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Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
It's Not Tarantino's Best, But It's Still Great
I came in expecting a wild ride through old hollywood, but instead found a slow-burning hangout movie. It's Dazed and Confused meets Big Lebowski in the 60s directed by Quentin Tarantino. I enjoyed it, and there's a lot to appreciate about it, but like many have said before me, Tarantino needs an editor that can takes the reigns away from him a little bit like Sally Menke did before her unfortunate passing.
Noah (2014)
Recommend for Teenagers and Young Adults. Older Generations Will Be Too Stubborn To Enjoy It.
Being a teenager, I have to say that this story really identified with me. I think younger people will really enjoy this movie because it does reaffirm many of the younger generation's beliefs. It also deals with coming of age and the loss of innocence. When growing up, we do struggle with morality in our transition to "adulthood". I also really loved the themes of legacy and trying to fix the mistakes of ancestors and the generations before you.
Older generations will be more likely to hate this movie because older generations have their own concrete beliefs that have grown through decades, so anything that contradicts that is usually ignored (whether it is true or not). Stubbornness is not a virtue, and it should not be maintained throughout this movie.
If you like any of the following movies, then you will probably like "Noah": "Place Beyond the Pines", "Pan's Labyrinth", "There Will Be Blood", "Romeo and Juliet (1968)", "Donnie Darko", "Mr. Nobody", "Tree of Life", or "Magnolia"
Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Was begging for them to kill themselves already
This movie was very well made. The cinematography, acting, music, script, costume design, and set design were all well done. However, this movie lacked heart and soul. It lacked suspense or intensity, which was what Romeo and Juliet supposed to be about. It cut much of the swordfighting action and the music, while good, was underwhelming. That is actually thebest word to describe this whole movie. Underwhelming. Every scene I felt could have been done better if they had just performed more dramatically or if the music was more intense, or if the composition was more close-up.
Romeo and Juliet is a masterwork of irony and this movie took it out completely. It was so rushed in a way that felt distant and just trying to push through it. It never settled at moments and it pains me to watch it. The only good scene was at the end when they killed themselves because of Paul Giamatti's performance.
God, and I thought the 1998 version was bad, this one is even worse. Watch the 1968 version for the good Romeo and Juliet.
Ballada o soldate (1959)
The Greatest Anti-War Movie Ever Made
I know it is a very grand statement to say that this is the greatest anti-war movie made so far. I have a good reason for that though. Every anti-war movie has showed the fighting and showed the killing of people. However, this mostly focuses on the physical faults of war rather than emotional faults. The excessive violence in other movies also numbs the audience to gore and violence.
Ballad of a Soldier keeps the violence and bloodshed to a minimum. Instead, the movie focuses on the emotional impact of the war on the innocent civilians and soldiers outside of the battlefield. The chemistry between Alyosha and Shura is amazing. The simplicity of the plot is brilliant and allows exposure of real human interaction. The movie focused on one soldier rather than having a grand scale of characters and action. This way, we can take this one person as an example of the millions of lives similar to Aloysha's that were lost in the war.
The subtlety and simplicity of this film is what makes it so great. I love it and it's a masterpiece. I rewatch it over and over again. Everyone should see it.
Prisoners (2013)
Has Great Moments, but is too slow and predictable
This movie has a great plot and it is filled with many layers. However, I feel like it took too long to get to the ending it was leading up to. It got repetitive and long. With everything going on so slowly, it gave the movie a fantastic sense of dread that made us relate to the parents. However, it also gave me time to think and I was able to figure out the ending twist halfway through the movie. Another thing that bothered me was the red herring that appeared halfway through. It was obvious and should have been cut down for time.
Although I have my gripes, I overall enjoyed this movie. The acting was superb. Everyone did a fantastic job, but Paul Dano and Hugh Jackman stole the whole thing. They gave Oscar-worthy performances. I also give credit to DP Roger Deakins for the amazing visuals. The highlight of his work was during the rush to the hospital near the end. Simply phenomenal. I wasn't just at the edge of my seat; I was out of it, my eyes glued to the screen and fists clenched. It was so suspenseful and it was solely because of the cinematography. I also loved the plot of the movie, but I just feel like it dragged out. It would have been an excellent 2 hour movie instead of 2 and 1/2 hours.
I enjoyed this movie and I'd recommend this movie. However, I would not want to see it again.
Don Jon (2013)
Great debut for JGL
This movie is flawed. If it went just 10 minutes longer, I would be bored of it. I think it was right at the border from being great and awful. It never crossed that line though and I enjoyed it overall. I agree with the commentary on addiction and our pop culture's bad influences. Anyone who says this movie is about porn addiction is mistaken because it goes deeper than just that. I also really liked how JGL gets you to really like Sugarman in the beginning like Don Jon until you slowly realize the relationship was never good in the first place. I'd recommend this movie but I wouldn't watch it again. It had TONS of charm but not enough actual laugh-out-loud humor for me to stick around too long.