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k-nicholsrobel
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Monster (2003)
All they wanted was to get off, instead they got off'd...
Sorry, I make jokes that I think are great it's just that most other people don't.
So I watch a few docs about this case and have a pretty good mental image of Aileen. Fast forward a few years and I am looking for movies I haven't seen and Monster pops up. I couldn't believe that was Charlize for one but since I knew it was I was amazed at how good of a transformation they did with her. More than the physical resemblance Charlize nailed Aileen's mannerisms. That women is one complex nutter so I give Charlize two thumbs up.
I think you need to go in to this movie knowing that the story is gruesome and sad. I also really suggest you watch some video clips or even a documentary on the case so you can appreciate how great Charlize does. For me her portrayal was 80% of what interested me about the movie. To be honest I can see why the movie didn't get many awards. The dialogue felt clunky to me and often I feel like they didn't take enough artistic discretion in making it more suspenseful and adding more emotional peaks and valleys to keep interest.
My bottom line is that the acting is great, dialogue is not, cinematography was okay, and the story is gruesome. And Charlize is a baller.
Gone Girl (2014)
What to think...
So I rated this at 7 but it could have easily been either a 2 or a ten.. I know, that sounds crazy, but that is how I am left after watching this movie.. I was psyched to see another Fincher movie and I went in to it with high hopes but an open mind. It starts slow as molasses and that isn't necessarily bad when it is done well. I think the idea here was to really feel the emotions and the pace of what they were going through at the start of the story. The last hour or so is really great but when I think about great movies I think about movies that keep me entirely fixated for the duration. This movie did not, I could have been cleaning the kitchen while watching this and not stop and just watch. So that is why I say it could go either way. I have really enjoyed Ben Affleck in his last couple movies. He is the kind of actor you love or hate and I don't hate him. The final word is this movie is through and through Fincher, very interesting plot, and long and slow.
Young Ones (2014)
I tried to like this movie...
I am a sci-fi lover and in general I enjoy movies that have strong characters and beautiful cinematography. This has beautiful cinematography, sometimes. As I was watching it I wondered how this director or editor (or both) got this far. The premise has a lot of potential and even if you disregard the poor acting, absent character development, and weak storyline, put in the right director's hands this could have been a movie worth watching. As it stands the only reason I finished it was because the set and filming were good enough to keep me tuned in. The last thing I will say is I think the four leads are actually decent actors... Kodi might be a bit stiff but he has talent and room to grow otherwise the others are really great. That and the cinematography/set are the reason this movie got above a one. I really hate to see movies flop because I feel like if they made it through all the bureaucratic hoops and all the scrutinizing of their "product idea" they must have some sense of film making but sometimes the creative team just lose focus and produce something like The Young Ones.
On another note I guess I don't really understand the title. I know the characters are youngish but that isn't their defining attribute is it? I just don't get the title. Not that it is a big deal, just and observation!
Happy watching!
The Divide (2011)
Do you want the good news first or the bad?
Well personally I go for the bad news first so I can finish off with the good so I'm left with that positive aftertaste.
Bad: The storyline. I mean, don't get me wrong I love PA movies and will suck up movies like this all day but what got my goad in this flick was the overly bleak, unnecessarily bleak overtones in the movie. I don't know, and hope I never find out, how I'd respond in a similar sitch but I don't think it would be anywhere near the depravity shown here. So the storyline isn't for me. One other thing without giving anything away near the beginning something happens that never gets explained. It seems like a cool path that the movie could have taken had they expounded on said happening instead it happens then is never brought back up. Maybe the director wanted to add it but it was already about 20 minutes too long so it had to get cut. I dunno, those sorts of things kinda big me when the movie is over those are the things, unanswered questions, that I think about as I walk out of the theater or as I exit out of netflix or, uh hmmm, solarmovie. Anyway, unanswered questions come in two categories and both make me bummed out. First we have the noir film director who wants to make a "piece of art" and paints a broad, ambiguous picture and then criticizes people for not being cool if they confess that they don't get it. I say, f you to those punks. Not everyone has the kind of mind that allows for them to accept ambiguous themes as something ahead of its time and artsy. The second is when the film just didn't come together right for whatever reason and there are unanswered questions. Like I said both bug me.
Ooonnnnnn to the good.
The good: The acting, the set design, the fx, and at the risk of contradicting my previous statement I actually can understand and appreciate the introspection of morality and personalities as they are pushed to their limits.
That's my take. If you like PA films see it unless of course you get queasy at the sight of someone smashing a someone else's head in to the ground and pushing their thumbs into their eye sockets and this was all preceded by him forcing himself on to a woman and in the same room there is a dead woman who is tied up and bloody on a bed. So if you don't like that kinda thing then steer clear.
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