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reelfilmophile
“Informed & generous with my criticism.”
Reviews
Civil War (2024)
A "What If?" road trip through a nuanced lens
An interesting & horrifying look into a "house" divided through the lens of photo journalism and the nuances that surround it all. Messaging is left open to interpretation. It felt like it was made with a level of journalistic integrity in its lack of political sway or obligatory messaging. The "provocativeness" of this movie is in its lack of provocation.
Gorgeous cinematography, heightened set pieces, and engaging sound design. Though, I don't know if it was intentional or just the theater I was at, but the dialogue sounded very muffled & noisy a good bit of the time whilst the natural ambience & sound effects were crisp, loud, & clear. Facial acting delivered where the dialogue was absent.
I wanna see this again at some point to better understand & flesh out some of ideas involved.
Spaceman (2024)
Maybe better as a short film
An introspective journey through space & time passed that explores the different angles of loneliness - whether through self-isolation or some form of abandonment.
The movie is conceptually vivid, while also being a bit on the nose, but muted in its tonality & visuals. And even with an easy to digest runtime of 107 minutes, it oddly feels too long. I think this might have worked better as a 30-40 minute short film.
It does enough to keep you intrigued if you're up for it but it will lose some viewers to boredom or sleep that thought they were getting a space comedy or epic.
Dramatic Adam Sandler isn't for everyone but I think he does a fine job in this with the support of Paul Dano's extraterrestrial arachnid.
I'll be interested to see if this ages well or gets lost over time.
Becoming King (2024)
Genuinely Effective
Beautiful man with a beautiful spirit, beautiful faith, & beautiful family.
Love the simplicity, homemade feel, & genuine nature of this documentary. It didn't need to spend hours deep diving into every aspect of the filmmaking to be effective in its storytelling.
It was extremely proficient in conveying the power & emotionality of the process while also giving us a look into at least a piece of who David Oyelowo is. His passion for the role & persistent faith in what he was called to do with it was evident and inspiring to watch unfold.
Oyelowo has always been a joy to see on screen. This only bolstered that sentiment for me while also giving me a newfound level of appreciation & admiration for who he is off screen.
Past Lives (2023)
Overall beautiful feature debut for Celine Song
A beautiful depiction of fate, choices, and relationships, bookended by the perfect opening and ending. Celine Song delivers a riveting story in her directorial debut.
Lost love that never truly was yet has always been. Developing a connection young, losing it over time & distance, and reconnecting in the future. Though time has changed them physically & mentally, there is still an enduring emotional bond that remains - haunting their subconscious with thoughts of what could have been or what could be.
Room is given for emotions & ideas to be explored and fleshed out, allowing for the reality & acceptance of where they're at in life to ultimately keep them apart - even though it hurts them both. It's a constant grapple of the mind - did they settle for what was available or are they truly satisfied with the life they have? Is it true love between soulmates or the unfulfilled ideas of desire built on emotional responses to a childhood connection?
Genuinely endearing performances from the cast that captured love, awkwardness, and emotional maturity perfectly.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Masterclass in grand spectacle
I have said that Denis Villeneuve is a master of putting grand spectacle on screen. Dune: Part 2 was an outsized enhancement of its predecessor. Seeing it in IMAX helped bring the massive landscape of this film into scope for the viewer.
Greig Fraser is a master cinematographer. The camera work, coupled with the special effects, have created a world that evokes a visceral feeling of realism.
The stunning visuals were accompanied with a beautiful score to guide emotions and
tactful sound design that was vociferous in nature but also withdrawn when it needed to be. Believable choreography & acting to boot.
A star-studded cast that never outshines their characters - only once I kind of got taken out of the movie by a character and it was because of weird line delivery. The story was drawn out but never felt like it was dragging.
A fantastic experience with a crowd & another cinematic achievement to add to Denis' filmography that will surely bring him more awards.
P.s. Javier Bardem was having a TIME with his role & Austin Butler showed off his range as an actor. Also, loved the surprise cameo from an actress who is starring in another big movie this year!
P.s.s. Can I make "ride the worm" a commonly used phrase without it being misconstrued as dirty?
This is a clear early 2025 Oscar candidate for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Design, Best Editing, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Score.
...potential in acting categories as well...
Oppenheimer (2023)
Nolan's Magnum Opus: A Cinephile's Wet Dream
This may go without saying but this is clearly Nolan's magnum opus & a cinephile's wet dream. I've seen it four times as of this review (GPX theater, IMAX 70mm, digital copy, Blu-ray).
Immaculate sound design coupled with a perfect score. Visuals were explosive (pun intended) & intentional. Casting/Ensemble was sublime.
The first two hours are rapid-paced, talking-heads & cross-cuts between three timelines. It is a marveling cinematic achievement in the way it's structured and how effective it is at telling its story. Also, the usage of color vs black & white and varying aspect ratios aided in the visual storytelling from different points of views - helping drive home the overarching theme of morality, the choices we make, and the consequences of those choices.
There wasn't "down time" to process everything going on through the first watch but I was genuinely invested & intrigued throughout the runtime. Every rewatch gets better & better.
The third hour changed the pace & maneuvered into a different style of movie but it absolutely still works for me. I had no real prior knowledge of the subject matter and, while it may have helped in some ways, it wasn't necessary to know much going in.
There was an increasing, tangible anxiety & tension as we neared the crux of the second act that, even in knowing the outcome, had my Apple Watch sending constant rapid heart rate alerts.
In a very real sense, this felt like Christopher Nolan's Manhattan project. It seemed, to me, that there was an autobiographical essence overlayed onto a biographical adaptation. Not that Nolan sees himself and Oppenheimer as a 1:1 comparison, but rather that he sees similarities in terms of their existential crises, how the world views their work & how their genius in respective fields are discussed in society. I think this movie best displays just how incredible a director that Nolan truly is.
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Seeing it that second time in 70mm IMAX was a moment I'm glad I got to experience. In a packed theater with every seat filled, on a Tuesday night for an 11:20 pm screening, almost two weeks after its initial release, is a testament to the power and sheer magnitude of a Christopher Nolan film - the Barbenheimer phenomena was REAL.
Seeing the noise of film on a huge screen, noticing the changes in the aspect ratios, the overwhelming loudness of immaculate sound design coupled with a propulsive score...WOW.
The GPX version equates to seeing Starry Night or the Mona Lisa at a museum behind glass; 70mm IMAX felt like watching Van Gogh and da Vinci in real-time as they finished painting them.
This is a cinema-defining masterpiece that will stand the test of time.