Comically Failed I am not a comics fan, so I tend to come to comic-originated movies the same way I do any other movie. When they fail — as they usually do — I just consider the cinematic values, and don’t dig into flaws inherited from the source material. But holy cow, every big movie… Continue reading Black Adam (2023)
Tag: p2023
Comments first posted in 2023
Bad Genius (2017)
Testy This probably would work better for a young audience, who can relate to school, tests, and the stereotypes depicted here. It is basically a tension building project with a few side annotations: daughter and father reconciling and our heroine coming clean. Left out to dry is a victim — someone they tricked and beat… Continue reading Bad Genius (2017)
Japanese Story (2003)
The Broken Hill This is a simple project, executed flawlessly. As with most films that bring you into human emotions, this uses an external reference. The gulf between two souls is referenced by cultural differences. The opening of the inner emotional fountain is folded into profound Australian landscapes, opened for mining. Our woman is a… Continue reading Japanese Story (2003)
3 Idiots (2009)
Five Lives and a Funeral The structure is a compelling nesting. We have the linear story of two school chums plus one who search for a lost third buddy. There are a number of twists in this that make it more than just a framing device. We get a lot of storytelling craft in how… Continue reading 3 Idiots (2009)
Kite (2014)
Raped This could have been a good movie. I’m particularly sensitive to the cinematic power of sexual exploitation — after all, that’s pretty close to much of the cinematic experience. And child molesting adds great power to the experience. Also, I like Manga’s sometimes honest approach to sexuality. Yes, it is mostly prurient but it… Continue reading Kite (2014)
The Beast of War (1988)
Mechanised Urges It is fine with me for a film to be just an anti war film, without all the embellishments of the more famous ones. Because of that I will advise you to find this and let it soak in. I write this at the beginning of the second year of the Ukraine war,… Continue reading The Beast of War (1988)
Z is for Zachariah (2015)
M is for… Any film is a matter of how life is abstracted and that is especially so in science fiction. In this film, we have three primary abstractions. The world. As with many science fiction movies, they simply make the world go away, except for our three characters. We get the slightest of explanations,… Continue reading Z is for Zachariah (2015)
Oceans Eight (2018)
Poor Planning So the overarching narrative here is that our scam artist planned this to the last detail while in the slammer. With the main trilogy, we never know, but the impression is that Danny and co agily adjust as difficulties and exceptions appear. The fun is partly in discovering the plan after it has… Continue reading Oceans Eight (2018)
Truly Miss Marple: The Curious Case of Margaret Rutherford (2012)
Unembellishments If you just come to this without the Christie context, you will be appalled. If you come understanding Christie, you will be doubly appalled. Here we have a quirky actress who plays a single quirky character. The character has some appeal in most of the fictional contexts we encounter. In those films, we suspect… Continue reading Truly Miss Marple: The Curious Case of Margaret Rutherford (2012)
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Counted Only Two I guess this was inevitable. I haven’t yet seen the latest Tarantino faux western, but chose to see this instead. Roughly speaking, it is what used to be called a spoof, before referencing, extending and adding a meta level became permissible. What impresses me about this is the risk of the filmmaker,… Continue reading Seven Psychopaths (2012)