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Reviews
Network (1976)
Unengaging
I found this film to be pretty unenjoyable to watch. None of the characters were particularly relatable or sympathetic, and a lot of the dialogue came off as unhinged yelling, which made it both unenjoyable to watch, and incredibly difficult to take seriously. Howard Beale started off as an interesting character with the potential to make a good, well-developed point about American society, but by the end of the film he became somewhat ridiculous and unconvincing, being convinced that he was a "prophet" and "enlightened". The character of Jenson is similarly difficult to watch, screaming and ranting like a madman in a setting that makes it seem like he is trying to brainwash Beale, and any point that he may have actually made is lost in the fact that his character seems to be essentially throwing a tantrum. All in all this film just wasn't particularly captivating, and the few saving graces it did have were not nearly enough to make up for its bad points.
Brick (2005)
Shaky Start
When I started watching this film I felt that some of the elements didn't really work together- the film noir genre didn't seem to be cleverly employed in a new and different setting so much as jammed into a setting where it didn't make sense. The characters didn't really seem to be acting like high school students, nor did the plot of the movie seem like something high school kids would typically encounter. It felt like it could have benefitted from leaning more into the high school genre and use events that made sense for high school students, or from at the very least being more self aware of the fact that it was mixing two very different worlds. That being said, a few spots of self awareness did crop up, and they provided a nice reprieve from the constant drama and grit of the rest of the movie. It also seemed like the language was a little forced- while it meshed a little better with the high school setting than the plot, seeing as it is common for teenagers to use slang, it was sometimes difficult to understand or wasn't really adding anything.
Once I had been watching long enough to get past all of that, however, I really enjoyed this film. The plot was engaging, the framing and set dressing were very captivating, and there was a nice twist at the end. All in all it had its problems but it was a fun watch.
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Interesting Film
I've heard the name Sunset Boulevard repeatedly over my life, but I hadn't seen it until now. Since I'd heard it heralded as a classic, but didn't know much about it, I was excited to see it, and it was an interesting film to finally watch. However, I found it a little difficult to get invested in the film since neither of the main characters seemed particularly sympathetic to me. This made some scenes feel dull or unappealing to watch because I didn't really care what happened to the characters. That being said, most scenes were still interesting, and it was still fun to see a "classic" old film.
The Artist (2011)
Really Good Film
I've seen The Artist a couple times now, and it held up both as a new and returning viewer. The use of silence to tell the story of a silent film artist was both clever and very effective- especially when it was inverted, such as in the dream sequence. This movie was definitely entertaining, and I enjoyed the nods to various movie tropes from the era with both the plot and the characters. The music was well suited to what was happening onscreen, and added a lot to the film. It really encapsulated what the characters were feeling, and helped make up for the lack of dialogue or ambient noise. However, the film occasionally dragged, especially with the lack of colour or non-musical sound that might normally have piqued the audience's interest. I think this film really works as an homage to the era that it depicts, although were it not doing so it might not hold up quite so well.
Chaplin (1992)
Good Film
I thoroughly enjoyed this film- Charlie Chaplin was a very interesting and influential figure, and a lot of parts of his life that are sometimes ignored or glossed over were brought to light a little more in this film. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of his earlier years in Hollywood- his rise as a stage actor and then his move to film and rise through the industry. In some ways I feel the film would have been stronger had it focussed more on this part of his life; the timeline was a little jumpy and confusing, and the fact that he didn't really look like an old man when he was supposed to was very distracting. The film was also not particularly helped by the fact that it was framed in the context of Chaplin talking to an editor about writing his own autobiography- constantly cutting back to scenes of him talking took away from the flow of the plot, and wasn't a particularly interesting or even essential way to provide context. Overall, I thought this film could have been improved, but it was definitely worth the watch.
Flatworld (1997)
Good Film
I really enjoyed this film! The merging of stop motion and cell animation provided an interesting contrast between the two "worlds", and the concept of developing a stop motion world based on the mechanics of the materials it's made out of is something that not that many films explore, but which was done really well here. I also felt that the length of the film suited the style and story really well- as much as I enjoyed this, it might have dragged on if it had been too long. All in all, the style and concept were really enjoyable, and I would happily watch it again