Change Your Image
kawy-81945
Reviews
Ad Astra (2019)
Ad Astra takes us ad terram
Spectacular and dizzying CG; clever cinematography; Brad Pit, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and Liv Tyler; a pair of terrifying space monkeys; and Neptune, the outermost planet in our solar system... still, somehow, Ad Astra doesn't transport us very far.
Ad Astra begins with a few riveting moments of fast-paced action. Unfortunately, ~10 minutes later, we know ~exactly~ what is going to happen. An hour and a half later, after that indeed happens, we still have no clarity regarding why. Spoiler alert: the plot literally drifts off into space.
The film initially lays out many intriguing plot directions- a destructive signal from Neptune; an antimatter system gone awry; a rogue astronaut who was once a hero. There is a lunar shootout, which just sort've begins and ends. Alas, none of these plot lines leads to any sort of denouement; in the end, the lead character simply closes it all down, and Ad Astra goes ad terram.
That's it.
Honestly, I would've preferred that Ad Astra end ~one hour in; my imagination could've completed it far more creatively. Anyone who has seen or read "2001" will know what I mean.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Agatha Christie Done Well
If you've ever enjoyed patiently reading Agatha Christie novels, then this one is for you. If you require explosions and gratuitous sex, then I advise that you pass.
Filling two hours with familiar whodunit intrigue, "Murder" chugs down the tracks at the pace of a scenic railroad. This is not to say that the film is ever boring; however, one is advised to board this train with a tall coffee and an empty bladder.
The train-car set used throughout the film is truly gorgeous. With all its clever camera work and CGI blending, I wonder if National Geographic was behind this film. Cinematography alone earns this film several stars... and probably an Oscar. With all its clever lighting, perspective, and composition, "Murder" would actually hold up well in black & white.
Don't hold the mega cast against this film; they aren't there so much to dazzle you as to support a story in which everyone truly matters. Even if you know that story, you'll enjoy it.
If only the wind-up weren't quite so long and labored, this could be a five-star film. I think Messr. Poirot really doesn't require so long an introduction; the mini-case at the beginning does nothing for the film.
Highly Strung (2015)
Interesting ingredients don't add up to a compelling stew
For me, this is a rather curiously stitched documentary.
Is it about the Australian String Quartet? The dysfunctional relationship between four musicians and their Board? Is it about one woman's obsession with assembling a quartet of Guadagninis rather than a quartet of musicians? Or is it about making instruments? This film is about ~all~ of these things and, as a consequence, stumbles off track.
The film left me wondering why lengthy stretches were there at all. Minus the diversions about a group of highly annoying Stradophiles in New York and a few other meaningless tangents, I suppose this could be a compelling tale.