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Under the Skin (2013)
Worth seeing on the big screen.
***I would actually give this a 6.5, I wish IMDb would allow half stars on their site, there is a huge difference between a 6 and a 7, and I would say this is closer to a 7 than a 6.***
I went into Under The Skin with little expectation based on an ambiguous but intriguing trailer. I was neither disappointed or really enthralled with the movie. There were points in the film which made me think "Wow, this is great!" and then there were many moments of tedium which made me feel exactly the opposite. First off, the cinematography and visual effects are top notch. It is worth seeing on the big screen simply for this reason. Another reason to see it in theaters is the fantastic score, which sticks with you after the film; driving home at night afterward I wished I was in a motorcycle weaving back and forth on the road like the camera in the movie. Scarlett is beautiful, and does a fine job portraying alienation. My main issue with the film is the editing and the pacing. There was so much filler in the film that it really slowed down my engagement. I am not talking about the individual shots, many of these were beautiful, and important glimpses into the world presented to us by Jonathan Glazer, but there reaches a certain point where every shot is held just a little too long, and becomes very noticeable. Some will argue that noticing the pace of a film could be the intention of the director/editor, but in this case I do not think it worked. I noticed the pacing far too much, and this got on my nerves after awhile. There are moments of brilliance in this film, the alien, the sex scenes, the opening shot, the black room, the club scene, and the "underwater" scene in the black room is one of the creepiest things I've seen in a long time.
Great tone, cinematography, soundtrack, portrayal of alienation and acceptance, and imagination.
Poor editing and pacing dragged this one down for me.
Last Vegas (2013)
Hollywood at It's finest.
Last night I went with my girlfriend to a free advanced screening of "Last Vegas" with Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline. I had 0 desire to see the movie but since it was free and she kinda wanted to go we went. I knew what to expect from this kind of movie heading in but it really surpassed all of my expectations for how awful a movie going experience can be. Within the first 2 minutes of the movie I knew I was going to hate every second of it and that I would have to hold my tongue in mocking every stupid, tired, worn out joke that the movie presented as an original. It honestly seemed like the kind of movie that they could've had a computer program write. The cast is made up of Hollywood superstars who have worn out their careers by doing every role offered to them (what was the last thing Robert DeNiro did worth any value?). I'm so absolutely sick of Morgan Freeman that I can't stand the sound of his voice. Kevin Kline was the only tolerable "character" in the movie. Essentially the movie was about 4 friends who have been friends since the 1950s who are now all in their 60s (dealing with all the usual issues of impotence, hip replacements, death, old people things). So the cool, phony Michael Douglas decides to get married to his 30 year old girlfriend at his bosses funeral while giving a eulogy? This doesn't seem to bother anybody at the funeral. The 4 friends, with a reluctant and sour Robert DeNiro, who is depressed since his wife died, go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Let the hilarity ensue! This was a pure example of a cheap studio jerk off feeding off of pop culture, cold lifeless jokes, and relying on their audience being mostly over the age of 50. If I hear one more Goddamn joke about Viagra, using "the google", or cellphones being complicated I have a good mind to smack my head against the wall till I have the senility of the "old people" in this movie. As you can imagine the audience chirped with laughter at each of these truly innovative jokes, and every line of dialogue was so "witty" that I could hear Billy Wilder rolling over in his grave. The movie was full of young hot girls in bikinis, and also Mary Steenburgen, who still looks good. The movie was so predictable that you could see the cookie cutter patterns projected right on the screen. I would've walked out after 5 minutes if I paid for it or if I was alone. I won't vent anymore about how awful everything about the movie was, but I was looking for a movie executive afterwards to punch in the face and tell him how much I hated his movie. :)
Enjoy!!