Change Your Image
torbenmunzel
Reviews
Cars 3 (2017)
"Cars" growths with its audience
As a Gen Z male, of course I have seen Cars and Cars 2 in my childhood. But watching any of those now, I see them for what they are - kids movies. That is, I still have nostalgia for them, but they are not movies I really like anymore. McQueen is too unlikable of a Character in those movies, the jokes are more geared towards kids than adults and to be honest I never really liked the second installment.
This one is different though. It acknowledges that its audience has grown older and serves a story of a McQueen that has too. It hits all the right notes of childhood nostalgia while being gearwd towards a more grown-up audience. That is to say kids will enjoy this probably too (it is a Pixar movie overall), but it was made specifically for those of us who grew up watching the first two movies on repeat. Those who wore Cars Branded hats and T-Shirts back in 2008.
Adding to that, this is just a really good movie for everyone. It might have some lenghts that could have been cut, especially during the middle, but it delivers as a great Pixar movie.
The animation, of course, is sublime and has improved significantly over the first two movies.
The only real issue I have with this movie is that maybe it was made just a few years too early, as I only saw it recently and was not interested in 2017 (back then I was still going the usual "oh thats just Kids stuff I have to be ashamed of" - routine).
The first two movies are not Speed anymore, but this third one sure is!
Schattenwolf - Die Sitcom (2018)
A Character Study in Future Horror Porn
Marius, the protagonist of the series, experiences the future in a way you could have never imagined.
A world in which even the Laubbläser is brought down to its knees, abused by Jonas, forever broken into pieces of horror.
This series represents in very short time what nobody was able to achieve yet. The future is turned on its head with purest horror sci-fi porn. A character study on the future of our society, a work of Satan to show the world how cruel the future is gonna be, it really is no less than that.
Well and a bit of comedy. Minimum age of 80 is advised.
This will forever be a timeless classic, as it is about a 100 years ahead of its time.
Tenet (2020)
The (Probably) Best Movie of 2020
Tenet is all the spectacle you could ever hope for in a James-Bond-ish action movie of this caliber. Filmed with huge IMAX cameras and real stunts, this movie packs action in a way never seen before. Combine that with a plot that plays with time in an interesting manner and what you get is one hell of a complicated thriller.
Watching this movie on the largest (preferably IMAX Laser or even more so IMAX 70/15) possible cinema screen will give all but that 1% of you the best movie experience of the year!
But is that enough?
Let me start from the beginning:
I did watch this movie 4 (!) times, always in german, so I cannot complain about voice-clearity issues due to the synchronization.
Of those 4 times I have been 3 times to our nearest IMAX-Laser-4k cinema with a whopping 600 squaremetres (about 5000 squarefeet) of screen in Sinsheim (about 100km away, thats about 60 miles for you american and english folks) and once (the second time) to a much closer usual Multiplex cinema.
As you might be able to tell from that, I did not like it in the normal Cineplex.
The Image was so freaking small in comparison and, adding to that, our local cinema decided (since the movie is in the slightly taller than usual Aspect Ratio of 2.2:1 instead of 2.4:1) to crop the sides of the frame to a 16:9 aspect ratio and then the top and bottom to make the 2.2:1 fit into that 16:9 one. The result was insulting and anyone responsible should be fired. I've heard of other cinemas having the same issue, but that does not make the issue less of an issue.
This movie (well any movie really - but this one especially) is made to be seen on the largest screen possible - preferably giant IMAX screen - and YOU GUYS JUST CROP IT DOWN??? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? (IF AT ALL)
Well so much on that issue - lets go on to the other viewings in that glorious IMAX Format.
It was awesome! It's been my first IMAX 70/15 filmed movie to see on an IMAX screen. and it was sharp, the sound was enormous, the bass was clear and - contrary to that other cinema - people actually cared about the movie more than about their smartphones. The giant 1.43:1 Aspect ratio filled the entire screen and I looked up and down and was just amazed by how much picture there was! That is for the most part of the movie. Some scenes (about 1/3 of the movie; mostly dialog) crop to that 2.2:1 aspect ratio I have been talking about, but even cropped the image was so much bigger than on that normal screen.
