![]() I want to start by praising this film's visual language. That is 100% where this film succeeds. There are some incredibly confident shots with insane color chemistry and it looks amazing. With that said, this movie is as enjoyable as watching paint dry. It's a very colorful experience in that way... (sarcasm). I could just not get invested in the monotone, one note, plot-lacking pace of this deeply profound nonsense. It's not for me! I get that. However, I am an empathetic person. I can see that this film is made for certain individuals and there was bound to be a divide between those who loved or hated it. I definitely lean towards hate. Especially after the credits rolled. The final scene was infuriating... at first. Then it lingered in my mind just long enough for me to dig into some explanation videos and eventually I gained an appreciation for it. The final moments might even be the best part of the film. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Jane Schoenbrun's future work. While this one may not have been for me, I still respect the level of confident filmmaking displayed.
0 Comments
![]() A sequel to Ridley Scott's beloved 2000's Best Picture winner Gladiator wasn't on my bucket list. In fact, I wasn't a huge fan of the original when I recently watched it. The 2000's shaky cam fad was in full force and the action scenes are a pain to get through. Thankfully, this update on Scott's story features incredible action cinematography. No shaky cam. Better CGI animals. Sharks. You didn't expect sharks? Me neither. There are some fun surprises here including Denzel's great performance. Despite seeming unnecessary, it does a decent job of wrapping up loose ends from the first movie. However, it doesn't quite hit emotionally on the same level as the original. It's missing something, most likely Russell Crowe, or maybe I'm just playing hard to get. Amidst a year of releases ranging from amazing to terrible, I think Gladiator II is worth the time investment for some healthy fun, but it didn't stick with me after walking out the theater doors. ![]() Dreamworks latest feature film boasts a confident visual style and animation quality that deserves recognition. The storytelling is unfortunately not as confident, diving back into old formulas and not inspiring me throughout its 3rd act. However, where the story lacks the voice cast makes up for it. Fantastic performances all around and I loved hearing Matt Berry as a delusional beaver. ![]() There's been a lot of bad films released this year and Megalopolis is undoubtedly one of them. I have to be honest with myself though. While this film is a pretentious, messy, unhinged attempt at creating a "fable" (as Coppola puts it), I still enjoyed it's insanity much more than the other bad films of the year. For instance, Aubrey Plaza as the deliciously evil "Wow Platinum" is a fever dream. This next level performance from her will surely be among the praise this film manages to squeeze out. Shia LaBeouf goes unchecked with his outrageous performance as Clodio, the bitter cousin and rival to Adam Driver's Cesar. The film was said to be filmed using an experimental style that allowed the actors and Coppola himself, to change lines or scenes on the whim. Plaza referred to the madness saying it was, "Every man for himself; only the strong survive here." Arising from this chaos is some very memorable performances from the 3 main leads I mentioned as well as Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero. Francis Ford Coppola somehow spent 120 million dollars on an experimental movie about old Romans politics set to a futurist New York City. If that doesn't excite you, then you probably won't like this movie. If you're like me and you enjoy a challenge, if you enjoy watching a movie as a project and not a complete story, if you want to see LaBeouf and Plaza's awkward, dirty sex scene, then go watch this movie. Give the legendary Mr. Coppola his well deserved few bucks. Lets send the old man out with a thank you. It won't be great, but it should at least make you smile. ![]() What this film does best is allow the auto-bots the privilege of being their own films star, which already makes this 10x better than the Michael Bay films. I've never been a huge fan of Transformers so I know there will be a lot more fans falling in love with this film but my opinion is that of an outsider, which perhaps makes my enjoyment of this film even more special. This is a movie for everyone! It summons the courage of a Pixar film without being one and is a fun for the whole family event while still digging into some heavier themes in its final act, which is where the film really excels. The first half of the movie is arguably much weaker. However, midway into the runtime it clicked for me and I started really having a great time. If the whole film was as daring and creative as the final 30 minutes than this would be a much better movie. I've got my fingers crossed for a sequel because the voice cast is really stellar and I would love more from them. If you're a fan of Transformers this is a must see, if not, I'd still recommend taking the family or friends for some fun. ![]() Tim Burton's movies often employees style over substance and once again delivers us a highly edible yet unremarkable meal with a huge title. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fun film that unfortunately does not have twice the amount of it's loveable shit bag namesake character. It choses to rather spends it's runtime developing a mother (Lydia) and daughter (Astrid) relationship along with a few other colorful characters who, in the end, don't really play a huge role in it's story. Nearly wasting the absolute amazing addition of William Dafoe's talent on a B plot side story that goes nowhere in the climax. Perhaps Michael Keaton didn't have twice the energy to give either. He's getting old and Beetlejuice has aged with him, yet you can tell he's still having a good time bringing the character back to life. Catherine O'Hara on the other hand has aged wonderfully and Delia is as pretentious as ever. She delivers some of the biggest laughs of the film. Huge fans of the original are likely to find loads of laughs and smiles here and I think many will rediscover a love for it's predecessor as well. For a long awaited sequel it's not too bad. ![]() Around 2018 I played a well loved game called Alien Isolation, where you play as Amanda Ripley, and I loved it. The first half was like Alien. You are being hunted by 1 xenomorph and you have to outsmart it with maneuvers and tricks. The last act of the game however played like Aliens. Blasting your way through a xenomorph hive. The gradual progression from having no tricks but survival to being able to battle your way past the enemies has a powerful pay off. It’s a game that stuck with me ever since and I believe it’s one of the best horror games ever made. Watching this movie made me think a lot about Alien Isolation. Romulus is possibly the best horror the franchise has to offer. It’s a well crafted love letter to the original thriller, while still managing to grasp the excitement that Aliens offered in crazy moments that had me pulling my hair out. Just when I thought it had given me enough to warrant its namesake, it goes even further with its final act. Managing to deepen the growing lore of a franchise that I’ve come to adore. It’s not perfect. Long running franchises never are. But it’s proved to be capable of endless amounts of fun. ![]() Not being a Marvel fan-boy has worked out pretty well the last few years. Post Endgame Marvel has not hit the same. However, there are two titles that I'll easily sign up to go see with my friends. Guardians and Deadpool. Both still managing to bring out the good times that they are known for. Adding Wolverine to this title was an easy route to success. Everyone was instantly hyped for it and with good reason. We got ol' Hugh Jackman back in the fucking supersuit! It's a damn good time. They take full advantage of homeboy's violent nature and watching the 2 super regenerative superheroes tear each other apart multiple times is just good fun. However, let's be honest here, besides the fan service there's not a ton of substance to the writing. For most people that won't matter if a brainless fun script is all you want - you're in for a good fucking time. |
AuthorTheFilmInformer is a collection of movie reviews ranging from the 1950's classics to 2021 releases. Written and organized for easy viewing by Joshua Dzindzio. Also, please visit The Film Informer on YouTube for video reviews and Oscar news. Categories |