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benjameshodges
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Yesterday (2019)
Fails to live up to interesting concept
This movie had such an interesting premise and so much potential. It starts well but quickly becomes one note before the halfway point. I thought it would go in the direction of the songs not landing with modern audiences. Or the legend of the music being more about the band. Or even, the main characters falling into the same trap that befall The Beatles. But no, the music transcends age and genre according to the film. Its an overly congratulating love letter to the fab four. Deservedly so in some ways. But boring in others. The main character does well, but Lily James is super annoying. Anytime she says that she doesn't want to see him again, she then shows up in his life over and over and over. Its incredibly fake and low stakes drama that was not helped by her grating personality. And the film comparing Ed Sheeran's dull songwriting to the level of The Beatles was insanely insulting. His career wouldn't exist without their influence, yet that is never explored.
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Overstuffed and underbaked
Good set up with plenty of potential. But none of the more interesting plot threads materialise. Instead, it joins a growing list of recent movies that seemingly serve no purpose or meaning and leave you very unsatisfied.
First Man (2018)
A Slog to Get Through and Not Worth a Second Viewing
First Man is a challenge to watch. Most action scenes take a claustrophobic and nausea inducing style that never relents. Interspersed with long quiet stares. Ryan Gosling plays a character similar to Drive and The Notebrook where he stares each other character into discomfort. It portrays missions accurately but then also adds in cinematic cliches like Neil seeing his dead daughter in places, which would've never happened. And the scene where he dropped his kids bracelet into the sea of tranquillity is pure Hollywood. A real juxtaposition with what the rest of the film is trying to achieve. It's a rather dull slog to the inevitable payoff which was all too brief. Without musical scenes, the Director is out of his depth in maintaining viewer attention for a biopic. It's a film to watch once just to say you be watched it but it won't stand the test of time.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009)
Poor form, Rockstar
Badly written. Bad design.
Now onto a personal thing. I completed the game with my stats saying that I did not get wasted, busted or fail a mission. After a long hiatus, I picked up the game and started playing free roam. I began a rampage mission and due to my unfamiliarity to the controls from a long time without playing, I died. Now, when I used to die on missions I immediately turn off the DS and restart it so that my stats stay zero. But this time when I rebooted the DS, I was in a different location to my last save. I checked my stats and it said wasted = 1. How is that possible when I disabled auto-save (the worst video game invention) when I started the game and haven't touched it since. Checked the settings and there it is; Auto-save = on. Not sure how that happened, maybe a bug, an update, Nintendo generally being shite.
But no problem, I'll just load up my older save...where is it? Oh yeah the auto-save that I turned off had over-written the HARD save that I had made in a safehouse. So from completing the entire game with my stats staying clean, a stupid rampage mission death had ruined the whole game. Won't ever pick it up and play it again.
Bad, bad, bad design. A complete miss-step, Rockstar. Get rid of auto-save and statistics for how many times we die. Who wants to know that?
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises. The Hero Returns.
'The Dark Knight Rises' concludes the Bale/Nolan Batman trilogy. The movie definitely delivers entertainment but does not live up to the strong narrative of the predecessors in the series.
The opening involves introducing new villains and characters to the series whilst keeping the audience anticipating the unveiling of the title character for at least half an hour. One of the most exciting aspects of the new Batman movie is Bane, the main villain. Originally a super smart, super strong villain introduced in the 90's Batman comics, Bane was boiled down to a mindless thug in subsequent Batman universes. Notably in Batman & Robin, he was portrayed by a wrestler. It was reassuring to see the Bane character return to his comic roots in Nolan's universe and played by savvy hardman Tom Hardy. His introduction displays his ruthlessness and strength but unfortunately his speech, while understandable, is ridiculously loud compared to other characters. In fact, the movie will be given a negative for it's sound editing and production as music is often louder than the character's speech, which dissociates the narrative with the audience.
The other characters introduced for 'Rises' includes Catwoman, despite the name never being mentioned. Anne Hathaway portrays Selina Kyle as a seductive, cunning and flexible cat burglar with no intentions other than thievery and escape from Gotham. This makes her role pointless and unnecessary for the film's plot other than for the box office takings. Hathaway also seems unnatural and awkward in portraying the 'cat burglar' as a sexy woman that moves with fluidity in her catsuit. Michelle Pfeiffer still defines the Catwoman role in the big screen transition. Batman Animated Series also provided the character with motives such as animal conservation and charity, which enticed Bruce Wayne/Batman to fall in love with Catwoman, which is absent from Nolan's film.
