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jonf3n
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Containment (2016)
Disappointing acting and many unrealistic details
I had high hopes for this, but found it increasingly difficult to get past the bad acting (mainly Lex and Sabine Lommers). Jake and Katie were good though and captured some of the intensity of falling in love during a crisis.
The main characters obsess over wearing rubber gloves at all times, when sleeping, even afraid to shake hands with those gloves. Then they spend the whole show touching their mouths and faces -- but are fine. Having an infected person bump into you can be deadly. Someone dies violently spurting blood all over in episode 12, but wipe them with a napkin dipped and water and they are no longer contagious! Finally the rubber gloves can safely come off for the first time to touch them.
Women somehow keep their hair done and wear makeup each day for weeks of chaos. Thomas (the kid) was horrible -- always cheery after his dad kidnaps him from the hospital with a gun, then the family dies violently, the kid lives on the streets a few days and is then quarantined and then ends up in the middle of a mob, then he's stuck back in quarantine. But still smiling.
The main group who holds up in the data recovery center had this kinda isolation airlock, and quarantines people in there periodically. Then they open it and let others walk through, pass boxes of food through, etc.
In the last episode they are running through tunnels as the the ceiling collapses and coughing from all the dust... as dust masks hang around their necks.
Yeah, it was worth watching I suppose, but a missed opportunity to make something great.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Too many references to the first film
Could have been a much better film if it had left out 90% of the references to the old Blade Runner. Background music, sound clips, whole copies of scenes and characters... it seems the film is just falling over itself in an attempt to "relive the good old days" of the first film. It's really too bad because the story and effects could stand on their own without these cringworthy flashbacks.
The film didn't need Harrison Ford, he too seemed like an unnecessary character wedged in where the legend of him would have been much more potent. I hope there is a better cut in the future at some point as this was a let down.
Something Wild (1986)
Entertaining => Enchanting => scary
I first came across this film unexpectedly while flipping channels late at night in a motel room and was captivated by the contrast of light-hearted "throw caution to the wind" and increasingly dark shadow that builds as the story progresses and things get real.
After 20 years of not thinking of this film, I recently watched it again expecting that this would be now feel like a superficial and dated "80's movie". I was wrong -- it's still amazing.
There are elements which at first offer a simplistic interpretation (one can't help but think "This guy Charlie Briggs is such a dork!") But there is much more going on in the layers below... you start to see this genuine goodness and love emerging, you see that the harmless yuppie is more aware that he lets on and also has his secrets. You see how this "personality" is only superficial (just like with LuLu, and many of her attention-grabbing character traits / ornaments). The film comes dangerously close to letting characters sing into 80's stereotypes, but luckily saves itself as these characters games with themselves are revealed.
Some people have given this really bad reviews, but I suspect it just speaks to some and not to others... for me there is a reality depicted in this film which is enchanting, exhilarating and horrifyingly real. The story weaves together fear, hope, struggles with the desire to be "safe" with the dream of hosing it all and the consequences of our actions.
SPOILER:
My only complaint is with the bloody ending... the solution to just kill this Ray character doesn't do the film justice. I would have hoped for something more creative than cheap violence to end that chapter of their life.