Change Your Image
noahlenzi
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
A Great Film Hiding in a Tonal Mess
Just got out of Infinity War Part 1 (don't argue, it's true). As someone who doesn't like the MCU... It was ok. It's a movie where each 3rd progressively gets better. The first 3rd (besides the amazing opening) is the worst. It is an utter tonal mess. Anytime the film tried to do anything of meaning or impact they throw in a stupid joke right after it to break the tension. If the whole movie was this way that would be fine but even in the beginning some REALLY dark stuff happens. The second 3rd is a little better as the story picks up speed but if you asked me how the movie was halfway through I'd tell you it's terrible. The final act is where things finally get real and I'm not talking about action. Some really screwed up stuff happens and the tension actually rises. It honestly makes the earlier parts feel pathetic. This film is in dire need of a fan edit. Edit out the jokes and you'd actually have a good film. Some of the characters feel underutilized but that was bound to happen. It honestly doesn't matter though, Thanos is the main character and he is my favorite character from this franchise so far. He's intimidating yet emotional. He's the most morally complex character in the series and he won't be a let down for fans. Infinity War Part 1 is ultimately a hot mess and needs to be edited down to be more serious in the beginning. Luckily the final act grows a pair to save the movie. I'd give it a 7 but the score is too high so I made it a 6 for now.
P.S. If you thought Civil War would have any influence on this one's story guess again. Alter a few lines and it never even happened.
Ready Player One (2018)
A fun time with very little under the surface.
Very minor spoilers.
I saw the pop-culture riddled nostalgic pornographic commercial film, Ready Player One and... it was fine. Had this not been directed by Steven Speilberg I think a lot of the magic that makes it enjoyable wouldn't be there.
Yes, there are many times where I sighed at a poorly placed reference, some were even cringy. However, it's the more subtle references to style and nostalgic methods of storytelling that make Ready Player One decent. The only problem is that the story itself feels a bit undercooked. There is a vast world to be explored in the Oasis and the poverty-stricken, corporate-run real world. Unfortunately, we mostly get the Oasis. This subtracts from the story's heart and human connection making a few emotional moments near the end miss the mark. The world building is mediocre at best and we never get a sense of how things truly work, what we do get does suffice but it's surface level stuff.
The final shot of this film is also a huge middle finger to the audience as it goes for the more typical boy "gets the girl" douche bag routine rather than focusing on their love. A scene of them dancing together in the real world for the first time (because they danced together in the game) would have been far better and it's a shame it wasn't the final shot.
Despite the last minute and world building problems, Ready Player One is a blast and managed to make me laugh more than a few times, not at references, but at good lines the best of which are from Ben Mendelsohn as the villain. The chase scenes are also fun and the score is actually charming. It's not amazing but it's a 7/10 at best, I wouldn't watch it again all the way through because it's also a predictable movie but I'm glad I saw it.
Annihilation (2018)
Mind-bending sci-fi with a dash of Lovecraft
Annihilation is everything I love about sci-fi. For a long time, I've been wanting the next Alien or the next Thing. This one, while not perfect, is finally what I've been searching for. I don't want to say much about because this movie actually had me guessing until the end. The characters are simple but the more I thought about them the more I realized how they fit into the story. There was one character played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who I thought was poorly acted at first but her character slowly grew on me and having seen her other work I can say all the choices made were on purpose. The beginning feels a bit weak (first 10 min) but the rest of the film is invigorating and gives you plenty to think about at the end. Not all the answers are in the movie but unlike Prometheus, this film gives you plenty to work with once the credits roll. The CGI is a bit dodgy in a few places but for a 40 million dollar budget, it's still impressive with the fantastic art style. I really liked Annihilation and I already plan on seeing it again, and eventually putting it next to my copy of Alien.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Very Average
The Thor movies have always been somewhat of a disappointment to a majority of the Marvel fans but the reviews are in for Ragnarok and they call it amazing. I went in hoping for an endearing adventure and was left with a film that was very cut and dry with a mixed tone. To put it shortly, Thor: Ragnarok is not good, not bad, just fine.
