at how things turn out because all the heroes are happy and things are wrapped up with a bow. It was all filmed very well (who needs distracting CGI to “make it better”? It sure as hell did not do that in the Special Editions) and I was reminded of what a great composer John Williams is. Who knows what would have happened had Cronenberg or David Lynch had accepted the job as director, as they were actually offered it. I imagine Lynch after the fact wished he could have done that instead of Dune! Also, his version of Slave Girl Leia and the Freudian monster that was the Sarlacc would have likely been something else.
I have no idea how The Force Awakens will turn out as to be honest, I am not a J.J. Abrams fan and I do have reasons to be concerned. But I hope that it's awesome and it can make many young kids of today fall in love with it. Then again, I know that the young kids of today can enjoy the original movies. I have a pair of twin nephews, about to turn 3. In the past 6 months or so my sister showed them those films and they love them. I mean, they dressed up for Halloween as Darth Vader and Yoda. I wish they could see the OG versions and not the unfortunate lesser versions out there, but alas... I am still a proud & happy uncle that they are also fans as it reminds me of me as a child.
We all know the details already.
Yep, I saw this last night... and it was the original film in good quality in widescreen. Nevermind how but I did. I was quite happy I was able to. I talk about it in my Letterboxd review below:
As it's only about a week and a half before The Force Awakens comes out on the big screen, I figured it would be time to start wrapping up my rewatching of the Star Wars films by checking this out. After this I only have one more to go. Like with Episodes IV and V, I was able to watch the original theatrical version in widescreen and in good quality... nevermind how but I did. I don't want to do such things but when those versions aren't officially available... I saw all three of those movies many times as a youth but as an adult, it's less so. I mean, I've never seen the “Special Edition” of this film, which I know it's a good thing as I have-unfortunately-witnessed the clip where Hayden Christiansen is a ghost instead of Sebastian Shaw, and I know that bit with the disco song (yeah, let's be honest, it's a disco tune) Lapti Nek in Jabba's palace was replaced by some horrible CGI thing... how could you do that to the Max Rebo band?
Anyhow, while this isn't as great as the first two, it's still pretty great and it does a swell job of finishing off the trilogy. The beginning is the band getting back together and dealing with the awesome practical effect that is the slimy Jabba the Hutt. They then have to take down the new and improved Death Star (I guess the Death Star II; at least that's what I'll call it), soon to be completed. While it won't be easy for Luke to deal with trying to convert his dad and deal with the emperor, the forces on the forest moon of Endor to take out the Death Star II shields or the attack led by Lando on the DSII itself, this is classical storytelling so you know what the outcome will be... and yet it's still awesome. You don't need swerves or nonsensical crap for it to be interesting or fun.
As a kid I always enjoyed this like I did the other two. Even the Ewoks were fine with me, and viewing it again I still feel the same way, but I realize how nicely done the arc with Luke, Vader and the Emperor was, and how like with the prequels, Ian McDiarmid did a swell job as the guy formerly known as Palpatine. As for the Ewoks, like with Yoda it is nice that you can't underestimate them despite their appearance and how they look like bipedal teddy bears.
This is grand entertainment, from the long first act at Jabba's palace to all the space battles, Vader's redemption to the action on Endor. It was awesome as a kid and I am thankful it is still awesome as an adult in his mid 30's like I am. I mean, the Speeder Bikes are still really rad to me. Like I said it ends a great trilogy and an epic story on a high note, and the viewer feels happy at how things turn out because all the heroes are happy and things are wrapped up with a bow. It was all filmed very well (who needs distracting CGI to “make it better”? It sure as hell did not do that in the Special Editions) and I was reminded of what a great composer John Williams is. Who knows what would have happened had Cronenberg or David Lynch had accepted the job as director, as they were actually offered it. I imagine Lynch after the fact wished he could have done that instead of Dune! Also, his version of Slave Girl Leia and the Freudian monster that was the Sarlacc would have likely been something else.
I have no idea how The Force Awakens will turn out as to be honest, I am not a J.J. Abrams fan and I do have reasons to be concerned. But I hope that it's awesome and it can make many young kids of today fall in love with it. Then again, I know that the young kids of today can enjoy the original movies. I have a pair of twin nephews, about to turn 3. In the past 6 months or so my sister showed them those films and they love them. I mean, they dressed up for Halloween as Darth Vader and Yoda. I wish they could see the OG versions and not the unfortunate lesser versions out there, but alas... I am still a proud & happy uncle that they are also fans as it reminds me of me as a child.
