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HBaldursson
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Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Dull action movie - completely misses what makes Star Wars great
I don't often write reviews here, but now that force has been awakened, and not by a good indicator.
I've loved Star Wars since kid years, 7 years old when the first Star Wars came out, and continued loving them even though Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones weren't that good, and once, while working a mindless job for a whole summer, listened to approximately 100 SW audiobooks.
I loved The Forced Awakens, that rekindled the spirit of the originals, asking questions and wondering about the world, developing new characters, giving them surprising dimensions, and it was fun, so much fun. Rogue One was also a great success, even though it was much darker than other entries.
The Last Jedi reminds me on The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, in that it's a technical marvel, with great music, but the rest is just poor.
Back is the silly creature humour comparable to dozens of Jar Jar Binks, lost is any sense of character development, lost is any sense of mystery.
All questions the fans asked after The Force Awakens get an answer, and it's pretty much always the same answer: "Who cares?"
There was a moment I enjoyed, which promised something new and fresh, but it fell quickly back into safe territory, and the promise of great potential just limped away.
The plot is surprisingly bad. The rebels are escaping the First Order, and since they can be tracked through light speed, they have six hours to get away to somewhere before running out of gas and being utterly destroyed. Subplots do nothing to further the plot, or deepen characters.
So, character development doesn't happen, the lively cast from The Force Awakens are turned into two dimensional cartoon characters. The plot is thin, and not worthy of the saga. There are layers upon layers of cool special effects and explosions, but that just doesn't work that well if the story hasn't been developed well enough.
I'm afraid that The Last Jedi has left me with the feeling of "Who cares?" and "So what?" - something that hasn't happened before, maybe it's just a sign of my own age, but maybe, and I suspect that's the case here, is that Disney and Lucasarts have made a huge miscalculation.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
One of my favorite comic book arcs made into a good movie
I disliked "Man of Steel", thought it was drawn out and rather boring. The story was not too interesting either. "Deadpool" was great. Other favorites are "Batman Begins", "Spider-Man 1 + 2", "Iron Man" and "The Avengers".
Entering "Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice", a title I thought was horrendous, (and still think it's very bad), and we get a story told extremely well. Little is explained, since we are expected to know enough about the characters at the beginning, and I like that. Much is shown, little is told.
Reviewers have complained about the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, but it is used as a great storytelling device that I did not see coming. There are not too many dream sequences, but those sequences were quite good.
Someone even complained about Batman using guns in this movie, probably not realizing that this only happened in his nightmare.
There have also been complains about the movie being like five different stories. I only saw one, and it was driven by the madness caused by the terrible "Man of Steel" and Lex Luther's devilish plot to bring down the alien.
The characters are well portrayed. It feels a lot like reading an excellent comic book. Even some scenes are touching, and others very exciting. I did not expect that after going into the movie knowing about a 29% Rotten Tomato score.
I had a great time, perhaps factors were low expectations due to critical reaction and the previous Man of Steel.
My final verdict: excellent story telling, fine acting and competent direction, an enjoyable movie to watch on the big screen.
Person of Interest: The Devil's Share (2013)
Fine storytelling
I have been watching "Person of Interest" with growing enthusiasm over the past few weeks, and then they made an awesome episode "Endgame" followed up by another episode just as brilliant "The Crossing", which are followed up by the CLASSIC "The Devil's Share".
This episode hits all the right notes, with music, action, drama, tragedy, blended into a sci-fi concept not too far from reality.
The series as a whole so far has some ups and downs, but these three episodes make the whole series a must see. The reviewed episode is on the level of quality we got from the Breaking Bad finale.
Trust me. Watch this show. See these three episodes.
Daredevil: Cut Man (2015)
An instant classic!
"Daredevil: Cut Man" is a brilliant episode, matching in quality and storytelling with the best "Breaking Bad" episodes, "Oldeuboi", "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".
We see Daredevil close to death after a failed rescue attempt. He is pulled out of a dumpster and healed by Claire, a health professional, who decides to save the legend she has heard rumors about, risking her own life in the process.
During healing, Matt Murdock has flashbacks of his childhood, setting up his origin, and what really makes him tick. We see his father portrayed as a tragic and noble figure.
And when Matt is finally able to rise from his fall, some of the most dramatic and awesome action sequences ever seen in a movie or TV follow.
It is impossible not to root for Daredevil after this episode. As part of the Marvel cinematic universe, it overshadows all the movies, and matches that brilliant episode in the first season of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" that ties in with "Winter Soldier".
This show leaves you emotionally exhausted, in a good way.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)
Pretty dull first few episodes and then it becomes great
I've watched many Josh Whedon shows and enjoyed most of them, especially Buffy, Angel and Firefly. I can happily state that "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." carries on the Whedon torch.
The first nine episodes are a hit and miss, seem uncertain in their purpose, the characters feel one-dimensional, and nothing really engaging happens. Then something happens by episode 10, the characters get deeper and the story becomes more engaging."
