MovieMeditation’s Diary Reviews // “Come and meditate with me!”

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Defending Champ
03-03-15
I'd give The Abominable Dr. Phibes half a popcorn more, but your thoughts mostly echo my own.

I don't think Kramer vs. Kramer would've felt clichéd to you back in 1979. Of course, I wasn't around back then, so I can't say for sure. From what I've heard, though, Kramer vs. Kramer was one of the first movies to break ground when it came to role reversals between mother and father. Even if its cultural importance no longer stands out, the film worked on an emotional level for me just due to the excellent performances. It's a shame you felt so distanced from it.

With the exception of a few classics (12 Angry Men, Anatomy of a Murder, To Kill a Mockingbird), I don't typically like courtroom dramas. For a Few Good Men is certainly well made, but it's not something I've ever had the desire to revisit. On a side note, my friends and I used to prank call people using a soundboard consisting solely of Nicholson's quotes from the film. Good times.

If I had never seen a Malick film, I might really dig The Tree of Life, but it contains all the annoyingly pretentious traits that I've come to dread about his films.

Cricket and I seem to share similar taste when it comes to horror films, so I was planning on watching Alyce Kills based on his recommendation, but all the reactions in the Horror Hall of Fame made me put it on the back burner for the time being. Hearing that the film doesn't really justify the MC's downward spiral turned me off a bit. I also roll my eyes now anytime a film alludes to Alice in Wonderland, which is turning into a cliché of its own.

It's hard for me to rate the Jackass movies, but they're certainly entertaining in their own way and I'm amazed at the pain tolerance those guys display.

I'm glad that you went back and added write-ups, because I was going to ask you about the low rating for Crank 2, which surprised me since you love the first one so much. Considering that I disliked the first one and really enjoyed the sequel, though, maybe our differing opinions aren't surprising after all. What appeals to me about the sequel is what you despise about it. Basically, I viewed Crank 2 as an action-comedy; it's a live-action cartoon that feeds on violence and insanity. I still get amused thinking about the random Godzilla-style showdown. I wouldn't rate it more than
, so it's not like it's a great film or anything, but I thought it was very entertaining.

I've never been that interested in cars or racing, so The Fast and the Furious franchise never appealed to me. I've seen some of the films, but they've all blended together in my memory.

Fargo is a movie I desperately want to re-visit. I haven't seen it in many years. I thought it was okay, albeit overrated, the first time I watched it, but my taste in movies has evolved since then. I've become a big fan of the Coen Brothers over the years, so I think I'd appreciate the film's humor much more now than I did when I was younger. The Fargo television series is brilliant and highly recommended.

I was surprised that Big Hero 6 took home the Oscar. I'm looking forward to watching it.

Inside Llewyn Davis was one of my favorite movies of 2013.

I saw you finished up the nominations for the Horror Hall of Fame, but you haven't posted your thoughts on Nosferatu the Vampyre yet (unless I missed it), so I'm really curious to see if you liked it or not. Oh, and for your Whiplash review.
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Friendo.
03-03-15
Wow that's a hell of a write-up there Spaulding! Thanks for wanting to discuss and talk about the film and our opinions.

I just want to say that YES I did think about the fact that Kramer vs. Kramer probably broke more ground for a movie of its time than it did for me today. I still stand by what I said though, and I like the film still, just with mixed feelings.

And don't worry, my next update will contain thoughs on Nosferatu the Vampyre. I thought I would wait and do a few movies in one update, therefore I have yet to post my opinion on it. Soon...



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03-05-15
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
70 .......................... 64
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February 25th

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
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Review from the Horror HoF thread
Okay, here is a review that has been long overdue, so I'm sorry if I don't cover every single aspect of the film in great detail. I remember all of what I liked and didn't like about it, thankfully, but obviously it doesn't shine as bright in my head as it did back when I had just watched it. Anyways... I have been looking forward to this one a lot. My plan was to watch the original first, since I still haven't watched that, but unfortunately my copy f*cked with me and I wasn't able to watch it, and therefore I chose to just go straight ahead with Herzog's version.

