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Jacovitti86
1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
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Oppenheimer (2023)
Didn't really work for me
Like many people I admire Nolan as a filmmaker, I think he's the closes thing we have to a Kubrick in the modern day, not so much for his style or sensibilities but merely for the fact that each film he makes has ambition, often tackles different genres, they're high-budget films but also intelligent and artistically accomplished. Also his name is well known enough that each new film he makes is an event. Personally my favorites of his are Memento, Interstellar, The Prestige, Insomnia, I also admire Inception though it has some flaws imo. Don't care much for his Batman films, to me they are not entertaining enough and don't really capture the spirit of Batman from the comics (Tim Burton did a better job with that).
However I often find his storytelling style a bit muddled and convoluted. I often find myself confused as to why characters are doing things, there is a lack of clarity for me in his films, and the frequent time jumps don't help either. I didn't care for his last two films, Dunkirk and Tenet, at all. Oppenheimer is a step up from those but not by a lot.
The basic problem for me is a lack of tension and suspense in the film. Maybe it's because I know nothing bad happens to Oppenheimer, ok he gets removed from the program but it's not like he goes to jail or something. The supporting characters are all pretty interchangeable, the movie just didn't really grab me. We never get an idea of why Oppenheimer out of all people ended up being the person in charge of this Manhattan program.
The details of how they got to the conclusion that he did have communist sympathies just wasn't compelling enough to me. Basically, nothing really bad happens to anyone in the film. You just learn a bit more details about how things went down surrounding this historic event but it's not gripping stuff at all.
I give it a 7 out of respect for Nolan, Murphy's performance, the Trinity test sequence, and for me Tom Conti's portrayal of Einstein pretty much steals the movie, should have had much more screentime.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Not perfect but made me smile all the way
This was a fun movie. I am a huge fan of this series and character and was really happy they made another film after the highly disappointing Crystal Skull. While this movie also has its flaws and doesn't come close to matching the quality of the original trilogy, it is much more satisfying than the 4th one. The plot is a lot more suitable for an Indiana Jones film, and it has a lot of good action and interesting varied locations. The Helena character is a bit annoying and overly capable sometimes but overall it wasn't as bad as I feared. I liked what they did with bringing back Sallah, the opening sequence in 1944 is a lot of fun, and the overall production value is much more impressive than Crystal Skull, the attention to detail and production design are terrific. I did feel the main villain was a bit bland, there were actually more interesting and threatening Nazi villains in the opening sequence.
The movie was very entertaining and really flew by, in fact I felt the ending was a little abrupt and awkward, and somewhat sentimental for my taste. This is pretty much my only issue with the film, I expected a bit more from the ending as I'd read it was kind of over-the-top and bizarre so maybe I expected a bit more of a 'wow' reaction. I also felt that in the last half hour or so things got increasingly less believable.
Overall I'd give the movie a 7.5 (closer to an 8 than a 7), for most of its running time it's just really fun to watch and it was just great to see this character back one more time without that sour taste the previous film gave me.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
One of the last great blockbusters
This third Indiana Jones film is one of the last examples of the great era of Hollywood blockbusters, the 70s and 80s. After this, we had Jurassic Park, The Matrix and.. that's about it. It is one of the last great films of the Spielberg/Lucas era. These movies were so entertaining, so fun, they were just magic. The contrast of this movie with the 4th one in terms of quality, entertainment value, humor, quality of the writing and characters is really painful.
As a kid I actually found this one boring, but I really appreciated this movie from my mid-teens, it has a slightly more laidback pace and a more human-driven story. It's a close contender with Raiders as the best Indy film. But this one has a lot more heart and depth to it, it shows more of the character's history and the whole end sequence is really emotional, definitely the ending is the best of the series. I still consider Raiders the best because it's the original and most iconic one, and nothing beats the snake pit sequence. Last Crusade is nevertheless as satisfying as it gets.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Mixed feelings **SPOILERS**
Like many Indy fans I was looking forward to this movie more than any movie that's ever come before.. perhaps there was no chance I would ever be satisfied.. but I still feel like some people involved in this movie did not give it their all, and I feel Spielberg especially has finally let me down with this one..
