Author Topic: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019  (Read 17230 times)

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #90 on: May 02, 2019, 03:01:10 PM »
Sharing some reviews of some of the films I saw last month...

A drama
A film featuring robots prominently
A film based on a book/novel



Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Quote
"We can coexist, but only on my terms. You will say you lose your freedom, freedom is an illusion. All you lose is the emotion of pride. To be dominated by me is not as bad for human pride as to be dominated by others of your species."

Computers were "invented" sometime during the early 20th Century. Since that time, humans have been continuously delegating and relying more and more in theNow com; maybe to make our lives easier or maybe because we like to see how far something that we invented can go. From something that was first exclusive to government and educational institutions, now computers and similar devices have become an ubiquitous presence on every job and every home. We let them handle our defense, our money, our health, and with the surge of the so-called IoT, our homes.

Colossus: The Forbin Project presents a scenario in which this situation goes awry. Living in 2018, we know this is not the only film to approach this subject, but it is an interesting, and for some reason obscure, example. The film follows Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden), a computer engineer that designs the titular machine with the intention of handing it control of the whole US defense apparatus. But, as you might expect, Colossus becomes sentient and stars expanding his control beyond what is expected, forcing Forbin and his team to take unique measures to stop it and liberate themselves.

Relased at the height of the Cold War against the Soviet Union, the film does breach familiar topics of trust between governments, conspiracies, and the idea of free will.  For the most part, it does so in a smart way. Although maybe a bit rushed and ludicrous, the way Colossus gains control is effective and raises interesting ideas. However, the execution in how that control grows feels a bit choppy, with sometimes an unclear illustration of how things get from A to B. In addition, there's a particular development as it approaches the last act that feels clunky and laughable, and ultimately dragged down the whole thing a couple of notches for me.

Regardless of that, I still enjoyed the film for the most part. Braeden is not a flashy actor, but he's competent. Susan Clark and Gordon Pinsent were also pretty good as Forbin's main colleague and The President respectively. The direction from Joseph Sargent was also tight and, for the most part, very streamlined (I read afterwards that he was also the director of The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three and my immediate reaction was "Yeah, it figures"). I also appreciated the rather open, ambiguous ending. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I wish they would've given more thought to *that* particular development. Maybe they should've let a computer write it.

Grade: B

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #91 on: May 02, 2019, 03:01:43 PM »
And here's another one...

A drama
A Biblical film



Risen (2016)

Quote
"I have seen two things which cannot reconcile: A man dead without question, and that same man alive again."

For some reason, Christian, or Biblical, films are a tough task. Frequently, audiences find themselves plagued by the likes of God's Not Dead or Left Behind. But even though a lot of people usually mention similar examples to mock them, the truth is that there's a good share of decent/good Biblical films out there. Although far from perfect, Risen has joined that group, as far as I'm concerned.

The film follows Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), a high-ranking Roman Tribune tasked with investigating the disappearance of the body of Jesus, or Yeshua (played by Cliff Curtis). Clavius, who was present at the end of the crucifixion and witnessed Jesus' death, finds himself initially annoyed, but later intrigued by the claims of Jesus' followers about his resurrection. His mission then transcends from an official task to a search for answers, the truth, and ultimately, redemption.

Even though Risen treads mostly familiar territory, with little to no surprises in its development, it does so with incredible confidence. The direction by Kevin Reynolds is pretty good and fluid. I just realized he was the director of similar period pieces like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Count of Monte Cristo, so he's mostly in familiar territory. The film's production values are also pretty good, or at least Reynolds knows how to be efficient with the $20 million they got.

But what anchors the film to me is Joseph Fiennes' performance. He plays Clavius with a flexible stoicism, which makes his growth believable. The script is also competent, giving Clavius enough of an arc without making it feel overly melodramatic. Speaking of melodrama, the film also avoids stepping into the typical sappy holes, while maintaining a good emotional core. If anything, the last act was a bit shaky in this aspect. There's also a key performance of one of the disciples that felt a bit awkward and out of place.

Still, I found myself enjoying the film a lot. As someone who has seen his fair share of crappy Biblical films, something like Risen might be difficult to reconcile, but I'm glad I found my way to it.

Grade: B+

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #92 on: May 11, 2019, 05:07:50 PM »
Quick takes on the first 5 films of the month, most of which are MCU films...

