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alex_moerke
Some of my all-time favorites:
A Cure for Wellness
A Monster Calls
Children of Men
Chronicle
Colossal
District 9
Evil Dead Series
Snowpiercer
Split
Terminator 2
The Grey
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
... and many more.
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Minari (2020)
Heartfelt, strongly-acted tale of the American dream
The American dream from the Korean perspective. Nothing entirely new, but beautifully shot and strongly acted, especially Han (mother), Kim (son) and Youn (grandmother) take the cake. They made me get close to breaking up in tears several times. The plot isn't corny at all, the characters appear really ambivalent and complex and therefore authentic, with positive and problematic aspects alike, making no one entirely to blame for the situation the family finds itself in (aside from the premise that the father makes a severe life decision in the beginning without consulting his wife first). Surprisingly, racism isn't any part of the story, or at least it's very subtle for a change. This makes the family drama and the struggle between male and female family role models move more into focus. To be honest, the final moral or message the movie tries to deliver at the very abrupt ending is lost on me. But all in all it's a strong drama for fans of Korean or American movies alike.
Black Widow (2021)
Bulletproof Women The Movie - good fun!
Didn't know Natascha was as indestructible as Cap 'murica, but as soon as you accept that, the action of this movie is quite fun most of the time. Pugh totally steals Johansson's spotlight. Don't get me wrong: though I'm not a fan of Johansson herself, I always felt weirdly sympathetic to her character, though in this movie the Widow feels more shallow and uninteresting than ever before. Liked the more griddy style of the movie that is set up right at the opening credits and keeps pretty steady throughout the runtime. Also cool to see women carry the plot and the villain's goons being only women for a change. Music and CGI could have been better. Also would have wished for the Taskmaster to be on screen more.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
Why didn't they make this a movie like the others?
Being an RE fan, I was really looking forward to this. Was disappointed to find out there were only four rather short episodes. With this and lots of unnecessary flashbacks padding the runtime, I wondered why they didn't just release it as a movie like "Degeneration" and the others. It's easily on the same level as the other three already released CG movies from the plot and quality standpoint. Again, Leon is the perfect pick for the protagonist and they managed to choose another interesting antagonist. Would have loved to watch more of this. Even my gf who doesn't know the games enjoyed this.
The Old Guard (2020)
Surprisingly solid!
Good:
Grounded and griddy superhero movie with surprisingly heartfelt moments and lots of empathy. Sympathetic protagonists and a hateable villain. A creative premise that gets escalated really well.
Bad:
Horrible horrible music (seriously, I'd always take a good score fitted perfectly to the screenplay over some generic piece of pop music with lyrics hammering into your head what the scene is obviously about). Some chliches and easy getaways for the plot, especially during the finale. Obviously set up as an origin story for an entire universe, so some plot points remain unresolved.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
Solid fun!
Good:
- Was smiling from ear to ear the entire time to see the toons back on the big screen and to finally get a sequel to one of my favorite kids movies.
- Lots of references really hit the point and there were quite a lot of heavy laughs to be had.
- Lots of creative ideas and moments when the movie got very aware of itself on the meta level.
- The "Hook"-like plot about the relationship between a son and his dad was pretty well told.
- Knowing the toons for a long time gave you the chance to laugh a little earlier than everyone else whenever a characteristic scene was set up.
- The "Mad Max" sequence.
Bad:
- Didnt have the excitement, the well-done editing or the awesome score of the original.
- The 2D animation was too clean and not as charming as the classic Looney Tunes stuff.
- The CGI felt weirdly out of date.
- Lebron isn't a very good actor.
- The crowd of many WB characters present at the game mostly looks like people in bad cosplay.
- Quite alot of cringe and cliche.
Wizards (2020)
(A little too) fast-paced, but enjoyable
Hell was I excited to hear that there's a sequel to one of my favorite shows, especially since the low storytelling quality of 3Below was such a disappointment to me.
The whole time travel thing really messes with the show's continuity (though it gives it a kind of Avengers Endgame appeal), but it's easy to ignore that with all the stuff happening at such a quick ate. Frankly, Wizards can be a little TOO fast-paced at times, cramming as many plot points and characters into an episode as possible, most likely due to the short run time of the miniseries. But at least this way, they leave out most of the cringier humor that I disliked about Trollhunters. A negative side effect is that they have almost no time to cautiously prepare those more epic and emotional sequences that really sold me about the original show.
With Douxie, they surprisingly succeeded to add a protagonist similarly empathic to Jim. The other characters do their part, but many fan-favorites are missing.
3Below: Tales of Arcadia (2018)
A spin-off nobody needed
I felt like those two characters randomly appearing in the show and taking so much screen time being annoying was fishy. But I thought they'd turn out to be bad guys deceiving the protagonists, not getting an own show! But here we are...
