MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews

Hey MM, I have a question since I've never seen a movie in IMAX 3D before. During the film, does the aspect ratio of the screen change from scene to scene? For example, during shots that were filmed with an IMAX camera (which I'm not sure was the case with this movie), does the aspect ratio appear different when compared with scenes not filmed with an IMAX camera? I'm just a little confused because I heard that the screen size changes throughout the film, depending on which scenes are shot with a particular camera.

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I think scenes change in aspect ratio if filmed in IMAX, but I honestly don't think it's too noticable or takes away from the experience. Especially because the screen is so big you won't really notice.

But I don't think 'Everest' had any IMAX scenes and if it had I definitely didn't notice any changes.

Thanks for the clarification. This will be my first time watching a movie in an IMAX theatre. I always hear about how amazing the movies in IMAX are, so I thought it's time I see what it's all about.

Thanks for the Everest review MM. I did think about going to watch it but don't think I'll bother now. Touching The Void will forever be the best mountaineering film in my opinion

It isn't the best movie experience I've had with the format, but if you are going to see Everest you might as well see it in the IMAX format. It isn't a non stop action flick, but the intense mountain scenes are great absorbing experiences on that big tall screen.

My favorite IMAX experience is probably Jurassic World. As a huge fan of the franchise and the first being part of my childhood, it was like being inside the park and up close with the dinosaurs! My least favorite was M:I - Rogue Nation. It seemed like something was wrong with the copy. It was poor quality with focus issues and red and green outlines.

The visuals and sound were fantastic. I also liked the steady build up to the inevitable disaster. I just didn't find myself caring much for any of the characters. Other than a name and face, I found it quite difficult to actually remember who was who outside of a few characters who the movie decided to try and focus on. I felt it tried to push a heavy emotional feel but I simply didn't feel the pain and suffering that the characters were feeling. I wish some more time was spent trying to create a connection between the characters and audience. Especially Gyllenhaal's character, who I thought had so much potential.

If you read my review this was basically my complains as well.

Hope you enjoyed the IMAX experience, since the sounds and visuals were pretty much perfect for it.

Yeah I did read it, and most of it is pretty spot on.

Thank you so much, Fabulous, that means a whole lot to me. It was a major review, so it's extremely admirable that you read it all. My reviews in this thread are supposed to both sell the movie and review it, since that's how they are on the danish website I review for, so that sometimes stops me for going all in. I do think this was decent entertainment though and a pretty fun time.

Glad you liked my review!

I try to read most reviews on this site. It helps give me a feel for what different people seem to enjoy and I often use it to give me suggestions of movies to watch.

Keep writing them, and I'll keep reading them.

Wow great reviews! HUGE REP for gone girl, birdman, jurassic world and fast and furious 7.

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"Mountainously" good review of Everest, MM.

You make me feel like I've already seen the film. Not because of spoilers, but because the movie you described sounds so generic and familiar. The closest IMAX theater is over an hour away from me, so if I'm going to make the drive and fork over the extra change for the inflated ticket price, the movie has to be a must-see experience like Gravity. It's a shame to hear that such a talented cast goes to waste. Like you, I think "based on a true story" is often more of a hindrance than anything. I'd rather filmmakers have full creative license to do whatever they want with a story instead of trying to adhere to the true story or worrying about offending the real-life counterparts. "Based on a true story" usually just means "this film takes no risks." It's also a shame to hear that the film takes so long to get to the good stuff. If the characterization is weak, it'd be best if the film put all its focus and technical wizardry into being a roller-coaster like Gravity instead of trying to make viewers care about a bunch of poorly-developed, cliche-ridden characters. I like man vs. nature stories, so I'll probably rent Everest somewhere down the line. I'm sure its weaknesses will be even more apparent in my living room than on a giant IMAX screen.

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I agree with everything you agree about, obviously, and the expanded points you make.

No really, I'm tired I should sleep, but I just now saw you replied in here and I can't leave the Captain hanging now can I? Everest is definitely not the kind of experience Gravity was (and still is in my opinion if you watch it at home in 3D on a fairly big screen and with surround sound), and I wouldn't say it's worth driving 1 hour to see it in IMAX. It's the best way to experience to movie I'm sure, but when it's only like a "saving device" then yeah, I don't recommend it.

I also agree about all you say about "based on true story movies". I just watched Black Mass, which also seemed to play it way too safe. A shame.

Thank you so much, Spaulding, I'm always glad to see you in my threads.