Already by the opening minutes we know exacty what kind of movie this is - well, in some way, at least. We got the hand-held low budget freaky kind of atmosphere, as well as the music and the overall style. The film looks and feels older than it is, and that is only a positive thing in my opinion. It adds to the atmosphere and the respect of the original as well. The hand-held simplistic style worked great at times, and other times I was a bit annoyed by it. Personally I think it was a rather weird mix to have such big beautiful landscapes and set pieces, and not choose a style in respect of that. On the other hand, I see where they were going though, and for the most part, I liked it. In the bigger picture, it was only more effective to stay grounded and simplistic, so you could get completely captured by it, instead of during a lot of big broad shots from up high and from a distance. That would only distance us from the film, and ruin the close and claustrophic atmosphere that it had just build up, and all the soulless, cold and lonely elements.

Also, the music was great; or perhaps I should say the absence of it. Because in the soundscape as well, it also aims at a more minimalistic and effective approach. I must admit I really loved this aspect of it. It is daring, original, and truly effective. Even when something big and frightening was happening, Herzog left the actors and the atmosphere alone with the responsebility, so to speak. And together with the many long takes, as an audience, we get to dwell in the specific scenes and get truly captured by what is going on. The acting was, of course, great, as was the story.

Overall I really liked this one. Although a little slow at times, which was totally intentional, I was really entertained for the most part. It felt classic as well as fresh and original. A very unique piece of cinema right there...
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February 26th

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)*



Okay, so after the first sequel removed Vin Diesel and the rest of the recognizable cast except for Paul Walker, this third outing in the Fast-franchise took out every single character and pretty much made a spin-off movie. Honestly though, I have no problem with the concept of going in a completely different direction, but when you hire a guy like Lucas Black as your main character then you are pretty much doomed from the start.

I have rewatched this many times now, and I think I’m pretty sure where I stand now. This film is pretty forgettable and uneven overall, but let’s get all the good stuff out first: I like the theme of drifting and the setting of Tokyo, as well as the character of Han. That is pretty much it… The script is bad, the way the story develops is typical and uninteresting, many of the characters are extremely flat and those who aren’t are just cliché, a lot of the story and characters are made unbelievable right from the start, and Lucas Black is playing a 17 year old looking like a 30 year old man child...

Damn, that was a lot of bad stuff right there. Anyways, what the film sort of gets right is many of its action parts. It is well filmed and fascinatingly set up. I particularly enjoy the part where they are drifting in and out of traffic, the final head-to-head battle, as well as some of the scenes in the very first race between our main character and “DK”, the Drift King. And although the tension and excitement kind of raises towards the finale, it is still pretty dull overall, and this will now be the second sequel in the series, to look really damn bad compared to the first film.
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February 27th

John Wick (2014)



I said to myself I would make these couple of updates a bit shorter, but when you love to just write stuff out and talk about movies, it tends to get a bit lengthy and detailed. Not that it is a problem, but it does take more time than it should. Anyways, I will try to shorten things down… (edit: after finishing writing out all the updates of today, it looks like I didn't quite succeed. Well f*ck it then lol)

John Wick, a film I have been looking forward to but was mostly disappointed with. The story was weak and the characters extremely flat. I prayed for a bit more backstory and development even considering the specific action subgenre it aims to reach. I have heard a lot of praise for the atypical directing, which is said to be very well handled and anti-Hollywood. I partly agree. It is nice to see less editing and more flow to the action scenes, but I still think the choreography could have been better and more creative.

The villain(s) were weak as well and there were plotlines left hanging, and overall the movie felt like an excuse for action, but not cool enough to stand on its own, or dumb enough to cover for its implausibility. Honestly, I also think the movie felt like a straight to dvd thing – one of the better of those maybe – but still you could clearly see they were amateur directors… I especially noticed a lot of focus problems and weird framing/editing at times. A disappointment overall.
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February 28th

Ivan's Childhood (1962)



My second Tarkovsky and I’m still not captured by his films. I have to get some things straight before this review, so you don’t go straight ahead and bash me for my rating and comments on the film and director. Tarkovsky is very unconventional and obviously I’m not going to jump straight in with both feet and love everything from the get go. Not that I don’t wish to, but it is simply impossible. There is so much going on, and I have to figure out for myself where the genius is and what he is trying to do with his film – most importantly, I need to get captured by his personal and very unique style. It will probably take a while, but some day I will hopefully get there…

As of right now, and in relation to this film, I’m not convinced. The film was beautiful to look at, despite of its subject matter of course, and I liked elements of it here and there. I’m still on the fence of what he really wants to say with each of his films, but I guess it is because they hold so much that I will need one or more viewings to dive properly into them. I left with the same feeling as with ‘The Sacrifice’; that I had just watched a fine film, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything or really make sense of it. He throws out questions but it is not always easy to see the answer, and I feel like most of his themes are pretty clear, while their respective answers and definitive directions seem clouded.

