Rorschach Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Just now, 4815162342 said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 @Xillix and @cookie BOTH gave the same grade to Rising in Y1. 🧐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Pokémon: The Cinnabar Conspiracy The most enjoyable of the Kanto trilogy, with a clearer focus and more streamlined plot than either preceding film. It's still weighed down by superfluous fanservice, and the structure feels a bit like a multi-part TV episode as opposed to a cohesive feature film, but it's a vast improvement especially overly the meandering first installment. That said, as downplayed as it is, relatively speaking, the plot thread about the league tournament remains more of a distraction than a compelling narrative - and clashes quite a bit with the potentially world-changing events at the story's core, which the characters sometimes just seem to stop worrying about when the focus shifts. The two sides collide for a suitably action-packed climax, but overall the more interesting half - the titular Cinnabar experiment and its fallout - is left feeling rather underdeveloped, the stabs at moral complexity ringing especially hollow. Big time Poké-fans will enjoy the spectacle on display, at the very least. Edited September 28, 2019 by Xillix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 slightly better than expected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 Rolled for next - Children of Eden. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Children of Eden Lavish production and strong lead performances make this a technically-accomplished adaptation of the musical that fans should appreciate. It's a pretty scant story for a nearly two-hour feature film, though, with many time skips leaving gaps that could have been comfortably filled in. My problems with the story, of course, are in a sense not really problems with the film or even the musical since they can be traced back millennia. Some audiences will definitely appreciate a relatively straight, commentary-free depiction of the Biblical story, though I can't say I found it particularly compelling or interesting. I understand questioning or adding layers to the narrative would have been controversial, to say the least, but it would have been a much more intriguing movie. Edited September 28, 2019 by Xillix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddroast Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 @Xillix can you please do a review for bleach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 Just now, Reddroast said: @Xillix can you please do a review for bleach My requests are closed but I'll be reviewing everything in release order once they are finished. Next up: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea One of the more baffling and uncomfortable Oscar bait dramas in recent memory, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea certainly can't be faulted for a lack of risk-taking. It's a competently made picture from a technical standpoint, but the story it's chosen to convey, if it could be successfully filmed at all, required a delicate touch that this film and its lurid dream sequences absolutely do not have. The movie is probably a certain kind of hipster's wet dream (literally, in one case), but the way it handles the historical figure of Anne Frank is horribly off-putting, certainly not helped by the egregious miscasting of Joey King. It glosses over concerns about the lead character's mental state, failing to delve into his psyche in any way which could explain or excuse the dramatized depictions of his "inspiration." A facile, misguided, unpleasant celebration of an album obviously loved by the filmmakers. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 Sorry @SLAM! - well written but yeah, that did not work for me at all. Already have a conflicting opinion though, so what do I know Up next is @YourMother the Edgelord's Thirsty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 26 minutes ago, Xillix said: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea One of the more baffling and uncomfortable Oscar bait dramas in recent memory, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea certainly can't be faulted for a lack of risk-taking. It's a competently made picture from a technical standpoint, but the story it's chosen to convey, if it could be successfully filmed at all, required a delicate touch that this film and its lurid dream sequences absolutely do not have. The movie is probably a certain kind of hipster's wet dream (literally, in one case), but the way it handles the historical figure of Anne Frank is horribly off-putting, certainly not helped by the egregious miscasting of Joey King. It glosses over concerns about the lead character's mental state, failing to delve into his psyche in any way which could explain or excuse the dramatized depictions of his "inspiration." A facile, misguided, unpleasant celebration of an album obviously loved by the filmmakers. This is fair. When watching a video review of John Travolta's recent film The Fanatic, the reviewer said that it seemed like the actor was always using the first idea. He didn't wait for the second idea, or the third, or fourth, or fifth. He went with the first idea and gave a performance that was baffling and uncomfortable. I am guilty of doing the same; I am guilty of taking the first that comes into my head and running with it. This is the kind of review I was afraid of, but the kind of review I knew was possible... I definitely don't blame you. I'm