The stakes in each season have kept escalating, and this latest installment is a wild ride since the very start. This season brought back the same kind of internal conflicts and intrigues that initially drew me into the series, and it was also great to see my faves (Cate and Diane) contributing so extensively this time.
However, I’m not too sure about the way they handled the action in the final episodes. While the overall experience remains exhilarating, it felt like they went a little overboard. I anticipated the Slow Horses would devise a more intriguing and clever resolution. Instead, the climax unfolds in a surprisingly muscular and implausible manner, leaving me somewhat perplexed. It's an undeniably solid show, but I found myself wishing for a more nuanced and satisfying conclusion to complement the series' established depth and complexity.
A little boy who lost his mother in a fire is tormented by Danny De Vito disguised as a heron. The original title is taken from a Japanese novel from the thirties, but the film's plot is actually a loose adaptation of John Connolly's "The Book of Lost Things." Needless to say, we’re embarking on another journey into a fantastic world full of references and metaphors that only Miyazaki understands without caring about his audience. We’re asked to find our own interpretation, and personally, I saw it more as a tribute to the works that inspired Miyazaki over the years rather than mere references to his own films, as if he is pointing out that each generation’s narrative and cultural baggage are a product of the previous, in a continuous passing of the torch.
The first part, laid-back and contemplative, oddly left a stronger impression on me, aided by the beautiful music and landscapes. However, once the magical journey began, I found the whole thing extremely cloying and narratively disjointed. Certainly, there are various fascinating sceneries and memorable moments, but the whole picture failed to convince me. In short, my basic review of most of Ghibli’s films.
Completely forgot how soon this show starts to hit hard.
Probably the best-written TV show of the '90s and the perfect mix of family drama and mob story. The realistic, unvarnished approach to the mafia lifestyle is clearly inspired by "GoodFellas", with which it shares a few cast members. It's almost a sitcom, but there is a horizontal plotline that slowly proceeds through the season and builds up the tension until the last couple of episodes. Everything starts off as some kind of offbeat comedy, but you can notice that things are getting more and more serious as time goes by. The characters are sometimes too many to keep in mind, but the ones who stick are lovable. Tony is such an asshole, yet we can't help loving him. Being able to join his therapy sessions helps to build affection and grasp the depth of the character.
What to expect from the film adaptation of a videogame inspired by action-adventure B-movies? Right, a mediocre action-adventure B-movie. I played all "Uncharted" videogames and loved each of them, but it's undeniable that they work because they are above anything else interactive experiences.
Still, I thought it was a decent action flick that can keep you entertained throughout. The impossibly over-the-top action scenes recreate the video game atmosphere well, even though we are far from the sensory explosion of guilty pleasures like Fast & Furious. The real problem is the humor - most of the jokes and gags fell flat or were poorly timed.
The characters are indeed too young to be believable as Nate and Sully, but as we will probably get a dozen sequels, they will eventually get to the right age.
It’s a pity that such a meticulously choreographed and beautifully staged film ended up being at the same time so dull and empty. Wes Anderson’s idea to combine a tribute to his favorite Nouvelle Vague movies with a vintage magazine live-action is definitely interesting, but with the possible exception of the painter’s article, the stories and characters have very little to say. Instead, it’s just a parade of visually impressive shots and verbal diarrhea, full of details that add little to the story.
I like Anderson’s bittersweet aftertaste and melancholic “end of an era” kind of atmosphere, but I struggled to stay awake during the second half. The ending felt surprisingly warm, though.
One of those films you have to watch at least twice as the final scenes change your perspective on the story and characters. I was expecting a sort of western thriller with homoerotic subtext, while it was in fact a David and Goliath kind of story where it's implied that even Goliath used to be a David. There is no big turn of events, but there are for sure many details that can only be noticed on a second viewing.
The plot moves along slowly, but the characters' ambiguities, as well as the beautiful photography and music, are enough to keep you engaged and slowly let you fall in love with the film's world. It's all very minimal and elegant, except maybe for the fall of Kirsten Dunst's character, which felt a little exaggerated.
Unlike everyone says, "Wild at Heart" is far from being David Lynch's worst film. Actually, there is a part of me that even thinks it's a masterpiece. As a parody, it doesn't have the gloomy atmosphere of "Blue Velvet", but personally, I found it even more extreme and uncompromising. I understand that it could be a bit too much to handle though: the cartoonish characters and the cheap soap opera overacting that characterized Twin Peaks are not for everyone, and the pulpy sex and gore make everything feel even more grotesque. I mean, people's brains getting blown out, continuous Wizard of Oz references, and Nic Cage singing Elvis songs and dancing with karate chops at a power metal gig, all in the same movie! Retrospectively we can describe it as a Tarantino-style movie, but we should not forget that Tarantino was not even close to debuting at the time "Wild at Heart" was shot.