I still look forward to my next Tarkovsky though, and he is definitely an interesting director. But as with directors who go this far away from what you find natural and comfortable, you often ask the question, “is this pretentious ambitious and hollow crap, or is this creative deep and thought provoking brilliance?” I hope to find out for myself some day. Whether it is the former or the latter that I resign with.
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March 1st

Fast & Furious (2009)*
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Finally we are back to form... The entire memorable cast from the first movie is now back, and this film further defines what the series has ended up becoming at this point. It is something, which I don’t mind at all, since the main theme of family and togetherness still stand strong, as well as a car-orientated plot. I have always been a sucker for inventive and crazy action movies as well as a badass macho approach – as long as said movie is comfortable being what it is, and this film certainly is.

Why this installment doesn’t get as much praise and love as the fifth in the franchise is largely because this seems to be made for hardcore fans of the series. I don’t say others won’t enjoy it, but the references of past films are endless, and the bond between these characters is really strong if you have followed them all since way back when. I actually noticed that there were references to each and every installment that came before it. The opening hijacking pays homage to the first film, the villain who sets up a race to get good drivers is a not to the second film, while I noticed some drifting and subplots that pointed towards the third film. Apart from that there is of course plenty of one-liners and little details to find, which is great fun for a fan.

It is obviously hard to me to comment on this from a non-fan point of view, but looking past every reference and all characters’ past lives, this is still a solid yet overly implausible action film. If you like over the top action and especially if you like cars, this should still be a pretty decent watch. After all this is where the franchise begun to leave all the racing and stuff, which is only natural since I cannot see this franchise going past more than one sequel with plots centered on racing, money betting, small family troubles and so on…


Last edited by MovieMeditation; 03-26-15 at 01:39 PM.



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03-10-15
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
77 .......................... 70
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March 2nd

The Apartment (1960)



Once again, I admittedly waited a little too long before I finally sat down to write up this review. But given that I’m quite busy at the moment there really isn’t another way to do it, and I simply won’t let my thread die because of it! Anyways, this is obviously a movie I have been wanting to watch for a long time, especially ever since I saw ‘Sunset Blvd’, and it has been on my watchlist for forever.

First off, this does feel like your typical Billy Wilder film on many aspects. It has a great and original script with well-written dialogue, and a decent and thoughtful structure to it. Unfortunately for me, I just wasn’t really that captured by what was going on most of the time. I didn’t really care for any of the characters nor did I care for the actual story much. I mean I kind of liked the idea of it, I sort of liked the execution and it is quite clear to see all the professionalism behind the film, but still; I just wasn’t into it much. Basically it was one of those experiences where I kind of enjoyed the film, but there wasn’t much that stood out to me, other than it was a good film overall and that it was well made. Definitely a solid piece of filmmaking I just wished I liked it more. Maybe a rewatch will do wonders, some day...
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March 3rd

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
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Here is another film that I kind of left with a disappointed feeling. A lot of the story, its message, and the characters felt forced and unrealistic at times, which kind of threw me off. I guess back in the day they didn’t make stories that were too complicated, and if they ended up being a little too much for the general audience, they often explained a whole lot so nobody was left in the dark. Unfortunately that just adds to one of the reasons why this film doesn’t quite hold up today. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m completely bashing the film, but it just felt like it was trying too hard at times, or that it simply went in the easiest direction possible.

