The Official Review Thread of 2015

anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE LOBSTER
Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Angeliki Papoulia, Ashley Jensen, Jessica Barden, Michael Smiley, Ariana Labed, Roger Ashton-Griffiths.
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos.

Sometime in the future, you are required to have a life/romantic/sexual partner. Single people are taken to a hotel where they have 45 days to find someone or else they will be turned into an animal of their choosing. This is the latest film from the director of Dogtooth and though it may have a somewhat bigger budget, is in English and has recognizable name actors in it, it is no less weirder and idiosyncratic. There have been lots of films made about relationships and finding love. I always thought there couldn't POSSIBLY any other iterations of it. Well, Lanthimos proved me wrong. This is a very unique take on the topic. It is often very funny, very sad and like his other film, will get you cringing at times. The actors all sell it. Despite the weirdness, at its heart, managed to come up with a genuinely sweet and touching love story. It will win you over by the end. Just stick with it.

Oscar Prospects: Oh, none. But the Golden Globes should look at this as a possible Musical/Comedy Picture candidate.

Grade: A-
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

SPECTRE
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench.
Dir: Sam Mendes.

James Bond finally comes face to face with an old/new nemesis, an organization called SPECTRE. No, this is nowhere near as great as Skyfall but there are lots of things to love about it: For one, Christoph Waltz is a great Bond villain (let's face it, ever since he broke out, it was only a matter of time) and Lea Seydoux is my favorite Bond girl since Vesper Lynde (a tough act to follow). Oh and the opening sequence is fantastic. Unfortunately, the climax could have been a lot better and this felt just a tad too long and bloated and Monica Bellucci is once again wasted (though she still looks f-ing hot at 50!). It's not the "worst Bond ever" but rather around mid-tier.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score is possible. Original Song would have to be sparse to get Sam Smith that nomination.

Grade: B.
Last edited by anonymous1980 on Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

SICARIO
Cast: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, Jeffrey Donovan, Maximiliano Hernandez.
Dir: Denis Villeneuve.

An idealistic FBI agent is tasked to accompany what's supposed to be a mission to eradicate a drug lord but something shadier is going on. I think Denis Villenueve is an excellent filmmaker despite my somewhat mixed feelings towards his last two films but this one, I really, really liked this one. His best film since Incendies and his best English-language film so far. It's beautifully shot by Roger fuckin' Deakins who actually made night-vision and thermal vision shots look STUNNING and it's tense, thrilling and gripping. Lots of people will give their take on this. I personally saw it as an indictment on the War on Drugs. Emily Blunt is terrific but Benicio Del Toro runs away with the film.

Oscar Prospects: Picture, Director, Actress and Original Screenplay are unlikely but not impossible. It has a good shot at Supporting Actor, Cinematography and Original Score.

Grade: A-
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

EISENSTEIN IN GUANAJATO
Cast: Elmer Back, Luis Alberto, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante.
Dir: Peter Greenaway.

Thanks to my country's crappy public transportation system, I missed the first few minutes of this film. But it seems I didn't miss that much so I'm gonna review it anyways. This is a film about Sergei Eisenstein. After the success of Battleship Potemkin, he goes to Hollywood to meet with people to make a movie but was rejected due to his being a Soviet. He then goes to Mexico to make a film there instead and has an affair with his handsome male Mexican guide/translator. I haven't seen any of Peter Greenaway's work in a long time (since The Pillow Book, I believe). I've forgotten how frustrating a filmmaker he can be. I sort of respect what he's doing more than actually like what he's doing, if that makes any sense. I've only completely love only one of his films (you can take a guess which one) but all his films are remarkable works of art. How he combines the stunningly beautiful with the grotesque, how he (mostly) eschews story structure and he loves graphic nudity especially penises. All of that is in display here. That's why this film is a struggle for me since there are parts I absolutely love and parts that keep me from embracing it. But this is well worth checking out if you love film.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B.

TANGERINE
Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, James Ransone, Mickey O'Hagan, Karren Karagulian, Alla Tumanian, Ian Edwards, Scott Krinsky.
Dir: Sean Baker.

Oh, I kind of loved this film. Check this film out if you get the chance! It's about a couple of trans women sex workers in downtown Los Angeles and a glimpse into their lives in the afternoon and early evening of Christmas Eve. This film is shot on iPhones and it looks great (I'm running out of excuses, haha). But beyond that, it is a really funny and surprisingly sweet and touching slice-of-life film that never condescends or judges its characters. It humanizes them and makes them relatable. The two leads turn in pretty great performances especially since they're first timers (and real-life trans women). It is definitely one of the best indie films of the year. Oh and features a great soundtrack too.

