The Official Review Thread of 2018

anonymous1980
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN
Cast: Ewan MacGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss, voices of Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett, Toby Jones, Nick Mohammed, Peter Capaldi, Sophie Okenedo.
Dir: Marc Forster.

This film was kind of inevitable. The Winnie the Pooh franchise has been predictably heading into this direction. This is about a now-married-with-a-child and overworked adult Christopher Robin going back to his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood to, you know, learn about what matters most in life. While it's not a bad film, it's such a predictable, by-the-numbers story where most anyone could definitely see where this is going. That said, Ewan MacGregor is good and the original A.A. Milne characters still has what makes them charming and endearing in the first place. No, it's not Disney's answer to Paddington but it easily could have been (and it also easily could have been a lot worse).

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects is definitely a possibility.

Grade: B.
anonymous1980
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES
Cast: Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage (voices).
Dirs: Peter Rida Michail & Aaron Horvath.

Thanks to my day job, I've actually seen a whole bunch of Teen Titans Go! episodes which I actually enjoyed. The good reviews that this one got enticed me to actually see it. In this 90-minute bigger-budgeted episode of the TV series, Robin is frustrated that he doesn't have his own movie and is on a quest to finally get out with the help of his fellow Teen Titans: Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire and Raven. This film is actually quite funny, filled with clever gags that will delight both kids and their parents. It is the perfect way to introduce meta humor to kids (basically this is Deadpool for kids). It surprisingly does not wear out its welcome and it's not too clever for its own good. I don't know how well it would play for non-superhero movie fans but it does make fun of the superhero genre a lot.

Oscar Prospects: Oscar doesn't seem to like movie adaptations of TV shows so much so I don't know if this has a shot but I do know that it deserves a Best Original Song nomination for "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life".

Grade: B+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Reza »

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018) 6/10

The formula is now familiar - a mission goes wrong and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin) along with allies who help (yipee Rebecca Ferguson returns as the MI-6 agent) and hinder (Henry Cavill thrust upon the team by hardass CIA director Angela Bassett) try to right the wrong. It's a race against time to retrieve three plutonium orbs from the dastardly villain (Sean Harris) who threatens destruction of a catastrophic nature. The convoluted plot is, as always, just an excuse to create more and more outrageous stunts and action set pieces with the film's mega star at the front and center of it all. Cruise delivers a charismatic star performance although some of the set pieces are rather old hat - jumping out of a plane, the obligatory chase sequence through narrow Paris streets involving bikes and cars - although a three-way bone crunching fist fight in a loo is a major highlight along with the riveting climax which is intercut between a helicopter chase sequence which ends on a precipice with the star dangling on a rope and the diffusion of two bombs. Unfortunately the film goes on too long - a number of the talky sequences could have been cut as they stop the action dead in it's track. The screenplay also puts Cruise in a love triangle amidst all the mayhem - with the MI-6 agent and his ex-wife (Michelle Monaghan), who pops up via a dream sequence and later in reality during a crucial moment in the plot. And let's not forget the "White Widow" (Vanessa Kirby) - a sexy and dangerous arms broker - who lip-locks with Hunt creating further sparks. Hey....Cruise produced the film too so he can have three leading ladies fawning over him if he wants. This is perfect summer popcorn entertainment but in need of a desperate trim in its running time.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT
Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley, Frederick Schmidt.
Dir: Christopher McQuarrie.

The film did, well, the impossible. It's the sixth film in a 21-year-old franchise that was just okayish to begin with but it somehow manages to surprise and excite even a rather jaded cinephile like yours truly. The plot is fairly generic: Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must stop a global terrorist organization from wiping out a third of the planet's population via nuclear weapons. But it does its job enough that you care and are invested in the proceedings which would pave the way for exciting, extremely well-crafted action sequences one after another, culminating in this super incredible helicopter chase that is one of the best action scenes I've ever seen, quite frankly. Sprinkled with just enough humor for good measure, this is escapist popcorn entertainment at its best. Not quite as good as Ghost Protocol but close.

Oscar Prospects: This franchise has gotten zero Oscar attention so far but the acclaim for this particular installment could propel it to Visual Effect, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Film Editing.

Grade: A-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Big Magilla »

It's almost August, and there are only two films that have been released so far this year that are strong contenders for my year-end ten best list. One is Lean on Pete. The other is Isle of Dogs.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by dws1982 »

Lean on Pete
Just excellent. I kind of had this grouped with The Rider mentally, because the trailers didn't offer a whole lot beyond "young man and a horse". The movies have similarities beyond the horse thing: Both deal with life on the margins of American society, with the way that people trapped in cyclical poverty seek to find meaning and purpose in their lives. This is simply one of the best portraits of a life of poverty that I've ever seen in a movie. As a teacher in a rural school district, where most students are low-income, I recognized this world, I knew these people--Charley and his father were similar to so many parents and students that I've dealt with before. There's also just a sense of kindness and decency to so many of the characters--Haigh brings a truly generous worldview to this film. The cast is excellent top-to-bottom--especially Charlie Plummer in the lead role. Beautifully shot, very moving, I would not be unhappy if this ended up as my number one movie of 2018. It's available to watch for free on Amazon Prime, make sure you do.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Mister Tee »