I have to say; James Stewart is probably one of my favorite actors of all time, and yet I felt like he wasn’t at his strongest here. Mostly it was John Wayne and his character I loved to follow, and he was a hell of a lot more interesting than Jimmy’s character. The soundtrack though was great in this one, the visuals were pretty decent, but what I really couldn’t get past was the fact, that the film often looked so obviously false. Often you could clearly see that it was an indoor stage they had used, and that kind of bugged me and took me out of the movie at times, though not a huge deal. It was a decent film overall, but I left disappointed. I’m probably a little generous with the rating here, considering the fact that I liked it less by the sound of it, than what my rating suggest – I just hope I will like it more next time.
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March 4th

Fast Five (2011)*
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Now, here’s a movie that I would undoubtedly enjoy to the fullest! It is no other than the fifth film in the Fast-franchise, and believe it or not, this is where the series hit its high mark. Soon after the series slowly left all the street racing and smalltime family problems, it has now moved on to become a nitro-fueled franchise racing in fifth gear all the way through, and ending enormously with an absolute highlight for the series! And yes, there are still plenty of slick cars and beautiful women to enjoy, as well as a few fun references to past films for those who miss that from the old days. But for newcomers this is not as overstuffed with nostalgia as the fourth film in the series was. And also, this is clearly where the Fast-series finally departed completely from its past self, turning to bigger missions and more ambitious scales than previously seen.

The action set pieces seen in this fifth entry is breathtakingly awesome, and easily the best and most memorable collection of car-carnage and explosive macho-attitudes. I love everything going from the train heist, to the running scene in Rio, all the way up to the crowning work of this franchise: the vault heist. If you can get past the fact that it isn’t even possible to drag a vault of this size and weight and that physics and reality is generally being shat on, this is an awesome piece of adrenaline-pumping big scale madness! Also, it is not only my favorite action set piece in the series, but also one of my favorite action scenes of all time to be honest… After a few rewatches now, the film does drag a bit in the middle, when the crew is just stuck in this warehouse trying to figure out their next movie, but thankfully it ends perfectly on a grand scale as you have come to expect from this franchise. Overall just an awesome action film.
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March 5th

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)



Well, I just came home from a visit at a great sushi restaurant and was both oddly and fittingly in the mood for a movie about sushi. Usually I’m not a big fan of sushi but the quality sushi that they served where I visited kind of changed my mind, and I suddenly became a bit interested in the story behind good sushi. Furthermore, this documentary was on netflix and I felt lazy on top of that, so this was an easy press of a button and I was good to go…

This documentary feels a lot like meditative experience rather than a true documentary in the sense of explanation and a heavy subject. I’m not saying documentaries should be as described, but this just had so little to it that I didn’t leave thinking I had just learned something in any way. I liked it, but I wish that they had dived deeper into either the story behind sushi from ocean to plate, or the story of the man behind the famous Japanese sushi restaurant. It went a little bit in both directions, but it kind of just stayed at the surface of it all, thinking the audience would be pleased only being fed with philosophical life lessons and beautiful images of sushi being prepared. There just wasn’t enough to this documentary in my opinion, but it was still enjoyable on its own level.


Last edited by MovieMeditation; 03-26-15 at 01:39 PM.



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"""" Hulk Smashhhh."""
03-11-15
Just had a quick look in your thread for now, but I'll have a proper look later on. Toy Story 3
????. I thought it was the strongest in the trilogy.
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03-11-15
Originally Posted by Optimus
Just had a quick look in your thread for now, but I'll have a proper look later on. Toy Story 3
????. I thought it was the strongest in the trilogy.
Did you watch the two originals before the third, as you should, or the other way around? And did you read my review, because I stated exactly why I think it wasn't better than a
. I have watched it three times I think, and I'm a huge fan of the first two, so I'm not just throwing that rating out there. But yeah, I wish I could give it more but I honestly don't think it deserves it, unfortunately.



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"""" Hulk Smashhhh."""
03-11-15
Yeah I watched them in order of release. But lately I've watched all 3 of them about 50 times each and that's not an exaggeration. My 3 year old boy loves them, and there on from morning till night on repeat every day haha. In my opinion Toy Story 1 is the weakest. It's still a fantastic movie, but not as good as it's sequels. I thought the trilogy just got stronger as it went on.



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03-11-15
Yeah it's cool man, a lot of people prefer the third film to the others. What I'm really worried about though, is that fourth film with the romantic comedy aspect and all. Now THAT'S frightening!



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"""" Hulk Smashhhh."""
03-11-15
I have mixed feelings about a fourth movie. The Toy Story trilogy is one of the best trilogy's ever made. It was all tied up nicely in the third movie so a fourth might feel out of place. Or maybe it could work and be just as good as the rest. I mean I love the little mini movies that have been released, there still fun. Have you seen Partysaurus Rex?.





