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AliSanguis
She runs two youtube weekly shows: The Game Show, and The Ali & Hocky Show, and is a co-host on World Building, with Irene Strychowski.
Her main movie passion is in her purist views of films; she prefers little to no cgi and completely traditional animation. Comicsgate supporter.
More may be found here: sanguislibris.net
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Gangs of New York (2002)
Intense, Unyielding, and Interesting
This film is compelling. It also catches the viewer off guard. At first, it begins to build itself as your average son-of-killed-man- gets-revenge-years-later plot line. Then it completely throws the viewer off, thereby creating very deeply emotional characters. They feel like they are real as more information is revealed. There is also no shortage of intrigue. It might begin to feel as though the film is too long, but when it is over the entire picture comes together and one sees exactly why it was played out the way it was. Most of the cast is brilliant; the accents are slight but noticeable enough to be believable. Each performance is gritty and well done. Daniel Day Lewis and DiCaprio play off each other beautifully- they're both excellent actors and could have easily over-performed one another, but it can be perfectly understood that Scorsese directed them well. Each main character's story has a purpose that makes sense and doesn't feel unnecessary. It is true, however, that many of the supporting cast is forgettable(mainly because they look very similar and are only seen once or twice), though the film tries hard to make you care about them when they die. And there is a lot of death in this film, specifically killing. When the word "gangs" is in the title, that's obvious. The film also does a great job of showing the plight of civil-war era Americans who were affected by the first draft, showing facts that not many remember these days. The end is sure to tug on your thoughts for sure, and it leaves the viewer pondering everything from America's history to the meaning of loyalty. Very well done.
Dunkirk (2017)
Absolutely Magnificent!
I am not someone who generally enjoys war movies; I went to this fully expecting it to just be something the boyfriend would enjoy. I was so very, very wrong.
This movie is, essentially, wonderful. I can't praise it enough. Literally the only issue was the strange way the timeline occurs. There are three separate timelines that involve three separate groups of characters and we didn't figure it out until about a quarter of the way into the movie. It actually didn't ruin anything, however. Very rarely does a movie's fault actually add to the experience, but honestly this made it much more intense. At the end, when all the timelines converge, any viewer should see what a brilliant choice Nolan made in using this unique format.
As for everything else, it is perfect in every way. It wasn't overdone, it wasn't underdone. It should go down in history as a staple of perfect cinema.
Even though it isn't a 'buddy' type war movie, you still feel immensely for all the characters. This movie also isn't dialogue heavy, but there are definite character arcs and development that is intensely compelling.
The cg effects blend seamlessly with the practical effects, which is always a relief. There's nothing worse than overdone cg; it ruins the immersion and makes it difficult to suspend disbelief. Speaking of disbelief, every second of this film is absolutely believable because Nolan crafted it so masterfully. He did everyone perfect in every way to make it historically accurate. It is more accurate than a real documentary.
This film was so lovely and intense with the exact amounts of subtlety while still punching you in the face that I ended up in tears for the last half. Dunkirk should win ALL the awards.
The Mummy (2017)
Horrendous Piece of Trash
After hearing that this movie was supposed to usher in an entire slew of retelling of classic monsters, I knew I had to see it. The trendy thing to do in Hollywood now is to create several movies that tie loosely together, so why wouldn't Universal attempt it? Well, they shouldn't have, and making more would be a huge mistake.
This movie is terrible, in literally every way. Imagine if Underworld and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had a baby, and you have this movie.
The story is a mess, and the portrayal of the story is somehow even worse. It is filled with plot holes and scenes that go nowhere and defy the movie's own timeline. The characters are not believable and they have absolutely no connection on screen. It seems every actor jut wanted a paycheck. Cruise is getting lazy, for sure. Crowe's Dr. Jekyll is (to say the least) found wanting. Though some have said that the girl who played the so-called Mummy was excellent, I don't see it. She was simply being sex appeal while painted grey.
The humor falls flat, as well. You can't help but compare it to Brendan Fraser's Mummy; that film was absolutely excellent despite what it lacked in convincing cgi.
Speaking of which, the effects in this movie were trying too hard. Worst cg spiders ever, and that's saying something. The zombies that the Mummy uses move in ways that I know are supposed to be creepy, but they just come off like a 90's video game cut scene.
Simply put, this movie isn't worth anything. It should not have been made. It would be entirely forgettable if it wasn't so freakishly awful. Pathetic.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Completely Brilliant
Despite the few historical inaccuracies, this film is absolutely splendid. Mostly the little things that were historically inaccurate are there only to further along the plot in a cinema-friendly way for audiences who will be largely unfamiliar with the story. From the start, a viewer might think that they were watching another episode of Sherlock, since Mr. Cumberbatch is essentially just playing another socially awkward genius. But very quickly his performance separates itself from Sherlock entirely, and you see a very different sort of man, full of tragedy and longing as much as intelligence. His performance was exceptional and this film is vastly underrated. Keira Knightley demonstrated beautifully that she has grown as an actress since her Pirates days, and she was a great compliment to Cumberbatch's character. Some of the scenes that depict bomb dropping were created in a way that seemed out of place with the film, they were strangely animated. The last 20 minutes of the film will have anyone with a soul weeping. Written and directed wonderfully,what someone might have considered a boring premise (a war movie about math, or a math movie about war?) takes on a life as though the viewer were living it. This deserves a place among any classic.
Frailty (2001)
All Around Excellent
This film had wins and nominations, but it is still underrated and deserves to be among the classics with Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist. Every moment is masterfully crafted and comes together at the end with a very Stephen King flavor. The entire premise is very simple, but that is what helps the film be so intense. It never wavers; it builds upon itself gloriously. The casting of the film's two children was impeccable, and Paxton's direction of them must have been perfect. The viewer really feels every moment of pure dread and anguish the children felt at the hands of their father, who commits atrocities in front of them and makes them help him. As far as special effects, it was a brilliant choice to keep it simple with sprays of blood on clothing as opposed to tossing buckets onto the actors. Even though a viewer never actually sees any weapon make contact, it still feels like they do. The background score is very simple yet effective- the standard powerful strings building as tension rises. To reveal every bit of the-masterfully written- plot, one has to watch even the very last second, and looking away is something to be regretted.