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Cinemagoer77
Reviews
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
Refreshing
I enjoyed this theatrical release amongst the big money releases. It is a note worthy story about meaning and purpose. It is well acted, good paced, and touching. The overall meaning of the film detracts from it's faults for me. 8.5 out of 10..check it out..smaller films like this deserve support..
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Lucas is some kinda genius in the world
In a new hope, the wizard behind the scenes capable of using special effects tricks on a lower budget to create a mythological world from his mind was a suspected genius. Well, Empire confirms that Lucas wasn't a one trick pony and confirms he is a genius in the cinematic world through vision and special effects. This time with Empire we get to see more of the rich galaxy from Lucas's mind and a better emotional tone than the first film which i felt was too lacking considering the genocidal actions of the imperial forces. While some people defend the lack of better emotional reactions in a new hope i argue that emotional reactions validate cinematic hardships. Well, In a new hope, Luke had begun to develop a bond (he wanted to be a Jedi like his father) or tie to his father who had fallen but he doesn't know the revelation ahead of him. Obi Wan the only person to truly help Luke understand who he is and where he comes from has died but his tie to Luke is still there helping him early before Han rescues him. We begin to see more of what the force is and Hans character development too in the rescue. The musical score also adds to the films tone which is something the first film didn't have enough of..i know for some the beautiful music as luke looks toward the sunset was enough in a new hope but since the emotion was off everywhere else i thought a musical score could have helped out or even a pensive stare later lol In empire strikes back we have the dreaded empire theme preceding Vaders 1st appearance in the film. Iconic music!. Before Luke uses the force in the beginning we hear soft music that precedes Lukes force use in a life or death situation.its actually emotional..we begin to see the force is about feeling. Later on Yoda hints to young Luke of the force, all of it and how scary it can get. Force users can succumb to darkness. Vader was once a decent person. Yoda tells luke you will..you will be.. (afraid)..Yoda warns naive Luke basically to help him on his journey because the road ahead is extremely arduous, physically and emotionally. Every force user faces fear..yoda trains luke as much as possible given the time..luke knows his friends are in danger yet despite all warning luke chooses his friends over yodas and obi wans warning. Luke is actually seen as reckless but imo he is facing fear and runs to it actually. I can go on and on how empire strikes back is a fantasy masterpiece in space..everything has been said about this film and why it is historic. There are cinematic moments the world will never see or hear again. Period. Yes the plot isn't perfect, but it is how the story was told..even better than the first film mind you fantasy films are difficult to pull off..The only fantasy world that i can think of off the top of my head with decent characters was the earlier seasons of game of thrones. Fantasy films are not easy to pull off given the 2 to 3 hours time given. Lucas created a masterpiece in over 2 hours.
With all being stated, Empire strikes back revealed that at his best George Lucas is a visionary genius and the world will likely never see such an original story told on the big screen like this one.
Star Wars (1977)
Pop culture behemoth
If anything Lucas is a special effects genius and this is the film that started it all. .the story of the force was the first of it's kind both special effects wise, and story wise. This film deserves some respect in the cinematic universe. There are iconic characters in Skywalker, Vader. With that being said doesn't mean that a new hope is a script masterpiece. Even the film opens up with a gaping plot hole that can't be ignored. Droids getting away from the most feared organization in the galaxy with plans that would doom them and it is casually blown off by the empire? That wouldn't happen. We have a protagonist that doesn't cry when he discovers his beloved caregivers are brutally murdered andddd desecrated. What was in the script? Luke feels bad? We also have a princess who also reacts generically when she witnesses the empire destroy a planet? We have a space opera and not much emotion. What Lucas is? A special effects genius who brought the world his visionary saga but a new hope is hardly hard hitting in other areas. I am an avid star wars fan even at some point was a purist but have changed over the years. A new hope is remarkable for it's time and respect is given for the iconic characters as well. I can't merely rate it on nostalgia though it is a fun space fantasy film, but it is a flawed movie. Ps i won't discuss science fiction in star wars because it is a space fantasy and there is hardly any science in it. Hello? Cool spaceship sound effects? Doesn't happen!. It is fun and something to be respected though, i give it an 8.
