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mattpberinger
Reviews
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
A movie that everyone must see
"The Shawshank Redemption" isn't just a movie, it's an experience, a testament to the enduring power of hope in the face of adversity. It's no wonder that it consistently ranks among the greatest films of all time.
What sets the movie apart is its ability to convey a message of eternal hope, woven into the fabric of its storyline by none other than Stephen King. Andy Dufresne, masterfully portrayed by Tim Robbins, embodies resilience in the face of injustice. Despite being wrongfully imprisoned, Andy never gives up his hope for freedom, and his unshakable determination will last through all the years of confinement.
What deeply resonates in me in this movie are some unforgettable wisdom lines, which serve as beacons of inspiration in times of struggle. "Hope is the best thing, probably the best of things, and no good thing ever dies" is just one example of the timeless wisdom woven into the narrative.
But perhaps what truly elevates "The Shawshank Redemption" to its ranking is its exploration of friendship, exemplified by the bond between Andy and Red, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. Their companionship transcends the confines of Shawshank prison, serving as a testament to the enduring power of human connection.
Director Frank Darabont's superior storytelling, coupled with stellar performances from Robbins and Freeman, culminates in a cinematic masterpiece that leaves an indelible mark on all who watch it. Morgan Freeman's subtle portrayal of Red is nothing short of Oscar-worthy, underscoring the film's brilliance.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Floppenheimer
This movie feels like an uninspired episode of Discovery Channel about Oppenheimer's life populated with Hollywood actors. Honestly, it's one of the most unappealing movies I came across in recent times, and it didn't add anything to what I already knew (about Oppenheimer's life) or watched (about cinematic adaptations or visual effects). It has the charm of a dull black and white documentary on WWII and the communism in the US, only less engaging thanks to a boring and uncommitted acting.
While watching it I realized that you could just listen to the audio and it would be virtually the same experience, you wouldn't have missed any significant *cinematographic* exploration of the events and scientific background that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Almost all the movie is just arid, almost uneventful talking. If you watched other movies about the life of famous scientists like, say, "The imitation game", "A beautiful mind"or "The theory of everything" you know exactly what I mean. These are great biographical movies where characters and stories are fully developed thanks to a masterful *cinematographic* language, where the viewer is taken into their life like a sweeping adventure, get a grasp of their genius, get inspired in many ways.
Here, what you have? Forget the adventure, forget getting inspired by Oppenheimer's work, which is barely touched. Here you have three solid hours of courtroom records, boring intellectual and political (and so little scientific) hands-in-pocket discussions in black and white, let's agree to disagree quarrels, and the likes. Which is so starkly in contrast with the movie poster offering the image of an Indiana Jones-looking character - man with a hat, red and yellow colors...pure coincidence? Quite deceiving for sure! - on the background of a threatening machinery engulfed in flames. Again, you'll never see a captivating scene like that throughout the movie, this is just a bait... and together with the deceiving trailer it seems to promise 3 hours of gripping adventures filmed with immersive IMAX technology, no less! Apparently a lot of enthusiastic reviewers had their socks blown off by watching for one and a half hours the intriguing wallpaper patterns of prosecution rooms with the "immersive" experience of an IMAX theater! And outside the courtrooms, it's black and white talking again. Here's to the IMAX experience... LOL!
The fact that this movie won so many Academy Awards can be easily explained because it flirts with a prevailing Hollywood narrative that champions leftist views while casting the government and the military in a negative light. The movie glorifies a communist sympathizer who was reluctant to see his creation used for destructive purposes, but was forced to by the military and the power authorities. Left is the hero, right and government are the evil incarnate, Hollywood can't resist but acclaim all that, magnanimously doling out awards after awards like peanuts, more for political solidarity than cinematic merit. At this point who really cares about the Awards and who they are given to..
