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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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Came well recommended - very much enjoyed, a different premise, but some interesting correlations with "The Parasite", also Korean and much applauded this year. Now - a bit of a meta analysis below - so don't click the read more unless you want major spoilers...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
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Watching it, again, it's been a long time.
This is an excellent movie. Even so, the version I watched, corrupted and edited (read "Dumbed Down") for the North American audience - deserves a lot better than the reviews it's gotten. And I was disappointed in the ending - the original ending I had seen - well, it was different, but I'll leave no spoilers. If you've never seen it make it a holiday staple.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
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Good. The digital effects, a bit off, watching Robert DeNiro taken back to a younger version of himself - not - just not right. Otherwise a good history of the US from the 50's forward, strung on the story told by Charles Brandt - the classic unreliable narrator who people will believe if only because his point of view became a movie (I'd suggest reading a little criticism of it...the movie is better than the source material, and that doesn't necessarily make it true...).
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
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This was more than a little bit disturbing. A peculiar film, with some surreal and humorous moments, not critique-able with normal film standards, more a vehicle for the insanity of Nicholas Cage. Worthwhile, after the fashion of an entertaining nightmare, I'd give it a review of "Nicholas Cage turns it up to 11", and that about sums it up.
I should note that while I found it disturbing, for many people it's just another day in Middle America, and therein lies the horror...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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The daughter was curious as to watch this so I watched it first so we could discuss it.
It's received a fair bit of press, and I haven't yet read a negative review. Which is strange...so - here it comes.
A short list of the movies it's ripping off:
- Lone Wolf and Cub
- The Seven Samurai
- John Wick II
- Cat meowed at Yoda - borrowed from Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro"
- Music hints at Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"
- The Mandalorian - sounds more than a bit like Clint Eastwood and speaks with an inflection that I'm pretty sure he borrowed as well.
- These are just the ones that I noticed. I'm sure if you were a little more culturally fluent you'd recognize more. Suffice it to say there isn't an original bit of material in it.
Questions: Why does every outpost and every intergalactic port look like a ghetto in a third world country? And, really? Really? Are they STILL using plastic?
Now, the ripping off - the film-literate Star Wars fan might suggest that these are just "homages", tributes to the Disney Imagineers favorite films. Except the quality of this is so abysmally low that any one who sat through any of the above movies referenced isn't going to be able to sit through this without a lot of squirming very uncomfortably in their seat. So, not "homages" - this audience isn't going to understand - this is just a rip-off.
Now the dialogue - written for 5-year-olds, the acting - well like the actors realized at the last minute they'd just signed on to terminate their theatrical careers - abysmal - like out of a kids muppet movie - worse even - episode 4 - "Mandalorian interacts with barmaid"...painful, literally burn your eyes out painful. And - the solution to the many plot stalls is to throw in another crazy looking alien or robot. How about a new ice monster? Now you're thinking...
The Imagineers in a Brainstorming Session:
- "Lets add a silly robot..."
- "yeah, great idea, how about a killer silly robot?"
- "Hilarious! And it's got to want to blow itself up every time things go wrong..."
- "Now you're thinking..."
Inane.
Having sat through almost 4 hours of this - so you won't have to - I can tell you - not everyone needs a back story. Not Boba Fett, not Yoda, "The Mystery Character" is no longer a mystery character if you devote a whole fucking series explaining who he is. I'll tell you what needs explaining, What really needs explaining in this is how on earth Werner Herzog signed on to this...he better be fundraising for something great because he's got some atoning to do...
This is the world of corporate creativity, Disney's own milquetoast brand of "creative" storytelling, less plot, less dialogue, more visual effects. The Dystopian Disney...their corporate "imagineers" plundering all the best moments of popular culture and reducing them, dumbing them down to the absolutely lowest common denominator.
End Episode 4: " "I'' miss you 'baby Yoda' sooo much...". Don't you worry you little brat, Disney's going to make sure you can buy a lifesized replica just in time for Xmas...