Body Snatchers (1993)
Invasion of the sum of parts
This film marks the 3rd of the 4th invasion of the body snatchers film adaptations. The film is outdated now but it does have a few elements of creepiness that each film has and it is portrayed nicely due to actor ability. I have seen all four films and i do believe each film offered something that could be taken to actually create a magnus opus film adaptation. The original was authentic to it's time..the real people of 1950s scared as heck. Which is where i believe the film is best suited to take place..What the film offered in its favor is Meg Tilly's performance as she caps off a creepy statement dead staring at a horrified family member.."there is no one.... like you.... left."....imagine the horror on the psyche.. With an excellent actress as Meg Tilly is that statement was absolutely bone chilling..
Back to the title review header, what i mean by invasion of the sum of parts..all the invasion films offered something authentic to the total horror but each invasion film for me falls short of the actual horror an invasion would actually be like something the book was better at obviously. The movie also suffers from a poor lead actress which may be the result of a bad script and or direction or she was not as talented..my guess is it was all three. The film like the others also fails to provide tension consistently. The psychological shock of the coming invasion to those aware seems written in generic fashion and written for the wrong people...forrest whitaker's role seem illogicaly written though i get the point..id think as a military person he'd actually be better suited to handle war like scenarios. his role was written for someone else. Also in the beginning, the main actress casually brushes off the soldier's warning like nothing..not only that, but that scene was totally unecessary and killed off any of the psychological tension of impending doom. Anyhow, body snatchers was overrated and it isn't something you watch to teach anyone how to create excellent sci-fi horror thriller film adaptations. Even Meg's highlight ouldn't save this one.
The Martian (2015)
Science fiction blockbuster
Fun movie with bad science. Even the premise is bad. Read about Mars dust storms if you would like to know but don't get me wrong, I love the science fiction genre for both entertainment and implication. I don't even mind bad science if there is decent character development example, Ad Astra, Gravity, etc. With that being said, the martian is a film that leans toward entertainment and carries an overall optimistic tone despite events that would likely bear great emotional, psychological affects on any realistic main character. I believe it to be a blockbuster geared to make money. I do think Matt Damon is a decent actor but I could think of better actors to portray a stranded astronaut but hey, excellent acting was not the films intended purpose. There is little character development. The film is fun to look at but it's a generic rescue story that little to chew on intellectually afterward.
Psycho (1960)
Horror Masterpiece
No one actor will ever recapture Anthony Perkins performance as Norman Bates. No one director then or after will recapture on film a slasher tale of Hitchcock proportions. One must think how bold a topic mental illness was for 1960. Well, Hitchcock masterfully created an authentic horror story filmed in black and white and entirely iconic using mental illness as the catalyst. So much homage is due to Hitchcock and his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. No monsters, no supernatural powers just a boy and his bestfriend.
Midsommar (2019)
Excellent horror film about a cult
This is generally a disturbing film. Some people say it was funny perhaps because they were uncomfortable with some scenes yet so many people were offended or hated it. So my guess is the movie made people uncomfortable. Again, it was a disturbing film which many horror films are not these days. I welcomed Ari's latest effort as horror is becoming non-horrific lately with so many tropes that the genre is lacking these days. The 1 star reviewers ignore the story telling, ignore any of the characters, ignore the symbolism that exists through the entire story, and ignore the creepiness of some of the sociopathic members. You should rewatch it just to see how evil their foreign friend actually is. It is atleast a 4 or 5 star minimum. I say this is a thinkers horror film because i had to rewatch twice. Although the movie is gory it doesn't glorify the actions of the cult members. You get the feeling the cults are indeed the abnormalities we know they are and it's a visceral feeling to see them carry out their rituals. Cults can be argued as the anti-thesis of progress/freedom and how they possess the means to attract people is just as baffling. Well Midsommar offered a glimpse into the cult via codependency and loss. Add in charming sociopathy who tell people what they like to hear and we have some poor people who get lead into horror and loss of freedom/love. As a cult film this is atleast 8. Also, The wicker man comparisons need to stop. How many posession movies are there and how many times need they be compared? Cult horror is a sub-genre like zombie films are also a sub-genre. This is an excellent film about the horrors of a cult for modern times. I really think Ari is becoming a true master of horror. He leaves many viewers disturbed but also with warnings and lessons about what evil really is. He does not glorify horror..rather he reveals
consequences..8 out of 10 for me..