Monday, December 7, 2015
I Talk The First Two Die Hard Movies
I thought I had up a review of the OG Die Hard but after some searching, I was incorrect. So, below I'll post the review for Die Hard (which is from the summer; I also saw that movie on the big screen last Tuesday) then my Saturday night review for Die Hard 2.
DIE HARD
This is another review I am doing over to replace the ultra-short original one I had up. The rating hasn't changed, though. There aren't too many films I have seen many times in my life but this is one of them... and it is also one of my favorites. I have seen this on television, on VHS, on DVD, on Blu (how I saw it Wednesday night), with my family on Christmas Day back in '09 when we were at the house of one of my sisters, who lives halfway across the country from me. I even got to see it on the big screen the summer of '04 and the print was an original and beat-up, which was great in terms of charm. I will mention a few reasons why I rate this a full 5 stars:
The Hero: Bruce Willis plays John McClane, who isn't a ripped or muscular slab of beef like Arnold or Sly was in the past. He's a typical New York City cop, profane and who has such faults as a troubled marriage (a lot of it is due to his selfishness) and at one point he admits that he fears he won't make it out of the Nakatomi Plaza alive. At the time that was refreshing. Now, maybe it should swing back around and we should have no hulking slabs of beef as action heroes... I just have no idea who would stand on that mantle.
The Plot: It defies expectations: you think that the villains are terrorists; they're all foreigners and hold hostages. However, they never say they are terrorists and they actually are looking to steal 650 million dollars in bearer bonds that are sealed in the building, which is a great idea as no records are ever kept on who owns on that type of bond. They have things thought out very well and you expect the law enforcement (such as the police chiefs, the SWAT Team and even the FBI) to handle the crises correctly but they constantly fail and fall into the trap of the villains. Plus, there are many great little moments you may not pick up on until you see it at least a few times and often, things brought up early pay off later. Oh, and there's many great lines too.
The Characters: There are so many here that are memorable, from the hero to the villain (Alan Rickman in an incredible role) to the minor ones, such as Al Leong (playing one of the bad guys) grabbing a candy bar he finds on display in the building. While I always enjoyed such people as the Twinkie-loving Sgt. Al Powell, multiple viewings have made me also appreciate such people as the SWAT team leader. Ellis in particular is hilarious as a typical coke-snorting 80's yuppie D-bag, with an unforgettable laugh. Even though the bad guys are holding a few dozen people hostage and have murdered more than one person, they have the combination of cleverness and charisma and you almost want to see them pull off the big heist; how they are able to perform the last step and then escape was built up perfectly throughout so when you see how it happens... for a moment you do want to see them ride off in the sunset.
The Action: No goofy CGI; just practical effects, actual stunts, bloody moments and beautiful matte paintings in the background. It's still thrilling in 2015. There are some quality setpieces for sure.
Those are just a few reasons why this is one of my all-time favorites and maybe at the top as THE favorite. I won't talk about the 4th and 5th movies as I don't even regard them as true sequels but the second and third-while both flawed-I'll watch again sometime in the future so I can talk about them here.
By the way, out of all the times I have seen this, some things I never noticed until a few years ago. For example, the scene where a dead man falls on the car of Sgt. Powell and he freaks out. There's a brief moment where you see the limo driver Argyle obliviously talking on his then-hip car phone. To think it wasn't until relatively recently that I spotted in the background of that moment the fake body of the dead man fly off in a hilarious fashion.
DIE HARD 2
This past Tuesday, I was able to watch Die Hard in a theatre; as that's one of my all-time favorites I couldn't turn down that opportunity. It was great. I once saw it on the big screen in 2004, which was an original beat-up film print and in this digital age, I appreciate such things. I already reviewed the movie this past summer so I don't need to do it again. However, I needed to give a proper review to this and as I hadn't watched this in a long while, I figured this was the perfect time to do so, with the OG film still not having left my mind yet.
