t-ferdy Reviews

Tenet (2020)

I understood it and still didn't like it much

[6/10 · 14 June 2023]

I wrote a small essay in order to keep up with the story and even then, only by the skin of my teeth.

But then, in the final few minutes, when the big bad thing has seemingly been avoided, I was in a maze of incomprehensibility again.

This film is all about the ying and yang, how everything needs balance, but Nolan failed to see that the ability to follow this story also needs the same balance. Travel far enough and you'll come back on yourself, bury your hand in ice, it will feel like it's burning... make a film that is so intelligent... it's dumb again.

Nolan has been given the impression that the audience are smart: they could cope with Inception, yup, it was great. But then Nolan must have thought "so, the audience can follow complex plot-lines... of any complexity" and forgot that we are not in his head and being lost in his own bubble.

A couple of moments in the film throw us totally off and require many re-watches to figure out but some are dumb: at one point, our uninspiring protagonist (why this actor?!) shoots at himself and nothing can explain that away. He is trying to kill himself...?!

And then there are the masks: pretty much our only clear indication that things are running in reverse. But Nolan mucks around with that concept too, confusing us further.

You can have too much intelligence. You can have too much of anything.

Unsatisfying.

Oh, and stop it with the "saving one person against the world" thing. We get it. It's been done.

Air (I) (2023)

Poor Nike!

[6/10 · 14 May 2023]

Why did I just watch this film?

I kept waiting for the big moral motivation to reveal itself... surely it's not just about rich white middle class American guys trying to make more money through the image of the black sports guy? Oh, it is.

Why was this film made? I'm not sure we learnt anything, apart from the final few on-screen updates. The tenuous connection of charity work to the actions of the Nike executives and the colossal profits gained by everyone (especially Michael Jordan himself) feels like it's trying to justify the greed of everyone involved.

Cool, the CEO gave 2 billion to charity, and is worth 46 billion.... is that meant to be impressive? Vice-versa would perhaps be a point worth making. Bill Gates has to date given away almost half his fortune, around 50 billion... where's his movie?!

Oh, and if you're going to reference the film music of a classic 1980s movie (Beverly Hills Cop) you need to be at least as good as said movie reference, otherwise it feels a bit cringey... but then again, the whole thing was kinda cringey, and I felt a worse person for having watched it.

Coming soon... Amazon the movie! They're really just a bunch of nice guys!

Don't Look Up (2021)

Surprisingly feel-good...

[8/10 · 27 December 2021]

This film makes you not quite so alone with your thoughts that everything is crazy. It is fun satire that makes a combination of loud clunky points, with some more subtle ones thrown into the mix. But like any great piece of art, you can see many more symbolic layers of meaning.

I was hoping that Leo DiCap does his intense thing, and he does for sure. Jen Lawrence gives us the everyman character along his side.

Rotten tomatoes rates the female remake of Ghostbusters that you've forgotten about as 74%, and this film a 55% which finally made me realise that it is just not a credible source anymore.

This is a fun, funny and darkly profound ride.

Last Night in Soho (2021)

They didn't know they were making a comedy

[5/10 · 21 November 2021]

Edgar Wright does comedy films very well because his over-the-top, somewhat antiquated methods of direction match it.

But the sincerity of this film, that is apparently not trying to be a comedy, goes against the insane plot holes that surely turn it into a comedy.

We get lots of mixed messages... is this a comedy or not? The fridge filled with labelled items and fun awkward interactions tells is that yes, it is a comedy... but then again, it all seems very serious.

Visions of dead men immediately make our protagonist turn and run but when she is told by an actual living person in front of her that she is about to get murdered, she literally just sits here for like 30 seconds, waiting for it to happen, sort of squirming a bit. Her best friend/lover gets murdered but then she cares more about the person who commits the murder than she does the victim. The old guy gets run over by a speeding taxi on a tiny soho side road?

She knows she has a history of mental illness in the family, she knows that going to London has a good chance of bringing about symptoms, as the audience is told a few times near the start of the film, yet she is surprised at every mental episode she has.

I think people increasingly get fooled by the wrapping, to believe the content is good. This is obviously beautifully shot but wow, when your protagonist starts out as having generic "mental problems", you need some intelligent, original things to happen, otherwise we just don't care.

The combination of dreams and reality is infuriating unless something clever happens. It never did.

