Catching up here on some movies I saw and didn't post on...
The Red Turtle (2016):
+ Fantastical Visual Storytelling
- Flat art style with a stationary "camera"
+ Empathy and emotion portrayed in spite of the lack of detailed animation or any form of dialogue
- The interpretative nature of the film seems less like it's leaving the audience with something, and more so like it's trying to search for meaning in itself.
Justice League (2017):
+ It's coherent and didn't hurt my brain or eyes.
- Inconsistent visual style
- Conflicting tones and dynamics
- Inconsequential dialogue and character interaction
- Hollow story
- Narrative folly's in character focus that are either left unresolved or are completely redundant
- Henry Cavill's upper lip.
Thor: Ragnarok:
+ The shift in Marvel movies now being complete parodies of themselves serve to benefit the tone of the film
- The idea that these films are complete parodies of themselves mean that there is no sense of urgency, seriousness, or danger- i.e. things you need to make action exciting.
+ Cate Blanchett is hamming it up and it's hilarious to watch her over-act.
- Character arcs are not narratively fulfilling, nor can they be justified by being in the film at all.
+ The second act has "ideas" and "creativity"- two words that I do not find myself using with most Marvel films.
- The First act is a bit rough to get behind- as it seems Taika Waititi had to ease the audience by first giving them "Marvel Humor" before easing them in to his own comedic style.
- The Third act is a Marvel movie. It's loud, boring, monochromatic, and without stakes.
A Ghost Story (2017):
+ The disposition of time and our place in it is addressed cleverly and purposefully
+ The creativity of the story is bursting at the seams, and is truly indicative of the passion associated with a writer/ director project
+ The film provides beauty through tragedy and sorrow through perceived happiness
+ Nuance and subtle themes are interwoven through the narrative and are addressed without having to be spoon-fed to the audience.
- The Pie eating scene
- The Vignetted, 4x3 aspect ratio really, really pissed me off.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (First time viewing!):
+ Jim Carrey is doing his thing.
- Flatly shot with the blandest cinematography of recent memory
- Direction isn't reflective of any sort of comedy intention
- Script is rife with excessive character moments that exist not to forward the narrative, but to distract from the narrative in lieu of a gag.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi:
+ Subversion of the Star Wars genre allows the film to create a fresh experience and set the stage for a more "unexpected" future.
- The Plot threads open by the end of the film are fairly 2-dimensional- a clear, more interesting path was hinted at twice earlier in the film, and then discarded.
- The Comedy is nauseatingly 2017- and it's disappointing that this feels like one of the first Star Wars films that can truly be dated to an era of filmmaking.
+ The Script and performances are top-notch- I am very impressed and happy with the material given to Mark Hamill.
+ The film explores the meta-crisis of the genre itself, and exploits the views of both the audience by both assuring and reaffirming that Star Wars is Star Wars, while simultaneously allowing us to let go of the Star Wars we cling to.
- Canto Bight. It's boring and out of place.
+ Benicio del Toro's character DJ provides a welcome moral conundrum that takes the political sphere of good vs. evil known in Star Wars, and places the ideology of those outside of the confines of that war.
Spider-Man: Homecoming:
Full disclosure. I couldn't sit through this movie. It's the 2nd movie I've ever walked out on- the first being Hostel 2.
I hated everything about this movie. The only enjoyable aspect for me was Michael Keaton's performance.
- The self sacrificial aspect of Spider-Man of which made the Sam Raimi Peter Parker so interesting to watch seems inconsequential, if not wholly irrelevant.
- I found the action to be without consequence and was mind-numbingly boring for me (seriously, what IS the danger if the Staten Island Ferry sinks? People are slightly inconvenienced for the next 4 minutes until picked up by Harbor patrol?).
- The film seemed to intentionally make the audience not want you to take it seriously, the bombardment of jokes seem only to reiterate that the film is "pointless" and that you should laugh at yourself for attempting to take it seriously.
- I got about 20 minutes from the end of the movie before I realized that I just didn't care how it ended.
Baby Driver:
+ Gorgeously shot- stylishly edited film. Every moment is wonderful to watch, the spectacles, the romance, and the dialogue are all so beautifully crafted that not a second is ever wasted.
+ Action is given tactility and the stakes are always in the forefront of every scene.
+ Edgar Wright's visual comedy (while not overbearing) is prevalent enough to remind you that it's there.
- Some characters don't seem to have motivations or actions that make sense with what was established.
- The final third act is a bit jarring in terms of the way it's paced. It feels as if an "ending" couldn't be committed to and was thus continuously added to after shooting.
Blade Runner 2049:
*Side Note- I DO NOT like the original Blade Runner.
+ Visually distinctive, each location is not only creative- but is shot so gorgeously that so many of these scenes could be taken as art in of themselves.
+ The sheer ferocity behind some of the brutal violence in this film, though sparse, punctuates the intensity and the intent behind every motion.
+ The characters in this film are taken through some delightfully painful arcs- allowing the audience to see the pain and torment of these people and to see how tragedy tears apart anything we could perceive as beautiful.
- Pacing is a bit of an issue. While I was enamored by this film- it did FEEL its length.
