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mariannealindsell
Reviews
For All Mankind (2019)
Coming to Terms with The Space Race
Having grown up in the shadow of the space race (but on the wrong side of the pond for that) I remember well how awe-inspring it was, even from 3000 miles away.
It evoked such strong emotions in so many ways. I have often wondered how the astronauts that went to the moon later coped with life back on Earth after such an all-consuming adventure.
Well, that is the best way I can explain this TV series. It is definitely not just a re-enactment of Project Apollo to show off polished CGI spacecraft. It is nothing less than a catharsis for the emotional roller coaster that was the space race. It fills that gaping emptiness caused by the curtailment of Apollo, when we were all forced to realise that the moonshots were actually about politics and not about increasing the stature of the human race after all.
It achieves this catharsis by introducing us to a range of personalities, and telling their story across an alternative timeline modified to keep going beyond Apollo 17 and on to Mars (and who knows where, if the series lasts long enough - Venus?).
I must be honest and say that it has its dull moments, especially in Season 2 (I am just over half way through that) but it also has many unexpectedly intense moments, both expected and unexpected.
It weaves its story around actual history, now varying away from it, and then coming back to touch it yet again.
Overall, I now feel like I have seen what might have been, but also what actually was, as if I lived among the NASA community in the 1960s and beyond.
As such, I feel like the series has met some latent emotional needs.
A big shout out to the lead actors, who I thought did an astonishing job with this.
But also a big shout out to the writers for weaving such a clever yarn.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Not Remotely Connected to Anything Quantum
Disappointing, I'm sorry to say.
I'm actually a big fan of the Ant-Man series; I like the first two, and I had hoped for better in this one.
First of all, the acting was fine, and Jonathan Majors was great choice for Kang.
The effects were also accomplished. Even the pace was good.
The title was the single worst thing about this film; "Quantumania" implies some delving into or exploration of quantum effects. I could discern no meaningful connection with quantum effects at all, unless you count the "probability storm", whatever that is.
The film refers to 'the quantum realm' as if it were a separate place from reality, which you could visit.
I did read a comic strip years ago about atoms being like miniature worlds, inhabited by militaristic aliens who somehow escaped into the macro world and caused mayhem. As a fantasy comic strip, that kind of worked, especially as much less was known about subatomic level physics in those days.
But the physical feel and production design of this film doesn't even feel like it has a connection with subatomic physics, - even a fantasy one.
It comes across more as a kind of fairyland, or (if I'm feeling generous) as belonging to a parallel spacetime continuum.
So, apart from introducing Kang the Conqueror, and the bit with the ants, the storyline is nonsense.
Also, I felt that the whole concept of being able to shrink or grow with the aid of technology was not used well.
Of course we all suspend disbelief when watching MCU movies, as we did with the original comic-strips, but one of the beauties of the MCU films is that they give these fantasies physical form, and make it seem almost as if they could exist in the real world.
This film treats the shrink/grow technology as a 'blink of the eye'/'click of the fingers' affair, more like the waving of a magic wand than the activation of a technology. It is the poorer for this.
I hope the Ant-man series runs to a 4th film, but also that it avoids these let-downs.
Most of all, please avoid the use of terms like 'Quantum' or 'Multiverse' unless you intend to show some actualisation or representation of the science concepts behind these terms.
And please may we have a sci-fi element to the story, rather than just some random, disconnected fantasy?
Qin yong (1989)
A clever fairytale to breathe life into a legendary discovery
Note: there are only a few spoilers. I have written this review with enough left unsaid.
This film is a bit of fun, really.
The discovery of the Terracotta figures was such a shock and a revelation, it practically begged for some amazing backstory (not that the simple truth wasn't already amazing enough).
So this film supposes alchemists in the time of the Emperor Qin develop a substance that allows a person to live forever.
When the emperor's chamberlain falls in love with one of the girls being sent on a mission for the Emperor, both are condemned. The girl, 'Snowy' risks her life to give the chamberlain the alchemists substance. He is then mummified as a terracotta warrior.
The terracotta warrior sleeps and awakens in a new age when a movie is being filmed. Is the movie extra his Snowy? Can there be more than one Snowy?
