Z for Zachariah. I liked it overall. Chris Pine has such a great blend of charm and menace. Accents are hit and miss. Biggest annoyance was the sets and costuming. The apocalypse looks a bit too much like a magazine spread. The score was written by the same woman who scored for the excellent, lovely-sounding, and harrowing Compliance. Good stuff.
A Most Violent Year. Solid. Gotta hang on to what you got. I like that the hero is a runner.
Felony. I like a story where people goof up and cover it up. But this was kinda bland. Jai Courtney surprisingly good as a straight-arrow type?
Predator. Holds up! I forgot how fluid and pleasing some of the camerawork is here. The scene where they unload a zillion bullets into the jungle has a strange formalist beauty. Final fight just a wee too long.
Take Shelter. Good lord I love this movie. Gut-wrenching to see a man surrounded by, and pushing away, people that care about him. (My first viewing was somehow five years ago?)
Sliding Doors. ’90s movies are really growing on me. Paltrow and Lynch and Tripplehorn are such natural charmers.
Valkyrie. I… don’t remember much about. It was fine?
Our Kind of Traitor. It was fine. Fairly standard spy intrigue stuff. I’m on board with that, but just ran out of steam somehow.
20th Century Women. I loved it. The ’70s were weird but then again so was every time. Bening is a genius.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Riders of Rohan are the best. Loved’em in the book. Love’em in the movies. I think they nailed the melodrama in this one. And the build-up to the spider set-piece is pretty great. I still think the song during the closing credits is a huge misfire. Should have gone instrumental!
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. You can see the move ripping at the seams. There’s a lot of story to pack in here. Lots of it feels clipped, rushed, off-kilter. Romances are un-earned. Jarring shifts in tone. Gimli has a lot more to say. Legolas slides on a shield? It’s a mess, but may have the best landscapes of the trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Appreciated the soundtrack more this time around. Pretty sure it’s borrowing from Dvorak. Also reminded me of The Last of the Mohicans in mood. Great work with the suspense and setting the sense, and such a great ending. Not a teaser, but a promise of adventure.
American Honey. Wow, probably one of my favorites I saw in 2017. Slice-of-life-y, crazy energy, the time just slipped right by. I was swept up. Filed under: road movies.
The Fugitive. Had a good time live-tweeting this one. Holds up really well. Favorite thing I noticed this time around was how Ford’s wardrobe changes with his status in the story. He starts in a tux, then a suit, then jail uniform, then dirty coveralls, then clean coveralls, then a military jacket, and tweed. That’s when you know he’s really back in charge.
Jaws. I dunno. It’s perfect. What do you want me to say?
Shaun of the Dead. I really really really wish I’d seen this one years ago. Like pretty much every comedy, the rapid-fire funny bits eventually decay into a slow shuffle, but it’s worth it. Pegg and Wright are truly gifted.
Nerve. So fun! Saw it on an airplane. Got such great zip and momentum and soundtrack. It loses some of that momentum as the stakes rise, but minor fault. Worth a watch. It took me forever to realize why Emma Roberts and Dave Franco each looked so familiar even though I knew I’d never seen either one before.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s not perfect, and I’m a little annoyed that they’re still making these… but, now that they are, I think this is the kind of story I’d like to see more of. Sort of putting some shape around the original 6-episode arc rather than extending it. I wish it were more melodramatic. Also a wee long and kind of a bad script? Dumb fan service (I assume we’re due for lots more) and the CGI Tarkin and Leia are huuuuuuge mistakes. Still, seeing Mendelsohn, Mikkelsen, and Whitaker in the same movie? What a treat! Much, much better than The Force Awakens. Filed under: Star Wars.
The Bridges of Madison County. I kinda hate myself for saying this but I think Streep gets under my skin a little bit. The micro-mannerisms. I just about eye-rolled myself inside-out when she closed the fridge with her foot. Still, a lovely little doomed romance. A story of acceptance. I like the way it just sorta relaxes into the story and takes its time even though it covers such a short time period. I’d say this is better than maybe half of the Clint Eastwood movies I’ve seen.
Ocean’s Eleven. It’s decent! It doesn’t have the same zany charm as the first time I saw it, but holds up well enough. Filed under: Steven Soderbergh.
Mark Larson 