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Lords of Chaos (2018)
What's the exact opposite of a masterpiece?
A completely cringe inducing dud! Just baffling how they screwed this up so bad. Just astounding. I'm not going to blame the actors for this embarrassment (Caulkin is quite good, and the only positive element in this entire debacle), I blame the producers. Whatever one might happen to think about the political and social happenings of the black metal scene during the period this film pretends to depict, this story deserves a much, much, much better treatment.. I mean, the true story material alone is a dramatic goldmine; In the hands of great writers and a director on the level of say... Paul Thomas Anderson or Bennett Miller, this could have been a wonderfully complex study of these young men's rapid decline into extreme Sociopathy.
Instead we are given cartoon characters. Goofy portrayals, with ham-fisted and lazy character archs. Which it seems, is purposefully embarrassing to the metal scene as a whole. Vice have had their grubby exploitative fingers in the black metal pie for a while now, as part of their larger mission to truly celebrate and hype the worst and most superficial traits of human nature.
This is just another wasted opportunity to make something special, flushed down the toilet to make a quick buck whilst poking fun at the metal fans.
Ready Player One (2018)
A massive pander.
This movie contains all the elements of the last 20 years I personally haven't been a fan of. People's obsession with technological gimmicks, corporate CEO worship, overindulgent CGI, superhero fascination.. and retro nostalgia thrown in for good measure.
The look of the film's only consistency is that it has no consistency- each scene is as gaudy and ugly as the last.
I managed to last about three quarters of the film, mainly because I was hoping that the dead CEO would tell the guy to destroy the entire game (I since read he did, but was declined), but I just didn't want to watch it after a certain point. I did however break my desire to leave during the first 20 minutes, and then very ten minutes after that, so I did pretty good I think.
I feel for the producers who have to make back 440 million dollars, but I'm sure this movie's extreme pandering to a society that is loosing to it's mind to corporations and technology will probably pay off even with my little viewpoint.
Sekai wa kyô kara kimi no mono (2017)
Really great film! especially for creative and anxious people. Brilliant stuff!
I was literally at the first western screening for this one! for Sydney that's quite unusual, so I'm pretty proud he he. I loved this film! the humor and the drama come together in way that is rarely done so well in film. A Kawaii (cute) film centered around a very serious subject indeed. The main actress is just priceless, not to mention her shut in friend- just classic stuff here, so funny and sad at the same time. Everyone in this film is just fantastic for that matter. Anybody who is a creative person will really relate closely to this one. Here, the story of the shut in is told through the prism of a creative person who runs into difficulty when her art is discovered by a co-worker. He gives her a job creating characters for a video game company. However, she finds it hard to perform under the stress of deadline and adulation. We get a sense here of the anxiety she feels. But really, this particular story line is just a part of a larger concept. The concept of the shut in- a unique outcome of the anxious within Japan . At the screening the director (we had a Q & A) mentioned that his own path as a creative person was very similar. I suspect that the director found a corridor of relation between his own struggles as an artist and the main character's struggles when he wrote the script. He said that he had never been quite a shut in himself, but definitely related to the main character throughout his creative life. This subject matter is absolutely perfect for the underlying issue, which is quite prevalent within Japan. Very sad. On an unrelated subject, here in Australia we are really suffering from the fact that nobody here releases DVDs of many Japanese films anymore. It just makes me so frustrated to think about how many great films I am missing when I do manage to see films like this. Hopefully Criterion Collection might have a look at this one. Just fantastic!
Gokseong (2016)
It must be the "Jap" that's causing it!
