TheEventsOf1989

"The Searchers" has definitely not aged well. The story is extremely simple, they're are some strange plot holes that audiences seemed to gloss over. On top of that, the role of the Native Americans in the story is extremely unrealistic, besides the fact that they are all played by white actors, perhaps excusable because of the times, there antagonistic forces are simply overly evil and hateful, and the are given no real depth. The visuals are gorgeous, and the landscape and set design is immaculate, but the story is hindered.

A funny and original story with characters that have more depth your typical comedy, maybe even your typical drama. The visuals encased in "The Big Lebowski" are interesting for its comedic tone, and the end result is a load of laughs.

"Mandy" isn't afraid to stick to its own remarkable visual palate and its own spectacular story. This movie takes its time, but after the midpoint, it flies completely into a rampaged showstopper on an epic scale, putting you in the headspace of somebody who had a normal life, and then large rage-filled aftermath. The visuals are very unique, and it adds a level of intensity to the spirituality tone of the antagonist.

The story gets good pretty quickly, but there is a tonal mess towards the end. The greatest part about "Dragged Across Concrete" is its central character. They are despicable, racist, and very crooked, but the movie shows you how they operate, and what their concerns are. The visuals were absolutely fantastic.

Movies that are obnoxious and load do not make excuses for their story. I understand it was purposely abhorrent because it's putting you in the mind of its main character, but there were many story moments that lacked a lot of basic common sense. A lot of the metaphors didn't really check out. On top of that, the story of "Vice" is basically the sum of a wiki page about **** Chainey. The movie doesn't offer any other themes other than "**** Chainey was bad." There were some funny moments, and they were entertaining, but the visuals were also average.

The story of "Primer" gets a nine. The issues come with the audio and visuals, a tough thing to watch, and an unfortunate theme in indie-films. Primer is thematically straightforward, its complexity comes with its story (or stories). A definite recommendation for all indie-film goers.

In an artistic review, I would say "Upstream Color" will reverberate with you on a level that you don't understand. Its a highly experimental film, but everything that needs to be there is there. Its intentionally difficult to put your finger on its meaning, but the process of figuring out what its saying is wildly entertaining. The visuals are fantastic.

"The Two Popes" contains strong themes, but it lacks in resonating with the audience. Most of the conflict in this film is brought up through talking about difficult religious topics. There is very little action, and the payoff is what you'd expect. The visuals are unoriginal, lifeless, and boring.

With an intense story, fascinating characters, and notable visuals, "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" is a compelling and alluring film. While the biggest complaint from critics is that the film has nobody to root for, I couldn't disagree more. Characters do make sketchy choices, but as always it is never without reason. People who cant see themselves in dark choices more often then not are hiding from a part of themselves they don't like. Grey morals are in everyone. Reality is not so melodramatic.

This story is packed with potently sympathetic moments, and it contains one of the best female protagonists of all time.

A common attempt at showing the dark parts of humanity, but the movie doesn't have a thematic backbone. This film is a brutal revenge film, and there isn't much else to it. "I Saw The Devil" comes off as very cheesy, the dialogue unfortunately has a lot of exposition, and the script is filled with confusing story hiccups. There is some emotion, and there is notable scene elements. The movies tone is dark, but the violence seemed to serve no purpose other then pointless gore. There is no real character depth, and the visuals are bland and uninspired.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is probably the best example of a script's responsibility to its tone. Its over-the-top style is perfectly executed, and very purposeful. The big issue that critics had was that the film doesn't have any compelling characters. To me that always seemed to be the point. And actually, the audience doesn't technically have to be compelled by a movies characters. However, they do have to understand why the characters do what they do. In fact, most of the characters in the film start off as very compelling, the other side of their arch is when they turn into outrageous pigs.

Movies that have an authentic era-defined style such as this one hardly go unnoticed. "Goodfellas" has some of the most iconic scenes in cinema, and the writing holds up. The dialogue in this film is perhaps the best part, each beat of each scene is expertly crafted, and while some story elements aren't always as refined, the visuals are fairly creditable.

