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Reviews
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
A fun movie with a good plot.
I enjoyed this movie more than Despicable Me. I liked the fact that there was more than one story going on at a time. At one point, there were three different stories that eventually came together.
I think the jokes in the movie would be funnier for adults than children, probably because I'm a fan of Louis C.K. and his delivery. I think the eventual happy ending that concludes the movie is suited to the kids and they will come out happy they saw it.
The characters aren't as compelling as Disney/Pixar characters but I think there were more jokes in this one than usual. I also don't think there were as much emotional obstacles for the characters to conquer in this one opposed to a Disney/Pixar movie. This movie was just fun almost all the way through. Even when the characters were about to die they were still making jokes. Some people might rather this type of animation.
The movie was easy and fun to watch, a good movie for the kids and the adults.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Great plot, great music, interesting characters, intimate story.
This is one of my favorite films I've ever seen. I can't explain why I love it so much. I seen it a couple of days ago for the first time and I've already seen it twice.
The Coen brothers seemed to be so careful with the film, with every part having the right feel and mood that they wanted to portray. The story, plot and characters blend together to create a simple story with an intricate plot, playing out over a week.
Like every Coen brothers movie, it was shot beautifully and it was shot thoughtfully. The two also payed a lot of attention to the story, creating characters that we seem to know well after their first few scenes. They even created a good and interesting character who speaks almost no lines and only has about 10 minutes of screen time.
The movie seems to have three acts that blend characters and plot together brilliantly creating an ongoing feel to the movie. Whatever they did created a film that feels close and intimate as well as creating a long and interesting plot with a simple and small story. The movie never loses it's local feel while it expands it's horizons creating a whole world for the audience to enjoy.
This years Coen brothers movie Hail!Caesar lacks this feeling. It became messy and the main story got lost somewhere in between the side stories. That movie should have felt big as well as being intimate and interesting. Where that movie failed this movie strove. With Inside Llewyn Davis, I felt like I was a journey, the movie felt long and I was sad when it was over. With Hail!Caesar the movie felt like it had ended before I knew what had happened or who any of the characters were.
One thing that stood out in this movie was the comedy. For some reason the two brother's sense of humor mixed so well with the feel of this movie. Watching Llewyn as he argues and annoys people around him while dropping very funny lines throughout. Sometimes you just laugh at the situations he puts himself in. All of it though led to some funny moments.
Overall, it is a 'little' movie that felt expansive, intimate and interesting that coincides beautifully with the characters and the music.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
What should be a BIG movie, feels small.
This movie seems like the Coen brothers had a fun idea for a movie, some good actors on board and decided to go ahead and make it.
The movie lacks compelling plot points and the story seems too fast paced for it's own good. This fast paced story led to a lot of undeveloped characters. We barely get to know the main protagonist, Eddie Mannix, before a truck load of more characters are thrown our way. This is surprising looking at other Coen brothers films. For example, I felt more connected to John Goodman's character in the movie Inside Llewyn Davis and he had about 10 minutes of screen time.
The movie is about Eddie Mannix trying to keep all of his actors in control with the main story following the kidnapping of the studio's biggest star played by George Clooney. This story, being the focal point of the movie, never really takes off and the mystery shown in the movie's trailer does not match what is shown on screen. I can't say this story takes a back seat but others seem to take it's place at points throughout the movie so it never fully peaked my interest.
Although there are some bad points, this is a Coen brothers movie so the elegance and magic is still there. It is thoughtfully shot like any Coen brothers movie and their style never gets lost. There are movies being shot inside movies here which seems like a difficult task for the directors. But obviously, the two handled it brilliantly and that is why I gave the movie a 6 opposed to a lower rating because I am I fan of how a movie is filmed.
The movie seems like a test or experiment for the two brothers. It feels like they put more effort into the shoot rather than the writing of the story and plot. I believe it is called a comedy simply because it is light hearted and no real issues are dealt with throughout the movie. The jokes aren't laugh out loud but I don't think they fall short, they are the same jokes you'll see in any Coen brothers movie, there's just more of them.
Overall, I think the movie shouldn't have had as many side stories that take the spotlight away from the main story. I think there should have been more build up to the eventual twist. I think there should have been more of the actors from the studio that we see, helping find the kidnapped actor so they could have a purpose.
The side stories are fine when they're told but there's very little shown, like in Inside Llewyn Davis. You have a lot of side stories in this movie that we are told all of the relevant information for and shown just enough. For example, Llewyn's unknown baby, Jean's abortion, Llewyn's dad and even the cat story that seamlessly flows in and out of the main story.
I think the trailer shows what the Coen brothers wanted the movie to be like, a comedy/mystery with all of the studio's stars coming together to find the studio's biggest star while the main studio executive hides the story from the press. This movie would have felt a lot more compelling with a plot more focused and a story more intimate.