Another month has come and gone and again I have watched too many movies to dedicate myself to individual blog posts. What are you in the mood for? Aristocratic melodrama? Existential science fiction? Murderous clowns? I’ve got you covered.
Ad Astra: As soon as I left the theater, I texted a bunch of people that Brad Pitt should get an Oscar for crying. This is a good movie, but Pitt’s performance is what truly elevates it and serves as a reminder of why the man is a movie star. He plays an astronaut, Major Roy McBride, in the somewhat near future, a time when we have developed space technology sufficiently that we have colonised the Moon and Mars, and continue to search the solar system for signs of extraterrestrial life. When a series of power surges start to wreak havoc on humanity, Roy is tasked with tracking down his father, a man who disappeared on a mission to explore the outer bounds of the solar system, and who is now suspected of causing these new troubles.
This is an original screenplay by writer-director James Gray; I’ve been watching a lot of adaptations and sequels lately, so it was novel to see something based on completely fresh material. The story has its predictable moments, but there are many sequences laced with suspense and tension where you genuinely don’t know what to expect. The visual effects are absolutely stunning and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema thoroughly succeeds in capturing both the vastness and claustrophobia of being out in space. It also helps that the film is scored by Max Richter, a man who always knows how to deploy cinematic music to scintillating effect.
Towards the end, Ad Astra turns into a philosophical treatise on the purpose of humanity and what drives us forward everyday. Someone told me they thought this was an art movie disguised as a popcorn flick. I felt more like it was a popcorn flick trying to be an art movie. It’s slick and propulsive, meanders a bit towards the end, but overall, it is a fresh and thought-provoking tale. I love space movies, I love Brad Pitt, and this is a movie about Brad Pitt in space. Sold. He has to carry this film, since most of the time he’s just alone in space trying not to go crazy, and he is more than up to the task. And again, when his eye starts twitching as a tear rolls down? Just give the man a damn Oscar.
Downton Abbey: This movie is sublimely ridiculous and ridiculously sublime. It’s lip service to the fans of the TV show and delivers spectacularly. Every single character you love puts in an appearance and gets to behave exactly like they did for years on the show. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) is a completely nut job, Maggie Smith delivers numerous witheringly sarcastic one-liners as the Dowager Countess, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) bosses people around and continues her weirdly frosty relationship with her sister, Edith (Laura Carmichael), who gets to be a bit less of a sad sack this time around, presumably as a reward for the years of misery Edith endured on TV. And there's so much more, including numerous romantic interludes, a new family member, a thief, a shady soldier, a hot plumber, an irate French chef, and lest we forget, a Royal visit.
It’s an utterly unnecessary movie and perfect for our time. With the UK about to collapse due to Brexit, and the rest of the world not faring much better, what more do we all want than to transport ourselves to 1927 and follow the travails of a wealthy family? Who will polish the silver, will the staff get to serve the King and Queen, will Lord Grantham reconcile with Cousin Maud? This is the stuff that we wish was keeping us up at night. The ending of the movie reflects just how much trouble Julian Fellowes (the creator of the show and writer of this movie) had letting go, as characters kept getting to say one more thing or execute one last flourish. It’s a whole season’s worth of melodrama packed into two rollicking hours, and from start to finish, I was thoroughly ecstatic to be back at Downton.
It Chapter Two: Back in 2017, I really enjoyed the first chapter of this franchise. It was part horror, part 80's kids movie, and it managed to strike a perfect balance that hit the sweet spot. Unfortunately, Chapter Two loses some of that magic. The kids are grown up, and though they have turned into an impressive cast, including the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, the story is much more focused on the horror, and it gets repetitive real fast. Also, this movie is THREE HOURS LONG. When I came home, I looked up how long the original novel was - 1138 pages, now it all makes sense. The majority of the film merely consists of each character going off to have their own encounter with Pennywise the clown (Bill Skarsgard, who is as fabulously weird and terrifying as ever) and face their fears, much like the students of Hogwarts trying to learn how to deal with a Boggart.
