9/15/15
What I expect, having not seen Inherent Vice:
Boogie Nights : Reservoir Dogs
Magnolia : Pulp Fiction
Punch-Drunk-Love-type-material : Kill-Bill-type-material
The Master : Inglorious Basterds
Inherent Vice : Django Unchained
Tarantino is the career-arc standard with which to compare, for some reason, in my mind, and Paul Thomas Anderson is the one being analogized, despite his being at the top of my canon.
Tarantino evidently doesn't have a There Will Be Blood.
Notice the trajectory of the analogy as being a great step down in humanism-- in some cases a step up in pleasure.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Review: Inglorious Basterds
Seen a couple times and 8/28/14
3/4
While Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds is clearly a great film, wildly original and of supreme entertainment value, I am obliged to note foremost the contents of my most recent viewing, which was valuable as an experience only really to solidify my opinion of the movie for the next handful of years before I may see it again. I thought that it would strike me as it first did, which was so long ago and in such a different era of my filmviewing history, but it really didn't. I recognized the brilliance, but I didn't feel it. The Christoph Waltz dialogue was fantastic, as it always has been-- drawn and deliberate to the most impeccable form; similarly, Lt. Raine's twangy farting-otherwise-known-as-language was brilliantly placed and timed, holding an awesome, almost physical comedy. Other parts fell together with the gorgeous and perfect imperfection that marks Tarantino films. I guess I'm just too accustomed to this kind of film for the time being. Tarantino is no longer shocking, especially not his two recent films (Basterds and Django). Maybe I could still experience the full impact of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Yes, probably so.
3/4
While Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds is clearly a great film, wildly original and of supreme entertainment value, I am obliged to note foremost the contents of my most recent viewing, which was valuable as an experience only really to solidify my opinion of the movie for the next handful of years before I may see it again. I thought that it would strike me as it first did, which was so long ago and in such a different era of my filmviewing history, but it really didn't. I recognized the brilliance, but I didn't feel it. The Christoph Waltz dialogue was fantastic, as it always has been-- drawn and deliberate to the most impeccable form; similarly, Lt. Raine's twangy farting-otherwise-known-as-language was brilliantly placed and timed, holding an awesome, almost physical comedy. Other parts fell together with the gorgeous and perfect imperfection that marks Tarantino films. I guess I'm just too accustomed to this kind of film for the time being. Tarantino is no longer shocking, especially not his two recent films (Basterds and Django). Maybe I could still experience the full impact of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Yes, probably so.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Review: Inside Out
Seen 8/8/15
2.5/4
What feels like my first review in an eternity serves Pixar's newest polished, sparkling product, Inside Out. It is another Pixar breaking of barriers, reconfiguration of storytelling and animation, picture of terrific creativity and innovation. The thing is absolutely beautiful, visually (the studio takes another step toward perfection) and has a delicate Giacchino score to back it up. It also has a true emotional touch, driven by a personification of Sadness and raw displays of relatable mental activity. Beyond this, there is a progressive message motivating it all roughly concerning mental health. However, for all its beauty and melancholy and technical brilliance/innovation, Inside Out scores mediocre in many other ways. The humor, and its disappointing quality, is so inevitable. As the film started, I found myself dreaming about what it would be like if the movie were to remain in such sublime abstraction, such aesthetic grace and minimalism. But I knew that that was only a dream, as Pixar has an obligation. Unfortunately, the most brilliant and imaginative filmmaking team on Earth has an obligation to every shallow child in America. Thus, a brain-rotting humor took over a good part of the rest of the film, driving its wonderful premise and impeccable technical execution into weak commercialism. The script is unfortunate in many other ways, also. Some characters are cheap, dialogue is too fast-paced, kid-movie archetypes abound...
I did enjoy this film though, and I really appreciated its aesthetic and its emotional grace. Not all the humor is bad, either. Perhaps if Pixar didn't spend a billion dollars on every movie, they wouldn't mind trying one with a more complete quality.
