nwsurfrider Reviews

Blindspotting (2018)

A Master Class in Race Relations

[9/10 · 17 February 2024]

I love this film. It's creative. It's provocative. It's very well done. The charisma of the two leads is off the charts. It will not be everyone's thing - there's a lot of symbolism, and a ton of vernacular that will turn a lot of people off. But it's one of the reasons I love it so. I didn't have to grow up in East Bay to understand the story or the characters. I particularly liked the rap intercut rap scenes, extremely poignant. This is one of very few films that truly speaks to me. I haven't screened 'The Last Black Man in San Francisco', but I've read it's fairly similar in message, the gentrification of neighborhoods. Anyways, A+ effort all-around.

To Leslie (2022)

Flawless performance from Andrea Riseborough

[8/10 · 1 February 2023]

After receiving the Oscar nom, I had to check out for myself this performance I'd been hearing about from Andrea Riseborough. Wow, she did not disappoint. As another critic mentioned, she's simply fearless in this role. The hardened facial expressions tell it all, and convey Leslie's pain in every scene. The storytelling is rather good as well, with a pivotal scene in which you're begging the character not to give in and throw it all away. It's not for everyone, as most of the film is mired in Leslie's drunken stupor, but I feel the mark of a good performance is taking us along to that uncomfortable place with them, a task which Riseborough accomplishes thoroughly.

Babylon (I) (2022)

Enjoyable, But...

[6/10 · 26 December 2022]

I really like Chazelle as a a director - he has a unique style, and is definitely savvy with the cinematography of a scene. Where he falls a little flat is telling a story. It's not that this was a bad story, just a bit of the same narrative overall we've seen before. Pack your patience for the third act - he can't leave well alone until he's sure we're bludgeoned with his love of cinema. All the way. I was getting frustrated that he could not arrive at his point, the story was getting very long in the tooth. And this coming from someone who loves film and filmmaking. The first 90 mins I thought was great.

Sing Street (2016)

So well done

[8/10 · 18 March 2022]

I love a lot of things about this film - though probably my favorite aspect is watching Colin mature and gain confidence throughout. The scene where he confronts the bully is fantastic. But I can go on and on about a lot of the different things - the music, the brother, Raphina the muse, it all leaves you feeling pretty good.

East of the Mountains (2021)

Well done

[8/10 · 28 September 2021]

Perfectly cast, Skerritt proves he has plenty in the tank to deliver a nuanced performance set against the magnificent backdrop of the Eastern Washington wilderness. Director SJ Chiro doesn't waste a frame, and keeps the delicate story moving. It really reminds me of 'Nomadland', a story in the same vain and beautifully shot cinematography. It's not everyone's thing, but I found the idea and story compelling, and really thought Skerritt was at his best that I've ever seen.

Nomadland (2020)

For those who had to depart. I'll see you down the road.

[8/10 · 20 February 2021]

Those final words onscreen perfectly encapsulate the emotion of the film. It's not for everyone; you have to put yourself in the way of Fern: losing the husband that everyone in town revered, there's no way to continue living while moving beyond the situation, except in the comfort of those in similar predicaments. The final chat with the gentleman describing losing his son brought a tear to my eye. The duality of the memory to never forget combined with only being able to move forward in life. Frances, as usual, was fantastic. And the cinematography was simply first rate.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Great cinematography, simple premise

[5/10 · 27 December 2020]

There's really not a lot to it, it's pretty singular in overall motive. There's a couple tense scenes that I thought were done well, but it seemed to be a bit of a mish mash from films that have already been produced, from 'Gravity' to 'Arctic'. I sort of kept wishing for more out of it, really.

Emily in Paris (2020– )

Mindless Fun with a Paris Backdrop

[5/10 · 11 December 2020]

A couple episodes in, it's lighthearted fun if you're not expecting much. The main character comes across as a perky, fairly clueless millennial - I know she's supposed to be the social media liaison, but the constant selfies are pretty annoying.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

Pretty Bad

[3/10 · 30 March 2020]

I like Kevin Smith as a person, and his stage shows are pretty good. That being said, this movie was pretty unnecessary - it seems as though he made it as an homage to himself. His humor in the mid-90's was pretty edgy for the time, but now it just feels like a desperate move to hang onto that era. Even the cameos were fairly cringeworthy, spelling out their missed history in the most obvious ways. I'm done with the View Askew universe if this is as good as it gets for Kevin these days.