Probably the best realistic war film of all time. "Saving Private Ryan" reflects all the themes that war deals with, and it really focuses on the bonds between soldiers. The visuals are creditable, and the story had powerful emotional stakes.

An untarnished way to look at a tarnished character, a marvelous commentary on free-will.

An excelling way to show an aspect of how the system allows people to succeed, a haunting look at news media culture.

The story partly works, it has some plot and character errors, some odd choices for scenes, but a good perspective on mental health. The visuals are standard, not really outstanding.

Maybe, if you go searching, you can find some examples of good story. Maybe even some examples of post-spielberg film language, but at the end of the day, "Glass" has many errors, and many missed opportunities.

As far as war movies go, "1917" was a fantastic watch. The story was well written, it didn't blow my socks off, and while I anticipated some of the reveals (midpoint reversal), they still affected me, and it didn't at all take away from the experience. The dialogue was very well crafted, and there was only maybe one line that I thought was to on the nose. The visuals are from Deakins (a very well known cinematographer) and as always he is tremendous. While maybe not every frame is epic or grandiose, the visuals encompass the tone while also adhering to each scene's needs.

"First Man" is a haunting exploration of Neil Armstrong's emotional journey. While most of the major reveals are known, it still seems as though not many people are aware of Neil's struggles. There isn't any "Oh **** reveals, but most dramas don't need any. The film is slow, that doesn't mean its boring. The visuals are excellent.

"Unbreakable" is a interesting twist on superheros, and it sure to entertain all audiences. The story is written well, nothing major was out of place. It was a decent film with good reveals, the visuals however were fairly basic, there wasn't to much to take away, but the film was creditable.

"La La Land" does combine Chazelle's fun camerawork with good acting and an interesting musical tone, but it's story doesn't give us enough, and its music feels mostly average. Some of the pivotal moments in the story happen off-screen, and the rest leaves us mostly unsatisfied, there can be a profound message in a lack of satisfaction, but it's story needs more context. The visuals are well done, the camera feels as though it dances with the characters in every scene, but the story and music leave a lot to be desired.

A sub-textual battle between two people with poignant questions on artists and limits.

"Crash" utilizes a wheel story format pretty well, diving deep into social-politics, and giving depth to all its characters. The film thrives on twisting the stereotypes around, allot of characters end up being the opposite of what you are meant to think they are. The visuals are creditable as well.

A mocking documentary that doesn't pull back its fantastic comedic punches.

Probably the most impressive thing about "Babel" is that it manages to tell accurate stories from several different cultures. It follows a wheel story format, molding several different stories into one. It contains a very powerful theme, but it didn't come off as overly preachy, and its visuals where fairly effective.

Immersive films like "Spirited Away" are great for a family movie, and while its clean and silly, the film has a lot of metaphors for the adults to ponder about. I can see how for some it might be a bit slow, I didn't feel this way though. The entire world is quite detailed and visually appealing, so I think it would be very easy for all audiences to enjoy most aspects of the film.

"The Place Beyond The Pines" tries to think hard about the social-political structure of America, but it sadly misses the mark. The films story/reveal elements are well-designed and thrilling, particularly the midpoint, and the first half of the film is fairly compelling, but the reality of the situation for the characters is dipped in flaws. Its unlikely that the attributes carried out by the characters is accurate. Perhaps on a smaller scale, but the movie blows it's themes completely out of proportion.

"Oldboy" is quite possibly the most poetic work of art to ever come to cinema.

"A Ghost Story" does a lot for only an hour and a half. It has a powerful simplicity in its imagery, but it's story is very existential and thought-provoking. The film feels whole, personal, and authentic, answering all the questions non-religious people think about the afterlife. The film does borrow some of it's pragmatic ideas from other films, but for the most part, it's a great watch.