Oscar Prospects: Unlikely. But I do think the Golden Globes should get this into the Best Musical/Comedy category somehow.

Grade: A-

THE SUMMER OF SANGAILE
Cast: Aiste Dirziute, Julija Steponaityte, Nele Savicenko, Laurynas Jurgelis.
Dir: Alanté Kavaïté.

A sullen, emotionally troubled teenage girl who has ambitions to become a pilot (but also cuts herself) meets and has an affair with a slightly older girl while vacationing with her parents at the countryside. This is the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar entry of Lithuania. It's no groundbreaking masterpiece but it is a beautifully acted, well-crafted coming-of-age film. But what I do find refreshing about it is that the lesbian angle is not really the main dramatic thrust of the film. I mean, it's there but it's not what you concern yourself most about. It's simply part of who the main character is and what really matters for this film is more her emotional journey and growth. It's no Blue is the Warmest Color but it's still a nice little film worth checking out.

Oscar Prospects: Unlikely nominee but not totally impossible.

Grade: B.
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

BLACK MASS
Cast: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard, David Harbour, Julianne Nicholson, Adam Scott, W. Earl Brown, Juno Temple.
Dir: Scott Cooper.

This is about the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger and how he used the FBI to expand his criminal empire. I don't know why but I always thought Whitey Bulger was a professional baseball player. Oh, well. How's the film? It is certainly very competently made and very well acted by a great ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp who, for once in a long, long time, does not phone it in. He is effectively menacing as Bulger, making him a believable character. Despite all this and the fact that it is a fascinating, compelling story, the film failed to do anything particularly new or amazing and merely reminds me of better mob movies like Goodfellas and even Depp's own Donnie Brasco. A great film could've been made on the subject matter but the film is merely only good.

Oscar Prospects: Actor (Depp) and Supporting Actor (Edgerton) are possible but stiff competition will make them lost in the shuffle. Makeup & Hairstyling is its strongest bet.

Grade: B-

GOOSEBUMPS
Cast: Jack Black, Dylan Minette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee, Jillian Bell, Ken Marino.
Dir: Rob Letterman.

This film technically has no earthly right to be this good. A Goosebumps movie (a series of books I personally don't find to be that particularly good) starring Jack Black by the people who made his version of Gulliver's Travels. Smells like a disaster. But lo and behold, it's actually quite a fun movie. It's a fun concept. It is sort of like a Cabin in the Woods for kids and quite reminiscent of the stuff Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante did during the 1980's. In fact, I thought Joe Dante should have tried his hand at directing it. The actors all sell it. It even managed to dig on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. This will probably be watched by a lot of kids every Halloween. Extra points for the Danny Elfman score!

Oscar Prospects: None but I love the Danny Elfman score.

Grade: B+
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by Sabin »

Victoria (Sebastian Schipper)

Yeah, it's one shot. To his credit, Schipper definitely understands the strengths and weaknesses of making a movie that exists in only one shot and it mostly shows off the strengths and hides the weaknesses but I didn't think it was engaging enough as a story to warrant two and a half hours. Shipper does a fairly good job of juggling tones and moods. What starts out as an exciting night in a club turns into partying on the roof, and then a sweet little rom-com, and then a heist. That makes it engaging enough. My favorite moments were when the dialogue was drowned out by Nils Frahm's gorgeous score, kind of making it a paean for doomed youth.

Yeah. One shot. Pretty cool that they did that.
"How's the despair?"
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE WALK
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Clément Sibomy, César Domboy, Ben Schwartz, Benedict Samuel, Steve Valentine.
Dir: Robert Zemeckis.

This is the true story of Philippe Petit, the performance artist who walked the high wire in between the two towers of the World Trade Center during the 70's when it was newly erected. I've seen the documentary on the same subject Man on Wire so I have a good idea of what will go on. But even then, the film manages to hold my attention and be suspenseful when it counts. I saw this on IMAX 3D and yes, it is worth seeing on this format because you really feel the height of the thing. It manages to be quite the spectacle...and even oddly moving. The way it sort of acknowledged 9/11 was artful and tasteful. It has a flawed script (too much narration and dialogue about what's going on) but still an overall good film nonetheless.

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects and Original Score are both possibles. Should be a contender for Production Design.

