Change Your Image
Dalek19113
Reviews
Fargo: Storia Americana (2020)
the whole season felt kinda dull (season 4 review)
It's not bad per se, there are definitely aspects to enjoy. the highlight of this season, for me, was jason schwartzman. he was really entertaining to watch, and i wouldn't have pegged him for a dramatic role. he pulls it off. chris rock's ok, not great but serviceable. it's his first dramatic role to my memory, so i'm not one to judge too harshly. i also like ben whishaw. jessie buckley was also well cast.
the biggest issues i had were direction, writing, and editing, which were not problems i had with the previous three seasons. the writing felt really sloppy, characters didn't really sound genuine. loy cannon's wife, especially, had some really corny lines. the writing in the precious seasons is still pretty sharp, so it's noticeable how much worse it is.
the big keyword i'd use is restraint. this season lacks restraint. the edit is bad because they didn't have the restraint to just use one shot at a time. the pace is off because they really needed to cut scenes but just didn't, so we have this weird afterbirth of a final episode.
i dunno. i was pretty disappointed with this season. it's entertaining enough, but it's not all that good. there was just something a little off, even from episode one. i think if they're gonna keep going, it'd be critical for them to go back and try to figure out why those first seasons were so tight. until then, i'm not holding my breath the way i was in anticipation for this season. kind of a let down.
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Ouch
I think this movie is honestly a masterpiece, but I found it hard to watch on a second viewing. It is utterly depressing. Perhaps it is truthful, but it's a movie full of despair. I have a really hard time recommending it, but it's undeniable how well it's pulled off. Every element works together perfectly. It's just too sad. So that's why it's not a 10 for me.
Shredder Orpheus (1990)
Should be among greats like "The Room"
This movie is a masterwork of nonsense. It is the funniest movie I've seen in years. Of course, none of the humor is intentional, but that's why it's so great.
As for genuine positives, some of the shots looked kind of cool. One of the actors, the one who plays Orpheus' dad, isn't too bad. That's it though, everything else is pretty bad.
The low quality of this film is what turns an otherwise bad movie into a magnum opus. The "skate-rock adventure" to end all skate-rock adventures.
The story? Oh, no, no, no. There is no story. They skateboarded on camera and added the film around it. What little plot there is, it's really corny. Basically, it's a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but instead of ancient Greece we get storage containers in Seattle. No spoilers on the particulars, because I think if you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself.
The characters are laughable. There's a really offensive portrayal of a disabled veteran, three villains that look like Rocky Horror Picture Show was eaten by Son Of The Mask, a skater who has a weird whispery voice that isn't convincing, and an overacting producer character. Just to name a few.
The set design is nonexistent. It's bad skater gear and cheesy setpieces all the way, and I wouldn't change a thing.
The cinematography is the best aspect of the film, but it's still not very good. There are a few interesting shots, but there's no discernable personality to it. Also, the DVD copy is formatted so that the image is letterboxed on either side into a 4:3 aspect ratio. The film is closer to a 16:9 aspect ratio, so there are also bars on the top and bottom. The whole picture is slightly above the center, it looks bad.
This is why I'm officially asking whoever owns the rights to this film to please redistribute it on Digital and Blu-Ray. I know a remaster is probably asking too much, but the film must be seen. It needs the widespread love it deserves.
If I were rating it seriously as a film, I would give it a 2/10, but it's more than just a movie. It's an experience.
King Candy (2015)
A well-written but technically flawed gem.
This movie is awesome. It truly is more than the sum of its parts, a film that feels like a 90-minute crime drama taller than its runtime of 46 minutes.
The character of Glenn is what really holds this movie together. His narration provides a sarcastic, in-your-face tone reminiscent of Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street, and Ralph Sepe Jr. plays him so well. Beyond just knowing him for his ralphthemoviemaker videos, I completely bought him as this character. Everything he did was worth watching. Every scene with him was great.
I also really liked Michael Sepe's performance as Tim. He's a very understated character, but he provided a lot of subtlety and humanity to the role. I also liked a few of the side characters, like Alexondra O'Connell as Heather and Ian Goodman as Nick, even if their performances weren't always great.
