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Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
Remembrance
This movie is a great study into the intricacies of our attachment to those whom loved dearly, yet no longer exist. In a larger scope I see this movie as a poem. There is a certain flow in the movie that encapsulates the feeling of reading a good poem. The camera, acting, music, scene setup, and overall direction blend in seamlessly with each other. Not a moment do I feel like anything that occurs on screen, happens out of chance. All was planned deliberately and very carefully. Which I think makes this movie all the more bitter sweet.
Albeit my main complain is that the movie was rather boring after the first hour mark but picks itself up again rather quickly, give or take 5 minutes. Otherwise, wonderful movie!
Castlevania (2017)
Short and Concise, Must Watch
Here's a quick TL;DR
Season 1 - Good
Season 2 - Great
Season 3 - Good
Now here's my full review, *warning* *there might be minor spoilers*:
I think Castlevania is an exceptional series with a lot of potential in it. I really enjoyed how season 1 and season 2 played together. Season 1 was a quick set up for the events on season 2. Season 1 provided the hindsight and season 2 gave the closure. In season 1, they were able to introduce the main characters quickly and get the ball rolling without the need of dabbling on lengthy back stories. Even when they do talk about the characters' past, they make sure its done quick and concise. By the time you are already half way through season 2, you'll find yourself invested in at least two characters.
Speaking about characters, let's talk about them. I think the characters in this series are all interesting. They have their own reasons and justification to be in the story. Heroes aren't heroes because the plot demand them to and villains aren't villains because the writers says so. They have their own little paths that led them to where they are right now. Personally, I think one of the reasons that make these characters interesting are their chemistry. I am especially refering to those on Dracula's side. Characrters exhume their own personalities and play them off well with other characters, showing each of their strengths and weaknesses, doubts and beliefs. Though I will say thay sometimes the dialogue between them are a bit clunky. So let's talk about them.
In my opinion, while characters play off with each other well. I sometimes find their dialogue to be rigid. This might sound contradicting, but it is how I felt it was. The dialogue they mutter do makes sense, but it takes a while for you to catch on to it. This happens quite a bit on the first two seasons, but I believe it has been remedied on season 3. Also sometimes jokes are a bit corny.
Plotline for season 1 and 2 are simple and I can't think of a better way they would do it. I had hoped it was longer at first, but after finishing season 2, I don't think it would have been the right decision. It helped keep the show organised and limit the show to what's important.
Animation on season 1 and 2 is great but there are some moments where it looks like time and budget constraints had their grips. However, on season 3 this problem seems to have been fixed. Animation quality has vastly improved. Perhaps because season 3 took longer to make than season 1 and 2 respectively. Also with the added budget of course.
Overall, both seasons are great when together.
Now for season 3. I believe season 3 serves the same purpose as the first. It is a set up for what's to come; new villains, new character arcs, new places, new problems, etc. Though I have some reasons to believe that it might take longer for this story arc to finish. Maybe one or two more seasons. Personally, I hope season 4 will finish the arc. Not that I don't enjoy a lengthy series, but that I would prefer the story to speak of only what matters.
Anyways, on with what matters. So how is season 3? I think it's good. There are new and interesting ideas being explored on season 3. We see characters change or shape their outlooks on the world. Characters like Alucard, Sypha and Trevor, Hector, and Isaac. While this is all still set ups, I'm looking forward to how it all plays out in the end of the arc. My favourite of them all however is Isaac. I am already invested in him since season 2, but season 3 really did nail it. I really love how in this season, we explore his views towards the world. Conversations with the captain and the philosopher are really what drove it. I wonder how this will all relate once he meets again with Hector. I really think Isaac is the star of this season.
I believe that is really all I can say of season 3. Because I have already said my praise about it when I talked about season 1 and 2. Dialogues are sometimes still a bit odd, but definitely still better than both seasons. All I hope is that the series keeps up with its confined story telling. No need for large and expansive naratives that span a huge timeline whatsoever. Because really, that is the best thing that the show has going for it (of course, outside of its writing).
