I should watch The Parallax View again. I saw it when it came out and remember being vastly disappointed, but I don't remember much else about it beyond its basic premise. Maybe I missed something.
I should watch The Parallax View again. I saw it when it came out and remember being vastly disappointed, but I don't remember much else about it beyond its basic premise. Maybe I missed something.
A few things I liked about it. It's not a 'star/hero' film like a Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible type. There's no narration, had to pay attention as the story evolves. And had to think about it after to piece it all together. Roger Ebert liked it ""The Parallax View" is one of the greatest suspense thrillers in history, so creepy, lacking even a glimpse of hopeful sunshine." Not as much as Roger but I liked it too, although the best film I watched last week was Thieves' Highway. If you do re-watch, curious to hear your thoughts.
I forgot to mention this but there was one shot in Everything Everywhere All At Once where Jamie Curtis' left wrist was exposed and showed the attachment of the hot dog hand.
“A controlling manipulative father locks his three adult offspring in a state of perpetual childhood by keeping them prisoner within the sprawling family compound.”
A great dark comedy drama satire on homeschooling and controlling parents that is often hilarious and disturbing on the surface and deeply underneath it. I’d argue it’s Lanthimos at his most controversial and weirdest thus far in the best ways possible. Lanthimos is excellent at making points with a comically absurd and highly entertaining style. The theme is ultimately about raising children and how parents need to decide if they want to use an obedient or laissez-faire style or something in between most likely. It brings up a lot of thought for debate on and/or leanings of if one should be a child’s friend or trainer, protect or let make mistakes, control and structure or allow disorder and anarchy, nature vs nurture, or the old saying “is it better to be feared or loved”. All extremes have their issues, but where in the middle ground should one stand? I won’t ruin any of the scenes, but those revolving around a cat, grandpa, and some wordplay were highly memorable. If you’ve enjoyed The Lobster and/or The Favorite, this is worth checking out if you don’t mind controversial stuff, including a couple explicitly taboo scenes.
Mother (2009) (subtitles)
3.15 out of 4stars
“A widowed mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her mentally challenged son for a girl’s horrific murder.”
A great crime drama thriller that’s a twist filled journey with dark wit on the expansive reach of motherly love and it’s darker sides, while including an excellent lead performance by Kim Hye-ja. This, like Host by Bong, mixes a bunch of tones and social commentary subjects (and genres) altogether and does so here in a succeedingly smooth manner while maintaining story elegance. It’s an impressive feat alongside a smart quality script. As the investigation continues, the movie grows stronger all the way to its memorable climax, which I will not ruin. The theme here seems to be that powerful love is a double edged sword and thoroughly blinding, and the impact of its actions externally and internally. Deeply well done. That said, this doesn’t take away anything from the film for me, but I am still not sure what angle the very very end’s meaning has…..
Is the self-applied erasing bad memories acupuncture needle by the Mother a forgiveness of herself and/or son reaction, a true acceptance for what had happened involving them, or even a resigned acceptance/almost c’est la vie? Previously it seemed she hated herself and her son for what was done, but I am unsure in what way she has come to terms with everything that happened.
Okja (2017) (some subtitles)
3.05 out of 4stars
“A young girl who raised a genetically modified super pig for 10years has it taken away from her by a multinational conglomerate corporation with intentions of scientific testing and butchering. With some aid from an animal activist group, she travels to New York in an attempt to rescue it.”
A great adventure drama with some action and touches of humor that is on the surface about the love of a beloved animal who’s been taken from her ‘family’, but under the surface about the capitalist meat industry’s misdeeds and the emphasizing of livestock’s emotional and mental capabilities as living breathing beings. First and foremost, if you are an animal hunter/extreme meat enthusiast/dead animal head collector, this movie is not for you. It’s blatantly pro-animal rights and anti-meat industry. Now back to the movie. The movie does a good job, especially with imagery on conveying its points. The Okja as a beloved ‘pet dog’ angle is clever and relevant. Take a look at your beloved dog and cat. Now realize what the movie tells you: farms, labs, and slaughterhouses are full of “slave” animals that are as or more intelligent and emotionally expressive compared to that dog or cat in your house, “and” sadly are conscious of and absorb the emotional and physical abuses they are living through to an extent. The capital meat business/conglomerate here I believe is shown mostly true. As the population shifts toward more humane and ethical wants from their meat industry producers and products, they do act slightly better in the big picture, but still behind the scenes chase the almighty dollar, unnaturally impair animals lives, ‘control their public image’, and find loopholes or lie about certain standards and practices. The activist group is a bit too idealistic here, albeit still criminal in action, yet this movie was meant to make a point, so that is what it is. Huh, rereading this I sound like an pro-animal rights activist but honestly just tried summarizing the movie's main points. Definitely entertaining while being effective, especially some of the conclusion imagery.
