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The Disaster Artist (2017)
Well made and has a heart.
On has to hand to the Franco brothers getting all those idiosyncratic details just right. The disaster artist plays like a crazy bromance movie with serious homoerotic undertones. The last mainly because, mystery man, Tommy's true motivations aren't really clear. Is he longing for friendship or is something deeper going on? In the end it really doesn't matter as friendship, the little guy versus the good old American Dream is full and center in the story. They could have made the characters really despicable but strangely enough they had certain warmth to them. If the story was handled with respect is hard to say as I haven't read the book but certainly the story and characters were handled with love and admiration. So what to make of it? Hard to say as The Disaster Artist is hard to separate from it's well known backstory. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't learn much more than was already out there. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the movie nonetheless. I't no Ed Wood in a cinematic sense, but well made and has a heart.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Keeping it fresh.
My expectations were low going in. I wasn't as fan of the Raimi installments but was warming up to the Amazing Spiderman movies that were discontinued. A real shame as in those we actually got the spiderman in suit as portrayed in the comics. And more importantly; not so much a nerdy but a more smart-ass Peter Parker. So now there is this movie. So how was it? Pretty decent and fun actually!
Peter here is a young kid grounded in this modern day and age. The movie plays more like a teen coming-of-age movie than let's say the latest Marvel Avengers entry. We see high school (prom) insecurities being played up, a wing man for comic relief, being unpopular while having a crush an the popular girl of the class. Actually it's nicely done; just tip toing between cliché while keeping it fresh. The cultural diversity was also good.
The acting is top notch. Holland plays it pretty straight as a quirky hyper kid full of ambitions. The jokes land just right, most of the time. I do feel Keaton was severely underused in the movie, but hey he is the villain.
How's that saying again in another superhero flick? Not the Spiderman we want, but the one we deserve.
Instant Dreams (2017)
Pure genius. A psychedelic cinema masterwork.
Pure genius. A psychedelic cinema masterwork.
On the surface there is polaroid, future and past revelations meshed into an arty documentary which at times feels like an 70's sci-fi movie. The director certainly is not shy in showing his visual influences; Koyaaniquatsi, A Space Odyssey and other 70's cinema nuggets are on display loud and proud. But if you look closer there is a deeper message about the way we interact with each other through images. Who would have thought a simple polaroid picture would be at the technological and philosophical center of our current ever-connected way of living.
The movie is presented as a trip but that doesn't mean it's all spectacle. There's a kooky artist in the desert who is like the Oracle in the Matrix, a scientist who is struggling with the ingredients of polaroid-material, and a writer about polaroids who tries to find back his mojo. Especially his quirky kid is the cutest thing ever. I would say the inventor of Polaroid has the biggest story-arc, even though he has limited screen time. The stories presented are engaging but weird in a cool way. There are even some touching and truly funny moments. I won't spoil them.
It's light-years ahead of that Year Zero documentary of a couple of years ago; a straight up no frills documentary about the Impossible team starting up the old Polaroid factory. The Impossible team is also featured here but in a different capacity and at a different time. I would say this movie is just a different kind of animal. Closer to something Werner Herzog might have dreamt up in his during his early career. Klaus Kinski would have been right at home here. (Another German cult actor has a surprising cameo)
The movie does have some flaws but nothing major. At certain points the slow pace dragged a bit and there was a certain brief part of the movie that didn't interest me so much. Nothing distracting. There is a lot to like and it instantly (pun intended) has become one my fav documentaries. An acquired taste maybe, but I welcomed it wholeheartedly. Saying this is a documentary just about polaroid would be doing it a big disservice. I found it ironic how a movie reflecting on the analog experience captured that genuine retro feel more then let's say the latest Blade Runner installment. (Which I also loved btw)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Better Jar Jar than this
I liked Ewoks, little Annie and I even didn't dislike Jar Jar but I sure didn't like The last Jedi.
To put this in perspective; my favorite of the original trilogy is Empire but still love the other as much. I didn't hate the prequels, I enjoyed most of it although I didn't like all the trade negotiation stuff, the writing in regards to the love story and pretty much most of Attack of the Clones. While the prequels made me feel very excited it did feel like Star wars for the most part. Then came Force Awakens. Yes, it felt like a bit of a rehash but overall I thought the movie was good. It had some very memorable scenes for sure and clever dialog. And now there is the Last Jedi, which I was looking forward too very much. I was in shock at what I saw.
Key moments sandwiched in between slapstick at a tempo that made those potentially memorable moments feel empty and unimportant. CGI Yoda that looks inferior then the already distracting CGI in the prequels. A story line about a code breaker that felt out of place. Leia in space that felt just silly in it's execution. Raising interest in Snoke as the master manipulator and killing him off in the same scene. That silly ending shot with the boy and his resistance ring. Luke in action but not really. The who-dunnit scenes repeating the same scene from multiple points of views. The ever moving camera. I could go on and on but for me it didn't feel like star wars but more like a Disney fairytale with mayor script and editing problems.
I just felt empty after watching it. No joy, no excitement, just nothing. This makes me sad as I absolutely love Star Wars. I think honestly this is the first Star Wars movie, I'm just not feeling it and have not much interest in watching it again. Which is strange as I watched Attack of the Clones (I really dislike that movie) at least 3 times.