The cinematography and editing in the movie are, for the most part, very good. It's cool to see what a filmmaker can accomplish with no budget, and knowing what kind of production this is, it's impressive. The presentation is often outside the box in a way that's fun to watch. I liked the weird, saturated color grading of the film, too. Also, the score is phenomenal.
The film is not perfect. The sound design wasn't just choppy, it was distractingly bad. I wondered at times what he used to record the sound, because whatever he used, it sucked. Not only that, but there were times where the left and right channels were imbalanced, which is really irritating and took me completely out of the film.
Not all the performances were as good as the aforementioned actors, and ranged from passable to just not good. It makes sense why, they were in high school. I don't expect Daniel Day-Lewis from a seventeen-year-old. It just felt undercooked.
There were some shots that should have been reshot or even just looked at again before the record button was pressed. There was also a really noticeable grain to maybe half of the movie, which made it feel unpolished.
That is the keyword: unpolished. It's a movie that I really really like, but it's very unpolished, and not always in a charming way. That's the other keyword: charming. There's a lot to admire here.
I know I sound like a psychopath by dissecting a Youtube movie for nine paragraphs, but it's because I enjoyed it so much. It's the kind of movie I want to make. I'll probably watch this movie again! 7/10
Captain Marvel (2019)
It was alright
The movie does a lot right. It's decently paced, it has a good soundtrack, excellent performances from the supporting cast, my favorites being Sam Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, and solid production design. Setting the film in the 90's works in the film's favor, it's rarely a distraction and grounds the film in reality. Retro is also not something Marvel has experimented with much before, so it's cool to see that.
The film suffers from a somewhat formulaic plot and a kind of boring lead. Brie Larson has good chemistry with Sam Jackson, but it's clear that the movie has no clue how to use her character or develop her in a substantial way. I found the Kree homeworld kind of boring, and I didn't really get invested until she got to Earth, where the production design is way better.
Overall, I find the movie to be average. I enjoyed myself while watching it, but I know it is a flawed movie. I hope she's well utilized in the new Avengers movie, similar to Doctor Strange in Infinity War. 5/10, worth a watch.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
My God, People
Before I lay into the fanbase of this franchise, or at least the ones who post reviews on this site, let me give my fresh-from-the-theater impression of this movie.
Genuinely, I loved this movie. It made me feel like a kid all over again. With absolute glee, I watched the events of this film unfold. The characterization and writing are strong as ever with this film, and the plot feels solid.
For my money, the characters we had were explored deeper, and the new ones we got were great additions to the saga. The cinematography and action were impeccable, harkening back to old Samurai films.
The one "glaring issue" here is the subplot involving Finn and Rose. It's drawn a lot of criticism for serving no purpose to the plot, but in my opinion, it has everything to do with THEME. The themes of this movie are, indeed, demonstrated through this subplot, and while it does not further the story, it supports it in a more subtle way. I didn't have a big problem with it.
This leads me past my review and into a rant. Dear Star Wars Fans, or perhaps you're just naysayers at this point, be grateful for what you're getting. We could be doing much worse than a film of this calibur. You people did this aggressive booing for The Force Awakens, and here you are, doing it again. Criticism loses all heft when legions of people are parroting each other in this fashion. Just enjoy the movie for God's sake! Do not sit there and tell me that George Lucas could really do any better if he had his paws on the project. He ruined the prequels with atrocious writing and horrible characterization.
I'm giving this movie a nine out of ten, and I'm giving the downright ungrateful Star Wars fan community a four out of ten.
Green Day: Jesus of Suburbia (2005)
Follow in Sam Bayer's footsteps, music video directors
This video has it all, the music, the visuals, a captivating main character played by Lou Taylor Pucci, and a brilliant sub-story to the music video. The Jesus of Suburbia, our main character, later revealed to be Saint Jimmy, is a visual representation of the message of Green Day's award-winning album. Sam Bayer shows us just how to show a character without giving the character much to say. It really takes a dive into the broken suburban home. These teenagers, who all do drugs and smoke and drink and have sex, are shown to be these lost, pathetic freaks with nothing to do other than abuse substances. It leaves its mark on you. Masterful, a must-see in my opinion.