Kore-eda is one of the few filmmakers on earth whom I still actually admire. He sticks to truthful things and avoids the koolaid. That is a big achievement because it respects the audience. He prev. directed Nobody Knows, After Life, and Still Walking.
FRANCES (1982) [8.5/10], a biopic on the life of 1930s-1940s actress Frances Famer, is a harrowing story of a woman who was destroyed by nonconformity, alcoholism, drug abuse, an overbearing mother, a weak-willed father, the Hollywood studio system, unfaithful lovers, and a sometimes refusal to act in her own best interest. It ends on a note of both resignation and despair. John Barry's score is sparse, and the end credits' cue is heartbreaking.
Thoroughly enjoyed Ben Affleck's movie about a C.I.A. operative who has to smuggle six american embassy employees out of Iran. I loved how they didn't go over the top with the fake sci-fi movie cover that's used to get them out, and the sights, locations, etc. looks all very convincing. There are some ticking timebomb setups along the way to make things more tense, I'm sure the movie does exaggerate these monents, however they only add to the feelings those 6 Americans must have had after spending 80 days in the Canadian Embassy fearing for their life. All in all good based on a true storytelling.
Thoroughly enjoyed Ben Affleck's movie about a C.I.A. operative who has to smuggle six american embassy employees out of Iran. I loved how they didn't go over the top with the fake sci-fi movie cover that's used to get them out, and the sights, locations, etc. looks all very convincing. There are some ticking timebomb setups along the way to make things more tense, I'm sure the movie does exaggerate these monents, however they only add to the feelings those 6 Americans must have had after spending 80 days in the Canadian Embassy fearing for their life. All in all good based on a true storytelling.
And I had no problem with it winning Best Picture for last year, though my actual pick was Zero Dark Thirty.
This movie was simply a pure joy to watch. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. That's all I'll say...except also...I recommend you all watch it if you haven't! You've never seen anything like it. Even now, just typing this up, I'm smiling thinking about the movie.
Deputy - as much as I trust your opinion, I've read too many reviews of how flat this movie was to bother renting it. Maybe if you give me a bit more detail in your review.
I've mostly heard nothing but good things about Warm Bodies, including from a close friend whom I know is utterly sick of zombie movies. I currently have it on my Netflix queue to check it out.
Finally saw the movie (haven't seen the original) and enjoyed it very much; Noomi Rapace is brilliant in it opposite Rachel McAdams and the movie has all the De Palma trademarks; Great and clever visual thriller and the marketing/PR firm workplace is a great setting for tension. Lots of shame replacing moments as McAdams tortures her employees.
The atmosphere is great, with the film noire lighting and the dream sequences that put you off guard and a great murder mystery. Donaggio's score really gets to amp things up and the long camerashot before Rapace's character has a meltdown in the parking garage is gorgeous and brilliantly scored (as is the rest of the movie). Pleasantly surprised.
The Purge (2013) 7/10
I have to admit that even though these type of movies (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, Dark Skies, ...) all follow the same formula, they do make for entertaining and well produced movies. When the trailer of "The Purge" first hit, people couldn't believe that a white family would let a black man, calling out for help during 'the purge', in their house. The purge is a yearly 12 hour event that allows people to purge their hate and resentment by allowing them to go on a killing and murder spree. Those who do not participate, lock themselves in their well secured homes. The kid who lets in the black man seems to be the only family member who questions the violent event and takes pity on the wounded homeless guy.
The premise of the movie didn't look as original, but the execution is good, with the family getting upset at the dinner table over a penis reference, while all talk of dismemberment and violence seems to be going down like cherry pie. The morality play is interesting though I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out. The movie is tense and violent, but with the set of rules it creates it adds a new spin to the assault on precinct 13 setup. For me better than Dark Skies. The score sounded ok but I need to hear the album to see if it holds up outside of the movie.
Game of Thrones, Season 3 (2013) created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss -- Very watchable television!
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Unrated Cut) (2013) dir. Tommy Wirkola -- Pretty disappointing. Neither good enough to be not bad, nor bad enough to be good, it's occasionally cute but mostly not. Also, for witch hunters renowned across the land for killing oodles of witches, these two sure are incompetent. Also, this is yet another of those movies in which the casting director has made the mistake of casting people with lots of sexual chemistry as family (see also: the father and daughter in Defiance). And speaking of questionable casting, how did two young children of more-or-less the same age grow up into 42-year-old Renner and 27-year-old Arterton? Was one of them cursed with some kind of age spell at some point? Also, so good to see we're still playing the tropes that good=beautiful and bad=ugly.
Snitch (2013) dir. Ric Roman Waugh -- Don't have much to say about this one. Pretty enjoyable, pretty forgettable. Sometimes strains the credibility of its based-on-a-true-story claim.
Black Books: Series One (2000) created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan -- Often hilarious British sitcom.
Ripper Street: Series One (2012) created by Richard Warlow -- Enjoyed this much more than I expected too. Enjoyed it very very much indeed. Really like Jerome Flynn especially.