And then it finally happens. Episode 17: "Turn, turn, turn" changes everything. That episode is a tie in to "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", and while I really enjoyed that movie, I absolutely loved this episode. This single episode is just as good as "The Avengers" movie, and in my opinion, better than any of the other Marvel movies. It pulls a real punch. After that, there is no turning back, and the show is able to keep the momentum going until the very end of episode 22, which has a classic scene at the bottom of the sea, a rare nasty kill by the main villain, and some Nick Fury action.
I enjoyed the addition of Bill Pullman, Saffron Burrows, and Samuel L. Jackson to the show, and by the day's end am satisfied with the recurring staff - both the heroes who stick to their guns and the villains who just follow orders.
My advise: Don't quit this show even though you may find it a dull start. Give it a try until episode 17 and then you will not be able to let go.
Enjoy it.
Jeon Woochi (2009)
A pleasant surprise
I caught this movie on Netflix. Had never heard about it before, and was pleasantly surprised. The characters are deep, the dialogue is fun, the action is fantastic, the story great, and the special effects OK. Most impressive of all was the solid acting, especially during the final fight sequence. Lovely stuff.
This movie brings me back in time, into a dark movie theater, at the very end of 'The Matrix', back in 1999. It had such a promising ending, and then they announced sequels that turned out to be poor.
Even though 'Woochi' is not a sequel to 'The Matrix', it feels like a movie that successfully went where those sequels didn't go.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy fantasy, action, and a bit of time travel.
Minotaur (2006)
Surprisingly entertaining
The movie attempts to tell "a" true story of what inspired the ancient myth of Theseus and the minotaur. This version isn't bad at all.
Strengths go to story, acting and directing. Obviously, this movie is made with an abysmal budget, but Tom Hardy is able to keep it floating above average, along with Rutger Hauer and some other decent actors. The story is logical enough, and the conclusion smarter than expected.
The special effects are poor. They take you constantly out of the movie, and the acting is a bit inconsistent. While the prisoners running for survival in the labyrinth are quite good, Tony Todd hams it up overacting as a high priest, still entertaining though.
I expected nothing when starting the movie, and got nothing meaningful out of it, except for a little thrill by watching a CGI monster chase hapless victims, who fortunately fight back to give us a good show.
I have seen much worse movies with fancier and more expensive special effects.
The Chase (1966)
A hidden treasure
I had never heard about The Chase. Rented it from the local library, since it starred Marlon Brando and Robert Redford. Just watched it this morning. It blew me away. Without a doubt it is the best movie I have seen in 2009, and one of the movies to remember.
It does have some problems with editing and music at the outset and feels oddly paced in the first half hour, but when it finds its tone and picks up the pace, it's a true roller coaster ride of emotions.
The characters are archetypes, and the story aims more for dramatic effect than realism.
Brando is fine as the honest Sheriff, and Dickinson puts in excellent performance as his supportive wife. Redford is the outlaw on the run as an escape convict, even though he seems to be one of the most decent people around. Jane Fonda is his wife, who has fallen in love with the town's prince, played by James Fox who is on his own parallel escape from his father's (E.G. Marshall) money and materialism. Robert Duvall also gives a nice little supporting performance.
The villain is mob behavior, corruption, and a society that looks for pure pleasure instead of some sense and meaning. Honest and decent people are on the run from society's destructive tendencies, and the only one to protect the innocence of society is a single Sheriff, who does everything in his power to protect the law that nobody respects but himself.
Perhaps I am giving The Chase such a high rating partly because I had never heard about it before, and was completely blown away. It contains a lot of complex characters, and feels in the opening more like a play than a movie, but if you give it a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.
I think it should belong to the Western genre, even though it takes place in the 60's. It got guys in cowboy hats, an outlaw, a sheriff, a rich man that is taking over everything, some romance, bystanders that aren't very innocent, and a wild bunch that happens to hide within a very disturbed society.
Highly recommended.
Broken Circle (2006)
Excellent directing and acting
Broken Circle takes place in an apartment of a former priest, Mitchell Stevens (Michael Badalucco), who still goes on supporting the less fortunate ones. He is called upon to give shelter to a Spanish speaking woman, Perla Rosarez (Delilah Cotto) that has been beaten up by her husband.
Mitchell is on a path to improve his life, and is struggling hard for that change to take place. He finds a great opportunity for redemption by taking in that young woman and helping her to solve her problems; to not only break his own vicious circles that he needs to get out of, but to break her circle as well.
This movie is about the effort it takes in order to change ones own life and habits, and what happens if you decide to change the lives of others with your own purpose in mind.
If you struggle with changing your own life for the better, are you still capable of helping others to improve upon theirs? Part of the movie is in Spanish (without subtitles), but that didn't bother me, since my Spanish and English are equally fluent. The quality of the Spanish dialog is equal to that one of the English one. This is actually an interesting director's choice, to not translate the Spanish into English, in order to make the comprehension of the context easier on the audience.
Well, I love this short movie, and can't wait for the next project to be made by the writer/director Aaron Sawyer.