Ant-Man (2015) Solid, fun film. I enjoyed the light, comedic tone of this film, although the way some of the issues surrounding Lang's "work" as a burglar and his relationship with his daughter do feel over-simplistic. At times it reminded me of Liar Liar ("you're a good parent... when you're around"). Also, despite the fun tone, I appreciated the bit of depth added by Corey Stoll's performance. Most of the other performances were solid, particularly Rudd and Douglas. Bottom line is I had fun, loved how the director played with the perception of size, particularly in the last fight. Grade: B

Captain America: Civil War (2016) Another effecive outing from Cap. Surely not as good as The Winter Soldier, but still very entertaining. The conflict between Cap and Iron Man is well founded, even if the way the allegiances flow isn't, particularly in how they bring up the new characters. Still, kudos to Tom Holland as Peter Parker, which was probably one of the highlights of the film. Really engaging and energetic performance. Grade: B+

Doctor Strange (2016) I'll admit that this was the one MCU film I was least interested in, but the truth is it was pretty good. Benedict Cumberbatch does a fine job int he title role, the characters of the Ancient One, Mordo, and Wong are entertaining to watch, and it's always a treat to watch Mads Mikkelsen in anything. Even though in many ways it doesn't feel as part of the MCU, with mostly new characters, you get the feeling that a lot of the ideas brought up will have an impact later. Not bad. Grade: B

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) Taking a break from the MCU, this was a pretty good choice. Pure noir, with some great performances. The whole plot had me guessing, even though you can probably see where things are going from the beginning (after all, Mike tells us things won't end well). Great use of the camera from Welles. Grade: A-

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) This was more or less a rewatch. I had seen it back in 2017, about a month after Hurricane Maria hit us, late at night, with no power, and on a laptop, which aren't the best conditions to watch it. Thing is I dozed off for most of the middle part so I always wanted to give it another shot. Finally did last night and, although the conditions were better, my initial take on it wasn't that far off. The film is solid, good fun, but still not as effective as the first one. Baby Groot is probably the best thing  :D  Grade: B

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #93 on: May 16, 2019, 02:41:29 PM »
A film with the number 5 (Five, Fifth, etc.) in its title (not a sequel)
A war film



Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)

Quote
"On Tralfamadore you learn that the world is just a collection of moments all strung together in beautiful, random order; and if we're going to survive, it's up to us to concentrate on the good moments and ignore the bad."

What if you had the chance to revisit any particular moment of your life? Which one would it be? How would you feel about it? Would you change anything? Those are some of the questions that come to mind after watching this film adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name. Slaughterhouse-Five follows Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks), a man that for some reason has become "unstuck in time". As a result, he starts jumping back and forth between random moments of his life, from his military service during World War II to his success as an optometrist later in his life, and yes, to his capture by aliens in the planet Tralfamadore. Through all this moments, we experience snippets of what his life was (is?) and how he and the people around him see him.

Before this month, I had never even heard of this film, which is weird, considering it is directed by George Roy Hill, who had directed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid a couple of years before and who went on to direct the Academy Award winner The Sting the year after. However, Slaughterhouse-Five is nowhere near the excellence of those two films. The phrase I've been using to describe it after seeing it is "an interesting mess". The film takes an unlikely approach to the story, featuring little to no preamble and introduction, instead dumping us in the middle of this random "collection of moments" with no previous knowledge of who Pilgrim is. As a result, it took me a while to find my footing and figure out what was going on.

I also don't think Sacks was that effective in the lead role. He spends most of the time with a perpetually aloof look on his face and little to no emotion to anything around him. He has a wife and two children, but the randomness of how the events unfold prevents us from connecting with any of them since we barely spend time with them. The most significant relationship we get to experience is Pilgrim's friendship with Derby (Eugene Roche), a fellow POW. But with no emotional connection to the lead character, we are left relying on the gimmick of this time/space back and forth. It is interesting, but doesn't get much more beyond that. There are some interesting points and questions asked, about what life means, the clash between fate or free will, how we deal with grief, the effects of war, etc. but they are not fully explored.

Regardless of its faults, the film does has some strengths. Like I said, the premise is interesting, Hill's direction is pretty good, and the editing by Dede Allen does a really neat job splicing past, present, and future scenes in creative ways. Also, the relationship between Pilgrim and Derby feels true. Finally, there's an antagonist character, a rival POW called Lazzaro, played perfectly by Ron Leibman. His character dominates the screen every time he's in, usually overshadowing Sacks. Much like the above quote says, this film is just a collection of moments all strung together in a sometimes beautiful, random order, and the good things are enough for me to say it's worth a watch.