The Newsroom: Season One (2012) created by Aaron Sorkin -- Very enjoyable, except way too much of the relationship silliness in the second half of the season. Also, way too much Liberal back-patting, and I say that as one who's socially very liberal indeed. Daniels plays a progressive Republican who's upset at the direction his party's been taking, but . . . well, I hear Sorkin's hired conservative consultants for the second season and I really hope he uses them, because good lord does this show come on strong.
Man of Steel (2013) dir. Zack Snyder -- About an hour too long, often quite stupid, and utterly bereft of everything that makes Superman Superman. Aside from all that, it's almost halfway watchable. I've heard a lot of complaining about Abrams' Star Trek, about how it's not true Trek, about how it completely misses the point. Well, all of that times 1000 regarding this Superman. What an immense disappointment. What a waste.
Well, the book it ain't but that doesn't make this necessarily a bad film, far from it actually. This movie is much better than it really has any right to be.
WWZ had a troubled production from the get go, including everything from host of different writers, with Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster not seeing eye to eye, and even having to do re-shoots after initial production wrapped. Even so the final result is an energetic and at times very suspenseful and well thought out film in what has become a tired genre, the zombie apocalypse flick.
The filmmakers eschew the books interview documentary style but instead focuses on Brad Pitts character Gerry. When the apocalypse starts(very, very rapidly I might add) in his hometown city of Philly while in downtown traffic with his family, Gerry barely escapes with his life in a series of tension filled scenes and makes it on board a UN naval vessel which becomes the HQ for the theatre of operations. He is then asked by his Assist. Sec of the UN friend to investigate what started it all in an effort to begin a hunt for a cure. This forces him to leave his family on board a vessel that really doesn't want refugees to begin with. Thus begins his word wide tour if you will of a ravaged planet covered in fast moving, synchronized hungry zombies. Several characters are introduced and then get offed in various ways that keeps the audience off balanced and unsettled.
The filmmakers do several things really well, most importantly the international sense of scale and scope of the zombie plague. By shooting on location in places such as Israel it goes give it a realistic flair and feeling, other than having to consistently rely only on faux news broadcasts and media video. Also, there is very little in the way of gore here. Yes, the film is violent but the blood and amount of head splattering is kept to a bare minimum if at all, thus the PG-13 rating. The action scenes are well orchestrated and the effects are very well done. The entire cast is good and so is Marco Beltrami's score as heard in the film. It is a very dramatic and exciting score, one that I will likely snag.
If you can stomach yet another zombie film and if you are OK with how much they diverge for the source material, this one would do you well. It's fast paced, smartly written and well executed. A surprising job well done given it's history.
As someone who has grown tired of zombies in recent years, I found this to be a gripping, entertaining and completely satisfying zombie movie. It breathes new life into a stale genre and paints a picture of apocalyptic terror that George Romero wishes his movies could achieve. Officially raises the bar for the zombie genre.
For all of those proclaiming World War Z to be a rejuvenation of the zombie genre -- I'm sure you're right but haven't seen the film yet -- check out Warm Bodies for a completely different type of zombie film, but one that I would bet similarly refreshes the genre to a supremely satisfying end. I would guess that anyone enjoying the fresh interpretation of zombies in WWZ would find a lot to like in WB, despite their differences.
Warm Bodies is a zombie movie unlike any I've ever seen, just as World War Z seems to be, for totally different reasons! I highly recommend.
And Beltrami did the score for both! Word. Two also fantastically dissimilar yet kickass interpretations of zombie culture, only this time musically so.
For all of those proclaiming World War Z to be a rejuvenation of the zombie genre -- I'm sure you're right but haven't seen the film yet -- check out Warm Bodies for a completely different type of zombie film, but one that I would bet similarly refreshes the genre to a supremely satisfying end. I would guess that anyone enjoying the fresh interpretation of zombies in WWZ would find a lot to like in WB, despite their differences.
Warm Bodies is a zombie movie unlike any I've ever seen, just as World War Z seems to be, for totally different reasons! I highly recommend.
And Beltrami did the score for both! Word. Two also fantastically dissimilar yet kickass interpretations of zombie culture, only this time musically so.
Warm Bodies certainly was refreshing and a lot of fun.
For all of those proclaiming World War Z to be a rejuvenation of the zombie genre -- I'm sure you're right but haven't seen the film yet -- check out Warm Bodies for a completely different type of zombie film, but one that I would bet similarly refreshes the genre to a supremely satisfying end. I would guess that anyone enjoying the fresh interpretation of zombies in WWZ would find a lot to like in WB, despite their differences.
Warm Bodies is a zombie movie unlike any I've ever seen, just as World War Z seems to be, for totally different reasons! I highly recommend.
And Beltrami did the score for both! Word. Two also fantastically dissimilar yet kickass interpretations of zombie culture, only this time musically so.
I found it too be a very clever and charming take on the zombie genre. Funny, light and romantic. However, it actually has more blood and gore shown in it that WWZ does if you think about it!
