jdtdwp Reviews

Frank & Lola (2016)

A character-driven thriller

[7/10 · 19 November 2016]

Frank & Lola is essentially a story about the relationship between the two main characters, Frank and Lola. To give anymore details about the plot would be to spoil major events in the film, which are better left unexpected.

Having seen a fair share of thrillers, this movie does not have a lot of new plot points to show. However, the way characters play them out is what brings this movie above an average thriller. Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots understand their characters quite well and have great on-screen chemistry. Even the secondary characters all play their roles convincingly. When I saw Justin Long had a small part in this movie, I thought I would hate his character since he usually cannot play a dramatic role well. But he plays a sleazy business man and does a fine job.

To pinpoint the genre of this film is nearly impossible. It is definitely a thriller on some levels, but not wholly. There are good romance scenes but also heavy dramatic dialogue. There are traces of film-noir but not enough to consider it a modern noir. The film struggles a bit because it tries to fit so many elements in such a short time.

From a technical standpoint, the team did not try to do anything out of the ordinary. The direction was good. Cinematography was quite basic. The editing was standard except for one scene where there was a strange editing choice that didn't seem the fit with the flow of the movie. If you don't normally pay attention to the technical side of film, you probably won't notice anything inherently wrong.

Overall, if you like thrillers in general or character-driven stories with some depth to them, this is a good indie film to check out.

Autumn Lights (2016)

A conversational drama with a bit of mystery

[6/10 · 22 October 2016]

Autumn Lights is a drama about the main character, David, who is on a work-related vacation in Iceland. The movie focuses on his interactions with the people who live near his vacation house. Since it is a remote location in Iceland, he frequently meets up with a couple, Johann and Marie.

The Good:

A lot of the conversations that were had in this movie will be very relevant to most people and it gives the viewer some food for thought when they leave the theater.

The actors were able to communicate their characters' thoughts and feelings about a situation with just a look on their face. This allows for quiet moments of tension that enhance the tone of the movie.

The Bad:

The overarching plot is a paint-by-numbers of many movies that came before it which led this one to be predictable.

The actors all give subdued performances. Most, if not all, of the dialogue has a monotone delivery which removes some of the emotional punch that could have been present. The director attended the screening I was at and he said he wanted the actors to give quiet performances because it adds to the mystery and depth of each character. This would have been a plus if it was applied to maybe just one character and not all of them.

Overall, if you like movies that are more focused on the conversations that the characters have than the actual plot, you will most likely find some enjoyment from this one. If you don't like slow-paced dramas, I would stay away from this one because it's nothing you haven't seen before.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Unbelievably unfunny

[1/10 · 29 December 2013]

This is the first review I have ever written. The only reason I'm writing this is to deter as many people from wasting their money on this movie as possible. To start, I enjoyed the first Anchorman a lot and found it very humorous so I was looking forward to this sequel. Anchorman 2 is nothing like it. The dialogue is completely unfunny. It's almost like they tried to shock you into laughing but it doesn't even come close. I don't know who their target audience was but it would definitely not be fans of Anchorman. Will Ferrell is one of my favorite comedic actors. He's had his fair share of terrible movies (i.e. Land of the Lost, Bewitched, Blades of Glory) but this one takes the cake. Definitely the worst movie of the year; if not the 2010 decade so far Do not by any means go to see this movie or promote it in any way.