Grade: B.
dws1982
Emeritus
Posts: 3790
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 9:28 pm
Location: AL
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by dws1982 »

99 Homes

--some minor spoilers--



The start (and opening 10-15 minutes) is excellent, truly uncomfortable and unsettling in a way that not many movies are. The process of eviction is quick and mechanical one, we quickly learn from watching Michael Shannon and his police backup, and it's also fairly mechanical for those being evicted--circumstances may vary, but all evictees tend to go through a similar process: shock, denial ("this is a mistake"), lots of anger, acceptance ("we'll figure something out"). We don't pick up on that second part at the beginning. It catches us as much off-guard as it does Andrew Garfield, and it's tough to watch. One credit to the movie is that we see several scenes like this, and despite the sameness, the situations are all unique and interesting in their own way. A problem for me comes in in the way that Garfield gets sucked into working for Michael Shannon. As he's being evicted, Garfield's things are moved out to the street and a member of Shannon's moving crew starts going through the toolbox. The next day, Garfield goes to Shannon's office, confronts (and gets into a fight with) the crew member, and then Shannon hires him more or less on the spot. There's just nothing about it that makes much sense. Why would he hire this guy? The movie never explains it. And then a few minutes later, Garfield seems to cement his permanent job as Shannon's minion when he's the only guy on the crew who's willing to go into a house where the residents had backed up the septic tank and flooded the place with sewage. (Seems kind of like the type of thing Shannon's crew would've seen before.) But once Garfield is working for Shannon, gradually rising from a crew member (who illegally removes and then reinstalls appliances from Shannon's houses) to evictor, it's extremely compelling again. The relationship between Shannon and Garfield is fascinating. You know Garfield isn't cut out for what he's getting in to, but the movie at its best when it's dealing with those Machiavellian compromises that we make to survive. The ending is a let-down, because it's along the lines of the sequence where Garfield gets the job with Shannon--it never quite rings true. The performances make up for a lot--Garfield and Shannon are both excellent, and Laura Dern is as well in a smaller role. Like I said in another thread, Garfield should really be in the Best Actor talk this year. (Shannon should too, although I suspect in this day and age he would be promoted in Support.)
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

CRIMSON PEAK
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman, Leslie Hope, Jonathan Hyde, Doug Jones.
Dir: Guillermo Del Toro.

At the start of the film, Mia Wasikowska's character, an aspiring writer, defends the story she wrote from someone who pejoratively referred to it as a "ghost story" by saying, "It's not a ghost story, it's a story with ghosts in it" which is what best describes this film. Yes, it does contain ghosts and spooky and scary moments, and even some graphic, bloody violence, it is essentially a gothic romance with a story that could have easily have been written by one of the Bronte sisters. Is it predictable? Sure. But you really don't care because director Guillermo del Toro crafts a beautifully spooky thrill ride that's a feast of the eyes. It's not my favorite Guillermo Del Toro film but this Hammer horror meets giallo is a winner in my book and continues his streak of terrific films.

Oscar Prospects: A strong contender for Production Design. Could also get nominated in Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Cinematography and Sound Mixing.

Grade: B+
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Scott Shepherd, Alan Alda, Sebastian Koch, Jesse Plemons, Austin Stowell, Billy Magnussen, Will Rogers.
Dir: Steven Spielberg.

Inspired by the true story of James B. Donovan, the defense lawyer who after defending an accused Soviet spy, negotiated the release of an imprisoned American soldier. Man, I have to say that Steven Spielberg guy can sure make movies, huh? I wasn't so familiar with the story so a lot of the parts here I found genuinely suspenseful (though I had an idea at what's going to happen). Tom Hanks is Tom Hanks giving a Tom Hanks performance but his charm is utilized superbly here. But the performance that made the film was Mark Rylance who infuses his character with so much humanity and he delivers a surprisingly touching performance. Oh and pretty darn good script co-written by the Coen Brothers (I admit I sat there guessing which parts they were most responsible for). This is definitely upper-tier Spielberg.

Oscar Prospects: Strong possibility for Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Screenplay (Original, I think), Film Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Cinematography and Sound Mixing.

Grade: A-
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

PAN
Cast: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried, Adeel Akhtar, Kathy Burke, Nonso Anozie, Cara Delevingne.
Dir: Joe Wright.

