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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
From someone who finds the books overrated and hates the tween fandom, this movie is an astonishing surprise
I have a love hate relationship with the Hunger Games series. I thought the first book was overrated and the first movie was a piece of garbage. I thought the second book was surprisingly well written and the movie was excellent. I thought the last book was fine and the ending was just awful. Although I like things about the Hunger Games, I was also very reluctant (and still kind of am in a way) to buy into the whole series. Although I liked the second movie, I was really reluctant to see the new Hunger Games movie. For some reason I just do not like the legions of fans and the hype it generates. I kind of feel like a hypocrite here, but I really cannot deny the excellence of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One.
There is all this dreck geared towards teens likes Divergent and Vampire Academy, etc. If you are one of those people (you know who you are) who always says all of these movies are terrible (as they are) and wish that teens and audiences alike were treated with more respect by Hollywood, here is your movie.
This movie depends on not much action action and virtually no dumb relationships but on human interaction, startlingly mature and graphic content, and the surprisingly realistic depiction of revolution through quiet and subtle direction from Francis Lawrence. Whereas the Hunger Games themselves were the driving force of the other movies, this movie takes a lot time and has a more adult approach to material and it is hardly boring, in fact it is engrossing. I was hooked from beginning to end. Talk about a chilling ending brrrrr.
It delivers on every level. Media goddess Jennifer Lawerence does not ham it up with a freakout scene and does a great job. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (sadly in his last role) gives a really solid performance along as does the usually annoying Julianne Moore. In fact, everyone in the film is in top form. Also, how could you not love how intensely over-the-top evil Donald Sutherland is?
Screenplay is great, directing is great, special effects is great, cinematography is great, shall I go on? This movie is just a great surprise.
This movie is thought provoking, disturbing, and not completely crowd pleasing and that is part of why it is really great. Regardless of my liking of the second movie, the first and second Hunger Game movies were still seen by tweens saying, "Is it Peeta or Gale? Who does she love. oooooooo!!!!!", yet this is just a great film on it's own. I cannot say it enough times. I applaud this movie for blowing my expectations out of the water and delivering what may be one of this year's best film's.
Movies like this and Dawn of The Planet of The Apes are proof that Hollywood is able to produce well-made and intelligent films. Please explain Transformers 4 then?
Sadly, this film is like Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows and Part Two is just a bloodbath. Will not be as well made and emotional (maybe I am getting to pretentious here), but whatever, but I am glad I saw this and I absolutely recommend it.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is fun, incredibly dark, mature, well made, and featuring music that is almost too catchy and brilliant, this is the movie YOU SHOULD show you kids
I just watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame again for the first time since I was probably 7. I am very glad I did.
I always thought Hunchback was equal to other Disney movies from the 90's (The Disney Renaissance) This is incorrect. It is perhaps the best.
Fun and upbeat yet able to climb to levels of incredible darkness, Hunchback is not just a great kids movie but a great movie.
The music is grandiose and epic and the lyrics are very well written.
The animation is out of this world. Colorful and beautifully hand drawn with added in CGI makes it look even more stunning. The movie animates itself almost as if it is camera movie down the streets of Paris itself which draws in the viewer even more. There is also MUCH attention to detail for both comedic and artistic effect
If Disney has really sold out now, then there must have been a point before that because this movie is edgy. This is the movie you SHOULD show your kids.
It addresses how your inner self is what really distinguishes a man from a monster, political corruption, lust, and death in a very literal way. Even some of the humor is fairly dark. I love this about it. It is very dark yet able to be very light and the darkness leads up to a really touching and well deserved happy ending that is not just a cheesy Disney ending. These are the kinds of movies that children SHOULD be seeing. Not dreck like The Nut Job.
As pretentious as it may sound, I invite you to look back on what may be considered a childhood memory of a film for many yet this time through older eyes. I bet you will be surprised by what you see.
The only flaw I think the movie has is having the gargoyle actually be alive in the end. It would have been much more clever if they were just Quasimodo's imagination.
Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013)
A very unusual kind of biopic. Not the Hendrix biopic that fans wanted but maybe this is for the better. Jimi: All is By My Side is oddly subtle, quiet, and very well made.
(Writing out of passion. Therefore grammar mistake beware)
Jimi: All is By My Side is an arts film. Keep this in mind
2014 is a great year for musician based-biopics. Get On Up and Jimi: All is by My Side are the reason why.
