I'm mirroring these reviews here for the sake of archiving. If you want to follow my reviews, go to my IMDB page. They'll be posted there first instead of here. I'm also thinking of doing short reviews in video form. Stay tuned...
https://www.imdb.com/user/ur91970045/
Edit 2019-05-22: This is no longer the case (posting my reviews to my IMDB page first, that is). I will (maybe?) continuing posting my film reviews to my IMDB page, but I'm honestly not sure. We'll have to wait and see. As a result, I've removed all the references to my IMDB page from other posts on this blog, but leaving this edit here as "historical documentation".
The Hunt or Jagten (2012)
(Posted on 2nd September, 2018)
An excellent film about how collective paranoia can ruin an innocent person's life.
The Hunt or Jagten is the first film I've seen, as far as I'm aware,
that stars Mads Mikkelsen. However, after seeing this movie, I'll
absolutely be on the lookout for more work by him. He portrays the
character of Lucas in this movie so powerfully that, near the end of the
film, it was genuinely difficult for me to hold back tears - knowing
just how much pain he's gone through, both mentally and physically.
Needless to say, the plot of The Hunt is practically flawless (bar one
minor exception), with many subtle moments and use of symbolism -
particularly in regards to the concept of 'hunting'.
Of course, as great as Mads and the rest of the actors are in this movie, much of the praise has to go to Thomas Vinterberg and all the other behind-the-scenes crew in production and post-production.
In particular, the lighting in many scenes can be really impressive, creating dynamic moods for each scene - whether it be the warm glow inside the house where Lucas and his friends drink or the oppressive darkness when Lucas is at his lowest point.
I only really have two complaints with this movie: 1. The realism in certain scenes can be challenged/make you question it i.e. When he's beaten up at the supermarket after being released by the police, why didn't he call the police when he was violently thrown out? Of course, this could be just a cultural difference or barrier, but it still seemed pretty odd to me. And 2. Whilst almost every scene in the movie serves a vital purpose, there's one short scene where Lucas' son Marcus is viewing photographs of his father when he was younger by candlelight. Is the purpose of this scene to show Lucas'...happiness? His good-naturedness? I'm not sure; and it just felt extremely out-of-place.
So even though those two small issues bring the rating down a bit, this film is still phenomenal and demonstrates just how destructive 'group paranoia' can be.
Of course, as great as Mads and the rest of the actors are in this movie, much of the praise has to go to Thomas Vinterberg and all the other behind-the-scenes crew in production and post-production.
In particular, the lighting in many scenes can be really impressive, creating dynamic moods for each scene - whether it be the warm glow inside the house where Lucas and his friends drink or the oppressive darkness when Lucas is at his lowest point.
I only really have two complaints with this movie: 1. The realism in certain scenes can be challenged/make you question it i.e. When he's beaten up at the supermarket after being released by the police, why didn't he call the police when he was violently thrown out? Of course, this could be just a cultural difference or barrier, but it still seemed pretty odd to me. And 2. Whilst almost every scene in the movie serves a vital purpose, there's one short scene where Lucas' son Marcus is viewing photographs of his father when he was younger by candlelight. Is the purpose of this scene to show Lucas'...happiness? His good-naturedness? I'm not sure; and it just felt extremely out-of-place.
So even though those two small issues bring the rating down a bit, this film is still phenomenal and demonstrates just how destructive 'group paranoia' can be.
9/10
Frost/Nixon (2008)
(Posted on 2nd September, 2018)
A great battle of wits, hampered mainly by some noticeable lighting issues.
A great battle of wits, hampered mainly by some noticeable lighting issues.
Frost/Nixon is a film that really impresses upon the audience how
important the events portrayed are, as well as strangely but
compellingly humanising former President Nixon - showing just how much
of the weight of the world is (or at least, was) on his shoulders.
Overall, this film is fantastic and I had a great time watching it. However, I had a few issues with it that brought down the rating somewhat.
As stated in the title of this review, Frost/Nixon, in some scenes, has some serious lighting issues where it feels like it's way too harsh on the characters' faces - particularly, in a hotel room scene where the light feels like it's blaring through the open windows and honestly, it looks kinda ugly.
Also early on in the film, the "villainisation" of Nixon felt a bit cartoony with some musical stings coming in once or twice to let the audience know, "OOO, he's the bad guy!"; It just feels a bit too on-the-nose. Although, it has to be said that, like I said earlier, the film does make you sympathetic towards Nixon and his side later on (...or maybe just Nixon himself).
However, apart from the lighting in some scenes and the early over-the-top villainisation, Frost/Nixon is still a great film that's well acted and expertly brings to life one of the biggest landmark interview series in television history.
Overall, this film is fantastic and I had a great time watching it. However, I had a few issues with it that brought down the rating somewhat.
As stated in the title of this review, Frost/Nixon, in some scenes, has some serious lighting issues where it feels like it's way too harsh on the characters' faces - particularly, in a hotel room scene where the light feels like it's blaring through the open windows and honestly, it looks kinda ugly.
