Change Your Image
Oliver-R
Reviews
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Creatively chaotic, a metaphorical masterpiece
This is one of those films that is hard to describe, and is best to experience. It is an entirely unique film with nothing else like it. It's beautifully random.
There are three chapters, everything, everywhere and all at once. It starts with the mundane struggles of everyday life, very much grounded in reality. The difficulty in managing family, a business and yourself and goes on to show the consequences of losing focus on what matters. Like dominos a failing business leads to being a poor partner and parent, then divorce and a failing relationship with a daughter. Through the film the main character questions what she did to get there, and how different her life would be if she took a different path.
Then it moves on to set the premise for the rest of the film by explaining the universe hopping mechanism. It does this gradually and keeps you guessing about how it all works. All the weirdness that comes along with it is a delight. It sparks so much joy seeing the completely random things the filmmakers could come up with, all the alternate realities. There isn't a dull moment and plenty to make you laugh out loud, gasp with surprise or cringe in horror. No expense was spared when it came to the filming and effects either, all was done to a very high standard and you can see the creators were passionate about what they were making. Even the fight choreography was good. The characters are all great and well acted too.
There is a moral to the story, that you shouldn't stress about the things you haven't accomplished. Don't be everywhere all at once. You should be present and appreciate what you have, even the little things, making the most of the now. There are beautiful and touching moments in the film that make you think about what's truly important in this life.
Many films that are a bit crazy like this one don't usually know how to end, but everything everywhere all at once wraps everything up nicely. I felt there were no gaps or unanswered questions. It was just a wholesome, feel good end to a great film.
It was much longer than I expected, I didn't want it to end. If you watch this film in the right mindset, it will make you laugh and cry, and hopefully feel grateful for who you are.
Tár (2022)
Pure tedium
I wonder, do people like this film because it's entertaining, or because it tickles their intellectual superiority complex? Perhaps there's something I missed.
Classical music buffs may find some enjoyment in this film, but for the rest of us plebs it'll feel like watching paint dry. There are many references to classical music and music theory that will go over most people's heads. There was one scene where Tar's lecturing a class about the philosophy of whether or not we should enjoy the music of a composer that was a know misogynist, interesting points were made and the argument was enjoyable. That's where my interest piqued, unfortunately the film then descended into monotony.
Most discussions at the start of the film were just pompous rambling about nothing we care about. I thought although I have no interest in the characters conversations, perhaps I can enjoy some of the music? Nope. Whenever she starts practicing the piano at home, someone knocks at the door. Or there's a phone call. Every time the orchestra began to play I closed my eyes and felt the beauty of the music, just as I get into it and feel goosebumps, the music is interrupted. Every time. They start playing, Tar stops it because something is wrong. Eventually I wanted to close my eyes just to fall asleep. The characters speak so passionately about the music, all you want to do is share that passion by experiencing it. But the film denies you the experience every time. It's frustrating.
What was more frustrating is the unanswered questions. She hears sounds.. beeping coming from somewhere. A scream in the woods. Is she going mad? Is she schizophrenic? Nothing comes of it later in the film. Some serious accusations were made against her, which is the turning point in the film where she starts to get a bit more crazy, which any person might do under the circumstances. Were the accusations true or false? Who knows. She attended a meeting to discuss the accusations and that's it. The movie pretty much ends there. The ending felt rushed, there was too much build up and not emphasis on the parts of her life that were actually dramatic. Quite a bit of screen time also goes towards showing her relationship with her daughter. She takes her to school, tells her not to go into her office, deals with someone who's bullying her at school. Why? What is the point in any of this screen time? To show there's a human beneath the cold, professional exterior perhaps. Despite this, in the end, Tar still felt cold and lifeless.
The acting was fantastic, every character felt real that I must admit. Unfortunately the film was too anticlimactic, and didn't capture my imagination.