At first I liked the idea of having more content to watch from the same universe Trollhunters was set in, even though adding aliens to the mix felt like the producers wanting to score a cash-grab with the children who were more into laserguns than swords and magic. But my slight trace of interest dried up quickly. 3Below feels nothing like the other show, though it takes place in the same town. It's much more childish and campy as its predecessor, and that means something, thinking about some of the worse jokes and cartoon cliches Trollhunters was using to pad the run time. I only made it until the end of episode 3, when the constant fish-out-of-water theme really started to grind my gears. It stops the already low-quality (compared to Trollhunters) plot from progressing. Also I'll never comprehend the concept of a higher-evolved alien race struggling with adapting to every day life on earth - makes no sense to me.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Kenneth Branagh's one man show
Don't get me wrong, I really like Branagh's performances, and his depiction of the famous Agatha Christie detective is no exception, though he plays it with a little too much pathos and self-indulgence for my liking at least. The main problem might be that we do not get any background of the detective's biography, only a couple of scenes where he looks at a photograph of his dead wife and mumbles to himself. At least for me, that isn't enough to get the emotions across or make him an empathetic character whatsoever.
I must admit I haven't watched any of the earlier film adaptations of the story or even read the book yet, so the reveal at the end was a rather interesting and new concept to me (though I managed to figure it out a few minutes before). Problem is the path to the answer to the great whodunnit question is pretty muddled, most of the time it feels like major parts of the investigation are left out of the script - either in order to cut the run time or to make the detective seem smart (a typical problem with the Sherlock Holmes character). Thus it doesn't really feel like you're being invited to be a part of the investigation, instead the viewer is confined to watching from afar, lacking relevant information most of the time.
I also have an issue with the movie's overall style. It tries to capture the atmosphere of the contemporary time the plot is set in, but it's look is way too clean and the abundance of CGI and green screen scenes do their part in cementing the feeling that we as viewers are not really there with the characters. Peter Jackson's King Kong did a much better job with this, though they used their fair share of CGI themselves.
Ju-on: Origins (2020)
Creepy watch, but confusing timelines
Seems like the Ju-On franchise can't be killed, however confusing the japanese installations generally are. The series spin off continues this trend, intermixing timelines and alternate realities to a point where the plot is hard to follow. What you're left with is a confusing watch, but an occasionally creepy one with some disturbing imagery and ideas. The telling of the origins of the curse is compelling at times, though I was kinda disappointed that it's the house that is cursed and not just the ghost family from the movies. Also disappointing is the season finale that doesn't resolve anything, not even the arc of the first six episodes. I don't think I'll watch the next season.
The Predator (2018)
Fun and gnarly little ride
As always, the movie unfortunately doesn't even care about adding any amount of depth to the Predator lore. Instead, you're in for yet another no-brained hunting trip with your favorite extraterrestrial killer. Add some decent CGI, a bunch of silly but likable characters, some relatively gruesome kills and a few surprising or even badass moments - and it's a moderate watch for an evening with your friends and lotsa booze.
The New Mutants (2020)
This was amazing!
What to say about The New Mutants that might change your mind, looking at all the mediocre or even bad reviews of the movie?
How about that: I looked up the fictional biographies of the characters from the source material and, compared to what was displayed in the movie, they appeared random and meaningless to me. I'm sure I might anger some hardcore comic fans with this statement. But its originality is this movie's biggest strength: The New Mutants finally covers a topic about the X-Men franchise that was only scratched the surface of in the first movie: the body horror of young mutants discovering their frightening powers for the first time. The choice to elaborate on this topic using the horror genre as a vehicle is both genius and somewhat neccessary when you come to think about it. And it works extremely well: the movie has one of the griddiest anthmospheres in all of the movies and is genuinely scary at times (special nod to the genius design of the Smiley Men). The great CGI does it's part, as well as the score. All in all it's a technically well-made experience with a clear and distinct style overall.
Another selling point is the character-driven plot, with every single one of the mutants being extremely likable, well-written and cast with talented actors. The makers of the movie decided to change major parts of the characters' biographies significantly, and it provides them with much more depth than was the case in the comics (again, I only read about their bios on the internet, I'm sorry if I might misrepresent the quality of the comics here).
Of course, the movie also has its issues, with some major questions remaining unanswered and some plot holes kept empty - I could imagine one reason for this was the movie's difficult production process. But hey - I can confidently say it's way more well-rounded than Dark Phoenix!