I presume many are familiar with the plot of how some bad guys use technology to take over the Dulles National Airport in Washington, D.C. for the purpose of them taking an overthrown dictator and drug dealer of THE 80's action movie fictitious country (Val Verde), played by the great Franco Nero. John McClane happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time again. John has to deal with such obstacles as a stereotypical police chief in Dennis Franz, and there are also some unexpected enemies.
This is not the all-time-classic that the original is. Some of the dialogue is incredibly cheesy or goofy. The way that they shoehorn in a minor character or two is a little goofy considering this takes place almost 3,000 miles away from the Los Angeles setting of the first. Characters like the one that Franz played was written to be stupid, just because. Like what we get in too many modern action films, various parts of the plot make little to no sense. I could list various examples, but I won't go into detail on those Chris Nolan movies...
Yet, I can still give it a nice grade, as the action scenes are still cracking, there are some funny moments, and it is nice to see John McClane and his wife Holly. Plus, Meat from the Porky's films gets a rather nasty death scene. So while I wish it didn't have its faults and the major act of terrorism the movie has can be questioned as to whether it should have happened (in this day and age it does look worse), talent behind the camera such as producer Joel Silver, director Renny Harlin-his reputation may be mud now but he was actually cool back then-and composer Michael Kamen help make sure that this isn't a bad motion picture. Heaven knows that the 4th and 5th film in the series (which I can at least easily pretend that they aren't true Die Hard movies and even if the lead in those two was not John McClane, they'd still be pretty terrible) are much worse than this.
DIE HARD
This is another review I am doing over to replace the ultra-short original one I had up. The rating hasn't changed, though. There aren't too many films I have seen many times in my life but this is one of them... and it is also one of my favorites. I have seen this on television, on VHS, on DVD, on Blu (how I saw it Wednesday night), with my family on Christmas Day back in '09 when we were at the house of one of my sisters, who lives halfway across the country from me. I even got to see it on the big screen the summer of '04 and the print was an original and beat-up, which was great in terms of charm. I will mention a few reasons why I rate this a full 5 stars:
The Hero: Bruce Willis plays John McClane, who isn't a ripped or muscular slab of beef like Arnold or Sly was in the past. He's a typical New York City cop, profane and who has such faults as a troubled marriage (a lot of it is due to his selfishness) and at one point he admits that he fears he won't make it out of the Nakatomi Plaza alive. At the time that was refreshing. Now, maybe it should swing back around and we should have no hulking slabs of beef as action heroes... I just have no idea who would stand on that mantle.
The Plot: It defies expectations: you think that the villains are terrorists; they're all foreigners and hold hostages. However, they never say they are terrorists and they actually are looking to steal 650 million dollars in bearer bonds that are sealed in the building, which is a great idea as no records are ever kept on who owns on that type of bond. They have things thought out very well and you expect the law enforcement (such as the police chiefs, the SWAT Team and even the FBI) to handle the crises correctly but they constantly fail and fall into the trap of the villains. Plus, there are many great little moments you may not pick up on until you see it at least a few times and often, things brought up early pay off later. Oh, and there's many great lines too.
The Characters: There are so many here that are memorable, from the hero to the villain (Alan Rickman in an incredible role) to the minor ones, such as Al Leong (playing one of the bad guys) grabbing a candy bar he finds on display in the building. While I always enjoyed such people as the Twinkie-loving Sgt. Al Powell, multiple viewings have made me also appreciate such people as the SWAT team leader. Ellis in particular is hilarious as a typical coke-snorting 80's yuppie D-bag, with an unforgettable laugh. Even though the bad guys are holding a few dozen people hostage and have murdered more than one person, they have the combination of cleverness and charisma and you almost want to see them pull off the big heist; how they are able to perform the last step and then escape was built up perfectly throughout so when you see how it happens... for a moment you do want to see them ride off in the sunset.
The Action: No goofy CGI; just practical effects, actual stunts, bloody moments and beautiful matte paintings in the background. It's still thrilling in 2015. There are some quality setpieces for sure.
Those are just a few reasons why this is one of my all-time favorites and maybe at the top as THE favorite. I won't talk about the 4th and 5th movies as I don't even regard them as true sequels but the second and third-while both flawed-I'll watch again sometime in the future so I can talk about them here.
