There's moments that I really thought there was something beautiful but mostly it's fragmented. The scenes and dialogue are cut where you are just thrown into conversations between characters you don't have any introduction to. I didn't connect with any of these people, the feeling is almost intentionally distant. And perhaps, it's so narrowly British, poshly high class that it's inaccessible on a cultural level. It's resonant of this... world that means nothing to me, personally as the viewer. The motivations are bizarre to watch because you aren't invested. The tone throughout is slow and flat. It's not my taste and didn't affect me what so ever.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Whiplash
(2014)
Intense
15 May 2021
The acting can't be faulted, the direction is stunning and the message.... really depends on what you think success is and what are acceptable sacrifices to be great. I think the point is to dramatize that question so it sticks in the mind.
The beginning starts as any dreamer story, a young drummer who wants to be counted among the great jazz musicians. His interest verges on obsession as is easy to do when you are 19. Every American 19 year old thinks that being eternally remembered is the pinnacle of achievement and they want it. He's at a conservatory where he is able to impress the top conductor who instructs an elite band in the first few minutes of the film. This sets up the relationship very quickly. It devolves from there.
First, it's unrealistic to say the least but the director doesn't even try to ground it in reality. There's few other interactions but between Andrew Neiman and Terrance Fletcher or between Andrew and his drumset. There's hardly any other teachers present, the students are basically background furniture. The lighting feels intimate and psychological on purpose. This is a film about inner conflict. It's about losing yourself to obsession with perfection and artistic glory. It's about the moral lines you cross when you can't imagine not being "great".
The jazz rehearsals are mechanical and soulless which as a jazz lover, I found as terrifying and engrossing in mood to the acting of both Simons and Teller. The music sets the scene. Jazz is about partnership and balance, it's about the fine tuned knack for improvisation and instinct. It's not about whatever is going on here. There's a sense of narrow mindedness that overwhelms the soul. That's the tone that the story takes us.
The acting is as good as gets. Award winning. I felt the aura of powerful emotion and psychological tension radiating from the two leads. And it wasn't blunt but incredibly nuanced. They made the film as complex as it was. They made the values they espouse a legitimate question. As the humanity slips away from young Neiman, there is a sense of uneasiness and by the climax, crisis literally crashes in both in inner and outer manifestion.
The ending is powerful and it's because it's enigmatic enough to hold the question of the film in tension. You decide what's worth it.
The beginning starts as any dreamer story, a young drummer who wants to be counted among the great jazz musicians. His interest verges on obsession as is easy to do when you are 19. Every American 19 year old thinks that being eternally remembered is the pinnacle of achievement and they want it. He's at a conservatory where he is able to impress the top conductor who instructs an elite band in the first few minutes of the film. This sets up the relationship very quickly. It devolves from there.
First, it's unrealistic to say the least but the director doesn't even try to ground it in reality. There's few other interactions but between Andrew Neiman and Terrance Fletcher or between Andrew and his drumset. There's hardly any other teachers present, the students are basically background furniture. The lighting feels intimate and psychological on purpose. This is a film about inner conflict. It's about losing yourself to obsession with perfection and artistic glory. It's about the moral lines you cross when you can't imagine not being "great".
The jazz rehearsals are mechanical and soulless which as a jazz lover, I found as terrifying and engrossing in mood to the acting of both Simons and Teller. The music sets the scene. Jazz is about partnership and balance, it's about the fine tuned knack for improvisation and instinct. It's not about whatever is going on here. There's a sense of narrow mindedness that overwhelms the soul. That's the tone that the story takes us.
The acting is as good as gets. Award winning. I felt the aura of powerful emotion and psychological tension radiating from the two leads. And it wasn't blunt but incredibly nuanced. They made the film as complex as it was. They made the values they espouse a legitimate question. As the humanity slips away from young Neiman, there is a sense of uneasiness and by the climax, crisis literally crashes in both in inner and outer manifestion.
The ending is powerful and it's because it's enigmatic enough to hold the question of the film in tension. You decide what's worth it.
Tenet
(2020)
Confusing and t's not just the science
10 May 2021
First, the movie got better immediately once we turned the subtitles on, I suggest that strategy for more comprehension.
You could blame a lot of the confusion on the science of time travel, entropy and time loops and whatever the hell "pinches" are but that's not the worst issue. The worst issue is that 90% of the film is characters talking the exposition of the film. If your plot is mostly dialogue, you are being told what to see, what to care about, who the characters and their motivations are. Don't tell, show, isn't that film 101? This is a tendency of Nolan's films and sometimes it works. You get a lot of dialogue as the characters walk on streets and chat in restaurants and then you get high adrenaline action scenes. Not a lot of building story or character development. It's his formula. But this is the worst execution of that. The science is murky and lazy, the characters are mostly boring and one dimensional and the movie drags on and on.
Could have been good, there's potential in the premise, we all love s good sci Fi time travel movie. This fell flat.
You could blame a lot of the confusion on the science of time travel, entropy and time loops and whatever the hell "pinches" are but that's not the worst issue. The worst issue is that 90% of the film is characters talking the exposition of the film. If your plot is mostly dialogue, you are being told what to see, what to care about, who the characters and their motivations are. Don't tell, show, isn't that film 101? This is a tendency of Nolan's films and sometimes it works. You get a lot of dialogue as the characters walk on streets and chat in restaurants and then you get high adrenaline action scenes. Not a lot of building story or character development. It's his formula. But this is the worst execution of that. The science is murky and lazy, the characters are mostly boring and one dimensional and the movie drags on and on.
Could have been good, there's potential in the premise, we all love s good sci Fi time travel movie. This fell flat.
Emma.