It was FANTASTIC!
So what about the movie?
Yep, it is kinda like Inception. You have to watch it twice! - or at least that is what everybody tells you to do - I would rather suggest to watch it as many times as you need (or prevail) to understand the story of that movie.
I saw Inception 3 times in one week this year, but each time I saw a different movie, because I got a lot more out of it every single time.
With Tenet the story is pretty much the same except for one thing:
As I watched Inception more and more times, I got underlying themes and "deeper meaning" (whatever you think that means) out of it as well as understand the plot better and better. (I could argue about the meaning in Inception for hours, but that is another topic for another day) With Tenet I did not get that kind of something to be learnt from that movie (except for the really interesting way time works within that movie).
You gotta know, I do specifically not want to point this out as a bad thing, just as a thing. As it stands, this movie is a James-Bond-ish spy movie which is a genre you either love or hate or do not really care about (but you would not be reading this if you did not, would you?). This genre barely plays with grandeur philosophical concepts and so, I guess, does Tenet. I have to point out that there might be some thing I am still missing and that someone finds those greater truths in that movie, or even I myself will in the future, but as of right now I cannot say that I get that extra something.
Of course I have to also point out that art does not have to have meaning, it does not have to do anything. Almost like a human being its pure existence can be enough for someone to love it. This is why I am feeling harder and harder about giving ratings to movies that are "art" (whatever art is to you). This is why i will not give a rating to Tenet.
But, as a Christopher Nolan-"fan" as you might call me (you might be correct) I do admit that I love the logic in his works and coming to a conclusion that matters in my own world gives me the highest sense of logic; the sense of having learnt something.
I have to add the following: the movie kept me going even on the 4th viewing; that is except for the first third of the movie. You "get" that part at some point and it gets a little boring, but that changes again as you enter the second third.
All of this leaves me to talk about the technical aspects - well no.
Not here. Just google it and look up what those stunt coordinators have achieved. For the heck of it just watch the movie! It is all in there.
I have to be a little nitpicking, so just gonna throw this into the mix: One thing I missed was one of the inverted guys throwing away their magazine because it was full. That would've been such a great shot!
Anyway, ending this review I want to pay huge respect to Christopher Nolan, his wife Emma Thomas and his entire crew for making such a great movie experience possible in modern days and especially the year 2020! Thank you!
This is the probably best movie of 2020.
Fight Club (1999)
I don't get it
I saw the movie like three days ago and it left me weird.
I have since read many reviews and essays on it online, but still don't get the ending (and I could not find much about its Interpretation).
From what I've picked up on, the movie is mainly about critique on the destruction of individualism, manliness and the consumer-based society of todays world as well as the fact that fascism (The Fight Club) is just the other side of the same coin as kapitalism, not providing any helpful solution.
But that is like the first half of that movie.
After that the movie still starts with Project Mayham and that entire haluzination-thingy.
I don't see a real connection from that to the main topic of the first half.
I mean, the narrator does conclude that stuff by shooting himself and accepting Marla as his girlfriend, but why and how?
And doesn't that haluzination-thingy (Marla is probably surreal as well, just as the entire world, read the essays on jackdurden) make the entire thing kind of pointless and destroy the realism of the first half?
Is it just me or would it be a better movie if you just cut the second half and make the third act an exaggeration to tylers world-view and Fight-Club mentally nearly breaking the narrator and then (somewhat similar to that first boxing scene) realizing that this is not the way either. (ending, I don't know maybe even with a depressing ending of him realizing that there is no fulfillment for him, whatever)
I mean the acting, camerawork etc. on this movie is great and it even left me wondering how real my life really was (quite an achievement); heck I really loved the first half, but I just don't get the point of that ending...
P.S.: Please tell me if there is something I don't see here.