The atomic bomb test? The pièce de résistance fizzles out faster than a sparkler under the rain, leaving people to ponder the existential question: "....that's it?" It felt like a tiny orgasm after a long and labored arousal.. And yes, it would have been much more honest for Mr. Nolan to show at least a bit of the consequences of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And I don't mean by that the actual bomb footage or gory details, but at least scenes of the devastation that ensued following the biggest terrorist attack in world history. Instead no, let's sweep under the carpet the single, most important event associated with the atomic bomb! And go ahead and celebrate this man as an American hero. Bravo, Mr. Nolan. What an accomplishment!
Murphy provides you with 3 hours of wide-open, hallucinated eyes that are relentlessly staring almost without blinking. I understand he has to remind us, with such a haunted look, how remorseful he felt for being the father of the atomic bomb... but I'm telling you, after being watching movies for 50 years, I really can't see him fitting in this role here. He was very convincing in psychological thrillers or horror movies such as Red eye or 28 Days later, again thanks to his peculiar expression. But here, as one of the most genial nuclear physicists of the century? Sorry but Murphy didn't show any genial Oppenheimer's moment here, and the very brief scientific discussions were so shallow and uninteresting. No scientific excitement whatsoever was shown in this movie... Plus he doesn't have any charisma as a scientist *at all*, his acting was so distant and uncommitted. And I feel exactly the same towards him... This is actually the main reason why I don't like this movie, the characterization of Oppenheimer is way off and doesn't convince me at all.
Lastly, let me talk about another pearl. The reason for casting a Hollywood darling like Matt Damon as a gruff general is definitely beyond my grasp. Whenever he talked he reminded me of a cute toddler in a Godzilla costume, and was about as convincing. Soo adorable!..
Bottom line, "Oppenheimer" managed to be both a visual and narrative vacuum. It proves once and for all that yes, you can indeed make a movie about the man who unlocked the power of the atom, and have the end result be utterly devoid of any energy.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
A fast disappointment & furious misfire
The all-star cast, featuring the likes of Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby alongside this dynamic duo of Hobbs and Shaw, bring their charisma to the table, but it's not enough to salvage this bore. Almost all of the scenes look and feel too overinflated and fake, the action is crap, unrealistic, choppy and confusing. The dialogues miss their mark too often, lacking coherence, memorability and intelligence. The believability of characters and situations is so thin that it throws the plot out the window. Muscles, big egos and culture of entitlement pathetically trying to impress at every corner. The endless verbal fighting between the two is so out of place, shallow, impervious to irony and depressing I could almost feel the drop in my blood pressure whenever they were starting their adolescent bickering - every five minutes or so. This movie is so bad to watch I had to fast forward many times and couldn't wait it ended. A stark reminder that there are limits to how far you can stretch a franchise before it snaps.
The Equalizer 3 (2023)
"Equalizer 3" levels down all excitement
As a fan of the first 2 movies, I eagerly anticipated a sequel that could deliver action and excitement while delving into the intricate world of the Italian mafia. Unfortunately, this movie falls dramatically short of expectations, robbing the viewers of any suspense or surprise, and turning the story into a tedious, uninspiring slog.
Denzel takes a vacation in Italy, drinks tea most of the time, shoots some mobsters for a few flashing minutes. Yes these brief shooting scenes are gory, yes they are cool. Wow what an intelligent plot!
No building action, no originality whatsoever. For most of the time he walks in old and dark alleys, and drinks tea while talking with totally shallow characters with a narrative so uneventful that it barely registers. The relentless gloom and doom, and the predictability of the actions leave the viewer feeling drained rather than engaged or entertained.
Another major drawback is the over-reliance on Italian language and English subtitles. While I understand and appreciate the desire for authenticity in language, the execution here is cumbersome. The subtitles dominate most of the screen time, often distracting from the visual storytelling. This constant back-and-forth between reading and viewing disrupts the cinematic experience, making it hard to immerse oneself in the film's world.
The cinematography, though potentially a redeeming feature here, only adds to the film's woes. The director's choice to shroud every scene in darkness might have been intended to create a moody atmosphere, but it instead results in a visually monotonous and overwhelmingly depressing experience.
While I like the actor, this movie is a disappointing addition to the mafia genre, and it's definitely not on my re-watch list.