A splendid example of being slow but not boring, all of the powerful tension in the screenplay is condensed into one dynamic character, and one culminating theme.

The most original format to a simple revenge/thriller, the story genuinely puts the audience in the brain of the protagonist.

A tangent on subject material or origins doesn't mean a movie is a failure. And while 2001: A Space Odyssey is a heavy re-interpretation of the original short story, it doesn't fall short of being a icon of cinema. But that's not the reason for all its fame, the story and visuals puts a distinct feeling on the audience, allowing for many different takes and perceptions, but I didn't see this as to prestigious or artsy. I think if you have the patience, you can easily enjoy the drama.

"Children of Men" offers more then just a cool premise, this story's execution is equally powerful and compelling.

Dr. Strangelove not only shows Kubrick at his best, but it also see's satire as a whole at its best. The witty comedy is hard to miss, and the message isn't on the nose (which is notably hard for a comedy). The plot keeps the film going in a fun way, and the visuals are remarkably artistic and interesting. You can feel allot of his passion and its a great hidden gem.

Films with subtlety always have people saying it was to boring to understand, or to safe to merit a voice. If there's any lesson to be learned, it's that Moonlight's subtlety enhances its message and themes, and they don't play it safe, which is fairly hard in a social atmosphere that wouldn't praise its message. What I love about this film is that it isn't afraid to show the reality for its protagonist. Homosexuality in his community is a rough subject that isn't received well and is sadly filled with prejudice. There are some story hiccups, but the visuals are well suited for its nuanced theme.

The Departed see's Scorsese at his very best, with exciting camerawork and visuals that both fit the unhinged chaos of the story. Never before have I seen such detail given to the antagonist as well as the hero, the factors of the films great characters makes the constant conflict irresistibly engaging. The story sets the two out in a riveting cat and mouse chase, and the result is an abundantly thrilling feature film.

Silence was a breath of fresh air coming from an experienced filmmaker like Scorsese. While not exemplary, the story has a very serious emotional resonance. The movies themes are made especially interesting considering the religious epic genre is fairly dry. The visuals fit the intimate exploration of faith, tradition, and commitment.

Negative reports from critics seem to find the film Joker is to depressing to be respected, perhaps because it's comic book origin is seen as lighthearted. In my opinion the Joker character has always been dark, and using that role to form a theme around mental health is a very admirable idea. Joker's story falls right into a must-see premise, and the only drawback is the brief 'comic book' moments it was undoubtedly forced to add. The visuals were captivating, but there were some glossed over plot moments.

With no significant problems in story reveals or setups, The Irishman has a tone that seems to give no further advise, enlightenment, or interest in different themes then Scorsese's other films. In fact, it feels nearly as if I'm watching all his films in one. Sadly, the story follows a path that many have seen before. The visuals also contain a lack of ambition, showing a style that has since gone stale. It could be fun for a newbie, but not for a Scorsese fan.

Fun characters with fine portrayals, decent visuals, and a loving remark to old-cinema does not a movie make. Even with the last ten minutes being funny and different, the complete and total lack of story makes "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" an unfortunately boring feat. The story shows little to nothing happening aside from driving and perhaps dancing.

Even with good performances and unique visuals, upon later opinions and reflections I realized the story undoubtedly writes its way into a corner. Once everything is established, the characters only finish the dark path they started on, and the story reveals unfortunately discontinue. Story is the basis of film, without it, style becomes unsavory flavor.

While the majority of critics find Jojo Rabbit's comedy missing the mark, my only concern was the movie's humor felt to dishonest and safe around its subject matter. The story provided good reveals, but the visuals (highly influenced by another filmmaker "Wes Anderson") tended to distract me more then engage me.

When you see "Parasite" your eyes will be so glued to the screen that they will feel sore if you take them off, this film is a near perfect conglomeration of social-political satire, heist film tension, and superb tonal shifts.