The Batman universe has been given new characters to explore, Miranda Tate and John Blake, which are later revealed as more significant additions. Old favourites Lucius, Gordon and Alfred return to provide Batman with a reason to fight and come out of retirement.
Bruce Wayne is depicted as weak and frail to begin with but as soon as he is suited in the familiar black cowl and cape, the audience is reminded what film they paid to see. This exposition is slow so that the Batman's 8 year hiatus is conveyed but does not provide entertainment. Also, romantic links between Bale's Bruce and others seems out of place.
The special effects involved with the destruction and taking over of Gotham by Blackgate prisoners led by Bane are impressive. The bridges collapsing and the earthquake machine's crumbling of a football stadium are the obvious highlights. As is the inclusion of the infamous Batwing.
However, there are signs of suspended belief, despite Nolan's ambition, which interrupt the immersion. Things such as the bat signal being perfectly lit up by a fire trail, an arduous task, and 'secret bookcase' style rooms in Fox's lab challenging belief that huge rooms can be disguised in public buildings.
Also, this criticism can be associated to many movies nowadays, but the PG-13 target rating does spoil the movie's drama. Often characters are shot, the camera cuts away then are shown dead with no entry wounds or blood. The drama of these scenes are belittled by this corporate addition just so that 6 year olds or 3 month year olds can see it.
No spoilers are contained in this review but opinion is expressed for the ending, which unfortunately is a disappointing conclusion. The villains are good but do not live up to the gripping depiction of the Joker or Two-Face from The Dark Knight. Batman is good but his motives and determination seem unclear in this movie. The acting is good but Michael Caine's teary eyed performance of Alfred seems uncharacteristic and forced. Villains returning from Batman Begins offer a sense of the series going full circle but it highlights the strong narrative of the first film, which becomes convoluted in the final installment.
That's it though. The film is good. Not great. There are oversights but the action and special effects lift the score to an 8. There are dramatic scenes, beautiful sets and costumes but the narrative is what's important, which is drowned out by the Hans Zimmer score.
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Bad Western and a Bad Sci-Fi...What's Left?
With a name like 'Cowboys & Aliens', it would be understandable to think that this is a comedy with action and wit. However, this began as a serious western with hints of sci-fi elements with little back story, reason or intrigue.
Daniel Craig plays a cowboy with a convincing stance and accent but with no charm or reason to like him. However the script and plot is to blame as there is never a full explanation for the happenings or why the audience should care.
Olivia Wilde's character was never explained and often she became a pretty (permanent make-up even when wet) but annoying tag-along that seemed to want to prove herself among the acting giants of Craig and Ford.
The western side of the movie seemed like a caricature of the old west, seemingly parodying great films stars like Wayne and Eastwood with none of the charm. It also featured landscape a silhouette shots that were meant as an homage to the classics but were misplaced with the bland, uninteresting characters.
The sci-fi side was introduced later in the movie with no build-up or mystery. They just turned up in plain sight. Also, plot devices such as Craig's alien blasting bracelet was never investigated and how it managed to fit his arm with him being able to use his brain to control it was just plain dumb and lazy.
Harrison Ford offered the most character in the film with his steely determination and reserved but clear emotions that gave his character a reason to be there(unlike Wilde's).
Cowboy's and Aliens is ultimately a bad, expensive film that succeeds in neither genre that it tries to combine. It also includes many unnecessary shots of horses being brutally killed, which seemed out of place for a movie with such a daft title.
Shutter Island (2010)
A Potentially Great Mystery Spoilt by a Predictable Second Half
Opening with some rather amateur special effects to create a ferry trip was an unusually, off-putting experience, especially from the likes of Scorsese. But as 'Shutter Island' progressed, I was soon immersed into the mystery of the missing suspect.
Leonardo Dicaprio played an engrossing detective with an unbridled drive and determination that often clouded his judgement, but with the reluctance of Mark Ruffalo was kept sensible.
The first half never dragged as it introduced new and interesting characters that added to the curiosity of the island which was also helped with typically Gothic set design.
Unfortunately the second half became slow and confusing with an unambitious push towards the disappointing and predictable ending.
I would have preferred to watch the first half of the film, stopped it and left the ending as a mystery for my imagination.