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Oppenheimer (2023)
The score is the only thing keeping the attention
Oppenheimer, the man, felt not the least sympathetic or dramatic to me and was therefore very hard to stay engaged with. Dialogues aplenty but none of the dialogues get really delved into, rather they all feel rushed. The score then, is a brilliant work, until you realise that it was what kept your attention all along and would be more fitting to a psychological thriller- you know, with dialogues that are not rushed.
I couldn't finish it for the film could not decide whether it wanted to be an epic flick like the ones Nolan is known for or a drama.
5/10 for the score and cinematography nonetheless.
Planet of the Humans (2019)
One should wonder
Whether the cynical billionaires of this world are the gravest danger to our earth, or the inability of many environmentalist groups to accept they've been conned by people who posed as allies, and move on to a better approach.
Game of Thrones: Winterfell (2019)
If you're being honest
..then you'll recognise that this is a disappointing continuation from the downward spiral initiated in season 7. I see more of these light-hearted "'Lord of the Rings' or even 'Harry Potter' moments in GoT now. The way Sam Tarly delivered his message at the end felt like Hermione Weasel telling Harry she believes in him, somehow.
Where the first 5-6 seasons brought us characters that were cynical, sarcastic and spoke in cryptic well-weighted sentences, now we see them speak phrases more akin to Gen Y and Z.
Where the acting was ever so subtle in the former seasons, now it's smashed in our faces in a- sometimes quite ridiculous- way that also reflects this cheap irony found in meme culture.
But worst of all; what really makes the actual GoT little more than a slightly better Lotr, is that the writers and directors seem to have finally lost the ingenuity to keep the mass of story lines together. They've drifted apart and it is to the detriment of viewer's engagement.
The Walking Dead: Mercy (2017)
When politics and melodrama join forces
I'm not going to spoil anything, but just be aware of what this show has become: it uses its reach to ram political ideas down our throats. Of course, ratio is not involved with this. As with all good forms of indoctrination, it aims for our emotions and hence couples some noble aphorisms to loaded societal/religious issues in western society.
I felt betrayed as a viewer, I expect others to feel the same if they have a basic understanding of how the human brain works and can be tricked by marketing or politics.
iZombie: Looking for Mr. Goodbrain, Part 2 (2017)
It's becoming increasingly hard not to sympathize with the rednecks killing zombies
I don't think the director aimed for this. But in the first couple of seasons of the show, when the zombie infections were limited, I could still sympathize with Liv More and with her desire to become human again. Now when the zombie outbreak has become very real and thousands of zombies need to feast on the brains of persons who where once loved ones with a family, I'm thinking of those leaders in history who had to choose to sacrifice millions in order to save empires, to save humanity in this case. If Ravi's cure and vaccine doesn't work or isn't accepted by the zombie population- who view their affliction as their cultural identity, I predict the plot for the coming season will be thus: the POTUS will give an order to get as many humans out of Seattle and launch nuclear missiles to the area that was once Seattle.
It's what great leaders do: choose between bad and worse where ordinary humans would have their emotions in the way. After all, this is about humanity's fight for continuation. There are too many zombie traits (easy infection, need for brains that belonged to real people, uncontrolled aggression in some cases) that prove to be instabile enough to never let zombies and humans coexist.
I'm on team human, despite the director's intentions. First hope is on Ravi. If he fails or meets refusal, harsher decisions will have to be made. By people, with temporary zombie coldness.
Hunting Hitler (2015)
Sensationalized rubbish
Talk about fluidity of action. One document of 'proof' after the other. Discoveries in a tempo that only lets Indiana Jones open the mouth in sheer astonishment. Don't even try to think critically, the moments follow each other up too quickly for that.
These researchers sound like a group of boy scouts playing games in a remote forest: descending into a bunker half expecting to find a mummified Hitler? Check. Labeling every person who doesn't give them valuable information as "still scared after all these years"? Check. Upholding the aura of the Third Reich as the satanic embodiment of undistilled evil? You bet.
Toppings: dramatic blockbuster music, inflated egos, platitudes.
This is not how historic research is done. 4/10, by a matching feeling of the gut.
Under sandet (2015)
Utterly heart-wrenching
Boys who could be our children, searching for mines in what is an extended death game. They are, just like Germans viewed Russians and Jews, viewed as 'Untermenschen', as unworthy of compassion or even food to waste on.