Sunshine (2007)
Visual spectacle, science be damned.
A good looking film with truly bad science. This is what is called a hard science fiction film. In hard science films, the science and events in such films seems plausible compared to other sci-fi films like say Terminator, for example. My main gripe is that the sun will not be close to death in less than 100 years. Even when the time comes, a bomb the size of manhattan cannot restart a sun. The sun does not work like a fireplace. Don't get me wrong, the idea about saving the sun is ok but to be more realistic the film's setting could have been written far far into the future. Also, the sun would have given us in 2007 warning signs then and then the time it would take for humans to build the bomb or another sizable plan that size would take many years therefore, the 2057 scenario did not seem plausible. It seems like the writer did not want to take the time to build his writing around a more plausible scenario like say create a setting in a billion years. Again, the film is eye candy with decent characters and some realistic situations but for me, I could not get into it due to the premise. Yes, i rewatched it.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Miller's Magnum Opus
My world is fire and blood. George Miller went full maestro mode. This is one of of those films that Miller was probably dreaming about for 40 years. This is a film in which his visionary concept is fully realized. He interweaves high octane action scenes throughout an unforgiving aussie post-apocalyptic world and it never comes off as unneeded or over done which is something the fast and furious franchise suffers from.
Some of the vehicles are battle armored v-8's that resemble metal beasts of hell. Some of the older films I am sure suffered from budget constraints and you won't see many vehicles lacking here.
Even though the movie is a big chase scene filled with Miller's stylized action the movie never loses it's humanity or soul. "Out here, everything hurts." These aren't shallow protagonists. Max suffers from ptsd. Furiosa isn't just an escapee. Everyone has suffered except the psychopaths. The reasons and motives make sense in that mad world.
I still respect Mel as Mad Max and I also see Hardy as Mad Max. Can you imagine someone else playing Rocky or Conan the barbarian maybe? Rocky no, Conan yes for me. Replacing actors is not an easy feat to pull off and coming from a super mad max fan, they pull it off right away.
The dialogue is minimal but catchy and appropriate to the scene. "Say bye bye to the neck!" Instead of "you're dead meat", is fun and memorable. You will never hear the word mediocre the same again. The manner in which the main villain labeling something mediocre to boys is hilarious. What a bully.
There is directorial genius to George Miller's mad world that can't be seen in any other action films and it isn't for everyone. It is an action masterpiece.
The Predator (2018)
Good bye predator intrigue
Big fan of the original Predator and the 2010 Predators. From those 2 films, i thought Shane Black could have expanded the Predator universe tactfully while keeping the intrigue. I get that predators want to evolve like any other species but this storyline bit off too much than it should have. The original predator was about a highly intelligent game hunter, similar to our size but with superior technology. Predators 2010 carried that respect forward. There is also an implied ethical process as to why they pick certain humans to hunt. Given that respect to the predator civilization, do you really believe they'd just forget their implied code of hunters to say..well we were like this for so long but let's just make ourselves extremely large thereby killing off our impressive tiger like instinct to hunt humanoids down? Didn't they have hunting honor? Well now they don't care because they just need to step on us lol. Their technogy also gave them the edge meaning it is implied they are aready advanced compared to us and now they want to rely on people in the autism sprectrum? I mean i get why some alien civilizations would want to use dna for war but i am still living in the old world of game hunting and was expecting a natural progression. The dna from autism people was just too much to take in and it doesn't fit a natural timeline. So basically, Giant Predator didn't seem to fit the original intrigue and seemed like they were written in just to give us something different when some of us are satisfied with the layers being peeled off slowly. I wish the movie didn't center around a kid either..there were so many issues ..there were also funny parts but predator movies are not meant to be action comedies like rush hour.. They are imo sci-fi thrillers first. Shane black thank you for everything but this one predator film didn't hit the mark..this predator movie is basically my Alien 3 and i will separate it as though it doesn't exist.