By the way, out of all the times I have seen this, some things I never noticed until a few years ago. For example, the scene where a dead man falls on the car of Sgt. Powell and he freaks out. There's a brief moment where you see the limo driver Argyle obliviously talking on his then-hip car phone. To think it wasn't until relatively recently that I spotted in the background of that moment the fake body of the dead man fly off in a hilarious fashion.
DIE HARD 2
This past Tuesday, I was able to watch Die Hard in a theatre; as that's one of my all-time favorites I couldn't turn down that opportunity. It was great. I once saw it on the big screen in 2004, which was an original beat-up film print and in this digital age, I appreciate such things. I already reviewed the movie this past summer so I don't need to do it again. However, I needed to give a proper review to this and as I hadn't watched this in a long while, I figured this was the perfect time to do so, with the OG film still not having left my mind yet.
I presume many are familiar with the plot of how some bad guys use technology to take over the Dulles National Airport in Washington, D.C. for the purpose of them taking an overthrown dictator and drug dealer of THE 80's action movie fictitious country (Val Verde), played by the great Franco Nero. John McClane happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time again. John has to deal with such obstacles as a stereotypical police chief in Dennis Franz, and there are also some unexpected enemies.
This is not the all-time-classic that the original is. Some of the dialogue is incredibly cheesy or goofy. The way that they shoehorn in a minor character or two is a little goofy considering this takes place almost 3,000 miles away from the Los Angeles setting of the first. Characters like the one that Franz played was written to be stupid, just because. Like what we get in too many modern action films, various parts of the plot make little to no sense. I could list various examples, but I won't go into detail on those Chris Nolan movies...
Yet, I can still give it a nice grade, as the action scenes are still cracking, there are some funny moments, and it is nice to see John McClane and his wife Holly. Plus, Meat from the Porky's films gets a rather nasty death scene. So while I wish it didn't have its faults and the major act of terrorism the movie has can be questioned as to whether it should have happened (in this day and age it does look worse), talent behind the camera such as producer Joel Silver, director Renny Harlin-his reputation may be mud now but he was actually cool back then-and composer Michael Kamen help make sure that this isn't a bad motion picture. Heaven knows that the 4th and 5th film in the series (which I can at least easily pretend that they aren't true Die Hard movies and even if the lead in those two was not John McClane, they'd still be pretty terrible) are much worse than this.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Ex Machina
Ex Machina (2015)
Runtime: 108 minutes
Directed by: Alex Garland
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Issac, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno
From: Several different companies, including A24
When I do my Best of 2015 list (sometime in... July of '16 or so) expect this motion picture to be at or near the top. Why did I not see this in a theatre? Because I am a dumbass, apparently. Read my glowing praise for this below in my Letterboxd review, but not before saying that I may post a review Sunday night proper or wait until Monday afternoon:
Oh, what a fool I was for not seeing this theatrically earlier this year.
2015 has been a pretty blah year for me when it comes to motion pictures. I've enjoyed some films quite a bit but there weren't any that I would say was great. Let's not even talk about how I am a rare person that did not care for Fury Road the two times I saw it on the big screen. While there definitely are a few I need to catch up on once they come out on disc or streaming, there's at least a decent chance that Ex Machina will be my top film of this year.
This is the sort of motion picture you want to go in as cold as possible, so I'll just mention the basic plot: a computer programmer (Caleb) wins a lottery at the job he works at-a Google-like company-and he goes to the huge estate in the middle of nowhere of the company's founder, Nathan... a rather odd and standoffish person. He created an android-a lovely lady named Ava-and Caleb has to do sessions with her to see if she could pass for a human. It's the famed Turing Test of computing lore. Things do not go as planned.
This movie isn't extravagant at all; instead, it's low-key and it presents its intelligent and interesting ideas in a measured fashion. I won't give away what those ideas of except for saying that they are mature and thought-provoking, including what it means to be human and the philosophical problems of creating an AI that could possibly fool someone via conversation that they are a person. The only other major character was a maid that is mute (Kyoko), and yet with only a few characters and the setting of a fancy futuristic house in the woods, thought-provoking science fiction greatness was created.