What did we do to one another? The European nations, utterly destroyed and forever altered in a war that should never have happened. The plan was to prevent the rise of communism in Europe, instead it turned out into the destruction of Germany and the destruction large swaths of European soil. Axis and allies, both committed terrible war crimes. This film is one of many products of that progressive insight. The Holocaust would likely never have happened, had Germany not been enclosed on two fronts: a starch ideology and no way out to deport perceived enemies leads to terrible things. Germany was no a terrible nation. Yet they did terrible things. The allies weren't terrible nations, but ruled by incompetent leaders who chose the wrong war.
Germans were fighting for the future of their children. As the war lasted, their children went to fight for their own future. Hope is what carried them in this movie and hope is the note this movie ends with. But every viewer knows that it isn't hope they will find when they get back to Germany.
God Bless America (2011)
Tries to be edgy but falls into the same dogmatic boxes
It's a comedy. Yet there are moral arguments inter-weaved throughout. Some good ones like: common courtesy, thinking about the consequences of their actions to others, moral consistency,... Yet, in all the tolerance found in comical father-daughterly scenes, there is a huge intolerance to other ideas and a condemnation of all and everything that is not 'cultured' and not liberal. This is a left-leaning movie and that's a shame. The acting is good, entertaining and the gore is ironically amusing given the movie's implicit hatred of brain-dead entertainment.
Er ist wieder da (2015)
I laughed out loud, however...
The major part of this German film is fun Borat-style comedy. Another part is melodrama, clearly to avoid the 'neonazi-stamp' by the press. And a final part is just plain old political recuperation which rendered my rating 8/10 to a 6/10. It is highly ironic that a film, which spends a fair amount of time carefully showing the danger of fascism with comedy, explicitly revolts against those people who stand up to the newest totalitarian threat: the threat of Islam.
This makes this film like what a previous reviewer stated: indeed, a film for cowards. However, don't let that put you off. Measuring this film's value by the amounts of laughs it provokes, it clearly succeeds. I had trouble withholding my laughter as the rest of my family slept. This rarely happens to me. Unfortunately the fun could not hold up to the very end, quite the contrary in fact.
In Your Eyes (2014)
One of the greatest romances I've ever had the pleasure to watch
This movie goes beyond what most romantic movies strive to do: depict a touching love story. Instead of just doing that this is about the immaterial asset in love we humans think we're capable of: to truly connect with someone on a higher level that no one else can understand. Some view this story as a romantic sci-fi movie, but these viewers ought to pay closer attention to unravel the continuous symbolism that runs throughout. The main concept that is to be found here is an allegory, with the subject consisting of distant soul mates.
The element of distance must've posed a daring job for cinematographers and actors, but they overcame this obstacle brilliantly: camera angles, lighting, stills,...all emphasized the 'facial acting' of the two lead characters portrayed by Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-David. On a closing note: Zoe Kazan- I don't know what it is about that innocence- epitomizes the new romance flick leading ladies. Following in the footsteps of Zooey Deschanel and Rachel McAdams these ladies win over a very broad male audience which has a whole lot to do with presenting a counterweight for the -often balancing on vulgar- sexually (and morally) unruly pop culture.
The Wackness (2008)
Brilliant in its naivety.
We see youth and elderness ponder about life's big questions. Disguised in a blanket of faux hip hop culture lie keys to a deeper rooted psychological treasure. This is about all you need to know about this film, to find out whether or not you'd like this. I've found previous reviews to drift too far away from the core of this picture: that is, the simple fact that it's as accessible as it'll make the philosophers among us think. Not about higher class philosophical questions, but the mere basics. And while doing that, one can not shake the feeling that it deemed possible for even he/her to be surprised. Brilliant in its simplicity, brilliant in its raw emotions, brilliant in its humor. But none of that would have been accomplished without being brilliant in its own naivety,by aiming for an acceptable viewer response.
Le nom des gens (2010)
Fascism
I don't judge, but forcing ideas through art is nauseating as happens too often with politically correct influencers
What this movie does in excess:
Promotes interracial relationships; Pointless nudity: the leading actress has little dignity; It's way too hyperactive; Pretentious ; Pushes political ideas in you face; Supposes leftwingers are what's good, right wingers are naturally bad
What this movie does well: It is ultimately a well acted picture with some very charismatic lead characters. There's lots of chemistry between the two of them and they manage to make you laugh in a charming but understated way.
