These characters are written without biographical detail, quirks, personalities, relationships, or identifiable chemistries, which makes it hard to care about them in any meaningful way. (Pixar routinely makes like animated toasters feel more "real")
Also, it is hard enough for a 30 year old to convincingly play a 20 year old, so why in the world did they cast 40 year olds with deep crows feet to play 20 and 30 year olds?
I don't believe 3.5 hours is "too long" it is simply too long for a movie. The beauty of the mini-series is it divides stories into chapters, much like a book, which gives more satisfying structure and an ability to nest leitmotifs (regardless if you binge or not, it changes the perception of time). This should have been longer and a series would have allowed us to focus more on individual charters, in particular Molly, instead of forcing me to ride alongside the dull simpleton Ernest for three straight hours. Not someone I enjoyed sympathizing with for that duration.... sorry Marty, the story just needed to be told differently and told better.
On rewatch: the first 10 or so episodes are fairly gripping, especially the detective work of L as he rapidly narrows the investigation, and Light as he thinks through his plans. But the final 2/3rds of the series begins to lose its steam as the pacing dies down, and deus ex machina kicks in to compensate for increasingly puzzling strategies which (at best) have no real reason to work. While
killing off L
does indeed have the effect of making the middle episode the most gripping and dramatic of the series it also ultimately
deprives the show of its most interesting character, (and tbh there aren't too many others)
making the entire second-half something of a slog.
I have no idea if this manga/anime, with its central anti-hero and cat-and-mouse tension influenced shows like Dexter and Breaking Bad, or if they all came out at a similar time simply because that's how creative trends often manifest. But either way you have to massively credit this story for being ahead of the curve and for doing it pretty well.
I'm torn between the side of me that thinks this is some of the most creative animation I've ever seen and a part of me that is frustrated with how little originality there is with the relatively under-explored multiverse concept. I mean you can't just copy the Citadel of Ricks AND do the same damn cowboy joke!
I'm increasingly frustrated with shows like this that keep you confused for as long as possible, and of course now that the unresolved show been canceled after 1 season you're awarded an additional kick in the nuts for your unjustified patience.
Just say no to 'Lost'-style shaggy dog science fiction.
A visually opulent adult fantasy most similar to Gilliam's Baron Munchausen (1988) and Tarsem's The Fall (2006), although the cheap CGI makes it aesthetically inferior to both. Further it is not as creative as 'Baron' or as emotionally engaging as 'Fall' and doesn't exceed either in any unique way. The story and the stories within the story are interesting enough, but the romance in the final quarter falls particularly flat.
In fairness 'Baron' and 'Fall' are both very good movies, and so this is injured more by the similarity; it is not bad, just a little bit above average.
I dunno, I guess its the title + the lead actresses' passing resemblance to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but I was looking forward to a comedy about an awful human bean. Kind of disappointed it was a not comedy about a not awful bean.
Uses that 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' method of mixing a steady dose of vulgarity in the with the G-rated formula to try and throw off the high-brows, who would probably otherwise regard it as disposable Hallmark kitsch.
Very Steven King (Reminded me most of ‘Storm of the Century’). The juxtaposition of religious and horror myths is clever.
I suppose the final implication is that the preacher "mistook" a vampire for an angel, but in the fictional context, I'm not entirely sure he was originally mistaken, and I'm almost disappointed with the resolution suggesting he was (a change of heart which is abrupt and unearned). Of course the idea that devils have bat wings and angels are beautiful doves isn't anywhere in the bible, but angels are instead described as frightening monsters (like the preacher says). And I further can't remember any biblical passages where the devil can bestow any special powers like resurrection. Instead powers always come from God. So in the a universe where we assume Christianity is true and vampires exist, I think it actually makes a lot more sense to interpret these creatures as some sort of divine beings instead of Satanic ones.
I like to inform people that Citizen Kane was not, in fact, Orson Welles' first film, it was actually a movie called "Too Much Johnson" about a woman with two lovers.
What was the point of the Rashomon framework when everyone tells the same story? I mean I get that Hollywood is too in the doghouse about this to depict ambiguity about rape events. OK, fine, then don't do rape Rashomon. Or just tell the story and make a normal length movie without needlessly repeated scenes.
My first thought when watching the beautiful candy-colored musicals of the 50s and 60s is always "Great, but can't it be ugly?" Like can we wash out most of the color, and give it kind of a muddy digital feel. Also where are the fucking lens flares? So I was pretty much thrilled with this aesthetically enhanced update to the 1961 classic. Although I was disappointed Spielberg did not switch to comic sans for the title font.
'The Ladies Man' seriously had my attention for maybe 30 minutes when it seemed like there was a strange, mysterious plot unfolding. After graduating college, Jerry Lewis's Herbert Herberts (or whatever: this movie confirms Roger Ebert's warning about comedies that use "funny" names) is presented with a world that seemingly only offers gigolo work for men. This is certainly hinted at with sly winks for the odd female dormitory where Lewis is hired for unspecified work, suggesting perhaps some sort of 'Children of Men'-esque scenario of fertile male remnants in a world of (fall-out induced?) mass sterility. But then there is a sinister hint that maybe his character will be sacrificed or some such after three days, suggesting this could also be a 'Wicker Man'-esque cult or coven.
