Another absolutely solid western from Anthony Mann. There is some truly majestic camerawork in this, cementing Mann second only to Ford who could capture the American West as vividly on screen.
The story is fairly average but Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins make for a charismatic pair that keep it alive.
This film would've been outright great if it wasn't for the decidedly average romance attached to it. Even so, it features two incredibly attractive and likable leads with burning chemistry and its focus on hip-hop elevates it above the norm.
I've always admired Ben Wheatley. A director who always swings for the fences, albeit to varying degrees of success. But his films have never been boring. This is the first time I've been genuinely bored by his work.
Far too talky and lacking in any kind of unsettling atmosphere, which is surprising for Wheatley. By the time it ended, I was still wondering what the point of any of it was. Oh well...
Maybe Meg 2: The Trench will set things right.
For the most part, a really solid WWII movie. The jadedness of the soldiers on both sides who just want nothing more than this shit to be over with is well conveyed by the performers, whilst the battle scenes are exceedingly well done.
Its themes and ideas get undermined by the weight of them, however, diminishing its impact the more it carries on and the more things that get blown up, but for the most part, it's a really solid entry in the canon.
For an 83 minute movie, there sure was a hell of a lot of filler in this. Not as brutal as the first movie, but Sonny Chiba's douchebag of a anti-hero still delivers the goods when called upon. The plot is slight and is really just a piss poor excuse to get to the good stuff, but hey, that's fine, I guess.
A very odd film. It wants to play as a screwball film noir, but the marriage between the two styles and genres never plays well nor feels organic. It's a shame because the cast is stacked, but it's something of a mess. Plus, it's very early 2000s which was never the best era of filmmaking.
What begins as a mildly interesting (and culturally insensitive) melodrama, turns into something far more interesting when the column of giant ants makes an appearance.
One of the most insufferable pieces of bullshit I've had the displeasure of sitting through in a long while.
I've never seen what all the fuss with Ari Aster was about, and this just solidifies my initial thoughts on him as a filmmaker. Sure, I could appreciate Hereditary, and I could see why people liked Midsommar even if it was vastly overrated. But Beau is Afraid? No.
Never before has a filmmaker slapped themselves on the back with such enthusiasm,…
This movie was clearly made to compete with the Airport series and the Irwin Allen disaster pics that were such a staple of the 70s. Get a bunch of famous people together, stick them in a contained setting, and throw in some scenario they have to deal with.
This time it's a passenger train traveling through Europe and the scenario is a flu-like plague and only Richard Harris and his ex-wife, Sophia Loren are the only ones who can handle it.
It does exactly what it says on the tin, except for the ending which is nuts. The film's worth it just for that alone.
Jungleland's story beats and trajectory may be familiar, but it's anchored by three tremendous performances, especially Charlie Hunnam. His portrayal as the perpetual dreamer and fuckup, Stanley, is the best of his career.
It's a performance that deserves a better movie, but even so, Jungleland is still pretty engaging in spite of it familiarity.