 I rewatched this in preparation for the sequel, having only seen it once before (when it came out). It’s so good, and better than I remembered! Hard to believe it’s been ten years since it was released!
The storyline is fresh and original, the protagonist is plucky and likeable, and the humour consistently hits. Moreover, the moral of the story, regarding prejudice and stereotypes, isn’t preachy, or condescending towards the audience. The film is also vibrant and well-designed, not plasticky or sparse, as 3D-animated movies tend to be. Overall, a great movie for kids and adults alike, and a reminder of how good Disney can be, when they allow their talent to cook!
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 I was really looking forward to this film; I like serious movies set in the world of espionage, especially ones that aren’t from the perspective of the US or the UK (which is what we usually see). Wagna Moura is always good to watch too.
What a disappointment this film was. Honestly, I don’t even know what I just watched, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t about a ‘secret agent’ and definitely wasn’t about the world of espionage! I have absolutely no knowledge regarding Brazil in the 1970s; I don’t know what the political climate was like, who the leader was, etc, etc. And as an audience member when watching a movie, I shouldn’t really need any prior knowledge; the movie should tell me everything I need to know. Whilst watching this film, I felt like some knowledge of Brazil in the 1970s would have been useful, just to make sense of what the hell was happening! Seriously, I appreciate it when films don’t spoon-feed you everything, but this film didn’t give you enough, which is frustrating to say the least! After having seen it, I’m still none the wiser when it comes to what happened to the protagonist’s wife, why exactly he’s in hiding, and what the point of the film was? The way the protagonist’s journey ends, is SO dissatisfying! (Spoiler) Literally just cutting to photo in a newspaper showing his dead body! How can the filmmakers rob the audience of such a pivotal moment?! Like every other major event the film discusses, we don’t see how it happened! We’re denied all the ‘juicy’ parts of the story, and instead, shown all the mundane parts! That’s not why we watch movies! It’s just poor storytelling. To add insult to injury, the whole thing is overly long! The film is set in the 1970s, but then, for no reason, halfway through, it cuts to the present day, showing us some University students researching the story we’re watching. That device adds literally nothing to the story, other than breaking the flow, and giving us an epilogue which again, provides us with no answers. The film was beautifully shot, and the period is brilliantly realized; it all looks completely authentic. But all those efforts are wasted on a film that deliberately creates a puzzle, but provides no satisfying solution. Sure, life may be that way, but one of the reasons we watch movies is so we can make sense of life, not to be further confused by it! ‘Disappointing’ is the perfect word to describe this film, more so because it was actually engaging, despite everything I’ve said! The characters were really well-defined, and seemed real (I have no idea if this is based on a true story, but it gives the impression that it could be). There were also some great cinematic sequences, but it’s all for nothing if the story leaves you baffled. Man, this film could have been great! It had all the ingredients, but in the end, it was just half-baked. SO disappointing!  This feature-length anime is set before the introduction of Yuji Itadori, so he doesn’t feature in it at all, which is kinda disappointing. Instead, the film introduces a new character, Yuta, who’s entire arc is the focus of this film.
Yuta isn’t as likeable as Yuji Itadori; he’s a bit of a sad-sack, and a victim of bullying, and his storyline isn’t as compelling as any of the stories in the main anime. It’s very much a companion piece, showing us how much of a total badass Saturo Gojo is, whilst also whetting our appetite for season 2 of the series! The artwork and animation are superb, and the movie is good! If you’re a fan of Jujutsu Kaisen, watching this is a no-brainer.  I liked the way this movie was filmed, with it’s ‘cool-blue’ nighttime shots, cool cars and a cool looking protagonist. It was reminiscent of the crime thrillers of the 80s and 90s.
That said, the characters and dialogue were completely cliché! We have the good cop in a corrupt police force, whose marriage is on the rocks, the aloof loner that meets a girl who makes him think twice about his life of crime, and the disgruntled employee that has a score to settle with her sexist boss. There’s nothing new here, and you can see it all coming from a mile away, but that’s no different than a lot of movies, and at least with this film, you enjoy the ride. It’s a good film. The tone and music were on point, as was the pacing. Chris Hemsworth has enough movie-star charisma to make his character appealing, and the supporting cast are more than capable of adding heft to their (lightweight) roles. I liked it. You think you know what’s going to happen in the end, because all crime stories have to end a certain way; a mainstream narrative cannot suggest that a life of crime pays (even though it often does), but fortunately the ending achieves it in a way that we don’t usually see. Worth a trip to the cinema so go see it.  I watched this classic for the first time, and I have to say, It’s bloody good!