Everything about Jimi: All is By My Side is unusual. The fact that 39-year old rapper Andre 3000 plays the then 24 year old Jimi Hendrix. The fact that this movie only takes place during 2-years of Jimi Hendrix's life (being able to focus on a certain period of Jimi Hendrix's life and not rushing over his whole short life gives the movie more focus). The fact that the film was not allowed by Jimi Hendrix's estate to use any of his popular music. Some of this oddities are what make this movie really good.
John Ridley (Oscar-winning writer of the screenplay for 12 Year A Slave) has made the Jimi Hendrix biopic that fans did not expect or honestly want. Yet he also made the original biopic that film lovers look for often yet seldom find. The film is surprisingly subtle and quiet nature may be of putting to some. For some cynical reason, this is the exact reason I respect this movie. It may not be my favorite movie of this year but I think it one of 2014's best because it at least comes across that Ridley cared about his subject and wanted to show his story in a creative way. This movie will not give you Hendrix's whole life story or even make you go, "Yah!!! Now I am pumped to listen to Hendrix", you feel like you know Hendrix as a person yet don't completely know him. Ridley tried to bring as much as Hendrix as he could to life through interesting artistic filmmaking. His screen writing here is also quite engaging. If you have seen 12 Years A Slave, interestingly you'll notice similarities in filming between that film and this one. As for the performances, the three leads are great. Andre Benjamin surprised me with his performance as Hendrix. I did not know much about Hendrix. I do not even know his music that well. All I know is that he is known as one of the best if not the best guitarist of all time.As a man...Hendrix was kind of insecure and awkward. Who knew? For such an influential musician at such a time of political unrest, Hendrix was pretty content simply just play his music. He was simple yet profound sometimes in real life but more often this was evident in his lyrics. Shy in public yet when he wanted to do something that seemed crazy to others, he did it. Imogen Poots is very appealing as Linda Keith, the woman who discovers Hendrix in Greenwich Village, is lover to Hendrix, all the while dating Keith Richards. There is something so charming about Poots and after starring in some pretty bad movies (namely Need For Speed), she gets a real role. Haley Atwell is fiery as Kathy Etchingham, another lover of Hendrix. Good to see her in something unrelated to Marvel. All in all, these actors are trying hard in their roles and they disappear into them to create believable characters. Some of the sound and filming technique in this movie could either be seen as clever or annoying. Your choice.The only glaring flaw I see in it is some of the changing of history. This movie is apparently mostly accurate and I understand that in films like this, history is often times altered. However I cannot stand when things are just made up. There is one scene when Hendrix beats Etchingham with a phone receiver that apparently never happened in real life. Just why? This scene has some purpose in the movie but depth that did not exist in real life should not be added to film.
Jimi: All is By My Side is odd yet strangely unique and engaging. John Ridley puts a tender, realistic, art-house on one of rock 'n' rolls biggest icons. The result is masterful in many ways. If you want to gain an interesting look into the man behind the legend or want to see a new kind of biopic, see this film. If you are looking for a energized mainstream biopic about Jimi Hendrix than wait for the Anthony Mackie biopic in 2016. Honestly this film is not for everyone and that is OK. It may not be the most fun film but it is an interesting one. Is that not why filmmakers make films? To take stories and put new and creative takes on them. Personally, I am just glad that we got a biopic about Jimi Hendrix, the human being.
I cannot explain it anymore even though I wish I could. If this your kind of movie, see it.
" Your people I do not understand, so to you I shall put an end, and you'll never hear surf music again" - Jimi Hendrix
P.S. I am very surprised at the lack of user reviews or ratings for this film on IMDb. This is a movie for movie-lovers and music-lovers and I know it will find it's audience. So why are there less than 20 reviews? Come on people.
True Stories (1986)
If you like David Byrne, this won't be the David BYRNE FILM you are expecting. It is a different kind of film which is nonetheless very good.
This summer I got into Talking Heads and the music of David Byrne. So naturally when I saw that Byrne had written and directed a movie, I had to see it. From his description of the movie as "60 Minutes on acid", the fact that Byrne got complete artistic control on the film, and Byrne's infamously wild stage antics, I expected a bizarre, surreal, and crazy movie. This sweet, genuine,funny, and peculiar film about small-town life was not what I expected. After a first viewing, I liked the music, John Goodman's performance, David Byrne's narration, and many other things, but admittedly felt a bit disappointed. Disappointed may not actually be the right word. Rather surprised. I expected one film and got another. I thought the movie had a collection of interesting ideas and was quite likable, but it just felt off like it was missing something.