My biggest problem with this movie was not really the ending, but strangely enough the performances.. in many scenes I felt the attempts at comic relief just fell flat and the dialog was sometimes corny as hell ("they all had one problem.. they weren't you honey!").. for example the scene where Indy and Marion are in the quicksand.. it could have been a suspenseful exciting sequence, but somehow they turn it into a comic relief moment as they start arguing about Mutt.. and then they use the snake as a rope.. COME ON..
For me the re-introduction of Marion just didn't work and you could tell Karen Allen hadn't been in a movie for ages.. also the way her and Indy get all lovey-dovey again after about 10 minutes is completely phony..
Say what you want about the originals, they had much more heart than this movie, especially the third one, where I thought the Indy-dad relationship was handled really well.. and in that movie, the comic moments actually WORKED.. also whenever I think about Last Crusade and the other two movies, I always can't help but think about the incredible score.. each movie was recognisable by great themes.. but in this one.. NOTHING.. I think JW has lost it and Spielberg should start working with someone else..
Now of course as you see I gave the movie a 7 so there must be some good about it.. and that basically comes to two words, one person.. HARRISON FORD.. seeing him back in this iconic role, and in a different period in time, is just so much fun that he almost single-handedly saves the movie.. he knows this character inside out and it's wonderful to see him play it again... also I think the first 30-40 minutes of the movie are a lot of fun and really had me hoping this movie would live up to expectations (Wilhelm screaming student.. statue of Marcus Brody.. nods to 50s culture.. all great stuff) .. Shia LeBeouf is fun in his role and I enjoyed the final shot when Indy takes the hat from him and walks out of the church..
But somehow once the movie actually gets more and more into its story I got confused.. a lot of things about it are quite confusing and perhaps I'll understand them better the second time..
Also I didn't feel there was a good villain in the story.. Mac was just a sleazy money-hungry traitor, who didn't really add anything to the movie, Spalko wasn't really that mean (did she ever kill someone?) and I actually felt bad for her when she died..
Finally about the ending.. I have nothing against aliens but why have them look exactly like every other alien ever seen in a movie?? And why not show us some of the 'knowledge' they were transmitting to Spalko? We got to see what killed the Nazis in Raiders.. but here it's left to our imagination.. which I thought was disappointing.. also the acting (or should I say over acting) in the wedding scene just made me cringe.. I know Spielberg likes to shoot fast but he could have ordered a few more takes on that one..
So in the end I must admit I felt underwhelmed but I will still probably own it on DVD.. essentially it's not a bad movie but it could have been MUCH better..
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Sadly overlooked Kubrick masterpiece
I can't believe how underrated this movie is.. for years I didn't watch this movie because I thought it was just a standard "period film"... but recently I got around to see it and I think this film is a masterpiece.. it totally redefines what a period movie should be for me.. no other film of this kind brought me back in time the way this movie did... Kubrick produced a piece of sheer movie magic with this one and I can't believe how often this film gets overlooked in lists of people's favorite Kubrick films.
The cinematography in this film is truly something to behold, it really looked like those great Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings came alive.. plus the dialog, the costumes, the pacing, the beauty of the countryside make this film a feast for the senses.. for nearly 3 hours I felt like I was THERE..
I think the reason this film gets overlooked is because Kubrick was known for breaking new ground, which you could say he didn't do with this movie, but I think this should be seen as the definitive period film against which all others should be measured.. movies like 2001, Strangelove, and Clockwork were perhaps more daring and original but Barry Lyndon is not inferior to any of them in terms of craftsmanship.. and I think this one stands out as Kubrick's most emotional and involving film from the human point of view..
The dry, ironic narration, the dialog, the visual wonders make this possibly his most entertaining film as well.. how anyone could find this boring I don't understand... there's always something going on, and the beauty is that sometimes Kubrick isn't afraid to linger on visually dazzling shots..
In conclusion, if you are one of those ardent Kubrick fans who always skipped this film thinking it's just another "period piece" then I advise you to see it now!