Why I Loved ARRIVAL

ARRIVAL is a beautiful visual and emotional sonata to the movement of time and the experience of being human from a sublime emotional perspective that is heart rending and fulfilling at the same time.

The fact that all this is managed in the Science Fiction genre is even more of a testimonial to a brilliant script and exceptional direction.

Amy Adam’s powerful depiction of a learned professor of languages is captivating in it’s earnest femininity and startling intelligence as she is enlisted with little charm and more of an abrupt curt lure by the Army’s Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) to decipher the language of aliens that are ominously suspended over the Earth. The alien crafts seem to be hovering in eternity never fully landing or leaving.

These twelve strange half oval starships float above the Earth’s surface engaging the world’s most powerful nations in a race to decipher a method of communication. As each super power struggles to discover the aliens intent while projecting their own war mongering nature. Amy risks all to connect with her new found alien friends while manoeuvring around the ape like fears of the Army.

Amy brings a sensitive yet intelligent wisdom to her character so powerful that it sets the pace and grandeur of the film despite the many ploys of the Army that threatens to push the film into more cliched tones.

Gravity is used as a device that reflects the vast difference in language between the humans and the massive aliens as well as their power. While the feuding governments push to decipher the aliens messages, all the time desperate to constraint the situation with violence through fears of impending war, Amy struggles to portray the beauty and peaceful intention of the aliens deeply complex language to her misanthropic compatriots.

So complex in fact that learning the language changes the neurology of her mind and enables her to move through time. A brilliant example of how concepts and the frequency of thought can change reality and our lives.

This is one of the few reviews where I will NOT give spoilers or give explicit examples of what should be changed or how to solve the mistakes of a film.

Suffice it to say. This is a wonderful film and considering the alien subject matter it still retains a deeply human perspective and is very moving and thought provoking.

This is a film you can see without reservation and enjoy immensely.

 

 

 

Upcoming: BLADERUNNER 2049

After Alien, Covenant. Be prepared for Scott’s next massive feast of destruction, BLADERUNNER 2049. It will be a pathetic caricature of the original. Totally bereft of any soul or meaning as Scott rewrites the significance of yet another historical film with his mindless hysterical swerving on the road to oblivion.

If Covenant’s poor Box Office is any indication. Bladerunner will bring in far less money than the poor monies of the original and hopefully studios will stop banking on self indulgent directors to lead their greatest franchises and find some new blood to inspire the culture of film instead of sabotaging it.

The casting of the Goose, Ryan Gosling. Locks the sequel into self imploding mode and foretells the destruction of a possible franchise. Gosling simply isn’t capable of the gravitas that Harrison Ford brought to the original.

And when you stick the Joker in it just for laughs, you’re begging for a short walk to the gallows. Jered Leto is going to just gush all over this movie with even less dignity than his Joker rendition in Suicide Squad. Get ready for over the top, fake cool.

Just what we needed in Bladerunner. If you think 2016 was a colossal stick in the eye, wait till 2017 gets a head of steam going.

Why I really hated ALIEN CONVENANT

Update: Alien Covenant BOMBED at the box office. The audience has spoken and world wide the resounding answer is No. We don’t like bad scripts and stupid characters. Scott will have an extremely difficult time getting his next debacle green lit with a decent budget. Covenant will be lucky to clear 200 mill. The big wigs at the studio aren’t going to like this, but on with the review.
ALIEN CONVENENT is cheap torture porn at it’s lowest, disguised as a tent pole sci fi, horror movie. Cheap in it’s constant cliches despite surrounded by big money effects and actors scrambling to raise a sunken ship of fools mired in confusion from the ocean floor.

Why I didn’t like GHOST IN THE SHELL.

 There is no Ghost in the empty Shell of the movie called Ghost in the Shell.  A slow sad string of absolutely soulless scenes strung together almost absentmindedly by a director that was following the rule book of how to assemble a robot to mimic a classic Manga movie only all the parts just didn’t seem to make it into the box when it arrived on the western shores of America.

Why I almost liked American Ultra

Imagine a sweet love story of two happy stoners deeply in love. In a small town, complete in their small lives. The first 27 minutes of AMERICAN ULTRA is a sonata to the dream of contentment. Until the filthy producers force you to wake up at gun point. No wonder everyone hates producers.