(2020)
The least of the Emmas
12 December 2020
I was disappointed at this attempt. The acting across the board seemed one dimensional and the pacing also flat, both hurried and tedious. I chalk this up to direction. I don't understand some of the choices they made with the storyline and tone. It's trying to be too modern and sardonic. The only thing about the film worth the book is the beautiful interiors and costumes. Anna Joy is lovely and I liked her onscreen but I don't like the way she was used. Unfortunately I can't help compare to the source material and to other versions which are superior.
Tesla
(I) (2020)
Experimental Biopic
21 October 2020
A lot of people did not like the choices in this film. The style is almost surrealist, art house, than a typical biography film. I was really was engaged by the exploration of the genre. It was intentional choices, not a slip up or a result of bad acting or sloppy direction but it does come down to effectiveness. Did the style and the experiment fit the content or what people wanted from the film? I think it didn't quite fit. However, it was a marvelous attempt and and the acting was phenomenal. There were some genius moments but it's my opinion that the ending was the weakest segment of the film.
Woman Walks Ahead
(2017)
Not exact, just like a painting, it's an impression.
7 October 2020
There's an emotional sense to the film, the images, direction and dialogue have a honest but poetic tone. Cinematography was beautiful. And it's a tragic and moving subject. The destruction of a varied and rich culture, the nations and the resignation of these indigenous people. I felt the profound loss through the character of Catherine Weldon, the determined painter who was captured by the spirit of Sitting Bull while trying to capture him in paint.
The performances were noteworthy, I always like the projects chosen by Jessica Chastain and Sam Rockwell. And Michael Greyeyes has a lot of charisma portraying Sitting Bull especially with scenes with Jessica.
However, the story does lack in some pacing and factualness. The story was a very loose representation but it still makes it's point in the theme. Some have suggested this a white savior movie and it may well be. Yet, one doesn't take away a sense of pride in any of it. It's still a white story, just a sad and not particularly flattering one.
The performances were noteworthy, I always like the projects chosen by Jessica Chastain and Sam Rockwell. And Michael Greyeyes has a lot of charisma portraying Sitting Bull especially with scenes with Jessica.
However, the story does lack in some pacing and factualness. The story was a very loose representation but it still makes it's point in the theme. Some have suggested this a white savior movie and it may well be. Yet, one doesn't take away a sense of pride in any of it. It's still a white story, just a sad and not particularly flattering one.
Thoroughbreds
(2017)
Deadpane on a new level
12 January 2020
Pretty expressionless acting. I get that the tone is to portray the sociopathic in these upper crust girls but the flat delivery of lines and the stylistic direction that enhances this tone tips on the side of boring for me. Even the supporting cast, excluding Yelchin, are stiff and mannequinish. I didn't find it funny or amusing, I don't know why other reviewers call it a comedy. Overall this wasn't a successful coming together for me. On the upside, the set and cinematography was nice.
The Irishman
(2019)
A mature addition to Scorsese's legacy
2 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of this film at first, it's pace is slower than I'm used to from Scorsese. It feels more subtle and although I personally think a half hour could have been cut from this film, the point was to slowly build this man's (The Irishman) life.
DeNiro plays Frank with such authenticity, I was really sucked in by his performance. His acting really was tightly handled with each expression letting you in on his own inner world coping in the world of the mob. All the performances are impressive. Sometimes Pesci's character is tender, sometimes intimidating and sometimes wise. He is much more toned down than what you've seen before. It's the acting of great talent and wisdom. Pacino turns in a realistic performance that is primed to make you feel as frustrated and yet, loyal to the character as all the other characters around him. You really understand the conflicts, tension and years long relationship between the three main characters.
The direction is unmistakably Scorsese, it has his signature but it seems definitely mature and more patient than many audience members might expect. I think it will be hard for some to understand the choices made in the film. This is a film about aging and time, regret and denial, betrayal, trust and mentorship. It's not really a mob movie, it's about the effects of true to life crime.
Frank's regret is apparent yet he continues to suppress it down, hardly apologizing even in his later years confessional yet, one moment escapes his grasp. "What kind of man makes that call?" It's a heartwrenching depiction of his pain in losing his friend and consequently his daughter by not just his actions but by who he became. That's the story and it's a powerful one but it's not going to knock you over with overt story. You have to pay attention.
Overall, I thought this was a moving film and one worth mulling over. It was too long and I thought it could have popped more in a few places. Still, what great acting and direction. I will probably watch it again, soon.
DeNiro plays Frank with such authenticity, I was really sucked in by his performance. His acting really was tightly handled with each expression letting you in on his own inner world coping in the world of the mob. All the performances are impressive. Sometimes Pesci's character is tender, sometimes intimidating and sometimes wise. He is much more toned down than what you've seen before. It's the acting of great talent and wisdom. Pacino turns in a realistic performance that is primed to make you feel as frustrated and yet, loyal to the character as all the other characters around him. You really understand the conflicts, tension and years long relationship between the three main characters.
The direction is unmistakably Scorsese, it has his signature but it seems definitely mature and more patient than many audience members might expect. I think it will be hard for some to understand the choices made in the film. This is a film about aging and time, regret and denial, betrayal, trust and mentorship. It's not really a mob movie, it's about the effects of true to life crime.
Frank's regret is apparent yet he continues to suppress it down, hardly apologizing even in his later years confessional yet, one moment escapes his grasp. "What kind of man makes that call?" It's a heartwrenching depiction of his pain in losing his friend and consequently his daughter by not just his actions but by who he became. That's the story and it's a powerful one but it's not going to knock you over with overt story. You have to pay attention.
Overall, I thought this was a moving film and one worth mulling over. It was too long and I thought it could have popped more in a few places. Still, what great acting and direction. I will probably watch it again, soon.
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