bwyg Reviews

Phantom Thread (2017)

Not impressed

[1/10 · 6 February 2018]

I'm going against the grain here, but this isn't the film I hoped it was. Daniel Day-Lewis was adequate in the role, but this is what he chose for his last? That's... disappointing. My Left Foot was astounding. Even Lincoln was breathtaking. This is certainly adequate, but he can do so much more. Best actor in the film is Lesley Manville. Easily.

But the disturbing thing here is that it's a film trying to pass itself off as art, when it's really just a fantasy about an abusive relationship. Art, this is not. My wife said we should have gone to see Jumanji instead -- at least we would have enjoyed it. When Ms. English Major says that about a film that's pitched directly to her, you know it was bad.

Sorry, one star, and that's for the couture. A tip of the hat to Mark Bridges for outstanding costumes.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

yet more violence pr0n

[3/10 · 11 January 2018]

Violence pr0n is violence pr0n, even when it stars an A-lister like Ms. Theron, who is largely wasted on this.

The movie looks good, sets are excellent, cinematography excellent, light, sound, clothes, etc. But the script... leaves much to be desired. Something needs to motivate all the rest, and that's the script's job, a job that's largely left undone.

Yet another movie built around a hollow premise, that being that "women kick ass" is sufficient to make a movie work. It isn't.

I want my two hours back.

Godless (2017)

Best I've seen in decades

[10/10 · 29 November 2017]

I just finished this series. Absolutely took my breath away. I can't think of anything they could have done better, from casting to music, from cinematography to acting, all on those stunning locations. This... THIS... is what motion pictures are all about. This.

Godless is storytelling. Writ very damn large indeed.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

in a word, spectacular

[10/10 · 10 October 2017]

My wife and I streamed the 2007 "final cut" version of Blade Runner last weekend and went to see BR 2047 today; it's just spectacular. The attention to detail is amazing. Roger Deakins hits another home run with lighting that's perfectly natural. His framing is, well, it's Deakins; it doesn't get much better. And the sets... dang. Those people should be picking up some serious awards for this film. The music is awesome, the use of Tibetan horns is perfect. And the rest of the sound was amazing. Anyone who's interested in sound should make a trek to the theater for this movie.

Contrary to many, I thought the pacing was perfect. As was the length. I can't think of anything I'd be willing to cut, or anything I'd be willing to shorten.

I loved the original Blade Runner; this sequel actually builds on and exceeds the original. I wound not have thought that possible.

After Arrival and now BR 2047, Denis Villeneuve is my new favorite director.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

what happened to cause this train wreck?

[1/10 · 25 September 2017]

What happened to CBS management to cause this? This has to be some of the worst writing, the worst script I've seen in a long time. I'm not talking just in the Star Trek universe, I'm talking TV in general. This is just plain bad. How could they do this to Michelle Yeoh? What a waste of a fine actor this is.

I'm a big Star Trek fan and a big Michelle Yeoh fan; I lasted about 40 minutes into this mess before I turned it off and went back upstairs. The books I've been reading are far more interesting and tell much better stories. Better writers are out there, CBS just didn't hire them.

Walk With Me (I) (2017)

yet another aimless documentary

[2/10 · 15 September 2017]

Zen Buddhism is a really interesting way to look at the world, and Thich Nhat Hanh is arguably one of its great teachers. But neither comes through in this well meant but pointless film.

The film fails to tell you much of anything. You don't learn who Thich Nhat Hanh is, what he's doing, where he's doing it (beyond somewhere in France), or why he's doing it. There's no history, no context. It's mostly just following a guy around, and I mean that literally, there are minutes on screen of the back of a guy's head as he walks about.

You won't learn much of anything about Zen Buddhism. The five core precepts aren't mentioned, nor the 14 mindfulness teachings. You'll have to look them up because IMDb won't let me post a link here.

You'd think that any film about Thich Nhat Hanh would at least mention what he's known for. If you think that, this film will disappoint you.

And I have to say the camera work played against what little message there was. For example, there were way, way, way too many extreme closeups, which emphasizes the individual and downplays the connections between all things that Thich Nhat Hanh teaches.

Thich Nhat Hanh and the Zen Buddhism he teaches deserve a better film than this.

Moana (I) (2016)

yet another in a long line of Disney princess movies

[5/10 · 1 December 2016]

I was... underwhelmed. Moana follows the standard Disney princess theme with less variation than I hoped. Disney is expert at manipulating your emotions. But Pixar is excellent at providing a story to go with it. This time, Disney won and Pixar lost. Not a lot of there there.

What's odd is that Zootopia is just an amazing film. Zootopia crushes Moana on every level. Even the music. But then, Zootopia has a story to tell. All the difference in the world, that is.

As an aside, Disney apparently put in a lot of work to find an ethnically authentic princess in Auli'i Cravalho. Yet, if I read the credits correctly, she shared credit with another lass for the songs. I'm not sure what that means in the world of animation, but it does leave one scratching one's head wondering what one just heard.

Disney, go back and look at Zootopia again. More like that please!

Person of Interest (2011–2016)

best series I've ever seen

[10/10 · 7 November 2016]

I'm an old guy, seen a lot of TV series. This is the best I've come across, excellent actors, excellent writers, excellent camera work, excellent sound, etc.

But what makes it great is the sustained excellence of the scripts. The only thing that comes close is "Babylon 5" from the mid 1990s. But the suits screwed up the end of the arcs for Bab5 by not telling Straczynski when they were going to end it. So he had no real chance to end the series properly.

Not the case with Person of Interest. The last three eps. taken together as the end of the series are just amazing.

Thank goodness for a series that doesn't treat it's audience as if they are a bunch of unthinking 14 year old boys.

Interstellar (2014)

Not much more than a summer pop corn movie

[5/10 · 25 November 2014]

I'm disappointed. Nolan failed to break out of his mold and make a truly challenging movie. This is one heck of a summer pop corn movie, I'll give it that. But it's not much more than that, and it has perhaps the worst sound design I've heard in 20 years. Nolan himself says in interviews that this is what he wanted -- really loud with dialog that's hard to hear. To make it "more immersive" apparently. But if I want immersive, I can go ride my pick of rides at an amusement park. What I want when I go to the theater is for the director to tell a story. And his crappy sound design gets in the way of his telling of his story. And the story is yet another variation on his favorite theme of recursion. Meh. Getting old Chris. Old. And by the end of the movie, so were the endless references to 2001. Sheesh.

A good amusement park ride, yes it is. But it's still considerably below the bar set by Gravity last year.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

a new addition to my personal top 10 list

[10/10 · 10 November 2012]

It's been easily more than a decade since a new (or old) film edged its way into my personal top 10. Cloud Atlas did just that though.

If there's any justice, Cloud Atlas wins Oscars for at least screenplay and editing. At least. I'm a film editor by trade; I like to think I've got a clue or two about editing. Cloud Atlas is a film editing masterwork. And I don't say that lightly.

This film is unique. To my knowledge, this type of storytelling hasn't been attempted in film before. The closest is perhaps Christopher Nolan's 2000 film Momento, but Cloud Atlas makes the non-continuity technique work seamlessly. It's just beautiful.

This is a film by adults, for adults. It's no summer blockbuster aimed at 14 yo boys. It's far more, and far greater. Sit back, open your mind, and let the film come to you. Contrary to many of the reviews, this film isn't too long, and it's not at all difficult to understand. If you'll have some patience and give it your attention, it's not even difficult to follow.

Best film of the year. Best film of the decade. Hats off to the Wachowskis and Tykwer. Well done. Well done indeed.