Justin's Review Thread

Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda,2008)



One of the best films I've seen in awhile. Understated, honest, brutal and extremely sensory (audio work was brilliant). Each character was slowly developed over painfully awkward moments within a slice-of-life context. Still Walking's themes are strong, and are highly pronounced as the film moves effortlessly through a family's afternoon.

A must see.

i haven't had much to say about these reviews simply because i haven't seen any of the movies you've reviewed so far, but you've got a unique and well-articulated pov, which i like.

i haven't seen anything by kore-eda, do you have a particular favorite to recommend or one i should start with?

I think the safest bet is Nobody knows.

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I can't help you there. I've only seen Still Walking, though I do plan on seeing more.

I watched Nobody Knows, and I know people who thought it was the best film of its year, so it probably comes as no surprise that I gave it .

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I'd probably start with After life. Before going over to the other side, you have to choose one moment of happiness, and the production crew of angels with reenact it for you.

It's a great question: What single scene of your life would you choose to take with you. What moment of happiness?

The International (Tom Tykwer,2009)



Had to watch this for my World Cinema course. Not bad, but not totally efficient in its storytelling. Like The Constant Gardener and Quantum of Solace, The International does present globalization theory in a pretty interesting manner. But those films -- especially the unbelievable Constant Gardener -- work more fluidly, whereas, The International sort of plods along and fails to keep the viewer engaged. While the concepts are interesting and the film is well-shot, it doesn't completely work on a fundamental storytelling level.

However, I did like how it ended, though, which was one of the better moments in the film.

I agree that it kind of plods, but a lot of the weaknesses in the movie in terms of having really thrilling action scenes I think were counteracted for me by how novel a lot of it looked and acted (at least for an action-thriller). That scene at the Guggenheim was some of the most fun I've had in an action movie of any sort and the locations (particularly the last segment in Istanbul) looked pretty inspired and idiosyncratic as I recall.

I appreciated that it ended against the grain for that sort of movie as well, and liked the ending just in general, as well, I agree that was a strong point. The script is a bit forgettable -- I can't seem to recall any of the major themes except for some typical greed/banking/war connections, very generally, but I guess I'm just more forgiving in this instance, since I'd probably give it a high or maybe even half a rating higher.

Thanks for the review.

Yeah, I thought the Guggenheim sequence was great. There were some nice action sequences and the globetrotting aspect was also entertaining.

Definitely. Ending on such a low-note was pretty refreshing, especially considering the "antagonists" being as large and sprawling as they were. It certainly caught me off guard.

No problem. It's a lot of fun for me, actually. Sort of nice to hear other perspectives about the films that I watch; plus, it helps me keep my thoughts in line.

One other thing; I thought I might mention that I'll be re-watching Greenberg, just for the sake of it. I'm not sure I liked it as much as I potentially could.

[Rec] 2 (Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza,2009)



Very disappointing. Having enjoyed the first quite a bit, I expected a lot, but instead, all I got was a mess from the sequel. Despite the bad dialogue and how completely unscary it is, it does achieve at some nice moments -- but those are all fleeting and momentary. One could argue that the documentary-type aesthetics was always a gimmick, but [Rec] had more of a reason to use it than the sequel did. It seemed tired.

Though the story with the kids was far more interesting than the one with the SWAT members, it still doesn't move the film past the ridiculousness. On top of that, all of the scares feel calculated and cheap, rather than natural.

It just doesn't work on any level. There are just too many scenes that made me laugh/cringe.

The Square (Nash Edgerton,2008)



I watched this again recently, and thought it was much better the second time around. Nash's directing is strong and keeps us in suspense, while the script flows naturally. David Roberts sells the part perfectly.

The Celebration (Thomas Vinterberg,1998) (second viewing)



Still devastating to watch to this day. Terrific, authentic performances, lively cinematography and editing, and amazing direction. It's scene after scene of reveal and uneasiness.

I'm not sure what else there is to say about this masterful film, but it's a must see.

Ok

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Robin Hood (Ridley Scott,2010)



Meh. Not exactly the epic that I wanted, but it was passable. But that's what might just be what the problem was: it's just average. Aside from some nice visuals and acting here and there, it's just not much of anything at all. Much of the story seems unbalanced, and the pacing is sort of sluggish. Scott seemed far too focused on the visuals, and ultimately chose them over the characters and story.

Ride with the Devil (Ang Lee,1999)



Certainly one of my favorites of Lee's. In a quiet, contemplative way, the film works very well. It's amazingly well shot in a simple, understated way (like the themes and film itself). Good acting and a very well-written script that had some terrific dialogue.

Keep them coming Jus

A Ridley Scott film that's just average or passable? I don't believe it... Oh, wait, yes I do.

I really liked Ride With The Devil though. I have that on VHS somewhere.

Farewell Falkenberg (Jesper Ganslandt,2006)



A beautiful, poetic vision of a small town in Sweden. It's often meandering, but it never bores. We learn a lot from these individuals as they move through their days with nothing to do, until disaster strikes and it's as shocking as it is unpredictable. It's difficult to not feel for these people who have nothing going on in their lives, and nothing in the foreseeable future. Wonderfully scored and nice, understated acting.

Daddy Longlegs (Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie,2009)



A very solid film, but is even better on reflection. Each character feels very real and completely unlike any stereotype that we might try to pigeonhole them into. Obviously channeling Cassavetes to a great extent, the film is handled nicely as a very interesting, complex character study that deals in awkward moments, and occasionally the surreal. Though the film does have a few setbacks here and there, they will likely fade from memory as the credits roll. There is a simplicity to the film that's hard to accomplish, but at the same time, there is a lot going on in the film -- which is difficult not to admire.

Antichrist (Lars von Trier,2009) (second viewing)



Thought I'd give it a second viewing, and I'm glad I did. There is a lot of heavy symbolism, and terrifying visuals that kept me engaged all throughout the film. On the first viewing, I dismissed the grisly violence towards the end as pure shock tactics, but that might be selling it a little short. Part of that might be true, but Antichrist does have a point to the violence, which all leads to the thematic elements. It isn't perfect, though, and the film does suffer slightly from weak dialogue and clumsy moments in the script. Aside from that, it's terrifying to watch, and carries a lot of weight.

Looking for Eric (Ken Loach,2009)



Despite the excellent directing by Loach, I couldn't help but notice the flaws. It's mostly the script the hurts the film so much, which is unbalanced and shifts tone too rapidly. For most of the film, the focus is on Eric and his evolution into a person that he would like to become, but then it abruptly transitions into a social drama -- which seems completely out of character for the film. Loach does express a lot of sympathy towards Eric, and there are plenty of hilarious scenes, but the script takes away a lot of the impact by being too scattered.