It’s amazing just how good old Hollywood movies are compared to the ‘safe slop’ they serve up these days. Filmmakers and actors were allowed to take risks, making morality plays that bring to life stories about deplorable characters, whilst shining a light on the corruption in our world. That’s what this film does, and does without being preachy. At first, it took me a while to get used to the fast-paced, ‘jazz-riff’ style of dialogue, where the characters speak in colloquial metaphors and witty insults; a type of slang that seems like a caricature of the ‘gumshoe’ detective novel. Once you’re used to it, it’s almost Shakespearean in how it conveys meaning so succinctly. It’s hard to imagine a time when newspaper columnists wielded so much power; they were practically celebrities, deciding what the news was, and who was guilty or innocent. That’s the period this film takes place in, with everyone trying to curry the favour of ‘J.J. Hunsecker’ so he can write stories in their favour. Of course, power corrupts, and this is a satire about how that world operates. Tony Curtis is perfect as the fast-talking, bullsh!tting publicist who would literally sell his own mother if it meant he could make a quick buck! He’s charming, witty, and full of crap! Burt Lancaster is also perfect as the aloof, morally superior columnist ‘J.J. Hunsecker’, who’s only too happy to do favours when it suits his (often insidious) purpose, but acting like such things are beneath him. What’s great about this film, aside from the swift pacing and lean storytelling (there’s not a superfluous moment!), is that it gives centre stage to two of the most shady characters in the story! There are morally virtuous characters, and a lesser film would have made them the protagonists, but here we revel in the company of people we aren’t ordinarily privy to be in the company of. The film also effectively lifts the lid on the kind of corruption that is no doubt still prevalent in the news media, without making that the focus of the story, and as said, without being preachy. It’s also a very entertaining film! The fact that a good film can be so multi-faced, say so much about character, and the world we inhabit, whilst also simply being ‘a good story’, reminds us of the power of good movies. It’s a shame that the practitioners in the modern-era seem to have forgotten all this, and strive to make films that appeal to ‘everyone’, and thus speak to no-one. Anyway, check it out! Great film.  I watched it for the first time, and I REALLY liked it!
Such a stylish and original film. The tone, the music, the cinematography; all brilliant, as were the actors. But what really made it so enjoyable, was the story! The device of a story within a story is nothing new, but usually one of them is weaker than the other; in this film, both were equally compelling. I really appreciated the fact that I couldn’t see where the film was going, which is pretty rare, especially with ‘Hollywood’ movies. I was completely invested in the characters, in both stories. There is some conjecture about how one story relates to the other, and I think the novel being read, is a metaphor for the relationship the main character had with the author.. somehow. It definitely requires some contemplation; but the great thing about the film is, even if you just take it at face value, and treat it as two unrelated stories, it still works, because as said, both stories are equally good and work on their own merit. I also liked the way the director let each shot sit and breathe; he wasn’t in a rush to cut to the next one, but equally, the shots didn’t linger past their point of interest. It was just good, unhurried, pacing. This meant we could enjoy the acting; Amy Adams in particular, was mesmerising; her eyes just shone. The ending was a bit abrupt, and to be honest, Amy Adams’ character doesn’t receive much of a ‘revenge’, but it is often stated that her ex-husband was weak, so that’s clearly the reason why. Speaking of which, that’s one of the main themes of the film; the torment of being a ‘weak man’, something that is utterly unforgivable in this world. A man’s sensitive nature may be tolerated by some, for a while, but a weak man cannot survive without suffering. Great film, and definitely worth watching!  I remember when this movie first came out (back in the late 90’s); a big deal was made about the special effects (a black and white world with characters in colour), but I never got around to watching it.