As far as Leave No Trace:

What I can say for Debra Granik is, for someone whose films' subject matter is not really in my wheelhouse (I'm more disposed to urban settings/verbal characters, neither of which she much deals in), she manages to keep me engaged pretty much throughout. I don't think Leave No Trace is as strong as Winter's Bone: the latter had that mystery plot to give it a more solid narrative spine; this film, after a while, heads toward a destination that's fairly infer-able, and doesn't arrive there in a particularly unique or surprising way. But, with all that, it's a moving piece about marginal figures, and its detail work feels pretty strong.

As with Winter's Bone, Granik shows a knack for finding authentic rural faces (including Dale Dickey, again) who help the story breathe honestly. But most of the action centers around the two central characters. Ben Foster is adroitly cast: he carries so much crazypants baggage from earlier roles that he doesn't need to do much acting (and, happily, doesn't) to convey his character's inner turmoil; I much prefer his work here to some of his more extroverted work. But Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie is the breakout of the film -- a fully unaffected adolescent who carries the story without sentimentality. I'd guess her performance is one of those that some will start advocating for a best actress nomination, which for me is a bit of a stretch: her work is solid but plain -- something I can admire without getting too excited about it.

Which pretty much describes the film, as well. Certainly a welcome offering in this dreary part of the year, but at three star level, for me.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Greg »

Mister Tee wrote:And Armie Hammer embodies the uber-WASP dudebro entrepeneur/villain. One wonders what his great-grandfather would have made of this devastating indictment of capitalism.
I remember one time watching an old Tonight Show where Johnny Carson interviewed Armand Hammer. This was during the time of the nuclear-weapons-freeze movement, of which Hammer was a big supporter. Hammer said he hoped that people could someday merge the best of capitalism with the best of socialism and noted that there was no unemployment in the Soviet Union.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

SKYSCRAPER
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Møller, Noah Taylor, Byron Mann, Pablo Schreiber, Hannah Quinlivan, McKenna Roberts, Noah Cottrell, Tzi Ma.
Dir: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Ex-FBI operative with one leg is now working as head of security for the world's tallest building in Hong Kong. Predictably, a group of criminals set fire to it with his family trapped inside. This film is pure Screenwriting 101 combining elements from both Towering Inferno and Die Hard (with The Lady from Shanghai thrown in for us film geeks). You pretty much know where this is going to go if you watch enough movies. But it's fairly enjoyable. The Rock pretty much nails his persona as the sympathetic everyman who still manages to be a badass macho action hero. I will also give a lot of credit that Neve Campbell's wife character isn't a helpless Damsel in Distress. Otherwise, this is a fun but disposable action picture.

Oscar Prospects: I suppose Visual Effects is possible.

Grade: B-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Mister Tee »

Sorry to Bother You doesn't hit all its targets squarely (and, at a certain point, may take on too many targets, creating such a diffuse narrative that it can't possibly resolve all elements satisfyingly). It also has a somewhat over-familiar story-arc -- the go-getter who betrays his roots for the promise of gold, but comes to lament his choices in time for redemption.

These shortcomings are real...but they're not defining. The greater impression the film leaves is of an of-the-minute premise that speaks to both racial and economic injustice (the Hillary and Bernie campaigns, together at last!), that has lots of inventive plot turns and wonderful attention to detail, and even offers some visual panache (as when the main character's cramped garage home expands magically to a deluxe apartment). This is as interesting an original story as I've seen in any movie this year, and, even when the story stepped maybe too far into the ether (I can't say I was crazy about the out-there plot development in the final act), I was happy to be in the presence of people trying for something new. Oh, and there are many-many laugh out loud moments -- the most in any movie since The Death of Stalin.

Lakeith Stanfield is a bit of a passive protagonist -- buffeted along by the pressures of others more than choosing his own path -- but brings the audience along every step of the way, not an easy task given the dubious choices he makes. Tessa Thompson takes a role that in many hands might just be The Girfriend and spins something fresh and detailed out of it. And Armie Hammer embodies the uber-WASP dudebro entrepeneur/villain. One wonders what his great-grandfather would have made of this devastating indictment of capitalism.

All tolled, not a great movie, but a worthy effort I'd recommend seeking out.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Big Magilla »

Question: Is A Quiet Place a good movie?
Answer: Has Michael Bay ever made a good movie?

No, Hollywood's crappiest successful filmmaker didn't direct it, but he produced it. John Krasinksi directed it from a script by a couple of guys from the MTV school of writing.

Krasinski's direction of wife Emily Blunt and some very talented kids as well as himself is strong, but the sript is not only illogical, it is absurd from the get-go.