The plot is partly based on the pulp-noir novel of the same name, and is overall pretty straightforward: Lula and Sailor are two rebels in love who decide to hit the road so that no-one can drive them apart anymore. Lula's mother is an evil witch who sends a private eye and a hitman after them. Lynch decides to add all kinds of weird diversions along the way, with some of the craziest, creepiest characters he ever created. More than the original story itself, these diversions are the things that make the film truly memorable. Unlike "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet", there is no light to balance the sleaze and darkness, no coffee and cherry pie after the nightmare. Lula and Sailor are naive and madly in love, but they just feel like cheap and shallow caricatures, you couldn't care less about them.
I understand that the movie aims at creating a world and characters rather than just telling a coherent story, but some focus on the plot wouldn't have hurt. Mr. Reindeer, the Durango gang and Marcellus Santos are iconic characters with their own story arcs, but the film forgets about them halfway through. Marietta even gets "erased" for convenience. Willem Dafoe as Bobby Peru is one of the creepiest Lynchian villains ever, but gets disposed of a bit too easily. It's like they shot what they could and then abruptly closed the film with a pre-made happy ending.
Regardless, the countless iconic scenes and over the top pulp still make "Wild at Heart" one of my personal David Lynch favorites.
Although there’s no doubt “The Last of Us” has been a milestone in raising the bar for narrative in video games, the plot itself was not that memorable. It had a massive impact because it was a video game, but the same exact script used for another medium would get you yet another generic post-apocalyptic show. The hype for this HBO adaptation was minimum, but I have to say that the series managed to adapt the source material perfectly and, to some extent, also raised the bar for mainstream TV shows in the same way the video games did. Direction, cinematography, and performances rank amongst some of the finest I’ve witnessed in a TV show. There are times the sophisticated take of the direction takes away from the grittiness of the setting, but at least you will hardly find the camp or soapy cheese these series usually deliver (except for the quite terrible eighth episode). I also liked how they tried to give a convincing cinematic counterpart to classic gameplay dynamics such as stealth and exploration.
Then, what’s the matter? Shouldn’t this deserve at least an 8/10? I thought so too, and the hype was undeniable after the first few episodes. However, the same problems of the source materials felt more and more noticeable with each new episode. Without the interactive component, we’re left with what’s essentially yet another post-apocalyptic show with mushrooms instead of zombies. Character depth is what should make the difference in these cases, but we got so little time to spend with each one of them that anyone except the two leads felt essentially wasted. Story arcs that could have been fleshed out over whole seasons open and close within single episodes, ending up being perceived as fillers. You can feel the overarching plot being written in self-contained chunks, as if we’re going through new “levels” of the game each time. This is quite absurd considering the recent trend of bloated TV shows where everything is stretched to the impossible. The same budget stretched over twice the number of episodes would have reduced the overall quality, but I think there was no need to rush the plot of the first game in one season. The lack of momentum resulted in an anticlimactic final, as we hardly got time to perceive how bumpy and exhausting the journey has been to that point (it’s all literally resolved within 20 minutes). We need more time to let the characters breathe and the audience get emotionally attached to them, adding plot elements that were only hinted at in the games. It’s not that there was no time, but it looks like the writers preferred to lose precious minutes by expanding the backstories that have close to no impact on the main narrative (episode 3), or by letting the characters play with giraffes.
Hopefully, this season's success will result in a bigger budget for the second, with possibilities to go slowly and expand the narrative of the second game (which is, in my view, vastly superior and more layered than the first).
The stunts still look great, especially if we think this was shot on a shoestring budget in the seventies. The rest is pretty dull: the actual plot kicks in the last twenty minutes, but there’s not much interesting happening until then. It’s all about portraying this world on the verge of the apocalypse, but despite the captivating punkish mood, it’s sloppier than it is gritty. The soundtrack was surprisingly atrocious too. The shot with Mel Gibson waking up from a nightmare is absolutely hilarious.
This is going to be remembered as the tackiest high-budget show of the decade. Inexcusably poor direction and presentation, cheap action, comedy reduced to childish gags, and a generous dose of overacting as the sprinkles on top. The fact that they kept changing tone and plot direction with each episode surely didn’t help. I was hoping that it could at least satisfy my fetish for Egyptian mythology, but it was arguably worse than Relic Hunter.
