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decoyfred
Reviews
Skyfall (2012)
A sad sold out, nonsensical turn for the worst
I seldom post reviews but I felt this one was necessary.
I went to see this, the latest Bond movie to date, encouraged by the strong reviews it was receiving online. I am a big fan of the Daniel Craig iteration of 007 (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace), and of the direction they had been taking with the development of Bond's character and career through these films. They brought my enthusiasm to a screeching halt with this one.
To put it briefly, this latest Bondscapade felt like a horribly senseless run-on sentence penned in a group effort by Mrs. Applebotttom's kindergarten class during a fun, fun creative writing activity. I could picture the excitement in Little Billy's face as he would chip in to the plot, "...and then... and then...!" Well, they took this meandering storyline, sold painfully deliberate ad space to beer, liquor, and electronics companies, threw in a big scoop of overacting (thanks Bardem, Harris... good job!), and some pretty yet disconnected cinematography to pinch off a tidy little loaf that bears the name and thereby smears the legacy of the oldest franchise in the spy film genre. Sorry for getting nasty, but I really dislike what they've done.
The part I really don't get, and what this production has me pondering is: why are the reviews so strong? Perhaps the online tools for honest movie reviews have been corrupted? Maybe I'm just out of touch, but I really question the legitimacy of the ratings this movie has received.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
a waste of Burton magic
Yeah, cgi and visuals... and nothing more? Shame. Had so much potential.
What's most disappointing is that the hype won in getting quick box office gains for something this weak, encouraging more hollowed-out remakes of childhood favorites.
I left the theater after watching this feeling almost as disappointed as I did after GI Joe, or even Transformers 2 (I personally thought the first Transformers was fairly close to the mark). As with those, the visuals were of primary interest and yeah, the recognizable characters were all there, but the meat and potatoes were replaced with those plastic food props from the Ikea store. Tasteless and dissatisfying.
Might just be me but I picture Elliot Gould as a hell of a Mad Hatter... nothing against Depp.
If you haven't seen it yet, my suggestion is that you don't. Wait till it comes out.. nah ... not even worth the rental fee.
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Atta boy, Mikey!!!
Moore's put together an insightful film to remind us of the powers working behind the scenes to accommodate the laws and practices of law-makers and regulators in the U.S. to the needs and advantage of incessantly profit-hungry corporations. His approach is to analyze Capitalism as an economic system as a whole.
He makes a strong case once again, not for the incarceration of executives (although he does at one point walk up to the HQs of a handful of financial behemoths with intentions of making a citizen's arrest- ha!) or for any sort of radical reform, but for us, the average working class, the masses, the voting majority, the "peasants," to defend our interests with our votes and voices, and maintain our awareness of the influence at play. He suggests we demand that the principles of democracy we so highly value in our political system be applied in the running of the business structures we depend on for our goods, services and income.
He once again attempts to show us how we've been getting the short end of the stick by comparison to our counterparts in Europe and Asia, and applies other familiar methods in delivering his message: humor, infuriating examples of exploited Ameicans, his usual passively defiant antics, historical references and plenty of testimonies and contributions from qualified experts and politicians.
This film will, at the very least, motivate you to do a little research and discussing of your own so you can come to your own conclusions and understanding of why we had a full collapse of our financial system in 2008 and where we might need to aim our attention and efforts to implement changes that will prevent its recurrence. Critics can criticize Moore and this film all they want but in the end, his objective, I believe, is to share information and encourage open discussion. Democracy affords us these privileges and, if we do not exercise them, they will once again atrophy with time and our indifference to enable the repetition of the abuses we witnessed throughout the duration of the GDub maladministration.
Igby Goes Down (2002)
igby shot down **(incl.s plot details)**
So the Royal Tenenbaums revisited and further spiked with bitter-sweet malaise might accurately caption my sentiment. Of course this dysfunctional family biopsy does not fully lack charisma or originality. The defeated father and over-bearing matriarch foundation combined with the alienated youth did elicit a socio-sympathetic intrigue with a fairly fresh angle.
So Mommie Dearest (1981) is afflicted with cancer, constantly drugged, and later killed by her own offspring; the godfather's youthful play-thing OD's from bunk heroine (given to her by the ambiguously effeminate 'friend') and gets cast aside like an old rag; the protagonist's love interest is sexually exploited...I guess I'm just not one of those who revels in such thick misogyny... and much less when it accomplishes so little for thematic development. And taking advantage of the momentum here, after all of that drama, after the entire film really, I'm left asking.... so what?
Most alluring was the wit-ridden/infused dialogue, which certainly added a satisfying dynamic to the film, but there was a certain homogenous aspect to this between characters, rendering them mere messengers for an, albeit clever, yet nonetheless flat script.
I rather enjoy leaving a theater feeling "Well, my life's not as bad as that guy's" but this film even denies the chance for that as young Igby :
----- NEVER HAS TO WORK! -----
(DISCLAIMER: those die-hard, dedicated dealers out there will most likely sympathize... peddling someone else's candy doesn't exactly constitute hard labor.)
But any film brave enough to snub the stereotypical aristocratic tier for its failed pretentious values should be shared for its inherent social commentary, methinks.
The film was very well technically produced, Susan Sarandon was great, Kieran kept the beat, Claire Danes looked 'real, real nice', but the cast boasts big-time money and the film screams big-cast gimmick.... and that's all the love I've got for Igby.
2 n' a halfer outta 4, tops
La dialectique peut-elle casser des briques? (1973)
Now go away or I will taunt you a second time!
French wit at it's finest is all there really is to say. The universal social struggle between the proletariat and abusive bureaucratic command is elegantly adapted to the setting of a 1950's kung-fu flick. The dense anarchist dialogue leading the vintage visual imagery raises a couple of questions: "Are the French really 'that' clever?' and "What the hell was the original film about, anyway?" A film hijacked, re-scored, and redefined by an outrageous blend of humorous and intellectual banter is by all means a whole new creation, and in this particular case, a genuinely successful venture. As the rich, comical narrative rips through your gut with the fine blade of a kitana, the visual then steps in, well equipped with an arsenal of fight scenes, to remind you that you are watching an authentic cheesy kung-fu film after all....................enjoy.