Hereditary (2018)
Best horror film in years
The movie opens with a funeral and the death of the main character's mother. You notice during the eulogy, no one is particularly overcome with grief..toni c's character was possibly raised by a narcissistic parent and we know the damage they can cause. Toni Colette had overcome and continued to do so as a loving parent. The sympathy and hope for t.c.s character was established well in my opinion.
The writer did this for a reason and it worked so we could suffer the horrific shock as to what lies ahead for the family. There is an emotional tragic tone as soon as the 1st "tragedy" took place and it never goes away. It is horrific and gut wrenching. The horrific scene is seared into my brain. Toni Colette is that tearful mother. I don't really cry at horror films but I almost did watching that certain scene. I like Conan the barbarian movies and am no easy tear dropper. From then on you realize even though the grand mother is dead the effects from her life carry onward. The feeling of absolute desperation for the family to beat evil never went away for me. Some horror movies don't get the same reaction from me. But....all of this hope only to find out this is one absolutely bleak horror film that built tension, desperation, throughout, masterfully. I was wanting and hoping they would over come. Don't wrongs get righted? They do in many other horror films. The kids are basically innocent and even they were not immune to this evil bleakness grandma carried onto them. The ending ties it all up with the questions being answered and why this evil befell them and yes it is rather horrifying and disturbing. Not unique but done better than anything I have seen with similar stories. Some didn't care for it but i liked the slow build up and the ending answered what it needed to. I think it is a a better horror film compared to rose mary's baby. I only say this because that is what some have compared it to. This is a time when some horror movies can be made better than the older films with similar ideas. I believe this horror film was the best to come out in a long time. A film that horrified me like it is supposed to. I thought horror films were dead and lamented that the genre produces nothing horrific anymore so this film was direly needed. It is not perfect and i don't understand some of the scenes yet..i give it a 9 because it isn't perfect.
Mother! (2017)
Watch this from an allegorical mind.
You must view this film as an allegory completely and not from a real stand point. Look for the meanings behind every item, set piece, and character. He is God, Mother is Earth or Nature and you will start to see the entire allegorical telling of the bible beginning to end from Aronofsky's mind. Mother is creation personified. For the overall point of the movie, keep in mind, Mother is the protagonist for whom we are to sympathize with. The entire adam and eve (a pretty stone was the apple), cain and abel, flood happen symbolically then He develops writer's block but winds up writing the new testament eventually symbolically it's poems. People keep showing up like He is a celebrity so much that it hinders his relationship with Creation. Keep in mind there is a reason the writer chose to use this nature between He and the visitors and why it is told this way allegorically. The visitors even cause disturbance as to hinder He from his Creation to the point that Mother has to literally shut them out of her presence. There is like 20 minutes of humans acting up. Away from the mob, Creation gives birth to a son behind a closed and blocked door.