I recently stumbled upon it whilst browsing ‘Imdb’, and it had great reviews, so I decided to finally give it a go. It’s decent, but it’s not as good as it thinks it is. There’s a very obvious and blatant message wrapped up in novel concept, and the lack of nuance is what stops the film from being great. The messaging is very ‘black and white’ which is ironic, considering the film’s setting. The film’s ideology is that if you believe in conservative values, then you’re a ‘black and white’ character, akin to a book burning Nazi. But if you believe in progressive, liberal ideals, you’re colourful (literally) and full of life. The lack of subtlety is pretty silly. This film could easily have been made today, as the so called ‘culture war’ between conservative and liberal (woke) values is more pertinent than ever! Just goes to show, this sh!t has been going on forever! Still, my memory of the late 90s is that we all just agreed to live and let live, and not impose our ideologies on others. I still adhere to that mindset; live and let live. I consider myself quite liberal, but I also appreciate conservative values. I think most people exist on a spectrum; no one is ‘black and white’, completely one way or the other, as the film (and our current news media) suggests. So whilst I appreciate that societies must change, and people must be free to fulfil their own desires, unshackled from the chains of dogma, I also believe that adultery in marriage is wrong, as is promiscuity in general; both things that seem to be celebrated in this movie. According to this film, I’d be one of the ‘black and white’ book burning Nazis, which is absolutely ridiculous! So yeah, the ideology and messaging of the movie frustrated me. But that aside, it was very well-made, and the concept definitely has potential! Toby Maguire was especially good, anchoring the film and being the voice of reason amongst all the characters. If the messaging was more nuanced and also more subtle, the film would be great.  I remember when this movie came out; all the hype, the slow release of information, photos and posters of all the new characters, the release of ‘The Animatrix’ that lead up to it… It was a great time!
There was no way that this film, or perhaps any film, could live up to the genius of the first Matrix movie, but when I saw this film, I totally got into it, and rated it highly for years. Having just re-watched it again, after at least a decade and a half, I have to say, it’s not as good as I remembered! They took a brilliant concept, and convoluted the hell out of it! The new characters, new layers, and expansion of the lore just muddy the water and make it needlessly complicated, just for the sake of it. ‘Zion’ the home-base for the humans was disappointing, even back in 2003. The Earthy tones, the hippie vibes, the massive rave that takes place in a cave; it’s all so far removed from the cold, barely-held together, steely look of the ‘real’ world depicted in the first movie. If anything, ‘Zion’ should have been something completely cyberpunk, or even steampunk, made from the ruins of old skyscrapers; pretty much anything would have been better than what we got. Then there’s the world of ‘the Matrix’ itself. In the first film, it was an indistinguishable simulation of our own world, fully populated and grounded in the rules of what we know to be reality. In this film, it becomes nothing more than an open world computer game, with PS3 level graphics to go with it! There’s nothing ‘real’ about it. Where are the crowds of people? Where’s the ‘reality’ and the danger that doing anything out of the ordinary will cause alarm and thus alert Agents? There’s practically no jeopardy; the characters walk around as if in a game, going from one fetch quest to another. That said the scenes that take place in ‘the Matrix’ are still miles better than the scenes that take place in Zion. Also, the fact that they’ve introduced so many new characters means we spend less time with the characters we really care about, i.e. Neo, Trinity and Morpheus, something that only gets worse in the third film! That said, there’s still plenty to like about the film; mainly the fight scenes! Seeing a Neo that knows what he’s doing is brilliant! The fight scenes, the choreography and staging, the music that accompanies them, it’s all absolutely top draw! In fact, the fight with weapons at the end is probably my favourite fight scene in the entire series! It’s so damn good! The main cast is still superb! Keanu Reeves is Neo, and there’s no one else that could possibly do that role justice! EVER! Carrie-Anne Moss is also superb, and always a joy to see on-screen, which makes it all the more disappointing that she hasn’t been the lead in many other movies! I also really enjoyed Neo’s exchange with ‘The Architect’ at the end, and the explanation about how he’s ‘the one’; that he’s the sixth version of ‘the one’, and what his purpose is. All those details really ignited our imaginations back in 2003, as we pondered all the previous versions of ‘the Matrix’ and dreamt up stories concerning the first ‘One’, something that the fourth Matrix should have been about, instead of the piece of crap that we got. Anyway, I felt like watching it; I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as it was back in 2003, but then, you can never go back and experience things as you did the first time; the context, the events of the period, the smells, and even who you are, are never the same. Shame really.  I first saw ‘Rock of Ages’ as a theatre show in the West End, and loved it. So I was excited to see the movie when it came out, especially as it starred the legend that is Tom Cruise (in a musical!).