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
2.95 out of 4stars
“A shadowy serial killer targeting women with afflictions secretly goes after a mute woman working in a New England mansion during a thunderstorm.”
A great mystery horror drama with atmosphere, good noir-esque visuals, and a well balanced story/characters. McGuire is great as the mute, showcasing her emotions in an expressive physical manner. The whole movie is a master in subtleties. With subtleties the suspense is built, the characters and relationships are molded, safeties are whittled away, and the large dark house setting keeps closing in on our protagonist (as does the storm’s effects outside). Even some nice touches of humor are thrown in too. I’d guess the main theme here would be about disabled people. How disabled people, and women as a whole I’d say strongly here, aren’t as limited or restricted in their abilities as one would think, and we should empower them and help them overcome any insecurities or boundaries they have in fulfilling their wishes and lives.
Crimes of the Future (2022)
2.85 out of 4stars
“In the future, humans adapt to a synthetic environment with new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice, Saul Tenser, celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Because of his notoriety, both the government and outside groups want to use his influence.”
A great sci-fi horror film that is notably complex with commentary on present and future art, technology, human and artificial evolution, pleasure/sex, politics, health, and ethics. Unorthodoxly, this is the first Cronenberg movie I’ve seen that I can say he’s borrowed major plot elements from 4 of his previous classic films and reused them interwindingly. Refreshingly as usual, the body horror never feels gratuitous and is purposeful. Also unlike Cronenberg, the story feels a bit unconnected and incomplete with an odd closure to its story, feeling to me like it needed an extra 20 or 30minutes of context. Thematically I interpret it a number of ways due to the vast amount of topics covered. The most broad theme I would say is evolution and the future. Does our technological evolution match our human evolution or will our technological evolution force our human evolution into further steps, and/or does our technological evolution fit all our human needs or have we underutilized/incorrectly-utilized our technical prowess. The emphasis on this theme seems to be a warning about the use and long term effects of synthetic and artificial materials, especially plastics/microplastics. That said, there is much more food for thought within.
In the wild west of Oregon two friends, a quiet baker and a Chinese immigrant, earn their living selling baked goods called oily cakes to other frontiersmen. However, their wares depend on them stealing milk in the middle of the night from the only Jersey cow in the territory which is owned by a wealthy and powerful man. Like all of Kelly Reichardt’s films, First Cow is a quiet and gentle film showing a very human story of trying to survive in capitalist society, in this case early settler capitalism in America. Not much happens or is said in the film but it is rich in themes and a subtle commentary of American capitalism and colonialism. Patient viewers are rewarded in this film and I appreciate that Reichardt does not hold the viewers hand as she is one of the few American mainstream(ish) directors committed to slow cinema. And oh how gorgeous the cinematography is in the lush green forests and moonlit nights, absolutely beautiful film to look at.
Just watched this. Didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was (the trailer and the way the movie itself introduces the premise makes it seem like it's going to be really lame), but the juggling act of what it manages to do and all of the attention to detail is really impressive. It's creatively unhinged and goes all over the place but somehow feels really cohesive and focused when it could have easily turned into a hollow, overbearing, try-hard mess. It also ends up having pretty sharp and critically satisfying artistic (and comedic) sensibilities while simultaneously working well as an easy-to-watch, let-loose-and-have fun popcorn movie. It's not close to my favorite thing or anything, but I do think it's "for everyone" in a good way, and gets better and better as the movie goes. The rock scenes were probably my favorite bits. Small nitpick, I did occasionally find the dialogue/tone/humor a little much, and a little too direct/in your face/off. There's a good amount of subtlety if you look for it as well, though.