I don't want to waste any more time thinking about this movie, but seriously, there's no way to explain how bad it is. Four hours bloated with paper-thin characters and kindergarten-level storylines, of which less than half gets a proper closure, by the way. It also comes with some of the cheesiest action scenes and worst-looking special effects I have ever seen in a blockbuster. PS3 videogames have better CGI backgrounds. People have been talking about Snyder's obsession with slow-motion (almost 25 minutes here), but I was more annoyed by how he keeps showing off the exact same three dolly movements in every scene. Another proof that you can sell the most childish shit as a dark and thought-provoking auteur masterpiece as long as you got some smart marketing behind.
Matteo Garrone's revisiting of three obscure seventeenth-century fairy tales rejects the conventions of mainstream fantasy films, and instead goes for an austere, almost neorealist approach. The film is mostly shot in Italy using real locations over CGI, and the photography is mainly minimal with natural lighting and little visual effects. The supernatural elements and fantastic creatures are finely designed and meld with the semi-realistic setting beautifully.
The intention is clearly to tell "dark" fairytales to a grown-up audience, but actually there is nothing as edgy as one would think: just some mild violence and quite a lot of boobs. Each tale's outcome is also quite underwhelming despite the intriguing premises.
It's definitely better than most of your average fantasy films, but at the same time, I can't help feeling like more risks could have been taken.
“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” definitely went above my (low) expectations, but still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Overall, the film is extremely cinematic, well-balanced, full of thoughtful, little details, self-referential notes as well as tons of fan service. Each character gets their own spotlight, and for once, they even attempted at closing all story arcs on a positive note. If Hideaki Anno was still fighting his way out of depression when working on the original series, he is now a happier man who found healing through the love of his wife (referenced multiple times in the film). Honestly, I still prefer the pessimism of the original, but it would make no sense to have history repeat itself again. After all, the film itself acknowledges that it’s not the same characters, not the same director, not the same audience anymore, and that it’s now time to go back to reality.
The ending felt satisfying indeed, but looking back, I can’t help noticing how needlessly and helplessly convoluted the story to that point was. Robots kick each other asses, catastrophes continue one after another, untold background stories of certain characters suddenly arise, but the mechanisms behind are poorly explained, to the point that the original felt straightforward and crystal-clear in comparison. I like hermetic storytelling and elaborated plots, but the answers are supposed to be in the film instead of being supposedly omitted for the sake of fan theories and speculations.
An enjoyable blend of wuxia, fantasy, and superhero movies. It’s pretty much the same structure as all other Marvel flicks with a slightly different taste. Shang-Chi lacks charisma but is well supported by the other cast members.
As usual with these films, the writing is outrageously bad. For example, the Ten Rings organization is supposed to be a lethal army that influenced the history of mankind for centuries, but when they come out, it’s literally a dozen people in a ninja suit. Their leader is introduced as a cruel man who lived for thousands of years, who owns infinite wisdom and godly powers, yet he is just an idiot who gets fooled by a phone fraud. Also, the film keeps pointing out that men and women should be equal, yet Shang-chi’s sister stays two ladders below the comic relief characters. I would pay a fortune to attend the screenwriter meetings for these films and see how they review the script.
Not even remotely as epic as the trailer suggested, but still manages to deliver the same solid mediocre entertainment we expected. This one has a darker and more mature tone than its predecessor, yet it comes with the same problems with the writing. The movie is bloated with subplots and unnecessary steps that took away time that could have been used to flesh out the characters’ relationships and make the plot plausible. The characters keep running in circles for most of the movie, only to rush at the end with an anticlimactic final battle and an oversimplified resolution to what could have been a way more complex conflict. They keep hinting at a huge war between civilizations, yet we hardly see more than a dozen people involved.
The film, overall, succeeds in finding the right balance between the human and monstrous dimensions. I found both the post-war setting and the "maritime" dimension chosen for the battles interesting, and the underlying themes are relatively fresh for the genre. Unfortunately, the overall execution feels like a cheesy melodrama, especially in regard to the acting and exposition-heavy dialogue. This may be a somewhat imperceptible issue for overseas audiences, but at the same time it’s been widely recognized as a trademark of Yamazaki’s filmography in Japan.
When Godzilla takes center stage, everything remains electrifying, if not for the chain of three plot twists that killed the mood in the very last few minutes. The first was necessary, as any other kind of resolution would have undermined the film's overarching message, but the other two were truly avoidable both in terms of conception and execution.