SPOILER information follows, so if you haven't seen it you may want to stop reading even though the sequence I describe occurs before the film's title flashes across the screen.

In the opening sequence filmed in silence with people using sign language to communicate, the family of mother, father and three children is seen in a pharmacy three months into a post-apocalyptic world in which the mother miraculously finds the medicine her middle child, a boy, needs to cure whatever is wrong with him. The youngest child finds a toy airplane but his father takes it away from him for fear its noise would draw the unexplained monsters. He removes the batteries but leaves them in reach of the boy. The father with the sick child in his arms and the mother exit the pharmacy. The oldest child, a girl, and the younger boy linger behind. The girl gives the boy the toy airplance with the battereis removed, turns and exits the pharmacy. The boy grabs the batteries and puts them in his pocket. The family continues down the road, with the girl catching up to the others. They cross a bridge with the littlest boy yards, maybe as much as a quater of a mile, behind. The boy has inserted the batteries back into the toy airplance and turned it on. The father hears it, gives the sick boy to the mother and runs back to the little boy but is too late.

What responsible parent, under any circumstance, let alone one living in such a frightening world, would walk so far ahead of a young child without even turning around to be sure that he is following safely? The answer is none.

The rest of the film is like that, one stupid thing after another until it comes to a conclusion that leaves too many questions unanswered. Since a sequel is planned, we may get answers to some of them, but I wouldn't count on it. It will be, after all, another Michael Bay film.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

ANT MAN AND THE WASP
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfieffer, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, Hannah John-Kamen, Randall Park, Abby Ryder Forston, David Dastmalchian, Tip "T.I." Harris, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale.
Dir: Peyton Reed.

In the sequel to Ant Man, we find out what happened to Scott Lang/Ant-Man before and during the events of Avengers: Infinity War: He's trying to help bring back Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm but they must elude a super villain, a bunch of bad guys and the authorities to do it. Is this the best Marvel movie? No. Is it better than the first Ant-Man movie? I think so, yes. It is often very funny with a lot of really great and inventive action sequences. Plus Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfieffer giving the film a little bit of heft and gravitas in their serious moments. It's pure pop entertainment and the good kind. If you don't like the MCU, don't bother. This will not change your mind.

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects is a strong possibility.

Grade: B+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by Sabin »

The older I get, the more I become a cheap date for comedies with strong pacing and visual innovation. Game Night starts off on such a sunny note with Max and Annie's winning meet cute that I never quite came down. It might be silly, inconsequential fluff but that doesn't mean it's lazy. There is a stamp of exuberance goofiness that nerd-directors John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein inject into every scene, transitioning from shot to shot using fake sets and model landscapes. It's more a goof than a satire of David Fincher films. Ultimately, they're not interested in saying anything substantive about these comfortable thirty/fortysomethings plunged into a world of their dreams and fears, but I was smiling so much I didn't really mind. It's just about not being afraid to grow up while never suggesting that this gang needs to stop gathering together to play charades.

It's a lot of fun. I can't defend the third act outside the fact that I didn't want to stop watching the cast, especially Rachel McAdams (who is as funny here as she is generic in almost every other role), Jesse Plemons, and his Westie.
"How's the despair?"
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Donovan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Shea Whigham, Elijah Rodriguez.
Dir: Stefano Solima.

This is the largely unnecessary sequel to Sicario which focuses more on the sicario himself as well as his morally grey government handler. This time, after a devastating terrorist attack partially responsible by the drug cartel, they kidnap the daughter of a big-time drug lord in an effort to incite a drug war. I liked the first film quite a bit. I didn't need a sequel and after seeing it, yeah, it doesn't need it. It's still a solid thriller but it's sorely missing the original's humanity and nuance which made it a tenser film. This film has some good moments. Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro are excellent as always. But it does tackle some troubling themes which, in the current atmosphere of U.S. politics, seem ill-timed or perfectly timed, depending on your point of view.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing and Sound Editing are possible.

Grade: B-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2018

Post by anonymous1980 »

HEREDITARY
Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Mallory Bechtdel.
Dir: Ari Aster.

A matriarch of a family dies. Then strange, disturbing and horrific things start happening. That's all I'm gonna say. To say anything more would be spoiling it and yes, once again, part of what makes this film so effective is the fact that you really have no idea where it's going until it plays its cards. I was sitting uncomfortably all throughout, squirming in my seat. It's a slow-burn film, no jump scares. It's not really a thrill ride. It is true horror in its classic sense. At its heart, it's still a very human story despite the supernatural twists and turns it makes. The performances are great. Yes, Toni Collette is outstanding but I also want to cite how great Alex Wolff is in this one. I never thought about him as an actor much but he is a revelation here. It is definitely one of the better horror films of the decade and one of the best movies of the year. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

Oscar Prospects: Horror films USUALLY don't do well. But Toni Collette is absolutely deserving of a Best Actress nomination. Also deserving of a nomination is Alex Wolff, who's kind of a co-lead but they'll probably push him for Supporting.

Grade: A-
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