Also early on in the film, the "villainisation" of Nixon felt a bit cartoony with some musical stings coming in once or twice to let the audience know, "OOO, he's the bad guy!"; It just feels a bit too on-the-nose. Although, it has to be said that, like I said earlier, the film does make you sympathetic towards Nixon and his side later on (...or maybe just Nixon himself).
However, apart from the lighting in some scenes and the early over-the-top villainisation, Frost/Nixon is still a great film that's well acted and expertly brings to life one of the biggest landmark interview series in television history.
8/10
Barry Lyndon (1975)
(Posted on 3rd September, 2018)
A powerful dramatic epic, in every sense of the word.
A powerful dramatic epic, in every sense of the word.
Barry Lyndon, adapted from the novel by William Thackeray, is so
tremendously exceptional that it's hard to explain why in a way that
hasn't already been said several times over by many reviewers before.
Despite its incredibly long run-time, Barry Lyndon manages to keep the viewer engaged and focused on a character study that weaves the most compelling tale.
Its visuals amaze; every shot is set up so perfectly, it's stunning just to watch the shots begin to "unfold", become fully composed and "lined up", for want of a better term. In fact, pretty much everything about this movie is amazing and honed to perfection - the acting, the cinematography, the drama - even just the colours themselves are gorgeous to look at!
There's very little criticism I can find with this film - so much so that I'm struggling to find anything I can really criticise right off the top of my head. The only slight criticism I can find is that, at times, it seems the characters' accents can 'slip' out a little here and there i.e. Ryan O'Neal's Irish accent seems to come and go quite frequently.
But this isn't enough to truly diminish the film's rating at all.
A 10/10 from me doesn't mean the film is perfect - but Barry Lyndon comes unbelievably close.
Despite its incredibly long run-time, Barry Lyndon manages to keep the viewer engaged and focused on a character study that weaves the most compelling tale.
Its visuals amaze; every shot is set up so perfectly, it's stunning just to watch the shots begin to "unfold", become fully composed and "lined up", for want of a better term. In fact, pretty much everything about this movie is amazing and honed to perfection - the acting, the cinematography, the drama - even just the colours themselves are gorgeous to look at!
There's very little criticism I can find with this film - so much so that I'm struggling to find anything I can really criticise right off the top of my head. The only slight criticism I can find is that, at times, it seems the characters' accents can 'slip' out a little here and there i.e. Ryan O'Neal's Irish accent seems to come and go quite frequently.
But this isn't enough to truly diminish the film's rating at all.
A 10/10 from me doesn't mean the film is perfect - but Barry Lyndon comes unbelievably close.
10/10
Chinatown (1974)
(Posted on 3rd September, 2018)
A thrilling homage to the classic Hollywood detective noir films.
A thrilling homage to the classic Hollywood detective noir films.
- (P): Positives
- (N): Negatives
- (?): Other points/neither positive nor negative
- (P) Story is tightly plotted with great twists and turns.
- (P) Acting is superb (Jack Nicholson is a delight as always, playing the
cocksure but kind & well-meaning P.I.).
- (P) Cinematography across the board is good.
- (P) Lighting is also good or great in most scenes (with a few exceptions).
- (?) Occasionally has cliche 'detective movie moments' (Although, that
could be viewed as part of the homage to detective fiction - hence the
'?' and not the '-').
- (N) (Minor) Pacing can feel a bit iffy at times.
- (N) (Minor)
While lighting can be excellent in some scenes and good in most, a few
scenes have lighting issues e.g. a shot leading into an underexposed
office room, a nighttime car tailing scene etc.
Overall:
Whilst Chinatown occasionally has its issues, it's still an
exceptionally well-crafted homage to detective noir films as well as, in
many areas, introducing fresh (and oftentimes, disturbing and dark)
ideas of its own.
9/10
The Ghost Writer (2010)
(Posted on 5th September, 2018)A intriguing tale about a brilliant "Ghost Writer", marred by plot holes, poor pacing, confusing character actions and a bad ending.
[WARNING: SPOILERS]
- (P): Positive
- (N): Negative
- (?): Other points/neither positive or negative
- (P) Overall good cinematography with a handful of beautiful shots sprinkled in throughout.
- (P) Acting was decently well-performed.
- (P) Surprising and interesting plot-twists here and there.
- (N) Pacing felt really uneven at times.
- (N)
A number of glaring plot-holes e.g. The ghost writer's predecessor's room not
being checked/searched thoroughly/gone over with a fine tooth comb for
anything 'hidden' or smuggled away that could link Lang's decisions to
the CIA.
- (N) Some music choices were noticeably odd e.g. didn't match the mood of the scene.
- (N) Many character motivations in some scenes, particularly Ewan McGregor's character, were bizarre or didn't make sense.
- (N)
Ending was very anti-climatic and ambiguous with the ghost writer being
hit by a car off-screen, and didn't suit the movie at all.
Overall:
While The Ghost Writer has its moments, much of its 2 hour run-time is
hampered by too many issues for it to be considered a Mystery Thriller
masterpiece. Be that as it may, it's still a decently entertaining
flick.
6/10
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