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03-11-15
Thankfully the fourth one isn't going to be a continuation of the trilogy, but I still wish they would just leave these characters and this universe alone. At least feature-film-wise.

And no, I have yet to see any of the Toy Story shorts. Don't know why but I just never got around to them.



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03-13-15
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
79 .......................... 72
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March 5th

Thank You for Smoking (2005)



This was a fun satirical piece of filmmaking with some good performances all around... I must admit I actually hoped for more from this one, but it kind of pulled it home towards the end. At times it was like it wasn’t sure if it should go all-in with the jokes and satirical references, but when it did it sure worked great. This was definitely my type of movie, only a lesser version of it though, but there were quite a few great moments in it. I have seen this “type” of film done before and better, but I have always had a soft heart for wacky voiceovers and hilarious or frightening character studies. Thank you for “Thank you for Smoking”, Jason Reitman, it is a fine film indeed…
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March 6th

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)*
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Finally we are at the last part of this binge watching up until the premiere of ‘Furious 7’ on April 2nd. And well, this franchise has only gotten more insane and over-the-top as it moved forward, and this definitely ups the stakes of the fifth one by quite some miles. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily better though, because I still stand by the fact that the fifth film was probably the high point of the franchise, even considering the fact that this definitely isn’t a bad follow-up.

I enjoy the continuation of the story in this, and it is a relief to finally tie up the loose ends that from the oddball in the series, that is ‘Tokyo Drift’. The script for these films are still stiff and forced and at times even cringe worthy to listen to, but that only shows the director has his priorities straight – this is an action film in every sense of the word. And I love many of the action scenes in the film, though they aren’t as great of a combo as the ones in ‘Fast Five’. Here, it all gets a little more ridiculous to be honest, and in my opinion, there is a difference between ridiculous and over the top. My favorite action moment in this entry is definitely the “Dom and Letty mid-air catch” even if it is on the verge of being ridiculous. I just think it is so far out and yet so well done that I kind of surrender to it. Also, it is a quick scene so it is not like it is being dragged out and torn apart by itself. You just see it and go “wow” and then it gone.

That isn’t quite the case though, when it comes to the end with the plane and stuff. That is when the film kind of moves into being completely ridiculous even for this franchise… It all feels so rushed and in-your-face that you just can’t quite enjoy it all as much – and it is dragged too far. It is still fun in some way, but this is where the film kind of went on autopilot and just kept driving upwards without any form of control what so ever. Yes, I really do think that the director, Justin Lin, has had some kind of control throughout his time directing this franchise, but this is the first time I feel like he kind of lost control of all the “vehicular warfare” that he has created. But I still can’t deny how fun it is to watch these films, and I love all the characters a whole lot by now. By the way, R.I.P. to an amazing person, Paul Walker; I will look forward to the last ‘Fast’-movie with you in it…
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March 7th

The Graduate (1967)



As I said back when I was just about to watch it: this is probably one of the biggest movies that I have had on my watchlist for ages without ever actually watching Dustin Hoffman is an amazing actor, so that obviously had me interested enough on its own, but also the fact that I have seen so many classic scenes from the film by now I feel like I already know and love it before even watching it. And I was kind of right, because I absolutely loved this film... It is not perfect, but there is many groundbreaking things about it and it sort of holds a good balance between controlled and lively filmmaking. What I mean is, that the film hasn’t got a problem being smart and witty while also pulling of some interesting and inventive shots and frame-compositions.

I think the story it wanted to tell was extremely interesting though quite obvious at times, but overall you just have such a fun time with it that you don’t care whether or not it departures from what it set out to be – or that it wants to have more fun than what it should be “allowed to”. This already stands as one of my new favorite films, I think, and I can’t wait to watch it again some time.
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March 8th

Primer (2004)
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I like complicated films, as long as they are well structured in some way, or have a purpose or meaning that are obvious enough for you to be interested in the outcome. For me, this film seemed to make up its purpose as it went along, and you often struggled to make sense of it all, as there really wasn’t any room for breathing throughout. It is a very low budget film and that fact is almost too obvious. I appreciate how they managed to make it for such a low amount of money and cast, but still it kind restricted itself that way. Therefore it was a very mixed bag of opinions that I had with this film when it ended, because I liked some elements of it but overall I just wasn’t interested enough with it.... +1 for the effort though.
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March 9th

