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On the Roam (2024)
(Never) Finding oneself
Sounds deep? It is. A lot of people totally misplaced and misunderstood the show. It's not a motorcycle or petrolhead show, it's not an art show, it's not even a show. It's a roam through life, it's literally in the title. Jason tries to find things about himself through all of his projects and in the process creates or continues legacies for his family, for his friends, the people he reveres and learns from. He roams from one craftsmanship to another intertwining them with his proffessional and personal lives and always concludes there's more to be found. Monumental work in which he invested a lot of himself, both financially and affectively, not necessarilly in this order and it boasts with the creative energy of exceptionally well crafted things of the past (sometimes directly from their creators) that is redirected towards an always uncertain future which never scares him. He's not a man of many words and perhaps that shows a bit too much, but his energy is infectious and you get to share his genuine awe. As long as viewers keep an open mind and don't typecast him, it's just great to watch.
Monsters (2010)
What a monstrous waste of time!
When you read MONSTERS you kinda expect something remotely related, even if obviously warped by human malevolent or simply intrigued perception. So, on a low budget or inspiration, or both it was decided to make a drama/road movie/thriller/teen movie/.../sci-fi kind of mix just to mess with your head. Just as lost in the plot / concept of the movie are the characters who just manage to be stupid in the end. Icing on the cake: even worse actors. So when you don't know what to do just add a little bit of everything and give it some flashy title to cover for all of the incompetence of screenwriters, casting department, actors, etc. Not bad CGI and imagery, but because of the low budget... well you don't get much of that. There are so many monster movie out there who manage to get the better of acting, production, etc (take THE MIST or CLOVERFIELD), but this poor display of cinematography is nowhere near them.
Monsters: Dark Continent (2014)
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Yes, I'm talking about a sequel to an already crappy movie. Why watch the second installment if the first wasn't even remotely appealing? Well, my fault for being interested in more of the monster alien "invasion". Hopped they'd gotten their game together and pulled a better plot with more points to make about minimum sci-fi twist (where, when and how were they found, a paragraph about alien colonizing ecosystem, etc) as opposed to the multiple, yet undefined genre the first movie was aiming at. I wrote about the first to be uninspired and completely misdirected (somebody said even "cheap" and I think that replaces low budget), but this one is even worse. They tried so hard a repeat of the nonsense in the first they almost crapped themselves. The actors are screaming and making all sorts of noises as if they have some stomach issues and that's almost a spoiler. Worse actors than first installment? Check on negative scale, zero is too much. Sometimes, there are people who excel at something. The people involved in the making of these movies surely excel, but not in cinematography, this is where they suck. Get a DIFFERENT job!
Dredd (2012)
Action movie at its best!
I can't believe i liked this movie! I thought i might be entertained, but in the end i really liked it. I saw Stallone's Dredd back in the day and that didn't deliver as it had quite a cast, but Sly managed only to turn it into a cheesy sci-fi. So i thought, how could this possibly get better. Well, for once it had Karl Urban, although he didn't quite nail it with Doom which had potential but also got cheesy in the end, but nevertheless a compelling figure in cinema at least thanks to his appearances in LOTR and Chronicles of Riddick. And then Lena Headey, who mostly impressed me as the mighty Sarah Connor, rather than the queen of 300, only now she gets to be the villain (and what a manic and crazy villain). There's also a pretty smart approach: forget science fiction, forget drama, simply flavor a bit the movie with those and just get the judgment rolling. Seriously, although there is a slight attempt at cheesiness allowing a rather contrasting character play along Dredd's apparent invincibility and absolute toughness (maybe a maniacal approach to the concept of justice), you only get what you paid for: action and reaction, relentless hunt, strategic moments, betrayal and a hard fought victory in the end. There's a few futuristic gadgets and yes, the setting, a rather "dream" setting, not to mention that futuristic drug. An entire building containing a city is pretty scary, but it works so much in favor of all the action as it gives every moment a different perspective, even if every floor looks just like the ones beneath it or above it. The setting is what actually sets things in motion and explains everything you need to know: ruined, ruthless wasteland which leaves little room for normal living and creates genuine monsters, although they all bear the faces of men. As tough and single minded as Dredd may seem, he is nothing short of hope for this apocalyptic setting. The overall feeling of this movie is a mix between the "punk" approach John Carpenter used for movies like Escape from New York or They Live and the reality of today's world. So having a guy like Dredd bring a little order and justice in a brutal manner is just the right thing to see. You will like Dredd and you will want him to live in the end and maybe use some more that voice commanded weapon of his in other movies. Karl Urban nailed it with Dredd, and as much as i didn't expect it, i hope he returns as Dredd, although, if he doesn't, this might just become an action movie classic.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Somebody din't like Homeland and thought they could do better... and failed!
And failed big time! I admit i am being subjective, but after watching Homeland, i cannot be but compelled to address this issue. I'm not a fan of anything, but Homeland does stand out! It's a thriller based on very powerful, complex, characters. You need top class actors for that! The drama of being a human being that has to manipulate, spy on, torture or turn on other human beings (guilty or not, friends or foes) and still never let go of everything that stands for humane however conflicting it may be, is a tough challenge, both on screen and in real life. Homeland does exactly that! What does Zero Dark Thirty do? It takes an impressive subject (and it is the only reason why this film won't get awful from me) and turns it into an essay or a transcript, if you like. It's like bringing the actors on set and telling them: Read! That's it... Whoever thought homeland is too dramatic thought wrong. "...no, it can't be like homeland, intelligence doesn't imply emotions, they're a breed between zombies and accountants..." And that's exactly how they look. Maya is like the zombie version of Carrie (even wears a similar shawl). It should have been a documentary, with a narrator to depict the events and the actors to fill in the gaps (mostly the action gaps). But it lacks even the authenticity it's supposed to have, like more archive material. Maybe the intention was to keep the characters somewhat anonymous, simply to emphasize the teamwork, but there are so many better ways of doing it. You still need actors that do more than just read. Jessica Chastain winning Golden Globe alongside Claire Danes for similar roles? No way that should have happened. It's simply unfair. I can't believe Chastain will even have a shot at the Oscars. So i return to the impressive subject aspect. It stops me from giving awful to this movie and it also lifts it in the eyes of critics, simply because it is impressive and it has a lot to do with American history in the making. For those who are content to read newspapers to get all the drama and information this world has to offer, this will be a good movie. For those who appreciated movies like JFK, Charlie Wilson's War and even All the President's Men, this movie will appear simply as a waste of money and time (both for the producers and for the public).