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Canyoneer
Reviews
Bottle Rocket (1996)
Not unless you have absolutely nothing else to do
Recently I watch Moonrise Kingdom and found it to be fantastic bit of cinema! I liked it so much that I decided to see where Wes Anderson was coming from. I watched this movie....and kept waiting for something to happen. And kept waiting, and waiting. At one point I was so sick of the movie just seemingly building up for something to happen in the plot that I was about to throw in the towel. If you do choose to watch I guess you can see if it happens about the same time. 42 min into this I had all of the "build up" I could take. But, I forced myself through it....hoping something great would come of it. I didn't. It is virtually plot less. Also, in Moonrise Kingdom some of the camera angles, panning, etc are...a bit edgy but really work well! This movie seems to be Wes Anderson's first time playing with a new toy and these are actually distracting instead of artful. Too bad. Not worth your time
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Fantastic Cinema Art
I love this movie. So cleverly made and written so well. It seems so difficult to get kids to act their parts well but it was done here. The camera angles and scene selections are great. So many interesting details happening in the background. It is definitely quirky and will go down as a movie similar to Nacho Libre, but with much more cinematic art in the mix. A must see, particularly for movie buffs interested in seeing how the little details in a movie add up to equal greatness. I can certainly see this being used as an example in film class. But don't shy away from it if you aren't into that part.....it is a well made movie and just plain enjoyable to watch.
180° South (2010)
Interesting, but a bit preachy
I enjoyed it and thought it to be well made. Interesting editing and beautiful areas. Made in the format of a documentary. I watched this thinking that it was a movie about a climbing/surfing trip when in fact it is a flick about conservation, industrial intrusion into the wild areas of Patagonia, and oh yea....a small bit of climbing thrown in too. One or two surfing shots too. I think it could have been billed differently to be accurate. A film about environmental conservation with some surfing shots thrown in every now and then and an unexpected sailing trip. A bit short on the adventure side and more heavy on the moral message. Still interesting in its own way.
Nordfor sola (2012)
Enjoyable to watch
I saw this at a Banff World Tour showing and it is really a fun movie to watch. So well made for a couple of young guys, clearly on a small budget, with a crazy surfing idea north of the Arctic Circle. Don't expect a modern version of Bruce Brown's classic Endless Summer. While it does share some similar elements with the former, this does not have a great deal of surfing in it. It is more about the journey than the goal. One of the messages in this film is environmental conservation, but the message is expertly delivered without the viewer even knowing the moral to the story until it is pleasantly obvious. Instead of the usual "pejorative application of guilt" that usually comes from films with an environmental theme, these two just go about showing something they did via this entertaining film and leave the message implied. A film about die hard surfers that brave the elements and do something they believe to be good while there. The two stars are the only characters with anything beyond a cameo and their sincerity takes the place of what would be character development in a fictional tale. If you enjoy up and coming cinematography then it is a don't miss. And, if you just want to watch a pleasant film that will leave a smile on your face then it is perfect for that too.
World War Z (2013)
Cliché Zombie
I was expecting something unique and different that the same-o same-o Z flick. It is as if the movie was a set up for a second movie and THAT movie would be the one that I was expecting. This one was just a cliché, remake of most every Zombie movie made.......except Zombie Land which had comedy and is worth watching.
And, Zombie-ism aside, anyone that has studied science beyond the 7th grade will be baffled by most of the outcomes, plot, and decisions; biological, physical, and militarily too. I'll spare the details of these as they would be spoilers but you will see them march across the screen left and right. I look for actual plausibility in a sci-fi action flick....like Jurassic Park or the original War of the Worlds. This is miles from that. Even in the fore-mentioned Zombie Land, which I would classify in a different genre; if one could get over the Zombie-ism...it was plausible. This movie was more Brad Pitt being sought out as the only man on earth that could do any deductive reasoning and then was able to somehow make the conclusion that (and this is a metaphor) that 4+8=26. Sorry, but you will have to watch the show to see what I mean by that metaphor but his and the movie's conclusion follows that line of logic.
Cool It (2010)
Will make you reconsider your paradigm
Great documentary! It will make likely make you reconsider some of your established beliefs for the topic. Science based but still entertaining (as far as documentaries go). Those who believe that global warming is a myth will reconsider their paradigm and the believers that are praying for a local windmill farm might reconsider that stance. It also tells the story of how Lomborg was booted from the scientific community for political reasons and then returned to his position when an independent review/investigation found that his work is indeed fact based.Inspired me to get his first book "Skeptical Environmentalist". It is too bad that this topic is so divided and emotional as it will prevent many from viewing. I recommend watching no matter what your current paradigm.
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Spectacular
A masterpiece film. Seemingly simultaneous portrayal of first and third person views of one person's accidental wilderness schooling. It is far from an accurate film version of the book, but an excellent film it is. It will move you. It is the only film I have ever seen that can somehow show the feeling one gets from wilderness solace. Carroll Ballard is so good at selecting the scenes and how to tell a story. The movie is not filled with dialog which would seem to me to be an obstacle to telling a story, but Carroll Ballard uses it as a tool. An example is a scene with light bulbs on a crate and the main character in the background. The focus is on the bulbs, but the real story is the character behind them. Very well done. I do not care for "group hug" movies and usually detest a director's attempt to "teach me a lesson" about life or to try to bring about emotion. This movie will inspire but does so without a good guy/bad guy plot, hero/heroin, shock scenes, eye candy getting rescued, or even a complicated plot, etc. Great acting and directing. Just a very well made movie that doesn't have to use the typical shock value, tear jerking, "tricks of the trade" so many other filmmakers have to rely on.