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penguinopolipitese
Reviews
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
I feel like this could've just been an episode of Agents of SHIELD
If I could I'd give this something in the high 6's. It's entertaining but I sort of felt like I walked in half way through the movie and had missed something... we just jumped straight in with little explanation of why things were happening. Because of this I'm still not 100% on if spiderman actually has powers anymore but it seems not. From what I could see, this movie is sort of like Iron Man goes to high school. There's a suit, there's a non-threatening ai who helps the user of the suit. But what makes spiderman special exactly? Tony Stark may not have super powers but at least he has the intelligence to make the damn iron man suit. I guess it brings up another avenue of story telling when he's given his power by another person but it just doesn't have the same gravity to me because this is something that can be easily taken away and then you're left asking why couldn't it be anyone in that suit. Maybe they were just sick of telling the same story for the 3rd time. I had a similar feeling when the newest hulk showed up in avengers. It's just like: we need a warm body to play this role so lets just slip him in and hope people accept it and we can make some more movies. It's great to have the fuller embodiment of that universe but at the same time I feel like I've been to this puppet show and it was better done before.
This movie felt like it shouldn't have been a full fledged movie.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
A fun, unique movie
This movie I would probably give a score in the low to mid 70s. It's actually one of my favourites but it isn't some extraordinary masterpiece. It's one of those movies, however, that stands alone and is unique. I would describe it as a story book on film. All of the actors play their parts quite beautifully. The hanks/ryan pairing started out with this film and it is obvious why the formula continued successfully in later films. You've got for example Nathan Lane, Abe Vigoda, and Lloyd Bridges in just ridiculous and unexpected roles and the whole cast makes it fun.
The whole absurd story manages to be work I think because like most good fiction it has a grounding in reality and then dramatizes it for effect. In the case of this film the dramatization is outlandish and crazy but it also makes it a lot of fun.
I'd recommend this for a boring night where you just want to have some fun and aren't looking for something particularly mind blowing.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Not sure if genius or crap
I have never been more confused about how I felt about a movie than after watching this one. I know I feel strongly enough about it that it's either complete garbage or else a really great film.
Here's my thoughts. There are about 3 or 4 times as many quips in this movie as there ought to be. It seemed like every 5 minutes there was some witty one liner that nodded to the audience. It's the third trilogy of star wars and I feel like you gotta expect a few, but I do not need like 10-15 winks. Some are actually kind of funny though... but I feel like this film series is centered on being a bit more serious. I didn't come for the comedy
The next thing... there is a strong female presence in the casting of this film. It makes me slightly uncomfortable. Mostly due to the amount of prominent female characters in this installment. And I think there were already a fair few back in force awakens. But this time it feels like someone really decided to push a feminist agenda and use star wars as a vehicle to do that. I do sort of feel like this may be a watershed moment in movies for more gender blind casting practices in years to come but right now it feels awkward. In all honesty I think male and female roles are probably right at 50/50 in the film but it feels like a more in your face situation because I really can't think of a precedent that has taken it that far before.
Last thing I'll talk about is coherence. This film felt like it actually opened more loops than it closed. There is not much sense of closure or enlightenment or the hope that it will come in the next 2 hour film. I can only guess these plot blanks or holes are there so disney can make more spin off movies. I feel like the 3rd film is going to have to be at least 10/10 if it can resolve the confusing mess where this film left off. I really hope it is that 10/10 but I also think the odds are negligible that that will happen. I still don't know who snoke is, I still don't know why rey is so strong with the force, I still don't know who the knights of ren are, I don't know who the old guy kylo ren killed in force awakens is... you know? What is the point of watching a trilogy if it's not self explanatory?
Overall, I think the film is worth watching. It's got a lot going on and it's interesting. I just feel like they developed some unnecessary side plots at the expense of actually writing a story that tightens the plot loops for the final film. To me it just smells like disney is purposefully opening avenues to continue to milk the series. I don't respect that at the cost of the current film's quality. But I'd still take this over lucas having control.
Aoi haru (2001)
the wonder years...
I'm told the title Aoi Haru can be read two ways: "blue spring" or "teenage years". Anyway, I liked this movie. What I liked were the dark aspects of this movie and the attempts at symbolism. What I didn't like was the somewhat aimlessness of the plot and the attempts at symbolism. I find it a lot like "go" which also has Hirofumi Arai (Aoki). Both violent highschool movies. Some people have compared it to Battle Royale... although I think this has a better basis in reality. Someone mentioned this movie was strung together from several short manga stories, which makes sense, since we tend to jump through several character's story lines. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, as we get to see where each character is coming from and where they end up. The variety is nice but it I felt like the movie lost it's focus at points. Overall, though, I felt it draws the viewer in and manages to stay kinetic throughout. There was rarely a boring moment. Even a girl waiting for her boyfriend ended up being very amusing. The movie is rather violent and disturbing at points, but managed to still be funny and introspective. I'd probably recommend it to people who can still remember what highschool was like.
Go (2001)
This is my love story
When I first saw this movie I was kind of turned off by it. It can be kind of confusing the first time around. But as with most good things it gets better with time and familiarity. The movie basically revolves around a Japanese born but fully north Korean teenager who struggles to find his place in society and come to terms with his tough father. As a Japanese-born Korean or "zainichi" he often feels alienated both by Korean and Japanese culture. The movie follows the trials and transformations in his life and his desire to find who he is and where he belongs. I think a lot of people who are the second or third generation of immigrant families will really get this movie. It's like being stuck between two worlds sometimes. But regardless of background people will be able to relate to the story (manic as it is). If you like say fight club, you will probably like this movie. There are quite a bit of action and fight sequences, a lot of introspection, and also romantic elements. The movie tends to segregate these elements to some extent which makes the film seem lop-sided but in the end everything balances nicely. This is probably one of my favourite movies, Japanese or otherwise.