Change Your Image
logosgnosis
Reviews
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
An interesting life
This is a film whose protagonist is a recently maligned historical figure, so clutch your pearls if you don't dare see history as it might've occurred to Columbus. For me, it was worth considering that the world isn't black and white, that we judge from a modern moral framework that did not (indeed, could not) exist in 1492, and that opinions on colonialism in the 21st century aside, Colombus was a moral man. Bringing Christianity to the New World was exactly what a moral person in 1492 would concern themselves with (whether that suits your sensibilities today is irrelevant) and the story accurately portrays that he intended to do so with compassion and humanity - which does make him a sympathetic figure relative to his contemporaries.
If you read his journals, the story is supposedly historically more-or-less accurate (I have not, only excerpts).
I'm pleased to gain a greater understanding of a truly remarkable life. He was a dreamer, a visionary; an ambitious, self-made man; a foreigner and immigrant his entire life, who reshaped history (but whose person should not be blamed for the arc of all that ensued due to his discovery).
Ridley Scott is a master, of course. The world is vivid and detailed. It's dated filmmaking, but I was never too conscious of it. The score is great. And I never thought Depardieu's accent detracted from the telling as some others have complained about.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
I laughed; I cried; are you not entertained?
It's a remarkable flick.
Cloud Atlas meets The Matrix meets The Fall meets Nietzsche meets existentialism.
A heady experience, fraught with the emptiness of being, punctuated often by absurdity, levity, playfulness, sorrow, compassion, and hope. You never get to wallow in the fact that nothing matters; you're having too much fun.
I realized long ago that anything is better than nothing.
This film imports a lot of meaning from familiar places, like the love between a mother and child (not questioning the ultimate meaninglessness of kin altruism), so it only skims lightly on the implications of nihilism, but it speaks to us in ways we can understand., and if nothing matters, then why not choose to smile about it? Your sadness is just another petulant mythology.
I choose to enjoy the ride. What a neat film to remind us all of the possibilities to experience, and the privilege that it is.
Revanche (2008)
Find a piece of yourself here
This is what great film aspires to: evoking and extracting some meaning from the vast, ineffable chaos of humanity, and forging a subliminal understanding with the audience about our shared experience - one we couldn't articulate, but stated as if we had told it ourselves.
This is a work of rare insight, clarity, novelty, truth, and significance. Of all the films I hold dear, I couldn't say with conviction that any are better.
It deserves so much acclaim, I'm very disappointed to think it is obscure.
This is a minimalist plot, in that the events really take place at the personal and internal levels. Not to be confused with being slow or tedious; the stakes are high in matters of consequence, and the characters always have compelling angles to pursue. But the values the film plays with are unusually intimate and complex. It's a film for a pensive night - perhaps even spent alone.
Best of all is the statement made at the climax. Great stories can't be broken into components - they flow backwards from their climax, either validating the entire endeavor, or, typically telling you what you already knew (yawn). This film resolves brilliantly, connecting us in ways we didn't suspect, like only the very best can.
It's a real achievement, and a great film.
Mother! (2017)
A curiosity
I have to temper any critique with the recognition that I was entertained and engaged throughout. That's worth 6 stars on its own. A killer cast does work here, too, and the direction and set design are vivid.
At the end of the day I don't think the metaphor was worth exploring, however. Unless you think the world needs more (and more provocative) Christian allegories. As a viewer I was interested in trying to figure it out, but by the third act the mystery is mostly gone. The archetypes are pretty on-the-nose; it's not a film that lingers with you as you search for meaning. The meaning is not precisely what a typical Christian might appreciate (perhaps quite the contrary), but it draws exclusively from those well-worn themes.
I'm not sorry I watched it, it certainly was something... I'm unsure who I might ever recommend it to, however.
Give it a try if you're feeling slightly off.
Prometheus (2012)
Criminally Underrated
No other movie that I know of has such a conflicted audience. You either love this movie or you hate it. Usually in matters of taste there can be no argument... But about Prometheus, the haters are simply wrong.
I kind of get it, I don't think I understood what I was looking at the first time I watched it either. That could be part of the problem: people aren't really prepared for it, and hence, they don't know how to view it.
Let go of your expectations, open yourself up, and what you'll get is: an all-star cast, interesting/complex characters, beautifully shot scenes, a stunning tone and visual effects, heady themes, great mystery, horror, suspense, and a dive into the fragility of humanity.
The critics want their hands held and to be beaten over the head with all the answers. "Prometheus" provides all the material, but invites the audience to answer the questions. Along the way, it's an extremely entertaining spectacle. It's a movie you can basically figure out, but it might take some time spent unraveling your thoughts, or with friends or family. The endless rewatchability offers more depth each time you return.
Critics quite honestly nearly expected the movie to answer the meaning of life and if there's a god or not. Spoiler: it can't do that.
But it does invite you to.
Lastly, come on, it's Ridle Scott, what more is there to say?
Inherent Vice (2014)
What... what, uh, just... What?
I'm a fan of inaccessible films that take a lot of leaning into, and which, despite your best efforts, you may never fully grasp. But the one thing I always detect about those films it that someone - the writer, the director - knows what's going on even if I don't. There's a sense of mystery and intrigue, yet one can be reasonably convinced that the answers do exist, somehow.
This was not that film. I seriously doubt anyone had a clue as to what this was supposed to mean. "It doesn't have to mean anything, that's the point, we live in a chaotic and meaningless world." Perhaps that's true, but why should anyone care to witness over two hours of pseudo-noir stream of consciousness then? Explain that? Just hold up a sign that says, "Life cannot be distilled into satisfying narratives, you're an insane monkey, and nothing means anything," and cut to black. I'll believe you, and still have two hours left to hit myself in the head with a hammer. This film is practically like reading "Finnegan's Wake," am I supposed to be dreaming? What do I expect from Paul Thomas Anderson anyway, it's a fair question. I thought The Master at least kept opening new doorways in M.C. Escher's mansion; There Will Be Blood culminated in a brutal unease over man's "worship of the obelisk," (2001: A Space Odyssey); Phantom Thread at least contained a tangible dynamic between two interesting forces...
All that said, I wanted desperately to enjoy myself. The scenes were dripping with intensity. The impression that there was something there was ever-present, as PTA is always very apt to tease. The acting was superb, and the narrator gave me just enough yearning for some kind of cosmic order that I could hurdle myself forward through another scene, and ultimately another empty room.
Why, Paul Thomas Anderson. Why.
Venom (2018)
More or less faithful and fun
6/10 is actually a fairly high rating for me, especially for this kind of movie. It's above average, certainly, and extra credit for featuring my favorite childhood anti-hero. If you're a Marvel fan and you read comics as a kid I doubt you'll be disappointed by the rendering of Venom, or Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock (although, as ever, I would've preferred a blend of CG with practical effects - Venom was entirely CG). If you're new to the character it's still a fun and complete movie. Nothing earth-shattering, but solid all around, and gratifying from a fan angle.