dennis_gt

More of an interesting experiment than it is a "great" movie. You'll appreciate it more if you know a little about the director's recent history and a little about they way the sports league's exploit their labor. Despite what you may read, this isn't a "basketball" movie. It's a movie about the way industry uses talent. Soderbergh, unhappy with the way the studio system has abandoned mid-budget movies, recently tried to make a mainstream film without a marketing budget and it failed to reach audiences despite good reviews. The sports leagues regularly have labor stoppages because the 30 or so owners who collect money for as long as they like don't want an equitable split with the players who have a limited earning window. That's what this movie is about. It's based on a play so it is dialog heavy. It was shot on an iPhone so it's got a different look to it. If those things interest you, this is worth your time.

a) A black cop infiltrates a white hate organization in Colorado in the 1970's--and it all really happened. Though this is presented more as a satire and parable. b) If you're a thinking person who enjoys films that make you think, then this movie will make you uncomfortable. Lee uses humor to take you out of your comfort zone while telling a TRUE story of a police investigation in the 70s and drawing not-at-all subtle comparisons to the current climate in the western world where it's suddenly OK to march with a hate group again in the US and Germany. c) Washington is really good in the lead role. At times he reminds me of his father, though he's not the same power house actor. At least not yet. Although I haven't had much opportunity to see him in films. d) At this point I think I'd watch Driver do anything. I like him in Star Wars. I like him even more doing comedy, like this film or Lucky Logan. He has such a strange charisma on the screen.

I would have liked a little more space & action. I don't know if the director didn't have the budget, didn't have the skill, or just didn't want to undermine the character portrait. But most of the intense scenes are just shots of Gosling sitting in a plane or space craft and looking stressed. I feel like there was room for a little more bombast. But maybe I'm wrong. Still, this movie was really good and very well-written. I'm not in love with any of the performances or the direction, but they're also good. The director made a choice and stuck with it. But the film itself is a very affecting portrait of a man that most of us know very little about who did extraordinary things while risking his life for reasons that are a little unclear, considering he had a family who probably cared about his safety.

There's a real chance that this is a pretty good "bad movie." Sure, it will win awards. But so did American Beauty. And nobody looks back on that as a great film. Don't get me wrong. This movie is entertaining. There are lots of things to like. But there's also some pretty annoying stuff and some questionable decisions. Like Cooper playing a "rock" star who rose to fame in the 2000s--when guitar rock is all but dead. Unless he sounded like the Strokes it makes no sense that he toured Europe for the first time in 2004 (as said in the movie). The manager who represents Gaga's character is basically a two dimensional villain. And some of the songs--especially the last one, which is supposed to be poignant--are awful. The whole thing has the feel of someone trying really, really hard to make an award winning movie. Not necessarily a good one. But it's still fun. And often funny. It's definitely something that will be worth re-watching over and over when it lands on a streaming service. It'd put it alongside a movie like Titanic. Not great. But pretty fun. And it will will a bunch of awards. And people will kind of wonder why in two decades.

This ****. A totally adequate sequel with some good acting (Jordan & Thompson), some good fight choreography, and some questionable writing. It's not as subtle or original as the first Creed film, and it's also not as entertaining or over-the-top as Rocky III or Rocky IV. If I had to compare it to the earlier Rocky films, it feels the most like Rocky 2. A movie that was more predictable and not as good as the original and was overly weighed down by clunky family drama that wasn't written particularly well and didn't advance the plot or add depth to the characters. On top of that, this movie has what must be the tenth "you can't take this fight, you can't win!" speech given in a Rocky film, but it makes absolutely no sense. The writer DID do a good job of giving Drago and his son more depth and motivation then any villain in the latter Rocky sequels, but it also has a fight in RUSSIA in 2018 and never mentions the political **** never really explains WHY it has to be in Russia since Drago is a contender looking to fight the champ and would have zero leverage to dictate his own terms. Sly was GREAT in Creed. He's kind of lost here. And that's probably the writing, too. It's like they have no idea what to do with him. And for some reason he's still broke despite managing a super star boxer that I would assume exists in a world similar to the real world, where even a middle weight champ like Canelo Alvarez has sponsorship deals worth over $300 million. Overall, this is a clumsy film. Which doesn't mean it's not entertaining or there aren't good parts. But I can't see it becoming an all time favorite of anyone like Creed, Rocky, Rocky III, or Rocky IV.