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MikaHaeli8
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A Good Person (2023)
A mystery for the ages
The sole positives I can think of are it looks pretty occasionally and it ends. Other than that, I want to know how Zach Braff keeps getting money to make his obnoxious, smug wastes of pixels and people. None of the characters are likeable, the framing and editing are really weird, the music is sickeningly twee, the actors are ill-served, and it is a good 40mins too long for its own good. A five year old can write a better story than Braff can. His tacking of the themes is done through the lens of someone desperate for a manic pixie dream girl but trying not to let it show. This is 100% a vanity project, and it is embarrassing to see. How he managed to get cash for this is, as the headline states, a mystery for the ages.
Kajillionaire (2020)
What was this film?
"Kajillionaire" wanted to be many things - a comedy, a heist film, a drama, a coming-of-age tale, an introspective character piece and more. It failed at being every single one of those things. Gina Rodriguez and the scene at the old man's house were the only good things about it. The parents had one trait shared between them and that was "being awful people", whilst the daughter had one trait and that was "needing therapy of the psychiatric and speech kind". It was slow, it was pretentious, it was boring. And it shouldn't have been billed as a comedy, let alone released in cinemas. Bad film, bad time.
Glass (2019)
What. Just. What.
I saw it last night with the boyfriend, who was REALLY excited to see this, given that he loves "Unbreakable" and "Split". Hell, we watched those two before catching our showing in the evening.
This was what the kids call 'a bad idea'.
Positives: The score is really good and there are some intentionally funny parts, such as Hedwig giving the camera the middle finger from offscreen (mostly). The first hour overall is entertaining, fills us in nicely about what David Dunn's been up to over the last 19yrs without going overboard with it (i.e. spending too much time on it), and the titular Mr. Glass's stay in the psych hospital and how things work around there. It brings the three together really quickly and really well. Speaking of the characters, the performances are great, especially McAvoy, who cycles between the personalities as effortlessly as he did in "Split".
Speaking of Kevin... siiiiggghhh. "Split" managed to not make him cartoon-y. "Glass" does. We (the boyfriend and I) could tell who had and hadn't seen "Split" by their reactions to Patricia in the opening few minutes, and there were quite a few laughs from the audience. And the handling of Kevin/The Horde wasn't the only cock-up on Shyamalan's part. The car park showdown was awful (Shyamalan is NOT an action director at ALL), David Dunn's death was horribly undignified - David in general deserved better - and the "secret society" twist came out of nowhere and served no purpose, not just to the film, but the trilogy in general. The constant meta was grinding as all get out by the end ("and here's the showdown!"), and I felt absolutely no engagement with the film whatsoever. It serves as a crap conclusion to a decent trilogy, and an insult to the previous two films.
And to those who complain about the critics and how wrong they are: they are paid to assess how well-made a film is, not because of who's in it, the genre, or who's directed it, as the general public do. Most of the critics think that this film is bad. You don't have to agree with them, but you do have to recognise the purpose of their job, and disagreement does not mean that either of you are wrong. Get that into your heads. Now.
Action Point (2018)
16yrs past its sell-by date.
If you liked or loved "Jackass" or have a soft spot for gross-out comedy, this one's for you. Otherwise... no. Just no.
Tomb Raider (2018)
Had an absolute blast
Went in with low expectations, came out pleasantly surprised. The pacing was uneven, the dialogue was often clichéd, it took a weird turn near the end, and it was surprisingly gruesome for a 12-rated film. On the other hand, some of the actuon and chase sequences were great - there's very little shaky-cam and there aren't 12,747,727 cuts, so you can follow what was going on. It was funny at times, and Alicia Vikander did a great job as Lara Croft. Best thing of all: she wasn't sexualised at all, and there's no romantic arc. Also, she's very much an (athletic) everywoman who undergoes decent development throughout the film. To those who complain about her being infalliable: that is a key feature, if not the ONLY feature, if 99% of male action protagonists. I don't see you complain about that.
Anyway, this film was fun to watch. Whilst it's not worth rushing out to see, it's definitely worth paying for.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Fantastic addition to the franchise
First of all, this is a direct sequel to "Star Trek XI"; it sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but I mean in tone and execution as well as the more obvious aspects. However, "Into Darkness" seems to have a bit more substance to it, albeit without sacrificing everything that made the first one so fun and easy to engage with, especially in the first half-hour or so, with certain questions being raised over the decisions regarding the appropriate actions to take by individuals. The repercussions of those decisions are executed to devastating effect in the last two acts of the film, with a few surprises here and there.
The characters are also pleasingly fleshed out. Whilst the principal cast have already been established in the last film, every single one of them is once more given room to grow and their moment to shine, the moments in question never feeling pointless regarding the plot. The newer additions also add new shades and colour to the palette of the crew, particularly Alice Eve, who just about manages to hold her ground against the mêlée of the events occurring in the film. Just.
Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch managed to exceed expectations I didn't even realise I had. Despite my thinking that the choice of his character was a bit of a cop-out, so to speak, he made for a much more memorable and fleshed-out villain than Eric Bana's Nero. Despite the transparency of his true identity, he still managed to surprise me in many ways, not least the degree to which I empathised with his character in the second act.
Regarding the aesthetics of the film: first of all, as much as I liked their use in the last film, there are much fewer lens flares used here, thank goodness. This is perhaps because of the 3D and I must say that as someone who has been dissuaded from 3D showings thanks to the poor utilisation of the tool, I was very impressed with its use here. The space scenes in particular look absolutely gorgeous and you also get things flying out at you, so there's something for everyone here; no cine-cardboard cutout rush-job here (looking at you, Clash of the Titans 2010). It's absolutely worth it if you are willing to fork out the extra coupe of pounds/ dollars, so I was highly relieved by that. Michael Giacchino's score is also worth a mention - the usual themes are retained, but with added dissonance in some parts and allegro in others, although this often resulted in it swerving close to unevenness; jarring in comparison to the fluidity of the film.
One other complaint that I have was the use of one particular line. It felt incredibly shoehorned in and completely undermined the scene preceding it, although thankfully it was not lingered on for long. That was, perhaps, the one thing I thought was completely unnecessary to the film and when I say 'completely unnecessary', I mean 'sticks out like a sore thumb'. Another problem I had, albeit a little more minor, was that the whole affair was wrapped up too quickly after a certain point, perhaps to the point of dissatisfaction. I would perhaps have liked to have seen a little more of it; maybe there was a scene that was eventually cut from the film. Perhaps not, but it slightly annoyed me.
In summary, whilst it wasn't perfect, it was the best sequel to my favourite film I could have possibly hoped for. Everyone involved has my gratitude for making the four-year wait - and the last five months, in which I was engaged in a total lock-down - worth it. I must admit, part of me was expecting a spaceship-wreck of a film. Thankfully, that was not what I got.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
How was it awful? Let me count the ways.
Saw this today with my family, and most of us (except for my 12-year old brother, who loved it) agreed that it was...bloody awful.
As my title says, where do I even begin? Pushing it back to accommodate for the addition of 3D was a bad idea - it just corresponded horribly with the film. Awful acting, especially from Sam Worthington, fresh from his equally wooden turn in "Avatar". The plot was present, sure, but it seemed more of a sideline than the centric event. The action was also there, but not overly engaging, especially the "Kraken vs. Perseus" showdown at the end - not as tight as it should have been. In fact, many, many things were awful about this shoddy waste of a remake, and I'm itching to see the original to see if it's even twice as better as this. $125m? One could help Haiti a LOT with that money.
Worst film of 2010 so far? It wins that award.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Only slightly above mediocre at best.
Bearing in mind that this one saw it after it stamped on the Academy Award competition, I was expecting it to be as good as everyone (i.e. my parents, who saw it before it received all the hype) said it was. Unfortunately, it fell short of the mark. A "feel good" film? Are you kidding me? Points scored for A.R. Rahman's soundtrack and the issues played out in the film, but otherwise, an overrated film reaching slightly above mediocre at best. No way should it have won eight Oscars. Maybe about four or five at the most because of the reasons above.
Here are my grades: Acting: C Cinematography: B Music: A Plot: B/A.
Santa Sangre (1989)
An okay film marred by its disturbance
I'm not shy of watching bizarre films, but this was too much for me. It was just far too odd, and if it weren't for the graveyard scene (the most disturbing scene given that it triggered a phobia), then this would probably get a higher mark. It scores points for its quirkiness in its characters, the acting quality and the score, but the rest of it was a little nasty. I watched this in World Cinema a couple of months ago, and it made me cry. I'd give it a few more years before a re-watch, personally. The cinematography was great as well. Apart from the title - and this is not anything against its creators or the nationalities of its creators - you couldn't tell it was a Mexican/ Italian film. The quality of quirkiness gave it away.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
What happened??
First of all - it was not a dire film. Great action as always and some good dialogue. Unfortunately, that's where it ends. Watching it was like watching a two-hour flick book - fast and confusing enough to bury any trace of a plot. A sequel to the (far superior) "Casino Royale"? Really? Should have been entitled "Bond Goes Emo". Plenty to roll your eyes at. What a waste of a cinema ticket it was. Olga Kurylenko (later seen in "Max Payne") is a calmer (albeit vengeful) presence to counterbalance the rush of the film; however, Gemma Arterton (another decent actress) is wholly wasted with an underused role. And dear god, don't let me get started on the weak theme tune (why Alicia Keys and Jack White? WHY?) Quite frankly, a very forgettable film and an embarrassment to the franchise. But like I said, not a dire film - the end credits are the best part of it.