These speculations were unfortunately much more interesting than what *actually* happens, which is exactly nothing. There is in fact no plot, just unrelated (and mostly unfunny) skits about Lewis doing odd jobs at a boarding house.
At its best the movie has the anarchic sense of humor of the Marx Brothers, and operates by cartoon logic (e.g. a scene that represents panic by having Lewis split into several clones that run chaotically over the large multi-level doll house set). My favorite anarchic bit is an absurdist jazz dance between Lewis and a literal 60s goth woman.
Lewis at least tries to resurrect the dead physical comedy of Keaton and Chaplin, but the problem is, unlike say Rowan Atkins's later attempt with Mr. Bean, Lewis just isn't that great at it! Like a hyperactive middle school student, Lewis is a frustratingly undisciplined comedian whose gags are mostly of the cheap class clown variety: "I am making random weird faces, PLEASE LOOK AT ME!!" So 'The Ladies Man' feels like it had promise, occasionally entertains, but is largely disappointing.
I usually feel like a mini-series is a better format than a movie, but this was pretty thin for 8 hours, and would've worked fine as a standard two hour killer thriller.
The dreamy style, immersed in flashback, elevated what was by the point of the rushed Scooby-Doo ending, clearly just a run-of-the-mill best-seller potboiler, not unlike Flynn's other book-to-screen: Gone Girl.
The two lead actresses are talented and the performances can be compelling, but the character behavior and emotions often seem like they are from an alien planet. The show takes the form of a spy thriller, but these aspects are little more than a setting for a slightly trashy soap opera.
Comments 1 - 25 of 600
Movie comment on Past Lives
greenhorg
These characters are written without biographical detail, quirks, personalities, relationships, or identifiable chemistries, which makes it hard to care about them in any meaningful way. (Pixar routinely makes like animated toasters feel more "real")Also, it is hard enough for a 30 year old to convincingly play a 20 year old, so why in the world did they cast 40 year olds with deep crows feet to play 20 and 30 year olds?
Movie comment on Killers of the Flower Moon
greenhorg
I don't believe 3.5 hours is "too long" it is simply too long for a movie. The beauty of the mini-series is it divides stories into chapters, much like a book, which gives more satisfying structure and an ability to nest leitmotifs (regardless if you binge or not, it changes the perception of time). This should have been longer and a series would have allowed us to focus more on individual charters, in particular Molly, instead of forcing me to ride alongside the dull simpleton Ernest for three straight hours. Not someone I enjoyed sympathizing with for that duration.... sorry Marty, the story just needed to be told differently and told better.Movie comment on Death Note: Desu nôto
greenhorg
On rewatch: the first 10 or so episodes are fairly gripping, especially the detective work of L as he rapidly narrows the investigation, and Light as he thinks through his plans. But the final 2/3rds of the series begins to lose its steam as the pacing dies down, and deus ex machina kicks in to compensate for increasingly puzzling strategies which (at best) have no real reason to work. WhileI have no idea if this manga/anime, with its central anti-hero and cat-and-mouse tension influenced shows like Dexter and Breaking Bad, or if they all came out at a similar time simply because that's how creative trends often manifest. But either way you have to massively credit this story for being ahead of the curve and for doing it pretty well.
Movie comment on On Golden Pond
greenhorg
I don't know what 1980s award committees were smoking, but the acting in this actually seemed comically bad, like in a made-for-tv parody kind of way.Movie comment on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
greenhorg
I'm torn between the side of me that thinks this is some of the most creative animation I've ever seen and a part of me that is frustrated with how little originality there is with the relatively under-explored multiverse concept. I mean you can't just copy the Citadel of Ricks AND do the same damn cowboy joke!Movie comment on 1899
greenhorg
I'm increasingly frustrated with shows like this that keep you confused for as long as possible, and of course now that the unresolved show been canceled after 1 season you're awarded an additional kick in the nuts for your unjustified patience.Just say no to 'Lost'-style shaggy dog science fiction.
Movie comment on Ted Lasso
greenhorg
Mawkish, hyper-predictable, and banal. Throwback family-style sitcom humor updated only with swears.Movie comment on The Whale
greenhorg
'Requiem for a Dreamsicle'... 'Pie'
Movie comment on Three Thousand Years of Longing
greenhorg
A visually opulent adult fantasy most similar to Gilliam's Baron Munchausen (1988) and Tarsem's The Fall (2006), although the cheap CGI makes it aesthetically inferior to both. Further it is not as creative as 'Baron' or as emotionally engaging as 'Fall' and doesn't exceed either in any unique way. The story and the stories within the story are interesting enough, but the romance in the final quarter falls particularly flat.In fairness 'Baron' and 'Fall' are both very good movies, and so this is injured more by the similarity; it is not bad, just a little bit above average.
