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josh_flanders
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The Beach (2000)
Throwback classic, artists in their prime
Well folks, if you were going to watch this film chances are you've seen it already, so there is not much left for me to say in the way of convincing you to finally watch it already. In many ways it feels like it just came out, but has it really been more than two decades already!
The Beach is a prime gathering of very talented people, all in their prime, that rare feat that we don't see enough of these days. Director Danny Boyle pulls the film off perfectly with a cast of Leonardo Dicaprio whilst still somewhat fresh off his Titanic adventure, and the ever beautiful Virginie Ledoyen looking as lovely as she ever has.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Not as good as they say, but not bad either
Citizen Kane tells a pretty interesting story and it is perfectly fine film. There are some good things about it, though I have my complaints as well. There's nothing terrible about it, but honestly I just don't understand what the big deal is about this film.
For many years it has been called a groundbreaking masterpiece and the greatest film of all time and this and that. To me it is a perfectly good film with its strengths and weaknesses just like the rest, but it is not particularly better than many other films that are also good.
I won't bother to list the films that I think are better than this, because everyone has their own taste so my list would be different than yours or anyone else's. But I just don't see how so many people could agree that it is the best film. If you don't believe me you can watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.
Empty Spaces (2019)
Only those who have been through divorce will appreciate this
There's a certain subtlety to the main actor's performance as his character goes through life pretending everything is o.k., saying he's fine when really he is not. It's the sort of thing you will only pick up on if you've been through it yourself.
He's trying to keep it together for his kids, but he doesn't know quite how to proceed with his life now that his wife has left him and so much has changed. That's where the title comes from. He has "empty spaces" in his daily routine because he has forgotten how to live without his partner.
But everything is not o.k. like he wants it to be and things gradually begin to deteriorate, leading to a psychotic episode involving a garbage disposal. Other than that, he only verbally hints once or twice at the fact that he is suffering inside. Men don't really like to talk about things like that, and this one is no exception. Instead he does what so many of us have done in his situation: he drinks and he drinks.
There's no big climax or clear resolution here and the future for these characters is left open-ended and somewhat ambiguous, as is so often the case in real life. The audience isn't left with hope or a happy ending or anything like that, or maybe they are depending on what they choose to take away from it. I suggest you watch it twice, because the second time around you just might pick up on a few things you missed the first time.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)
Interesting
I like Lasse Halstrom as a director. I like his films. This is not his best one, but it is still pretty good. I enjoyed it, but I sort of think that he may be losing his touch just a little bit.
It's OK though. At least the film was interesting. It did not bore and I made it through to the end, but it's not the sort of film that I couldn't get out of my head for days afterward or anything like that. There are all kinds of movies, some are light and some are heavy.
This one I would say is sort of light and interesting. That is my take on it anyway. It depends on if you're in the mood for it though. It's sort of a feel-good movie, which I have to be in the mood for.
Thoroughbreds (2017)
Good and fun
The cover says "Heathers meets American Psycho." I love both of those movies, so of course I had to check this out.
And while I see how they came up with that comparison, this film has something more that it adds. Something new and unique and original. It's its own thing and it's great!
Starship Troopers (1997)
Cheesy, but fun!
Watching this movie again after all these years, I have to say it is even cheesier than I remember it being, but in a way it still holds up. And yes, I know that part of it is just because I liked it when I was much younger, and I know that some of the stuff that I didn't realize was cheesy the first time around is ever-so-obviously cheesy, but now it's as if I'm able to enjoy it in a whole new way, for the first time.
I know this movie is not great art or anything like that, but there's just something about it. It's sort of perfect, in a way, and I feel that the way it was made, they really made the best version of Starship Troopers that they could make. It will always have a special place in my heart.
Withdrawn (2017)
A wonderful, slow little film
This film is very slow, but the pace is not detracting. The pacing is the film. It is relaxing and entrancing and gives us the chance to really take a good hard look of the lives of the characters in this story.
Some may argue that there really is no plot here, no story to follow. But whoever thinks that just isn't looking hard enough. They're likely after some quick, cheap thrill, but you won't find that here. Withdrawn instead offers something far greater: an entertaining yet meaningful glimpse into the existence and routines, as well as the internal struggles and motivations, of a young man and his acquaintances, separate from any big convoluted plot.
It feels real and it feels fresh. It's all in the subtext. And best of all, it's easily available right now at the click of a button, streaming on Netflix. So what are you waiting for? Go watch it!
Big Momma's House (2000)
Terrible, be sure to skip this one
I tried to like this movie. I really tried. Wait, that's not true. The truth is that I really WANTED to like this movie, but it was just so awful and there was nothing good about it. It was so bad I'm surprised I made it through the whole movie without turning it off. I should get an award for that. It's the only award kind of award this movie should have.
And now I hear they made a SEQUEL to this? Are you kidding me? Don't watch it. It's not worth your time. I'm not even sure why I gave it a two star rating. I should change it to a one. Anyway, I'm sure there are worse movies out there, but right now, off the top of my head, I can't think of any.
The jokes aren't funny. The story isn't fun. The characters aren't fun. All of the above are irritating. I admit I was never a big Martin Lawrence fan, but he's even worse than usual in this. It makes his role in Bad Boys look good, and that's saying something.
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Still good, after all these years
I can vividly remember reading this story as a child and then later watching the film. I loved it back then. It seemed like the filmmakers had gone to the next level somehow to create this visual masterpiece that (unknown to me until I saw it) I had been waiting for my entire life up until that point.
And while I have moved onto other things since that time (life gets in the way!) and James and the Giant Peach became just another happy, faded memory, I never forgot how much it once meant to me. So when it recently came up again, I got to thinking: would it still hold up after all these years? Should I refrain from watching it, lest it spoil the happy memory of it that I had from my childhood?
Well, I gave in and watch it. It's never as good as the first time, and never as magical as when I saw it as a kid, but it was still a pleasure to see it again, and a great movie for the children!