One detail I'm a little confused about:
What did Joy do to the other Evelyn's then? Alpha Waymond said that she was killing them, but Joy reveals later that she just wanted to find someone who could understand. Doesn't killing the other Evelyn's hurt that potential? Maybe they're implying that she actually didn't kill them, but then what was she doing? Having the same scenario play out, but the other Evelyns just couldn't handle the bagel or something?
A simple story of a man in Rome who has his bicycle stolen and tries to find it. Shot around the city with non actors including the leads. Like The Kid or Life is Beautiful the little boy plays a key role and is very good as he follows his father around trying to find the bike. Beautiful film.
Sidenote: A 19 year old Sergio Leone got a job as an unpaid assistant on the film. He was given a task of finding some young men to play in the scene where students are sheltering from the rain along with the leads. Leone also appears in the scene. He was wearing a new yellow sweater under his red costume robe which the rain ruined when the red dye ran. He had to argue with the director but enventually was reimbursed.
The Angry Silence-1960
Workers get together and go out on a wildcat strike. One man (Richard Attenborough) doesn't agree with the reasons and continues to go to work. When the men do return to work he is treated as an outcast by all and the treatment escalates as the company refuses to fire him. Interesting study of the effects of strikes. Pier Angeli especially, is very good. Well done drama.
The Luck of Ginger Coffey-1964
Ginger believes that 'pot of gold' is just around the corner. He moved to Montreal from Ireland for a better life for his wife and daughter. But he's struggling to get by and his wife, tired of broken promises and mendacity, wants to return to Ireland. Husband and wife in the film and in real life (Robert Shaw & Mary Ure) are both very good and have nice chemistry working together. For folks familiar with Montreal, a lot of great shots around the city from the era. Enjoyed it.
Seven Chances-1925
A man finds out he has been left an large inheritance...but there's a catch. He must be married and by the end of the day to collect. This film is so funny, classic Buster Keaton comedy. His route to the altar is one for the ages. There's a good print on YouTube. Run Buster, Run!
Another day in Burgerworld with the Belcher family. It's almost summer, Tina is looking to canoodle with her crush Jimmy Pesto jr, Gene wants to make annoying noises with a napkin holder, and Louise is unusually nervous and introspective about her emotional development. Mom and dad have bigger issues however. The bank's calling their loan, and a giant sinkhole just opened up in front of the restaurant. Uh-oh. Even more fun: a skeleton is found in the hole, and now there's police involved, their landlord's arrested for murder, and all the local carnies mourn by drinking and gambling. But who *really* did it? Will Tina finally get to kiss her crush? Will Teddy go insane from not being in Bob's Burgers for more than one day? How far can they stretch a single Bob's Burgers episode? Watch and find out if you've got nothing better to do.
Basically, if you like the show, you'll mildly like the movie. They're kind of running low on ideas now, like all shows do after a certain point. This one was pretty padded out with musical numbers. I mean, it's okay. Not great, not bad. If I had to do it over again, I'd definitely wait until it's on tv for free, which will probably be about a week from now. Meh.
Would only recommend for hardcore fans.
A rare happy moment for Bob. Don't ruin it for him.
“A widowed mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her mentally challenged son for a girl’s horrific murder.”
A great crime drama thriller that’s a twist filled journey with dark wit on the expansive reach of motherly love and it’s darker sides, while including an excellent lead performance by Kim Hye-ja. This, like Host by Bong, mixes a bunch of tones and social commentary subjects (and genres) altogether and does so here in a succeedingly smooth manner while maintaining story elegance. It’s an impressive feat alongside a smart quality script. As the investigation continues, the movie grows stronger all the way to its memorable climax, which I will not ruin. The theme here seems to be that powerful love is a double edged sword and thoroughly blinding, and the impact of its actions externally and internally. Deeply well done. That said, this doesn’t take away anything from the film for me, but I am still not sure what angle the very very end’s meaning has…..
Is the self-applied erasing bad memories acupuncture needle by the Mother a forgiveness of herself and/or son reaction, a true acceptance for what had happened involving them, or even a resigned acceptance/almost c’est la vie? Previously it seemed she hated herself and her son for what was done, but I am unsure in what way she has come to terms with everything that happened.