2.5/4
What feels like my first review in an eternity serves Pixar's newest polished, sparkling product, Inside Out. It is another Pixar breaking of barriers, reconfiguration of storytelling and animation, picture of terrific creativity and innovation. The thing is absolutely beautiful, visually (the studio takes another step toward perfection) and has a delicate Giacchino score to back it up. It also has a true emotional touch, driven by a personification of Sadness and raw displays of relatable mental activity. Beyond this, there is a progressive message motivating it all roughly concerning mental health. However, for all its beauty and melancholy and technical brilliance/innovation, Inside Out scores mediocre in many other ways. The humor, and its disappointing quality, is so inevitable. As the film started, I found myself dreaming about what it would be like if the movie were to remain in such sublime abstraction, such aesthetic grace and minimalism. But I knew that that was only a dream, as Pixar has an obligation. Unfortunately, the most brilliant and imaginative filmmaking team on Earth has an obligation to every shallow child in America. Thus, a brain-rotting humor took over a good part of the rest of the film, driving its wonderful premise and impeccable technical execution into weak commercialism. The script is unfortunate in many other ways, also. Some characters are cheap, dialogue is too fast-paced, kid-movie archetypes abound...
I did enjoy this film though, and I really appreciated its aesthetic and its emotional grace. Not all the humor is bad, either. Perhaps if Pixar didn't spend a billion dollars on every movie, they wouldn't mind trying one with a more complete quality.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Review 2: The Place Beyond the Pines
Seen twice and 7/16/15
4/4
The Place Beyond the Pines, a dark masterpiece of gritty power and beauty, is doubtlessly one of my favorite films. The legendary characters and tough-won performances are totally unforgettable. There is a grungy might to this film that can only be paralleled by Cianfrance’s first work: both tear the heart and soul out of struggling American families, with the supremely perfect Ryan Gosling playing the young, hard-working fathers. Compared to Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines has gigantic scope, delivering dirty punch after dirty punch on an epic scale. This movie has a darkness that doesn’t really show up in the other. The impact of this film is enormous, and I can’t speak enough of the sensational people. This film is beautiful, a painful glory.
4/4
The Place Beyond the Pines, a dark masterpiece of gritty power and beauty, is doubtlessly one of my favorite films. The legendary characters and tough-won performances are totally unforgettable. There is a grungy might to this film that can only be paralleled by Cianfrance’s first work: both tear the heart and soul out of struggling American families, with the supremely perfect Ryan Gosling playing the young, hard-working fathers. Compared to Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines has gigantic scope, delivering dirty punch after dirty punch on an epic scale. This movie has a darkness that doesn’t really show up in the other. The impact of this film is enormous, and I can’t speak enough of the sensational people. This film is beautiful, a painful glory.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Review: Blue Valentine
Seen twice and 7/5/15
4/4
Blue Valentine is amazing; almost like a miracle to me. It is on the level of intimacy, vulnerability, and authentic despair of only Blue is the Warmest Color. Dean and Cindy are some kind of Adele and Emma. The performances are unforgettable, impossibly strong and real, and the characters experience the full scope of human-to-human contact in brutal swings. Blue Valentine is a project of three people; director/writer Derek Cianfrance and lead actors / executive producers Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. This team is a powerhouse that produces one of the finest-tuned portraits of a relationship that exists in film. Ryan Gosling is the greatest hero of them all to me: he improvises up a character that is one of my few favorites in all of cinema, giving incredible charisma, warmth and pure passion to the character of Dean. Gosling as Dean could be the most personally profound thing I have ever found in a movie, perhaps only rivaled by Synecdoche's atmosphere and Magnolia's emotional impact. Michelle Williams is also incredible, but portraying a character I find ages less heroic than Gosling.
This film is extremely meaningful in my view, extremely authentic and insightful. It's a monument.