The movie was met with harsh criticism, trashed by critics and audiences alike, but I liked it! Fast forward over a decade later, and I felt like watching it again… I really liked it! First and foremost, the songs in it are all bangers (based on existing ‘rock’ classics), which is what you need most from a musical. Sure, the characters are cliché, but ALL the actors do a great a job in bringing them to life, and you can see that they’re enjoying themselves, because doing an all singing, all dancing musical, is FUN! What I enjoyed most, was that at the centre of it all, the film is a love story, and who can resist a good love story? I remember first seeing ‘Julianne Hough’ in ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and she absolutely had that ‘star quality’ of looks, personality and talent, so you could see why Hollywood would come knocking on her door. In this film, she has top billing, which is something considering the amount of talent involved, and I have to say, she totally delivers; providing that ‘girl next door’, small town charm that every guy would fall for. It’s a shame she never really hit the heights of being a ‘major Hollywood star’. As for ‘Sir Tom Cruise’? I love the guy, but I have to say, he was kind of miscast. He just didn’t have that ‘Rock Star’ mystique and presence that the role called for. He’s still good, as he always is, but his whole performance seemed ‘hammy’ and inauthentic. In the stage show, ‘Stacie Jax’ (Tom’s character) was played by Russell Brand (who plays a lesser role in the movie), and he never actually makes an appearance! They cut to video clips of him, but he’s never on stage, which actually gives the character more mystique. In the movie, they obviously beefed up the role, as it’s Tom Cruise playing him, and the film almost becomes more about his character, instead of the two young lovers, which isn’t a good move. Maybe it was more so in the extended cut, vs. the theatrical cut, I can’t remember, but either way, they should have made him less of the focus. All in all, I have nothing bad to say about the film. It was a damn good time! Great songs, great actors, a good love story, a fun vibe; what’s not to like? It’s a good film!  I watched this in the cinema when it first came out, back in 1989 (such a good year!), and had no idea that films of this calibre were a rarity that must be savoured. As a kid, you just took it for granted that movies were good!
Having not seen this film in decades, I forgot how damn good it is! It’s the funniest of the Indiana Jones movies, and the one with the most heart. The relationship between Indy and his father is brilliantly realised, with the former subtly vying for his father’s approval throughout, and the latter clearly impressed by his son’s exploits, but never actually telling him. The opening sequence with River Phoenix also deserves mentioning, as it was such a novel way of giving us the backstory in an entertaining way, without relying on exposition. Sean Connery is superb as Dr. Henry Jones Snr. At times conveying a child-like wonder at what’s happening, and at other times giving that look of disapproval that only parents know how to give, saying more than words ever could! Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott and Jonathan Rhys Davies are all great, as ever, and it’s so good seeing them again after ‘Raiders’. In fact, this is the only Indy movie that successfully captures the flavour that made ‘Raiders’ such a masterpiece! The pace and non-stop set-pieces are more impressive because not only do they provide ‘thrills’, but they simultaneously provide character and plot progression! That’s so hard to do! It’s also the reason why so many action movies are so bad, because they don’t even attempt to do that. It’s also the key to why ‘Last Crusade’ and ‘Raiders’ stand head and shoulders above most action movies; the characters take centre stage as much as the set-pieces; in fact, the set-pieces are meaningless unless you’re invested in the characters. The female lead did the job, and was better than a standard ‘damsel in distress’; the running gag with her having slept with both father and son was pretty funny too. I watched the film on a 4k blu-ray, and similar to Back to the Future, I felt the colours were warmer than what I was used to; maybe I should just adjust the settings on my TV (I had it on ‘Filmmaker mode’). 4K blu-rays are so good, you want to watch every movie in that format, but it’s expensive, so I doubt I’ll be replacing my entire collection anytime soon. Still, it is tempting! Anyway, absolutely brilliant film, and although we all wanted more, it was the best ending for the franchise... |
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