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Creed II (2018)
Amazing, bittersweet performance by Stallone. One for the ages.
Raw portrayal of young Adonnis as he struggles to understand his identity and answer the question if he is really worthy of the Creed legacy. The film takes you through his journey as he feels thoroughly humiliated and abandoned to the point where he doubts himself as a man and, in order to help him, Rocky is forced to relive painful moments of his life as the events unfold in an eerily similar manner to his own past with Apollo. A passing of the torch also slowly comes into focus as Rocky grows old and weak and knows he won't always be in the picture. Bring a hanky.
A Foreign Affair (1948)
a little piece of history
A very different look at a time period we have all heard so much about and perhaps studied in school. This film, with it's brilliant usage of stock footage, portrays the post war Germany as a broken people just trying to survive. Dietrich remarks to the congresswoman, "Come to my apartment, it's just three ruins down." She sings a song about the "black market" in a smoky Berlin night club where art truly imitates life. She speaks of the horror of German life, particularly for a woman, during the brutal Russian occupation where a conquered people were forced to lick the boots of their masters. Even the American military seemed to be confused about their role in the post war occupation. A time, I suppose, you would have had to live to truly understand.
Black Panther (2018)
Don't waste your money.
Maybe the worst film I've ever seen. I'm not going to waste much time unpacking the juvenile plot except to say that much of the dialog dripped with sarcasm and contempt for the "white race" who were referred to as "colonizers" and "oppressors" which had stole Africa's rich historical culture and art while profiting from it. Even the villian, who wanted to use his country's superior technology to destroy evil western civilization, was really just a young misunderstood "freedom fighter" trying to set things right. As others have mentioned, I go to the movies for escape from modern American politics, only to find I have paid to be preached to and insulted for 90 minutes.
I suppose the second problem and probably the greater problem is the film was boring. The young man why portrayed Black Panther is a good actor and I have admired his work in other films on Netflix so this is nothing against him but there was so many problems with this thing, not even his genius could save it.
Hostiles (2017)
slow moving
I'm not going to get into the plot because others have beaten me to it so just some thoughts. The film is, as I stated above, slow moving. Too much useless dialog and repeatingly reinforcing certain character traits. Captain Blocker hates Indians; OK we get it. Move on. Get to the journey...but when they do it's more of the same. Long, tedious conversations, furrowing eyebrows and very little action. Along with this is the added mess that there are no real villains. Then comes the pointless love affair with the crazy woman carrying the dead baby and uncomfortable feelings watching him wait on her hand and foot along the trail, kissing her big white booty... while the Indian children are treated like unwanted baggage.
I know. I'm missing the point. It's supposed to be about how his character develops and evolves over time and he feels kind of bad about massacring Native Americans for 30 years before he finally gets a conscience. We even get to witness his army buddy basically commit suicide over his guilt about the Army genocide at Wounded Knee.
I love Christian Bale's work and simply expected better.
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Feel-good family movie
I try to watch this movie every couple of years and it always cheers me up and takes me back to times gone by.
Let There Be Light (2017)
Good family movie
I'm sorry so many are so critical of this film or found it corny or preachy but, I guess, only Christians will understand. Luckily, there is an abundance of Hollywood "products" out there... and something that appeals to everyone. This film was never meant to be an action flick or suspense or comedy or any of the main genres which inhabit our modern cinema today. It's a movie about faith, overcoming hardships and pain in your life, and that everybody is capable of changing...even the whole world. Sorry so many are offended by these ideas.
Como México no hay dos (1981)
money and fame corrupts poor country boy
The best part of this film, without doubt, is the chance to hear Vicente Fernandez show off his beautiful voice. Plot is pretty thin; poor young man, struggling with a wife and child, decides to leave his tiny village for the big city with his two best friends. As films love to depict, we see fame and fortune bring out a dark side of his soul as he goes from rags to riches and betrayed everything and everyone he loves and believes in. All Spanish
Todo un hombre (1983)
Worth watching especially if you're a Chente fan.
Interesting role for Vicente Fernandez, a living legend in Mexico, who played in a lot of low budget movies in the late 60s and 70s and like Elvis, would always get a few songs in. This one, however, has a physiological twist which adds a little more texture to the sauce. Non latino American audiences, by large, have never heard of him and that is a shame. Add to that the language barrier involved in presenting these characters to an English speaking audience and I suppose there's not much chance for crossover.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
I didn't "get" it.
At first, I blamed myself for not liking this film. It's been out since 1998, have heard about it many times, even achieved the famed "cult" following but not until I saw an interview with Sam Elliot in which he said this movie was his personal favorite did I make an effort to watch it. Even the opening monologue by Elliot had me sitting on the edge of my seat...with the tumbleweed blowing and Elliot introducing us to "the Dude", and how in whatever time and place there always seems to be a guy that is designed to be there...a true man of his times...I was preparing myself for greatness. An then it just seemed to all fall apart. I thought I understood because I, too, consider myself "the Dude". Maybe not a man of times for the 90's but certainly for the 70s...I mean I was meant to be there. I understood everything about that world so maybe that was the problem. And then I thought maybe it was because I didn't grow up in LA. Maybe it's an "LA" things I was missing. I ended up fast forwarding through the middle of the movie because it was so boring and only gave it two stars out of homage to Elliot and Bridges whom I both admire. I still blame myself for not "getting" this highly valued and brilliantly reviewed work. I guess I'm a failure.
Dunkirk (2017)
It's not a Rambo/Arnlod action film.
Sorry to disappoint or go against so many rave reviews but, honestly, none of the people I went with liked it. Slow moving, no character development, no plot, no major fight scenes, no hero, and, unless you are already an historian, the audience is not given sufficient background information to understand what is really happening. In reality, it is still debated why Hitler called off the advance and inevitable destruction of the British Expeditionary Force and French and Belgium troops at Dunkirk, some even suggesting that he wanted to end the war on the western front before America and Russia entered the fight. But I digress; the movie although cinematographically and visually stunning is a summer blockbuster flop. Save your money and catch it on cable.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
leaves you wanting more...and maybe a little frustrated
As a period piece, I loved the nostalgic Vietnam War setting and the panoramic nights scenes of Saigon that they managed to weave into the film. The plot was pretty formula and characters predictable down to the frustrated Army Lt with nothing to return home to longing for one more battle. The one thing I wasn't expecting was a colder, more emotionally uninvolved "Fay Rae" who neither falls in love with the big ape or seems too concerned overt what happens to him one way or the other. And then finally, when he saves her life for the last time, we watch the lonely beast slowly lumber away back to his isolated oblivion while our beautiful little ingrate turns and hugs her boyfriend. Sorry but that last scene was begging to be re-shot. All in all, it's still a good flick.
Logan (2017)
Hard hitting, stays with you for a few days...
I'm probably not the best one to review this film because I'm not an expert in all the X-Men history that goes before nor the comic book world but it is an Interesting case study of a super hero aging out. not the warrior he once was, covered with scars from past battles but now his old bones take longer to heal. It's hard hitting because many of us old timers can identify with him, not only for these reasons but because he now finds himself occupying a world in which he feels disenfranchised, no longer a part of. All of his friends dead. Wolverine's heart is also scared over from too much loss for one lifetime, and watching people close to him die, to the point that he is now unable to bond even with his own daughter who desperately needs him. A born warrior, designed for combat, he doesn't think twice about laying his life down for her... but mustering up any genuine feelings seems to be just out of his reach. As fate would have it, I am actually familiar with the filming location used in this film so I guess that adds another layer of "touching close to home" for me. At any rate, he died as he lived, with honor and no excuses. This film is gonna be with me for a while.