Okja (2017) (some subtitles)
3.05 out of 4stars
“A young girl who raised a genetically modified super pig for 10years has it taken away from her by a multinational conglomerate corporation with intentions of scientific testing and butchering. With some aid from an animal activist group, she travels to New York in an attempt to rescue it.”
A great adventure drama with some action and touches of humor that is on the surface about the love of a beloved animal who’s been taken from her ‘family’, but under the surface about the capitalist meat industry’s misdeeds and the emphasizing of livestock’s emotional and mental capabilities as living breathing beings. First and foremost, if you are an animal hunter/extreme meat enthusiast/dead animal head collector, this movie is not for you. It’s blatantly pro-animal rights and anti-meat industry. Now back to the movie. The movie does a good job, especially with imagery on conveying its points. The Okja as a beloved ‘pet dog’ angle is clever and relevant. Take a look at your beloved dog and cat. Now realize what the movie tells you: farms, labs, and slaughterhouses are full of “slave” animals that are as or more intelligent and emotionally expressive compared to that dog or cat in your house, “and” sadly are conscious of and absorb the emotional and physical abuses they are living through to an extent. The capital meat business/conglomerate here I believe is shown mostly true. As the population shifts toward more humane and ethical wants from their meat industry producers and products, they do act slightly better in the big picture, but still behind the scenes chase the almighty dollar, unnaturally impair animals lives, ‘control their public image’, and find loopholes or lie about certain standards and practices. The activist group is a bit too idealistic here, albeit still criminal in action, yet this movie was meant to make a point, so that is what it is. Huh, rereading this I sound like an pro-animal rights activist but honestly just tried summarizing the movie's main points. Definitely entertaining while being effective, especially some of the conclusion imagery.
I love Mother. It is definitely in my top 3 of Bong's filmography, after Memories of Murder and Parasite. For me, the ending hammers home Bong's critique of modern day South Korean parents, who will do everything to protect their children, even if they know they are wrong. That is why she did the procedure on herself, which allows her to forget it all, including her guilt. Bong, however, does not exactly condemn her. Rather, he believes it is a societal trait. That is why the camera moves so much in that last dance scene where she joins everyone, in order to create a blurry feverish dream-like state. Confucian values passed down from generations to generations has "intoxicated" the whole culture, and everyone will do the same thing, in her shoes. There is no longer any right or wrong, but only duty to one's kin. It can be admirable, but some people do take it to the extreme. That is why the Mother character can be both sympathetic, but also a monster.
On the other hand, I find Okja is by far his weakest work. Bong definitely has a vision, but this one just did not resonate with me at all. As a result, I was pretty bored by it, and honestly did not care at all. I did find out during his Parasite media blitz that the actress who played the housekeeper in Parasite, Lee Jung-eun, actually did the voice of Okja. I was both surprised and impressed when I learned that.
I love Mother. It is definitely in my top 3 of Bong's filmography, after Memories of Murder and Parasite. For me, the ending hammers home Bong's critique of modern day South Korean parents, who will do everything to protect their children, even if they know they are wrong. That is why she did the procedure on herself, which allows her to forget it all, including her guilt. Bong, however, does not exactly condemn her. Rather, he believes it is a trait within society. That is why the camera moves so much in that last dance scene where she joins everyone, in order to create a blurry feverish dream-like state, because that is just something engrained within South Korean culture, passed down from generations to generations. Everyone will do the same thing, in her shoes.
On the other hand, I find Okja is by far his weakest work. Bong definitely has a vision, but this one just did not resonate with me at all. As a result, I was pretty bored by it, and honestly did not care at all. I did find out during his Parasite media blitz that the actress who played the housekeeper in Parasite, Lee Jung-eun, actually did the voice of Okja. I was both surprised and impressed when I learned that.
Thank you. So that is more a resigned acceptance in Mother then. Interesting and makes sense, because Bong does a lot with home country related themes in his films.
On Okja. I'd suggest, maybe you didn't have a personal connection to the story? I feel Okja is the most blatantly in your face with it's message and least human-centric of all of Bong's films that I've seen. That statement in itself makes it a step back from the get go on wide audience connectiveness. It also could be his most literal film too. I personally forgive those weaknesses because "the pet dog=farm animal angle" hit home with me and the effectiveness of his argument in the film was definitely powerful enough, albeit it had a couple weaknesses.
