Having three Oscar winning actresses as leads is already a uniquely stellar ensemble cast, even for a movie, much a less a TV series, but then if you stick around for the second season they add in fucking Meryl Streep.
It doesn't go unrewarded; this series is full of so much stand-out performance energy; it literally might be the most female acting talent ever crammed into one film.
It's unusual for sequels to have higher reputations than originals. Having now watched both, here's my 2 cents: the first one is better and undervalued. Smaller, breezier, funnier, sweeter, better aesthetics. No uncomfortable prison euphemisms. No weird Hitler mustache-type jokes. Also the core Brown family characters are mostly pushed aside in this for a more expansive story that neither the CGI budget or running time can accomodate.
I will admit though, that the pop-up book scene is the best of either movie.
The humor consistently lands (as does the heart), good performances, beautiful production design, and cool calypso. It is also virtuous in tone and themes, lacking the hip cynicism of many similar efforts. A model family movie.
If Rogers was still alive the misanthropic journalist would just goad the gentle old minister into saying something skeptical about "trans bodies" or some such freshly-minted Woke taboo and his show would get insta-canceled, Taco Bell and Reebok would get their kewl corporate pot-shots in on social media ("Can you say... bigot!"), and the journalist would win a Pulitzer.
Now THAT movie might be worth watching. This was Hallmark Channel tier treacle.
Looks like we have a ... "dreigänger" with The Double (2013) and Enemy (2013).
And I'm starting to understand the rules. First of all the origin of duplicates can never be explained. Aliens? Robots? That sci-fi bullshit doesn't apply to this sophisticated genre... don't be a plebe. Or go watch Orphan Black (2013), low-concept TV clone-trend fiction. SMDH.
Second, your exact duplicate won't like you and will be much more confident and dominant than you. Again, don't ask why. And you better be vigilant or he WILL fuck your woman.
I've seen a number of reviewers compare this to 'Cube,' but I suspect its most direct inspiration was the absurdist Denis Villeneuve short 'Next Floor' (2008).
Elton John is an unreliable narrator within the story (comically lying to his support group) but also, less forgivably, in the biographical story itself, with almost everyone in Mr. Hercules' life a little too blatantly contrived as loveless monsters. I'd hesitate saying this drama-queenin' feels stereotypically gay, but stereotypically gay is kind of Elton John's whole schtick. It's the narrative equivalent of "committing suicide" by overdosing on pills and jumping into the pool at a crowded party. Look at me! Feel sorry for me!!
I don't know if I should appreciate that on some meta level, but disingenuous art is also hard to like.
Shojiro Nishimi is (sadly) one of the only Japanese "anime" artists with his own enjoyably unique style of character design and animation. (as seen in 'Mind Game' and 'Tekkonkinkreet').
So this movie has a lot of style and its both fun and fun to look at. The gonzo Hip Hop graphic novel style really feels like they got the jump on 'Into the Spider-Verse (2018)'.
Unfortunately, unlike Spiderverse and the two wonderful Nishimi films listed above, MFKZ has a pretty basic action movie plot. Its big-budget, mainstream US doppelganger actually hit more of a homerun by being visually creative AND having a creative story AND having a solid emotional core.
A "character study" similar to Joker (released at the same time), right down to matching sponge bathing elderly mother scenes. But while Joker invited a dubious amount of sympathy for its villainous protagonist, this movie veers in the opposite direction, and invites only escalating amounts of disgust for its archetype of right-wing extremism. It offers no insights, surprises, or even a story, only obvious stereotypes and voyeuristic cringe-nip. I feel like a better director could have better channeled his hatred into a dark comedy... like an alt-right Four Lions. Although maybe BlacKkKlansman sort of already went there.
All ye tender lasses and land-lubbers, listen and heed me caution now: Take yer refuge and stow the wee ones, for this tale of brine and blood be rated ARRRRR!
Some say the ubiquitous "twin" movie phenomenon (Bugs Life vs. Antz, etc) is a product of competition among Hollywood studios, but here we have two very different countries releasing twin metaphorical class horror-comedies (Parasite and Jordan Peele's 'Us'). So chalk one up for "In the Air" theory. (See also The Raid: Redemption & Dredd)
Based on probably my favorite tru-crime story: the kidnapping of Colleen Stan. Unfortunately the true story is much weirder and darker. Seems like a missed opportunity since this is a decent, yet fairly thin film.
(And could've been called "Girl in a Box' like the old Crime Library article. Still don't know what 'Hounds of Love' means.)
Comments 1 - 25 of 569
Movie comment on One from the Heart
greenhorg
Awful screenplay, eye candy direction by Coppola (in full Orson Welles mode), great Tom Waits soundtrack if that's your thing.In other words a good longform music video, but I wish there were real characters and a story to inhabit it all.
Movie comment on Greener Grass
greenhorg
I already watched Beverly Luff Linn last year and this Adult Swim humor gets stale fast. It peaked with Tim & Eric and even that peak was pretty low.Movie comment on Mid90s
greenhorg
This really feels like someone watched Kids (1995) and then made a movie.Movie comment on Big Little Lies
greenhorg
Having three Oscar winning actresses as leads is already a uniquely stellar ensemble cast, even for a movie, much a less a TV series, but then if you stick around for the second season they add in fucking Meryl Streep.It doesn't go unrewarded; this series is full of so much stand-out performance energy; it literally might be the most female acting talent ever crammed into one film.
Movie comment on Suture
greenhorg
Comes off as a film school graduate Teshigahara knockoff. I'd say just watch The Face of Another.Movie comment on Paddington 2
greenhorg
It's unusual for sequels to have higher reputations than originals. Having now watched both, here's my 2 cents: the first one is better and undervalued. Smaller, breezier, funnier, sweeter, better aesthetics. No uncomfortable prison euphemisms. No weird Hitler mustache-type jokes. Also the core Brown family characters are mostly pushed aside in this for a more expansive story that neither the CGI budget or running time can accomodate.I will admit though, that the pop-up book scene is the best of either movie.
