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Ore Monogatari!! (2015)
Sweet and Funny
This is the story of the romance between two teenagers. It is so sweet as to make your teeth hurt and so funny as to have you in loud long heartfelt belly laughs. This show just makes me happy. It's says a lot about friendship and love, but it's not super deep or complex. Its lack of complexity isn't a bad thing. It is a simple story, but it is uplifting and sometimes that is all you need.
The VelociPastor (2018)
A great fun movie
This is a movie about a pastor who turns into a dinosaur to kill bad guys. It has ninjas in it. If you are looking for fun and a good laugh, this movie has it. If you want deeper meaning and drama look elsewhere. There were many moments in this film where I had to pause it because I was laughing so hard. It is pure nonsense and sometimes that's all you need.
I've heard the film described as so bad it's good, but I don't think that is accurate. The people who made this movie knew exactly what they were doing. Evey scene is well crafted with jokes that are aided by camera movement to get the most laughs. The timing of the jokes is spot on as well. The cheap costumes add to the charm of the film.
Captain Marvel (2019)
A Fun Time
Captain Marvel is the story of Carol Danvers' superhero origin. It lays out her background and sets the stage for her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson's performance was stiff at times, but overall she shows us a confident and powerful hero who struggles to discover the truth about who she is and the war she is fighting.
The movie has the ability to mix light hearted and comedic tones with serious moments like other Marvel movies have done. I found myself laughing out loud a few times at jokes while remaining fully engaged when it got serious. The action is fun and entertaining especially towards the end of the film.
Like any other film it has some problems. As I mentioned before Brie Larson can be stiff and there are some times where the film suffers for the lack of emotion. There also was a part of the story that confused me in terms of the timeline for the Marvel movies and a piece of a character's backstory that I thought could have been done better. I also felt like there were some parts of the story that were being held back for another film. More so than other recent MCU films this one has a lot of setup in it that may pay off later. The film could have benefited from some of those story elements being included instead of saved for later.
The film has its female empowerment moments, but it doesn't stand on a soapbox and preach at you like some would have you believe. This is not a feminist propaganda film. It is a superhero movie. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and got me hype for the next Avengers film. That was all I wanted from this film and I was not disappointed.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Putting it in Context
I was not going to write a review for this film, but having seen so many negative reviews for this film, I feel it is important to put things in context. You should not watch this movie if you have not seen the other MCU films. There have been reviews stating that this film has no plot and that it is just mindless action. That is basically true. The film cannot stand on its own and it was not meant to. Someone described this film like the season finale of a TV show. The characters and plot of this film have been set up over the course of many other movies. If you come into this film not knowing that, it will seem like a mess to you. However, for those of us who have watched the previous MCU films and grown to love these characters, we do not need a set up. We know where we are and what is at steak.
This movie is the culmination of ten years of storytelling. As the end to a ten year buildup this film is excellent. It is exciting and emotional. It is fun to see different characters interacting with each other. Characters who have never met before are forced together and the results are funny and interesting. At no time during this film was I bored. Many times I was on the edge of my seat wondering how our heroes were going to save the day. I was shocked to see what characters lived and died.
Thanos as the villain of the film was excellent. He was compelling and scary. He is a commanding presence. This film sticks with you after it ends not only because of what happens at the end, but because of the powerful performance of Josh Brolin as Thanos. This is a highly satisfying film for anyone who has followed these characters for so long.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Not what it should have been
Before I saw this movie I had heard two conflicting reviews. One was good, one was bad. I prepared myself for a bad movie, but went in hopeful. I can't say it was a bad film. It wasn't. In fact I thought it was good. What I didn't like was the direction it took.
Max is a lonely kid. His sister pays little attention to him. His mother is busy and has a boyfriend. The father is not in the movie. There is no explanation as to the father's absence, but it is not needed.
Max acts out because he feels that his mother is not paying enough attention to him when she brings the boyfriend over for dinner. His actions lead to him running away and ending up in the land of the wild things. Just like in the book he becomes king of the wild things. After that the story takes a turn for the depressing.
The wild things all have issues. One was lonely, one felt he was being ignored, and still another gets angry at Max because she thinks he's playing favorites.
The film is well made. The shots are beautiful, the wild things are magnificent and Max was well acted. I believed his performance and felt for him. The problem I had with it was that it was depressing. It stated certain truths, but left me unfulfilled. The sadness that there was in the movie didn't exist in the book. The film was based on a children's book, but it is for an older audience even though some children could relate to some of the situations.
While I think it was a good film generally, it was a bad adaptation. It lost the spirit of the book. There are many serious films about the problems and challenges of childhood. I don't think this film should have been one of them. It should have been a film about a child acting out, running into a fantasy world, realizing his mistakes, and coming home. It was a movie about a lonely child who tries to help a bunch of whiny, mopey, sad, monsters.
Chunhyangdyun (2000)
An unusual movie experience
This is a Korean film telling the story of two lovers torn apart by class. The son of a governor and the daughter of a courtesan. It has the air of a fairytale and is a very good film.
It may be difficult for some people to get into the film in the beginning if you are not familiar with pansori. Pansori is a centuries old Korean form of storytelling in which a storyteller sings the story while a drummer drums and makes short vocal sounds or words of encouragement. It is initially jarring for those of us who mostly watch American and European film, but stick with it. I first saw this in a film class and it was among two films that I wrote about for class and liked so much that I purchased on my own once the class ended.
As the film begins the viewer is placed in the position of someone watching a pansori performance. From here the film transitions from the world of Chunhyang to the pansori audience. Part of the enjoyment of the film comes from watching the reactions of the pansori audience to the story. It is akin to being in a movie theater and sharing the same experiences with everyone else watching the film.
Aside from the format, the story itself is enchanting, full of love, loyalty, and courage. The acting is very good and the actors are not bad looking themselves. The pansori performance is a song of the story so it has some poetic qualities that don't necessarily push the story forward, but are enjoyable if you are patient. All in all it is a look into Korean culture and storytelling that not many films from America, Europe, or the rest of the world do for their own cultures. Most films today just stick to the basic narrative design or are pretentious and abstract. This one creates a new experience for anyone who is willing to give it a chance.