Cheapo iTunes horror movie bundle continued. Both of these movies had a budget hovering around $1M, but had wildly different degrees of success.
Leprechaun (1993) - 4/10
Leprechaun was bad, and not in a "so bad it's good" way.
Writer-director Mark Jones was going for a horror comedy, but he failed in both genres. The make up and performance (by Warwick Davis) of the Leprechaun were good, but the movie is pretty boring. To sum up the plot: a leprechaun gets sealed away in an old house, and 10 years later is released and battles a rag tag group of good guys (a father-daughter combo, plus three house painters - one of whom is special needs, and another of whom is a kid).
The acting is really wooden, with one notable exception: pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston. She steals the show and acted circles around her co-stars. Her performance is genuinely one of the better horror movie performances I've seen, so it's a shame it was wasted in this movie.
Saw (2004) - 8/10
Hadn't seen this since it came out back in the day, but it holds up well. It's a mystery filled with tension, with a splash of body horror mixed in. Though the movie is violent, it's not extremely gory like its sequels; most of the gratuitous parts happen off screen, so we're left to use our imaginations (which is sometimes worse).
Speaking of its 8 sequels, those are mostly bad (with a couple exceptions) and have given the series somewhat of a negative reputation as being "torture porn", but the original Saw is a classic. 75% of the scenes take place in one room, and because of the lack of budget, not a single outdoors scene was filmed (they faked it in one part during a car chase). Another example that simple often equals good.
Even though I hadn't seen it in so long, I vividly remembered almost every plot point. This movie has staying power. I'll make sure not to wait another 20 years before watching it again.
Thank you. So that is more a resigned acceptance in Mother then. Interesting and makes sense, because Bong does a lot with home country related themes in his films.
On Okja. I'd suggest, maybe you didn't have a personal connection to the story? I feel Okja is the most blatantly in your face with it's message and least human-centric of all of Bong's films that I've seen. That statement in itself makes it a step back from the get go on wide audience connectiveness. It also could be his most literal film too. I personally forgive those weaknesses because "the pet dog=farm animal angle" hit home with me and the effectiveness of his argument in the film was definitely powerful enough, albeit it had a couple weaknesses.
Yeah, I can see where you come from. It might just be a personal preference, because Bong always loses me when he ventures outside the conventional. I felt the same way towards The Host too, which also did nothing for me.
Cheapo iTunes horror pack #6. A man (Kevin Bacon) is hypnotized during a neighborhood party and develops unusual abilities, including dreams predicting the future and the ability to receive messages from beyond the grave.
This is based on a novel by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Hell House), and was a huge bomb at the box office. I chalk this up to terrible timing; this movie hit theaters 2 months after the Blair Witch Project and 1 month after The Sixth Sense.
It's a shame because this was a really solid film. It has good mystery elements and a couple really creepy scenes; specifically the hypnotism scenes, which were very well done. It does have one somewhat major problem (in my opinion, anyway), which will unfortunately take a while to explain (minor spoilers):
The abilities Kevin Bacon's character has is the main focus of acts 1 & 2. Everyone thinks he's going nuts, and the things he's seeing is taking a huge toll on his personal life. Kathryne Erbe - Bacon's wife - is approached in public by a character who claims to have the same same abilities, and informs her to tell Bacon to meet him at a specific address. She doesn't tell him and goes alone, meeting a society of people who have the same abilities and seem to understand what's happening. However, they kick her out due to not bringing Bacon, and she never tells him about this incident at all. Why would Erbe not tell him? Why didn't the man/society contact Bacon directly? Your guess is as good as mine. From this point on, the movie completely drops the plot line of trying to explain what's going on with Bacon (which was a really interesting plot line!) and focuses on wrapping up the other major plot point (which had a satisfying conclusion, for the record).
