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christopher_aaby
Reviews
How It Ends (2018)
It's not The Room in action format... but
As so many have already pointed out, if you want to know How it Ends - don't watch this movie. You won't find out.
Personally, I can totally live with that. Mystery isn't bad, and movies are larger than life, not everything needs explaining..
...and other handwaving excuses that readily come to mind. But the problem, as I experienced it, is really that this movie has no idea what it is.
Is it an action film? Certainly! Cars explode happily, and becoming a capable killer of killers takes only a few days on the road.
Is it a drama? Absolutely! It's like only the miserable people of USA survived "the event", and when they're not killing each other, they're crying about it.
Is it an adventure? Clearly! A boy sets out for the princess, but first he must become a man. Many strange things and dangers will he overcome.
It has a bit of sci-fi, a tinge of romance (bleak, considering that the protagonists wife is the "goal" of the movie), pretty much everything from space opera over vast empty canyons, to minutes of continuous gunfire. And that's just where it goes off the rails for me... I could accept the murderous ways of our protagonists if this was a bloody-dirty action flick, but it just isn't.
On the other hand, I could maybe have bought Ricki's protests about the violence and subsequent goodbye, if it had any kind of emotional impact on our dudes. But instead it's just a confusing end, to something that suddenly seems pointless (ie Ricki).
The greatest surprise is at the end, where the film sort of comes clean. The wife survived! It was all meaningful all along, and all your doubts can be put to rest. Couple minutes screen time later, credits.
Maybe that's what the makers wanted, leaving us with a sense of bewilderment and maybe even feeling a little hurt, that stuff didn't go the way we wanted it to. But still with a warm fuzzy feeling. But not really..?
In conclusion, I think drugs were involved.
The Man from Earth (2007)
A raw diamond
I can safely say that I enjoyed this movie, and, like so many others, I was seduced gradually by the flow of the story. The narrative flows forth very subtly and gradually, which goes well with the unreal story and the ethereal soundtrack.
That being said, the story is the only thing that this movie has got going for itself. The picture quality is horrid, with severe grain, color inconsistency and poor light. Aesthetically, the scenes are bland and the camera work is dull, even boring. The movie takes place pretty much on a single location, which is admirable in a sense, but also fairly dull. Most notably, the acting is somewhere between average and terrible, and although the characters are cast fairly well, the lines are delivered unenthusiastically and monotonously. A serious problem for a movie which is driven entirely by dialogue!
By all the rules, this movie should be a disaster. And yet it isn't. It's fascinating and seductive in it's simple premise. This movie is a fantastic example that a good story simply can't be killed.
Mysterious Skin (2004)
It's so wrong, but it's so right
A strange movie about strange people. When I was watching this movie, glued to the screen, I was constantly waiting for several things to happen - that the alien-theme would either dissolve or be proved real, and that metaphorical sparks would fly as soon as Neil and Brian meet. But instead the story remains unexpectedly "straight" instead of taking any wild turns, which in turn actually makes it seem more like a twisted story set in a real world! This is an "anti-twist" I thoroughly enjoyed - it suits the real-but-twisted setting and story.
Obviously this movie contains a lot of sensitive themes that are hard to portray without making it awkward or distasteful. But somehow Araki has pulled this off... as extremely strange as that may sound, some of the characters actually reminded me of my self somehow! I grew up on approximately the same period of time, and there's something about the "80's freak" thing that's incredibly precise, but also horribly off... all in a good way. I felt I could relate to how the characters feel, but at the same time was stunned by this strange, hidden world.
All in all, this is not your average movie. It's themes and storytelling are exceptional, and a definite plus. The acting was convincing, especially considering the homosexual themes, which must have been hard to pull off. However, it seems a little obvious that it was adapted from a novel... it felt a little "uneven" in its progression. But that's also part of what makes the storytelling fresh and exciting, so in the end - just watch it.
Read or Die (2001)
An animation classic
In my humble opinion, this is nothing short of a masterpiece. Often, I feel that animation (western and Asian alike) tends to forget its roots - the fantastic, the stuff of dreams and imagination. Instead, a lot of animation tries to mimic reality, which many do well. This anime however, tells a playful, dreamlike story, taking you through literary eras without the need to actually jump in time, and as effortlessly as turning the page of a book.
In short, this anime has a strong theme of storytelling, classic fantastic literature, and "history" rather than "legend". The setting is in victorian-like castles, huge libraries and secret corridors, with sudden leaps into the modern big city life, musty basement-bookstores, a desert town, a high tech military base, and more, all blending seamlessly, magically. The characters seem too fantastic to be real, but at the same time they are rooted in historical characters.
I can't even comment on the animation or the sound. It's simply impeccable. But the true strength of this anime, and the final push towards a full 10/10 is the story, and the way it's told. A less-than-great attempt at such a diverse setting and cast would most likely fail, but incredibly Read or Die pulls it off. How the creators managed to do this, I cannot comprehend, but it works! You're seduced and taken for a ride through worlds, eras and genres, from fantasy adventures to street-level action, unexpected character dramas to huge scale crime fighting. It's no wonder that this anime won best OVA at Anime Expo 2002 - I can only say that it's well deserved.
FLCL (2000)
Animation unlike any you have seen before
I don't give out high grades to just anything, and I've watched an enormous amount of animation, both US, European and Asian. That being said, FLCL is the most interesting, eye-catching and exciting animation I've ever seen.
It's always difficult to capture a masterpiece in words. Instead of even attempting this, I'll just say what's already been said: The anime is incredibly hard to follow - some would say that it's full of infinitely deep philosophical implications, others would say it's just nuts. I for one have watched it many, many times, and can safely say that it IS coherent... but also very complex. It's like a lighthearted David Lynch anime.
The animation in itself is stunningly beautiful, both the visual- and sound-side. The vast amount of locations, characters, difficult angles and huge total-shots is more awesome than many top-level animated movies. As for the soundtrack, there has been released almost two hours of fabulous, original music for this series, despite that it is only 6x25=150 minutes long! That almost makes it a 6-episode music video, and still they pull it off.
There aren't any cons to this anime. It may be a bit much for the uninitiated or casual watcher, but just watching it, without really following it is a magnificent journey in it self. The voice acting, the character design, the setting, everything just comes together to form an anime unlike any you have seen before.