Morbid curiosity, the need for watching bad films on occasion and goodwill towards director Joe Wright are the three things that compelled me to see this film. Does the world really need an origin story movie on Peter Pan? Hell, no. But that doesn't mean a good movie can't be made out of the concept. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here. There are some good ideas and moments sprinkled here and there but overall the film is just one big miscalculation after another. It doesn't seem to quite find its voice (What's with the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" number? Did Baz Luhrmann make a pass in the script? No one in the production thought it was a bad idea?) and often falls back on the now-tired "Chosen One" cliche. Levi Miller is a perfectly fine young actor who carries the film but it's too bad the adult supporting cast is mostly terrible (Rooney Mara phoning it in; Garrett Hedlund doing a bad Nicolas Cage impression; Hugh Jackman being fed bad direction). Tsk, tsk, tsk, Joe Wright.

Oscar Prospects: None. The bad box-office and reviews will prevent this from getting any tech noms.

Grade: D+
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

LOREAK (FLOWERS)
Cast: Nagore Aranburu, Itziar Ituño, Itziar Aizpuru, Josean Bengoetxea, Egoitz Lasa, Ane Gabarain.
Dirs: Jon Garaño & Jose Mari Goenaga.

A woman in her 40's experiencing early menopause receives flowers from a mysterious stranger week after week. There is more to it than that but I went into this knowing only that and one of the pleasures of seeing it is watching the story unfold with only knowing that. This is the Spanish entry to the Best Foreign Language Film race at the Oscars this year. It kind of sort of reminds me of Departures in an odd way because not only (without spoiling anything) they sort of have similar-ish theme, it is also the type of film where the emotional impact sort of sneaks up on you and moves you in a rather surprising way. It is a quite excellent little film that's worth keeping an eye out for.

Oscar Prospects: Hmmm. I'd say this has a decent shot at the top 5.

Grade: B+
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Cast: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Paul Giamatti, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown Jr., Nate Ellington, R. Marcus Taylor, Alexandra Shipp.
Dir: F. Gary Gray.

I like hip-hop music but I wouldn't call myself a hip-hop fan (I only have one hip-hop album in my phone and it's not by any of the artists featured here) in that I know all the albums, the songs and the back story. So I went in barely knowing anything apart from the fact that this tells the true story about rap group N.W.A. led by Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. Although it runs a bit too long and too bloated, the film is still a compelling and fascinating musical biopic whose themes tackled are still resonant even today. Ice Cube's real-life son actually portrays him in this movie (has that every happened before? I mean, I know Geraldine Chaplin portrayed her own grandma) and did it very well but Jason Mitchell ran away with it as Eazy-E, easily the most tragic of three main guys. And seriously, fuck the police.

Oscar Prospects: I don't know how this will pan out. I guess if several of Oscar bait contenders fall apart, this could swoop in with Picture, Sound Mixing and Film Editing nominations.

Grade: B+
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

THE MARTIAN
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Sean Bean, Aksel Hennie, Donald Glover, Mackenzie Davis, Benedict Wong.
Dir: Ridley Scott.

Is this Ridley Scott's return to form or is it a fluke in a string of mediocrity? Either way, this is a terrific film (and I would say one of his best) and probably the best Mars science fiction film to date, or at least of this century. A storm forces a Mars mission to be cut short and leaves one of them behind, believing him to be dead. But he's not. The science is purported to be accurate (and not only that, very accessible too unlike a certain film last year that rhymes Inferdellar that shares a couple of their actors) but more than that, it's quite thrilling and despite the fact it depicts the dangers of space exploration, it also inspires a certain sense of wonder of it all which makes it inspiring. And it also contains a surprising amount of humor! (And not always from people you expect). The cinematography, visual effects, designs, etc. all exemplary.

Oscar Prospects: Deserving of Best Picture, Director, Actor (Matt Damon), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing. Production Design, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Original Score nominations.

Grade: A-
anonymous1980
Laureate
Posts: 6377
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 10:03 pm
Location: Manila
Contact:

Re: The Official Review Thread of 2015

Post by anonymous1980 »

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Keegan-Michael Key, Mel Brooks, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman (voices).
Dir: Genndy Tartakovsky.

I actually didn't see the first film and based on this, I guess I did not miss anything much. I pretty much know what's going on and I wasn't lost or anything. As it is, I thought it was an okay movie. It's no PIXAR or even second-tier Disney or Dreamworks but I found it entertaining. In this one, Dracula gets a grandson who seems to be 100 percent human. Although there was opportunity for something deeper with the concept, it chooses to go the easy route. But still, I found it entertaining and with a few laughs (which is more that can be said for most Adam Sandler's stuff these days) and it's kind of sweet (though not clever enough). Harmless stuff for kids.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B-
Post Reply

Return to “2015”