The performances from all four are top-notch. While Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, Oscar Issac as Nathan and Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko are all great, it is Alicia Vikander's performance as Ava that is truly outstanding. Through various subtle movements and gestures that probably came from her childhood as a ballerina, I can see why so many people went gaga over her performance. She is quite attractive in my opinion but she is definitely more than a pretty face and from what I have heard about her other roles in serious movies, 2015 has been great for her.
Behind the camera is also spectacular. I am talking about such things as cinematography, editing, and my favorite, the cerebral haunting electronic score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. It's cold yet beautiful and it fits like a second skin to the images and the themes of this motion picture. While he spent plenty of time with Danny Boyle, it is still quite the achievement that this is the first movie from Alex Garland, someone who I'll definitely keep an eye on in the future.
Again, I wish that I could have seen this in a theatre but if you enjoy science fiction that isn't dopey or full of noise or bombast, this is a must-see and you must see it as soon as you are able to.
Runtime: 108 minutes
Directed by: Alex Garland
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Issac, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno
From: Several different companies, including A24
When I do my Best of 2015 list (sometime in... July of '16 or so) expect this motion picture to be at or near the top. Why did I not see this in a theatre? Because I am a dumbass, apparently. Read my glowing praise for this below in my Letterboxd review, but not before saying that I may post a review Sunday night proper or wait until Monday afternoon:
Oh, what a fool I was for not seeing this theatrically earlier this year.
2015 has been a pretty blah year for me when it comes to motion pictures. I've enjoyed some films quite a bit but there weren't any that I would say was great. Let's not even talk about how I am a rare person that did not care for Fury Road the two times I saw it on the big screen. While there definitely are a few I need to catch up on once they come out on disc or streaming, there's at least a decent chance that Ex Machina will be my top film of this year.
This is the sort of motion picture you want to go in as cold as possible, so I'll just mention the basic plot: a computer programmer (Caleb) wins a lottery at the job he works at-a Google-like company-and he goes to the huge estate in the middle of nowhere of the company's founder, Nathan... a rather odd and standoffish person. He created an android-a lovely lady named Ava-and Caleb has to do sessions with her to see if she could pass for a human. It's the famed Turing Test of computing lore. Things do not go as planned.
This movie isn't extravagant at all; instead, it's low-key and it presents its intelligent and interesting ideas in a measured fashion. I won't give away what those ideas of except for saying that they are mature and thought-provoking, including what it means to be human and the philosophical problems of creating an AI that could possibly fool someone via conversation that they are a person. The only other major character was a maid that is mute (Kyoko), and yet with only a few characters and the setting of a fancy futuristic house in the woods, thought-provoking science fiction greatness was created.
The performances from all four are top-notch. While Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, Oscar Issac as Nathan and Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko are all great, it is Alicia Vikander's performance as Ava that is truly outstanding. Through various subtle movements and gestures that probably came from her childhood as a ballerina, I can see why so many people went gaga over her performance. She is quite attractive in my opinion but she is definitely more than a pretty face and from what I have heard about her other roles in serious movies, 2015 has been great for her.
Behind the camera is also spectacular. I am talking about such things as cinematography, editing, and my favorite, the cerebral haunting electronic score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. It's cold yet beautiful and it fits like a second skin to the images and the themes of this motion picture. While he spent plenty of time with Danny Boyle, it is still quite the achievement that this is the first movie from Alex Garland, someone who I'll definitely keep an eye on in the future.
Again, I wish that I could have seen this in a theatre but if you enjoy science fiction that isn't dopey or full of noise or bombast, this is a must-see and you must see it as soon as you are able to.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Yeah, you know all the details already about this infamous movie
This is a movie that I had seen twice before but I wanted to give it a better review on Letterboxd so I watched it again last night, and as I always thought, the movie is so average and that is disappointing considering the Indy movies before that are all quality. The Letterboxd review is below:
Oh, what a fool I was for not seeing this theatrically earlier this year.
2015 has been a pretty blah year for me when it comes to motion pictures. I've enjoyed some films quite a bit but there weren't any that I would say was great. Let's not even talk about how I am a rare person that did not care for Fury Road the two times I saw it on the big screen. While there definitely are a few I need to catch up on once they come out on disc or streaming, there's at least a decent chance that Ex Machina will be my top film of this year.
