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craigbeaton1970
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The Trick (2021)
Average but the bad reviews are written by climate deniers
Anyone with half a brain can do 5 mins research and you will see that the Professor and his science was ultimately proven correct.
He did not manipulate his data and he did not get exposed.
Those who say otherwise exist in an alternate reality.
Do your own fact check before believing the denier brigade.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Bad History, Perhaps. But Great Entertainment!
Don't be put off by those who seem to be very upset by all the Black actors playing 'real' historical figures with none of the 'historical accuracy'. There is much going for this film if you see it as a story with interesting characters engaged in interesting situations. Like all good Westerns should be.
High Noon, Gunfight at the OK Corral, Tombstone, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp, Young Guns, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Jeremiah Johnson, The Revenant... were they 'historically accurate'? Of course not.
All Westerns play fast and loose with historical fact. Yet this one is being criticised very carefully. Let's call that what it is: racism camouflaged by film criticism. Nothing more.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Big budget, little disappointing
Binged watched over 2 evenings. It held my attention up to a point, but there didn't seem any need to pause this when heading off to make a cup of tea.
Big production values and clearly a big effort was made with this but it really isn't anything new. Krasinski is excellent in most roles I've seen him in, he he does well here, but the material lets him down; in 13hrs: The Secret Soldiers of Bengazi, he really sold the role of the CIA contractor in what was a really tense and dramatic film.
This clearly has a much bigger budget than the recent CIA drama series, Condor, but I'm not really sure if it was any better. And it didn't come close to the excellent The Looming Tower.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Sheer Class. Ben Stiller: you sir, are a very fine actor and director. Good job.
This is one of the best films of 2013. It is deserving of a 10 simply because I can't give it a 9.5 on here. It's a big budget Hollywood effort with an Indie-movie heart and Art-house touch. It has everything. I very nearly avoided this movie because of previously negative reviews and some bad press. I am so glad I didn't.
I began watching with low expectation and having made assumptions about what I was about to see from Ben Stiller. How wrong was I? 30 minutes in I turned around to my 11 year old son who was watching with me and said to him that this was a really cool movie. He agreed. It was a brilliant scene where Walter shared his skateboarding skills with young Richard. It was a short scene but so powerfully done and the timing of the edits was absolutely perfect. When you watch it, you will know what I mean. It conveyed Walter's humanity perfectly.
From this point onward, for me, the film's quality began to really emerge. Slowly at first, and then it begins to accelerate as we travel with Walter to Greenland, Iceland and Afghanistan. Beautifully shot, amazing colours, and a stunning soundtrack make this film a truly wonderful viewing experience. It has moments of silly humour, touching humour, tenderness and moments that make you think deeply about what makes us tick.
There is some outstanding cinematography: Walter skateboarding down the main route to Iceland's Seyðisfjörður through Fjarðarheiði heath is breath-taking in its brilliance and the soccer match in which Walter and Sean (Penn) kick a ball with local Afghanis until the sun slips slowly below the horizon are stand-outs.
Ben Stiller's most understated and best performance to date. Sean Penn's few minutes of screen time confirms he is not only a fine actor but that he can find the finest subtle comedy when he needs to without foregoing drama we know him for. Shirely MacLaine was the perfect mum character and Kirsten Wiig is genuinely sincere as Walter's new friend. Adam Scott even does his bit when he realises it is he and not Walter who is the 'loser' in life.
Watch this film. It won't be what you might expect, but it will take you on a wonderful journey, a truly wonderful journey whose destination will leave you very satisfied indeed.
Black Swan (2010)
Nice Images but Never Takes Full Flight
I get it. I really do. Beautifully filmed and imagined, with excellent performances from Portman and Cassel, with the latter continuing to build on an impressive series of character roles. I get the duality, the struggle with one's-self, the domineering mother and even the psycho-sexual elements. But. And there are so many buts when thinking about this film. It was predictable, it was uninspired, it was clichéd.
The visuals, the score, the direction ooze considerable quality - yet are let down badly - by a poor and clichéd script. The scene where Nina's mother said, "The career I gave up to have you!" (it should have been me) had me wincing then chuckling; and the ageing Beth taking a swipe at the up and coming Nina by screaming "Whore!" (and worse!) had me rolling my eyes; and the final insult to our intelligence comes at the end when Cassel does indeed call Nina his "princess" (as predicted by Lily), had me checking to see if I was watching something on the True Movies channel. It even forced the stereotype of the 'diet stressed dancer' – in the scene where her mother buys a cake to celebrate her becoming the Swan Queen we hear Nina say that its too big a piece her mother has just cut - when of course it isn't. I could go on but I won't. A very poor effort indeed.
And it wasn't a new story. I felt as if I had seen it all before, in several different films and in several different genres. The end was predictable - the first 20 minutes of the film saw to that.
This film was 'clever' in many ways, but it was disappointing in many more. I am a big fan of the director, and appreciate all his technical cleverness and his interpretation. This is the type of film where the audience will either love it and consider it incredible, or see past the lovely images and ideas, and be unmoved by it. I am one of the latter.