Overall, I thought the screenplay unique for a number of reasons:
1) It doesn't play out like most cliché time travel yarns;
2) The time spent initially in ancient China was longer than is typical for a time travel movie, and provided a significant pre-story;
3) Although there are a few light hearted anachronism, the film avoids overplaying this aspect;
4) Although some parts of the story were predictable, I genuinely couldn't anticipate a number of the directions the plot took;
I bought the DVD which had an English audio track. However the voice talent sounded so overtly American and didn't really fit tge movie. So I reverted to the Mandarin audio track with English subtitles. This offered much better dramatic effect.
The Great Wall (2016)
Vastly Underrated
For the life of me I don't understand how such a spectacular and enjoyable film could have a rating of only 5.9 on IMDB.
I just watched it again, having bought the blu-ray, and I noticed and appreciated a lot more this time.
Zhang Yimou excels with colour yet again, and the sheer scale of this film is breathtaking.
The alien monsters are based on a legend from ancient China, rather than simply invented for the script.
More than anything just watch this film for its grand spectacle rather than its plot, but there is still an adventure to enjoy too, as well as a large array of gorgeous production design..
This film is rooted in the weapons and paraphernalia of actual history, but has its head in the clouds of a legendary fantasy of aliens.
Well I admit I have become a Zhang Yimou fan, but this is one of my favourites.
The Sender (1998)
Underrated, but Entertaining and has some Interesting Aspects
I get that many reviewers dislike this film. It is a 'B' feature. It clearly didn't have the budget or the cast of Independence Day.
I do however find it quite entertaining, for the following reasons:
Yes, the character development is non-existent and the character-acting is poor. But this is not a character-driven movie.
The script relies way too heavily on a sort of demolition Derby chase, which would give The Dukes of Hazzard a run for their money and is no more realistic. But the chase is appropriate to the storyline.
The effects stand out to me. The 'ball lightning' is particularly well done, as are the aliens in their natural form. It should be borne in mind that the first appearance of the 'angel' is in a form intended to appeal to a little girl, and doesn't need to be credible to an adult.
Even the alien mothership is well done. The alien shuttle invisibility effect is good, as, surprisingly is its appearance on the ground.
The compositing/lighting leaves something to be desired when flying without invisibility however.
The Corsair fighters are the worst part of the FX, but they are only seen for a brief period.
Overall, I think the effects are surprisingly good.
The storyline recapitulates the idea of a human race that is too hostile and violent to appeal to an alien race. In 2023 with the war in Ukraine and violent riots in the USA and Brazil, and still more conflicts brewing, - that is sadly quite credible.
However, the story really revolves around the little girl and the alien's benevolent interest in her.
The gene theory at the root of this, though far-fetched, is not entirely unbelievable. I would rate it at a similar level to the spore drive of Star Trek Discovery.
So there you have it. Hardly a milestone in cinematic history, but with enough of an idea, and effects of sufficient quality to make it entertaining for those of us who enjoy a good alien visitation yarn.
Aquaman (2018)
A Pleasant Surprise that was Thoroughly Entertaining!
I really think the review scores of "1" here are not serious evaluations.
I bought this movie on Blu-ray when it came out, planning to watch it later, but then the pandemic must have driven it from my mind.
So I finally watched it in October 2022, but I didn't expect too much from it.
Was I ever surprised!
My abiding memory of it is that at about 40% of the way through I was thinking to myself that I had already derived as much enjoyment from it as I would expect from an entire film.
It is of course a comic-book movie, and you can't expect it to be actually believable. Jason Momoa is also not blond, as Aquaman was portrayed in the comic strips. But those are the only things I could score against it.
I think it was actually very well cast, and many of the characters gain credibility from a well thought casting.
The visual spectacle exceeded my expectations even for a modern film of the genre.
Apart from a couple of details, the plot line was not too predictable, and had many satisfying twists and turns.
Expecting something less than a Marvel film, I got something even better. I sincerely feel it is worth my 10/10 rating.
The Neptune Factor (1973)
Badly let down by fish tank FX, but otherwise enjoyable
An underwater laboratory is caught in a storm with a handful of researchers still onboard. This film was produced at a time when disaster stories were trending (e.g. Airport, The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake).
I saw it in the cinema as a teenager, and was thrilled, (curiously) not realising how the underwater fish FX were nothing more than film of a fish tank.
I was of course used to the disappointing state of the art of FX technology at the time, so my low expectations may explain my reaction.
The acting, the storyline, and the non-fish underwater FX, are fine however. I always enjoy watching Ernest Borgnine and Ben Gazzara.
So I tracked down the (rare) DVD and still enjoy it today, - but only if I prime myself to ignore the fishy FX.