Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Jun 16, 2017 17:48:48 GMT -5
These are the last of my reviews, so these are going to be kind of random.
Written April 15th, 2017: Chronicle. This might have been ok to put in the super hero one, but it's not really a traditional super hero movie. So I put it here.
"So with all the comic superhero films out there and all the attention they get, there is one film I saw last night that might have gotten overlooked that also deals with super powers. That is a movie called Chronicle.
Chronicle came out in 2012 and tells the story of how three teenage boys come across some weird structure in a cave, that I'm guessing is extra-terrestrial. I remember seeing trailers for this movies back in the days when we watched Channel 1 News in Mr. B's (there's a flashback). And for some reason, I wasn't that interested in going to see it.
So how was it? Very good I think. The way that the three lead actors play there characters is spot on to how real teenagers would react to getting powers. And that power is telekinesis; with everything. That means they basically have the Force, Magneto's powers, and Superman's ability to fly all in one. By far one of the best parts about this movie is the way the characters learn to use their powers and some of the tricks they pull. It was very clever and felt fresh, because most superhero movies focus more on saving the world. Now that's understandable because that's what comic book heroes do, they save the world. But this was a more realistic and personal take on it.
Another part I liked overall (except for one sequence, which I'll get to), is the directing style. This movie made the decision to have the characters in the film be the ones filming it, kind of like what some horror films started doing with their first person film style. For most of the movie, this is a cool and unique idea. Most of the time it's from one of the main characters' camera, but sometimes it switched to other cameras, especially in the climax. But by choosing this style, that also means the director had to resort to purely quick cuts from scene to scene. There aren't any smooth transitions, which can be distracting. Luckily though they were smart enough keep the story line grounded so you don't get lost or confused.
And the climax is where I almost wish the movie would have gone with a more traditional filming approach. The reason I say that is because there is a final battle (which is all I will say), and during that final battle I felt detached from it. It didn't always feel as exciting or as riveting as it could have, especially the scenes from the police helicopters.
There are two more minor complaints I have as well. One is about the acting. It's never bad and most of the time it's quite good, but there were a few lines here and there that felt a little forced. The other is the length. It's an hour and a half movie. While most movies you could generally cut scenes out, I feel like this movie could have easily added an extra half hour. As I said before, those quick cuts were sometimes distracting, particularly right after they actually get the powers.
But overall this movie was quite good, and I would describe is as a hidden gem. There are talks of a sequel which I would be interested in. Did I like it as much as The Avengers, Logan or The Dark Knight? Well no, but I still want to see more. And the one thing about this movie... It's an original story! They're still a thing. The way they handled it was very clever and certainly worth a watch.
Also if you look at the other films that came out in 2012, it's no wonder this one fell under the radar. The Avengers, first Hunger Games, Men In Black 3, the first Hobbit, and The Dark Knight Rises all came out that year. Granted none of them even came out in the same month as Chronicle, but those are the movies people are going to be excited for. That's very tough competition."
Written March 18th, 2017: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
"And the second film I saw last night which I thoroughly enjoyed: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I was a fan of the first "new" Planet of the Apes movie; especially when Caesar says no. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and just google "Caesar says no". That scene alone is cinematic gold.
Anyway, back to Dawn. I think this was a better film than the first one. In this film, the virus that was being spread at the very end of Rise has now spread all over the world. As a result many people died and modern civilization collapsed. There are small pockets of people still alive though, and this one focuses on the people in San Francisco led by Gary Oldman's character.
Meanwhile, Caesar and the other intelligent apes have built a large home and have a colony of their own. Things become strained however when the humans and apes come across each other. The humans are running out of power, and the only way to get it back is to get access to a dam. Which is of course located in territory controlled by Caesar and the apes. As one would expect, the situation slowly escalates. But maybe not how you'd expect.
This film was great. I loved it because while there is a decent amount of action scenes in it (mostly the second half), it is actually very smart and thought provoking too. Due to Caesar's upbringing with James Franco's character, he does feel sympathy for the humans and even wishes to live in peace with them. He knows they're not all bad. But of course, there are firebrands on both sides which ultimately leads to the chaos that causes the events of the original Planet of the Apes from 1968.