Babylon (2022)
Beautiful Chaos
This is definitely one to see in theatres if you can. It's an absolutely mad, over the top journey through Hollywood. Not realistically, it uses clichés and exaggerated glamor and starts out feeling like a scene from The Great Gatsby, but with more drugs and nudity. Films are supposed to take you out of reality, as one of the characters mentions early on, and Babylon succeeds at that. It's fun and surprising, and the music is great. It's meta at times, like you're watching a film about a person watching a film that's about a film being made kind of meta. But it's a joy and it's never dull, there are moments that will make you laugh and gasp from the sheer absurdity.
In all the madness there are poignant moments, like when a journalist is telling an old actor that although his time is up he will live on forever through his films. They also squeeze in a love story, if you can call it that. It's bittersweet and frustrating to watch as self destructive behaviours dominate and get in the way of success in love and career time and again. Although everything is exaggerated, it's easy to see how Hollywood encourages the behaviour and I imagine many actors have experienced some things seen in the film.
It feels like a film for film makers that the general public can also enjoy. It ends with a great montage, and who doesn't love a good montage.
The Reader (2008)
Complex characters, complex emotions
It's difficult knowing how to feel watching this film, and that's where it's brilliance lies. A woman having an affair with a young boy, who also turns out to be a nazi. It would be easy to label such a person a monster and vilify them. Yet you also pity her, and the boy too. There is a feeling of melancholy watching the boy struggle with his emotions and know what the right thing to do is. He should forget her and be with his peers, but he doesn't. Yet when he could speak up in court to save her, he doesnt. He wants to get on with his life but he is so attached to the woman despite her flaws and cannot let go. In a sense it's a story about soul mates, polar opposites attracting. Star crossed lovers who could never be, yet there could also be no one else.
Each character and their decisions all felt real and you feel invested in their story. The main themes are regret, forgiveness and attachment. The three acts are paced well. It starts simply based only on the affair between the two. As soon as you think everything is going well it's turned on its head. The story becomes more complex as their relationship creates problems in their personal lives, and after they go different ways seeing Hanna in court was a bit revelation. The film engages you with a constant 'will he/won't he?' debate as you watch. The conclusion felt complete, everything was said that needed to be said.
Overall it's a powerful and thought-provoking film that was brilliantly written and acted.
Aftersun (2022)
It's a film about nothing
It's a film about a dad and his daughter on holiday. A very mundane holiday where nothing special happens, at all. That is 99% of the film. 1% of the film, a couple of short scenes and the end, you see that the dad is severely depressed and that's the point of the whole film. I don't understand where people's emotions are coming from, nothing about the fathers condition is really fleshed out, none of the struggles. You only see him looking melancholically into the distance, you work out at the end that he's not around anymore. You're just watching a very average life unfold and then at the end you're like 'oh right he was really depressed the whole time, ok'. As someone who suffers with suicidal depression, it's not a case of me not resonating with the material. It's just makes for terrible watching. If you want to see a film that's entertaining, watch something else. It had me scratching my head throughout wondering when something would happen and what the point of it all was.
Perhaps if you're a movie buff and you watch film for the 'art', then you might find something to appreciate here. But looking at all these glowing reviews... It's akin to a group of people in a museum crowded around a painting which is nothing but a blank canvas with a spec of paint on it.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Great fun and very rewatchable
Though it was difficult to follow the plot at times, it didn't really matter because that wasnt the point. It's a light-hearted take on a spy action movie and shouldn't be taken seriously, you'll be happy to just be along for the ride. It's all about the interactions between the characters and the style it was filmed. And there was style in abundance with great music, locations and over-the-top action sequences. There's also great chemistry and banter between the characters, you can't help but have a smile throughout the film. It's an easy watch without any negative points that I can think of.
The Village (2004)
One of my all time favourites
This is one of those films that keeps you guessing, you think you have things figured out until there's another surprise around the corner. It's well written, and feels like stepping back in time with a very believable atmosphere. The cast is fantastic and they play their roles well, every character is likeable which makes you emotionally invested in them from the outset. It's creepy at times, but it doesn't have cheap jump scares, it's more the fear of the unknown. Like the feeling you get looking into a dark forest. It could've gone in many different directions, but the director did well to stay grounded in reality without any ridiculous fantasy elements or plot holes. I'm very happy with the way it ended, everything comes together nicely and just makes sense.