The Story
'Black Mass' dives down into the darkness of James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) and his glory days as a gang leader, when he was already a very familiar and feared name in the lawless underworld and the lawful upper hand. The FBI is certainly not a typical connection to have when your close circle of friends can be counted on one hand, while holding a gun in the other, but despite this fact he arrives at a business agreement with John Connolly (Joel Edgerton); an acquaintance of the Bulger family, who now works for the FBI. But Connolly isn’t immensely interested in Bulger and his gang, but instead intends to use their irreplaceable insight into the wrongful world of criminality, to capture and arrest the Angiulo brothers, which also happens to be in favor of Bulger and his dying wish to become a living legend and ultimately a terrible threat to everyone in and around the city. But Connolly's "cooperation" with Bulger appears to be an arduous affair, in which the advantage generally goes to the criminal side of things, and Connolly becomes increasingly irritated on his path to success. And before long, Bulger has basically left a filthy and familiar mark on everything he touches, both within the criminal underworld and around cash-heavy communities, where he buys and blackmails his way into a universal upper class standard. But his target to reach the very peak of the criminal food chain is no easy task; so the question remains on how long James "Whitey" Bulger can survive outside the long arm of the law, which is slowly but surely moving closer and closer to his several deadly sins.

Director Scott Cooper often lures respected stars with him into his gloomy universes and 'Black Mass' is certainly no exception. With a cast made up of some of Hollywood's most familiar faces, which, by the way, you would easily be able to identify in a police lineup, it wouldn’t be unthinkable to anticipate a certain kind of quality. But if you look to the left from all the colorful acting and instead direct your gaze towards the mundane story and manic-depressive mood of the film, both of these are sadly dull attempts to deliver another lackluster crime drama without an edge. Scott Cooper directed the star-studded 'Out of the Furnace' two years earlier, which is also a film that is characterized by a callous and colorless atmosphere, where the drama is covered in shadows, with a yellowish glow and an extreme approach to violence. To use two very different examples, movies like 'GoodFellas' and 'Drive' have proved how you can easily paint a graphic picture in the form of elegant brush strokes. 'Black Mass' slays people left and right without you ever getting the feeling of empathy or understanding. One can say that this impersonal picture of violence fits well with the gangster world of menacing morality, but it is not so much the ideology behind the façade, but more the façade itself that is limping behind.

When a film is buried in death and darkness, it is often an advantage if the story can drag the audience unwillingly into the skin of these characters and create a captivating story that can burn itself into your memory – instead of simply surrendering to cold-blooded violence and not much else. 'Black Mass' definitely has some interesting characters played by a competent collection of actors and actresses, but it is as if they never really come fearlessly forward in the story. As I said, the guilt partly lies with a very gloomy and dim atmosphere that upholds the characters in the shadows and keeps the drama from breaking through the surface; also, it is a very fragmented narrative in which an otherwise simple and straightforward story never spend enough time with each of its characters. This can especially be felt, when you think about how unimportant many of the characters really are, in terms of the central story, and how uninteresting they all appear along the way – except for James "Whitey" Bulger and John Connolly, who both gets a lot more screen time, yet they still can’t capture the audience in the grand way they should. The film uses a lot of time researching and reevaluating the criminal situations they have on their hands, as well as the methods and ideas they have with their all of these projects, but it is never truly exciting or captivating to follow. The pace is very slow and the tone is very gloomy, which is a combination that certainly doesn’t support the story or assign the film with a sufficient amount of weight, which otherwise should be felt all the way into the bones.

Unfortunately, 'Black Mass' remains a shallow and subpar crime thriller with a low amount of thrills, which kind of keeps itself going due to the solid acting and the relatively solid technical efforts, which is something that will be discussed in detail later in the review. In connection to the clear emptiness, which characterizes this film, it seems like there is never anything at stake for these characters, nor does the film create life and death situations, where you sit on the edge of the seat and try to sweat the chills off of your body. Everything almost seems directed from a distance, away from the drama, where there is never delved deeply enough into things, causing the film to appear as a story with a completely straightened "curve of tension", which never moves from its base, but remains fixed inside its pitiful but passable frames of film. This results in a clouded crime drama, where the audience never feel that the film moves towards a climax or creates life-changing circumstances for any of the characters – especially because you have a crystal clear impression ​​that a particular character will soon get shot in the skull or disappear completely from the surface of the rest of the story.

For example, there is a scene with Bulger and his family, which should appear emotional and enforce the film to its own advantage, but due to lazy character development and haphazard hollowness, these scenes never seem to succeed with their dramatic purpose. The director definitely doesn’t make things any better when he shortly after leaves this dramatic event hanging like a loose plot line, which could otherwise have been used to Bulger’s advantage as an emotional driving force or as a partial explanation for his ever-growing mobocracy. But just like all the people who are left with a bullet in the forehead, the writers also look to have been shooting their brains out, when it comes to fundamental character development and plot-related progression. Besides, this is exactly the reason why we as an audience can’t and won’t bother empathizing with these characters, because really, you are never being invited inside their individual mentalities or even given enough time to understand what kind of character they are and which piece in the puzzle they play – the chances are, that they will either be left behind in the introductory phase, or abandoned as an apathetic character, who is ultimately killed in the following scene anyways.

