Change Your Image
Caleb00
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Prometheus (2012)
A must-watch
Put simply, anybody who rates a film like this, "1/10," is being callow, or purposefully stupid.
Prometheus is actually a very smartly designed film that can both chill you to the bone, and prompt you to think about its subject matter in a meaningful way. More than just a slasher film, it asks questions about mortality, loss, and life itself in a way that doesn't feel forced, or verbose.
Scott's mastery of filmmaking is self-evident here. He uses the same plot structures of the original films. But with cutting-edge technology, excellent acting, and some of the best sound design I've ever heard, turns Prometheus into a spectacular thrill-ride, filled with treachery, and violence.
The most arbitrarily underrated film I've seen in my lifetime. Prometheus is a diamond in the rough. Aptly, a horrifying example of the damage false expectations can do.
Doctor Strange (2016)
A fantastic breadcrumb
The opening sequence is one of the most stupefying openings since Inception. Just as you begin to think, "hey this is great, break out the popcorn," it turns into an hour of the Marvel origin story we've already seen at least a dozen times now.
When you tell me, Madds, Tilda and Benedict are all going to have dope space-wizard battles, I hop on-board. But this film seems to rob us of that movie just five minutes in. There is some great action here and there, but it happens so fast, before we can even take a breath, we're back in a hospital again. What's the point of being a wizard if you rely on your health insurance more than your magical powers?
There are many redeeming moments throughout, and the good doctor could become an excellent vehicle for gorgeous visual material in future Avengers or Doctor Strange movies. But this movie feels like a two hour trailer that tells you to come back in a few years once they've made the sequels.
The Salvation (2014)
A western that won't bore you senseless
While this film contains many aspects of a traditional western - guns, oil, revenge, a strong dollar - it is a surprisingly concise story. And unlike so many other movies today, it does not aim to hit the 120 minute mark. It aims to keep you entertained for as long as it can, and then it rolls the credits.
True-north for this film is conflict. Whether trying to out-pace a horse, or out-gun a gang, Madds finds himself in all the worst places, at the worst times. The action is visceral, and fast. The consequences are brutal, and absolute. Nobody is safe.
Gritty, and violent, this is a movie you can actually watch in one sitting. And it thankfully eschews endless scenes of withered, old men staring at each other for hours.
Scenes from the Suburbs (2011)
Nostalgic
This film reminds me of my childhood growing up in the suburbs, and the music is from one of my favorite albums. I think both of these qualities are required to get anything out of this picture.
The images of the houses rolling by, airplanes overhead, and neighborhood kids playing made-up games under an overpass evoke memories of simpler times. This is the theme of both the album and the film: the loss of purity. It's a nostalgia film.
It is a genuinely different movie. For those of us somewhat jaded by the Hollywood-franchising-machine, this may be the refreshing respite you were looking for.
The deeper subtext of the character's relationships gets lost beneath the fantasy concept. But its short length is its greatest strength. It says what it wants to and rolls the credits. But even then, if you do not care about the album it is based on, it would do you no good to watch this movie.