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jeremeydavis
Reviews
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
This movie is constantly on point
Top Gun: Maverick had quite a legacy to live up to and it nails it. The movie avoids the sequel trap of destroying the previous movies' character growth while allowing for a whole new story to be told. Maverick is allowed to be the star of his own movie (take notes Marvel) and shines throughout even as he has some very real struggles. His interactions with Penny are pure Maverick but also reflect the interactions of a more mature couple. The casting is all around wonderful, with memorable new pilots introduced. The female pilots in particular were handled well, being "one of the boys" without being sexualized or turning into Mary Sue's. Nods to the previous movie were integrated smoothly and every detail matters. Iceman was particularly moving. Rooster nails the mannerisms of his late father. The only minor complaint is that Maverick can't beat the original soundtrack, and acknowledges that by using several songs from the original.
Reminiscence (2021)
An amazing sleeper hit that shows there's still talent in Hollywood
I stumbled across Reminiscence and can unabashedly say it is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton deliver masterful performances and the twists and turns reminded me of The Prestige meets Total Recall. The movie falls back on the typical Private Eye tropes right down to the lounge singer in the red dress, but in that regard it hits all the right spots. The near-future dystopia lends an otherworldly element and delivers the primary mechanism for the plot; a machine that allows others to explore memories. The theme of water recurs throughout, and Chekov's Rifle is assiduously abided by, with every element used and every thread tied to a satisfactory conclusion. Action is used when appropriate but is not the dominant theme, and the music provides effective but not overpowering ambience. I just sat and watched the credits roll while I let the emotional impact of the performance sink in. Incredible movie.
The Last Valley (1971)
A Sweeping Historical Drama that Stands the Test of Time
The Thirty Years War is a dramatic period not often covered in cinema, and although some aspects of the movie are dated it does a very good job of presenting the era in a moving way. The movie touches on almost all of the key points that mark the era, even if sometimes presented as over-the-top caricatures or shallow stereotypes. Ravaging armies, plague and famine have decimated the land, pursuing political goals under the guide of religious conflict, with the hapless peasants stuck in the middle. The tension between the various Christian groups is highlighted, even if the dialogue rarely gets more creative than screaming "Heretic! Devil worshipper!" at each other. The religiously and ethnically mixed mercenary company is also representative of the period. Costumes and weapons vary widely from reasonably historical 17th century, to medieval or even pure Hollywood fantasy. Around three-quarters of the way through I felt it started to drag, but by the time the movie was over I was overall very emotionally satisfied with the experience.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
JJ Abrams salvages the final trilogy in an entertaining finale
I swore off the franchise after the Last Jedi, and judging from the turn-out for Solo, so did many other fans. Fortunately, JJ Abrams managed to come in and salvage the trilogy with this final installment, although that doesn't let him off the hook for the first movie.
Rise of Skywalker did all the right things to try to get the trilogy back on course, but had to cram two movies worth of story-telling into one movie and was constrained by some of the earlier decisions that unfortunately couldn't be ignored outright. You can feel this sense of being rushed throughout the first half of the movie.
Some folks will disagree with the choice of villain, but after tossing Snoke aside in the last movie like a priceless heirloom lightsaber and turning the First Order into the keystone cops, there were few options to introduce a villain that could instantly have gravitas. Po gets his moxie back, becoming the spice-running, devil-may-care fighter jock that he was meant to be. Finn develops into a much deeper character and shows that he has backbone in addition to his former simpering incarnation. And Rey actually has to work for once, struggling to master her powers and being challenged internally and externally (including a force vision that is actually meaningful rather than being a throw-away visual effect). Kylo's redemption arc is well played, if predictable. Leia gets an appropriate send-off, and the cameos are well done, even if they stretch incredulity quite a bit.
Overall, I would have preferred if the new trilogy had followed the plot of the Heir to the Empire, with the New Republic facing down Thrawn and the remnants of the Empire. But unfortunately, Force Awakens set things off on a hit-or-miss course, with Last Jedi taking the series completely off the rails, and leaving Rise of Skywalker only so much room to bring things to a satisfying conclusion. Given the constraints, I believe this movie does just that and is easily better than the prequels or Last Jedi, although the story-telling falls short of the original trilogy or Rogue One.
Midway (2019)
Fantastic in every way
I was genuinely amazed at how well done this was. Visually stunning. Excellently acted. It covered so many nuances and really brought home the hazards faced by the men who fought in WW2. Interactions on the home front with wives and children were also wonderfully portrayed. These men were heroes and the movie captured that. The only possible complaint is that it covered so much material it could easily have benefitted from being longer.