Johnny Depp gets a lot of praise and respect for his role as the colossal crime boss, James "Whitey" Bulger, which he definitely deserves. Unfortunately, his character also suffers from the same complications as the supporting characters, including the fact that you never really get under the skin of Bulger or increase your understanding of the character and his motivations for what he does. This film is obviously no bona fide biography on Bulger or in-depth investigation of his past, but despite this, I see no reason to soar so much on the surface of it all. It is a possibility that the director wants a character with a hidden layer of deep emotions and growing problems, living under the facade of the cold stare and the intimidating accent, which will break out when you least expect it. But in the film, these elements can’t really be felt properly, which is definitely not due to a bad acting performance, but rather a poor utilization of a strong acting talent. The lack of empathy is also partially due to the constantly change of focus from the FBI to Bulger, without either one of them seems to be the central story. When combined, they only create more failures and frustrations than feats and flowing fundaments, especially because you become irritated of the fact that Johnny Depp and Joel Edgerton’s great performances do not get enough room to grow, which keeps them from finding a way into our minds and naturally progress as a constantly evolving element to the story. Johnny Depp has about two or three really strong scenes in the film, where he gets to dive deep into Bulger’s mentality and mangled way of thinking, but it is often quickly over with or left entirely to Depp's acting alone.

In the film there is a scene at a dinner table, which unfortunately is revealed in various trailers, where the cruel atmosphere is accompanied by a lively sparkle that really works, which forces the themes and characters of the film to stand in a wittier and and more playful light – a nice turnaround from the dark and dying atmosphere that otherwise characterizes the film, especially because the playful yet serious tone fits the film really well. There is even a scene with a similar approach, where Bulger teaches his son how he should handle bullying in school. Unfortunately, there are not enough of these scenes, neither the humorous or profoundly serious, leaving Bulger as a curious antagonist that doesn’t really dominate the screen on his own, but are left to Johnny Depp and his abilities to create something that is much larger and contains more layers than the script gave him beforehand. I really wanted a deeper insight into who Bulger was and how he built his reputation as the gangster boss above them all. It is understandable if the film wants to show a man operating in the shadows and only take matters into his own hands out of sheer necessity, but not even this angle seems to suit the film. When all things are considered, it is primarily a dull script that causes several features to never really function as they should, nor does anything seem to be followed through with.


The Acting
When 'Black Mass' begins to feel deadly dull or slowly becomes a bland black mass that flows out to all sides, it is great that you have characters with a criminal record like Bulger, to pull the film out of the darkness and into the limelight with Johnny Depp in the lead. The amount of amazing talent is generally plentiful in the film, but as previously mentioned, they never really raise to their full potential or is developed to an adequate degree of full-blooded criminal contemplation. James "Whitey" Bulger seems to be an interesting person, but he isn’t that interestingly presented, despite the fact that Johnny Depp drags the character out of the two-dimensional manuscript pages and down into a black body bag of renowned success. Bulger isn’t built up around great caliber – in addition to the caliber he shoots people with – but thankfully Depp delivers a contemporary comeback with this particular role. His face is fittingly hidden behind a mask of murderous modality, with bright blue eyes, decreasing hairline and a smile that is every photographer’s worst nightmare – and when you think about it; ours as well. Depp is daunting, intimidating and has a haunting discomfort about him, which stays with you long after you have left the cinema.

Bulger could easily have been even more dominant in the film, in favor of Depp's phenomenal acting abilities, but 'Black Mass' leaves a lot of open holes, which are filled with bland and boring characters that could be used better or completely removed. However, there are also people that characterizes the film and gives the story a better balance, such as Joel Edgerton in the role of John Connolly. His soft personality and the tendency to go blind to achieve his goals and prove his worth is something that works wonderfully with Edgerton’s performance. You can really feel that he is a man of sensitive nature, which suffers from a lot of pressure from the outside world, especially when it comes to his hard work and his worried wife at home. The wife is played by Julianne Nicholson, who unfortunately does little apart from uttering the usual phrases about her husband's poor working hours and pitiable work habits, without her ever entering properly into the frame. Not even Bulger’s wife appears particularly interesting, especially because she is only used half of the runtime, until she is left in the growing mass of mediocracy along other disappearing plot points. Ultimately, 'Black Mass' is a very male-dominated film, which does not have to be a direct criticism or an inappropriate disadvantage, but in this case, women are just poor and painful pieces of cardboard characters, who have so little weight and depth to their characters, that they would fall over in the wind with just a single blow.