The strongest part of this film is definitely the characters; especially (and perhaps surprisingly to some) the apes. Caesar may be my favorite non-human protagonist. Andy Serkis (best known for being Gollum and Snoke) is great as always and he doesn't get enough recognition for the work he does. And to see him be a strong leader in this film is something that is just so cool to see. Then there's Koba... Oh Koba. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say Koba is one of our firebrands in this story. And the exchanges between him and Caesar (both physical and verbal) are probably the best moments in the film.
And that's another thing about this film. The way they handle the dialogue by the apes makes there words just stick with you. They speak relatively slowly, and don't use very large words. But they don't have to. They get their points across just fine, and the final conversation between Caesar and Koba was riveting. Even when they aren't talking and are using sign language, you're paying attention. Any movie that take a conversation between two APES and make it interesting is doing something right. The screenwriters and director knew what they were doing.
The human characters are good as well, but not quite as much time is spent on them. The main human character is Malcolm, and he is the one that tries to negotiate with Caesar so that the humans can work on the dam to get power to the city. He and Caesar do build a bond in this film (and some the other humans and apes do), so it makes it that much more tragic when relations between the humans and apes become violent.
The musical score was done by my man Michael Giacchino. However, this isn't one of his stronger efforts. I could hear the score and it served its purpose, but there wasn't anything really memorable from it from just one listen in the film.
Another reason I love this film is that it takes a ridiculous concept and it makes it grounded and believable. Some people (like my dad haha) might not be able to get past that. But if you can, this film is worth a watch. It also has a brain. The social interactions between the humans and apes is just like how it would be in real life. And it makes you think a little."
Written March 18th, 2017: The King's Speech
"Ok, last night I saw two movies I'll be giving my opinions on. In separate posts of course to avoid making one herculean one.
First, The King's Speech. This is a British biographical film that tells an interesting story. King George the VI, whom was King of Britain during World War Two, would stammer when he spoke. As a result, he and his wife look for people to help with the problem (especially as he finds himself having to make more public appearances) until they come upon Lionel Logue, whose unorthodox teaching methods prove to be effective and slowly help King George overcome the problem.
This movie was... Good. Not great. But good. It is well produced. The acting is good, with a lot of familiar faces. We've got Michael Gambon, the second Dumbledore, Helena Carter (Belletrix Lestrange), and Geoffrey Rush (the pirate Barbossa). The directing style was also different, but interesting. It gets up close in some scenes, which I read was meant to show King George's feelings of being constricted.
The dialogue and script was also entertaining, though having a British accent makes almost any script more entertaining. The chemistry between Rush and Colin Firth (King George) was there.
Oh, and I have to mention the score (even though I love that stuff I have yet to talk about it in one of these reviews I've done). It was composed by French composer Alexandre Desplat. The music itself was mostly played on piano and strings, and definitely had a sound I'd associate with a British film. There was a theme that came up on the piano more than once I recognized, but overall it didn't seem very thematic. It would however probably be a good one to study to.
It's just the story itself... It's a good story and certainly should be known. The idea that a king had a stammer and was able to remedy it is good for people with those problems to hear. But for some reason it didn't grab me, at least not enough to win best picture (which it did). A good film to compare it to would be Spielberg's Lincoln. In Lincoln, the main conflict to overcome is to pass the 13th Amendment to free all slaves while at the same time bringing and end to the Civil War.
As for the King's Speech, the main conflict is that King George VI knows that when he is speaking to British citizens (be it through radio or in person), he needs to sound like he's strong and sure of himself. Especially with World War Two right around the corner. This will help keep morale up and give the citizens and soldiers hope.
Both conflicts ultimately have important consequences, but for some reason Lincoln's is more interesting to me. Maybe it's because I have no personal connection with a speech impairment (whether it's me or a family member, though I'm known to mumble). Oh well. Either way, it's a film worth seeing once if only for it's artistic and technical aspects and the good acting."
