Rorschach Reviews Year 6: Return of the Zeroes

[Rorschach]

Tomorrow...

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

@Blankments @YourMother the Edgelord 👀

 

 

 

[Rorschach]

Super Mario Bros.

 

For the majority of its runtime, Super Mario Bros. is a strikingly faithful yet wholly unique adaptation of the franchise conglomerate almost everyone knows. Where it succeeds in bringing many of the familiar elements and characters commonly associated with them, the film also manages to add on an extra layer of depth to its story regarding thee issue of immigration and the fear/distrust that it brings along with it. It's a strikingly adult theme to bring up in a kids film but Mark Dindal and co. find a way to beautifully weave it into the narrative, adding a surprising extra layer of emotion to it. The characters are all great (especially Daisy, who is easily the clear stand-out of the film) and the comedy is solid almost throughout the runtime.

 

Speaking of runtime... where the film, unfortunately, falters for me, is in its second half. Not that it's awful or bad or anything like that; it still managed to entertain me quite a lot. But the film clocks in at nearly two hours and feels like it has four acts. The whole 30 minute section of the film between Peach getting kidnapped by Bowser and the final showdown at Bowser's caste EASILY could've been excised from the film and you wouldn't have really lost much of anything (aside from cutting out a whole bunch of characters that get introduced halfway through the story that probably would've been better suited for a sequel). At the very least, it could've been reduced down to a montage to help bridge the gap between the kidnapping and the final showdown. Instead, we get a film that feels like its at the end of its second act about an hour into the film only for a whole new plot to kick in right afterward.

 

Still, it's almost amazing that the film's biggest issue isn't enough to keep down my enjoyment of everything else. The good stuff here is really, really freakin' good, great even – almost Can You Imagine? and Gateways level quality. I'm definitely looking forward to a follow-up to see where the story goes from here.

 

7/10

 

(Also, is it me or do the animators at Endless Animation really like dance battles? 🤔)

[Rorschach]

The App: The Jeremy Renner App - The Movie

 

Probably as close as I'll ever come to knowing what its like to find Jesus.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Update: I found Jesus. The App: The Jeremy Renner App - The Movie was better.

 

10/10

Edited October 3, 2019 by Rorschach

[Rorschach]

Spoiler

But for real though, 6/10. That shit made me laugh hard 

 

[Rorschach]

Tomorrow @Spaghetti @Xillix @SLAM! @4815162342

 

 

 

 

[Rorschach]

Paradise Island

 

Paradise Island is a reflective and somber film, basking mostly in the quiet moments where dialogue is not needed (and thankfully, shouldn't be) and letting the emotion play out through the characters themselves. Debra Granik has managed to craft a film that is mainly a study of people who are cast in a web of uncertainty and instability when they realize that the only home they've ever known will be gone soon.

 

The film does an amazing job portraying the trouble that comes with and the testing of lifelong friendships and relationships that comes from it. This is mainly captured through the film's ensemble cast who are all uniformly great, even amazing. Tessa Thompson and Chadwick Boseman both gives powerful performances in their own right as a cold, distant married couple still trying to help each other out amidst all of the uncertainty and doubt, both trying to come grips with their inevitable future.

 

The film's major strengths, however, come entirely through the visuals, which manages to elevate the material, saying more emotion than any word of spoken dialogue can. Several times during the film, I found myself both awestruck and melancholic at different shots in the film. The ending especially hit me hard; the entirety of it is presented free of dialogue, and it is simply perfection. The final shot itself hit me especially hard (thanks for making teary-eyed Pasta 😢).

 

Even after watching it, I'm still trying to process and take in everything. It's a cathartic, emotional experience I have not felt in quite some time reading a film, probably not since reading Notes From the Otherspace. Its a masterful work of art that left me reflecting on myself and my own relationships, about the world around me, and about the future – something I also haven't felt in a long time. Change is a difficult, scary thing to swallow but what's most important is keeping true to those around you and, most of all, to yourself. 

