lssking

I'm watching this movie right now and trying to pace myself through my Sunday whiskey-and-sodas. This film is so slow and boring; much of it is devoted to panning through the faces and dialogue of angst-ridden characters in a desolate 22nd century landscape (or whatever sad future era this is). The rest is nonsensical. The characters are pretty flat and the little plot is setup for future blockbuster sequels. We all get that the future of mankind is bleak. This has been covered by thousands of books and movies before this one, with no sign of slowing. I'm just glad I won't be around for 22nd century cinema, if this is the type of film that gets an 80+% rating on spoiled potatoes.

I saw Maleficent with my mom and we loved it. We're both huge fans of Angelina Jolie. Aside from all the challenging duties of her personal life, Ms. Jolie always brings her mega life force to her screen roles. In Maleficient, she's fully aware that she's playing for children but her role isn't a cutesy one. She's a larger-than-life figure who feels the most human emotions and experiences - hope; self-awareness; betrayal; tragedy; conflict; love found, lost and rediscovered - and she plays it all with great drama and intensity. All the actors do an excellent job in their roles and the visual effects and music are typical Disney first class. I'm as anti-corporate as anyone, but I have to give Disney props for always providing great entertainment with a promising message.

True Detective is sublime television programming. If you are at all entertained by crime drama, murder mystery, film noir or Southern Gothic, you will likely be mesmerized by this show. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson just slam-dunk their roles as reluctant partners on an increasingly winding case in Louisiana. The crime aspects are as disturbing as the real-life atrocities they mirror. And homicide investigations can only ever tear open whatever wounds their pursuers are nursing. You get to follow their home lives, hear personal histories, witness the social underbelly they trudge through and the office politics they have to maneuver. There's comic relief in their banter, deep philosophical introspection and plenty of suspense and action as they risk their lives to get the bad guy. It's content that's familiar to the fan viewer but delivered with powerhouse acting, vivid local color and stirring music that pulls the viewer all the way in. I post few rave reviews because the professionals do it better, but I just had to help spread the word on this one. It's a single-season case so there's no reason to miss out this year or any other. The writer and director might be new to television but what amazing talents; I sincerely hope to see more from them. I rooted for the true detectives with every precarious step, and did not walk away emotionally unaffected. This one stayed with me.

I tried following this show because like most HBO programs, it does not dumb down for the audience. I agree with everyone who says the situations effectively caricature the massive egotism and narcissism that is American politics. Julia Louis-Dreyfus needs to be a television fixture because she just nails comedic timing and facial gestures. The dialogue is super sharp. My problem with this show is that there is just too much of it. Lines just fly around relentlessly like bullets in an action film, and it really grates on me after about ten minutes. The characters just seem to never shut up to take a breath of oxygen. Also the younger characters are always portrayed as the most irritating intern types. In fact, most of the cast portray annoying and smarmy types except for the constantly exasperated title character.

I mainly watch GOT because I like Peter Dinklage - he's clearly brilliant. The show is very well-produced but it does drag. I always multi-task while watching because the plot is repetitive. There are also numerous two-dimensional characters where you just chuckle when they get decapitated or hump each other or whatever. A lot of the actors carry flat, wooden faces throughout their entire on screen existence (including the girl with the dragons). Having posted that, the dragons are indeed cool. So I guess I'm just another fantasy nerd like everyone else who watches this show. Game of Thrones is not 100% compelling and it's hard to believe anyone would watch an episode more than once, unless for clarification

This movie is definitely for lovers of ghost stories who appreciate an ambient setting and dark atmosphere as much as visual scares. I saw it in the cinema to great effect, as these qualities were amplified. And there certainly are chilling moments that come out of the sustained tension in the movie. But my favorite aspect was watching Daniel Radcliffe. He has a strong screen presence that, along with his character's backstory, adds a lot of feeling to the story. And he's got such a gorgeous, sensitive face and voice, I personally was kept enthralled until the closing credits. Hope to see him in more feature films.

I try not to box independent films into single genres, and in this case that helped me enjoy the movie more as it unfolded. I happen to like movies that employ psychological drama, though others might consider it a ploy, because it's really the mind that defines so much of experience. But there is a mystery/thriller element here, too. The two main actors gave strong performances and the drama felt authentic. Having spent most of my life in the Northeast, I was reminded of the tough, dry exterior that men of that region often project, that belie what they might be going through inside. I was able to feel the protagonist's struggle even though the film does not enter into sentimental territory.

I appreciate natural dialogue and personal interactions captured on film, as this one succeeds in. There aren't the contrivances you see in most Hollywood romances. The lead characters do have chemistry, and it's realistically tentative rather than the lightning-bolt kind. But I just didn't find the them interesting enough to recommend this movie. The viewer isn't really given enough background to form a strong feeling for the male protagonist, just shown that he's in a very precarious situation. And the female character has a strong SoCal intonation and does that thing with the breathless laugh mid-sentence. I just couldn't get invested.

This movie has all the elements of a slow burn done the right way: 1. Protagonist you can care about: Jocelin Donahue was very convincing as a broke college student who's smart but wants to believe in the job that's too good to be true. I was rooting for her and that drew me into the storyline. 2. Atmosphere: The 80's college campus environment is so well recreated that I found myself even more emotionally committed to the story. 3. Suspense: It's unfortunate how many movies cannot pull this off due to predictable ploys. But this one did. Yes it's a slow burn but a very effective one, thanks to points 1& 2 and the fact that the tension is evenly meted out. Great casting of the antagonists and the set design contributed also. 4. Climax payoff: If a horror movie has me struggling to sleep at night, in some ironic way I got my payoff and I'm satisfied. This one fit the bill. So I hope to see more from Ti West as his segment in V/H/S was also really good.