4/4
Blue Valentine is amazing; almost like a miracle to me. It is on the level of intimacy, vulnerability, and authentic despair of only Blue is the Warmest Color. Dean and Cindy are some kind of Adele and Emma. The performances are unforgettable, impossibly strong and real, and the characters experience the full scope of human-to-human contact in brutal swings. Blue Valentine is a project of three people; director/writer Derek Cianfrance and lead actors / executive producers Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. This team is a powerhouse that produces one of the finest-tuned portraits of a relationship that exists in film. Ryan Gosling is the greatest hero of them all to me: he improvises up a character that is one of my few favorites in all of cinema, giving incredible charisma, warmth and pure passion to the character of Dean. Gosling as Dean could be the most personally profound thing I have ever found in a movie, perhaps only rivaled by Synecdoche's atmosphere and Magnolia's emotional impact. Michelle Williams is also incredible, but portraying a character I find ages less heroic than Gosling.
This film is extremely meaningful in my view, extremely authentic and insightful. It's a monument.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Review: Babel
Seen once and 6/28/15
3.5/4
Babel is a beautiful, powerful, and meaningful film. It is all at once a heart-pounding human thriller, a class in cultural sensitivity and a breathtaking emotional tidal wave. This film mines deep, and by its incredible finale strikes the core of humanity. All sides of culture are observed and contemplated, all with a profoundly humane understanding by the divinely empathetic Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. I am convinced that Inarritu understands humanity better than anyone in cinema. He is also a purely brilliant filmmaker. I feel that I could watch his movies over and over again and by that alone grow as a person, humanize my soul. His control of diverse cultures and complicated characters is flawless, and his artistry is beautiful.
Babel's name tells its greatest theme in one word: the misunderstandings between supposedly different peoples and the importance of overcoming this. A united human population would have prevented the crises of this film by communication and trust and support.
The first time I saw this film, I didn't appreciate it. I was a little bored at times, and didn't get much out of it other than some emotional power towards the end. My total appreciation of the film now is a testament to my growth as a viewer over the past few years, and encourages me as I venture into new territories in which I am not very appreciative. My experiences with Bergman have been exactly like my old experiences with Inarritu. But things change, clearly: I now consider Inarritu one of my few favorite directors, and I am confident that I understand Babel to its core. I loved every story, every amazing actor, Brad Pitt is one of my favorites in all of movies, I thought that the ending was perfect, and the themes were meaningful enough to actually teach me something after the film was over, which is very rare for me in film; everything worked exquisitely. This is a film that is almost exactly at my level right now: I understand it, appreciate it and love it. I can now store it away in my list of great films before continuing to move forward into more ambitious realms.
3.5/4
Babel is a beautiful, powerful, and meaningful film. It is all at once a heart-pounding human thriller, a class in cultural sensitivity and a breathtaking emotional tidal wave. This film mines deep, and by its incredible finale strikes the core of humanity. All sides of culture are observed and contemplated, all with a profoundly humane understanding by the divinely empathetic Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. I am convinced that Inarritu understands humanity better than anyone in cinema. He is also a purely brilliant filmmaker. I feel that I could watch his movies over and over again and by that alone grow as a person, humanize my soul. His control of diverse cultures and complicated characters is flawless, and his artistry is beautiful.
Babel's name tells its greatest theme in one word: the misunderstandings between supposedly different peoples and the importance of overcoming this. A united human population would have prevented the crises of this film by communication and trust and support.
The first time I saw this film, I didn't appreciate it. I was a little bored at times, and didn't get much out of it other than some emotional power towards the end. My total appreciation of the film now is a testament to my growth as a viewer over the past few years, and encourages me as I venture into new territories in which I am not very appreciative. My experiences with Bergman have been exactly like my old experiences with Inarritu. But things change, clearly: I now consider Inarritu one of my few favorite directors, and I am confident that I understand Babel to its core. I loved every story, every amazing actor, Brad Pitt is one of my favorites in all of movies, I thought that the ending was perfect, and the themes were meaningful enough to actually teach me something after the film was over, which is very rare for me in film; everything worked exquisitely. This is a film that is almost exactly at my level right now: I understand it, appreciate it and love it. I can now store it away in my list of great films before continuing to move forward into more ambitious realms.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
New blog
See andrewtalksaboutmoviesetc.blogspot.com for a more serious look at film, along with other kinds of culture.
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