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

3 Stars for Acting and Cinematography

[3/10 · 29 October 2019]

I went in thinking this had been reviewed very positively by critics, and the premise seemed like a good setup (only two men stationed alone on a small New England island). The first 30 minutes or so were decent, as you're waiting for the suspense to ramp up. But there's no real hooks, just confusing symbolism, repeated scenes, and ultimately an ending that doesn't really deliver much of anything. I'll never understand why people laud directors like this as visionaries - he has a good technical sense, and the cramped screen aspect was a nice touch, but it's sort of like he set up the scene and simply said, "do something" to the actors. There's no story there, nothing that really compels the viewer to the next scene. I thought about leaving the theater around the halfway mark, but stuck it out till the end, which was all sort of wasted time, really. Rewatch 'The Shining' or 'Apocalypse Now' if you want descent into madness with an actual storyline.

Ad Astra (2019)

A Philosophical Space Bore

[3/10 · 28 September 2019]

Wow, was I duped heading into the theater tonight - what seemed like a great premise, a son rocketing across space to find his lost father...turned into an absolute snoozefest where none of the three acts delivers much at all. It ends up as a limp promise, nothing more. Even the pivotal scene between father and son is so "meh". It lacks any sort of real grip. If you're the type to daydream and ponder the meaning of life and unresolved daddy issues during a film, you'll love this. For the rest of us, not so much.

Oh, and a better title might've been "Killer Chimps From Outer Space. And Brad Pitt." You'll see.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Um...what?

[3/10 · 11 July 2016]

I gave it 3 stars because of the halfway decent "contained" thriller plot line, though somewhat predictable. John Goodman did a pretty good job as the creepy, tense underground caretaker.

Then aliens show up.

I realize it had a connection with the original 'Cloverfield', but never in my life have I felt like a different film started playing in the last 15 minutes. It was completely disjointed and 180 degrees from what you believed the premise to be. And not in a good way. It completely killed the movie for me. Like taking a bazooka to a housefly. Utterly ridiculous nonsense. Obviously, opinions vary, and I just got done reading the glowing Variety review of it - which I really can't figure out for the life of me - so enjoy it for what it is, I guess.

Steve Jobs (2015)

'Steve Jobs' Parallels 'The Social Network'

[6/10 · 20 February 2016]

I love Sorkin as a writer, but after screening 'Steve Jobs' last night, I realized what I hate about his lead characters in both 'Jobs' and in 'The Social Network': they're emotionally-stunted fanatics who talk and process more like a robot than an actual human. While I'm sure both Jobs and Zuckerberg share some similarities - being driven to succeed and wanting to see their vision through - you end up not liking the subject throughout the film. By the time Jobs warms up in the last five or six minutes, it's too little too late. I spent most of the film thinking, "this guy's a jerk - why would I find this entertaining?" There's nothing to root for.

Aside from an unlikable lead character, I did think Fassbender and Winslet played their roles very well. I had forgotten Seth Rogen was playing Woz, and thought he did well enough in comedic relief. Overall, I give it a C+.

Chappie (2015)

Johnny 5 is Alive

[3/10 · 7 March 2015]

Wow, just came home from Chappie, and can't express how frustrated I was with the film - I really enjoyed District 9, and thought Elysium was OK, and had fairly high hopes for this one. No. What bothered me the most is that you're typically supposed to enjoy the supporting characters surrounding the lead character - or at least sympathize with them in some way - but I just couldn't root for the imbecilic halfwits in this case, and it made me angry. Added to the fact the movie was pretty much a blatant cross between RoboCop and Short Circuit, and I felt like asking for my money back from the box office.

It's pretty safe to assume that the alien in the forthcoming Aliens 2.5 movie that Blomkamp is tasked with will be played by Copley, wear Fubu sweatpants, have a gold chain, and do the "gangsta sniff" at its nose with its claw 500 times throughout the film. Good grief.

McConkey (2013)

Very Inspiring

[10/10 · 1 February 2015]

Being a lifelong skier, I knew who Shane McConkey was, but didn't follow his pursuits all that closely. After watching this fantastic documentary about his life, I am so much more enlightened about not only what he did, but just his general approach to life. His goal was never to kill himself taking unnecessary risks, but rather keep pushing to the next level after next level, well aware of the inherent dangers. The homemade videos throughout the film provide a close-up insight into what drove Shane, and I found it deeply inspiring. He loved what he did, period. Some may criticize him for being selfish, that he abandoned a wife and young child at home, but he wasn't the type of guy that was going to sit back in the rocking chair and wait for life to pass him by. I absolutely recommend to this anyone, skiers or non-skiers alike, to witness moments with someone who was tapped into the most pure essence of fully living life.