This is the sort of motion picture you want to go in as cold as possible, so I'll just mention the basic plot: a computer programmer (Caleb) wins a lottery at the job he works at-a Google-like company-and he goes to the huge estate in the middle of nowhere of the company's founder, Nathan... a rather odd and standoffish person. He created an android-a lovely lady named Ava-and Caleb has to do sessions with her to see if she could pass for a human. It's the famed Turing Test of computing lore. Things do not go as planned.
This movie isn't extravagant at all; instead, it's low-key and it presents its intelligent and interesting ideas in a measured fashion. I won't give away what those ideas of except for saying that they are mature and thought-provoking, including what it means to be human and the philosophical problems of creating an AI that could possibly fool someone via conversation that they are a person. The only other major character was a maid that is mute (Kyoko), and yet with only a few characters and the setting of a fancy futuristic house in the woods, thought-provoking science fiction greatness was created.
The performances from all four are top-notch. While Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, Oscar Issac as Nathan and Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko are all great, it is Alicia Vikander's performance as Ava that is truly outstanding. Through various subtle movements and gestures that probably came from her childhood as a ballerina, I can see why so many people went gaga over her performance. She is quite attractive in my opinion but she is definitely more than a pretty face and from what I have heard about her other roles in serious movies, 2015 has been great for her.
Behind the camera is also spectacular. I am talking about such things as cinematography, editing, and my favorite, the cerebral haunting electronic score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. It's cold yet beautiful and it fits like a second skin to the images and the themes of this motion picture. While he spent plenty of time with Danny Boyle, it is still quite the achievement that this is the first movie from Alex Garland, someone who I'll definitely keep an eye on in the future.
Again, I wish that I could have seen this in a theatre but if you enjoy science fiction that isn't dopey or full of noise or bombast, this is a must-see and you must see it as soon as you are able to.
Yeah, you know all the details already about this infamous movie
This is a movie that I had seen twice before but I wanted to give it a better review on Letterboxd so I watched it again last night, and as I always thought, the movie is so average and that is disappointing considering the Indy movies before that are all quality. The Letterboxd review is below:
Oh, what a fool I was for not seeing this theatrically earlier this year.
2015 has been a pretty blah year for me when it comes to motion pictures. I've enjoyed some films quite a bit but there weren't any that I would say was great. Let's not even talk about how I am a rare person that did not care for Fury Road the two times I saw it on the big screen. While there definitely are a few I need to catch up on once they come out on disc or streaming, there's at least a decent chance that Ex Machina will be my top film of this year.
This is the sort of motion picture you want to go in as cold as possible, so I'll just mention the basic plot: a computer programmer (Caleb) wins a lottery at the job he works at-a Google-like company-and he goes to the huge estate in the middle of nowhere of the company's founder, Nathan... a rather odd and standoffish person. He created an android-a lovely lady named Ava-and Caleb has to do sessions with her to see if she could pass for a human. It's the famed Turing Test of computing lore. Things do not go as planned.
This movie isn't extravagant at all; instead, it's low-key and it presents its intelligent and interesting ideas in a measured fashion. I won't give away what those ideas of except for saying that they are mature and thought-provoking, including what it means to be human and the philosophical problems of creating an AI that could possibly fool someone via conversation that they are a person. The only other major character was a maid that is mute (Kyoko), and yet with only a few characters and the setting of a fancy futuristic house in the woods, thought-provoking science fiction greatness was created.
The performances from all four are top-notch. While Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, Oscar Issac as Nathan and Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko are all great, it is Alicia Vikander's performance as Ava that is truly outstanding. Through various subtle movements and gestures that probably came from her childhood as a ballerina, I can see why so many people went gaga over her performance. She is quite attractive in my opinion but she is definitely more than a pretty face and from what I have heard about her other roles in serious movies, 2015 has been great for her.
Behind the camera is also spectacular. I am talking about such things as cinematography, editing, and my favorite, the cerebral haunting electronic score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. It's cold yet beautiful and it fits like a second skin to the images and the themes of this motion picture. While he spent plenty of time with Danny Boyle, it is still quite the achievement that this is the first movie from Alex Garland, someone who I'll definitely keep an eye on in the future.
