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True Detective: Night Country: Part 1 (2024)
I guess?
It seems like this show will never live up to the bar set by the first season. The subsequent seasons were watchable but each one less interesting than the last. This starts with some of the worst tv cgi in recent memory and then turns into The Thing and is wildly silly with so many boring tv tropes. The way they set up each character and their families is just so lazy and expected. There's a few interesting nuggets here but it's so sloppy and goofy this time around. The cgi reindeer and the bear and the entire research station and the cars and the entire background in the Jodie foster reveal scene, just everything is cgi and it looks like low budget tv cgi.
The lure of the first season was the grounded nature and the grittiness of the characters losing themselves to the case. This feels like The Outsider now.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Don't hurt a seagull.
Incredible visuals where every shot could be an art piece, framing was insane characters are great plot is insane. The cinematography feels like Wes Anderson with the framing and camera movements and then close ups and tone and some of the plot feels a lot like Kubrick and the Shining. Incredible film. I feel compelled to see it again. It corrects a mistake of Eggers previous film in that it doesn't reveal all the mysteries of the story in a smart way.
The House That Jack Built (2018)
Disjointed story with potential.
The movie starts of seemingly like it's going to be about a serial killer with OCD and it's so well shot and interesting and then it just goes on and on in a seemingly random direction with crazy things happening and looses all the steam it had at the start. There's also many moments of weird self worship from Von Trier that feel shoe horned in and don't advance the plot very much. Regardless of all of that it's still worth the watch for the tone and cinematography alone. Also love the type design and the marketing for this film.
It Comes at Night (2017)
Interesting take on the genre.
This was a very refreshing and interesting take on the genre. It's more depressing anxiety ridden horror rather than jump scare gore fest horror. The character development was superb and the acting as well. The whole film had a thick layer of uneasiness that made me feel like I was more than just a viewer.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Incredibly underwhelming.
This was full of boring characters with no real depth or reason for the viewer to be invested in their lives or feelings. The movie acts like it's trying really hard to be serious and somewhat scary but it is literally a 2 hour pretentious art lecture that is laid on top of what could be final destination 9. This comes as a significant shock since Gilroy's 2014 film Nighcrawler was incredibly good and unique.
The Ritual (2017)
Downhill fast
Interesting but relatively cliche horror premise but regardless the first hour does a good enough job of keeping your interest. They do a good job teasing what's happening without showing anything and the characters waking up from the initial nightmares in the cabin was getting pretty cool. The movie falls apart really fast after that by showing you way too much way too fast and by the last 30 minutes or so it's a whole different film. They should have stuck with the creepy woods weird stuff is happening and we don't know why thing. The creature is shown multiple times at drastically different sizes which feels not intentional at all and really clumsy. Initially it feels like a sort of Blair witch worship mixed with aspects of the descent but then by the end it feels like an action film or a comedy and ends on a black screen. Horror movies don't need to explain everything.
Thunder Road (2018)
Strange but beautiful
Incredible character study with a lot of heart.
I went in knowing nothing about this and found it to be extremely weird, heartwarming and very sad. This is for sure worth a watch. It balances grounded relatable humor with extremely sad moments better than I've ever seen before. Jim Cummings writing, directing and staring in this is incredible on its own. Many of the most striking scenes are filmed in one take and the performances are wild mainly from Cummings himself. Everything about this just worked really well while also being so strange and unexpected. Also the cinematography is very crisp and the overall look of the film was great. I love the details and the way they explained the characters through their subtle actions. The paper with the hands on the wall that he used to practice all night got me really good.
Jim Cummings is a genius and this should be more popular.
Bird Box (2018)
Unrealistic and unoriginal.
This was literally A Quiet Place but with blindfolds instead of being quiet. Both movies suffer from the same problem. There's no reason to have kids in a world where you can't speak again or leave the house or take a blindfold off. The films don't ever make you invested because what's the point of them getting to the next safe house or making the next food run when there's no point in even living when the whole world is unlivable. Despite that it was super unoriginal and felt like a bunch of other movies lumped together. It's an okay film but has no real impact and feels like another film pumped out by Netflix with no purpose.
Mother! (2017)
Masterful but very easily overlooked
I can totally see how the general population of passive media viewers would think this is an insane movie that makes no sense and is a waste of 2 hours. But I can't see how anyone who enjoys movies can give this movie 1 star? The acting is great, the cinematography with those claustrophobic close ups and the use of sound are brilliant. Everything in the movie aids in building the sense of stress and confusion so well. The biblical allegories are genius and make a lot of sense with the plot of the film. The visuals are intense and the themes are at times disgusting but the whole film pulls together a really interesting message and leaves you thinking about it for days. The more I read into the biblical allegories of all the characters the more captivating the movie becomes. I do recommend watching the film before trying to figure out the meaning online or reading anything Aronofsky said about it.