Big stars like Benedict Cumberbatch and Kevin Bacon aren’t worth writing home about – not because their performance are necessarily poor – but because they don’t have very much to show for in terms of their character. On paper, Kevin Bacon is the head of the FBI headquarters, while Benedict Cumberbatch is state president and therefore the supreme leader of the Massachusetts State Senate. Despite this, both appear fairly average in the film and disappear in and out of the plot. Jesse Plemons is actually a really solid actor, but beyond opening and partially closing the film, he is mostly just a fly on the wall almost the entire time. Once again the criticism has to be directed towards a very confused and limp script, which tries to cover numerous people, events, locations and dates, resulting in lost opportunities for the story as a whole. If 'Black Mass' had a better and not a broader focus, the story of the film would have appeared more painless and the characters less fragmented.


The Technical Aspect
The film generally has a very subtle and subdued visual style about it, which fits well with the quiet pace of the film and the dominating gloomy atmosphere. 'Black Mass' isn’t trying to be elegant or impose a certain presentable standard, as it wouldn’t fit the themes and thoughts behind anyways. Dark crime and gangster dramas are often most comfortable with being bathed in shadows, low lighting and dying colors. The visuals are strongly build around a yellowish and mysterious atmosphere, which is something David Fincher in particular has made popular in the thriller genre, in collaboration with his usual cinematographer, Jeff Cronenweth. There are many scenes, which are being presented with a carefully controlled distance, which helps create the cold and cynical atmosphere of the film as well as enhance the gangster environment present in the story. But with this choice you also sacrifice the characters and their dramatic place in the film, although there are also some suitable close-ups and more intimidating scenes along the way. In general, though, it is a bit too routine-like and predictable in my opinion, even though it is technically well-done and fits within the story.


The Soundscape
Tom Holkenborg is a Dutch DJ and musical multi man, better known under the alias, Junkie XL, who has previously worked closely with competent composers like Hans Zimmer, while the latest and most acclaimed work of his was on 'Mad Max: Fury Road', which was released earlier this year. The soundtrack to the fourth 'Mad Max' was an energetic and violent explosion of musical aggression and madness, which also fits phenomenally with the ultra crazy and quirky universe of the film. But with 'Black Mass', it is a more gentle and elegant composer who emerges from the shadows.

With a slow and steady hand, Junkie XL delivers a chillingly well-orchestrated, precipitated insight into the darkest places of the mob life, with pitches that pierces the body like a musical death sentence. The composition provokes thoughts of mysteries, mafias and murders, while individual aural strings strangles you and makes you feel like death has already occurred. It is almost as if something unpleasant is constantly lurking below the surface, like being stalked by the Devil himself, threatening to aim for the kill at the first sign of distraction. Many of the musical nuances seem very much at home in the gangster slash gallows world, except for a few modern technological tones here and there, which perfectly fits the type of film 'Black Mass' is – well, except it isn’t that new. The feeling of familiar frames and a comfortably composed piece of classical gangster caliber is possibly the only form of criticism to notice at this point – it may have been heard before, but it is so damn great that it feels brand new.


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SHORT SUMMARY // 'Black Mass' is based on true events about a long and complex criminal affair, which unfortunately has been boiled down to a clumsy and chaotic crime drama that wants to bite off too much, causing the audience to bite their teeth together in annoyance. The story takes place in familiar territories and just like a criminal record, the script has all the usual violent and criminal characteristics that we have come to expect. This also means that 'Black Mass' rarely surprises us, but instead runs in circles with itself and its cluttered incompetent script. The film frequently switches pace and place, while the many plot lines and characters seem to be spilled all over the place, just like the brain mass that is blown out scene after scene until you get the feeling of dubious déjà vu. 'Black Mass' doesn’t quite hit its target, but nevertheless it keeps itself alive because of some great performances and a fairly solid technical approach.

Great review MM

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Thanks so much, SL! Happy for your comment too!

OMG back to back cinema reviews on movies I really enjoyed! I can't wait.

I understand why people don't like Black Mass, but I thought that it was different than most gangster films and didn't really portray it as the good life like Goodfellas, WOWS (somewhat), etc.

EDIT: Where are my manners? Great review. On the points that you liked I definitely also liked and I felt like there needed to be a better script but the performances held up.

Wow, that's a great comment, Cole. Thanks for going a little in-depth about it. And yeah, I totally understand the love for Black Mass, but for me, there it was too inconsistent and typical, but as I said I think the acting was one of the things that made it worth it and work somewhat.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sicario very much! Thanks again, Cole, for checking in and giving me your thoughts!