The baby is Jesus as strangers are frenzied to see her new son..He tells creation the people need to see the baby despite her fear of them. (shouldn't this be Mary?) He winds up taking the baby to some strange room with mostly unquestioning human beings. They wind up passing the baby around as Mother finds them and you hear the baby's neck break, killing him. If these are Christians, christians didn't kill Jesus in the bible, accidentally or not, the Romans delivered his crucifixion execution. The symbolism meaning doesn't match the bible if you ever read it. Mother hears this and is frantic for her son and barrels through the seemingly brainwashed people until she comes to an alter where the baby's carcass is found. She sees the crowd eating the baby's remains. I assume this is Aronofsky's view of the catholic tradition of the bread eaten as the body of Christ. So mother become's angry enough to start slicing people up for killing her son. So Creation cared about one person? Not He or anyone else? If so what is the meaning? But we get that Christians and He don't care like a non-religious symbol does. ..They wind up turning on Mother, and beating her. None of this allegorically even makes sense lol. God's humans are now beating up Mother. I felt this was odd and could not see the allegorical meaning and how those scenes fit into the bible allegory. Word is this was meant to be earth's inhabitants polluting the world so I guess Aronfsky just threw that in there and made them Christians lol. He tells Mother the people should be forgiven. Mother is distraught and winds up going to a place that will burn up everyone and ignites flames burning all including the house, except He. Mother awakens and is burnt up. He is there caring for her but she had enough of being used by He, exclaiming He never loved her. What's that Aronofsky biblical God is a narcissistic fan loving being? Remember Mother is the protagonist not He. Anynow, He is saddened briefly as Mother wastes away turning to ash. He digs into her chest and pulls out a stone (the one similar to before that got eve and adam kicked out of the house (eden) and places it on a mantle as the incinerated house is renewed again. He is just powerful this He. The screen fades or some other technique is used and we see another young woman or Mother all over again. Which you have to ask why heavily in allegorical tales? So why does He do this all over again? He is self serving narcissist. If Aronofsky read the bible, this new Mother won't happen like that..or is aronfsky saying you can't trust the bible book doesn't matter now * sigh If only Aronofsky was better of a worldly artist since he is so darn artsy his atheism didn't shine through. He seems devoted to twist the bible book to fit something in his own mind. Remember Noah? It was worse than the bible book..if you think the flood story is crazy aronofsky went crazier. What was the point to that movie? the use of allegory required a purpose..to give it meaning..so watch it a few times and realize this one man's view point. Those saying it is open to interpretation it almost isn't because the why comes up ..why the He and creation relationship dynamic, why the believers are a nuisance..those have meanings..some of the symbolism is used incorrectly..creation not Mary gives birth to Jesus ..ok so then why? Eventually allegory makes sense. Someone said this is art, well art is made for anyone to enjoy..When you look at a picasso, you see different things but no reaction would mirror this comment section. It is not a smart person's movie either. Allegory tales can change people what does this do? this movie is bold but it has no long carrying meaning for the world. A smart film if you don't like christianity wouldn't be this one. Watch an evolution video it is similar but without the blatant disregard toward specific humans beings on this planet. 3 stars for acting..and some of the sets.
Dèmoni 2... l'incubo ritorna (1986)
Happy birthday, Sally, you grotesque birthday girl..
The demons are back and ugly as ever. This time they confirm all your suscpicions that they will pretty much be the evil baddies you thought they were. There are new events not seen in the last film. The plot is a basic. There are continuity problems from the 1st film to this one and the film's script writers tried to get away with what it could to create a sequel too quickly. To put it simply, this is a dumb fun movie. the first demoni film actually was horrific. Also it was overall not poorly acted but rather the dubbed english track didn't match the tone of the actors. Well the same thing again but you will see some bad acting with a wrench involved. Lol i believe there could have been a better written sequel but we must have asked for it and we got this cheese fest immediately. It felt like a rushed film.
Ghostbusters (2016)
I tried
Although i did try to enjoy this version, I confirm Ghostbusters is a film that should not be remade or rebooted except if it was a direct sequel to the 80's version. One being Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Sigourney are a difficult act to follow. Two, the 80's era was different ..and nothing current can recapture the feel of that time. I tried to be objective but lastly couldn't convince myself that this film brought anything new to the ghost busting world other then to replace iconic actors. Bold move but it didn't work for me. Technically not a bad film but you can't redo what was already good with iconic actors.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Underrated unjustly.
This is what a Godzilla film can be. He is the title character, a kaiju super animal, similar to how humans have superheros. This film is beautifully done with apocalyptic imagery that cannot be forgotten. This is also, King Ghidorah, Rhodan, Mothra done better than anything ever done on screen. If you have ever watched older Godzilla films before this one blows them all away. Also, for those critics saying there is zero human character development, in defense of this one time movie, the mom had the best story. She suffered tragedy, became deluded, realized she was wrong, decided to help and died for redemption. Her story affected the entire family and humanity. Most stories where someone is responsible for mass deaths, and finds redemption the character must die..like Vader died. Pretty decent writing for a movie about a giant lizard. If you want convoluted story lines, more sub-plots because thats what you will get, watch game of thrones. Considering it is a kaiju movie, this film was written fairly well, with a few dead spots. The radiation exposure in the end would have caused their deaths eventually. That is one of my problems with the film but nothing that could not be corrected later on in further films. This was an epic Godzilla film and the box office did no justice. A film for those who watch kaiju films it is a superior film, better than the 2014 film. Do not believe the negative critics. Think about what a kaiju film really is. It is it's own sub-genre. This one rocks all of them.
