Movie Mini-Review Thread

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Randhir said:
It was engaging as hell in my opinion. Steve Carrel's parts got a little bit too mushy and I think there were probably too many characters, but I really enjoyed it. I could've done with another half an hour even :)

I see Margin Call is by JC Chandor, will definitely give it a go if I get a chance, I loved A Most Violent Year.
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Oscar Isaac tore that **** up :D

The Big Short is a good watch - enjoyed it. Not so sure about Bale's nomination for Best Supporting.
 
cerebus said:
I'm glad you asked! Okay, firstly, 'nearly complete turd' is an overstatement - it had some very strong points like the cinematography and overall atmosphere, and Emily Blunt's performance. But the story was completely fragmented and it destroyed its own continuity by doing a bait and switch 3/4th of the way through and changing the focus from Emily Blunt to Benicio Del Toro. In the end what was the story even about? Corruption, or something, I guess - there were so many moments that just didn't fit anywhere, in a film that felt like it should have been tightly wound together.

And secondly, none of the action sequences really worked for me. They were meant to be these excruciatingly tense showdowns, but it never felt tense and the payoffs didn't happen - at the border scene for instance, it was building up to be something, and then ... they all shot the gangsters clinically and drove off. Or the part in the labyrinth, you kept expecting a showdown and then... Emily Blunt just sort of emerged and that was it. It was all style and no substance, and the ending was such a non-event that I was pretty disgusted, especially since it started off with such promise.
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^^, all true.

I think the story the film tries to tell is about how traditional methods are ineffective against the reality of the traffickers...Emily Blunt represents the traditional policing approach while Josh Brolin and Del Toro represent the dark side of the force (pun intended). It could have been written a lot better but a movie is too short to tell the story I would have liked to see told. Probably would work as a single season TV series with Emily Blunt having a character arc taking her from the straightlaced officer to the dark side (and maybe back to offer some light at the end of the tunnel).

The movie is a bit disjointed...the images on screen are wonderful and the score is great. But ja, overall it loses points on the coherence front.
 
I don't think that just because it doesn't follow a traditional narrative style that it isn't coherent. And your reading of it (and therefore the story/plot) seems to suggest you didn't find it incoherent at all.

And just to reiterate, I loved Sicario.
 
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Randhir said:
I don't think that just because it doesn't follow a traditional narrative style that it isn't coherent. And your reading of it (and therefore the story/plot) seems to suggest you didn't find it incoherent at all.
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I didn't find it incoherent; I found the plot badly fractured, lazy and ultimately disappointing. This review sums up my feelings concerning the narrative issues; except that I would go one further and say that I found that the tension fell rather flat for me as well due to a lack of risk and consequences.
 
cerebus said:
I didn't find it incoherent; I found the plot badly fractured, lazy and ultimately disappointing.
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I was talking about Neoprod when mentioning coherence. I'd argue that it was fractured by design, the opposite of lazy (going for a traditional narrative structure could be argued as a lazier tactic), and of course disappointing is your opinion so I can't argue with that. Villeneuve definitely doesn't tend to make lazy or unintelligent choices in his movies.

cerebus said:
This review sums up my feelings concerning the narrative issues.
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" But a third-act shift really hurts, and makes you question what you watched." That's kinda the point, isn't it? We're deliberately placed in Blunt's character's POV, and that can only take us so far. The shift in POV is surprising, but obviously it didn't come across as as-well done for everybody. I thought it was refreshing. This comment from the article is good too:
(SPOILERS)

Sicario is phenomenal; and I think the reviewer is overreacting to the plot shift that sidelines Macer (Blunt) during the climatic act, because Macer is not the central character. What happens in the third act is the intended symbolysm of what "Sicario" means.
The term of Sicario is not just referring to one character being a "hitman"; it's referring to how that part of American Law Enforcement resorts to fight in the border drug wars, by becoming a Sicario itself. Sicario displays how American Law enforcement needs to go over it's own legal structure in order to kill the entire "tree" by cutting it at the root, instead of just cutting off the easy to reach branches.
Macer just happens to be the character that still tries to stand for a legal structure that obviously doesn't work if America wants to win this war.
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cerebus said:
except that I would go one further and say that I found that the tension fell rather flat for me as well due to a lack of risk and consequences.
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Almost seems like we were watching different movies :p All I saw was risk and consequences.
 
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Randhir said:
I don't think that just because it doesn't follow a traditional narrative style that it isn't coherent. And your reading of it (and therefore the story/plot) seems to suggest you didn't find it incoherent at all.

And just to reiterate, I loved Sicario.
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I really enjoyed it too. Just seems to end bluntly though. I like a story that has a climatic finish even those who have you yearning for more after the climatic ending. But this just feels too bleh...

Great movie none the less, I really enjoyed it.
 
Pitbull said:
Just seems to end bluntly though..
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Randhir said:
Trailers looked horrible.
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Most of the actors' performances are sub par. Feels like they spent the bulk of the budget on CGI and Gerard's salary and got a bunch of noobs to fill the gaps.
 
Zootropolis/Zootopia

8/10

Good story with a bit of a different take on the classic cartoon anthro civilisation. The sly con artist attitude was spot on for Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). The pacing is a bit wacky and the outcome was a tad predictable but it's a animated film so my expectations is just that. The only thing that turns me down about this film including all disney animations is the horrible soundtrack not to mention Shakira's crappy theme on the film.
 
In the heart of the Sea (2015) - 7.5/10

Excellent flick, maybe even an 8.

Simple down to earth little 'fantasy' story. Good acting, great directing imo.
 
Watching The American [2010]

About half way now. Give it a 7/10 so far. Not too bad.
 
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