Fury (2014)

Good Grief

[1/10 · 30 January 2015]

This movie is terrible, and I'm only 47 minutes in. There's no point, other than glorified carnage and body parts, which 'Saving Private Ryan' already introduced us to years ago - in a much more realistic manner, I might add. The sound of the German tank in 'Ryan' is terrifying, something this film fails to capture in any essence. Just a scared kid and the hardened tank crew that can wipe out scores of Nazis and never suffer a scratch, apparently (I won't watch it all the way to the end, so I guess I won't find out).

I have really enjoyed the roles Brad Pitt has selected for himself throughout his career, but this one is deeply disappointing. It should be a rule that only Kathryn Bigelow gets to direct war movies from here on out, heh.

Chef (2014)

Chef Big Dog!

[8/10 · 27 September 2014]

I'm sort of shocked looking through the 'Best' reviews here initially, and all the negativity towards this film. On the other side, you have to understand the subtext and what they were really getting at with this film: it's not necessarily about food (though having Roy Choi as a Technical Adviser on set didn't hurt, heh) but more about the passion that goes into the art itself. I also really enjoyed the father-son storyline. But the idea of passion resonates throughout the film, along with a fantastic soundtrack featuring a mainly Latin and New Orleans vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed Leguizamo as the feisty sidekick - he was the perfect choice to compliment the more serious Favreau.

The downsides? Scarlett was more a prop than part (though quite a good-looking prop, I might add), and I found the ending pretty cheesy. Other than that, I'm just hungry for a Cubano now.

Before Midnight (2013)

A Fly on the Wall

[9/10 · 12 December 2013]

My summary title depicts how I've felt in all three movies in the 'Before' trilogy, and 'Before Midnight' in particular. As other reviewers have noted, it's almost like we've seen the actual chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy evolve over the years, as the acting is so natural, and they seem to hit all the real-world relationship issues on the head. Having gone through recent struggles in my own relationship, the emotions were especially hard-hitting and accurate for me. In Jesse, I saw a lot of myself - trying to be so calculated and rational about thoughts and decisions, all the while Celine is drowning there in front of him. It's all very real. I'm not positive that others who have not seen the other two movies, while not exactly a prerequisite, will have a grasp on the bigger spectrum of their relationship, but I don't think it hinders the story - though to be sure the moment the movie faded in I knew precisely who the boy was, and what they were doing at the airport.

Overall, I give 'Before Midnight' the same high marks as the other two, and perhaps even above and beyond for really bringing a very real authenticity to the screen, of the labors of love, and two movie characters whom I absolutely adore.

Frozen (I) (2010)

Terrible premise

[1/10 · 20 March 2011]

Halfway through the movie, I started rooting for the wolves. 'Nuff said.

Like many offering very little stars to this movie, I have to agree that the premise is absurd, and getting yourself out of the situation, while quite challenging, wouldn't end with two deaths.

Some observations:

1. Yes, compound fractures hurt. But hey, what is this slippery stuff called snow? If my friends were in trouble, I'd slide down the hill on my back, dragging my ineffective stump of a leg with me.

2. Ever seen A Christmas Story? Don't put your bare skin on frozen metal. Ever. Duh.

3. Climb down - you have clothing, and a ski pole. It shouldn't be that difficult. Tie it together, form a rope, and get the hell out of there.

4. Successful ski resorts are always teeming with human-hungry wolves, so be careful.

5. You'll never get that 93 minutes of your life back.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Great performances, inspiring story

[9/10 · 7 December 2006]

I was involved with one of the first test audiences almost a year ago, and came away quite impressed with the acting performances and heartfelt punch of Pursuit of Happiness. This is easily one of Smith's best films, as he pours his heart and soul into the main character. While the plot may remain a bit transparent, it leaves you asking the question of yourself - how long would you keep battling to get what you really want out of life? I plan on seeing the film again when it releases to the general public, and am very interested to see what changes were made after running it through the test screenings. As I saw it then, it needed very few, if any, changes.