The Imitation Game (2014)



This is the definition of Oscar-bait if you ask me. A historical piece of filmmaking about a real-life genius who experiences problems in his life, which are all told quite obvious or in a melodramatic way, but still manages to succeed in life in some way and become famous later on so this type of movie can be made. I honestly don’t feel like writing much about this film, it is just forgettable and following a typical kind of structure that you have become tired of with time… Benedict Cumberbatch was good but not amazing in my opinion, and the writing seriously won an Oscar? Well, okay then…

Last edited by MovieMeditation; 03-26-15 at 01:40 PM.



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03-17-15
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
84 .......................... 76
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March 10th

Inherent Vice (2014)*
N/A


Even though I’m totally busy lately, I still feel like giving y’all a full review of this film. One of the main reasons that I want to post it is, that I have given many positive reviews by now, but not a single bad or mediocre one. And since I wasn’t exactly blown away by Anderson’s newest film, I thought this was the review that could separate itself from the crowd. And yet, I still haven’t started on the review… Although, I do have the Danish version done and published and just need to get around the English version. I can’t promise anything, but I hope to begin writing it very soon…
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March 11th

Batman Returns (1992)



I might have seen this one as a kid but I really don’t remember anything from it; except for maybe the villains… So, since I kind of enjoyed Burton’s first take on the Batman universe, even though I didn’t exactly love it, I thought I had to give this sequel a look – especially because it seems like a highly regarded sequel and there is even some who think it is actually better than the first. It got to be said though, that even if I enjoyed the first one, it was mainly because of the always-great Jack Nicholson and his performance, as well as an atmosphere that was typical Burton but definitely more on his darker side. Also, it was minimalistic yet effective and Burton had his signature style clear from the beginning but except for when The Joker was around, it was never overly silly or going all costume-crazy...

With ‘Batman Returns’, however, it seems as if Burton gained full control over the project and was allowed to mess around with it as much as he wanted to. And oh my God how did I hate this film! I read many reviews stating this film brought back nostalgia to them; well, I didn’t see it as a kid so this was the weirdest piece of filmmaking in a long time… Yes, it’s definitely clear to see who directed it, but to me it felt like Burton on some heavy drugs or something. And the atmosphere was so clunky and weird that sometimes blood would squirt all over the place, and in the next scene penguins were wearing bombs on their back to supposedly comedic effect. What the freaking hell? And considering the clear evidence of A-list actors, they all seemed so distant in the film, like if they didn’t know what to do either, or how they should approach their character and which tone to go for. And seriously, how can anyone love DeVito in this? Even considering the campiness of this flick. I have never seen someone overact more than him playing this role.

I always wondered how the hell the Batman-franchise ended up like it did in ‘Batman Forever’, and maybe more importantly, how it ended up being George Clooney with Bat-nipples and a bunch of oversaturated set-pieces and more overacting actors in the God-awful ‘Batman & Robin’. Looks like this sequel was the answer, because I really had a hard time looking from Burton’s Batman from 1989 to Schumacher’s Batman in 1995, only 6 years later... Anyways, to end the discussion, ‘Returns’ was a clumsy, campy, weird, senseless, annoying, pessimistic piece of pathetic filmmaking – at least in my opinion – and I know there is people out there who love the film, but it seems pretty certain that I will never ever grow to love this in my life.
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March 12th

The Kid with a Bike (2011)



This is my fourth Dardenne-film I think, and this brotherly directing-duo definitely knows how to make genuinely good films, using their very own unique style of filmmaking. Their signature style leans towards a special kind of subgenre that I really enjoy, and if I had to describe it, I would call it a humanistic and super-realistic take on the modern world and society’s many problems. All their films seem very distinctive and following a certain simplistic style that perhaps would bore the crap out of you in the hands of other directors. Somehow The Dardennes just lift so much life out of the most simple and grounded scenes, and somehow the result always feels fresh.