It had some laughs here and there but every time I thought it was going somewhere interesting it quickly delved away from it, especially with its villain. Cate Blanchett does her best to finally give us another good Marvel villain but she isn't given enough, there's a lot of interesting layers to peel with her and Thor but they are quickly ignored. The story follows the same pattern as it's the same Marvel formula of good versus evil which is not a bad thing, per se, it just doesn't bring anything new to the table. There's a lot of moments where we could question things about our heroes and have some internal conflict but instead we get character breaking jokes. There are a few emotional moments in the film that ultimately fall flat either due to the lack of build-up or are downplayed by jokes. Some of the jokes feel all too familiar or forced and don't land. Of course there are some good ones but the film really needed to have some confidence and take itself more seriously. I didn't feel anything as I watched this film, I just felt moderately entertained.
It's fun for the most part and is in no way bad, just another Marvel film. The best part of this movie was Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum and that was great. The parts with Goldblum and some of the banter between characters during earlier action scenes where all the humor the film needed. The tone is off but the action is still strong so the best way I can put the film is that it's just a way to be entertained for two hours.
The Snowman (2017)
A Beautiful Disaster
From the look of the trailer, The Snowman appeared to be a welcome call back to the string of serial killer thrillers that became popular in the 90s. These films usually consisted of a killer with some kind of trademark, in Se7en it was the seven deadly sins, now it's snowmen. Things looked bright for this film as the cast consists of great actors like Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Jones and J. K. Simmons. The director, Tomas Alfredson, has also made critically acclaimed thrillers such as Let the Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The list of talent attached to this film would put anyone under the impression that the movie would be good at the very least. Michael Fassbender plays world famous Norwegian detective Harry Hole (I laughed too) in this adaptation of Jo Nesbø's novel of the same name. The concept involves multiple disappearances in that occur across several years all linking to a killer that leaves snowmen at the scene of every crime. It sounds like a fun thriller but it saddens me to say that The Snowman is one of this year's biggest disasters.
Virtually everything about this film doesn't work and I don't say this as some pretentious remark. Really the only saving grace of this film is Dion Beebe's incredible cinematography. The best way to address the many problems of this film is to start at the beginning. The film opens with the child that will grow up to be the snowman killer. He lives with his mother and an abusive biological father who beats his mother. The mother threatens to tell the father's wife that the child is his. This sets him off and he says they'll never see him again then gets in his car and leaves. Problem solved right? As he leaves the mother and child chase him down in their car, screaming for him to come back. Why? As I sat in the theater I thought to myself that this was one of those things that would be explained later and that there was something more to this opening flashback. No. This is one of one of the many confusing aspects of the story that are thrown in as a plant for a reveal later but are never paid off. This aspect alone makes the film one of the most confusing I've seen in years, and not in a good way. Themes are also introduced at the start of the film only to return as paradoxical and laughable messages that make the least bit of sense. The film also contains one of the most underwhelming climaxes that honestly gives Fan4stic's final "battle" a run for its money.
The story is essentially just a whodunit where they dump a couple suspicious looking characters into the mix and it's up to the audience to decide which one it is. There could have been at least some attempt to connect all these suspicious characters but instead we get a completely disjointed subplot about some underground sex ring involving the world cup that went absolutely nowhere. It doesn't even connect to the killer whatsoever and is never solved. The main characters are hollow and have very little involvement in the case itself. They build up Harry's character like he's some legend but he's just one of the dumbest cops ever put to film. It's almost like things just happen for them and the clues are given to them. This destroys all tension and we never truly get a suspenseful moment but when it does attempt to be scary its hilarious. All of these problems turn the film into a mess but what does the most damage by far is the goddamn editing in this movie.
This is some of the worst editing of the year. I'm not just talking about the moments where they obviously made jump cuts in the middle of shots to make them move faster. The scene to scene editing will leave everyone confused, you'll wonder why certain scenes weren't placed before or later or how characters got from point A to point B. In my opinion, editing is the most important process in filmmaking. It's where the final product is produced and if it's in the wrong hands even a good film can be edited down to a piece of garbage. I think had they re-edited this film it would have actually been OK. There are definitely scenes missing from this movie and I think it's one of the reason why none of the themes and subplots amount to anything.
In the end, The Snowman is a beautiful disaster. It contains some of today's best talents only to throw them into one of the most well shot ambitious pieces of garbage ever. According to the director, 15-20 percent of the script wasn't even shot and it shows. The movie has a few moments that made me laugh out loud but it's not worth seeing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they wanted to see how bad it was. This is one of Fassbender's many recent duds and I hope he can get back on track before he does a career ender. So my recommendation would be to miss this one and go see the Blade Runner sequel instead.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Best film of 2017 so far
Blade Runner 2049 was my most anticipated release this year so I went in with high hopes. The original is a great sci-fi and a visual wonder, it wasn't without flaws so I felt there was plenty room to improve over it. The sequel is better for the most part. It was an intense disturbing film full of ideas and interesting visuals that bring the dystopian world to life even better than the original.
