GelatinousJoe's Reviews

The Guest (I) (2014)

3/10

Not impressive, not smart, and most of all not self-aware

28 September 2016

Adam Wingard is a nice guy, and I can appreciate what he's trying to do. His movies have charm. But I do not like his movies, and I do not like The Guest.

The first thing people say when criticizing the stupidity and cheese of The Guest is that it's supposed to be like that. That it's an homage. I agree it is an HOMAGE, not a parody or satire. The movie is a subversion of Terminator type movies from the 80s. The subversion part of the movie is that the movie is smarter, more emotional, and more serious than the typical fare of the genre. The issue with that is it is as dumb, as cheesy, and as impressive as any subpar movie in the genre. The Guest's largest issue is it takes itself so god damn seriously. You're supposed to take this seriously, and the movie suffers for it.

The acting is mediocre at BEST, and had me wincing at worst. The camera-work and aesthetic are bland, very bland. The action scenes have some production value, but not the know how to make them anything less than boring. The story certainly isn't engaging enough to hold my attention.

The Guest is a dumb and cheesy movie that wants to be smart and serious. I would not recommend it, unless you LOVE Adam Wingard'a other work. The flaws are the same as his other projects, and the charm is the same. This movie is bad enough to be a parody of itself if it wasn't trying to be serious.

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Stranger Things (2016–2025)

6/10

A show with decent execution, but plagued with issues from start to finish

3 September 2016

Warning: Spoilers

I finished Stranger Things and although I thought it was alright, I can't say there's any chance I would've finished if everybody else wasn't raving about it. I have issues with it that I will now explain. SPOILERS

I found the acting to be unimpressive. The children were great for TV child actors, but whenever their scenes came up I was unconvinced and disengaged. I also found most of the characters to be annoying to watch. They continually made assumptions that were silly with the information they had at the time. There are times where characters come to a far-fetched conclusion that is coincidentally correct, but if it weren't the truth these conclusions would make the characters seem dumb and crazy based on the information. Another thing about the characters is the sudden emotional shifts they would make towards one another that seemed so artificial and often out of character. It would be difficult to explain without going through an episode beat by beat, but it's all about the time, reason, and development.

Throughout the series, with the exclusion of the sheriff, characters are constantly fumbling through the dangerous situations without any prior knowledge and preparation for them. Yet all of the main characters, except for Eleven who was obviously going to die from the very beginning, never die or take any serious injuries. When characters fumble around and just keep escaping with no effort or plan, slowly all the tension is lost for me. The reason I say with exception to Hopper, is because in his scenes he is the only character who seems at all capable and plans like his situations are actually dangerous.

Let's talk about the homage aspect, because that's what it is, not a parody or satire. The clichés and awful, stupid parts of the series were often used knowing that they were clichés, but the series never did anything to show any SELF-AWARENESS. These clichés were placed with the knowledge that they are 80s tropes, but the series didn't show it understood what makes these tropes stupid! It just used them, never satirizing, exaggerating, or critiquing. When the villain of the series is overly evil and underdeveloped, when the dog somehow has the ability to sense the supernatural, it's not making fun of it. If someone can give me some reason as to how the series did show self-awareness, that would be appreciated.

Let's address the monster in the room, that monster. It's rules are poorly defined, and the one characteristic they do give it doesn't make sense. It clearly only needs a small amount of blood going by how much Barbara bled before she was taken. So in the weeks in between when the monster first appears to get Will Byer and the end where El turns it into pixie dust, only six people in the entire area had any bleeding?! It's also interesting how Steve had blood on his face after his fight, but the monster never showed up then. I guess we never heard about that one HOSPITAL that got raided by the monster. And I guess all the women in the town never had any periods.

The CG is bad. Don't tell me that it is an intentional, artistic decision, you know what the 80s were good for? Does it know what all those movies it kept referencing are known for, practical effects! I burst out laughing when the monster got burned by the CG fire.

The ending isn't well-contained or wrapped up with so many loose ends left dangling for the sake of a happy ending from which to jump into a second season. However, the show does show self-awareness about this, when the kids are playing DND at the end they complain about how the campaign ended suddenly on a happy note with loose ends left unfinished. Take that for what you will.

As someone who isn't that into 80s electronic music, I thought the soundtrack ranged from really good to OK depending on the song and how it was used. It was well shot and lit for a TV show, but I can't say I was ever impressed just having come out of Midnight Special that is similar in concept, tone, and aesthetic with far more impressive film making.

If I wanted to go through the series episode by episode, I could keep going on and on. Just my thoughts on the series, with everyone raving about how fantastic it is I felt like I needed to defend my feelings on it. I'm glad everybody else loves it, but I would be lying if I said I would give it higher than a 6/10.