The little girl was very good in this movie, the locations and cinematography were very pleasant and atmospheric, plus the makeup effects were very high quality. There are a few issues however. The first issue is the blatant racism. The "Jap" who lives near the village is insinuated as the cause of the horrific scenes unfolding before the villagers; No particular reason why this is so; it's just that he's a Japanese man- (who apparently turns out to be the devil... I think), and that's good enough reason thank you very much! Next, after what felt like 2 hours already, we are led to believe it wasn't the "Jap", but some girl... for some reason. But then after another 50 minutes it wasn't her, but the "Jap" anyway.. for no particular reason. By this point he turns into the devil... I assume he was- my brain was numb by this point, so I was eyeing the exit sign mostly. Basically it is way, way, way too long.
Lastly, why do the characters treat each over so poorly? Almost every line in this is an aggressive bark. It's basically like "pass me the salt and pepper as***le! the whole way through. But's it's not just the men, it's the grannies, wives and children all getting in on the action in an unrelenting barrage of sh**ty attitudes. It's very unpleasant to watch for 2 and a half hours. Like I mentioned, the young actor was very, very impressive as the exorcist style demonic possessed little girl- but with everyone around her acting like complete pricks the whole movie, it's not as effective as the original. All up, not a bad movie- ambitious and effective at key points, but I would have preferred to watch this in 2 or 3 sittings on DVD, and preferably with a couple of paracetamols on hand. Maybe I'm too sensitive.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Your have just been taken by Disney!
The amazing fact about this movie is that you walk out loving it. The reality, however, is that you have walked straight into the Disney trap. A beloved charatcer- Han Solo, is killed off to capitalize upon your fondness for his character. Speaking of your fondness, of the first series..... this is a remake of the first 3 episodes. Star Wars is now a mickey Mouse key ring. Don't expect anything more than the serving up of your own love of the original 3 in another insulting smörgåsbord. A sign of the times really. They watch you, in what you say; and they give you back what you say. But this, my friends, is not art.
Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
Disappointing documentary
I have given this movie a rating of 5, which feels generous to me after just coming from the cinema, only because the director was attempting to stick solely to the matter of Kurt Cobain, rather than that band he was in, whatever they were called (I'm sure nobody is interested in them anyway ;), and he DID do this. And as a university essay, this would have meant great marks. However, these rules seemed more like massive limitations to me. I went in wanting to know more about Kurt, of course, but as a fan I was looking for more music stuff; more Buzz, Dave, Dale, Chad, Albini, friends etc.
In a strange and telling move, the director agreed to include an interview with himself at the end of the film. To be honest, this seemed like either a way of offering us an excuse as to why we are walking away very disappointed, OR, to further grandiose himself; it's is hard to tell. He stated that he wanted to involve only the main actors in Kurt's life; those who would have been at his funeral if he had still been a janitor, rather than what he became (this wouldn't include Courtney- she has stated she wanted a rock star, and only one with a good nose at that). The problem is that he wasn't a janitor. Surely they could wiped out all the cartoons, all the journal and live stuff that has already been available for years; STILL included the cassette recordings, AND all the stuff about Nirvana and the music, and still come in at 2 hours without losing any of the GOOD stuff in there.
Personally I found the whole thing a bit embarrassing and awkward as a viewer. I felt like some horrible sycophant or creepy voyeur through most of this. MAN he would have been embarrassed also if he was alive. In my opinion Kurt's success was as part of a team of people who helped his vision come to life. Yes, he was the alpha visionary in the band, but those musicians, producers and record folk (who we are assumed to understand if this is the definitive Kurt Cobain documentary- don't matter), helped polish the thing to perfection in a manner that we all love. Apparently we are all Kurt worshippers first and foremost. Creepy!
This brings me to the thing that bugged me the most. The corny, cringe worthy sabotages of Nirvana's legacy, with all these montage video clips, which just rob the music of all its power, forcing these enigmatic and subtlety crafted songs into the directors less than subtle, frankly, ham fisted visions. At the end when you hear and see the director, you get a sense of how this was doomed from the start. Perhaps even a pinch of Kurt's modesty would have helped here.
I wrote this review because I don't want any film maker out to feel the story has been told. This film is just a whole lot of smoke and mirrors.
