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ralphcorbelle
Reviews
The Master (2012)
Capital "A" Acting
I had no clue what I was heading into when I pressed play. I think it's really hard to make a bad movie when you have Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jaoquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Jesse Plemons leading the charge. Hoffman and Phoenix are fully absorbed into their characters and the film forces its audience to try and follow these conversations that somehow feel super grounded (due to Hoffman's amazing delivery) and unsettling at the same time. This movie really could not have worked without the talent of these actors.
Amy Adams does so much with so little screen time; I do wish we got more time with her but I think her lack of presence contributes to the messaging of the film. She gives an extremely pulled back/subtle performance of a woman that is truly in the middle of the storm.
This feels fresh and distinct from any other movie I've watched, so I'd definitely recommend it.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Tons of potential that's never fully realized
A...miss. A stacked cast full of really interesting performances that unfortunately go nowhere, but it might be more accurate to say it goes EVERYWHERE. A very...conceptual movie? I guess? There were several moments of tension that felt like they would help transition into a super disturbing suspense film but Kaufman never decides to go in that direction and instead commits to a lackluster school-child production of Oklahoma! ...and that's probably the best part of the movie. I definitely think Kaufman had a lot of ideas going into this movie but struggled to communicate them in an effective way. Theres some great dialogue though! Worth a watch just to see Toni Collette be manic :)
Joker (2019)
No, I don't feel bad for a violent Incel!!
I had to give at least one star for Phoenix's performance (it's great even if it...is a little heavy handed?) but the whole of this movie is sadly not worth the ELEVEN!!!! Oscar nominations it got. It may not be fair to compare Phoenix's Joker with Heath Ledger's now-iconic one, so I think it's more important to focus on the movie itself.
The Joker is a lazy film that spends most of its runtime trying to make the audience understand why a man would become the classically unhinged and maniacal DC villain (while taking a note from Nolan's book and creating this movie in a world that seems pretty much detached from the rest of the DC cinematic universe.)
That sounds great! The premise itself has tons of potential to be compelling and disturbing. Instead, we are given a series of scenes in which Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) is either degraded by his coworkers and strangers or getting kindly rejected by women (there is a reason why people have referred to this as an "Incel movie"...). We also learn he has had a troubled childhood. At no point in this movie is there a moment I feel genuine empathy for the Joker. I say this because "humanizing the famous JOKER" seems to be the the overarching goal of the film, to the very end where our Joker leads chaotic riots through the streets after murdering Robert Di Nero on live television.
Ultimately, I think one of the least-necessary movies in 2019 is one focused on empathizing with a troubled white adult man who was mistreated by society and rejected by women until he snapped and killed everyone...
If you think this is a too simplistic reception of this movie and Todd Phillips's Joker depiction, ask yourself.l: what value does this movie bring? What conversation is it trying to have? What themes is it contending with? When we boil things down, Arthur Fleck is a straight white dude who had a very crappy, psychologically traumatic life. And then he killed a person. Then several more. He may have even killed that very nice neighbor of his (Zazie Beetz! Deserved better!) and her son, though it is never explicitly shown.
What, then, is the message of this movie? I am skeptical of any depiction of a character like Arthur Fleck that is more interested in displaying a few instances of him being mistreated by people rather than interrogating him and the society that made him.
Ying (2018)
Pretty, Wasted Potential
While Yimou Zhang delivers on the promise of a visually stunning 2 hours, Shadow is a slow burn that lacks emotional investment in most of its characters, leaving us with beautifully choreographed/filmed action which results in deaths that feel empty and meaningless. Chao Deng (Jing/Commander) and Li Sun (Madam) have great chemistry on screen but this feels wasted with the direction the film takes. Also, Madam is completely sidelined throughout the narrative when she's probably the most interesting character: (SPOILERS) her fighting style is the key to defeating General Yang and she's the emotional backbone between Jing and Commander. I have no clue why she was not utilized more and why she only had one fighting sequence. I wish the end was a battle between her and Jing after he kills the Commander, but unfortunately she isn't given much interiority.
Definitely worth the watch for great prop/weapon design, beautiful shots, and UMBRELLA STAMPEDE (awesome), just don't go in expecting a compelling narrative.
The Prestige (2006)
"Were you watching closely?"
The Prestige is both extremely straightforward and endlessly perplexing. When you reach the final twist you may think the experience is over, but the greater implications of his character's actions are exactly what make this one of Nolan's best films. Releasing a year after Batman Begins, Nolan pushes aside the blockbuster superhero shtick for a self-reflective film about obsession and love for one's craft. The themes explored are limited and specific, and Nolan focuses on them with pin-point accuracy throughout the entire runtime. It is a confusing and devastating film which is ultimately about art, admiration, and how far someone is willing to go to achieve their goals.
The only issue I found was with Scarlet Johansson's character, Olivia, who seemed to have a ton of potential but ended up lacking dimension-I'm not a fan with how sidelined the three women in this movie are in general, but Johansson's character is by far the flattest.
Nolan jumps around through time quite a lot throughout the movie, but these choices actually serve the plot rather being a gimmick. Great performances from Christian Bale, Rebecca Hall, Michael Caine, and Piper Perabo (who should have been one of our biggest movie stars!). And, oh yeah, one of Hugh Jackman's best performances to date.
The Prestige deserves a second viewing (at least!) as soon as possible. Nolan ends the movie by gentling goading us, the audience, to see if we have fully received the magic of the film:
"Were you watching closely?" Well, were you?
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Wait so...this is the worst movie ever, right?
Wait so...this is the worst movie ever, right? Nolan probably didn't even want to make a third Batman film, and it shows! It feels like it's having an identity crisis when it comes to messaging: Nolan loves to explore deeper themes in his movies, but the social commentary in this one feels far off the mark.
We are taught how to completely misuse great characters like Catwoman and Robin! Anne Hathaway is hands down the best performance in the movie (even though she wasn't given a lot of material to work with). She plays a very subtle Selina which is in strong contrast with Tom Hardy's insane Bane portrayal. The voice! It's so odd but somehow completely works. The pressure of following up Heath Ledger's Joker was undoubtably placed upon Hardy's shoulders during this, and I think he does something really interesting with Bane.
The issues start to arise with the writing itself: Miranda's character should've been a badass! The way Nolan uses her feels like a complete waste. We have no reason to care about Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Robin. All of Bane's philosophical complexity is thrown out the door when we find out (SPOILER) that Miranda had the detonator the whole time, not a regular citizen of Gotham. This delegitimizes much of Bane's dialogue/motivation and leaves me wondering why Nolan would want to simplify his villain.
In the end, it's not the worst movie ever- it's still an entertaining watch with some amazing Nolan special effects (so many cool vehicles!). I wish he had thought more about his philosophy on crime and imprisonment before writing this one.
*Also, the WORST PRISON EVER seems ridiculously comfy and laidback. No guards, theres a tv, it looks like they get fed enough. It's these odd, thoughtlessly executed details that make this one of Nolan's worst films.