CODA (2021)

Weird signals

[6/10 · 24 August 2021]

Success is getting into one of the 'top' colleges. Success is finding partners. How did Berkeley even allow this? Weird signals. A mediocre singer can get into Berkeley? This is completely unoriginal. It tries to tug at the heart strings. I guess I missed the memo that this was good. Almost nothing went outside of the bland, worst expectations. Oh look she's stopped the car, oh plot twist! Plot twist! Oh no, she just wants to hug them. Yeah, drive away.

The Invisible Man (I) (2020)

Infuriating

[5/10 · 16 June 2021]

My god this film is infuriating. It's amazing to think that "No-one Believes The Protagonist" is still considered a viable plot device.

I watched it to see how bad it could get and it wasn't even entertaining in that sense. The innovative title sequence and bombastic music appear to promise a fun, thrilling ride, but what you get is a high-production, low-brow, nonsensical film that clearly think it's much cooler than it really is.

The character motivations are entirely illogical, the pacing is erratic, the dialogue appears to have been written by 12 year-olds who have been exposed to only bad video games, and there are plot holes everywhere, like the suit appearing to give you superhuman reflexes and psychopathic tendencies. The melodramatic acting belongs to a bygone era. Perhaps that's what they were going for, like children's theatre: at one point she says "he's behind you" just when the suit miraculously starts working again. This movie insults the intelligence of the viewers. It makes you mad. Oh and the ending? It will make you want to kill someone...

Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (2014)

Enjoyable if you quite like Pulp, probably great if you are a fan

[7/10 · 18 July 2014]

This easy-going film about the British band that seemed happy to keep things domestic is part concert footage, part "where are they now" and a little bit of "surely this is set-up" magic, centered around Pulp's final Sheffield concert in December 2012.

Most people will want to know if it would be good watch, even if they only sort-of like Pulp's music. Well I think it is. Pulp still sound very good in 2014 and it is refreshing to hear a band express sentiments that they actually live by. They are in many ways the antithesis of the fame-game which is hinted at which the various references to everyday working-class life, although the frequent references to "regular people" and the slightly self-conscious adoration of common people could be a little grating for some.

An off-the-cuff interview with some local siblings was a personal highlight, as were the sections with Jarvis alone, although I was left wanting more Jarvis one-to-one time as he comes across as a really interesting guy.

Like the band it's unpretentious and fun, with an underlying profound message. You'll probably enjoy this if you like Pulp and you'll probably adore it if you're a fan.

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Infuriating!

[7/10 · 27 October 2012]

Elliott Gould and Steve Coogan could have made a better move in their careers than appear in this poorly thought-out fantasy drama. It's infuriating due mostly to the lazy plot loose ends. It's like the writer of this film thought "I don't know how to justify the fantasy elements?! Then I won't!" and wow, it got made!

I so wanted this film to be better than it was - it was all pointing towards greatness: a warm uplifting score, beautiful cinematography, lovely dialogue and great acting from Gould. Perhaps this film read great on paper but the final product leaves you thinking "er… that's it?" and the ending sucks, oh god it sucks. You can see if coming a mile away and it makes you want to rip your hair out and shout at the screen "Noooo! Do something better! I could have written this!". The ending not only leaves you filling dissatisfied but actually exposes even further the terrible gaping plot loose ends.

Above all else, it is immature. It plays like a first draft that never got fixed or fleshed-out but due to the large budget and slick Hollywood treatment, you are almost won over by it for all it's flaws, but not quite.

It is mutton dressed as lamb: mutton is good enough but it's harder to swallow.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

The importance of being too earnest

[7/10 · 14 May 2012]

This is a delightfully creative and original film which is much more immediately satisfying (that is, scene by scene) than it is satisfying as a whole. The end is likely to leave you feeling flat and unrewarded for the time you have invested in the film. Not to say that it is unpleasant at all, but the sheer seriousness of the piece demands it to be thought about, and if thinking about films is not your cup of tea, then do not watch this!

Many films have a nice little innovative moment which is typically the bit you look forward to even though you may have watched it a hundred times. This film is composed almost entirely of those interesting innovative moments which perhaps do not work entirely as a whole, but they are still novel to watch.

Mr Nobody suffers from a serious lack of humour. It's wistful and playful approach to the whole film-making process almost makes up for this, but I think not entirely. It's pure earnestness is admirable, brave and typical of much lower budget art-house movies, but it is a little wearing to watch the whole two and a half hours without any genuine light relief.

There are breathtaking moments or artistry, lovely philosophical points and a joyful almost juvenile approach to the story which is fun and profound at the same time. But you do find yourself expecting a big pay-out at the end... a big 'reveal' or twist... but I would say it doesn't come. Others will surely think it does. That alone makes it worth watching.