The Pink Panther (2006)
What a dullness fiesta
And what a fiasco for Martin. Honestly, I always thought he was greatly overrated as a comedian. His performances always left me baffled because, regardless of what he says, he almost always display the same happy face, like a mask, which soon becomes out of place and boring. There is no real willingness to stir a spectrum of different emotions in the audience, all he has to do is trying to stay afloat by sporting a winning smile. This movie is no exception. He made sure to flash in every scene of the movie his beautifully printed and inexpressive smile. The situations in the movie may change constantly, but the same exact smile is always faithfully there. Bravo Steve Martin, you did a great job on that! It wasn't easy to win 5 Bad Movie Awards, but your commitment to keep a monolithic expression finally paid off. What an achievement.
The Green Knight (2021)
A medieval punishment to watch
What a total waste of time, I don't recall falling into such a gooey torpor since the time of the House of the dead. The dialogues in this film are extremely slow and frustrating, the characters full of nonsense and really hard to follow. For most part of the movie honestly I didn't have a clue what was going on. I was hoping that after the first 12 minutes (when I started watching the time) of this kind of sloth-paced nothingness *something* would erupt and manage to keep my attention alive. It actually got worse. A total end-to-end boredom with a few visuals and lots, lots of pretentiousness. If you really want an intellectually stimulating version of the Arthurian legend then watch Excalibur by John Boorman, please. That's a truly enriching experience that will remain with you forever, not this bore that, quite curiously, reminds me of the disgraced sequel of Fantastic Beasts, the secret of Dumbledore: plenty of weird scenes you have no idea what they are supposed to mean, people looking at each other for very long time without saying a word, and other random dumb stuff which I guess can only be compelling for stoned people.
We are told that we normally use only what, 20% of our brain capacity and that we can use more? Well this movie goes in the opposite direction, it proves that you can actually watch a story using I would say 1% of your mind power, while easily engaging in something more meaningful with the remaining bandwidth.
The Courier (2019)
A slap to your intelligence
The target audience that the producers had in mind when they decided to create a movie like this must have had a IQ of 50 or below... dialogues and actions are not only predictable but incredibly depressing for quality and timing. If you are looking to find a perfect example of an action movie that, despite all the efforts to concoct together speeding motorcycles, advanced weaponry, sneering villains and the likes, it fails miserably in all those departments, this is your winner! I had to fast forward throughout all the duration as this thing is simply unwatchable. Hands down, the rock bottom in the career of a giant like Oldman.
The King's Daughter (2022)
Nice and charming story
Finally a new creation for lovers of adventure & historical romance, which unfolds with a mystical twist. King Louis XIV became worried about his own mortality, and decided to enlist a crew of fisherman lead by Yves DeLaCroix (Benjamin Walker) to capture a female mermaid (Fan Bingbing) who will be sacrificed in a ceremony performed during an eclipse, which will allow the king to gain immortality. Brosnan as the king and Hurt as the priest Pere la Chaise are amazing in depicting the majesty of Versailles, and Kaya Scodelario as the estranged king's daughter who grew up in a convent is the ultimate heroine of the whole story. And a science vs religion debate running throughout the storyline, pointing to moral values, adds a welcomed depth to the subject. A great story for 10yr old and up. Bravo!
The Lost City (2022)
Easy to watch if you set your brain to Hybernate
Yawwwn... Sandra Bullock wearing a glittering, Las Vegas-style pink jumpsuit during an archeological expedition in the jungle - basically for half of the film duration - tells us everything about the sheer emptiness of this movie's plot.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
A Fantastic fiasco
Where do I start? Boring, shallow, unsavory, plotless, certainly not "magically" engaging at all. I paused watching after one hour of irritating whispered dialogues leading to nowhere and actions happening in indiscernible dark scenes. Then I almost casually read some reviews, they confirmed my feelings... a cash grab capitalizing on the popularity of the first movie, coupled with the cash grab of merchandise flooding the niche market. So no effort here to make the story - nor the franchise - stick any longer than the painful watching of this Dumb-boredom. I didn't even care to finish the movie, it went straight to Forgetland.