New Releases For Home Viewing

Two films to note this week. One above average and one a disapointment.

BLADE RUNNER
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green
Starring Ryan Gosling; Robin Wright; Sylvia Hoeks; Anna De Armas; Jared leto; and Harrison Ford





Well...I have to be careful with this review because I always promise no spoilers.

The story follows thirty years after the first Blade Runner. We follow K played by Ryan Gosling as he tries to find information pertaining to the bones of a female found during his search for old replicants.

There is a lot that is done right here:
-Yes it comes in at an incredible 2 hours and 45 minutes. However it does not feel that way. Villeneuve takes his time telling this story. He develops Goslings character slowly. We also get to see slowly what is going on around him.
-Richard Deakens who is the Cinematographer for this film is amazing here. Using real sets and green screens seamlessly, you expect dust and dirt to come at you while you sit in the theatre. Just a wonderful looking film. It will be a battle between this and Dunkirk at Oscar time. Right now I have to give the edge to Blade Runner 2048 it is gorgeous.
-The acting is phenomenal, not only Gosling but also Hoeks as the baddy Luv, who is just creepy. Plus the kind of love interest by Aramas Joi , in a very difficult part playing a ...I guess...a vision.
-The script is far from perfect...but with a storyline filled with nonhuman replicas it has a lot of heart and emotions.

Now I get to the bad:
-I am not a big fan of Villeneuve.  He develops characters real well like in Arrival, and also here in this film...I just think he fails at finishing films. I think he is an over thinker. He keeps trying to make the viewer look left and at the end we see things are happening on the right. However we really do not see the "Whys" (Like in Arrival). That goes back to the review I did of Mother. We want a beginning middle and clear end. I do not really care how smart you are or you trying to tell us to think it through. No, I am not saying I do not understand what happened here but ...for 2 hours and 45 minutes he had the time to make things clearer. Jared Leto? What the heck was his characters plan or end game? Things like that.
When I left the theatre soooo many people were standing and talking about the film while the credits rolled. It is nice to have people talk about the film but not if it is what the heck was that!! Same feeling as I had with Arrival.
-Misleading marketing. With an hour to go Harrison Ford arrives. That is an hour and 45 minutes in. Really? He is on the posters which make you think he is a huge part of the whole film. No!! He is a big part during the finish...and to be honest at that point I did not care about him I cared more for Goslings character.

For its story...not its end...for the incredible look...for the wonderful acting...I give Blade Runner 2049 3 1/2 stars out of 5. See it  if you get a chance..it is beautiful.



THE SNOWMAN
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Screenplay by Peter Straugham; Hossein Amini; and Soren Sveistrup
Based on the novel by Jo Nesbo
Starring Michael Fassbender; Rebecca Ferguson; Charlotte Gainsborg; J.K. Simmons; and Val Kilmer



I was looking forward to this film. Then the reviews came out. I gave it a week.This film is based on a popular novel by Jo Nesbo. The Snowman is part of a popular series of books, The Harry Hole Series.

Well it is not as bad as what critics say. It is not great but not bad. I think there are a lot of mistakes, so let me start with them:

- It is based on a series, and Harry Hole (Fassbender} is interesting, However you can tell right away our hero has a bad and also successful track record. Yet to fill that background, that I am sure was probably in many a book, just does not work for just one film. In fact Harry is as much a mystery to us as the mystery he is trying to solve. It makes the viewer sort of unattached. We are not vested. We like him, but he is...is as cold as the atmosphere.
-J.K. Simmons as Arve Stop. What the Hell??? (No spoilers) Val Kilmer as Rafto. I really mean what the Hell!!!!! (No Spoilers Again!!) Both are just bad. J.K., Just say no to some scripts. Some parts are not right for you.
-You can tell by three screenwriters they had a lot of troubles telling this big story. It was very choppy. All over the place. Unfocused. Story-lines which were suppose to be shocking surprises were telegraphed. I just feel a lot of the book was left on the floor. I wonder if this would have worked better as a mini series on Netflix or some other platform like maybe the wonderful Night Manager (If you have not seen it, well, see it!!) There is a lot going on. However speaking of screenwriting and the plot............

The good:
-I love the slow movement of the story. With it taking place in Sweden, it reminded me of the slow burn of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, not even close to as good, but it gave us that same cold, atmosphere. The plot took its time. Some critics hated the slow movement, I do not mind having a slow build. It adds to the creepiness of the story line.
-I think Fassbender; Ferguson; and Gainsbourg are all really good here. All believable.

2 stars out of 5 for The Snowman. Not as bad as the critics say. It is worth a look for home viewing.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.