Grade: B-

MartinTeller

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #94 on: May 16, 2019, 03:14:35 PM »
Have you seen Mother Night? It's a much better Vonnegut adaptation.

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #95 on: May 16, 2019, 03:27:24 PM »
Have you seen Mother Night? It's a much better Vonnegut adaptation.

No. Actually, somebody on Twitter mentioned it to me for the same reason.

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #96 on: May 17, 2019, 07:33:00 PM »
Some quick thoughts on my last films, which are pretty much MCU...

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) For the most part, very enjoyable. Again, Holland is a great Peter Parker, and his friendship with Ned is a lot of fun to watch. Also, I like his chemistry with Downey. Even though the Stark/Parker dynamic kinda feels a bit forced, they make it work. Finally, Keaton steals almost every scene he's in. I loved having a more grounded villain instead of the typical "I wanna conquer the universe" baddie. Grade: B+

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Now, this one was a loooot of fun. So glad that they let Taika run loose with this. Hemsworth is a lot of fun, Blanchett is a scenery chewing beast, Goldblum was hilarious... if anything, I might have some slight issues with Ruffalo as Banner. But minor quibbles, I think I had a smile on my face all through this film. Grade: A-

Black Panther (2018) This one, on the other hand, was good, but not as much as most people make it to be. It was a very well done film, but felt a bit more by-the-numbers. Still, the great cast make it work, most notably Michael B. Jordan. He elevated every scene he was in, particularly that ending. His last moment really felt like a gut punch in a weird way. Grade: B

Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) My break from the MCU, see above post for my full review.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) I will probably try to write a full review for this one soon, but overall, I really enjoyed it. From the get-go, the film is relentless in its action delivery and rarely stops. The chemistry between the leads make everything work, and the character of Thanos ends up being more interesting than I was expecting. I like the idea that I read somewhere that this is *his* superhero story and *his* quest to do what he thinks it's right. If I were to have complains they would be that the film needed a bit more relaxing from time to time. The tone was almost perennially somber and dark. Second, as relentless as the film was with its action scenes, I don't really think none of them stood out as much as, say, most of the action scenes in The Winter Soldier. Third, and probably the biggest issue, is with the stakes of the story. The film makes it feel as if they were really high, but it's hard to take them seriously when you can see how easily characters in this franchise die and resuscitate, or how characters that "die" already have sequels in the pipeline. I still think the shock and somber tone of the closing scenes is somewhat effective, but without those issues, it could've been so much more. Nevertheless, a lot of fun. Grade: A-

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #97 on: May 28, 2019, 09:17:22 AM »
Quickies on my last 5 watches...

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Very similar to the first one, follows the same formula of light fun with quick action. I know it's a superhero film about shrinking people and stuff, but the whole Quantum Realm thing requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. Still, all things considered, is still well executed. The last shot/end credits scene was predictable but still effective.

Russian Ark (2002) Visually and technically impressive, even if it does grow a bit tedious towards the end. I'm a bit torn because, as impossible as it might be, part of me would've liked a bit more narrative out of it, while the other part can't stop thinking of all the logistics of pulling this off which makes me wanna shower praises over this film.

Apocalypse Now (1979, rewatch) Hadn't seen it in a good while, but it was as good as I remembered, if not more. A perfectly directed descent into madness. One can't help but wonder, what would've been of this film if there hadn't been any production mishaps or Brando shenanigans?

Desierto (2015) A very straightforward thriller directed by Jonás Cuarón, son of Alfonso. Fine performances from Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Still, a bit overlong, perhaps by 20 or so minutes.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Dumb fun. I really had no expectations and don't see it being any better or worse than Jurassic World. I actually found the first half quite solid, but then it devolves into stupidity. I've never been a fan of the whole "friendly" Raptor thing, and this one keeps stretching that, but it also felt like wanting to rehash a lot of stuff with Hammond 2.0.

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #98 on: May 28, 2019, 10:15:12 AM »
And catching up with some reviews...

A film with an animal in its title
A film based on a comic book



Ant-Man (2015)

Quote
"Now, look. This is gonna get weird, all right? It's pretty freaky, but it's safe. There's no reason to be scared."