I decided to revisit True Stories again later in the summer. I am very glad I did. I really really like this movie. To see this movie and appreciate it, you really should see it twice. This movie only proves more that David Byrne is brilliant. David Byrne delivered something that was not expected of him and instead of playing to type. If you are a fan of Byrne and Talking Heads, you'll love the music and it does have a little bit of Byrnian weirdness, but try to view this not as a David BYRNE FILM but rather as a film one it's own. It portrays some stereotypes of small town folk yet in a loving way. It is a nice movie and maybe the only movie I can think of that does not attempt to satirize or look down upon small town life, but rather cast a light upon what small town life is (using a bit of hyperbole) through unbiased eyes. It's a like a more surreal version of Napoleon Dynamite with less obvious humor and Talking Heads in it. David Byrne's character is clever because he represents the audience. He is viewing the town of Virgil, Texas much like the viewers are.It all feels very much like real life and not like a movie. His monotonous voice, deadpan delivery, and the literalness of what he is saying just works for some reason. He says a lot of random things and speaks in a very stream of consciousness way and you are always wondering what is going through his head. This only emphasizes more that this film does not spell anything out for the audience and says it like it is. It dances to it's own beat and it lets the audience decide what everything means. Not many films do that anymore. The movie is pretty disjointed and isn't perfect, but nothing is perfect. It offers unique take on small town life, the music is great, the cinematography is very good, John Goodman is great as the love-seeking giant, Lewis, and all of the characters are quite memorable. It may not change your life, but it is undeniably likable, and you'll find yourself thinking about it after the movie is over. Not very much actually happens in the movie, but when it is over, you do at least feel like you got to know Virgil, Texas a little bit.
This movie can surreal but not in an overly distracting way. Which is odd because while watching the film, certain scenes might make you think, "This is the weirdest movie ever!" Yet when the movies has ended and you look back on it, somehow I doubt the words you will use to describe this movie is weird. It is hard to explain, but i think you will get it. Well I guess this movie could be called surreal if you consider it randomly breaks into song at some points. Yet it really isn't a musical. Once again, once you see it, you will know what I mean.
I can see how this film got lost in the hustle of the 80's and forgotten but it deserves better. Although it is not revolutionary in any way, I think this is an underrated and wonderful little movie by a great artist and it deserves more attention and is worth an hour and a half of your time. You probably won't see another film quite like it.
"I have something to say about the difference between American and European cities. But I've forgotten what it is. I have it written down at home somewhere."
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Dawn of The Planet of The Apes is the most intelligent, mature, and phenomenal film you will see that features chimps with machine guns riding horses
Wow. There have been several times that I loved the first film in a series, waited a few years for the sequel, disliked, and then forgot about it. This is not the case.
Although I personal like Rise of The Planet of The Apes a bit better, this movie is close second. It's excellent. Not just as a summer movie. Not just as a sequel. But as a film. It is an incredible movie. Also what it does is so unique, it not only makes you care about both sides of a battle, but it gives a whole new outlook on the war that began it all in the Planet of The Apes trilogy.
This movie really avoids a lot of clichés. A few inevitable ones pop up, but it is really quite unique. The acting on the "human" side is decent. The characters are not incredibly developed, but they don't have to be. They have enough development and are not annoying. You care about their situation. Gary Oldman has a surprisingly small role, but a pretty good one. But the real star is obviously the apes. Andy Serkis and the team of motion capture actors are mesmerizing. The effects are great.
The movie also has a lot to say about the human condition. I won't ruin that.
The movie also had a lot of moments that really made me care and it was quite unpredictable
I cannot think of another case of a series that was rebooted three times and on the third time got it right. TWICE!!!!
I was worried when a friend told me the movie was clichéd and stupid...it is not so. Even if you are excited for this movie, it will still exceed expeditions.
"Apes Strong Together"
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
An incredibly pleasant surprise
This movie is great. It truly is. Even though many people like it, I still don't think it gets enough praise. It is the third reboot of The Planet of The Apes series and it not only breaths new life into the series, but it has an incredibly interesting social message.
It's entertaining, very menacing, fun, and sad all at the same time. A great combination
The acting from James Franco and Freido Pinto are solid and John Lithgow is very memorable. Andy Serkis sets the standard for motion capture acting and is amazing.
This is a short review, but this movie has so much too offer and is just great on every level.
See this movie and it's sequel. Equally great.
The Tree of Life (2011)
If emotionless aliens wanted to understand not only what it was like to be human but understand the cycle of life on planet Earth, this would be the right movie.