The story is very simple but fleshed out so that the viewer can be invested in every scene. You may be able to see what's coming but the way it unfolds is satisfying. Below the surface you can also see the themes of how toxic the abusive capitalist culture around women, advertising and just about everything we consume is. Its a sad depiction of what could be the future. The main themes of the film stay consistent resulting in an emotional ending that left me very satisfied. My only critique is the villain felt a little underdeveloped which is OK for me because I really don't like Jared Leto anyway (but that's just me). There were also a few moments that had me wondering why certain bad decisions were made by the villains but its all forgivable.
I wasn't aware that Jóhann Jóhannsson had dropped out from scoring the film until after I saw it but Hans Zimmer's soundtrack was absolutely phenomenal. The score complements every scene perfectly and conveys the feelings of the main character really well. I'm just a little disappointed thinking of what could have been if Jóhann Jóhannsson had made the score. The visuals are breathtaking with some of the best CGI I've ever seen. I heard models were used for some shots and I honestly don't know what was practical and what was CGI so well done to the effects team. Oscar worthy direction, cinematography and effects for sure.
The acting was simply incredible all around, from small parts like Dave Bautista's character to the lead, Ryan Gosling. Everyone gave an astounding amount of depth and commitment to their characters. There's also a interesting if not toxic relationship between Gosling and an AI played by Ana de Armas that could have been terrible but it is truly an interesting look into his character and it's played out well. Armas also does a great job playing the AI, making us wonder what she truly is. Part of me thinks Jared Leto was just being Jared Leto, but again that's just me being bias. His villain is highly disturbing but there isn't much reason behind it, (going back to my critique) so he's actually the least interesting character. But again, the journey of our main character is more important in a film that is already 163 min. His transformation is amazing and will not disappoint.
Blade Runner 2049 is not perfect but it sure came close. I find it better than the first and a highly involving film that left me with plenty to talk about with people who had also seen it. The slow pacing might not be for everyone so I'll say that if you liked the first one then I'd recommend it. If you're new to it and interested then I'd highly recommend watching the original first as well. 2049 goes next to sequels like Aliens and T2, a rare gem we only get every few years or even decades.
Mother! (2017)
Ignore the marketing and listen to the critics but its still not for everyone.
The film Mother! currently holds a F rating on cinema score from audiences, however critics see it in a higher regard and after viewing it myself I can see why. Mother! is essentially a heavy handed allegory that works for the most part although I think the final third of the film gets a little too obvious and drastically departs from the slow pacing it had before. It's a very interesting movie about religion and how destructive it can be. It also shows how people of importance are sometimes used to carry one's inspiration yet are given back nothing in the end. I didn't love the film but I did like it. Its a story about inspiration, creation and destruction all under the oppression of patriarchy. We see through the eyes of one who is both cherished and oppressed and never given anything back. It's an uncomfortable watch but an interesting thought provoking film. It's not for everyone. This film was marketed all wrong. It is NOT A HORROR FILM like the trailers suggest, its more of a slow burn drama/thriller. Best to know before watching. I'd give it the decent grade of a 7.5/10
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Same problems as the first but more of what we loved
So far most of the reviews are pretty bad despite the first one being well received. They say bigger is not better, I disagree for Kingsman. It's set in an crazy world and I only wanted it to get crazier and it did. Kingsman 2 in short has the same problems as its predecessor but it also gave me more of what I liked from the first one. It was batsh*t insane which is exactly what I wanted. However, just like the first it really pushes every female character to the side and it's still a disappointing writing decision that they have made again. All in all its still a f*cking insane awesome action film full of style and the right amount of cheese.
The Shining (1980)
Lets stop pretending
I've seen The Shinning a couple times now and I really have to say, it doesn't get any better with each watch. It was my latest watch (in a film class) that I realized how much of an overrated film this is. I didn't say its terrible but it really misses the mark on what it was trying to be. Stanley Kubrick has made fantastic films and while I find the first 20 min and a few scenes scattered later to be great, the rest of the film feels like an unbalanced mess of tone and lack of direction towards its actors.
