bseaman-20248
Joined Nov 2016
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Reviews23
bseaman-20248's rating
This is the greatest tank battle film I have seen to date in my life. The battle scenes are relentless and brutal, representing war film-making at its finest. The final few minutes provide a twist nobody could seriously claim to see coming and will leave thoughtful viewers with much to ponder. The soundtrack is all works by Wagner, who as WW II trivia buffs will know was Hitler's favourite composer.
I confess to having felt a bit leery when deciding whether to watch this. I wondered how what has become a cinematic trope (i.e. somebody invisible wreaking havoc whether for comedic or dramatic effect) could have any legs even with the benefit of modern CGI. Then I read the reviews.
One minute into this movie, I was absolutely hooked. The directing, cinematography, pacing and the relentlessly tense musical score were the elements that helped propel this movie forward. But the absolute genius and raw power of Elisabeth Moss' acting is what left me in awe. She is at the top of her game in this one. I am going to watch The Invisible Man again with a female friend who managed to get out of a relationship with an abusive narcissist a while back with moderate damage to her psyche and sense of self. I will be watching again so that I can relish the nuances that Moss brings to her character.
Before this movie, I had regarded Moss as one of several 30-something actors who are capable of delivering their lines competently and reliably, but never regarded her as particularly compelling, not even as a repressed Handmaid. Her role in The Invisible Man tells me that she was simply an actress of iconic talent whose agent had yet to find the right script and director for her. She deserves a Best Actress Academy Award for portraying an abused woman on the apparent edge of madness who is determined not just to survive her relentless stalker but to destroy him.
This is drama at its best. Imagine what Julia Roberts' could have been in "Sleeping With The Enemy" (Moss was only 8 years old when that movie about spousal abuse and escaping from a stalker came out in 1991), coupled with the very best that Hitchcock could muster and you have some idea of what Moss has done in this movie. Film buffs will appreciate this reference after reflecting on what they have just seen.
Moss will certainly be in that $20 million + earner category after this movie, if she wasn't there before.
One minute into this movie, I was absolutely hooked. The directing, cinematography, pacing and the relentlessly tense musical score were the elements that helped propel this movie forward. But the absolute genius and raw power of Elisabeth Moss' acting is what left me in awe. She is at the top of her game in this one. I am going to watch The Invisible Man again with a female friend who managed to get out of a relationship with an abusive narcissist a while back with moderate damage to her psyche and sense of self. I will be watching again so that I can relish the nuances that Moss brings to her character.
Before this movie, I had regarded Moss as one of several 30-something actors who are capable of delivering their lines competently and reliably, but never regarded her as particularly compelling, not even as a repressed Handmaid. Her role in The Invisible Man tells me that she was simply an actress of iconic talent whose agent had yet to find the right script and director for her. She deserves a Best Actress Academy Award for portraying an abused woman on the apparent edge of madness who is determined not just to survive her relentless stalker but to destroy him.
This is drama at its best. Imagine what Julia Roberts' could have been in "Sleeping With The Enemy" (Moss was only 8 years old when that movie about spousal abuse and escaping from a stalker came out in 1991), coupled with the very best that Hitchcock could muster and you have some idea of what Moss has done in this movie. Film buffs will appreciate this reference after reflecting on what they have just seen.
Moss will certainly be in that $20 million + earner category after this movie, if she wasn't there before.
The storyline tag intrigued me. The cast attracted me. Scary-looking Ray Liotta, seasoned pro Anthony Hopkins, always reliable Julia Stiles, and the venerable Hal Holbrook (I'd thought he died a few years ago); how could this movie go wrong?
To give credit where it's due, thumb's up for the cinematography. The wide-angle shots of densely forested mountains shrouded in fog and the close-ups of hard-scrabble homes in the small town and along the highway created a mood of despair and foreboding. In the hands of a different director and screenwriter, Blackway could have been a taut thriller that allowed fine actors to rise to the occasion and deliver the performances of which they are capable.
Unfortunately, the actors seemed to be going through the motions and we are left with a listless, 2-star film in which the occasional moments of drama and violence appear contrived and occasionally, gratuitous.
Blackway is not as terrible as many of the other reviewers have stated. That said, it belongs in a category I've come to call "Not bad, for Netflix". Watch, if you can't find anything else.
To give credit where it's due, thumb's up for the cinematography. The wide-angle shots of densely forested mountains shrouded in fog and the close-ups of hard-scrabble homes in the small town and along the highway created a mood of despair and foreboding. In the hands of a different director and screenwriter, Blackway could have been a taut thriller that allowed fine actors to rise to the occasion and deliver the performances of which they are capable.
Unfortunately, the actors seemed to be going through the motions and we are left with a listless, 2-star film in which the occasional moments of drama and violence appear contrived and occasionally, gratuitous.
Blackway is not as terrible as many of the other reviewers have stated. That said, it belongs in a category I've come to call "Not bad, for Netflix". Watch, if you can't find anything else.