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Iliketea007
Reviews
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Is this what you call war???
They were not kidding when they said this was a Captain America movie. Aside from the occasional pompous Tony Stark stealing the spotlight, every actor in this film had minimal screen time. Those that had descent amount of time in front of the camera where quite forgettable. This is one of the biggest downfalls of the franchise thus far. It might just be too much of a challenge to keep track of that many story lines and characters and there is also no denying how shallow the actual script in this film is. Not to mention the franchise has failed to really bring a memorable villain to this universe. The villain here, without going into too much details and spoilers, is some self righteous victim of the Avengers deadly carelessness out for revenge...really?
As far as the actual story line it is as predictable as any other Marvel films in the past. I would find it surprising if anybody who watched the film saw something they weren't already anticipating. The "plot twists" were more like plot reroutes and were nothing unexpected. I was also yearning for a lot more depth in the dialouge and interactions between the characters, yet I was sorely disappointed when they chose to go with the long tedious action sequences instead. You would assume that the highlights of the film were the already mentioned confrontations between these super heroes yet, they leave a lot to be desired. At a certain point it almost becomes pointless to see these heroes relentlessly pounding on each other without any real consequences. We get they're nearly immortal with all of their abilities but at some point during the film you will feel guilty for demanding some actual blood to be shed. I almost feel that the main audience of the film were children and non comic book fans. Not that this is bad in any way but their material was not as transcendent as Guardians of the Galaxy, for example.
My biggest problem with the film was with the one dimensional characters scattered throughout the two hours. None of whom really grasped my attention. We all knew what each characters motives were which pretty much took out all of the intrigue. We live in a time where we demand "gray characters", in a manner of speaking. We want flawed characters that seem more human....characters that we can truly relate too. A warning for you movie "critics", do no expect that from this film.
Having said all that the film was descent and was watchable. There are moments when the film went with very realistic and mature themes such as, weather who should regulate the activities of such powerful beings....which was something to really ponder. There were also elements of the film that were intriguing such as the mass casualties of the Avengers excursions. Ultimately, however, the film fails to really make us believe there is an actual war going on between the Avengers. In the end it will seem like a minor disagreement which they will all scrapbook about and laugh of over a plate of shwarma. Perhaps I just had really high expectations which lead to my unpleasant disappointment. Or perhaps the standard for comic book films is lower than any other type of film. Whatever the case may be, the film is worth the viewing even with all of it's flaws.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
If only....
If you absolutely adored Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Django, as I did, then you will most likely feel conflicted about this film. Tarantino films have shaped pop culture for about twenty years now and this film does him no justice. In terms of the dialouge and interactions between characters, it is just exquisite. The characters seem to naturally coexist with one another in Tarantino's film. The conversations and tension between the characters seems to work on every level. They all somehow seem to know each by word of mouth in this tight knit universe that Tarantino has created. This is the strongest characteristic of Tarantino's film. However, this is the only good thing I could say about this chaotic mess of a film. There is this enormous build up throughout the film that ultimately leaves you with such a sour taste. The film is over three hours long for no apparent reason. The plot is thick enough to sustain it for that long, however, about half way through the film it all just unravels and becomes routine. As with every Tarantino film, heads eventually start rolling like bowling balls. You would think this is the most satisfying part of the film, right? Wrong. Every kill leaves you feeling kind of empty, unlike Django where the last part of the film is a phenomenal blood bath done in good taste. I LOVE the Tarantino's Gore fest just as much as the next guy but this film just dragged on for far to long. One of the main reasons I loved Reservoir Dogs was how snappy the film was. It moved along at a great pace and never apologized for it. I desperately wanted this film to be so much more but it just fell short of the high standard I hold Tarantino to. I had anxiously awaited to see Tim Roth and Tarantino work together again but it was just not what I expected unfortunately. This film is probably a seven as a stand alone feature...but considering it was the masterful Tarantino who directed it I feel compelled to compare it along side his other wonderfully crafted films...and...unfortunately it fall's well short.
American Hustle (2013)
No cape necessary...
Can anyone possibly look half descent... and dare I say charming with a beer gut and a horrid toupee? The answer is yes, Christian Bale looks awkwardly dashing to say the least in this master piece from D. Russell. He somehow manages to over shadow Bradley Coopers fabulous curls with his "stunning" figure. By the end, however, you won't remember the dead animal on top of Bales hair line or his amazing dialogue or the beer keg Bale is carrying around under his shirt.. What will manage to stick with you will ultimately be the endearing way Christian carries himself. He is considered one of the greatest actors of this generation for good reason.