glad I wrote it, but I don't think I'm ever going to write something this aggressively repulsive ever again. It's a good thing I'm still discovering what my niche as a storyteller is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 6 minutes ago, SLAM! said: This is fair. When watching a video review of John Travolta's recent film The Fanatic, the reviewer said that it seemed like the actor was always using the first idea. He didn't wait for the second idea, or the third, or fourth, or fifth. He went with the first idea and gave a performance that was baffling and uncomfortable. I am guilty of doing the same; I am guilty of taking the first that comes into my head and running with it. This is the kind of review I was afraid of, but the kind of review I knew was possible... I definitely don't blame you. I'm glad I wrote it, but I don't think I'm ever going to write something this aggressively repulsive ever again. It's a good thing I'm still discovering what my niche as a storyteller is. I mean don't get me wrong writing unnerving stuff is a skill in its own right. It was pretty much the historical context that made it not work for me. I'm interested to read your horror flicks now, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Hunt Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 1 hour ago, Xillix said: , In the Aeroplane Over the Sea certainly can't be faulted for a lack of risk-taking. Not to give away my own take but i way disagree with this. I thinknthe film isn't risky enough lol 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 16 hours ago, Spaghetti said: @Xillix and @cookie BOTH gave the same grade to Rising in Y1. 🧐 UPDATE: @Ethan Hunt now too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, Ethan Hunt said: Not to give away my own take but i way disagree with this. I thinknthe film isn't risky enough lol ...So I guess I'm tiny bear in this case? Edited September 28, 2019 by cookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, cookie said: ...So I guess I'm tiny bear in this case? I will tip my hat and say I quite liked the initial draft but will need to reread it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 Thirsty A comedy that feels a lot longer than it is and becomes occasionally hard to follow thanks to some poor editing and the sheer density of characters, gags, and little side-quests. It's good for several genuine laughs, though, and its heart is in the right place even if it's never especially original or insightful. Teens will probably have fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 Borrasca A pretty solid thriller with good atmosphere and strong performances. The dialogue isn't very good most of the time, and the central mystery becomes considerably less compelling the more bits and pieces fall into place. The resolution is suitably icky but neither especially clever or surprising, and I was personally a little bit disappointed at a lot of the explanations not quite living up to my initial hopes or imaginings. Maybe I would have liked this a bit more if I'd read it before some of the other extremely glowing reviews got my hopes up. Still solid. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 JANUARY Broadway Selects: The Band's Visit The play is fine and the camera operators kept the stage in frame, so that's nice. All Kinds of Bull From the studio that brought you Two Lonely Zookeepers, and boy does it show. Attempts to pull on pet-owner's heartstrings are completely overshadowed by unintentional hilarity. Espionage Project Almost certainly the single stupidest spy movie ever produced, but damn if that twenty minute hallway fight isn't cracking stuff. Making Waves Almost as stupid as Espionage Project and not nearly as fun, but it gets a bonus half-star for shirtless Ryan Reynolds. Walking with You Sappy and derivative but basically fine romantic melodrama. The Power of Love A Huey Lewis biopic probably would've been better. This is a middling superhero romcom that's at least a passable diversion by January's low standards. It's never as clever or funny as it should be, but some of the action is fun and for the most part it's competently-made. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xillix Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 (MOST OF) FEBRUARY Dog Models If @Ethan Hunt was trying to furry-bait me it didn't work. Down and Dirty I don't really like rap music or concert movies, but I do like 3D. So. Eh. At least it's not Nicki Minaj? Thomas Was Alone Why am I watching some kid play a puzzle game? Also: no he wasn't. Meme Thief This funny comedy is a pretty clever commentary on modern internet culture and the constant search for followers and cache which has a lot of substance and was not written based just on a random idea. Little Black Bugs This eventually turns into a somewhat interesting, trippy examination of guilt in the vein of "The Tell-Tale Heart," so I can appreciate what it was going for. There's some interesting thematic material here that's not bungled or anything, and a couple cleverly nightmarish bits. But I've got to be honest - gross out stuff has never worked for me. Not in comedy, and not in horror. So I found virtually none of this movie scary, and pretty much all of it horribly disgusting, and I have a really hard time looking past the fact that it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Horror is supposed to be like a thrill ride where you enjoy the rush, but I don't like getting images stuck in my head that will ruin my appetite. Sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
