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Reviews
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2011)
Great from a Certain Perspective
If you've seen all three of the amazing films in Don Hertzfeldt's trilogy centered around the every-man protagonist 'Bill', then you realize just how different each film is from one another. Everything Will Be OK, while still terrifying and tragic, was bloody hilarious. I Am So Proud of You was still really funny, but focused more on the tragedy than the jokes. Then here's It's Such a Beautiful Day, a movie that I maybe laughed once in. It's quite the progression, but it serves to show us where Hertzfeldt wants to go next.
I Am So Proud of You will always be my favorite of these films. It's a perfect balance of black comedy and utter sadness. It's probably one of my favorite movies ever. It's Such a Beautiful Day scarcely seems like a continuation of that plot thread, though. While it still rends at the heart like any good tear-jerker, it's just separate from this trilogy in terms of style. And that's why I really like this movie; it cements itself as standalone from the already present chronology, but it still gives Bill a proper ending(?) with philosophy and physics worked into the musings of an average everyday stick figure.
Great film, with great visuals, with great writing, great character, and just a great concept.
The Expendables (2010)
A Painful Homage
Remember the '80s, back when action movies became a a fairly big genre of the form? Back when classic action movies like the Rambo series and Conan came out? That's what Stallone is aiming for in the Expendables, but unfortunately, the attempt falls flat on its slack-lipped face.
I love some of those big dumb '80s action movies. I loved Rambo III, which for the record, ended with a tank crashing into a helicopter. I love over the top action sequences that often break upwards of eight laws of physics in the span of several seconds. The Expendables doesn't give you anything like that, instead feigning the over the top guise with that demon shaky cam. How am I supposed to enjoy the action if I can't SEE it?
Also, I don't know anything about any of the characters except for Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren, who are only in a few scenes themselves. Instead, I guess Stallone thought we wanted to hear about Terry Crews' shotgun that shoots exploding rounds, which would be cool, IF HE WERE TO DO SOMETHING PARTICULARLY RIDICULOUS WITH IT. But no, they gave Dolph and Mickey really interesting back stories and didn't touch upon them AT ALL. Did I mention Randy Couture has cauliflower ears? Interesting. NOW WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW THAT?!?!?!
I also have no idea if the main woman was supposed to be a love interest for Stallone's character, or just someone he idolizes. This is mainly due to the fact that all the dialogue they share is really awkward and poorly written. "What is a gift if it isn't free?" Who talks like that? I don't know, why not ask cauliflower ear guy?
There was a fly-by shooting scene near the beginning of this movie that I guess was supposed to be much more amazing than it turned out to be, and the final confrontation with Steve Austin SUCKED, especially considering he and the other villain in this movie were poorly built up. Really, they made Steve Austin an unstoppable war machine who can't be stopped even by the mighty fist of "Sly" or a giant gasoline fire. What are we supposed to think as cauliflower ear guy wrestles with somebody four times his size? That he can actually defeat Steve Austin? Yeah. We're supposed to believe this.
Also, how did they get back to the island on the plane? How do you hide a giant plane?
This movie sucks. They should've given Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren more screen time. 'Nuff said.
Blade Runner (1982)
Strangely perfect...
This film is flawed, but it's perfect. I don't really know how to explain what that means, so I'll just say some stuff.
You all know the story: Harrison Ford is a bladerunner, a detective who specializes in the "retirement" of rogue androids that are exact duplicates of humans, called replicants. It's an interesting concept that is actually very flawed.
First of all, if replicants have a tendency to go rogue and become murdering lunatics that also blend into human society because they are exact duplicates of humans, why not rectify this situation by not making replicants what amounts to clones of humans. I mean, you've got the whole android part down pretty well, so why not just remove the human features, or give them a giant tattoo on their face at the very least.
Second, that test thing is really impractical. If the only way of finding if someone is a replicant or not is to sit them down and examine their emotional reactions with ridiculous specificiy, then you need to find a better test. Talk about the need for a fail safe.
It may seem like I really think this movie is a pile of tripe for attacking its very premise, but I don't. This movie is a masterpiece for completely different reasons. People should go to this movie for three reasons: 1) To see Harrison Ford be a bad ass going up against super humans(it's bloody awesome) 2) To hear the brilliantly portrayed character Roy Batty ponder the brevity of existence and examine the meaning of humanity. and 3) To observe the stellar, morbidly beautiful urban landscapes and imagery that this film paints so perfectly.
All in all, a perfect movie that is not perfect but is still deserving of a ten for creating such a masterful contradiction.
P.S. Rick Deckard is not a replicant. That would be really stupid. I don't care what Ridley Scott said, Rick Deckard IS NOT A REPLICANT.
Inception (2010)
Thought provoking, to say the least
I would like to preface this review by saying that this movie is excellent, on multiple levels. It is visually thrilling, philosophically pondering, and really, REALLY complex. It basically invents an entire science, a sub-conscious engineering that provides some of the strangest, and yet most interesting dialogue I've ever experienced in a movie. See this movie. See it twice.
Inception follows our hero, Cobb, who, after a failed job, is given a ticket home if he can pull off the ultimate psychological heist: the implantation of an idea in a subjects mind. This is called, well, inception, which is often considered to be impossible for multiple reasons. Cobb, however, knows it is wholly possible, for multiple reasons as well. There can be no spoilers! I'm sure by now you all know the whole "entering and controlling dreams so as to attain information" idea, but the problem is, the origin and the very nature of this dream-entering technology is highly vague. It's original usage is given a passing glance, but what is NEVER explained is how hooking someone up to an IV can give you access to their subconscious. There's also the whole concept of the "kick," or the feeling of falling that wakes you up from a dream. It seems somewhat undeveloped, and you'll see what I mean if you go to see it.
All in all, this movie will make you say "WHAT?!?!?!" a lot, but at the end you may have some semblance of understanding as to what just occurred. A very original movie with some amazing fight sequences, some interesting commentary on the nature of reality, as well as a really aggravating ending. That's not bad, it's just true.
Like I said. See this movie twice. It'll be a lot less insane the second time around.