Lets be honest, Stanley Kubrick brought no level of humanity to this film and we all know its intentional. But does this really help the audience get on board with these characters for the ride? In short it doesn't. The dense back and forth small talk that is their dialogue comes off as dull and the acting is so over the top it hardly fits with the sinister tone of the music and camera work. I understand its supposed to be an uncomfortable movie but it really just comes off as funny. The lack of subtlety and cranking the performances up to a hundred do the meshing of the styles no favors. I think when people say that the film scares them I think they mean the music scared them. The film tries too hard in telling you what is supposed to be scary like having Jack look out the window with his face frozen. "I get it, he's going crazy, you can end the shot now". Another instance is the elevator of blood scene. Its really creepy until we see Danny's god awful reaction and then I laugh. Kubrick's constant pressure on Shelly Duvall is very apparent on screen. She looks more tired and worn out then scared. I blame Kubrick for her bad performance as he tortured her constantly on set. Kubrick's frustrations with his actors is too visible and I think his lack of subtlety are why what really doesn't work about The Shinning are the tone and performances.
What I admire about The Shinning is the story that is underneath. The hotel built on the blood of the oppressed now haunted, killing and collecting the oppressors. Its the scenes of history repeating itself that are interesting but it all falls short due to the lack of it. They never take these ideas any further. I THOUGHT they would when Dick finally got back to the hotel but nope he dies instantly. Dick knew everything we wanted to know about the hotel and his character is thrown away for nothing. He's just there to establish that the party members are racist, specifically when the Delbert the butler calls him the N word.
In the end I don't hate the Shinning I just wish we could stop calling it a "horror masterpiece", Stephen King actually hates the film. Don't tell me "you don't get it", trust me I get it. I just would rather have a more balanced narrative, characters, and performances. The cinematography is great and disorientating like it should be and the music is the scariest part of the film. Its really just underwhelming, a 6/10 at the best.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
One of the most underrated films ever
Seven Psychopaths is one of the most misunderstood poorly marked brilliant films ever made. With a trailer that resembles more of an Ocean's 11 movie, it pulled the entirely wrong audience. This movie will resonate primarily with storytellers and writers but its a dark comedy full of meta humor and commentary on what Hollywood continues crapping out today. As a beginning screenwriter in college I found the plot based around the Seven Psychopaths screenplay to be hilariously relatable in an odd way. The script for the film itself is full of hilarious character moments and clever dialogue. I can only dream of writing something this good.
The performances are all top notch with each actor clearly understanding the tone in which the director was going for. Sam Rockwell is the stand out though, this is my personal favorite role of his. He's like the part of us that just wants a film to be fun and demented while Colin Farrell's character struggles to make a thoughtful and meaningful story.
The story is almost like the characters' struggle to figure out what kind of film they're in. An author meeting his own characters only to realize he's one of them as well. Its super meta and really fun if you're open to the careful pacing it takes. This is not an action movie. Its more of a dark comedy/drama. Do not, I repeat, do not watch the trailer for this film. Its a completely misleading attempt to market the film as an action comedy. This film spends time with its characters and completely earns every moment that have.
Seven Psychopaths is one of my favorite films and should be viewed by more people who love everything about movies. This movie is a fun time and feels very inclusive to its audience. Its really the best written comedy just ahead of The Big Lebowski. Please give it a watch whenever you can.
It (2017)
Loved IT
My expectations for IT were to get a few scares, watch some likable characters, but most of all be entertained. It's a film about a killer clown, not Citizen Kane. IT exceeded my expectations. I didn't get terrified, I only jumped a few times yet it never lost its pace and the intensity. The monster itself was incredibly done and chilling to watch. There was a combination of make-up, practical effects and CGI to bring Pennywise to life. His first appearance at the beginning had me a little worried for a second. I was thinking: "he's kinda funny actually- OH SH*T"! It's an incredible performance from Bill Skarsgård and I hope he doesn't quit the role.
I found the group of friends to be very entertaining and funny. The Losers Club as they call themselves are a group of characters we can truly root for. We want to see them make it. The development is good for the main characters of the group but a few of the others felt left out in the end. The film also opens with one of these characters but that character is non-existent for nearly 20 min after that. Its a small editing flaw and hardly subtracts from the film.
I loved watching IT but I think we need to stop pretending like its a 10/10 movie. Overhyping a film can lead to the wrong expectations. As long as you have the same expectations as I did you'll love it. IT is a good time at the movies and might be more scarier to some than it was for me but IT is nonetheless less a great watch.
Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk is good but not a masterpiece.
I was lucky enough to see Dunkirk in IMAX 70 mm film. I have to say the extremely large format was more immersive and I really felt like I was there. With the exception of a few moments where it got too loud, the IMAX was great. The film itself is both moving and terrifying. A few scenes left my heart pumping fast. There's little dialogue, most of it is told through characters actions, either random moments of human decency in hard times or harsh desperation. It really shows how war and survival can bring the worst out us but also the small moments of decency. Truly another great Nolan film. My one criticism is the time line is a bit too confusing at first but you'll eventually get up to speed. I think a couple more insert shots that establish where we are in the time line would make the film flow a bit better but I was able to catch on pretty quick and the non-linear story really allows for some intense back-to-back scenes.
So far a big criticism of Dunkirk is that the characters are weak because we don't know much about them. What I took away from the film is that it wasn't about who these people were or what they're personalities are like. It was about where they are now. None of these characters are themselves during the movie (something you'll see with Cillian Murphy's character). They're at war trying to survive. Everyone the characters meet (including each other) is just another soldier in the crowd. The compelling thing is that these characters hardly know each other but they go out of their way to help each other live. I think the film may have fallen into some "war glory" cheese if they had flash backs and scenes of them talking about what they're gonna do if the get home all while being shot at.
Dunkirk is an intense experience, its not heavy on plot but its heavy on emotions. Really glad I saw this one. Dunkirk is obviously a good film but not a masterpiece like everyone says it is, The Prestige is.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The Cap sends out all the wrong messages in this mess of a movie
Tell me, why do people hate Spider-man 3 so much? It has too many characters and is a complete utter mess of a story and sends out all the wrong signals in its muddled message. So now these same people praise this film that carries all the same damaging qualities if not more. This movie is about everything wrong in America and not in the right way. Here we see Captain America, a super hero that is meant to represent everything American. Naturally most Americans are going to follow the Cap as the protagonist, the right one, the hero. He's not.
The Captain is asked to give some of his authority in order to keep the world in order because being the powerful man he is, he's still a human being and makes mistakes getting people hurt. I thought this was interesting until I realized where the Cap's character was going. He doesn't listen to the world and goes rogue. He hurts his friends and gets others killed all for him and his power he wants to keep. You know why? Because America thinks only they can be in control. The Captain literally represents the absurd conservative agenda of "America first". Captain America is Trump's America. Sure he's kinder and more good looking but his actions speak louder. I know that audiences are allowed to side more with Iron Man but the film is called CAPTAIN America: Civil War. So here we are with a completely misguided message in a movie that's being shown around the world. Well done Hollywood. Under the surface this film has such poor values it makes me sick. Not only is it a bad message its a mess of a story and there were just too many characters with no believable motivations. Don't even get me started on the colorless concrete block look of the movie. Marvel and DC both, please stop.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
How can you love your creator if he is the devil?
After biting my nails for weeks about whether or not Alien: Covenant would be good I'm happy to say it is good. Just good. Not great. The pacing was a bit off and a few characters felt expendable but apart from that it was scary as hell and built more mythology around the Xenomorphs as well as our own. However my biggest let down was the complete absence of practical work on the creatures. Its all CGI and while some shots look good, the close-ups (which should have been practical) looked awful. Despite this I have to give the film a pass because its story was just the right amount of creepy, biblical, and thrilling.
So far most reviews have been overwhelmingly negative. I think this is mostly due to some people having more a problem with the same cons I just talked about than I did but I also think its because of another thing. Like the Star Wars films, I think fans of the originals love to hate any new material brought to the franchise. I think a lot of people wanted to hate this movie (and for a while so did I). Before I watched it though I decided to clear my mind and just watch it. While flawed it still satisfied me as a fan of the first two (and yes) the third one as well. I think people should stop comparing this to the first two Alien movies. They're not perfect movies, there I said it. This one has more flaws than them but it still manages to be better than any of the Marvel films that people praise for some reason.
One thing I do have to mention is how much in need this film is of a director's cut. Ridley Scott is the master of director's cuts. Even though it was an overall good film, it frustrates me that the prologue scenes that were made for marketing material were not in the film. They desperately needed to be in the movie. It was the character introduction for the film that should have been. The beginning of this film has no character set up because of this. Hopefully the Blu-ray will have a director's cut but if not, its still a good movie in the end. I think in about 10 years more people will acknowledge this film as a flawed yet worthy prequel.