Ultimately it uses the power of art as a way of mass manipulation, which was at the core of the fascist practice. That aside, if you choose not to bother with these views it's a good comedy.
The cathartic, somewhat nuancing, last third of the film made me raise its score by 1.
Your Sister's Sister (2011)
A beautiful tale of emotional acceptance
This film is rather hard to put your finger on. If you've ever been challenged in a way that you'd feel would cross all borders making you unable to tell anyone, then you'll enjoy this flick. Otherwise some may find this a rather average viewing although the acting is superb. The depth of this film is certainly its moral content: putting yourself aside in the scheme of bigger things, acceptance of missteps and unconditional love are weaved throughout. That's what sets it aside from other drama. I can imagine the lower than felt rating is mostly due to the lack of empathy of its audience. There's isn't a whole lot happening in terms of action or strong dialog. In the hindsight of a tragic loss of his brother a man loses it. His best friend- his brother's former girlfriend- offers him to go on a vacation in solitude to her cabin. However, he bumps in on the sister of the woman that also suffered from a personal loss. Some new developments occur and later on his best friend joins in. A series of complicated understandings are the result. As far as the storyline this is where it stops without spoiling anything. The human interactions are however excellent, this at any level: body language, the stories their eyes tell and the resonance in their voices. The three main characters perform each one of them a stunning performance to say the least. There's so much you can do with words, but a true actor knows how to evoke emotions without ample of them. The events feel so real and this is when you know the cast does a tremendous job. Although Mark Duplass and Rosemarie De Witt both do an extraordinary job at portraying their strongest feelings, it's Emily Blunt that's the epitome of method acting. With only a glance she's able to nail you to your seat. Speaking is silver...
Project X (2012)
A saddening movie experience
This movie is full of vulgarity, obscenity, shallowness and egoism. Perhaps the best part about it is at the end where there's a minor hint of guilt after all what happened. Sure, some will like this due to all the nudity and some laughable scenes throughout the flick. But most of all this is a perfect example drawn to extremes about another spoiled generation that doesn't know how to appreciate life in a respectable manner, doesn't know how to cope with their luxury and freedom. A perfect example of what teenagers will do to fit in, how they have a hard time trying to be themselves instead of trying to be cool/what their peers would want them to be. A perfect example of why I can hate my generation from time to time.
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Moralising, not cheerful
Poppy is one of those people that always try to see the good in everything, she is obnoxiously cheerful from the start. But as the story progresses one grows sympathy for this peculiar woman,that always finds joy. She wears an eyepatch to not see the bad in this world. There is a lot of bad things in this world. The line from the character Scott summarizes it perfectly; "Rome is burning, but you refuse to see it". Which is a perfect illustration for the fact that people seek their own happiness, the unhappy are those that see the world as a hole. Happiness is watching the world through a tunnel, only seeing what you want to see. For Poppy as well, that tunnel has broaden up quite a lot
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Cheesy but hits you in all the right spots.
I can see why this movie got overall bad critics reviews. The acting is melodrama at its best/worst (choose your preferable option), the storyline is very one-dimensional. Music pops up almost every important moment to enhance the feelings and the flick is full of cliché one liners.
However, for all the bad features one could think a movie has, this one does all of it at the very best one could imagine. If you find yourself separated from noise, from disturbing lights. Only with a screen in front of you and the audio reaching your ears as would a one to one conversation...then this you will not finish this unaffected. I had trouble holding my tears (even though I'm a guy). All these lost moments from your child hood when everything was still sincere and you could say what was on your mind and how you felt about someone without feeling guilty or having second thoughts, it all comes back up again when watching this. It's highly moralizing too, thus providing a perfect form of escapism to those who are sick with modern society.
Dialogues are 'uncovered', uncalculated. Characters just say what they've got to say. To portray such a wide foray of emotive dialogues is not only daring from a director's point of view but also daring as people are not quickly content and seek many metaphors, non-direct plots and other figures of speech in modern movies.
This movie is not one for the videophiles per se,but then again it's one for the ones among us that want to be stirred not by the cinematic qualities but by the underlying morals and naked emotions.