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Ernest & Celestine (2012)

6/10

Beautifully animated standard kids movie

17 August 2016

Ernest and Celestine is beautiful to look at, but failed to impress me in any other field. Ernest and Celestine is the creation of french directors Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, and Benjamin Renner. The first two are also the directors of one of my favorites, A Town Called Panic. A Town Called Panic is a great movie, which I can't say the same for about Ernest and Celestine.

Ernest and Celestine looks great. Each frame looks like a children's drawing. Lots of character is communicated through the animation of characters. Every character also feels real by almost every movement having an effect on the environment, such as sound effects, a responding character, or the environment.

The biggest reason Ernest and Celestine doesn't work as well is it takes itself much more seriously. This could be good or bad, but the movie has parts that are hard to describe other than dumb. Can't really describe any without spoiling, but one example is a series of conveniences towards the end to bring the movie to a happy conclusion. Many such conveniences are in A Town Called Panic, but since it doesn't take itself seriously you can laugh at the stupid parts rather than be bothered by them. The movie tackles the subject of prejudice, but it does so in a black and white way. Where all of the prejudiced characters have no reasons, real or imagined, to separate one another. I found the predictability of how it would develop disappointing, because A Town Called Panic always surprised me.

All that said, none of my complaints are anything that should stop you from showing your kid this movie. The voice acting is good, and the characters likable. I thought Ernest and Celestine was very good with issues that stop me from calling it great. I would recommend Ernest and Celestine to adults and children alike, but I most likely won't revisit it soon.

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Magical Girl (2014)

8/10

An awesome, creative, and tightly written experience

13 August 2016

The plot is, a father trying to fulfill his daughter with terminal cancer's last wish of a "Magical Girl" costume crashes into the lives of a disturbed girl and a retired professor.

Magical Girl is written and directed by Carlos Vermut and (in a Pulp Fiction style) focuses on three stories and characters that are all equally understandable and fascinating. The story is definitely the core of Magical Girl. It is one that subverts expectation. It can make you laugh, cry, or feel disturbed, and all while being a perfect whole. It is also one that makes for an equally great rewatch. There are dozens of details scattered in the movie that can only make sense on a second viewing. Sometimes, these details can even change the context of a previous scene.

The acting and camera-work are good without being too exceptional, but the way they work with the unfolding events can make them much more effective. And the movie never feels constrained by its budget in any way. The song choices are not only great and incredibly memorable, but they also have an important role in the story.

Magical Girl is one of the most unappreciated gems of 2014. It is entertaining, emotionally powerful, unique, and intelligent at the same time. It takes very little to get invested, and you will be on the edge of your seat. I adore this film and would highly recommend Magical Girl, it is a must-see.

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Cemetery of Splendor (2015)

3/10

It wants to be an experience, but lacks... anything to involve or interest

28 July 2016

I'd normally start a review by describing what I thought the basic plot of the movie was. In this case, to say Cemetery of splendor has a plot to follow or think about would be misleading. I am not exaggerating when I say that. I don't think I have ever seen a movie that didn't once seem to have any desire to invest me in its story.

The performances, despite the actors having extremely minimal demands from the script, were stiff and unconvincing. The "characters" barely seem like real people, reacting to events and other characters robotically and undramatically. Virtually nothing of consequence happens to anybody the whole movie. The characters certainly don't act like it, and the whole experience comes off as disconnected and distant. There is no narrative thrust and nothing to connect to.

The only positive thing I have to say about Cemetery of Splendor is it looks pretty. Most of the shots in the movie would make for very nice-looking stills. However, the movie holds on most of its shots long past necessary. Nothing is being communicated to the audience, and there is no important revelation to absorb, such as in movies directed by Steve Mcqueen, Micheal Haneke, Stanley Kubrick, or any number of directors that use long picturesque shots.

If I were to sum up Cemetery of Splendor in a word, it would be unmemorable. It fails to entertain, emotionally involve, or intellectually stimulate. Unless you are looking to turn off your brain and stare at a series of pleasing images for two hours with some minimal ambiance, I would not recommend Cemetery of Splendor

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American Beauty (1999)

10/10

An introspective, and honest look at the lives of "normal" people

24 July 2016

The plot is, a middle-aged suburban father named Lester (Kevin Spacey) feels apathetic and depressed until falling in love with his daughter's best friend.

American Beauty is directed by Sam Mendes and written by creator of Six Feet Under, Alan Ball. And while the directing of the movie is impressive and not to be ignored, it's in the story and writing where American Beauty shines through as a modern classic.