In the theater, on one side of me I had my friend Laura, who hates scary movies, and on the other side I had a young boy who had snuck in with his group of middle school friends in a showy display of bravado but was rapidly regretting that choice and often had to walk out of the theater for a deep breath given that he was getting too scared. And yet, by the end of the film, even these two people were sitting there quietly, no longer terrified by the jump scares and just desperately wishing for the movie to end. Ultimately, this movie had a great cast, but was far too precious about its plot, and I’m glad there won’t be a Chapter Three. There’s only so much clown torture a body can stand.
Ad Astra: As soon as I left the theater, I texted a bunch of people that Brad Pitt should get an Oscar for crying. This is a good movie, but Pitt’s performance is what truly elevates it and serves as a reminder of why the man is a movie star. He plays an astronaut, Major Roy McBride, in the somewhat near future, a time when we have developed space technology sufficiently that we have colonised the Moon and Mars, and continue to search the solar system for signs of extraterrestrial life. When a series of power surges start to wreak havoc on humanity, Roy is tasked with tracking down his father, a man who disappeared on a mission to explore the outer bounds of the solar system, and who is now suspected of causing these new troubles.This is an original screenplay by writer-director James Gray; I’ve been watching a lot of adaptations and sequels lately, so it was novel to see something based on completely fresh material. The story has its predictable moments, but there are many sequences laced with suspense and tension where you genuinely don’t know what to expect. The visual effects are absolutely stunning and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema thoroughly succeeds in capturing both the vastness and claustrophobia of being out in space. It also helps that the film is scored by Max Richter, a man who always knows how to deploy cinematic music to scintillating effect.
Towards the end, Ad Astra turns into a philosophical treatise on the purpose of humanity and what drives us forward everyday. Someone told me they thought this was an art movie disguised as a popcorn flick. I felt more like it was a popcorn flick trying to be an art movie. It’s slick and propulsive, meanders a bit towards the end, but overall, it is a fresh and thought-provoking tale. I love space movies, I love Brad Pitt, and this is a movie about Brad Pitt in space. Sold. He has to carry this film, since most of the time he’s just alone in space trying not to go crazy, and he is more than up to the task. And again, when his eye starts twitching as a tear rolls down? Just give the man a damn Oscar.
It’s an utterly unnecessary movie and perfect for our time. With the UK about to collapse due to Brexit, and the rest of the world not faring much better, what more do we all want than to transport ourselves to 1927 and follow the travails of a wealthy family? Who will polish the silver, will the staff get to serve the King and Queen, will Lord Grantham reconcile with Cousin Maud? This is the stuff that we wish was keeping us up at night. The ending of the movie reflects just how much trouble Julian Fellowes (the creator of the show and writer of this movie) had letting go, as characters kept getting to say one more thing or execute one last flourish. It’s a whole season’s worth of melodrama packed into two rollicking hours, and from start to finish, I was thoroughly ecstatic to be back at Downton.
It Chapter Two: Back in 2017, I really enjoyed the first chapter of this franchise. It was part horror, part 80's kids movie, and it managed to strike a perfect balance that hit the sweet spot. Unfortunately, Chapter Two loses some of that magic. The kids are grown up, and though they have turned into an impressive cast, including the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, the story is much more focused on the horror, and it gets repetitive real fast. Also, this movie is THREE HOURS LONG. When I came home, I looked up how long the original novel was - 1138 pages, now it all makes sense. The majority of the film merely consists of each character going off to have their own encounter with Pennywise the clown (Bill Skarsgard, who is as fabulously weird and terrifying as ever) and face their fears, much like the students of Hogwarts trying to learn how to deal with a Boggart.In the theater, on one side of me I had my friend Laura, who hates scary movies, and on the other side I had a young boy who had snuck in with his group of middle school friends in a showy display of bravado but was rapidly regretting that choice and often had to walk out of the theater for a deep breath given that he was getting too scared. And yet, by the end of the film, even these two people were sitting there quietly, no longer terrified by the jump scares and just desperately wishing for the movie to end. Ultimately, this movie had a great cast, but was far too precious about its plot, and I’m glad there won’t be a Chapter Three. There’s only so much clown torture a body can stand.
No comments:
Post a Comment