Displaying Category: Rating_4

First off, this movie is amazing on several levels. The acting is incredible (largely for the understated nature of all the performances), the story is rich and layered, and the setting feels perfect and immersive. Secondly, this movie is for smart people. I'm pretty sure I didn't successfully work out what was actually going on and I also feel like there were several layers above and below that I never caught on to. Briefly summarizing, Tinker, Tailor... is about tracking down a double agent in the British Secret Intelligence in the early 1970s. Not much action, not even a lot of talking, and particularly lots of time-jumping... but it works well and probably makes sense if you're able to keep track of the shifting time settings and characters and what everyone has said and done. I would heartily recommend this movie if you're feeling like a deep and intelligent thriller and you don't even need to see it in a theater. This movie will work just fine at home.

4/5

I feel like most people are already going to know the basics of this story, be it from the books or the previously released Swedish movies. Regardless, I haven't read the books or seen the other set of films, so this is all new to me and I have nothing to compare to. Very briefly, there's a mystery that needs a-solving, and a journalist is hired to solve it. When he needs help, he hires a clever 23 year old woman with a very difficult history to be his research assistant. This girl is both a genius and possibly insane (though I think it would be much more accurate to call her traumatized). Stuff happens, mystery gets solved, the end. I found the movie to be very well put together, brilliantly paced (for a 2 hour and 40 minute movie) and extremely entertaining. My only issue with the movie is that it takes place in Sweden (which is great) and that everyone speaks English all the time and everything is written in English. It's one thing if everyone simply speaks English in a foreign country, that I can forgive, but don't try and convince me that all the newspapers are English and Swedish people write their personal journals in English, and so on. I am really looking forward to the other movies in this series.

4/5

I have to say, the trailers I saw for this movie were a bit deceptive. There is an adventure, that was accurate enough, but the trailers seem to put an awful lot of weight on the mysterious little automaton that you see floating through the air. While there is a great deal of attention put on this clockwork boy in the movie, it is not the focus or central theme of the movie. It's actually all much more interesting and worthy than that. It's a rather fantastical 3D movie about the magic of the movies going back to the very beginnings of moving pictures while also tackling the rather more significant subject of the importance and value of having purpose to one's life. You know, why are we here? And all... I really enjoyed this well made movie and the interesting subjects it raises, and while it isn't necessary to see it in 3D, I will say that the effects were quite well done and possibly worth a few dollars extra.

4/5

It seems silly, right? Robot boxing... Maybe it is, but I don't care. This movie was so well put together that even my extreme dislike of boxing wasn't enough to generate any dislike at all for this movie. Straight up, this is a "family" movie. The boxing is mostly just a scaffold around which to build this relationship between a father and his estranged son. It could have been baseball or go-kart racing, but really, robots are cooler. And seriously, the robots in this movie are very cool. More than that, there's some effective acting from Hugh Jackman and an absolutely amazing performance from Dakota Goyo, the estranged son. Of course, he doesn't at all behave like an eleven year old kid, but that's not his fault, he's just written to have an almost sickeningly cocky attitude toward everything. Anyway, it's a fun movie with what I thought was great pacing and an entertaining story. I was expecting a bit more history behind the fighting bot "Atom," but in the end, I suppose it didn't matter.

4/5

I feel like this could be a really short review if I just talk about whether I liked this movie or not. So to get that out of the way, yes, I liked this movie a lot. Not only is it a wonderfully put together movie, it also manages to wrap up an epically long series in a satisfying conclusion. If I had to call out something that isn't ideal about this movie (and actually the last four movies) it's that it departs from the themes that I enjoyed so much about the first four films (a group of young people going to school and having Scooby-gang adventures) in favor of what is basically a fairly dark fantasy adventure. That's not a true criticism as I understand this is where the series was headed and needs to head (characters grow up, situations become more and more dire, shit happens)... It's just, these things are not what my love for the series is about. Also note that I saw it in 2D ("standard-vision") and enjoyed it just fine. While I could easily detect the scenes that were clearly designed with 3D in mind, I'm not convinced it'd be necessary, especially considering how dark this film is already, I'm afraid the 3D version might be so dark as to detract from the experience in some marked way.