The above quote comes at a moment when our hero, cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is about to show his friends his new shrinking abilities. It is both a warning that they're about to see something unlike anything they've seen before, and a reassurance that despite that, everything is alright and under control. Coming at the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2, that quote can also apply to Ant-Man's own standing among their catalogue. With a decidedly comedic and lighter approach to the material, Ant-Man is certainly unlike any of the previous films of the MCU (with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy) while also feeling integral to this universe and confident in its pace and rhythm to deliver fun and thrills.

Ant-Man follows Lang, who is released from prison only to find himself unemployed and unable to provide for his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). When his partner, Luis (Miguel Peña) presents him yet another job to break into the safe of an "old man", he reluctantly accepts. What he doesn't know is that the "old man" is disgraced inventor and former SHIELD scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Pym has orchestrated everything along with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) with the intention of recruiting Lang for a bigger job. The job? To use the Ant-Man suit to infiltrate Pym's former company in order to steal a more advanced suit about to be unleashed by his former protege and current CEO of the company, Daniel Cross (Corey Stoll) who plans to sell it to Hydra.

There were some gigantic concerns (pun intended) surrounding Ant-Man; the fact that it is yet another origin story, Ant-Man not being a well known superhero, coming after a bombastic blockbuster like Avengers: Age of Ultron, but most notably, the dismissal of writer/director Edgar Wright. However, the end result ends up being quite good, thanks to Peyton Reed's confident direction and Paul Rudd's charisma. The lead actor brings a certain relaxed, laid-back attitude to the role that makes the film feel... chill, for lack of a better word. This is not exclusive to him as you can see how well he plays off other actors like Michael Douglas and Michael Peña. He and Douglas have what might be one of my favorite exchanges of the whole MCU...

Lang: "My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over! What do you need me to do?"
Pym: "I want you to break into a place and steal some shit."
Lang: "Makes sense."

Which pretty much serves as evidence of the tone and attitude of the whole film. Reed also instills into that a certain heisty/playful mood with his use of music and a snappy direction. There are also some pretty cool and funny plays on size and perspective, particularly on the last fight as Ant-Man and the bad guy throw toys at each other. And speaking of the bad guy, the film is not without a certain amount of gravitas, specially with the relationship between Hank and Cross. Stoll really delivers with some nuanced moments, even if the story doesn't really delve that much into it. The final resolution is telegraphed very early on and might feel a bit convenient, but they sell it well enough.

In some ways, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy before it, might have signaled a willingness of Marvel Studios to let loose in some ways for the upcoming Phase 3. The light, comedic tone of the sequels to this two films, and Thor: Ragnarok, serve as a decent contrast to the more serious tone of films like Captain America: Civil War or Avengers: Infinity War, which is more than welcome. So for the few that haven't seen those films, be aware, it's gonna get weird, but it's safe. There's no reason to be scared.

Grade: B

Thief

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Re: Thief's Monthly Film Challenge 2019
« Reply #99 on: June 03, 2019, 01:58:24 PM »
As usual, here's my tally for my Marvelous May...

A film with the number 5 (Five, Fifth, etc.) in its title (not a sequel): Slaughterhouse-Five
A film with a title that starts with the letters I or J: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
A film from the current IMDb 250 whose ranking includes the #5 (i.e. 15, 25, 54): (see list here) Avengers: Infinity War (#56)
A film from the 1940s: The Lady from Shanghai
A fantasy film: Doctor Strange
A film with an animal in its title: Ant-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther
A film mostly set in space (Space Day, first Friday of May): Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
A film based on a comic book (Comic Book Day, May 4): Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame
A film with prominent Muslim characters (Ramadan, starts May 5): Four Lions
A film from Mexico (Cinco de Mayo): Desierto
A film from Orson Welles (born May 6): The Lady from Shanghai
A film prominently featuring mothers (Mother's Day, May 12): Ant-Man and the Wasp
A film that won either the Palme d'Or or the Grand Prix at Cannes (May 14-25): Apocalypse Now (rewatch)
A film set in a museum or featuring them prominently (Int'l Museum Day, May 18): Russian Ark
A war film (Memorial Day, May 27): Captain America: Civil War

Obviously, my focus was to catch up with the MCU films in order to see Avengers: Endgame, which I finally saw last week, so it was the appropriate closure for what I was intending. Because of that goal, I also went a bit over my 15 film goal, finishing with a total of 18.

Not counting my rewatch of Apocalypse Now, I think the best I saw was Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War

The worst? Probably Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

 

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