In other words, a good movie with a somewhat bumpy landing. But definitely a hidden/forgotten solid 90's horror thriller.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Directed by Joseph Kosinski 3A
Top Gun: Maverick is being talked up as a great popcorn movie. That means one of two things. Either people have forgotten what great popcorn movies are or the term has become so debased that it is now virtually meaningless. Aging gunslinger of a jet pilot is forced against his will to mentor a collection of talented but inexperienced recruits who must fly a mindboggling dangerous and nearly impossible mission. Is it possible to have a more cliché plot than that? Every scene in this movie is both entirely predictable and/or recalls similar scenes in better movies. The approach to a love interest is right out of the 1970s in terms of utter dreadfulness and lack of importance.
The movie has a very few things to be said for it. The aerial cinematography is impressive, though a lot of this stuff will merely bring back fond memories of the original Top Gun and Star Wars. In three minutes, Val Kilmer gives the movie what little heart it has. And who is the primary focus during these three minutes? Tom Cruise, of course. What is this 59-year-old manchild doing pretending he is still a quicker draw than his adoring 20-year-old hot shots? Every Tom Cruise movie is now a vanity project. That's the only kind of movies his ego allows him to make, and I wish he would stop. There is absolutely nothing fresh or original, let alone vibrant or alive, about Top Gun: Maverick. It’s not so much a movie as a marketing scheme. Do you want Miles Teller to have his own franchise? Sounds like hell to me.
I've been quiet here lately. Movie watching died off a bit of late simply by the sheer number of TV shows I've found myself following or catching up on, which has consumed a lot of my entertainment time — We Own This City, Slow Horses, Better Call Saul, The Offer, Pachinko, Our Flag Means Death, Atlanta, Barry, Stranger Things, Star Wars/Marvel nonsense, etc. ..
But I've caught a few things!
Miami Blues. Nice little black comedy/crime flick for fans of Elmore Leonard-esque characters and stories. A young Alec Baldwin with a bad guy performance that hints that maybe he could've carved out a Brad Pitt-like side career of being a handsome dude playing weirdos if he had wanted to. Sturdy Fred Ward (RIP) as the hang dog (but dogged) detective on his tail.
Crimes of the Future. The old one, not the new one. A young David Cronenberg envisions a future where cosmetics have wiped out the female population (I think?) Entirely narrated, which despite the future setting gives it the aura of a Poe or Lovecraft tale (at least to me). It's got the early movie roughness of subpar acting and perhaps an overconfidence in ones own abilities, BUT so much of who he would shortly become is here nearly fully formed. Definitely worth the time for fans and the curious. A couple of scenes here turned my stomach about as much as anything he's done (which is saying something).
Popcorn. A somewhat self-referential 80s slasher that smashes together some Dr. Phibes-like themed murder shenanigans with some William Castle-type schlock. You wonder if the filmmakers liked making the amusing and very on-point movies-within-the-movie more than they liked making the actual movie. I can't tell if this is the Waxwork of horror marathons or if that is the Popcorn of wax museums.
Ambulance. Classic Michael Bay in all the best senses of that. A nice reminder that when his cast is a bunch of actors game for a good time and not an army of CGI robots, he's still capable of turning out a ridiculously entertaining movie. There's a surgery scene in the movie that will be hard to top as one of the best sequences in a movie this year (tense, absurd, hilarious). It's loud and relentless and I thought it was a blast.
I've been quiet here lately. Movie watching died off a bit of late simply by the sheer number of TV shows I've found myself following or catching up on, which has consumed a lot of my entertainment time — We Own This City, Slow Horses, Better Call Saul, The Offer, Pachinko, Our Flag Means Death, Atlanta, Barry, Stranger Things, Star Wars/Marvel nonsense, etc. ..
But I've caught a few things!
Miami Blues. Nice little black comedy/crime flick for fans of Elmore Leonard-esque characters and stories. A young Alec Baldwin with a bad guy performance that hints that maybe he could've carved out a Brad Pitt-like side career of being a handsome dude playing weirdos if he had wanted to. Sturdy Fred Ward (RIP) as the hang dog (but dogged) detective on his tail.
Crimes of the Future. The old one, not the new one. A young David Cronenberg envisions a future where cosmetics have wiped out the female population (I think?) Entirely narrated, which despite the future setting gives it the aura of a Poe or Lovecraft tale (at least to me). It's got the early movie roughness of subpar acting and perhaps an overconfidence in ones own abilities, BUT so much of who he would shortly become is here nearly fully formed. Definitely worth the time for fans and the curious. A couple of scenes here turned my stomach about as much as anything he's done (which is saying something).