Everything about this movie is great. The performances are all fantastic and make up one of the better ensemble casts I've seen. Everyone gets their moments to shine. The cinematography is well- done, almost always subtly doing something that is meant to communicate information about the characters. Whether that be a zoom to show two characters connecting, a red-colored object to show a characters feelings, or changing the size of something in the frame to show it's shifting importance. The score by Thomas Newman is absolutely fantastic, debatably his best score he's ever done. Its varied, fitting, unique, and very memorable.

Now for the star of the show, the screenplay. Virtually every single character is realistic, relatable, flawed, and likable. The best part about it is, despite being distinct and well-rounded characters, none of them are really unusual. I see people around me displaying these characteristics every day. There are points where a character will be describing their thoughts and feelings, and I will think "how does this movie know what I'm thinking?". There are points where the movie seems to know what I'm thinking by openly subverting my expectations for the story, without becoming stupid or unrealistic. This movie is able to capture the feelings and thoughts of a wide variety of people at vital points in their lives that anyone who has gone through them should be able to understand.

American Beauty is funny, dramatic, intelligent, original , and it's something of a crowdpleaser! I would highly recommend seeing American Beauty as soon as possible.

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Midnight Special (2016)

6/10

A grounded and interesting Sci-Fi thriller

23 July 2016

The plot is simple. A father and his son with mysterious powers are pursued by a cult and the CIA.

At a glance such a plot and poster could make you think of any generic Science fiction thriller. However, it's the unique presentation and tone that make this movie worthwhile.

The presentation and directing for the most part were very well- done. The performances were good with no real stand-outs, noting however that the actor playing Alton (Jaden Leberher) was never unconvincing in his performance despite being a child and having a large portion of the screen time. The special effects ranged from good to great depending on the scene and what's being shown. The camera-work and lighting was great for the most part, with a few scenes standing out as fantastic. No way to describe what they are without spoiling, but they are tough to miss. The soundtrack, while not spectacular, did a good job of setting the tone and increasing the emotions in some key scenes.

Midnight Special is no flawless masterpiece. The character's are exceptionally talented at recovering and fighting after getting shot. Even though the character's aren't blank slates, don't go in expecting complex or deep characters. All (with the exclusion of maybe Alton) are defined by their background and one or two personality traits.

Despite the movie's borderline silly premise, Midnight Special always keeps itself both grounded and serious. It's a movie that takes a common and silly premise, and asks what if it were real. Now this can be a good thing or a bad thing, but in this case I would say it's the biggest thing that makes Midnight Special standout and be well-worth a viewing.

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Synecdoche, New York (2008)

10/10

One of the best directorial debuts of all time

15 July 2016

The plot is simply put, Caden Cotard (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a depressed and lonely theatre director who wins a Mcarthur Genius Grant and begins constructing an epic theatre piece based on his life. As his life becomes more tangled and confused, the piece grows and threatens to consume his life.

Many of you may read that plot description and say the movie is not about that at all. You would be right. Describing the plot does nothing to communicate the experience of watching this movie. The most accurate way to describe it is it feels like someone's dreams and real life crashing together until you can't tell which is which.

Every element of the movie is done to perfection. Every performance is fantastic (Even the kid!) with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the standout star giving one of the best performances of his impressive career. With so many different subtleties in the character's thoughts and feelings being communicated brilliantly. The cinematography is great on it's own, but when considering most of the frames in the movie have to communicate more than simply the focus of the scene the precision of each shot becomes a lot more impressive. The score by Jon Brion is as original and great as always, and Charlie Kaufman's contributions to the lyrics make for yet more to consider in a given scene.

And now that I've brought him up, I suppose I should talk about the man behind Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman. This was Charlie Kaufman's first time directing a movie, however he has done stellar work in the past writing for movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, and Being John Malkovich. The dreamlike way the story unfolds makes the movie virtually impossible to fully grasp without multiple watches, and having seen the movie many times there are still parts I don't understand. However, it is also clear to me that nothing is random. In fact, it is incredibly impressive the pinpoint precision with which each detail is layed down in relation to everything else. From referencing other works of literature, to naming the characters, to the day's date, and specific reoccurring dialogue quirks, everything has its purpose and everything has its role.

I think that Synecdoche, New York is one of the greatest films of all time and is absolutely worth your time, money, and your thoughts. However, it is important to mention that this film is not very accessible. The complexity, and the depressing nature of the movie will frustrate and tire many. Regardless, of whether you love it or hate it, I think most would agree it's at least something worth discussing.

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GelatinousJoe

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