Why I hated Batman V Superman

Martha? Your mom has the same name as my mom? Whhaatt? Dude, like no way. Ok, never mind, my bad. Don’t worry, I’ll save your mom.

And so ends Batman’s horrific apocalyptic nightmare. The Earth’s potential world wide domination by an alien being, Superman, is blithely ignored because Batman’s mom was also called Martha. Uhh seriously?

Why I really hated The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight works hard to be hated and it wins.

Tarantino’s supposed last film before his self proclaimed retirement is the most terrible piece of meandering nonsense ever crafted by the world renowned Director.

Why I didn’t like THE WINTER SOLDIER

Captain America. THE WINTER SOLDIER is an easy and quick review. It’s bad. Anything good at all? Not really. Well Scarjo makes a few half smiles, or sneers, that is as good as it gets. Concerned faces and straight ahead action with no chills or thrills. 

Why I didn’t like THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Olde Piano roll please. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is a self indulgent, quirky extravaganza teetering on the cusp of becoming a silent era soap opera for the senile. Unfortunately sound is available and sadly used to elaborate through near constant voice overs reporting what is obvious. Foretelling further abuse the characters and viewers will be forced to endure.

Why I hated ROBOCOP

Stop! Do not rent RoboCop, or even view it for free. Take away all the charm of the original ROBOCOP. All the quirky roles. Throw away a great performance from Peter Weller. Get rid of Weller’s fantastic voice skills and ingenious physical presence. Add a low level director in place of Paul Verhoeven, then sprinkle a few totally forgettable antagonists. And you have the most lackluster remake seen in many years. Ta da, magic, I mean disaster!

Why I liked UNDER THE SKIN

Jonathan Glazer’s UNDER THE SKIN starring the alluring Scarlett Johansson skins the sci-fi alien movie genre to it’s barest bones. Rendering an alien’s experience of humanity in the shearing light of quiet examination and inexplicable sombre purpose.

Why I loved ENEMY

ENEMY is an ambitious, artful journey through the torn mind of Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal), a solitary college history professor or is it the mind of Anthony an aggressive sexual predator.

Why I liked THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

 

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is Ben Stiller’s struggle to reinvent himself. Desperately dog paddling away from his miniature Stallone and Tom Cruise imitations in poorly drafted satires. Tropic Thunder was Stiller’s last half way success. Thanks to the poignant casting of Robert Downey Jr. in black face, a radical idea. Still the movie stalled when Stiller’s over acting and parodies failed to amuse. The writing was on the wall, evolve or see yourself crash and explode. Walter Mitty is Stiller’s best attempt at elevating his acting, and directing career.

Why I really hated HOMEFRONT

Welcome to another Sylvester Stallone debacle, HOMEFRONT. It looks like Stallone has managed to handcuff his EXPENDABLES co-star Jason Statham into one of his terrible expendable cliched movie scripts. And to add poison the icing on this fruit cake, Stallone directs, this predictable post mortem story that raises from the grave every sad banal movie trick. Like a retired magician pulling too many rabbits out of his weathered hat.

Why I really hated I, FRANKENSTEIN

So terrible. So useless a mishmash of CGI, bad script and flat acting, that I regret the 50 cents I spent on it at RedBox. I could have bought a donut. I could have taken the two quarters and buried them in the dirt. I would have had a more entertaining time watching the coins never bear fruit than the terrible confusing travesty of this film. The cast is pathetic. Aaron Eckhart is lost as I am bewildered as to what bizarre chain of events lead him to this empty wrestling CGI acrobatic acting abortion thrown against the ropes, falling sweaty to the mat over and over. Until you’re forced to stop your pain and press STOP.

Why I almost liked A FANTASTIC FEAR OF EVERYTHING

A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a swirling kaleidascope of creative color, writing, and acting forming glorious malicious shapes in Jack’s (Simon Pegg) paranoid writers mind. A twisted imagination of contrived logic and deep rooted fears fling Jack rebounding in his twisty turvy Hackney flat. Shades of Tim Burton at his best, sadly gives way to a stuttering second half that discards a credible character build up only to squander the films potential with sudden collisions of loose threads and a simple minded ending.