Movie comment on Verdens verste menneske
greenhorg
I dunno, I guess its the title + the lead actresses' passing resemblance to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but I was looking forward to a comedy about an awful human bean. Kind of disappointed it was a not comedy about a not awful bean.Movie comment on Wednesday
greenhorg
Daria PotterMovie comment on CODA
greenhorg
Uses that 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' method of mixing a steady dose of vulgarity in the with the G-rated formula to try and throw off the high-brows, who would probably otherwise regard it as disposable Hallmark kitsch.Movie comment on Midnight Mass
greenhorg
Very Steven King (Reminded me most of ‘Storm of the Century’). The juxtaposition of religious and horror myths is clever.Movie comment on Too Much Johnson
greenhorg
I like to inform people that Citizen Kane was not, in fact, Orson Welles' first film, it was actually a movie called "Too Much Johnson" about a woman with two lovers.Movie comment on Maniac
greenhorg
This feels like an obvious mash-up of a lot of things I liked from the ~2000s: Eternal Sunshine, The Fall, Wes Anderson, Inception...But it turns out (unsurprisingly?) that an obvious mash-up of things I like is pretty likable.
Movie comment on Nightmare Alley
greenhorg
I thought the production code mandated that villains be given unhappy endings. It would have been better!Movie comment on Jackass Forever
greenhorg
Movie comment on The Last Duel
greenhorg
What was the point of the Rashomon framework when everyone tells the same story? I mean I get that Hollywood is too in the doghouse about this to depict ambiguity about rape events. OK, fine, then don't do rape Rashomon. Or just tell the story and make a normal length movie without needlessly repeated scenes.Movie comment on West Side Story
greenhorg
My first thought when watching the beautiful candy-colored musicals of the 50s and 60s is always "Great, but can't it be ugly?" Like can we wash out most of the color, and give it kind of a muddy digital feel. Also where are the fucking lens flares? So I was pretty much thrilled with this aesthetically enhanced update to the 1961 classic. Although I was disappointed Spielberg did not switch to comic sans for the title font.Movie comment on The Ladies Man
greenhorg
'The Ladies Man' seriously had my attention for maybe 30 minutes when it seemed like there was a strange, mysterious plot unfolding. After graduating college, Jerry Lewis's Herbert Herberts (or whatever: this movie confirms Roger Ebert's warning about comedies that use "funny" names) is presented with a world that seemingly only offers gigolo work for men. This is certainly hinted at with sly winks for the odd female dormitory where Lewis is hired for unspecified work, suggesting perhaps some sort of 'Children of Men'-esque scenario of fertile male remnants in a world of (fall-out induced?) mass sterility. But then there is a sinister hint that maybe his character will be sacrificed or some such after three days, suggesting this could also be a 'Wicker Man'-esque cult or coven.These speculations were unfortunately much more interesting than what *actually* happens, which is exactly nothing. There is in fact no plot, just unrelated (and mostly unfunny) skits about Lewis doing odd jobs at a boarding house.
At its best the movie has the anarchic sense of humor of the Marx Brothers, and operates by cartoon logic (e.g. a scene that represents panic by having Lewis split into several clones that run chaotically over the large multi-level doll house set). My favorite anarchic bit is an absurdist jazz dance between Lewis and a literal 60s goth woman.
Lewis at least tries to resurrect the dead physical comedy of Keaton and Chaplin, but the problem is, unlike say Rowan Atkins's later attempt with Mr. Bean, Lewis just isn't that great at it! Like a hyperactive middle school student, Lewis is a frustratingly undisciplined comedian whose gags are mostly of the cheap class clown variety: "I am making random weird faces, PLEASE LOOK AT ME!!" So 'The Ladies Man' feels like it had promise, occasionally entertains, but is largely disappointing.
Movie comment on The Batman
greenhorg
when you get done watching a 6 hour batman movie with no intermission:Movie comment on Sharp Objects
greenhorg
I usually feel like a mini-series is a better format than a movie, but this was pretty thin for 8 hours, and would've worked fine as a standard two hour killer thriller.The dreamy style, immersed in flashback, elevated what was by the point of the rushed Scooby-Doo ending, clearly just a run-of-the-mill best-seller potboiler, not unlike Flynn's other book-to-screen: Gone Girl.
Movie comment on Old
greenhorg
Not since Adam Sandler's Click (2006) has there been such a poignant reflection on the ephemeral nature of being.Movie comment on Killing Eve
greenhorg
The two lead actresses are talented and the performances can be compelling, but the character behavior and emotions often seem like they are from an alien planet. The show takes the form of a spy thriller, but these aspects are little more than a setting for a slightly trashy soap opera.Movie comment on The Karate Kid
greenhorg
Plot summary: An underclass teen brings conflict and violence to an affluent high schoolShowing items 1 – 25 of 600