Tag: film

Jack Reacher

~ Mark

Jack Reacher. I liked it the first time, but I appreciate it so much more now. More subtlety than I remembered, like starting with a solid 8-10 minutes without dialogue. More great humor than I remembered, like Reacher sometimes acknowledging that he’s a bit ridiculous. And the mouthing off before the fight outside the bar. Love the dynamism in the car chase, great filming there. Also LOVE how he takes control of the hostage negotiation on the phone. There’s nothing else like it. This, then Oblivion then Edge of Tomorrow is a solid three-year run.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

~ Mark

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. It’s ~40 minutes of almost-revolution and ~80 minutes where we watch them shoot commercials. yawn I think there actually is an interesting movie to be made (already made?) about the internal/self-directed marketing for revolutionary movements, but it’s not this one. The first movie is the best. The second one has its moments. The trend is not good. Fingers crossed for a good finale.

Beyond the Lights

~ Mark

Beyond the Lights. This is pretty much at the peak of the bell curve for average, solid rom-drama. One thing I thought particularly interesting: the sexualization of pop music is more apparent/disturbing when it’s a fictional celebrity. There’s no built-in aura of fame, so the constructedness is so much more calculated and weird. Another thing: that they needed to invent a whole new set of songs (that are pretty passable) is an odd peek behind the curtains.

Interstellar

~ Mark

Interstellar. First time I’d seen anything on IMAX. Lives up to the format. It’s one of the best Nolan films since The Dark Knight, probably. But it’s very Nolan: he can direct the crap out of some spectacular action/space sequences, but it rarely moves me. (The truck/rocket scene above in the above screencap is a glorious exception). And it could use some trimming. I have to give him credit for directing original material though, and working with smart ideas. No one is doing crazy stuff at that level like he is. Maybe my second favorite after Memento? I need to re-visit The Dark Knight and The Prestige to see where it fits in.

Birdman

~ Mark

Birdman. Not for me. But like I said, If you like reading writers writing about how hard writing is, and also acting, you might like it. I appreciate the one-camera, no cuts constraint, but it feels claustrophobic after a while. Sweet soundtrack. Keaton is still the man.

The Thin Man

~ Mark

The Thin Man. I watched this after I read the book. It lives up to the source material, for sure. Delightful murder mystery + comedy. It’s nice to watch a charming couple (and pair of actors) just having a great time.

Nora Charles: You know, that sounds like an interesting case. Why don’t you take it?
Nick Charles: I haven’t the time. I’m much too busy seeing that you don’t lose any of the money I married you for.

Nightcrawler

~ Mark

Nightcrawler. This is at or near the top of my 2014 favorites. Gyllenhaal and Russo are great. A warning about the easy path from consumer to witness to amateur to professional to accomplice. Joblessness, economic precarity makes that transition even easier. Business theories unmoored from real flesh and blood humanity are worthless. Though the context here is metro network news, it also works as an indictment of CNN (et al.) and international affairs. Promote violence to sell more violence. Think globally, act locally. I love the moment during Bloom’s first monologue in the studio, where this laughably sentimental soundtrack eases in, cleverly undermining the creepster ravings. It’s a wink to the audience – “Can you believe this nut?“ Of course not. I think I might see this one again. It’d make a good L.A. nighttime adventure moral compromise double-feature with Collateral.

The Frighteners

~ Mark

The Frighteners. I feel like there’s a very, very good version of this movie lurking beneath the (kooky, stylish) one that actually exists. Good comedy-horror for the most part. The final act is exhausting (seems like many horror movies go awry when they give the villains too much screen time). Jeffrey Combs plays one of the best FBI agents in film history, and man, just imagine: what if – what if – Michael J. Fox had stayed healthy.

John Wick

~ Mark

John Wick. This movie was much better than it needed to be. Oddly inventive, and I love the world they built, with the secret clubs, clean-up contractors, doubloons (!), industry hotel, etc. It’s been a while since a movie had so many judo slams. Also love the way Wick would disable a nearby opponent, turn his attention to more distant ones for a moment, then turn back to neutralize the close one. His fighting had a sense of style, a personality. I need to watch Point Break again.

Dark Days

~ Mark

Dark Days. A remarkable documentary about people – a community, a neighborhood you’ll see – living underground in New York City. One thing that many great documentaries have in common: just letting people talk. Heartbreaking, funny, heartwarming. Recommended.

Dear White People

~ Mark

Dear White People. Not what I expected, and in a good way. I was thinking it would be more of a gimmick comedy that would burn out. Lots of good stuff about identity and affiliation. But… it’s also insanely likeable. Like you’ve been watching some really charming people spit some talking points you already agree with. Part of me wonders if I should leave the theater feeling more uncomfortable than I did. The funny is never uncomfortably accusing, the drama feels like it pulls a few punches, too. It has a more distinctive cinematography than I expected. Also, gotta say that I’ve done a 100% about-face on Tessa Thompson. I hated her character in the Veronica Mars TV series soooooo much that it blinded me to her talent and how the camera can’t ignore her. Great turn here. I am reminded of my childhood crush on Denise Huxtable.

Inside Man

~ Mark

Inside Man. I like that you can hear the basic summary (detective vs. bank robber/hostage-taker)… but what you see is a little bit smarter and not as interested in basic genre trappings. On the other hand, it wanders when you might want a little more spark and plausibility. Ebert says it well: “It’s not that the movie is hiding something, but that when it’s revealed, it’s been left sitting too long at room temperature.”

Scream

~ Mark

Scream. I’d forgotten how sharp this was. I love the no-BS opening, just straight to a phone call. Lots of good visual storytelling hints early on – the phone, the windows, the knife block, etc. And some good meta touches, like the first phone call, and the TV in the opening scene is prepped for a movie. Also does a good job of introducing characters and suspicions simultaneously, briskly outlining the relationships and why you might want to worry about them. Love the silly touches like the conversation between the two cops, the older one smoking a cigarette, the junior one licking an ice cream cone. A gold mine for movie trivia, and I love the casual spoilers, too. Like many comedies, it stumbles to an ending, and especially struggles when the meta-commentary becomes more and more explicit, and the thing starts narrating itself. Still holds up pretty well, though.

Gone Girl

~ Mark

Gone Girl. I loved this one. Pike and Affleck work as both archetypes and just really odd layered characters. Highly disturbing, and like Zodiac, has this seductive quality where you don’t care how long it takes to unfold. I saw it when I was ~80-85% finished with the book – I didn’t want to wait another day. There’s a good chance I’ll catch it in the theaters again. The soundtrack is great, too. As for updated David Fincher rankings… I’ll use recency bias as a tiebreaker, and let this edge in to the second slot:

  1. Zodiac
  2. Gone Girl
  3. The Social Network
  4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  5. Seven
  6. Fight Club

Killing Them Softly

~ Mark

Killing Them Softly. A steady chain of transactions – literal and figurative distancing from violence – with a constant undertow of economic collapse/politicking in the background. Very heavy-handed, thematically, but it works. Crummy neighborhoods, bare infrastructure, sweat and damp. The scene with Liotta reduced to tears was more disturbing than any movie violence in recent memory. Odd visuals with the shallow focus and vignetting. I love that hyper-experiential scene with the guy getting hight and his fitful conversation – zooms, speed changes, audio shifts, etc. Too bad the packaging was off. This was much more thoughtful and strange than they sold it.