Written April 15th, 2017: Chronicle. This might have been ok to put in the super hero one, but it's not really a traditional super hero movie. So I put it here.
"So with all the comic superhero films out there and all the attention they get, there is one film I saw last night that might have gotten overlooked that also deals with super powers. That is a movie called Chronicle.
Chronicle came out in 2012 and tells the story of how three teenage boys come across some weird structure in a cave, that I'm guessing is extra-terrestrial. I remember seeing trailers for this movies back in the days when we watched Channel 1 News in Mr. B's (there's a flashback). And for some reason, I wasn't that interested in going to see it.
So how was it? Very good I think. The way that the three lead actors play there characters is spot on to how real teenagers would react to getting powers. And that power is telekinesis; with everything. That means they basically have the Force, Magneto's powers, and Superman's ability to fly all in one. By far one of the best parts about this movie is the way the characters learn to use their powers and some of the tricks they pull. It was very clever and felt fresh, because most superhero movies focus more on saving the world. Now that's understandable because that's what comic book heroes do, they save the world. But this was a more realistic and personal take on it.
Another part I liked overall (except for one sequence, which I'll get to), is the directing style. This movie made the decision to have the characters in the film be the ones filming it, kind of like what some horror films started doing with their first person film style. For most of the movie, this is a cool and unique idea. Most of the time it's from one of the main characters' camera, but sometimes it switched to other cameras, especially in the climax. But by choosing this style, that also means the director had to resort to purely quick cuts from scene to scene. There aren't any smooth transitions, which can be distracting. Luckily though they were smart enough keep the story line grounded so you don't get lost or confused.
And the climax is where I almost wish the movie would have gone with a more traditional filming approach. The reason I say that is because there is a final battle (which is all I will say), and during that final battle I felt detached from it. It didn't always feel as exciting or as riveting as it could have, especially the scenes from the police helicopters.
There are two more minor complaints I have as well. One is about the acting. It's never bad and most of the time it's quite good, but there were a few lines here and there that felt a little forced. The other is the length. It's an hour and a half movie. While most movies you could generally cut scenes out, I feel like this movie could have easily added an extra half hour. As I said before, those quick cuts were sometimes distracting, particularly right after they actually get the powers.
But overall this movie was quite good, and I would describe is as a hidden gem. There are talks of a sequel which I would be interested in. Did I like it as much as The Avengers, Logan or The Dark Knight? Well no, but I still want to see more. And the one thing about this movie... It's an original story! They're still a thing. The way they handled it was very clever and certainly worth a watch.
Also if you look at the other films that came out in 2012, it's no wonder this one fell under the radar. The Avengers, first Hunger Games, Men In Black 3, the first Hobbit, and The Dark Knight Rises all came out that year. Granted none of them even came out in the same month as Chronicle, but those are the movies people are going to be excited for. That's very tough competition."
Written March 18th, 2017: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
"And the second film I saw last night which I thoroughly enjoyed: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I was a fan of the first "new" Planet of the Apes movie; especially when Caesar says no. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and just google "Caesar says no". That scene alone is cinematic gold.
Anyway, back to Dawn. I think this was a better film than the first one. In this film, the virus that was being spread at the very end of Rise has now spread all over the world. As a result many people died and modern civilization collapsed. There are small pockets of people still alive though, and this one focuses on the people in San Francisco led by Gary Oldman's character.
Meanwhile, Caesar and the other intelligent apes have built a large home and have a colony of their own. Things become strained however when the humans and apes come across each other. The humans are running out of power, and the only way to get it back is to get access to a dam. Which is of course located in territory controlled by Caesar and the apes. As one would expect, the situation slowly escalates. But maybe not how you'd expect.
This film was great. I loved it because while there is a decent amount of action scenes in it (mostly the second half), it is actually very smart and thought provoking too. Due to Caesar's upbringing with James Franco's character, he does feel sympathy for the humans and even wishes to live in peace with them. He knows they're not all bad. But of course, there are firebrands on both sides which ultimately leads to the chaos that causes the events of the original Planet of the Apes from 1968.