If you're a fan of the series, GO SEE IT! Enjoy. And I challenge you to not cry at least a little... because I don't think it's possible.

4/5

My first question about Super 8 is, what's the big secret? Everyone I've talked to who's seen it has said something like "Oh, it was great, but I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil it." There's no big secret, just the plot, which every movie has... That said, I'll try not to reveal any secrets...whatever those are.

So here's my initial thought, Super 8 is like... a more advanced version of E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, at least in terms of special FX. The story centers on a bunch of kids making a film and then an Air Force train crashes. Bad shit happens. Group of kids band together to save each other and their town from the military and whatever it is that escaped from the train wreck. There's even a bit of mind-melding between what escaped and the kids, kind of like what happened between Elliot and E.T. (I just realized that similarity.)

The story is well put together and even touching in several places. There's a bit of humor and I absolutely loved the nostalgia I felt from watching a movie that takes place in 1979 (not that I was entirely conscious of what was going on then, but I certainly remember the movies that were set in that period). It just felt good. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who loves a great adventure where the kids are the stars and the effects just help tell the story.

4/5

Let's be clear, this is the second time I've seen Sucker Punch, the first was at an advance screening on March 23. In short, I thought this movie was awesomely kick-ass, and not for all the most obvious reasons. Yes, it is filled with skimpily dressed young women kicking ass in outrageous fantasy/sci-fi scenarios, and there's nothing wrong with any of that, but what really grabbed me was how the events of the real world are veiled by layers of fantasy worlds stacked on top of the real world. Allow me to attempt an explanation... and fair warning, the following is all spoiler.

The lead character's mother dies leaving her wealth to her 20 year old daughter and much younger daughter (probably around 10 to 12). Of course, the evil step father wants this wealth, and so murders the younger daughter and blames the older daughter. To complete his evil plan, he has the elder daughter committed to Lennox House for the mentally insane. This way, if the girl talks, no one will believe her, but to make sure the cover-up is sound, he also pays off the head orderly to have the daughter lobotomized in five days, thereby sending her to "paradise." Upon entering the asylum, the girl is given the name Baby Doll, which is the only name we know her by. The world of the asylum transforms into a different world in Baby Doll's mind, that of a brothel, where the asylum's psychiatrist is the madame, and the head orderly (Blue) owns the girls and uses them to bring in the guests which feeds his other illegal operations.

The girls, as whores in this brothel, "dance" for the customers. Yes, those quotes are intentional. This is a PG-13 movie and Zach Snyder goes to extensive lengths to make it reasonably safe for the younger audience while providing much darker undertones for the adults who can read between the lines. When Baby Doll dances, everyone pays attention. She's given a plan (by the guardian angel the opening narration speaks of) to acquire four items that will aid in an escape. If you've seen the trailer, you know these items well: a map, fire, a knife, and a key. The acquisition of these items leads to another layer of fantasy as Baby Doll switches to epic scenes of carnage where the five freedom fighters are the super heroes.

The fantasy worlds themselves are interesting mashups of multiple genres. Mecha samurai demon warriors wielding RPGs and Gatling guns. WWI trench warfare where the German soldiers are steampunk zombies and also there's a mecha robot thing piloted by one of the girls. There's a sort of Lord of the Rings fantasy with humans vs orcs and there are dragons and then the girls are piloting a B-25 Mitchell. Finally, there's the weakest sequence, a train filled with mechanized gunman, which really isn't a mashup of anything. All these fantasies happen in Baby Doll's mind as she's "dancing," so she can keep the targets occupied while the other girls acquire the necessary item. In reality (the layer we can't see) we suspect Baby Doll is actually letting herself be raped by the various asylum employees and what we see in the fantasy world is her internal fight for survival.

So on the surface, we've got cool action sequences that, underneath, are much darker and possibly a little inspiring as we see this young woman fighting so incredibly strongly to maintain her identity and sanity in this insane reality she finds herself forced into.

