lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
This is exactly what I'd say. Still a very big step down from the great character work in the original 2 films.
Movie Reviews (20)14: Modern Times Edition
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This is exactly what I'd say. Still a very big step down from the great character work in the original 2 films.
prbiker15
Blue Crack Addict
Watched Godzilla last night, would probably give it a 7. Thought it was going to focus more on Godzilla itself.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
That was my biggest gripe, didn't show much of the battle between Godzilla and the 2 MUTOs.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
I loved Godzilla. I could have used just slightly less of the charmless lead guy, but like how they used Cranston and Binoche, and the long build up to Godzilla himself we the right move. As was filming the entirety of the action from the human perspectives, since every shot of the monsters had perspective, context, composition, seemed suitably HUGE. Really one of the most intelligently shot blockbusters in decades if not necessarily perfect.
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
The Great Beauty 7.0/10: I'm a little on the fence in this one. The ending seems quite deep compared to what came before it so my dislike of the movie moved more towards a like at the end because a point of view finally emerged. The photography was outstanding.
Oh and this movie has some of the most ugly "beautiful" women I've seen in a long time.
By the end the character finds there's very little beauty in the world but ultimately it's a magic trick (like the disappearing giraffe) so he just goes along with it. I'm not quite sure if that's enough to create motivation for writing a new book but it might be in a manipulative/cynical dare I say Machiavellian motivation.
Oh and this movie has some of the most ugly "beautiful" women I've seen in a long time.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
What did you dislike about it though? Besides the ugly women
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purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
It was meandering and seemed that the photography was more important than the story. Then there's the fact that I have no desire to watch it again, which happens with some movies I really like (especially Fincher).
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Fiennes absolutely killed it in this. There were so many expectations of Anderson-ness in this film, for me. I think you all know what I mean by that. But this felt like a very natural film of his, not pushed into ticking the boxes of what one expects from Wes Anderson's work. Part of that, though, was that, yes, you could actually really love Fiennes character with almost no qualms. He's been a favorite actor of mine for quite some time, but even I was impressed with his turn here.
Anyways, I need to watch it again, as soon as possible, because there were some issues with the version I was watching, but it may be knocking on the door as far as top Anderson.
9/10
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Yeah, I haven't really loved a Wes Anderson film since Tenenbaums, but Budapest changed that. Absolutely wonderful film. I think the tight plotting and upbeat pace worked extremely well, yet Anderson's fingerprints are all over this. I'm not what one would call a fan (Life Aquatic and Darjeeling Limited have always left me cold), but when it's all clicking, he's capable of brilliance.
Obviously Finnes shone brightly, but the amount of GIF potential in Dafoe's performance is astonishing.
As far as it being top Anderson, it's definitely up there for me:
1. Rushmore
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Moonrise Kingdom
6. Bottle Rocket
7. The Life Aquatic
8. The Darjeeling Limited
Obviously Finnes shone brightly, but the amount of GIF potential in Dafoe's performance is astonishing.
As far as it being top Anderson, it's definitely up there for me:
1. Rushmore
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Moonrise Kingdom
6. Bottle Rocket
7. The Life Aquatic
8. The Darjeeling Limited
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bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Yes, let us not forget Dafoe...my God...when he had that damn cat, I think I about died.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
The distant shot of him dressed as a priest was essential.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I preferred Moonrise, which had a bit more heart to me.
Budapest was hilarious and a lot of fun, but I didn't really care about anyone aside from Fiennes' character. And considering
Budapest was hilarious and a lot of fun, but I didn't really care about anyone aside from Fiennes' character. And considering
Saoirse Ronan met this tragic death, it should have had a much greater emotional impact.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Moonrise felt very safe to me after a legitimate directorial leap like Fantastic Mr. Fox. The stakes are extremely low and there are few surprises. By far the most subversive and memorable aspect of the film was the underage romance, which I give Anderson a lot of credit for. I agree though, it was cute and had a lot of heart, and I greatly enjoyed watching it. I just found there to be a great deal more ambition and narrative creativity in Budapest.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Uhh, you mean the main plot line? Seems weird to refer to that as simply an "aspect".
I felt the surrogate father stuff with the kid and Willis was great too.
You're right, it's not a very ambitious/daring film, but stack it up against any other film about a young teen/first love type of subject matter and it stands mighty tall.
That's not counting the good portion of laughs provided by the camp scenes, and if you're looking for something daring, that lightning-silhouette animated scene on the rooftop of the church was pretty damned cool.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
The sexual tension in the film only surfaced once in a while, but when it did, it was quite disarming. Obviously, yes, it is fundamentally a romance.
