Change Your Image
yzelig
Reviews
Walk the Line (2005)
I Walk The Line
Walk the line is pretty standard stuff by today's musical biopic standards. Famous singer has a sad backstory, gets famous, turns to drugs and then redeems himself in time for a sweet-feeling final concert before the credits roll. But I have to be fair. Like today's musical biopics, the film also has really strong acting. Joaquin Phoenix, whos legendary acting prowess precedes him, obviously does terrific work here. Reese Witherspoon too, is excellent. Now I don't know exactly what Direction means. I don't know what a director really does. But whatever it is, James Mangold (who has made some really damn good movies) made a film which is sweet and tender if more than a bit formulaic. Low 7's.
The Mist (2007)
Extremely well made horror gut wrencher does it's job too well
This movie is gripping. It is engaging and the characters are compelling and identifiable. It covers heavy themes.
And it's too much.
I cannot recommend this movie to anyone. It's so well made and yet so not worth it. Even if you are a seasoned horror viewer, I would issue a strong warning against watching, it just takes you heart and rips it apart.
I know that very warning is what will probably get most people to watch it (it certainly was for me) people may be too curious. I saw this movie because I heard the ending is absolutely shocking and it was made by Frank Darabont, the man behind the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile. He does a great job hear as despite the disturbing content the film is suspenseful and immersive and is hard to stop watching because you just want to know what is going to happen next.
If you really think you can stomach it then check this well made movie out. Otherwise I would recommend watching something lighter, like Reqium for a Dream 😉
Meet the Parents (2000)
Painfully fun
That was the most agonizing 90 minutes ever. The movie is funny and simple and well, very sitcom like in the unfolding of chaos that drives the plot forward. (Things go wrong in a very far fetched way that would never actually happen) but above all it is
Oh
So
Painful.
I'm a fan of cringe humor, I will laugh at the Office and impractical jokers any day of the week but for some reason the cringe was so much more palpable here. I mean just Ben Stillers face the whole time...
Anyway, it's a fun movie that doesn't ask too much of the viewer but you need to be able to enjoy cringe humor because...yikes.
The General (1926)
Meh
Well made but didn't do anything for me. I'm a casual cinephile and this wasn't worth the effort of forcing myself to watch a silent movie.
Not that there aren't great silent movies, of course there are! Maybe I need more exposure to get used to them but I found that this film didn't grab my attention. I found the first thirty minutes or so to be rather boring as the comedy really didn't land for me. Burster Keaton' deadpan face doesn't translate well in a film where you can't hear him speak
I'm giving the General 5/10 because of the impressive bridge sequence and the fantastic wide-shot-battle scene that followed.
Overall, this movie is one that is undeniably well made, but one that just made me want to watch a Chaplin picture instead.
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Sooo long
Gone with the wind is a landmark movie. There is no denying this. It is well acted. The production value, cinematography and sheer spectacle are all stellar.
But it's annoying. I know this movie was a product of its time and as such, portrayal of slavery and the south as an idyllic paradise was not as unacceptable then as it is today, but it still leaves a very sour taste in my mouth and greatly hampered my enjoyment of the film. Depicting slavery as innocuous is just not something I can overlook.
Now I said the film was annoying and this is not just referring to its distasteful representation of people of color. The protagonist herself is just rotten to the bone. She's not a psychopath or anything but she is just...the worst. She uses people as props in the puppet show she calls life and almost never shows kindness for kindness's sake. I know that's the point of the movie. Scarlett O' Hara is not supposed to be likeable and indeed, she does get her comeuppance at the end (even in the second act of the film she goes through some rough times) but her character still didn't land for me.
So, five stars because despite y qualms, this is clearly a well-made movie, with soaring production values and ambitious performances that keep the melodrama afloat. However, I rate films, books, music and all forms of media primarily on how much I enjoyed it and not as much on the quality, social zeitgeist or overall importance in the cultural milieu.
Goodbye, Gone with the Wind, you are finally Gone From My Watchlist.