I've heard a fair bit of debate as to whether this movie is all about extreme violence and girls in short skirts or if it's about female empowerment or something else. I'm going to go with self-empowerment in general. The narration you hear at the end of the movie is basically saying that you have the weapons inside you to fight whatever comes up in life. Here we have this extreme case of a person being forced into an unbearably unfair and unjust situation and she fights with every weapon available to her and, in the end, sacrifices herself to give freedom to the other. We all have the strength within us to do what's right, we just have to recognize it and use it. I like the message (if I got it right) and I love the movie. I understand many don't or won't, and that's fine. To me, it's a kick-ass movie with some deeply dark undertones and a message of self-empowerment and in my world, that can't be a bad thing.

4/5

The Adjustment Bureau is the first movie for me that has truly inspired lengthy periods of deep thought and a desire to write essays on subjects the movie confronts. The other movie that consistently inspires this sort of response is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

The movie presents a framework built on the fate vs free will argument. Do we have free will and should we have free will. The mechanics for this are presented in the form of the the Adjustment Bureau, which is basically the bureaucracy of Heaven in the form of an accounting firm located in a skyscraper in New York City. The agents of the Bureau work to keep humans on the plan written by The Chairman. There are rules governing the things these agents can do and when and how they can do them, which I really appreciated. Even angels need rules to limit their ability to meddle in the lives of humans. Draped over this fate vs free will framework, though, is a series of much more personal issues that I relate to in profound ways.

What the movie gives us is a pair of soul mates (though they never use that language) drawn together again and again over many years who, after their initial meeting, never really stop thinking about each other. Even when other relationships develop, they find themselves unsatisfied, because once you experience being with that one person you share perfect chemistry with, nothing else will ever satisfy.

Which leads to the next point defining why this person is a soul mate (beyond the aforementioned chemistry), which is, being with this person is the only time that you do not feel alone. People talk about having friends and family and "you're never really alone... blah blah..." but that's not true. Friends and family and lovers are there, they are in your life, they walk nearby but they're never on the same path with you. They aren't sharing space with you. That soul mate, though, is the only person who exists in the same moment as you. The only person to share a space in the universe with you. Even if only momentary, they are standing on the same tile in the garden path with you in a way that no one else can. It's not really until you experience that moment that you realize both how alone you have been all your life, and how not alone you are in that moment. It's actually kind of scary, because you immediately start to wonder what happens when you lose it? This is what David and Elise go to war for. Once you've felt that shared moment, why go back to being alone?

Finally, there's a point that only gets raised once in the movie, but it hangs over top the fate vs free will framework. It's about the plan that everyone is following. It's important for things to happen correctly because some lives impact many many others, but who asks whether following the plan makes the people happy? Apparently the agents of the Bureau never ask, but David does. As the plan for Elise is being explained to David, the question blaring in my head is "but is she happy?" Is it better to go on to greatness, to give the world great art that maybe inspires others or advances a medium, or to be happy in life? Is being happy only possible with free will?

Unfortunately, this is only a movie, but all of these questions are issues I have considered in the past and now consider with a new framework to build my thoughts around.

So if it wasn't clear already, I would highly recommend this film.

4/5

I'm trying to come up with something to say about this movie beyond what I've already heard from everyone, "Go see this movie." It is a good movie, there's no question about that. Excellent acting and writing and some really great film making in general. Alright, how about this, it features three actors who have also appeared in the Harry Potter movies. That's pretty much the only bonus I can think of. So really, just go see it.

4/5

I am here to confirm the rumors that this movie is, in fact, dark. There's death, destruction, mayhem, traitors, and very very little hope. I expect that was the intent, so I would have to say this movie does quite well in meeting expectations. As someone who has not read the books, I can't speak on accuracy, I can only say that I quite enjoyed it. If there is anything I didn't enjoy, it would probably be the reoccurring tensions between Ron, Hermione and Harry as Ron struggles (still) with his lack of self-confidence and jealousy over the perpetually vague relationship with Hermione. You would think by now, with their world crumbling and people dying left and right that they would finally just make out and stop putting the audience through all these childish games. I would also like to give my thumbs up to the humor in the movie that managed to satisfyingly break up some of the more overwhelming evilness permeating the film.

4/5