I'm too lazy to look, was Budapest Fiennes' first Anderson film? If so, that was a terrific debut and I welcome him to the fold. He fits really well into the Anderson universe.
I'm too lazy to look, was Budapest Fiennes' first Anderson film? If so, that was a terrific debut and I welcome him to the fold. He fits really well into the Anderson universe.
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bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
I keep thinking that wasn't a very Fiennes-like performance at all, but when I really think about it, he did do his basic prim-proper British guy thing, but the way he was directed, and the events surrounding him were really just perfect.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Yes this was his first time with Anderson.
I'm not sure I'd call it typical Fiennes, as despite the classy exterior he's not often called upon to be so manic and fast-talking. For a while he had a reputation for coming off a bit too dry and cold. The only other time that I've seen his comedic talents put to such good use was In Bruges.
I'm not sure I'd call it typical Fiennes, as despite the classy exterior he's not often called upon to be so manic and fast-talking. For a while he had a reputation for coming off a bit too dry and cold. The only other time that I've seen his comedic talents put to such good use was In Bruges.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
In Bruges is the Least typical thing he's ever done. Easily. But basically I agree with what you're saying. What I meant was that, even with the fast talk, he was still himself...but...uh...different.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Darjeeling is so desperately undervalued *sigh*
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I like it a lot. Would definitely put it above The Life Aquatic, maybe Budapest as well.
deep
Blue Crack Addict
I like it pretty much, then when The Kinks kick in, it completely destroys me.
(in a good way)
(in a good way)
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Fucking hell, the Lego Movie. Good shit. It was solid until it went meta and then I fell in love. There's even some solid replay value in there thanks to the "twist."
Alison Brie as Unikitty
Alison Brie as Unikitty
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bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
The Lego Movie - My expectations were low when I heard about this, but with the positive reviews, I allowed myself to have small expectations. I never in my wildest dreams expected to love the movie this much, though. It hit on every single thing I wanted to see in a movie about legos:
What I did not expect was how much it would rise to the occasion of being both a great film for children and adults. Once you see it and you get to that "twist", you realize there's actually a bit of a dark understory to the whole thing, and with that in mind,
Anyways. Loved it. This is like what I wanted Wreck-It Ralph to be, except with basically zero draw-backs.
9/10
Star Wars legos, Crazy lego sculptors, I was even hoping for some Duplos to show up, so the last moment of the film was absolutely fantastic.
What I did not expect was how much it would rise to the occasion of being both a great film for children and adults. Once you see it and you get to that "twist", you realize there's actually a bit of a dark understory to the whole thing, and with that in mind,
it really does end up focusing a surprisingly great deal on the sacrifices that a parent has to make for their child. Not exactly what you would expect, going in, I would think.
9/10
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Fucking depressing as hell, but a beautiful watch, all the same. Really wish someone would just make the damn movie already. Like he said, just animate it. They did a heck of a job just animating the concept art for this piece and I'm sure they didn't put in that much effort.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
So is "Everything is Awesome" stuck in your head?
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
god damn that song
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I loved how he said he would have no problem with someone else making the film from his blueprint. It seems he truly has been able to let it go and just wants to pass along the wisdom and the creative inspiration now.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Everything is cool when you're part of a team.
See, I went in assuming the opposite, so I watched a lot of the film frustrated that with such a detailed blueprint, no one was making the film, even today, assuming that Jodorowsky was putting the stop to it. Seeing that he wants it made, I'm shocked it hasn't been. Except maybe he is putting a hold on it, cause he seemed insistent that it happen after he die.
I'm usually a bit skeptical when people claim influence from a single material shaped the course of history in a single genre, but I did absolutely love the Montage of clips that seemed to be pulled rifht from the book, just as an aside.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Jodorowsky is such an inspirational guy. I believe his rah-rah speeches on set must have been good because his "fuck failure, just BE CREATIVE" rant at the end of the movie was powerful stuff, especially considering all he had been through.
The one thing I didn't care for was that the film framed Jodorowsky as a victim when, in fact, he was given a series of demands and criteria in order to have the film made that he chose not to fulfill. I mean, come on, no studio in its right mind would have spent $15 million on a 14 hour movie in 1975 (today, he could pitch it as a miniseries to HBO, Netflix, etc.) I really don't blame him though, he was in it too deep at that point to radically alter his vision.
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