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Reviews
Midsommar (2019)
Nothing To See Here Folks
I'll start by saying that I enjoyed Hereditary. It had elements of surprise that were great to see and as a veteran film watcher, I've seen a lot. I can't say the same for this movie. Everything you think is going to happen does and in exactly the same order and manner you imagine. I suppose if you're new-ish to horror, you might find the excess of cultish behavior in the film disturbing (personally, I found it unsubtle and cliche) but as many have already mentioned this is head to toe "The Wickerman". Aster has nothing new to add and where he might have delved into the characters more he really doesn't. I like what one reviewer said, "Aster establishes the veneer of an art movie only to draw viewers into what is essentially exploitation fare". I give the movie 4 stars for camera work and trying to shoot a horror movie fully sunlit. This is a long movie so...yeah, be forewarned.
Traffic Stop (2017)
This is an Oscar nominee?....... What?
The topic is so now. We can't let it slide when police get it wrong without remorse and without serious efforts to improve practices and help the communities it serves to heal. This film, however, will do little to move us down the track. In fact, it may hurt the cause.
Breaion King gets pulled over for a traffic violation. Right out of the gate, she starts getting cute with the officer saying ridiculous things like (paraphrase), 'I'm already stopped so can you still pull me over?' SMH. He proceeds to respectfully ask her to get back in the car and hand him her license. She remains belligerent, combative and non-compliant until finally he is forced to go to the next level. No pun intended but that means 'force'. Everyone knows how situations like this go down but we're supposed to believe that she's naive and innocent.
The best part is that while scenes from the police dash-cam of her continued bad behavior come in and out so do scenes where she makes claims for her intelligence. It almost makes me wonder if this situation/arrest was somewhat calculated on her part. I agree with another poster here, this film plays into the hands of certain folks who say that liberals in general are over politicizing identity politics.
A better film might be one in which a split screen shows dash-cam footage of how an officer behaves under similar circumstances with a white suspect and with a black suspect. This film, at the very least, is lazy.
Black Panther (2018)
Don't Believe The 'Anti-Hype'. This - Is - A - Good - Film.
Looks like there are some folks trying to keep this movie down. (Russian Hackers? Fox News?) I doubt that much will come of this campaign. This film handles its business and leaves little doubt that it has. I'm not saying it's perfect but by super hero blockbuster standards, it definitely exceeds expectations.
The writers/director (Coogler and Cole) have actually taken the time to write the actioner you want along with a fleshed out, exceedingly thoughtful and wonderfully relevant story, the likes of which have rarely graced this genre. This comic book myth may have been hatched in '62 alongside the emergence of the 'Black Panther' movement but this film announces that the social ideas and dreams, that were always that movement's subtext, remains alive. If you only know the 'Panthers' as a violent, revolutionary group, then you don't know the 'Black Panthers'. (I recommend the PBS documentary)
Boswick is an excellent choice for T'Challa aka 'The Black Panther'. He's crafted an understated hero which suits his humility as great warrior and compassionate king. Michael B. Jordan aka 'Erik Killmonger' has come a long way since his days on The Wire and with good reason. He's truly become a wonderful, sensitive and intense actor which is on full display here. His portrayal is fully four dimensional having some ask whether he would have been a better Black Panther. Really, the entire cast goes all out to make this a human experience.
Overall, the special effects are good with only a few over-the-top CGI moments and obligatory choreo-fights.
This film isn't so much about the action (Don't worry. It's in there.) as it is about establishing the myth and proposing another way of seeing and being. AND the message isn't just for people of color.
No spoilers today. Wouldn't want to undermine the experience in any way.
8.5 stars!
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Not A Perfect Movie But Good Nevertheless
***Spoiler Alert***
Let me get this out of the way. No. There is no war war. The war here is more abstract/subtle and in that way deeper. As I read it, the planet is no longer human territory. They have abandoned, betrayed and under-appreciated that which was theirs to protect. The apes are now the preservationists and the humans, of their own hubris, are on their way to extinction.
Okay, while far from a perfect movie, I was struck by the beautiful realism offered on so many levels. This is by far the best of the three films and it delivers some bone chilling images. Although it may seem benign to some, the scenes of the 'fellowship' horseback riders through the various landscapes was both beautiful and shocking. The opening scene is also pretty terrifying. That said, There were some problems too. I personally felt that Bad Ape was only mildly less annoying than Jar Jar Binks and could have been played down a bit. In parts of the movie, the music seemed better suited to a Disney vehicle and who knows, maybe Disney is behind this "bigly". For me, maintaining a slightly ominous/realistic vibe would have been more provocative. I'm also very sensitive to continuity so the absence of 'the sounds of war' during the final Colonel/Caesar scene put me off. Andy Serkis is at his CGI'd best and really has been throughout the franchise. Tears were shed.
I am in full agreement with the issue of female presence. There could've been some childless, female ape warriors in an evolved species. Maurice perhaps could have been Mauricia (for purity sake) or Marcia. The soldier that Caesar releases and is then let down by could have been female. I think that may have been even more disturbing on some level. The little girl, at least to my way of thinking however, is a stroke of genius. When we meet the mute girl, I wondered if she'd suffered abuse as her nose was running blood. When we meet the mute, half dead soldier those familiar with the original Heston films perhaps start to recognize another pattern as muteness and slack mental powers are key features of the human population in that film. Now we're about to find out why. And this is a very special touch, Maurice names the girl Nova. It's Nova!
Nova is a gentled, acceptable beast/human and the Apes are exhibiting superior qualities. This basically brings us to the setting for the 1968 storyline. In say 20 'Planet Of The Ape' years, An astronaut or his 2019 equivalent should appear.