Forgive the lateness of the reviews; it’s been a busy
week for me. Once again I am going to try and keep them short for the purposes
of my own sanity more than anything. So here we go.
Interstellar Review Starts Here:
Plot Summary: In the not so distant future, earth is
dying, and the people of the world have taken to abandoning the science in the
name of survival by getting people to become farmers. Former NASA pilot Cooper
(Matthew McConaughey) discovers someone is sending him coded messages, which
leads him to secret NASA facility run by Professor Brand (Michael Caine) who
tells him that he is sending a team out to find a new planet for the human race
to live on and that it could take him many earth years for him to find one
suitable. And that’s all I want to say because really that’s all that’s worth
saying about it.
Pros: The movie’s visuals and cinematography is
excellent, as you get these great shots of space and black holes and all kinds
of cool looking stuff like that.
Cons: Honestly, for me the jury’s still out on an
absolute verdict, but for the most part I don’t like it. No one’s acting is
particularly bad, although Michael Caine’s character gets really bizarre as the
film goes on, and Matt Damon has a twenty minute cameo later on as an astronaut
from a previous trip whose big twist revelation is neither interesting nor
logical (in fact I wasn’t sure what he was doing until I read a plot summary
for this review). I think the problem is that it’s too long and there was way
too much hype built up for it when really it’s just kind of bizarrely mediocre.
Final Score: 4/10
All the visuals are solid, but beyond that, to me it’s
kind of a bloated mess. I still haven’t nailed down everything I don’t like
about it, but the more I think about it the less I like it.
Birdman Review Starts Here:
Plot Summary: Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a
washed up Hollywood actor mostly known for playing the hero Birdman in a
trilogy of films back in the 90’s (I get it!). Twenty years later. He is
setting to write, direct, and star, in a stage adaptation of Raymond Carver’s
short story “what we talk about when we talk about love.” He deals with a
cavalcade of characters while also trying to get a new actor for one of his
roles after attempting to kill the last one, while the voice of Birdman either
mocks or bolsters him throughout the film. Riggan is also able to perform small
feats of telekinesis and levitation when he is alone.
Pros: First and foremost, whoever did the editing on
this film deserves an Oscar, because they successful made most of the movie
feel like one long take say for a few transition shots and it is amazing. Secondly,
all the actors in this are extremely on the ball. Keaton is perfectly cast (especially
if you remember that he played the original Batman back in ’89), Edward Norton
as the overzealous actor is both funny and painful to watch at times (there’s a
great bit where he actually gets a very visible erection during a showing on
stage), but for me my favorite moment was when Emma Stone as Keaton’s just out
of rehab daughter perfectly describes in one great monologue why her dad’s
career is the way it is and it’s honestly one of the best moments in her career
so far.
Cons: The editing does make the film a little
difficult to follow as there is no real cut for the audience to be drawn back
in with, but a slight look away helps between scenes. Also, there is one thing
about this film that I should mention. If you go and watch and you find
yourself getting bored, there is a scene where the movie basically mocks you
for it. To me at least I think its part of the reason why the film hasn’t been
as widely released as other films.
Final Score: 8/10
It’s not a masterpiece in my mind, but it’s a great
film, and I actually might go see it again before it’s out on DVD (which I’ll
also get as well.)
So there you go, two for the price of one. I have no
idea when or what the next review will be about.
But until then, I'll see you guys at the movies.
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