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Reviews
Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008)
Slanted. but interesting
Bigger Stronger Faster is an interesting and entertaining film. But if you watch it, keep in mind that it's director, and that director's brothers, are users of steroids. They are all likeable folks, but the fact that they are likeable does not guarantee the veracity of what you see and hear while watching.
If you are undecided as to your stance on the issue of anabolic steroids as performance enhancing drugs, watch this flick. Then go and do some HONEST, IN DEPTH research of your own.
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Sorry, Mr. Eastwood, but . . .
. . . this one didn't do it for me.
I wanted to enjoy FoOF, and I figured that I would considering the fact that I almost always enjoy Clint Eastwood's directorial efforts. But I found the back-and-forth between the battle scenes and the publicity/fundraising tour to be distracting. The shifting prevented me from getting into either of the stories.
The other aspects of the movie were at least "good". And the subject matter is certainly deserving of our attention. I'll simply say that after watching Flags of Our Fathers i was more "informed" than I was "entertained".
Hostiles (2017)
There's "a war bag of reasons" to like it!
HOSTILES was a very pleasant surprise for several reasons. The secondary leads - Studi, Pike, Cochrane, et al - were very good in support, but this film was a vehicle for Christian Bale, and, as usual, he delivers just what was needed to make the role stand out.
The story has been told countless times: protagonist is charged with conveying a prisoner or prisoners to a distant destination that requires travel through threatening, perilous territory. This particular iteration is made unique in that the main character and two of the secondaries have recently experienced or are soon to experience very significant changes in their lives. The risky journey affords a compelling backdrop upon which director Scott Cooper crafts an engrossing, beautifully-filmed motion picture.
I recommend HOSTILES highly.
Gisaengchung (2019)
Parasite checks ALL of the boxes
With Parasite, director Bong Joon Ho has served up over two hours of fascinating story played out by interesting characters on beautifully crafted sets. At no point during those two hours did my attention wander, but at several junctures I realized that my pulse was racing (in a very good way).
As with any film - "your mileage may vary" - but I cannot imagine that many folks would not enjoy Parasite. It's fantastic.
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
As if a pendulum were attached to your heart.
Jojo Rabbit is a wonderfully told story of a 10 year old Nazi boy's experiences as he contemplates and evaluates the important relationships in his life during the turbulent end of Adolf Hitler's reign in Germany. This film is fascinating, and it showcases an exceptionally broad array of emotions while never being maudlin. I will be watching this again, and soon.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Give it a chance!
To be fair, I must admit that I am not a fan of most Tarantino films. For the most part they have seemed to me to take a bully pulpit to push some contrarian point. Just my opinion,
But "Once Upon a Time,,, in Hollywood" grabbed my attention early, developed characters that I cared about, and was absolutely GORGEOUS to look at and listen to. QT recreates late-1960's Hollywood and pays loving tribute to the end of Hollywood's "Golden Age". Even the title has extra meaning in that the film provides a "storybook ending" that makes for a most pleasant "what if?"!
It Chapter Two (2019)
Total Disappointment
For me, the thing that made "It" so good was that I had come to like the young characters and was interested in their well-being. "It Chapter Two" was so silly that near it's end I found myself wishing that the grown-up "Losers" would be killed. I'm serious . . . this movie is one of the most disappointing sequels through which I have ever suffered.