Terrible pilot school melodrama with mandatory bromance and improvised teacher-student love relationship. Buckets of sweat, propaganda, and cocky smirks with homoerotic undertones. That wouldn’t be a problem if the movie wasn’t boring as hell. Maybe the flight scenes with the cheesy soundtrack on top were spectacular for their time, but unfortunately, my attention span hardly made it through. Everything looks like those random videoclips they use at karaoke.
Pretty much a remake of the first movie, if not even a parody. Although the pacing and visual impact are hundreds of times better, it kind of misses the roughness and inventive approach of the original. Not nearly as entertaining as Peter Jackson's "Braindead" , but still worth checking out from time to time.
The “perfect days" of a Japanese man who cleans public toilets. By the way, I had the honor of seeing the movie just a few meters from the locations!! The protagonist, Hirayama, seems to enjoy a solitary life characterized by a meticulous routine, where he finds joy in small things like taking care of plants, listening to the audiotapes from his young day, enjoying a drink at his favorite izakaya... or just completing his work with rigor. Then, various inconveniences and variables end up sabotaging Hirayama's perfect routine, suggesting to the viewer not only details about his past, but also the possibility that, deep down, he may know that happiness doesn't truly reside in small daily habits or in accepting a modest life. At least, that's my interpretation, influenced by my own life values. Hirayama's expression can be read in many possible ways.
The film never explicitly reveals its true intentions, becoming fascinating precisely in its ambiguities. You will just need to endure the pedantic repetitions during the first hour or so.
Overall, the ending took the direction I expected. It might not be the most courageous turn for the plot to take, and I'm still perplexed about a few minor things (including the key to it all). Still, I thought they reached an acceptable compromise between fans' expectations and the pessimistic aftertaste the series has been known for. There are still loose ends and somewhat wasted character arcs, but considering the huge delays in production and the dubious turn the plot has taken in the second half of the last season... it was definitely time to end it all.
Due to my complete lack of prior knowledge on the matter, I found every revelation and change of perspective to be extremely captivating. I could have spoiled myself the turning point just by watching the trailer or paying too much attention to the posters.
However, I couldn’t help noticing several contrived plot points and characters’ behaviors that came across as unnatural, serving primarily to create artificial payoffs or simply to advance the narrative according to the agenda. Moreover, I found the ending somewhat lackluster, if not downright banal.
Hands down my favorite series in a while, where great production value meets solid writing and original ideas. Ben Stiller did a surprisingly good job as a director, creating an atmosphere in between surreal comedy, psychological thriller, and subtle horror. Not to mention the neat visuals, with aseptic office spaces equipped with retro technology and essential decor. At first, you are led to take it as some kind of black comedy that makes a commentary on employees’ working conditions, which is correct, but the reality the innies are stuck in is scary as hell if stop and think about it for a second. Interesting how the show doesn’t only condemn big corporations, but also makes fun of anti-corporate activists like Mark’s family. Still, it never gets to the point it's preachy or on the nose as the show is, above anything else, still an entertainment product.
The chance to relegate all our work-related memories to a different personality sounds tempting at first, but one should not forget that pain and sweat are what build our personality and differentiates us from children. It’s interesting how Mark seems to be the only character who got himself severed to forget about the outside world for eight hours a day rather than the other way around, even though this perception slowly evolves throughout the season.
Hope to see more Patricia Arquette in the next seasons! She's scary as hell.
Not sure if Marty agrees, but this could be a nice theme park ride (if you are familiar with the franchise, obviously). The plot doesn’t make any sense; it keeps contradicting itself to the point that it’s just better to focus on each scene without thinking about its connection to the rest. Not that anyone cares, this is just an excuse to get the cast together and feel nostalgic. The individual moments are usually pretty good, in particular when focusing on the relationships between the characters. Some action scenes felt a tad confusing due to both the quick editing and the low lighting, but it might be a movie theatre problem.
I was expecting the old characters to steal the show, but they managed to keep everything balanced so that Holland could always stand in the center. His Spider-Man was still missing those hints of internal struggle that could be found in the character’s previous incarnations, but here we are finally starting to see him grow and get some emotional payoff.
Arguably the first film in a while to be worth the extra IMAX fees. It must be a matter of taste, but I always find Villeneuve’s films rather dull and soulless underneath the flawless production design and riveting cinematography. Even though it would be unfair to draw conclusions by having watched only part one, “Dune” seems to be no exception. While the premise and setting felt convincing enough, the characters and plot development felt a little flat for the time being. I don’t mind the serialized format, but some kind of payoff at the end of each installment would have helped. We’ll see.