(Spoilers)
Don't let the synopsis fool you. Here the real synopsis: A journey through the various stages of life
This movie has been called a masterpiece by some and pointless bullshit by others. I am in the school of thought that it is almost a masterpiece. This is one of those movies that if you are told what it is about or you read a synopsis, it sounds like pretentious, surreal, and annoying. I assure it is not. This movie is not for everyones taste, but if it appeals to you, than you'll never forget it. The first hour of this movie is quite simply mesmerizing. Everything at first appears to be random but then you realize what it all means. This is the story of the various stages of life and creation. The old-fashioned visuals done by Douglas Trumbell of 2001 fame are great as is the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. This is a very human film and it is so seemingly complex yet so simple.
Although everything described makes this movie sound like it is perfect, it is not. Nothing in this movie is anything close to bad but it is a very very good movie that could have been a masterpiece. Although all of the movie serves it's purpose and is in part based on Terrence Mallick's childhood, I think this movie could have been even better if it was shorter. I found the first hour and 20 minutes of the film is so unique, powerful, and engaging enough to make you forget you are watching a film. Although there is plenty of good things left to come, it began to feel less like an experience and more like a movie. As an example, I became aware of it being redundant mainly with it's voice-over/montage scenes and it's thematically redundancies about growing up. Although still well done, I just wish that this movie had been cut down by about 25 to 30 minutes. Although I will note, it picks up again a lot in the end. If that were the case, it would have been utterly fantastic and I would have given it a 10 out of 10.
As for the acting and the script, Terrence Mallick has a great script here. I didn't even think about the script until the end of the movie because it was so realistic it seemed more like real life dialogue than scripted dialogue. That is one great element throughout. As for the acting, it is subtly great. Brad Pitt. Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, and most of rest of the cast are very convincing. That is the real test of acting. Can you convince someone that you can not only play like a gangster or an alien, but a real human being? Most of the actors achieve this. I didn't care for Sean Penn in this movie mainly because he was in it for so little and he is such a big name, that I think a less recognizable actor would have made more sense for his role.
I give this movie a 8 as opposed to what it sounds like it should be, a 7, because what it does it gets right, it gets really right. Great execution, great character development, great effects, great cinematography, great acting, great direction, and realistic as hell, if not a bit overlong.
Definitely see this movie. Even those who hate it will admit, it is one of the most unique movies ever made.
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
To all the idiots who said you have to be high to understand Pink Floyd's The Wall. . . you were not looking hard enough.
Have you ever had a nightmare that was so disturbing and surreal that you wanted it to end but then when you wake up you cannot wait to tell your friends about it? Have you ever had a dream so outlandish that you know it could not have actually happened but you remember it like a real memory? That nightmare is Alan Parker's Pink Floyd's The Wall. This movie is the closest I have ever seen to an actual nightmare. This movie was quoted as being the most unpleasant experience of Alan Parker's life, it caused much tension between Roger Waters and the rest of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters did not like the end result. Although all of this is unfortunate for those involved, what came out of this misery was a fantastic film. The almost complete lack of dialogue, the excellent usage of Pink Floyd's captivating album, and the surreal animation sections of the film makes this film a visual and auditory experience. The film hits the themes of the aftermath that war left on people and Britain, corrupt teachers (excellent and infamous "Another Brick in The Wall Part 2" scene), marriage, fascism as an allegory for fame, and the events in life that snowball into human isolation; the building of The Wall. I pulled a one nighter (new term I made up) and listened to the whole album of The Wall then watched the film. I expected disturbing, screwed up, and rock and roll fueled anger and sorrow and I did get it, but one emotion I did not expected accumulated from this listening and viewing; sadness. Both the film and the album are practically the story of a man secluded himself from everyone and it is a very alienating and depressing experience. Through all of the violent imagery and all out bizarreness, there is a deep human message at the center-most brick of The Wall. That is why it seems like a plausible nightmare. The Wall is not always easy to watch and most won't even like it, but it is hard to admit that it is not oddly fascinating.
Ultimately everything about this movie surprised me. The direction, the animation, the narrative, the cinematography (incredibly ahead of it's time); all amazing!!! One of the most surprising aspects of this movie is the performance as the troubled rock star and protagonist, Pink, by Boomtown Rat's Bob Geldoff. Geldoff was not an actor. He did not like Pink Floyd. He could not be more different than Pink (in fact, violence makes Geldoff sick) but casting Geldoff for some weird reason, was genius. Geldoff pulls off a convincing, wordless performance as Pink.
Final tidbit: Although I am a lover of film, I tend to get easily distracted by social media and other things during films. I did not pause this film once. For better or for worse, it hooks you in the whole time. Once you start building', there is no way back.