I have a lot of new releases to cover this week, highlighted by Doctor Strange and a wonderful series of films.
DOCTOR STRANGE
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts; Scott Derrickson; and C. Robert Cargill
Based on comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch; Chiwetel Ejiofor; Rachel MaAdams; Benedict Wong; Tilda Swinton; and Mads Mikkelsen
Doctor Steven Strange is one of the top surgeons in the country. After a car accident ruins his hands he looks far and wide for a cure.
Well let me get right into it:
The Positives:
Well of course the acting.
Cumberbatch as Strange is awkward which makes it work. He is a man with a big ego trying to crawl his way back up. He convinces us to go along for the ride.
Ejiofor, well, is always good
Swinton as The Ancient One is okay. Kinda unlikable and I think she was suppose to be likable...No Spoilers here.
Adams is wasted here , she is great but is still wasted as Strange's on again off again girlfriend.
Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, is really good as the bad guy. You really hate him.
Benedict Wong as Wong. He is lesser known but almost steals the film. Okay he steals the film.
The look is fantastic, to a point where it was robbed of an Oscar for effects. Things are shifting and moving under their feet. Just beautiful.
The Negatives:
I did not care. Maybe I am "superheroed" out. It just felt long and it was under 2 hours which is bad.
I also felt like the Karate Kid was remade. This time with special powers.
I think it relied too much on those great special effects.
I know many people went crazy for this movie. Me? I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 mainly for the look and the acting.
ALLIED
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay by Steve Knight
Starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard
During WWII a member of the French Resistance Marianne Beausejour, played by Cotillard and Wing Commander Max Vatan. played by Pitt, meet in Casablanca with plans to assassinate a German Ambassador. Thus begins a love story and from there a mystery.
I was not looking forward to this film. The trailer did nothing for me. I was pleasantly surprised.
I am not a huge Brad Pitt fan. I think he is just a serviceable actor with good looks. However, as readers of my blog know I am a huge Cotillard fan, so I had to see it!
This will be short because there is no spoilers. The story is real good. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering is she or isn't she a spy. As usual Cotillard shines.
Also the look of this movie is wonderful. Almost too perfect, everything look so beautiful from sets to locations to costumes. I almost wanted to dirty up something.
I did not like the ending and I had some issues with time and place. Point A to B and stumbling on answers that seem absurd.
RULES DON'T APPLY
Directed by Warren Beatty
Screenplay by Warren Beatty and Bo Goldman
Starring Warren Beatty; Alden Ehrenreich; Martin Sheen; Matthew Broderick; Candice Bergen; Annette Benning; and Lily Collins
Marla an aspiring actress from the Midwest enters Hollywood for a chance to become a movie star.
However dealing with Howard Hughes is a bit of a roadblock.
The biggest problem here is that I did not, and apparently the public did not need to see another Howard Hughes film. Scorsese already did that wonderfully. Here it is different, it, I think, is a comedy. However I did not laugh much.
The good is the acting. I mean look at the above list of the stars.
Highlighted by a great performance (Golden Globe Nomination) by Lily Collins. Her chemistry with her "driver" Ehrenreich pushed this film forward.
Problem is when those two are not on camera the film dies. Beatty who plays Hughes, plays him so "shadowy"I think to make him eccentric and mysterious. However we saw the other film so we really do not care. He should have just went with a love story taking place in the 50's with Hughs taking a back seat. I really did not care about the Hughes story line at all. In fact I found that part of the story creepy and annoying.
So I already noted the chemistry between Collins and Ehrenriech was wonderful. Here are a couple of other positives:
Beatty knows how to film. The shadows, the look of 50's Hollywood and costumes are just wonderful.
Candice Bergen!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been???!!! Can we please have just 10 more episodes of Murphy Brown???????!!!!!
Well just better than average, 3 stars out of 5 for Rules Don't Apply.
Moonlight
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Screenplay by Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney
Starring Mahershala Ali; Naomie Harris; and Trevante Rhodes
The film follows the life of a young adolescence; mid-teen; and young adult. We follow him living with his single crack using mom. As a young teen we see him dealing with his confusion of his sexuality and the pull of the streets in a tough section of Miami. As he becomes a young adult we him struggle with where he fits in the world.
As you know people love this film. It wrongly won an Oscar. Everybody I talk to be it white, black, yellow, purple, or green say it looked great, but the story ....aaaah...okay. I agree!!When I started this blog I said it would be anti-movie critic. Where many Critics are sheep and feel if 5 critics love it I must love it. Me, I really like it, not love it.
I like taking a chance on making a film about a subject matter that is rarely touched on in Hollywood and is shown so raw on the screen.
I also loooove the look. This film is beautiful.
The feeling of helplessness, of no hope, of this young man seeps off the screen.
Then throw in the sexuality issue. Again a much harder life for a black man living in a poverty stricken area of a big city where people are and the pressure of the streets are tough.
As you can tell from the above the film is not an easy watch. Is it as great as what people say? To me no, but it is very good and it is worth a look for home viewing.
Problems:
-People who read this movie blog know I like a clear ending. That is my preference. Here we follow this young man for years. We grow with him, and the ending is not clear. Is he okay? His future? UGH!!
-Rhodes is really good playing Chiron at the end. However, the film really falls off when time moves on and the real star, Ali, floats away. There is a reason he won best supporting actor. He is that good. But when he drifts off the film falls a lot. His relationship with Chiron (little) cant be matched.
I give Moonlight 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Maybe my expectations were too high. I guess time will tell, after a second viewing. Still............definitely should not have won an Oscar.
BEFORE TRILOGY
Directed by Richard Linklater
Screenplay by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan
Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
It started in 1995. Richard Linklater put this idea together BEFORE SUNRISE. A young man, Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) meet each other in Europe and spend the night walking around together talking and getting to know each other. Then go their separate ways. Sounds boring but oddly it was facinating.
Then in 2004. Yes 9 years later, and yes they used real time. They meet up again. They spend the film walking and talking again. And again facinating..This time Delpy and Hawke helped write the film.
Then in 2013. Yes 9 years later, and yes they used real time again, The couple is back this time for a getaway dealing with issues that are real and awkward at an age where they are now facing the second half of their lives. This one can get uncomfortable.
Seee the series!!! Yes it is slow!! However you cant look away.
4 1/2 out of 5 for the Before Trilogy. For the first time packaged together for home viewing.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time.
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