Roman Holiday (1953)
Nothing original here (not even for its time)
Some movies from that era are timeless and manage to stay relevant until today. This one - at least in my opinion - doesn't. Roman Holiday is a rather dull movie, boring throughout, with just a few silly moments that are both so innocent and badly timed they hardly work as comedy. The plot is not original in any way, not even for its time. But maybe that's the appeal for most viewers who reviewed it positively: it's an easily digestible no-brainer with some romance and a cute female lead.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Weak story, but really original and surprisingly fun
This movie had some great opportunities to tell a relatively appealing story, but instead it started out disrespecting the deaths of some fan favorite characters from Endgame, which basically sets the tone for the whole thing. When it comes to plot, Far from Home is nothing more but a teenage road movie where every character is crazy and most jokes don't fly - the second being mainly due to the high frequency of silliness in the likes of Michael Bay's later Transformers movies. You know, the ones where nobody is ever doing or saying something's remotely serious and you end up forgetting to laugh entirely.
But - and that's a big but - the whole visual style and the originality of the action scenes are some of the best the MCU has brought forward so far. Jake Gyllenhaal makes for a great Mysterio, especially since the popular villain is usually quite stupid and unlikable. The plot twist in the after credits scene actually had me interested in the next movie - something that rarely happens to me.
Jui kuen (1978)
One of the more fun story-deprived martial arts classics
Fun characters, some good laughs and a really unique fighting style being performed by the legendary Jackie Chan make this movie an entertaining and never boring watch. Also contains some nice "Aha!" moments if you are a fan of the Tekken games.
Le bal (1983)
Humorous cinematic experiment with some insight into the French heart and soul
A unique experience, though it reminded me a little of the movie Climax with Sofia Boutella, but without the drugs, hysteria and violence of course - also without any professional or even good dancing for the most part. The theater-like movie sets the stage for a roster of distinct and memorable characters, but it's rather difficult to keep track of each of them with every time jump and changing role, which consequently makes it hard to flash out a red line of what the movie is trying to say. Thus, Le Bal remains a rather superficial depiction of French modern history with a few strong emotional moments. Unfortunately this movie's high point is right in the middle of the runtime, therefore the second half becomes rather dull.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Lives up to the cult!
I started watching this movie while working out so I only paid like half attention to it at first. But I couldn't help but slowly getting drawn into its gritty atmosphere and soon sat down on the couch being mesmerized and staring at the screen. And I gotta say: Tobe Hooper's original TCM lives up to the cult surrounding it. It's masterfully shot right from the start, the sound design is intensely unnerving. The way camera angles and lighting are used makes it feel not like watching a nightmare, but HAVING a nightmare itself. The mostly really enthusiastic actors do their part, especially the final girl who is acting (and screaming) like her life depends on it. Only reason I subtract one star from my rating is the fact that, of course, plot-wise TCM is very dull - and because the aforementioned non-stop screaming becomes quite annoying after a while.
Seoulyeok (2016)
"I want to do a zombie movie too!" is no relevant premise for a film
Just an uninspired Korean animated zombie movie with little to no story, a few pretentious words of social commentary, whiny and phlegmatic characters, a loveless art style, janky animations and an almost non-existent score. Just no fun to watch, not even for the most dedicated genre fan.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
It doesn't deserve the bad credit it's getting
Well yes, this isn't a masterpiece, the story is quite thin (there's less plot than in Apocalypse) and most of the arcs from the previous movies don't get resolved, it even adds some more plot holes to the already messed up X-Men movie timeline.
But hell... the screenplay, the editing and the action accompanied by that Hans Zimmer score (basically one song that never gets old) had me at tears for its sheer awesomeness throughout the entire movie. This movie feels mature, emotional, hyper dramatic and calm at the same time. It's simply a pure joy to watch. It doesn't deserve the bad credit it's getting. Go watch it for yourself. At least do it to honor our favorite mutants - who we won't see on the big screen for a long time...
Superbad (2007)
Not worth the hype
I don't really get the hype around this movie. It's a quite nice little comedy, but with only very few genuine laughs. The movie's message doesn't really catch on, instead it somehow manages to ruin the whole fun about partying. At least there are some good actors who got their industry breakthrough with this... referring to "Kick-Ass" and "Scott Pilgrim".
Midsommar (2019)
Pure religious terror banned on film
Ari Aster strikes again and delivers two and a half hours of massive discomfort, induced by a cascade of bizarre, terrifying and straight-up hellish images, virtuously put to frame and supported by a deeply frightening score. Lesser-known female lead Florence Pugh is a blessing and delivers her role with maximum authenticity and soul. Still, his previous work Hereditary is more intense, has a more clever story and is way harder to digest.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Unintentionally funny and manically stupid
One of the reasons why it's stupid of Johnny Depp to refuse watching his own movies after they're made (something he claims), The Ninth Gate is not more than two hours of yawn-inducing filler scenes, starring the protagonist eating at restaurants, ordering cabs or reading books, and a female lead that is beyond dumb. This boring mess is interrupted by some obviously unintentionally funny scenes whose comedic timing and ridiculousness gets close to being genius. This movie is not good - satan knows it isn't - but I'm so happy to have finally watched it. I haven't laughed so much in a long time.