It took me months to get through this season as I didn't want to be done with it, but the day had to come sooner or later. The show might not have ended on a high note, but the last few episodes felt like the right conclusion for a show like "The Sopranos" - melancholic, sarcastic, and anti-climatic. Chase and the other writers kept teasing us for years about things that eventually never happened, but when it's someone's time to go, they are suddenly out, without offering dramatic build-ups or drawing any conclusions whatsoever. Today you are here, tomorrow you are not. It's a fascinating yet disorienting approach for us television literates. The characters and their stories are realistic in their mediocrity, but you always get the feeling that you are watching something sophisticated and cinematic.
The finale was not exactly what everyone expected, but honestly what other ending would have possibly worked? That aside, I wished they would at least have spent some more time on sending off important supporting characters like Dr. Melfi, Paulie, Junior, or Janice. Chase surely has his clear views on how a story should go, but considering the amount of time invested in each character, some closure wouldn't hurt. Especially if we think how drawn-out the first half of the season was.
The Elephant Man is a straightforward biopic about disfigured Joseph "John" Merrick and his struggles with social acceptance in a fascinating Victorian England setting. The story is brought to life by convincing acting, beautiful cinematography, and carefully crafted sets and makeup. All vain efforts, as the movie chose the most shallow writing and conservative approach to the subject.
David Lynch contributes with some visually compelling shots and interesting sequences, but at the same time mostly restricts himself to paying homage to his favorite black and white age films. His elegant yet manneristic approach sometimes even ends up amplifying the kitsch, overly sentimental tone of the movie. Everything is so melodramatic that for a second I thought Lynch was just trying to be sarcastic and hint at the hollow, masturbatory charity fetishes of the middle class. But then, it would be hard to explain awkward scenes such as Merrick's "I am a man!!" burst at the station, or Michael Elphick's mandatory textbook cheesy villain appearances. I still managed to get emotionally invested with the film and, despite the slow pace, everything flows well enough. Just, for being a movie that was released in 1980 it looks and feels at least 40 years older, both formally and conceptually.
"Strangers on a Train" is one of the most memorable examples of Hitchcock's signature sense of humor. Despite its presentation as a classic thriller, it’s evident that Hitch is making fun of its audience throughout.
While the film presents a fascinating premise, it loses steam around the end when it gets all about a silly lighter. Nevertheless, the clever writing and Hitchcock's masterful direction still make it an entertaining experience. The cinematography is crisp and engaging, with several ingenious tricks that remain in history, like the reflection of the murder on the victim's glasses, the fire projected on Barbara's eyes, and the chaotic, close-to-slapstick climax at the merry-go-round.
While Robert Walker’s portrayal of the lunatic stalker steals the show, Farley Granger’s wooden performance leaves much to be desired.
I must confess I have trouble digesting war films, as they tend to be either tedious propaganda, patriotic boredom, or just brainless action. It was not the case at all with "Full Metal Jacket".
Stanley Kubrick uses sarcasm and pitch-black humor to document the war in an uncomfortably cold, uncinematic way. As the whole training camp section suggested, soldiers are entirely dehumanized: they don't feel anything, don't know what they are fighting for, their deaths do not even matter at all. Joker seems to be the only character to still retain some kind of humanity, his sarcasm as a way to detach from the system and protect his individuality. However, it's not clear if he managed to go through the last scene intact or if he just became the "minister of death, praying for war" he was trained into being.
It's a highly atypical but masterfully written and directed film, with some of the most iconic prologues ever.
"I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is undeniably the work of a brilliant writer with a strong imagination, passion, and care for detail, just like all previous films by Kaufman. However, when compared to the director's previous works, it struggles to reach the same level of emotional connection and intellectual stimulation.
The main issue lies in the fact that, despite numerous hints that more or less guide you toward understanding where the story was headed and what the true theme of the film was, things felt a little too gimmicky for the sake of complexity. A quick Wikipedia search of Ian Reid's original novel will clarify most doubts, but I still believe that a film should be comprehensible on its own without relying on external sources. It's like reading a musical score without a key signature, with all the information clearly in front of your eyes but lacking a frame of reference to hold it all together.
It might sound like I didn't even like it, but in reality, the film was more than entertaining, offering plenty of dense dialogues and stimulating moments driven by impressive acting performances. I simply found it to be a somewhat mannered Kaufman work that is unlikely to leave a lasting impact, more to please the fans than the whole audience.