Again, I wish that I could have seen this in a theatre but if you enjoy science fiction that isn't dopey or full of noise or bombast, this is a must-see and you must see it as soon as you are able to.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
I Am Rewatching Old Films
That is what I've been doing as of late. Last night on the big screen I saw Die Hard; it was awesome seeing it that way; I did that once before way back in 2004. A few hours later I saw again Road Games, the 1981 Australian film. For the next few days I'll likely be doing the same thing so who knows when I'll be back with a new review.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Labyrinth
Labyrinth (1986)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Jim Henson
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie
From: Both Jim Henson and the not yet hated George Lucas
This movie is now gone from Netflix Instant, but I watched it Sunday night while they still had the film streaming. I had seen it only once before in my life despite being born in the 1980's. I explain it all in my Letterboxd review below:
I hope that there aren't too many people who strongly disagree with how I rated this. It has to be said that despite being born in 1981, unlike many people in my general age range I had only seen this once before; the reason for me checking it out a second time is that in a matter of hours it'll be gone from Netflix Instant. From what I remember when I first saw it many years ago, I thought it fine and nothing more; I now know my opinion hasn't really changed.
I can say that it was a very imaginative world and in this day and age I appreciate how everything-from the sets to the creatures to the effects-were done practically instead of CGI that would make it look not as real and tangible. I certainly did see the works of Jim Henson since I was very little. Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, the Muppets movies, and so much more. I did enjoy the wacky characters on display and what an imaginative world it was. It's 80's-riffic all the way but that was fine with me and I enjoyed how 80's the music was, especially the David Bowie songs.
And oh what a performance from him, between his singing, his big wig, and his overall look. I can understand why I've heard plenty of people in the past say that they enjoyed Jareth the Goblin King in a romantic way. I understand... and the incredibly tight pants he wore did not hurt either in that regard! I can say that the movie has riddles, most of them on the clever side. It reminds me that a modern day Labyrinth videogame would be perfect and if done right it would work.
However, there were some things that I was not so hot about. There are various story issues I could carp about, but I won't. I'll just say that there were story issues. Even if I hadn't seen some reviewers here mention it, more often than not Jennifer Connelly was more wooden than Pinocchio. The opening was rough until Jareth the Goblin King showed up. Sarah as a character was also pretty annoying too often. Still, I can say this is fine overall and I do understand how if I would have seen this when I was younger or I saw it more often, I'd probably also rate it higher and love it in a cult way like so many do.
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Jim Henson
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie
From: Both Jim Henson and the not yet hated George Lucas
This movie is now gone from Netflix Instant, but I watched it Sunday night while they still had the film streaming. I had seen it only once before in my life despite being born in the 1980's. I explain it all in my Letterboxd review below:
I hope that there aren't too many people who strongly disagree with how I rated this. It has to be said that despite being born in 1981, unlike many people in my general age range I had only seen this once before; the reason for me checking it out a second time is that in a matter of hours it'll be gone from Netflix Instant. From what I remember when I first saw it many years ago, I thought it fine and nothing more; I now know my opinion hasn't really changed.
I can say that it was a very imaginative world and in this day and age I appreciate how everything-from the sets to the creatures to the effects-were done practically instead of CGI that would make it look not as real and tangible. I certainly did see the works of Jim Henson since I was very little. Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, the Muppets movies, and so much more. I did enjoy the wacky characters on display and what an imaginative world it was. It's 80's-riffic all the way but that was fine with me and I enjoyed how 80's the music was, especially the David Bowie songs.
And oh what a performance from him, between his singing, his big wig, and his overall look. I can understand why I've heard plenty of people in the past say that they enjoyed Jareth the Goblin King in a romantic way. I understand... and the incredibly tight pants he wore did not hurt either in that regard! I can say that the movie has riddles, most of them on the clever side. It reminds me that a modern day Labyrinth videogame would be perfect and if done right it would work.
However, there were some things that I was not so hot about. There are various story issues I could carp about, but I won't. I'll just say that there were story issues. Even if I hadn't seen some reviewers here mention it, more often than not Jennifer Connelly was more wooden than Pinocchio. The opening was rough until Jareth the Goblin King showed up. Sarah as a character was also pretty annoying too often. Still, I can say this is fine overall and I do understand how if I would have seen this when I was younger or I saw it more often, I'd probably also rate it higher and love it in a cult way like so many do.
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