Overall, 8/10
Guns Akimbo (2019)
Stupid Fun!
Guns Akimbo is a movie where you could just sit back and enjoy some stupid fun. At first I thought this movie would just be another cringe fest; just another movie trying to be edgy and appeal to the internet people. But to be fair, it was not as cringe inducing as I thought it would be. There are definitely some spots that are quite a bit corny, but I suppose that is intentional. But apart from that, I was completely delighted with what I saw. The editing and cinematography in this movie is definitely spot on! They completely complement the hyper-action very well and I especially like the aesthetics that they showcase. The gun fight scenes were also a treat! Especially in the first half of the movie. These scenes really remind me about the Hotline Miami games and I wonder how cool it would be if a movie was made based on them.
Unfortunately though, as creative as the gun scenes were, I feel like the movie played its cards way too early. All the interesting fight scenes happen in the first half of the movie. And for the rest of the movie, they seem to have ran out of ideas on how to go about choreographing the remaining gun fights. The movie ends with a rooftop fight that really pales in comparison to the other shootouts. By the end, I felt that the pacing had turned out to be slow and it really killed the momentum for me. Luckily the director knows when to stop, so I believe that this should not be too much of an issue, considering its 1h 35m run time. Overall, decent movie!
1917 (2019)
Visual Candy, But...
I have to say, this movie was such a treat to watch. I could only imagine the effort that was put into the camerawork to keep the movie's one-shot feel must be paramount. The one-shot method definitely made a lot of sense for this movie. It really keeps us close to heart with our protagonist and lets the audience experience the horror of war. I can see that this could be a powerful tool in different occasions. Honestly, it felt like a video game at times. It was really cool.
But unfortunately while this movie had finesse on the screen, it did lack in its writing department. My main complaint is with how they handled the protagonist and his partner. I really believed that the protagonist's partner had a lot in him that the audience could have learned about, but sadly was never delved into. Meanwhile, our protagonist really did not have anything in particular that made him interesting. Not that he needs a lot of flair, but the lack thereof, kind of hindered the movie's potential. There was room for character growth that would have made the protagonist interesting. But that growth was approached so quickly, that it really didn't had any impact whatsoever. This is why I think the potential of an intimate character growth from the one-shot method was wasted. Also, the ending was kind of lame, albeit was tense.
The Gentlemen (2019)
Amazing, just amazing. Period.
I came to this movie without knowing anything about it and had the notion that it would be bad. Boy I was wrong. This movie was super fun to watch, through and through. The movie did not do anything groundbreaking or innovative. But whatever it stuck to was done very well that it doesn't really need to be the "most influential" movie it can be. I couldn't really see anything wrong with the movie, but I suppose I would need a second viewing to pickup on its flaws. But that alone should speak of its quality. A 9/10, purely because it's near impossible for a movie to be 10/10.
Alien (1979)
A Horror Delight
This movie was definitely above your average sci-fi horror movie. It's not just a horror film where the crew of Nostromo is being hunted by an alien just because it just happens to be there. The introduction of the Alien feels organic and serves a reason.
Alien delivers its scare through thoughtfully crafted environments, that are not just beautiful but sometimes nightmarish, and shots that keeps you at the edge of your seat. The Alien not just some scary being because it is strong, but because it is smart and menacing. Although the movie does employ some cheap jumpscares from time to time, it was definitely not overused. Additionally, some of its gore scenes are shot at odd angles making it quite difficult to see what goes on in the screen, although I believe this is mostly due to constraints for relying on mostly practical effects.
Characters in the movie are well written and doesn't treat the audience as stupid. The actions they take make sense. Rather than their fate being tied to how stupid they are, their life depends on how they can outsmart or be outsmarted by the Alien.
Nonetheless, the movie serves a provoking and thoughtful take on horror, something that many horror directors of the current age should take in to account. Definitely deserves to be a classic.