It's hard to recommend but well worth the viewing if you enjoy out of the ordinary films.
Free Fire (2016)
Worth a shot
Obviously similar to reservoir dogs and in a good way. The film manages to do a great job with character development during a constant gunfight and also with cinematography in the same warehouse the whole time. I did think the film could have used some higher stakes in all aspects though. Overall really enjoyable and memorable. A24 has not disappointed me yet.
Taking Lives (2004)
Sloppy and unoriginal
Incredibly sloppy filmmaking with little to no original ideas. The amount of goofy screw ups is unreal and the film has aged very poorly. This is 100% Angelina Jolie worship with aspects of many other crime/murder/thriller movies thrown in as background noise. Watch Se7en or Zodiac instead.
Phantom Thread (2017)
Amazingly boring
I love PT Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis. I tried very hard to like this but the story really had no substance. Realistically, nothing happened at all for what felt like 5+ hours. The entire time I was waiting for something interesting to happen and it never does. I kept thinking he was going to kill her or some kind of incredibly unexpected twist was coming. I am amazed at how much I hated this movie. Everything was shot beautifully and well acted but it doesn't matter how well the actors portray their characters when the characters are dull morons who just stare at each other. There was no balance here and constant unrealistic plot points. I was unfortunately bored to death.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Incredibly moving and masterfully filmed.
War for The Planet of The Apes blows the first two films of the trilogy out of the water by a long shot. This film was a huge surprise for me. I was expecting an okay, fun to watch blockbuster action movie with Apes and people just shooting each other for 2 hours. The film blew me away. This is by far one of the best Hollywood block buster movies I've seen in recent memory. It is jam packed with heart and emotion and is a literal emotional roller-coaster start to finish. The film touches on themes of slavery and the divide of species and draws parallels with lots of current social issues. The motion capture acting is incredible and the character models are so lifelike now that you forgot they aren't actual apes. Andy Serkis is incredible along with the other motion capture actors. Woody Harrelson's character was the weakest by far but he still feels rooted in the story and the universe of the planet of the apes.
I can't even begin to understand all the terrible reviews this movie is getting on IMDb. Anyone who didn't like this has unfortunately been poisoned by the modern block buster explosions and no substance virus that has been running rampant for years. This movie is full of heart and a genuine respect for this franchise and it's characters and story. There's nothing about this movie that was not meticulously crafted.
Stranger Things (2016)
10/10
I didn't believe the hype when this show first hit Netflix. Everyone was talking about it and I figured it was just some stupid show. I was completely wrong. I just non-stop watched the whole first season and it blew me away. It literally is as far up my alley as something can be. It's got an 80's setting complete with synthesizers and a slight film grain, thriller drama elements, super powers, monsters, an alternate reality, top notch acting, an excellent score with the appropriate 80's soundtrack and an insanely good gripping story. I enjoyed this show so much and I encourage anyone who enjoys being entertained to watch this show. After finishing it I feel weird and attached to the characters in a way that only the best movie and TV shows can do to you and I can not wait until season 2. The Duffer brothers have an enormous and well deserved success to follow up and hopefully they can pull it off.
Lost River (2014)
Great visuals, not much else.
I was interested to watch this because of the cover art and it being Gosling's directorial debut. I really wanted to like this.
Lost River has a very cool soundtrack and impressive camera work and lighting and great visual imagery throughout the film. Very cool cover image as well and a cool name if that even matters.
This film has everything working in its favor except the plot or anything that isn't how it looks or sounds. The plot is honestly dull and convoluted and the movie screams try hard. It seems like Gosling tried to cram a lot of bizarre and unaccomplished ideas into an hour and a half.
Also this film has the worst rodent treatment since the green mile.
Ich seh, Ich seh (2014)
Goodnight mommy
This film does a masterful job of tricking the viewer into thinking you know whats going on. It's possible to figure it out before the end if you try really hard but if you just take it as its presented to you the ending is a shocking and disturbing.
The dialogue is very minimal and the whole movie takes place in and around the same home but it never feels boring or slow. I really appreciated to lack of jump scares and the more eery disturbing things the film presents instead.
Overall I think it was a very well done film with some nice cinematography and it leaves you with a weird feeling. Definitely pretty memorable and something to talk about for a while after its over.