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Reviews
Whiplash (2014)
Cinematic masterpiece directed by Damien Chazelle
J. K. Simmons absolutely nailed his role, and I can't even find the right words to describe how incredibly well he portrayed Terence Fletcher. Undoubtedly, one of his finest performances in his career.
And let me tell you about the cinematography - oh my! The camera movements and shots were just so darn beautiful and satisfying to watch. When I talk about clean and unique cinematography, this is precisely what I mean. The focus and bokeh were also top-notch.
The editing danced in harmony with the music and those shots...oh boy, I can't express enough how much I love the editing and the way the color grading was handled!
The whole process, the artistry behind it, that's the very essence of art. This movie, it's the embodiment of art.
You should really go watch it and experience it for yourself. Trust me, this movie is worth your time, regardless of whether you're into orchestral jazz music, or even if you don't play an instrument - you'll thoroughly enjoy this film.
You know, many films leave you hanging with open endings, leaving you wondering what would've really happened next. But here, let me assure you, it's different. The open ending in this film was perfect. Absolutely flawless.
Now, the most important thing: I wouldn't be praising this movie as much as I am right now if the story wouldn't be exceptional.
Well, since you're still here reading my review:
You can probably guess how highly I regard this piece. The story and the two main characters are brilliantly developed.
"Whiplash" is a thought-provoking work of art that will stay with me for a lifetime, no doubt about it. You'll probably think the same about this movie after you've watched it, believe me.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Really not bad, but not for everyone!
This picture is a bit weird, but it's got its own unique charm! The camera shots and transitions are great! And let me tell you, the dialogue and humor are totally over the top, but that's what makes this film so downright hilarious!
Gotta admit though, as someone who hasn't read the books, watching a movie like this felt a tad strange. It's one of those genres that's hard to put in a box, you know? I kept wondering if the whole world the characters inhabit is a video game or if it's all happening inside Scott's head. After watching the whole thing, my guess is it's more likely a video game or some fantasy realm. I might be wrong, of course, but hey, that's all part of the fun!
The CGI effects were a mixed bag. Sometimes they were really cool, and other times not so much. But I reckon those intentionally less polished CGI bits were meant to give it that cartoony, video game vibe. It's like the producers wanted it to look just like that in the end, you know?
At the end of the day I can tell you (as I already said in the headline) that this movie is definitely not for everyone and I wouldn't watch it again honestly! But, it's definitely worth a shot since the dialogs and humour are really funny! And since it's Edgar Wright who directed this movie, I already predicted that the cinematography woulnd't be bad at all!
American Sniper (2014)
Amazing, no more words needed
Incredible and heavy story. As someone from Europe (I have only seen the movie cover several time) I have never heard of the real story about Chris Kyle. And even tho I haven't watched lots of war movies yet, this one is a must watch! The cinematography was excellent and the locations literally looked like the disturbing reality of war.
About the story: Even tho I didn't understand why suddenly Chris fought in close combat without any real explanation, besides that, everything was filmed in such an authentic way! As I said in the headline, it's more than understandable that this picture got several Oscars!! Thank you Clint for directing this movie, you did an excellent job here!
Rest in peace, Chris Kyle.
In the Valley of the Moon (2023)
For a short movie it looks like a big budget movie!
Great actors, cool colourgrading and super music! Unfortunately there were no subtitles available, so it wasn't very easy to follow the dialogs (music was louder than dialogs + very american accent) and I wish there would have been a little bit more clarity about Thomas's father being in jail. Furthermore the blood didn't look so realistic and with a shot in the stomach you just can't walk that easily. The last two things I mentioned made this short film unfortunately a bit unrealistic.
The vibe/aesthetic is great, that has definitely something to do with the nice colourgrading!
Anyways, besides the 2-3 points of critism, the cinematography in general was fantastic!
I am more than excited for future projects of this director and I will probably watch other short movies of him!
9-tas Zingsnis (2022)
Cinematography 11/10, story is alright
It's very important to mention that the cinematography is top notch. The lightning and the shots are very good!
The story parts about alcohol addiction are well written, but I think the movie focused a bit too much on the growing interest of Maya in Lineas. In my opinion the movie should've focused more on the father-daughter relationship between Lineas and Leva. Furthermore the ending leaves important questions unanswered, which is good but also bad. Personally, I enjoy endings with knowing what happened after everything, but of course it's never bad to let the viewers of the movie think about it/the ending in general. I will be honest tho, I would have found it cool to know know what happened with Lineas at the end, did he really stay sober after everything? And has Maya really given him up completely, even tho she really hates him now after he turned her down? And last but not least: Will Leva never ask her dad about the things Maya told her about this thing with Leva's father, will Leva never question it again? It would've been nice to have these questions answered, on the other hand I think it was an intentional decision from the director/writers.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Great new story, but...
The animation and acting- everything was great! There were some fps stutters here and there when watching the movie, but that's not the producer's fault. It's just the film being demanding for the projectors in our cinema. So for the best experience, be sure to watch Avatar 2 in the most modern cinema you know!
Furthermore I really enjoyed the first and middle part of the story: Watching the Sully family learning the habits of the Metkayina was cool!
There were just two things which I didn't like: Number 1 being some unlogical character decisions/situations, for instance: Why did the Metkayina suddenly disappear when fighting the earth people at the end? They were fighting for a while and helping Jake/the Sully family,-boom, they vanished and didn't show up again until the end of the movie. So Tonowari and Ronal just left behind their daughter!?
And then the villain only really survived for being a part of the third movie. That's incalculable. On the other hand, of course I can understand why Spider saved him-, but still...
Number 2 is the last fight, which was a bit too long according to my opinion. I know it's a 3 hour movie, but I think the last part could've been some minutes shorter.
All in one I'm giving the second Avatar movie something between 7 and 8. Besides my critical points, the animation and the realistic look of this picture is definitely worth a watch on the big screen and you shouldn't miss the opportunity to watch it in 3D or even 4D with the Dolby Surround System!
Dirty Lines (2022)
Actors/Actresses a hit, story not that thought out
At the beginning of the show, after I watched the trailer, I thought why not give it try. It looked promising!
So I started watching and the actors and actresses were really not bad, they did a good job! Also, the camera movements and lightning were okay.. It's just all in one, the story isn't so fresh. I don't know why, but there wasn't something BIG, like you know a great cliffhanger at the end. In my opinion, the story could have been told with more kind of hype. Do you know the feeling when you can't stop watching a show? Because of the cliffhangers and everything? Well, that wasn't the case here.
Short said: The story isn't thought out enough.
I watched the German dubbed version and I often didn't understand everything. You know, like why did this character make that that decision, what's his/her goal etc.. So the logic and comprehensibility was missing several times.
Furthermore, the music/vibe could have also been a lot better. The series takes place in the 80s and as you probably know, there is some good music from the 80s. I honestly missed this typical 80s vibe (which you get in Stranger Things for example, even though this is another genre) which you get when adding some nice 80s music. Another thing which wasn't the best, were the character developments...a bit boring..and the conversations between the characters were often dry.
At the end of the day, I don't think this show is worth watching. Even if the acting, camera movements and lightning was solid, the rest is meh. Story, cliffhangers, music/vibe, character development and conversations weren't such a hit.