Battle Royale (2000)

Ignorance is bliss

[6/10 · 10 January 2012]

If you think Japanese things are cool then you'll like this film. You'll probably enjoy the black and white acting, the ridiculous premise and the joke-like special effects.

If you've never encountered Japanese films before, then start elsewhere. Try "Departures".

What is interesting about this film is what it says about Japanese society. There is an underlying fear of the younger generation that this film cleverly exploits, tapping into the anxiety of the older generations. And there is the creepy love of high school students, as shown by our high school teacher and his unfounded love of one of his students. It features in Manga and Anime across the culture so it would have been nice if writer Koushun Takami came up with something a little more original.

Many readers may think such criticisms are unfair, regarding Japanese culture to be too different for us to be able to judge. But there are basic principles in film-making which are broken at almost every stage here, and a general misunderstanding with Japanese culture across the world that allows a film like this to get an inexplicable 8/10 rating on the IMDb.

The spraying blood and comical death scenes are not intended to be comical. Director Kinji Fukasaku experienced atrocities himself as a child, not dissimilar from some of the violence on display in Battle Royale, so it would be bizarre if he were to then parody such violence.

When Japanese people watch this film (that is people who have been educated in the system and have not left the country), they experience something very different than that of most Westerners. To them, the acting-by-numbers is something they encounter in most TV dramas and movies.

The misunderstandings of Japanese culture that renders this film to get an 8/10 score can be summed-up with the teacher exercising to the radio scene. To most Western viewers, this is a quirky, slightly surreal scene, which blends in with the surrealness of the whole film. But such a thing was (and getting less so now) common place in Japanese cities - morning exercise for the salarymen in their financial collectives. But there is a depth here; stabbings, suicides (of which Japan has one of the highest rates in the developed world) and the all-encumbering importance of high school are real elements of Japanese society.

But there are one too many ridiculous notions in the film that ruin this depth: the internet access on the island, the cheap use of classical music to paint scenes, the one-dimensional characters and the way almost everyone gunned down, regardless of how many bullet wounds they receive, has enough energy for another bout of fury, or even to calmly make a phone call.

So you'll like this if you don't understand much about Japanese society.

But hey! It's just entertainment!

50/50 (2011)

A perfect forging of comedy and drama

[7 November 2011]

This is a touching and heart-felt movie which left me thinking "why did I like that so much?" because of its simplicity.

It is best to go into this film cold, without any knowledge of story or outcome. In fact, the title of the film reflects one of the key plot elements later in the film, which could only work by creating the perfect balance of drama and comedy that 50/50 manages to do with great aplomb.

Seth Rogen plays the lightest version of his weed-smoking down-to-earth character that seems to appear in every thing he does. This is not a criticism. If you like Seth Rogen then you'll probably like this film.

I found myself unexpectedly welling up at times. The scenes between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick's characters are amongst the best in the film, merging a nice balance of realistic dialogue and sharp screen-writing.

And if the end leaves you feeling a little deflated, keep in mind that it is based on actual events that happened to the scriptwriter. Mostly likely though, you'll come out of this film feeling lifted and grateful.

Taken (I) (2008)

A standard action flick without any special angle

[6/10 · 27 December 2010]

Bad points:

• Nothing surprising or original here. Yes it's a pop-corn flick but one without anything particularly different.

• Some of the script is over-simplistic and too unrealistic

• Liam Neeson's character assumes the persona of an indestructible person quite early in the movie, greatly reducing tension in the fight scenes.

Good points:

• It's not too long, just the right length

• The soundtrack is held-back, not too in-your-face and over the top

• Some original moments of surprise are there.

Conclusion:

This is a basic action-by-numbers movie best viewed if you haven't seen many action movies and like them. It does what it says on the label but little or nothing more.

Fish Tank (2009)

realistic account of life in the London suburbs

[8/10 · 11 June 2010]

Filmed entirely within the worst parts of Essex county (one of London's darker suburbs) this movie is so full of truth and reality that you can easily forget you are watching a work of fiction.

For those scanning this review to see if it's for them: this is a near 2-hour film about a teenager's struggle to escape her tiny world of government supported housing, violence and no ambition.

This movie features incredible use of urban lighting, multiple layers of symbolic references and a very cinematic climax, all without a single note of scored music (other than the diagetic use of music in the car, night-club etc).

There are moments of true jaw-dropping tension. Not a single frame of this film is wasted. I recommend analyzing every moment to see what it says about the main characters in the story, and indeed life itself.

A great film.