And this film was certainly no exception, and I really loved it as well. The thing is though, that it is weird how The Dardennes can take even the smallest of things and make something big and interesting out of it. And they also do that extremely well in ‘The Kid with a Bike’… The only real problem I have with their films is that the message and meaning of which they try to push forward, is often pushed way too hard, and you are left thinking “okay, I totally get what you want to say here just move on already!” Not that it annoys me as much as it may seem, but there is no doubt that what drives their story forward towards a climax is not something that original. On the other hand, all the scenes of which the story consists of, are always original and interesting, and therefore carry their explicit message home, in an implicit and not the least elegant way.

All of their films often consist of long takes, hand-held camera and a minimal use off-screen sound. All of this works to great effect, and helps make all the important things shine even brighter. That means that every single actor gets to shine, every scene takes its time, and every location seem even dirtier and more unpleasant, than if we had the mood of the film forced-fed to us with happy or sad music. In some way all of their films look and feel the same, and yet I find myself wanting to watch every second of it all the while feeling like this is the most original The Dardennes have ever been. I definitely need to watch all the films I’m missing from their filmography!
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March 13th

Top Five (2014)



Comedies are generally a hit and miss for me, but I guess that is how it is for pretty much everybody, since humor is an individual thing and not everything will make us laugh as much as the next person. If I have to break it down easy, then British humor is almost never a miss for me, and American humor is rarely something that hits the spot. I will say that there are exceptions though; like ‘Superbad’, ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘22 Jump Street’. But although I like those mentioned, they still “suffer” from the same stuff all American comedies do: vulgar and silly humor. But actually, it is kind of unfair to mention all that in this particular review, since it wasn’t nearly as bad in this one. But I will say, that what I simply didn’t enjoy about ‘Top Five’ was mainly the silly and vulgar stuff, so I guess it is relevant after all...

Overall, it was as if the movie did have a great story somewhere in all the mess, but it didn’t get to really shine, nor did Chris Rock dare to go too much in that direction. There was a glimpse or two of something a bit heavier and a bit more well handled, but unfortunately the silly and stupid stuff tried to take home all the easy points, instead of being a bit more edgy. In the first ten minutes of the film, I honestly thought this film was going to evolve into something really amazing. It seemed to be directed nicely with a lot of room for the actors to breath, as well as deliver their dialogue and tell their jokes properly. And then, it suddenly turned into everything I hoped it wouldn’t be – raunchy humor, silly jokes and stuff we have seen a thousand times before. I kind of get that it tried to make fun of a lot of what is wrong with today’s comedies and celebrities and so on, as well as Chris Rock trying to take a few shots at himself on the way. But I really do wish that he had gone deeper than what he did, because he did have the right recipe just not the correct ingredients.



Last edited by MovieMeditation; 03-26-15 at 01:41 PM.



honeykid's Avatar
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03-17-15
Batman Returns is damn fine. The best of either Batman franchise. Also, I love De Vito in it and Chris Walken's great, too.
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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
03-17-15
What happened to the awesomeness of Michelle Pfeiffer? Never have been a fan of the Dardennes, the masters of the camera that walks behind their actors.
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Friendo.
03-17-15
Originally Posted by honeykid
Batman Returns is damn fine. The best of either Batman franchise. Also, I love De Vito in it and Chris Walken's great, too.
Yes I know I a lot of people feel like that, I hated both those peformances and the film. And how can you seriously think it is the best of either franchise!? Oh yeah... you are honeykid. It all makes sense now

Originally Posted by mark f
What happened to the awesomeness of Michelle Pfeiffer? Never have been a fan of the Dardennes, the masters of the camera that walks behind their actors.
Yeah, Michelle was one of the better things about the film tbh, but not nearly enough to be great on its own or on the terms of the overall film. And yes, the Dardennes are hit or miss with people, it's just my type of cinema and simply clicks with me.



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03-17-15
Originally Posted by MovieMeditation
And how can you seriously think it is the best of either franchise!? Oh yeah... you are honeykid. It all makes sense now
.
Not only that, but I think I'd put the 66 Batman movie above the rest of either franchise, too. I go between whether it's 66 or Returns for my favourite. atm it's Returns.



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Friendo.
03-17-15
Never seen the one from '66 so can't tell anything in relation to that. I'll maybe check it out some day though. But it looks like you enjoy the campiness of it, which was what mainly threw me off - though I do like camp once in a while...

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