I have no words. This is a film that needs to be seen to even begin explaining it. I was tripping pretty hard and drinking heavily last night and this movie was so good that I'm liable to watch it again sober today.
Just watch it, you'll see what I mean.
10/10, an absolute classic film that everyone should see at least once. 1999 might have been the best year in film history.
Sometimes I'm just in the mood to watch a cheesy, mindless film that 13 year old me would probably approve of. I decided to watch Constantine (2005) starring Keanu Reeves last night and I actually thought it was pretty good! I knew it was going to be corny going into it, but I thought it was one of the best I've seen for this ilk of film (The Blade and Underworld series would fall into the same category). The CGI was on point (didn't look too dated considering this is now 15 years old) and I enjoyed the action and got some laughs out of it. I'm not going to write some long winded critique of the film, because it's about slaying demons and stuff and the balance between good and evil and I'll leave it at that. There was just enough lore for me to be able to swallow the film without too much fuss and ultimately, I wasn't trying to watch some kind of cinematic masterpiece here. This is one to smoke a blunt to and laugh at with your friends. It's certainly no Devil's Advocate, but it was fun. 6/10
I'd watched the original Terminator (1984), and seen Judgement Day (1991) as well as Rise of the Machines (2003) but hadn't kept up with the series after that. Wanted to kill some time this weekend so...
Terminator: Salvation (2009)
I'll start by saying I like Christian Bale. I don't love him as an actor, but I generally like what he does in films. This is mostly anchored in what he did for the role in The Machinist (2004), as I didn't see American Psycho until later. Let me just follow that statement with my assessment of his performance in this film being "did he lose a bet with someone and have to take this role?" It looks like he gives it his all, and it comes off with the same criticism many have of Keanu Reeves in that it appears canned, unemotional (even his yelling is just volume, not emotion), and the same actor stuck in yet another of the same old same old. Bale just doesn't do it in this film. Though, I suppose nobody does as they are on what 6? 7 in the series? and nobody other than Ahnahld gets brought back. I will say, in this one, I really bonded with Sam Worthington who, while being a 'supporting actor' kind of face really took the story and carried it on his back throughout. His story was THE story. Yes, there's lots of explosions, gunfire, and killing as required by the genre and title, but they did well with Worthington's role. He brings this from a 5 up to a 7/10.
Terminator: Genisys (2015)
New film, new cast...other than Ahnahld returning yet again. Here, we introduce timelines and how they can get changed. Meh, ok. I struggled to determine if I found the new Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) attractive; however Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese for this go'round did very well in his role. Ahnahld got a bit more screen time, with plenty of VFS for de-aging. But our protagonist in this one as John Connor was Jason Clarke. No offense intended for Mr. Clarke or his parents, but it just didn't look good on screen. His acting outdid his looks, but overall it couldn't be overcome and it detracted from the film. Story wise, they did well to take things up a notch. The time travel twists opened a few plot opportunities, and they used Ahnahld very well, but for me Kyle Reese's (Jai Courtney) relatability kept me in the story line better. They also brought in the T-1000 liquid metal baddie for a bit, which is always cool, but then connected him to others in new ways that were both interesting, believable, and sure to set up another film (Dark Fate 2019). Final verdict 8/10
^I watched T1 a few weeks ago now. Such a classic. T2 was decent, T3 was bad, I couldn't even be assed to stick around and see T-Salvation when it was part of a double feature with The Hangover I saw at a drive in back as a teen.
I'd give T1 something between a 7.5 and an 8 out of 10 rating (the actor who plays Kyle Reese really did it for me). T2 a 7, T3 a 6. I can't imagine those movies got any better as they went on.
I presume this picks up off the back end of Genisys where the timeline for the early movies had been avoided, Skynet was killed (oops! Spoiler Alert!) before it launched Judgement Day. Here, we have an opening shot of Mama Sarah Connor with her son John (about age 12?)....and an Arnie terminator shows up and kills John, flat out establishing the old timeline (John is the savior for humanity) is not in play anymore. After the opening scene, we have about 20min of non-stop chase scene where some tall blond drops out of a time travel bubble and starts going, and later another time bubble pops out a new liquid terminator. The two look for a Mexican girl, and when they chase/fight awhile, Gramma Sarah Connor shows up to try to kill the terminator. While I'm generally ok with foreign language and subs, this was tough to swallow. The first third is nearly ALL in Spanish because MEXICO! I was worried I'd pirated a version in Spanish, but no, this was intentional. Add to that the 2019 virtue signal changes of the blond 'Grace' being the new Arnie replacement of human protector sent back in time, our traditional Asian liquid terminator being replaced by a Hispanic actor, and of course Gramma Connor looking old as shit and providing gunfire and F-bombs abound, and I was really struggling to view this as more than one of those sequels made for a money grab in the death throes of a franchise. There, I got that rant out of my system.
That said, that extended action sequence between Grace and Liquid is pretty well done (though the liquid seems to have an ongoing issue with windshields spanning several movies and is overplayed here). Midway we bring Grandpa Arnold into the storyline, and he drops a few good laugh lines; the dynamic between him and Gramma Connor is a decent sub-plot*; and his own story takes a new turn based on the old timeline being voided. The main plot of protector Grace and team v Liquid is at it's heart a repeat of Sarah's story in the early films, it seems while the original timeline was averted the events still occur just slightly different. I'll also say they special effects have moved forward since the earlier films = Connor & Arnie get VFX aging (par for the course now), and the producers did some interesting things with Liquid. Oh, and the actor for Liquid deserves some praise. I mean, it's a limited role = keep focused on hunt-find-kill, however the interactions they have with him and the general population along the way is pretty varied and allowed the actor to stretch his vocal range if nor just his look and acting in general.
