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vatsimmons
Reviews
Across the Universe (2007)
Mad about how much better this could've been.
Firstly, this movie does some things wrong. The dialogue is lacking. There is no plot. Oftentimes, music is at the expense of dialogue. About halfway through, the film devolves into fragmented parts instead of a whole narrative. Continuity is also a real problem.
Still, 'Across' does A LOT of things right. It's a visual treat throughout. The performances are earnest and endearing. The songs are - for the most part - well placed and servicing of the message the being explored in that moment.
Most of all, characters face real consequences. Jude gets deported. Max gets drafted to the war when he foolishly drops out of Princeton. The general craziness of the late 60s feels is aptly represented. There's a few cheesy cop outs toward the end, but such a bleak ending would be narratively inconsistent with the film.
With better writing (I.e., a real story and not some standard love story), this movie could've been something special, and I purposely avoid musicals.
The Card Counter (2021)
Boosted by Oscar Isaac's great performance, TCC is a deeply flawed work that - nevertheless - has quality components working in its favor.
Here are my issues right away:
1. The film lacks polish. The cinematography in particular felt very cheap, i.e. Not cinematic. The bit players/minor characters seem untrained. But that's likely an issue with direction.
2. Tiffany Haddish is miscast - though this doesn't make or break the film.
3. There are a number (read: many) of misguided music cues throughout. This movie didn't need much music at all.
4. I think the crew was trying to make something sleek and trendy for 2021, but still grounded like a 90s character study. You could tell Scorsese was involved, but not TOO involved. If Scorsese directs this, it's a classic.
That being said, The Card Counter does a number of things right. Oscar Isaac is predictably sturdy. The tone of the film is evocative and absorbing throughout; it definitely gets under your skin. I appreciated the military tie-in as well.
There are definitely traces of what I'd consider "high cinema" here, they're just not substantiated by anything meaningful (no ethos). The film particularly succeeds at set up and payoff. It also reminded me of 2011's "Drive" - one of my all time top 5, so that'll definitely get it an extra half or full star.
Given my appreciation for film as an art form, I definitely can't call this movie "bad". I respect the craftsmanship, it's just standard.
Malcolm & Marie (2021)
Pretentious, gorgeous, and surprisingly captivating
First I want to give props to everyone involved in the film. Two people literally doing nothing but arguing is a tough sell (especially at 1hr 45 min) but I watched it through, and found myself engaged and entertained through a good chunk of it. The same reasons I enjoyed this movie will be the same others dislike it:
1. It's pretentious
This is a very wordy film. If you don't have an extensive vocabulary, you will feel insulted. While I admit that the verbiage is overdone more than once, Levinson's screenplay lets you know that Malcolm & Marie is for art house lovers, aka "real movies". And I appreciate that.
M&M is also shot in Black & White (a beautiful choice, but still very pretentious). The cinematography is beautiful.
2. The acting
John David Washington & Zendaya both killed it based on what they were given (see above point about the screenplay). I expect an Oscar nomination for Zendaya, and at least a Golden Globe nod for Washington, depends on how crowded the field is.
3. Sam Levinson's style
As a fan of Euphoria, I was happy to see Zendaya and Labrinth coming into the fold with Sam. As expected, the movie is sleek with a great soundtrack and editing.
Even with all those positives, this movie isn't about much, so I'll go with a 7. Expect some Oscar nods though.
Spree (2020)
Middle of the road
I've been watching movies based around social media, and Spree does a lot of things right in that regard. Characters are on a livestream for half the movie. The comments from those livestreams are HILARIOUS and spot on. The language is contemporary ("incel", "beta", etc.) The director is 34, so this all makes sense. I like how characters weee introduced too.
Still, Spree is a bit of a mess. I can't really find the reason why. But the movie is only an hour and a half, and I took a nap midway through. It's missing something, but that's kind of the point. Really Spree deserves a 4.5, but in context with the kind of movie it is, I give it a bit of leeway.
The Beach Bum (2019)
Smoke something beforehand
I am a fan of both Matthew McConaughey and cinematographer Benoît Debie. In terms of Harmony Korine's direction, I have the same feelings I did about Spring Breakers: (sometimes painfully) laid back & non plot oriented.
McConaughey makes the movie what it is. His performance as Moondog made me think about draining my savings account and living a nomadic lifestyle. That is good acting.
There is one major plot point which gives Moondog purpose, but it's not the central focus of the movie. The movie has no central focus at all. Its the kind of movie that takes you on a day-by-day of a character's regular routine - a hangout movie. It may not be the movie for you.
I don't even think it's "good", it just "is". Still, McConaughey, beautiful cinematography from Benoît, and a good balance of funny and heartfelt make this a 6 for me.
Bombshell (2019)
A throughly above average film
Anytime you put a bunch of Oscar nominees/winners together, the audience expects a level of quality. Bombshell falls short. But the pedigree involved ensures it's above average.
Structurally, this film is a mess. Rudolph's screenplay is scattered, but if you liked The Big Short, it's got similar quirks and dialogue. Still, I don't understand the point of the first act conflict against Trump. Could've just gone straight to the sexual assault. The direction is fine, but this isn't a director's movie. Thankfully, THE ENTIRE CAST kills. Production design, makeup, and editing are all top notch IMO.
So, Oscar pedigree + worthy subject + uneven script = above average film. Solid 7/10. Interestingly, RT score is 69%, Metacrotic is 64/100, and the IMDB score is 6.8. So it seems we all agree it's a 6.5-7.