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m-hertzler
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First and Last (2018)
Came for Garbage TV, Stayed for quality Docu-Series
The title says it all. I was in the mood for some "turn your brain off" TV and clicked on the show and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't just hyped up drama and false cliffhangers you get from cable reality TV.
In fact, this show is more akin to a documentary then reality TV. The cinematography is excellent. the show creators dive deep into their human subjects and extract real substance rather than just shallow drama.
Everything felt like it was done with care rather than just shock value.
Of course, the show still sticks to its premise and only follows people on their first few days and last few days which means you're not going to get the entire full picture of each individual represented.
But despite that you get a very flushed out snapshot of every inmate featured.
Definitely an interesting watch with A little bit of food for thought. Show could've gone a little deeper but I don't think you can really expect much more out of a prison TV show then this.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Infinity War in 6 Easy Steps!
Breakdown of Infinity War:
1. Token action scene.
2. Fun contrasting character mash up.
3. Overlong dialogue explaining the complex technicalities of the plot.
4. Thanos makes a character decide between giving up their infinity stone or seeing a loved one die. (so original, right?)
5. Repeat steps one through four, until Thanos has all 6 stones.
6. Cool cliffhanger ending.
The Action, aside from the scenes with Thor, is easily forgettable.
The character team ups are fun but not nearly as fun as they could or should have been as there's too many moving parts to give any of the scenes a moment to breathe and let the characters simply banter with each other. This is mostly due to-
The characters constantly having to explain the plot to each other when they team up which totally kills the fun of mashing the characters up in the first place.
The only stakes in this movie are "do this or die, or, if not you, your loved one will die", which is fine to do once in a film but the writers fall back on this dramatic gimmick time and time again and cling onto it until the bitter end.
Did I mention earlier that this movie was repetitive? Because yeah it's repetitive.
Aside from all that, the ending was definitely a surprise and leaves you hungry to know what happens next. And hopefully in part two they will have more breathing room for real character drama and good old fashion avenger's banter.
This is what I would call a "one and done" type of Marvel movie and feels more like a steppingstone for the story rather than a full-fledged satisfying movie in its own right.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
It Has its Moments but Fails to Rise Above Mediocrity
What can I say? Yet another mediocre output from Marvel, sure it's not bad, in fact, it's completely watchable but is that all we demand from blockbusters anymore?
Though, that is not to say Thor 2 is without its merits. It's greatest achievement is perhaps it's absolutely flawless production design. I'll congratulate the fellow who could find a single fault within the sets, costumes, make-up and/or CGI and even directing and acting. Moreover there are more than a handful of Grade A action/comedy sequences that truly transcend the film and may I say, are completely kickass.
But there are some major things wrong with the film and with a production this flawless, the blame can only fall on one spot... The writing.
As a screenwriter myself I got a lot to complain about here, I'll try to keep it short but get ready for a roast...
Character development is lacking with no real motivation for the Dark Elves actions and no significant growth in Thor or other characters by the end of the film.
The pacing is uneven and sporadic, with way too many breaks for exposition. Which brings me to..
Too many things set up and not enough payoffs, ex: whatever happened to the Asian guy in the beginning? I would have loved to see that tie together to something at the end.
And lastly, there is a lack of momentum and sense of scale to the story. Instead of a slow build to a giant payoff the movie sort of meanders and wanders. Worst of all , even though apparently the entire universe is on the line it never feels that way. I mean what the hell?! the Dark Elf invasion of earth is like one ship and a few dozen soldiers..
End roast.
Long story short, Thor 2 is a beautiful film to look at but overall suffers from a script that doesn't do justice to the material. Though, despite the scripts numerous shortcomings it has just enough moments of brilliance to keep you watching all the way through. If you keep your expectations low you'll have a decent time with the movie, just don't expect much.
Don Jon (2013)
A True Diamond in the Rough but Still a Gem Nonetheless
Back in early fall 2012 Don Jon released what was probably the best trailer ever made. Unfortunately, the actual film falls short of the perfection of the trailer but its unique, fun and endearing enough to still be a must watch for film-lovers and casual fans alike.
Don Jon is funny, truly unique and visually and narratively interesting. Joseph goes above and beyond the typical directing duties and chooses surprisingly insightful camera shots and unique editing that elevates the narrative. In addition the script's midpoint-curveball turns the classic movie love story upside down and gives a fresh take on the genre that takes maximum advantage of the porn vs. romance movies premise.
But, on the other, the movie is far from perfect, in fact, it's a bit messy. The writing ranges from absolute brilliance to "what is going on?", the editing similarly ranges from dramatically powerful to downright jarring. And worst of all, there are shots in this film that are literally out of focus...
So yes, unfortunately the film is plagued with a sense of sloppy amateurism but it is also blessed with moments of brilliant auteurism. And the one thing Don Jon does execute perfectly is showing the world that Joseph Gordon Levitt is an auteur to watch out for in the years to come.
Django Unchained (2012)
Good Violent Fun but Overlong and Meandering
After absolutely loving Inglourious Basterds I was excited for this film and while it will certainly had its moments I found the movie overlong and somewhat predictable.
In Basterds, there were multiple emotional stories and an enormous cast that all got beautifully tied and woven together(same goes for Pulp). Django, on the other hand, is a pretty straightforward love/revenge story and the plot turns are surprisingly predictable which kills the suspense in a lot of the scenes.
Nonetheless, the film would have been a very fun and violent romp, filled with colorful characters had it not been for one thing.. The editing. 180 minutes?? For LotR fine but this story did not warrant the run time. Instead its filled with plot meanderings and multi-minute clips simply of people walking in slow motion over rap music...
I simply wish there was a theatrical cut and a director's cut because if I saw a 2 hour version of this movie I would have much higher opinion of it.