Bottom line, better than just a money making sequel. There are some reasonable complaints to be had*, but if you like the franchise, this is a step above the last two (Salvation & Genisys), IMO once you get past the first third (and even that is salvaged by the action). 8/10
*Sarah Connor has her roots in the old timeline where she had to survive and have John to lead the resistance. And she knew of that experience up to the point established in Genisys where that timeline was averted and a new branch was followed. But in Genisys, her younger self was allied with the protective Arnie terminator. Not to spoil that movie too much, it closed with Arnie being with her as allies to go forward. However in this film, they seem to ignore that part of history. She immediately hates Arnie when he arrives mid-film, and it is the heart of their dynamic in this film. Is the hate solely on a him killing her son (he admits he DID kill John at the opening of the film), or on the original film's chase-kill relationship with Sarah-Arnie, or what? There is no acknowledgement of the end of Genisys other than it gave a new timeline.
I watched "Jojo Rabbit" (2019) and I thought it was quite well done. It's set in the tail end of WWII in Germany and the protagonist is a little boy who has Hitler as his imaginary friend. It details some of the Nazi fanaticism and thinking in a pretty funny and satirical way. Think Inglorious Bastards, but a step further into the absurd. He is caught between some of his own feelings and what he believes he should be as a good Nazi youth. There are moments that make you laugh and others that are really grim and very sad. The performance by the little boy (Roman Griffin Davis) is incredibly strong for such a young person, as is that of Thomasin McKenzie (but I won't tell you too much about her role, as it would spoil it - she plays a young Jewish girl). I found it to be fairly original and serves as a nice "fuck you" to hate. I like the overall message of the film and I liked the style in which it was shot. 8/10
I just rewatched "The Rock" (1996) starring Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris. It's really easy to see why big blockbuster type action movies like this springboarded a director like Michael Bay to the ultra big leagues. It's a silly movie, but you can't help but get a little pumped. It's about a group of renegade marines that steal some chemical weapons and take over the Alcatraz prison complex to blackmail reparations out of the US government (for fallen soldiers involved in Black Ops). Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and a Seal Team are dispatched to neutralize the threat. That's it. That's the whole plot, but you don't watch a movie like this for the plot. The cheesy one-liners like "You're the rocket!" and "I'd take pleasure in guttin you, boy" just add to the charm. The action is, in typical Michael Bay fashion, completely over the top and really is show stopping. I think the casting was good for this kind of cheese-fest and the film's score is instantly recognizable with Ed Harris' performance of particular note. It's a total guilty pleasure movie, just like Con Air. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it is a fun romp. 6.5/10
^It looks good ( sometimes movies can be crap in theory but the chemistry of actors wanting narrative to work can give it some spark, imo ) Ed Harris is a great talent. Have seen him on the stage and his range is so much more than the roles he got stuck with, really talented one imo.
The Goldfinch
I liked this immensely - more for the narrative than anything else. Look forward to reading authors other books.
...Leave others to rate. Link
It's a little on the long side (about 3 hours), but it is really good for a book adaptation. The movie is actually pretty damn good. Its definitely not on the level of "The Shining", but it's one of the best Stephen King film adaptations made to date. It also sticks very close to the book, which isn't especially common. Definitely worth watching, especially if you liked the book. 4/5
Project Power was so damn good. Didn’t think it would be as good as it was. It’s nearly 2 hours but it flies in as there’s constant action and quite an interesting story.
Its probably still worth watching, theres plenty of references to The Shining so it shouldn't be hard to follow. The directors cut is about half an hour longer, with the majority of the additional content being more allusions to the backstory of Dan Torrence.
I watched "In The Loop" (2009) and I thought it was hilarious. It is political satire at its finest in my opinion. It is biting, cynical, absurd and shows the ridiculous power plays, silly in-fighting, immaturity and spin involved in modern politics. It is quite clearly, in some ways, drawing parallels to the Iraq War and the trumped up intel used to justify invasion. It is distinctly British humor in terms of the lethal dripping sarcasm and absurdity of it all. Some of the best insults I've heard in a long time too. It focuses on a bumbling British Minister and his entourage and how he gets completely entangled in Washington politics and gets in way over his head; becoming a pawn between different American and British political factions. Definitely worth a watch if you want a good laugh. 8.5/10
Decent movie, classic and oft referenced, but slow. Could have been half an hour shorter and still been as good of a film.
7/10
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
I really quite enjoyed this Coen brothers movie, and it really showed Oscar Issac's acting chops. I'm not much for folk music though, and despite the quality acting of the many stars they had, I just couldn't love it. Only worth the one watch in my opinion, but still a good film just to see how versatile Issac is as an actor.
7.5/10
Trees Lounge (1996)
Written, directed, and starring Steve Buscemi, this was an odd film. Not sure exactly what the point of it was. Seemed to be some slightly dark commentary on the way life can just shit on you sometimes, or how life in the 'burbs is just kinda pointless and nihilistic feeling. I enjoyed it, but again, another film I'd only watch the one time.
Project Power was so damn good. Didn’t think it would be as good as it was. It’s nearly 2 hours but it flies in as there’s constant action and quite an interesting story.
Project Power was so damn good. Didn’t think it would be as good as it was. It’s nearly 2 hours but it flies in as there’s constant action and quite an interesting story.
) Ed Harris is a great talent. Have seen him on the stage and his range is so much more than the roles he got stuck with, really talented one imo.