Dèmoni (1985)
Nothing comparable to this one
Demons is one of a kind and there is nothing like it. You could do a similar story today but back then there were no cell phones for the poor people to call out from in the theatre. This is not a zombie film, it is a possession film caused by demonic beings. If you want to see a demon burst out of a girl's arched back this is the one, or watch a blind man's eyeballs get gouged out mercilessly realistically this is the one. If you want to see what these things would do to you and your grandpa this is the one. The carnage begins with a cursed mask and someone scratches themselves, an infection takes over and the scratchee becomes susceptible to the demon. She starts mayhem in a theatre full of unsuspecting film goers. Simple enough explanation. The fact that it has to be a cursed mask and that other wordly forces are present leaves food for thought regarding some of the mysterious characters like the man in the mask in the beginning. I don't think he is a plot hole but a helper of the demons. What makes this film horrific is that the demons are absolutely hellbent merciless to anyone while enjoying the slaughter. Their gleeful faces as they maim other humans was disturbing for an 80s film. They seem truly evil and nothing zombie like at all. Zombies are not possessed again not a zombie film. The special effects are done fairly well for the time and it looks real most of the time. A recurring theme is destruction throughout the film. Beautiful woman? Well watch her get destroyed while possession reigns and turn her into the most vile thing ever. It's like the demons want to undo God's design. The film is dubbed and yes that adds some light hearted balance to an otherwise complete blood bath. Great example of a horror film that cannot be redone. A true horror film to not be missed.
Predators (2010)
2nd best predator film next to the original
This film expanded the predator universe near perfectly. The characters were memorable and despite all of them being killers, some of them were worthy to care enough about even though the Predators just want to pick them off. I wanted the lady and the asian guy to survive. It's enjoyable that this world never gives all the answers about the predators and why they do everything just so. Predators are mysterious, advanced badasses and to reveal too much would spoil their mystery. The serial killer twist actually suprised me as well. Fun movie that had me caring how Brody's character would make it off that planet. Brody was convincing as a badass himself. All around good predator addition and done just right to keep the predator world fascinating..there were flaws and wtf moments like how did the serial killer know about extraterrestrial plants so much? Despite bad moments like that it's easy to overlook.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Overrated time travel plot
After Infinity Wars, how Thanos could be destroyed given the odds is what I wondered from the time i left the theatre last year until May 16, this year. In endgame, Thanos is killed early and then we are off on a back to the future, terminator time loop plot. The thing about backward time travel if it were possible, is once you go back you would create another timeline and they are infinite mind you. In infinity Wars, Dr. Strange would have been sitting there forever until he found all the ways Thanos could be killed, and it wouldn't be just one either out of infinite timelines. I really wished they didn't have that kind of plot. If there are infinite timelines then there are also more than one timelines in which they win. So then what is so special about the current story line? Iron man dies? Well thats ok bc he exists in several other timelines. I couldn't get the multiple timeline part of it out of my head to care about this plot and the characters...a better and unexpected ending could have been Ghost Rider showed up in that timeline and ended thanos somehow for the atrocities he had committed or they could regain the stones to recreate the characters taken after antman subatomically enters thanos and blows him up. The plot could have been anything but a back in time plot..i tried to enjoy it..i tried to get into uncharacteristic Hulk and Thor but the back to future plot killed it for me...they could all die and they could all have figured it out on another timeline what's special about any one individual in this movie then?.movie is overrated big time. Avengers Infinity war was such a great movie imo and inspired many a mind to think how to defeat Thanos..but end game's plot is cliched and was a lazy way to end it all..it might be ok for younger folks but the multiple timeline plot makes it a heavily flawed movie. Acting was good, too much cgi, a few funny lines ..it was ok ..not a 10 remotely.