Why I almost liked OUT OF THE FURNACE

Out of the Furnace is a sombre film driven by the hard life and quiet dignity of Russell Baze (Christian Bale) Working at a small town steel mill in the Northeast. Russell and his loving girlfriend Lena (Zoe Salanda) plan their lives together and weave hopes of a family. Russell’s father lies dying from working in the steel mill and still Russell is content to stay put and work till his end comes. Fresh and agitated from his Iraq tour Rodney Baze (Casey Affleck) Russel’s brother can’t keep down his rage. When Harian (Woody Harrelson) meets up with Rodney you know death will be knocking.

Why I loved AMERICAN HUSTLE

“Never took quarters from a phone booth? You stole. I just got bigger balls than you.” American Hustle is an incredible film. Christian Bale has redeemed himself and been elevated to the realm of De Niro. Anyone with a come over can now be proud. This is the film Scorsese should have made. American Hustle is a mind trip into a simpler past when people were more complex and human. And the Hustle was a dance and a way of life. Watch this film and experience a renaissance back to the golden age of cinema and why it is an art form.

Why I almost liked AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

(Julia Roberts) Barbara Weston leans like a weeping tree on her usual acting quirks in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. While her mother (Streep) Violet Weston rages on a pilgrimage of self destruction through pills and cancer while sipping her own venom as her wounded family gape at the sidelines waiting for an exit. The setup screams stage work, no one dares leave their marks and while Streep’s performance is somewhat impressive, there is very little likable about her character to warrant watching. Like her daughters, it’s a relief to finally leave the house.

Why I hated THE BAG MAN

THE BAG MAN is a broken wheel barrow of a movie filled with corpses and endtrails dragged reluctantly down a dirt highway by John Cusak with Robert Deniro greasing the wheels with slop. This is a filthy Motel pitstop for both actors, and neither of their reputations will survive. Desperate, and violent. A sodium vapor lit parade of relentlessly distasteful acts bereft of any quality other than derivative screenwriting and lazy acting. 

Why I didn’t like THE COUNSELOR

Ridley Scott has been working over time producing movies lately, like a man possessed. He keep punching them out and it does seem like each of his projects get more ambitious and less watchable. I respect the director but sometimes you have to speak up.

Upcoming: CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN

Now I think I can see what all the noise that Shia LaBeouf has been making is about. He wants to push the constraints of cinema. He wants to chew through all the bubble talk and bullshit and make something real. Something that’s going to Brando his life and burn the screen. He’s pushing himself because he can and if he doesn’t I don’t see anyone else trying that right now.

The realm of cinema often looks like a corpse eating itself, like a zombie walking in circles. Does it take anger to run out of the same old groove? You have to find people willing to take risks with you.

This trailer looks promising.

 

Why I really hated THIS IS THE END

This Is The End is an asinine, abortion of a movie. Frothed up from the pot addled minds of what is currently the so called comedic elite of modern actors. It’s filled with the A list of actors that should NEVER, EVER work in another movie as long as cinema is still alive because they are murdering the art form.

It’s another end of the world judgment day script device and what better place to spend it but in the house of the cheap art, cock obsessed, current ultimate slime ball James Franco. All the terminally not funny, self absorbed, LA comedic reptiles are present playing themselves. And when the true Apocalypse arrives the awful truth of what we all already know is revealed, these scumbags aren’t going to heaven.

THIS IS THE END, is not funny, not interesting and not really even a movie. It’s more like a joke told by drunk and stoned wannabes who can’t get a laugh no matter how hard they debase themselves and debase themselves they do. Over and over, till your stomach starts to bloat and threaten to puke.

Upcoming: CAPTAIN AMERICA, WINTER SOLDIER. Will it be the American Film we need?

Thank you, to the gods above. Captain America is returning but this time it’s not going to be a joke the first installment was. First, Robert Redford brings his authenticity and style to the proceedings raising the bar of reality for Captain America, which is sorely needed to drag it into the realm of realism, out of comic book land as much as possible. How they convinced Redford to come onboard is beyond me, but brilliant casting.

Why I loved MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN

Finally my 50th post and I would like thank all the incredible people who held me back in life and kept this from being the 100th movie review post. God knows how many more people would have suffered from reading more of my personal diatribes, I keep spouting off. Dreaming of actually learning to write without foolish errors or poorly scribbled concepts while I denigrate others for no other reason than they were truly great enough to actually finish a film while I sit around complaining, eating chips and salsa while criticizing their dreams.

Onward…. more popcorn, not enough butter…  more red wine… press the play button already.