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Reviews
Survivor: Telenovela (2022)
One of the best Survivor episodes ever.
This season has been good on one hand because I think this is one of the most competent, smart groups to ever be cast on the show, but on the other hand, that can be a detriment bc they all know when to play it safe. Well, that all changed this episode with a super ballsy plan by Cody, and an absolutely genius and even ballsier move by Jesse. He absolutely solidified himself amongst the best to ever play, and the only way he loses at this point would be through fire, since he has an idol that still nobody knows about. If he wins it'll be one of the most precise games ever played. Karla and Cody are great, but Jesse is better.
Yôjinbô (1961)
Modern action movies could learn something from Yojimbo...
Okay, okay, so obviously modern action films would never take influence from Yojimbo, because in this age they really only serve to hold the attention of thoughtless viewers hoping to melt their brains with some fast paced action for a few hours. But even franchises that I have a lot of respect for, like the MCU, could learn a lot from how Yojimbo approaches action. Kurosawa masters the art of the rush. The actual sword swinging is few and far between, so that when the katana swinging really starts it gives you a genuine feeling of excitement and passion; this is something I've never experienced to this extent in a film.
Sanjuro, the main character, is also done flawlessly. There is no lack of quiet, confident, and "unbeatable" characters in modern media. But Sanjuro is developed differently. He is known to be the most powerful character, but the audience and characters have only developed this idea because of a 20 second brawl at the beginning of the film. Sanjuro, who knows that even he has limits, uses his strong composure to convey his power to the two rival gangs. In time, even the audience begins to doubt his abilities. In his weakest moment, it appears that he was not as strong as we all thought after all. But still, when he is as weak as he is, Sanjuro maintains his confidence. We see him practicing with a throwing knife (I don't know if it has a better name) in the shed while he recovers. We have no reason to believe this is significant. However, in the film's final battle, it is revealed that he had been practicing in order to take out the one man with a gun, the one man he couldn't beat with the swing of a sword. The audience's faith is rekindled, and we realize that we were wrong to ever doubt Sanjuro, not because he was as strong as he made himself out to be, but because he was far more clever than we thought.
Beyond these brilliant aspect of Yojimbo, the film is absolutely flawless in its atmosphere. The side characters are hilarious and perfectly cast, and the sets are perfect as well. The film only lacks in its relative simplicity. In more ways than one, Yojimbo' as simplicity is what makes it so great, but it's also hard to compare to anything we would consider a "modern day classic", due to its lethargic pace and straightforward conflicts. Nonetheless, Yojimbo is a great pick and one of the best of its kind.
The Vast of Night (2019)
Interesting, but certainly not adventurous in concept.
After an incredibly slow and honestly boring exposition, this film eventually becomes a traditional American sci-fi film about small Western towns and flying saucers. It struggled to hold my attention, especially at the beginning, but it became far more captivating once it finally picked up steam in the final act. Unfortunately, the film was extremely short and the sci-fi aspects were surprisingly shallow after all.
Overall I enjoyed the drawn out shots, the rusted radio aesthetic, and the score. There were a few points where the score certainly faltered, but it was an important part of the impressive atmospheric highs during the film's climax. The film clearly lacked a large budget, but for what it was given it definitely makes itself feel like a true "film festival" movie, and it definitely hits the mark on that front.
The development of the central two characters is what really surprised me. Obviously, the film takes place over the course of one night, but you can see how the two of them evolve over the course of the film, especially the boy. At the beginning he is witty and even a little cocky, but once he realizes what he's dealing with he drops the act and becomes very serious. As more information is revealed to him, he attempts to deny what is unraveling before his very eyes, and by the end you can tell this night would have changed him forever. The girl is a little bit more static, and comes in as a curious and often shy high school girl. By the end she is more confident, and as the boy is revealed to be less confident in himself, she becomes stronger. It's amazing what the actors do in the short 90 minutes they have to create convincing characters.
Overall, I liked the aesthetic although it failed to hold my attention in the first half. The plot is mostly uninspired, but is saved by the convincing cast by the end. Also, the ending was just okay. It won't be life changing for anyone who has seen a sci-fi film before, but it's still worth a watch.