I am fishead (2011)
A deliberately misleading disgrace. Utter trash!! BEWARE!
I thought that if I just don't join Scientology I could avoid the dangerous and irresponsible junk science that this propaganda film spews out on an astonishing level. This film actual insinuates that anti-depressants are the cause of pathological disorders, flashing old, old visions of genocide's and wars that occurred a long time before anti- depressants were even invented. It also insinuates that psychopaths and sociopaths are the only people that take them, showing interviews with happy people who don't take them, reinforcing a stereotype that people with anxiety disorders and other problems are evil! Absolutely incredible! It claims that empathy is lacking in the world; true, but at the same time makes fun of those people who have depression and anxiety. This movie is the biggest piece of insensitive, elitist and ignorant trash I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing! I am actually very upset. Propaganda films which encourage sick people to abandon treatments and also stigmatize legitimate illnesses should, in my opinion, be banned worldwide. I'm for free speech, but this is plain malicious, science manipulation and corruption. Apart from this it also contradicts it's own arguments so many times it's quite truly amazing! If it wasn't so dangerous I would say watch it just for a laugh. These film-makers and the main narrator (actor) should be ashamed of themselves! Have some empathy for people who are not so lucky as yourselves, and don't talk about things you clearly have no experience in. SHAME ON YOU!
Rising Sun (1993)
Another west meets east disaster
I basically watched this movie due to the fact that Toru Takemitsu for some reason got sucked into doing this ignorant film. If you have seen any of his work on Hiroshi Teshigahara's, Masaki Kobayashi's or Akira Kurosawa's films you know why I would be interested. From the opening credits I new this was going to be a train wreck when they decided to add Chinese gongs over Takemitsu's otherwise realistic Japanese style score, thus beginning the baffling ignorant betrayal of these Japanese people as sex crazed, backwards criminals whom only a westerner, well studied in Japanese culture can communicate with, as well as manipulate them like they were simpletons or something. I gather they even twisted Takemitsu's arm (who usually had a very minimalistic approach to scoring at key moments) into doing a continual Japanese score to remind us constantly that we are dealing with a mysterious and sinister culture here. Beyond this the acting is like what you would find in a a Jim Jarmusch film (ie: bad), and you can't help but feel sorry for Harvey Keitel who wouldn't be able to act badly if he tried, and Sean Connery and, well, the whole cast when you think about it, who are stuck with this director and script, both of which were not up to par with the ambition they were aiming for (I'm guessing intellectual thriller). Also, is it so hard to fly over some Japanese actors or find Japanese Americans for the parts instead of getting just any Asian? Bad accents galore! I must admit, I only watched about half an hour of it, but I can guess that it doesn't get any better later. Hell, I didn't really even care about the woman who was killed anyway.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
What Happened
David Fincher, Seven, The Game, Fight Club. I love David for how he has inspired me in the past and that I will not forget. I write this review only out of frustration over what seems to be be, unfortunately, a story that is not new to me. I've witnessed the fall of so many artist's over the years into mediocrity that is painful to for me to witness and it plagues my mind indefinitely. I hate people that don't take the time to watch and listen to what they are viewing before making these statements but I have thought long and hard before even thinking of writing this down. Of course, I don't know what Daid Fincher was thinking when he made this film. I think to myself, "Was it the influence of the producers in his ear, the promise of money, or pure experimentation with the notion of making a hammed up piece of redundant slop like this to see how it felt to be a true official Hollywood A-lister untouchable, or purely a bad decision from the start due to the downside of fortune?" but I refuse to believe that Fincher is not a great artist!
I don't need to say much about the ingredients of this film because I think you have already guessed how I see it. All I can say is-David Fincher, Remember me? Im the outsider in this world searching for meaning everyday that I wake up to a commercial world wanting only what it can gleam from my unfulfilled soul. I will continue to carve out my place in this world through my art. Will you join me again?