The strongest part of this film is definitely the characters; especially (and perhaps surprisingly to some) the apes. Caesar may be my favorite non-human protagonist. Andy Serkis (best known for being Gollum and Snoke) is great as always and he doesn't get enough recognition for the work he does. And to see him be a strong leader in this film is something that is just so cool to see. Then there's Koba... Oh Koba. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say Koba is one of our firebrands in this story. And the exchanges between him and Caesar (both physical and verbal) are probably the best moments in the film.
And that's another thing about this film. The way they handle the dialogue by the apes makes there words just stick with you. They speak relatively slowly, and don't use very large words. But they don't have to. They get their points across just fine, and the final conversation between Caesar and Koba was riveting. Even when they aren't talking and are using sign language, you're paying attention. Any movie that take a conversation between two APES and make it interesting is doing something right. The screenwriters and director knew what they were doing.
The human characters are good as well, but not quite as much time is spent on them. The main human character is Malcolm, and he is the one that tries to negotiate with Caesar so that the humans can work on the dam to get power to the city. He and Caesar do build a bond in this film (and some the other humans and apes do), so it makes it that much more tragic when relations between the humans and apes become violent.
The musical score was done by my man Michael Giacchino. However, this isn't one of his stronger efforts. I could hear the score and it served its purpose, but there wasn't anything really memorable from it from just one listen in the film.
Another reason I love this film is that it takes a ridiculous concept and it makes it grounded and believable. Some people (like my dad haha) might not be able to get past that. But if you can, this film is worth a watch. It also has a brain. The social interactions between the humans and apes is just like how it would be in real life. And it makes you think a little."
Written March 18th, 2017: The King's Speech
"Ok, last night I saw two movies I'll be giving my opinions on. In separate posts of course to avoid making one herculean one.
First, The King's Speech. This is a British biographical film that tells an interesting story. King George the VI, whom was King of Britain during World War Two, would stammer when he spoke. As a result, he and his wife look for people to help with the problem (especially as he finds himself having to make more public appearances) until they come upon Lionel Logue, whose unorthodox teaching methods prove to be effective and slowly help King George overcome the problem.
This movie was... Good. Not great. But good. It is well produced. The acting is good, with a lot of familiar faces. We've got Michael Gambon, the second Dumbledore, Helena Carter (Belletrix Lestrange), and Geoffrey Rush (the pirate Barbossa). The directing style was also different, but interesting. It gets up close in some scenes, which I read was meant to show King George's feelings of being constricted.
The dialogue and script was also entertaining, though having a British accent makes almost any script more entertaining. The chemistry between Rush and Colin Firth (King George) was there.
Oh, and I have to mention the score (even though I love that stuff I have yet to talk about it in one of these reviews I've done). It was composed by French composer Alexandre Desplat. The music itself was mostly played on piano and strings, and definitely had a sound I'd associate with a British film. There was a theme that came up on the piano more than once I recognized, but overall it didn't seem very thematic. It would however probably be a good one to study to.
It's just the story itself... It's a good story and certainly should be known. The idea that a king had a stammer and was able to remedy it is good for people with those problems to hear. But for some reason it didn't grab me, at least not enough to win best picture (which it did). A good film to compare it to would be Spielberg's Lincoln. In Lincoln, the main conflict to overcome is to pass the 13th Amendment to free all slaves while at the same time bringing and end to the Civil War.
As for the King's Speech, the main conflict is that King George VI knows that when he is speaking to British citizens (be it through radio or in person), he needs to sound like he's strong and sure of himself. Especially with World War Two right around the corner. This will help keep morale up and give the citizens and soldiers hope.
Both conflicts ultimately have important consequences, but for some reason Lincoln's is more interesting to me. Maybe it's because I have no personal connection with a speech impairment (whether it's me or a family member, though I'm known to mumble). Oh well. Either way, it's a film worth seeing once if only for it's artistic and technical aspects and the good acting."