Movie comment on Paddington
greenhorg
The humor consistently lands (as does the heart), good performances, beautiful production design, and cool calypso. It is also virtuous in tone and themes, lacking the hip cynicism of many similar efforts. A model family movie.Movie comment on Fido
greenhorg
I can't believe 'The Shape of Water' got the Oscar for plagiarizing this.Movie comment on Frankenstein
greenhorg
"Instead of a perfect human being the evil in Frankenstein's mind creates a monster"Maybe you should read the damn book!
You guy who made this 110 year old film who is certainly dead.
Movie comment on Tenet
greenhorg
Imagine catching covid because you just had to go out and see this.Movie comment on Ruben Brandt, a gyujto
greenhorg
A badly written and disappointingly basic heist movie elevated by clever touches and an intriguing modern art visual style. A mixed bag.Movie comment on Legends of the Fall
greenhorg
What is this grocery store romance novel doing on my television screen, and how did they animate the Fabio from the cover to seem so life-like?Movie comment on A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
greenhorg
If Rogers was still alive the misanthropic journalist would just goad the gentle old minister into saying something skeptical about "trans bodies" or some such freshly-minted Woke taboo and his show would get insta-canceled, Taco Bell and Reebok would get their kewl corporate pot-shots in on social media ("Can you say... bigot!"), and the journalist would win a Pulitzer.Now THAT movie might be worth watching. This was Hallmark Channel tier treacle.
Movie comment on The One I Love
greenhorg
Looks like we have a ... "dreigänger" with The Double (2013) and Enemy (2013).And I'm starting to understand the rules. First of all the origin of duplicates can never be explained. Aliens? Robots? That sci-fi bullshit doesn't apply to this sophisticated genre... don't be a plebe. Or go watch Orphan Black (2013), low-concept TV clone-trend fiction. SMDH.
Second, your exact duplicate won't like you and will be much more confident and dominant than you. Again, don't ask why. And you better be vigilant or he WILL fuck your woman.
Movie comment on El hoyo
greenhorg
I've seen a number of reviewers compare this to 'Cube,' but I suspect its most direct inspiration was the absurdist Denis Villeneuve short 'Next Floor' (2008).Movie comment on Rocketman
greenhorg
Elton John is an unreliable narrator within the story (comically lying to his support group) but also, less forgivably, in the biographical story itself, with almost everyone in Mr. Hercules' life a little too blatantly contrived as loveless monsters. I'd hesitate saying this drama-queenin' feels stereotypically gay, but stereotypically gay is kind of Elton John's whole schtick. It's the narrative equivalent of "committing suicide" by overdosing on pills and jumping into the pool at a crowded party. Look at me! Feel sorry for me!!I don't know if I should appreciate that on some meta level, but disingenuous art is also hard to like.
Movie comment on Jojo Rabbit
greenhorg
"Nazis are a-holes.... but they're so cute when they're little."- Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)
Movie comment on Mutafukaz
greenhorg
Shojiro Nishimi is (sadly) one of the only Japanese "anime" artists with his own enjoyably unique style of character design and animation. (as seen in 'Mind Game' and 'Tekkonkinkreet').So this movie has a lot of style and its both fun and fun to look at. The gonzo Hip Hop graphic novel style really feels like they got the jump on 'Into the Spider-Verse (2018)'.
Unfortunately, unlike Spiderverse and the two wonderful Nishimi films listed above, MFKZ has a pretty basic action movie plot. Its big-budget, mainstream US doppelganger actually hit more of a homerun by being visually creative AND having a creative story AND having a solid emotional core.
Movie comment on Trudno byt bogom
greenhorg
Nasty, brutish, and long.Movie comment on Cuck
greenhorg
A "character study" similar to Joker (released at the same time), right down to matching sponge bathing elderly mother scenes. But while Joker invited a dubious amount of sympathy for its villainous protagonist, this movie veers in the opposite direction, and invites only escalating amounts of disgust for its archetype of right-wing extremism. It offers no insights, surprises, or even a story, only obvious stereotypes and voyeuristic cringe-nip. I feel like a better director could have better channeled his hatred into a dark comedy... like an alt-right Four Lions. Although maybe BlacKkKlansman sort of already went there.Movie comment on The Lighthouse
greenhorg
All ye tender lasses and land-lubbers, listen and heed me caution now: Take yer refuge and stow the wee ones, for this tale of brine and blood be rated ARRRRR!
Movie comment on Gisaengchung
greenhorg
Some say the ubiquitous "twin" movie phenomenon (Bugs Life vs. Antz, etc) is a product of competition among Hollywood studios, but here we have two very different countries releasing twin metaphorical class horror-comedies (Parasite and Jordan Peele's 'Us'). So chalk one up for "In the Air" theory. (See also The Raid: Redemption & Dredd)Movie comment on Din of Celestial Birds
greenhorg
Merhige attempts to be the mall-goth Jordan Belson, but isn't in the same advanced league of visual magic to inspire the same awe.Movie comment on Another Year
greenhorg
Mike Leigh is the British Ozu.Movie comment on Hounds of Love
greenhorg
Based on probably my favorite tru-crime story: the kidnapping of Colleen Stan. Unfortunately the true story is much weirder and darker. Seems like a missed opportunity since this is a decent, yet fairly thin film.(And could've been called "Girl in a Box' like the old Crime Library article. Still don't know what 'Hounds of Love' means.)
Showing items 1 – 25 of 569