L.A. Confidential

2017-12-102017-12-23 ~ Mark

L.A. Confidential. I think I’ve re-watched this on accident two or three times. Somehow it just doesn’t stick, slides right out of my memory.

Noah

2017-12-072017-12-23 ~ Mark

Noah. I didn’t know much going in (except for, you know, one of the most famous Bible stories). There was a good bit of fantasy-type and action-hero stuff that, uh, I wasn’t anticipating. Overall, pretty darn good. The flood scene juxtaposing the Ark and the small spit of land – completely gutting. And I don’t know how that Creation scene works so well, but it’s such a genius interlude…

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

2015-09-222018-02-03 ~ Mark

3:10 to Yuma (2007). Well, Russell Crowe is no Glenn Ford, but who is. Loved the original movie, which fleshes out the very short story really well. This movie adds in a bit too much extra material for me, which dissipates the tension. Good, though. Themes of pride, circumstance, honor. Love this line on insurance/forced retirement, basically: “They weren’t paying me to walk away; they were paying me so they could walk away.” Filed under: westerns.

The Insider

2015-05-112018-01-15 ~ Mark

The Insider. It’s awesome, like all the rest of Michael Mann’s stuff. He’s got such a great handle on momentum within and across scenes. Great cast across the board. Love the mini-breaks just to gaze and reflect and get in their heads a bit. (Filed under: Michael Mann).

State of Play

2014-03-192018-02-03 ~ Mark

State of Play. A bit a too complicated for its own good, but it’s still fun.

Man of Steel

2013-06-232018-01-24 ~ Mark

Man of Steel. The best part of this movie was seeing Michael Shannon in Kansas, which reminded me I need to watch Take Shelter again. Otherwise, very disappointing and a waste of a good cast. Snyder bit off more themes than he could chew, even with 2.5 hours to work with. All dull rush and no impact. Then it devolves into heartless, comprehensive destruction. This is not a Superman that speaks to me. Oh, well. I’ll always have the teaser.