 

Spoiler

10/10 ❤️

 

[Rorschach]

I apologize if that review was a bit of a jumble to read. I'm still trying to process my thoughts on the film even after finishing it. Good shit!

[cookie]

Allure and T’Challa for Best Actress/Actor respectively?

[Rorschach]

He-Man IV: The Sons of the Serpent 

 

About the same in quality as the other films, I guess. They all kinda blend in with each other, tbh. This last one, though, definitely should've been called Skeletor, considering he's more of a main character then He-Man himself. At the very least, Bautista should've gotten top-billing. Oh well. Thankfully, this film seems to properly end the 4 film saga which was a good move on the studio's part. I sure hope they don't make another follow-up...

 

5/10

Edited October 4, 2019 by Rorschach

[Rorschach]

2 minutes ago, cookie said:

Allure and T’Challa for Best Actress/Actor respectively?

Both are locked on my ballot for sure. Winning? We'll have to see.

[YM!]

6 minutes ago, Rorschach said:

He-Man IV: The Sons of the Serpent 

 

About the same in quality as the other films, I guess. They all kinda blend in with each other, tbh. This last one, though, definitely should've been called Skeletor, considering he's more of a main character then He-Man himself. At the very least, Bautista should've gotten top-billing. Oh well. Thankfully, this film seems to properly end the 4 film saga which was a good move on the studio's part. I sure hope they don't make another follow-up...

 

5/10

The Stench Of Evil

[Ezen Baklattan]

10 minutes ago, cookie said:

Allure and T’Challa for Best Actress/Actor respectively?

 

T'Challa may be a bit of a borderline case where you could argue for Lead or Supporting. Allura is 100% lead though.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Spaghetti

[Rorschach]

1 minute ago, YourMother the Edgelord said:

The Stench Of Evil

[Rorschach]

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

 

I ummm... uh, hmmm..... ah uh.... hmm...

 

 

I'm not even sure where to start.

 

I don't think I've felt this conflicted about my feelings on a film in quite some time. I'm honestly lost as to where to start on this because there's quite a lot that can be discussed but... I just don't have the words to say them.

 

Why don't I start off with what I know for sure: this is a pretty bold film. Not just in term of the subject matter its representing but also the story its trying to tell. I will say one of the things I really like about the film is that it sways away from the typical musical biography so many other filmmakers tend to produce and makes something wholly unique of itself. Considering the story its trying to tell, it was definitely the right approach. On a technical level, the film excels with some nice cinematography and some mind-bending visuals interspersed throughout the film's many dream sequences. The songs themselves are pleasant as well and really help bring the film up more in some of its more meandering moments. The "Oh Comely" sequence in the film is probably the biggest highlight in that regard.

 

Where I start to feel extremely conflicted is in the story itself because, I won't lie, the film did get pretty uncomfortable at times and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way. When you're dealing with subject matter like the film deals with, its a pretty intense tightrope you end up walking and I absolutely commend @SLAM! for attempting to walk that fine line.

 

But, unfortunately, its just rubbed me the completely wrong way. I won't spoil anything for those who have not read the film yet but there's one dream sequence in the film that just irked me so much I had to step back from reading for a second to collect my thoughts. Those who've already read the film probably know which scene I'm talking about and.... yeeaaaahhhhhhhhh I'll be completely honest, it was a huge misfire from me. It's really tough to put into exact words why it just flat out did not work for me but I think what I can break it down to is the way the scene was written and the way the dialogue sounded when reading out loud. It just... did not sit right with me, at all. I wish I had the right way to express how I felt about the scene but my mind is pretty much racing all over at the moment I'm typing this.

 

I think my biggest issue with the film as a whole is the way it deals with characterization. Jeff himself is a pretty two-dimensional character that I feel like I never really got to know all that well when the film was all said and done. I agree with @Xillix that the film kinda glosses over delving more into his psyche and figuring out how the depicted dreams he had effected him/inspired him to write the songs he wrote. It all felt fairly surface level for me. 