Popcorn. A somewhat self-referential 80s slasher that smashes together some Dr. Phibes-like themed murder shenanigans with some William Castle-type schlock. You wonder if the filmmakers liked making the amusing and very on-point movies-within-the-movie more than they liked making the actual movie. I can't tell if this is the Waxwork of horror marathons or if that is the Popcorn of wax museums.
Ambulance. Classic Michael Bay in all the best senses of that. A nice reminder that when his cast is a bunch of actors game for a good time and not an army of CGI robots, he's still capable of turning out a ridiculously entertaining movie. There's a surgery scene in the movie that will be hard to top as one of the best sequences in a movie this year (tense, absurd, hilarious). It's loud and relentless and I thought it was a blast.
Yeah, Ambulance falls in that guilty pleasure category. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, especially for that surgery scene you mentioned, but if one can get past that, it really is a fun ride. I have it at 5.5/10, but I absolutely will recommend it for anyone who just wants to escape and burn some time.
I used to have a deep disdain for Bay, but year after year, he just continues to churn out mindless entertainment, with no regards for the usual critical derision. At this point, I have learned to respect that singlemindedness conviction.
Good popcorn flick. The plot is blah. The storyline is cliche. The callbacks to the original are plentiful and obvious like all unnecessary remakes and sequels. Very good cinematography and aerial shots. But if you want a film with deep meaning or hidden messages, this isn't it. If you liked the original as a kid then you'll like it. If you didn't like the original, don't bother.
Good eye candy too. Jennifer Connolly is still beautiful. And for the ladies, Miles Teller is a good looking man.
Yeah, Ambulance falls in that guilty pleasure category. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, especially for that surgery scene you mentioned, but if one can get past that, it really is a fun ride. I have it at 5.5/10, but I absolutely will recommend it for anyone who just wants to escape and burn some time.
I used to have a deep disdain for Bay, but year after year, he just continues to churn out mindless entertainment, with no regards for the usual critical derision. At this point, I have learned to respect that singlemindedness conviction.
He will never run out, because he saves those clips from previous movies and then re-uses them.
In all seriousness, Bay might be the last true blockbuster director left. With him, I always feel like I get my money's worth, no matter the quality of the movie. I can make fun of it if it is bad, and if it is good, I had a fun 2 hours plus. Honestly, I never thought there will be a day that Michael Bay would be admired, but here we are. The end is nigh, I tell you.
Director Sergei Bondarchuk literally died and was resuscitated back to life while directing this film, and after watching all 4 parts of this epic to end all epics it is easy to see why. Bondarchuk poured his heart and soul into this movie - Massive battle scenes on an unprecedented scale, inventive camera work, grand ballroom scenes with meticulous attention to detail, and to top it off Bondarchuk also played Pierre, one of the key characters from Tolstoy's novel.
If I had one criticism it would be that I felt the character development was somewhat lacking and as a result I did not connect with the characters on an emotional level. However, this one shortcoming was far outweighed by the sheer spectacle of the film (it's easy to see why this was one of if not the most expensive movies of all time). It's not that they don't make movies like this anymore. It's that they never made movies like this and likely never will again. Definitely 7+ hrs well spent.
He will never run out, because he saves those clips from previous movies and then re-uses them.
In all serious, Bay might be the last true blockbuster director left. With him, I always feel like I get my money's worth, no matter the quality of the movie. I can make fun of it if it is bad, and if it is good, I had a fun 2 hours plus. Honestly, I never thought there will be a day that Michael Bay would be admired, but here we are. The end is nigh, I tell you.
Bay and Emmerich are both keeping that mid-90s to early-00s style of over-the-top action blockbuster alive whether anyone asked for it or not. If you want to make fun of something bad, watch Emmerich's recent Moonfall. It's so bad that you have to laugh. Compared to that, Ambulance is even better.
They almost got away with it though - they literally pulled off the hardest part of the heist and blew the easiest most common sense shit when selling the books.
How are you smart enough to get the books out of there, then dumb enough to use an email and cell phone that traces back to your real identity when selling the books?
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