The Prestige (2006)
A Trick inside a Trick
This movie starts with the introduction (1st Phase) of the Characters. It then destracts us by setting up the main theme of the movie as a rivalry (2nd Phase). After that it is revealed to us that Christian Bales Character is alive (The Prestige) and operated with a twin brother. Thus we get behind the trick that was done here. But as you might think the movie establishes a second trick much before you figure out the first. The Tesla Cloningdevice. It is first established to us (1st Phase) and then the effect is shown to our human eyes (2nd Phase). Lastly we see Hugh Jackmans Character once drowning and once reappearing (or the Hat, whatever). This is the Prestige.
So, the movie tricks us with its first trick right into the second, that it leaves unanswered. We can make up our own mind about it, but we're still left guessing, just like the perfect magic trick.
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Seriously, why the praise?
Not read the book, not gay (but equally not homophobic), just wanting to see a good movie; those were my starting conditions as I saw this movie.
First, the technical part. I could not disagree more on many people calling this movie "beautiful".
I mean the camera work is not awful, but showcasing a foot in water for about 10 seconds (with no reason whatsoever behind it), just to name one example, is not sth. I would call "good camera work". Furthermore the picture looks a little desaturated and grainy at times.
But the full extend of that low budget 4 Mio Euros movie is what you get to hear. That is, if you even hear anything except for that annoying bird twittering.
Seriously, I watched this movie in Dolby Surround and the Mixing was the worst, I have ever heard in a movie. It was so bad actually, the entire thing sounded like a cheap TV-Production, as the recorded micro-sound always came from the center-speaker. They did not even dare trying to split voices or other Sounds recorded on set onto other channels. The only thing you get to hear from those other channels is that stupid annoying twittering (and sometimes the even more unfitting Music.)
It had nothing to do with the Plot, which I will come to later on.
The only good thing, that I think this movie has, is its performances. Mr. Chamalet performed excellently and also Mrs Garrel and Mr. Stuhlbarg did their job well. But even those were not able to show emotions or anything of interest until the very end of that movie.
Mr. Hammer tried really hard, but eventually I did not believe him completely.
The Plot: /
Thats right, this movie has none. At least none worth mentioning. But for those of you who need it, have it: (I will not call them by their names, that is stupid)
The one like mid 30s guy, I will call him "A" comes to Italian town where 17 year-old guy "B" lives with his family. They both like each other, but cannot tell anyone, not even themselves. They both have a beautiful girl lying around (that just so happens to happen in Italy, even if you are really, I mean really weird, come to that later), which puts B in the situation of having to choose. He finally chooses in favor of A over the girl, which is not big of a deal for her (she loves him and is fine with staying friends with him - jup that is part of the movie). A has to go away again, which makes B sad. His father tells him sth. About how special the relationship of the two is (somehow everybody knows about them) and B cries in front of a fire.
END OF THE MOVIE.
That is all that happens in OVER TWO HOURS! I can make up a story myself in that time that has more complexity to it.
Well there are some weird non-fitting put-ins that I left out like the other gay couple that just flys by for a few seconds or that weird hiking scene, but lets just forget about those for a second.
WAIT!
Almost forgot about the not-ending sex scenes of B sleeping with the girl, himself and A. Those are very unpleasant to watch and make up half of the movie. And no, I do not prefer to watch heterosexual people having sex at all, I just find it very unpleasant to watch two other people having sex in general, no matter the sexuality. Furthermore, there are enough scenes of them doing weird stuff, like sniffing at another ones worn underpants. I mean What The Hell? Who does that?
So... What is the hidden meaning of this "movie"?
THERE IS NONE! This movie tells a boring, way too far stretched story that has no meaning whatsoever other than the one that - at least in my opinion - is omnipresent in modern day culture and nothing new or exciting to be discussed. The technical aspects of this film are underwhelming and the only thing preventing me from giving this one a 1/10 is the good acting by some of the actors (seemingly the only thing that those 4 Mio Euros have been used for).
Seriously, why the praise?