 

The other characters themselves really all blend together for me as well – none of them are really worth commenting on at all, to be honest. I suppose the fact that the film seems more interested in focusing in on the many numerous dream sequences contributes a lot to that and that's not necessarily a bad thing per se. But the sequences fail to really tell us anything more about Jeff, other than that his mental stability is probably going down the drain (I'm also really confused why the other bandmates weren't more concerned about this when they could clearly see that his obsession with a dead teenage girl was clearly having a negative effect on him emotionally. I would be fairly concerned for him if I was in that situation and probably would try to help him out. It doesn't seem like a thing one would brush off so lightly if they saw their friend in that state).

 

This review is a lot longer than I initially intended it to be but there's just so much conflicting stuff in my mind about this film that I just can't quite wrap my head around. I don't think there's been a film so far in the past 6 game years that I've felt this conflicted on. There's undeniably a lot of really good stuff in here but... a lot of stuff I'm just not sure I like or not. I know for sure its not an awful film or anything but like...

 

 

 

Spoiler

Yeah I'm probably gonna hold off on giving this one a grade for the time being, at least until I've had time to fully process my thoughts on the film. There's just so much to think about and process. Even after reading some of the other reviews for the film, I still don't know what to think. 

 

I don't know. I just don't know.

 

[Rorschach]

@SLAM! I will for sure have an official grade by the time I do my Top 25 list. Hopefully I can make up my mind by then. 

[Rorschach]

So my review for Most Wanted Man in Great Britain won't come until tomorrow as writing the Aeroplane review took quite a lot out of me.

 

Along with that, I have two mystery films I will be reviewing as well that were requested to me from someone who forgot to request them before I started doing reviews. 👀

Edited October 5, 2019 by Rorschach

[Rorschach]

The Most Wanted Man in Great Britain

 

Numerator Pictures has made quite the name for itself through its excellent crime and historical films and Thomas Vinterberg's Most Wanted Man in Great Britain is another great addition to that growing line-up. Unlike And the Band Plays On and Fortnight though, the film is a pretty straight forward drama with a much smaller ensemble this time around and much more focused on a select few characters. The performances are all around great. Tom Holland is fairly decent as Charles; he's definitely not as much of a stand-out as some of the other characters but he gets the job done well enough. Florence Pugh (😍) is amazing as always and Sam Hueghan has quite a lot of awesome scenes ( @cookie is spot-on. The hammer scene 👌).

 

However, all of them combined are unable to match up to the pure, scenery-chewing awesomeness that is Dan Steven's performance as the Colonel. HOT. DAMN. I feel so sorry for anyone who was hoping they had a chance at winning the Supporting Actor Oscar this year (yeah, including me) because this guy, even with the limited amount of screen-time he has, easily marks my favorite performance from anyone so far this year. Even though his character is such a shitbag, I enjoyed every frame he was on-screen with glee. Easily the crowning definition of a villain you love to hate. 

 

Most of all, the film is a fun ride. There's not a single moment where you're not engrossed with what's happening. This is mostly in thanks to the film's brisk pacing but also just how interesting the story is. I can easily see this being a big crowd pleaser and, not shockingly at all, a big awards player. 

 

9.5/10

[Rorschach]

@4815162342 In terms of ranking the historical films, respectively, I'll go...

 

1. And The Band Played On

2. Most Wanted Man in Great Britain

3. Fortnight

 

Crimes dramas:

 

1. 24 Hours

2. The Square Mile

3. Blank

Edited October 5, 2019 by Rorschach

[cookie]

The Colonel is one of those characters that if he even had one more dimension to him he wouldn't be half as fun. He takes one-note shittyness to its logical perfection.

[Rorschach]

11 minutes ago, cookie said:

The Colonel is one of those characters that if he even had one more dimension to him he wouldn't be half as fun. He takes one-note shittyness to its logical perfection.

I was waiting for the part of the film where he would open his mouth and accidentally suck all of Great Britain into it and slowly chew on it. Sadly, that never happened, but it definitely could have. 🤔

Edited October 5, 2019 by Rorschach