Any who, enough of putting Bale up on pedestal all by himself. Lawrence is just a remarkable actress as we have come to realize. She has fit into any role she has set her mind to. We are beginning to witness the young actress become a household name. As for Cooper , it was only a matter of time that he finally acquired a script worthy of his acting skills. Major "kudos" to Russell for bringing together a cast worthy of being deemed the "dream team" of Hollywood. If you love Drama and great actors with a ton of witty catch phrases to spew out through the course of a film you will love American Hustle. De Niro only appears in the film for a few minutes yet you can't help but feel nostalgic seeing the legend still rocking the big screen. It was a phenomenal film and a great thrill ride, you will hold your breath until your lungs beg for a bit of oxygen. I would recommend this film to anyone and the Oscar buzz is well deserved in my humble opinion...
Primer (2004)
Lavishly Written and Directed
Time traveling has always captivated audiences since......well, the beginning of time. This film feeds on that godly desire to travel throughout a lifetime. "Primer" is truly a hidden gem which, for some reason, people tend to kick dirt at for being vague and a bit unclear. Yet it is this, in my opinion, that makes it a true a masterpiece. It is a film I have recently viewed over three times and have yet to be able to completely explain every event. That fact, however, does not discourage the most avid time traveling theorists such as myself. In a somewhat nerdy way this film has only managed to feed my creativity and imagination.
This film is layered and vague on purpose. It challenges your ability to theorize about something as complex as time travel and it's harmful affects. It challenges you to imagine the moral implications as well as the physical limitations time traveling imposes on us mortal beings. It is also fascinating to see two mediocre characters who have the knowledge to travel throughout time and yet allow things such as greed and ambition to deter them from continuing to explore such a vivid reality. It is a film that will manage to captivate you every time you watch it and manage to keep you speculating about what it really is like to time travel in a realistic setting.
The Art of Getting By (2011)
"Flunk"
I will spare you all the painfully long reviews and give you a small and informative one that shall give you just a glimpse and not completely spoil it for you. In an era where re-makes and half a billion dollar films plague the film industry you have films like these that seem to slip by.
The story-line revolves around a senior who seems distraught with the fact he shall one day perish alone. His perspective shifts throughout the film as Sally (his out-going lover) and his "artistic mentor" Dustin enter his life. At some point financial troubles and inspiration motivate him enough to apply himself in school and ultimately change his whole perspective on life. The film takes quiet a bit to actually grasp you attention which is a shame considering it's descent, yet most will not watch beyond the first 20 minutes of the film due to it's lack of charisma or charm if you will. Everyone who has experienced love or heart break will become so nostalgic towards the end of the film as it presents the viewer with some of the most common issues in life and succeeds for the most part. I found myself liking the film, not quiet the film I was expecting yet descent enough to receive a favorable review.
Another Earth (2011)
"Maybe the most mysterious of all is neither the small nor the large: it's us, up close."
The concept behind the film is quite simple, a replication of earth has been discovered and is now beginning to become the attention of the world wide population. Yet the film goes into a story of redemption with a character who's conscious has haunted her for a reckless mistake committed in the past.
You will notice from the start the film has no grand ambitions when it comes to visual affects. I admire this first-hand considering films nowadays acquire budgets of millions and even hundreds of millions of dollars and some how dumb down your imagination to a mere vulgar expression of the directors awful perspectives. Instead this film captures your attention and gives your imagination the ability to wonder most of the film which is quite a change of pace in today's film industry. The film never completely explains the theories behind what would happen when the two earths would interact yet this is where your imagination is left to run wild. The ending will also give you some time to speculate on what exactly occurs with the main character.
I won't go into any details concerning the story due to the fact I hope the viewer can savor every detail of this film, yet I will say it is intriguing for the most part. This film is everything an expensive Hollywood blockbuster is not, insightful, creative, unique and fresh.
District 9 (2009)
Mediocre
Well another film that had much advertisement and just did not deliver. First off the acting was very good and so was the directing, but other than that not much that can be recognizable. When I began to see commercials for this I began to believe it would be a sort of sci-fi documentary, but my was I wrong. One of the biggest issues that I had with this film is that it only surrounds around one character. I believe that they could have centralized the film on ethnic issues or political issues. I believe they could have expanded on the problems that the communities around district 9 were having. At the beginning it seemed like that was going to be the main topic with this film unfortunately it was taken in a whole different direction. So much is going on surrounding the events of district 9 yet they only demonstrate the effects of one character in the whole film. The film becomes very cliché towards the end, they added slow motion to shooting scenes and just ruined the tempo they had created for this film, and of course they had that last heroic event which saved the day. Up until the end they had done a nice job, they hadn't brought any real villains in the film most of the reactions the characters had in the film were just basic survival instincts which made the film a bit more realistic. The characters emotions and attitude did not ad up with his actions, one minute he's destroying the alien race, the next he's saving it just did not make sense. The film is enjoyable but not great I believe the story crumbled towards the end and just did not deliver.