marcmifsud

BREAKDOWN Writing (Tarell Alvin McCraney) 2/10: I never knew you could make a basketball movie with only dialogue. The entire movie was just conversation to conversation to conversation. Basketball is barely played in this film. The most we see of it is a single shot in a YouTube video. You should be able to write a film, remove all the dialogue, and still have something comprehensible. If you remove all of the dialogue from 'High Flying Bird,' there are only blank pages. There is no action and, most importantly, no heart. It feels like there is no passion and no emotion thrown into this screenplay whatsoever. In every scene, the characters seem as bored as I was watching it. The only glimmer of hope I was holding onto was the mystery of Erick's 'Bible' which stayed in its package since the first scene of the movie. I was disappointed to find that it served no use to the plot and had no semblance of satisfaction when it was revealed. If the point they were going for was that, with all the religious themes thrown around in the movie, he didn't need his Bible to find who he was and live without an agent, then they really missed the mark. Performances 5/10: The acting in this film is one of the better aspects of it. Andrè Holland does a good job as Ray and Zazie Beetz does a good job as always. It was also nice seeing Kyle MacLachlan and Zachary Quinto who carried their scenes. Melvin Gregg however barely finds the energy he needs. His acting is subpar compared to everyone else, and that says something when everyone in this film looks bored. Cinematography (Steven Soderbergh) 4/10: Soderbergh needs to understand that this iPhone gimmick is fun and inspiring as a concept, but it isn't practical. There are reasons why uber expensive Red Epics or Arris are used, it's because they make the picture look nice and comfortable to look at. Overexposed backgrounds and terrible color profiles are distracting and ugly. Also, there is barely a stabilizer in iPhones so when an actor hits a table or walks, the camera shakes and it's noticeable. Also, Soderbergh breaks the 180-degree rule a lot for seemingly no reason. During the film, I was trying to figure out why he suddenly flipped sides and I couldn't figure out why. There was no reason for it. The only redeeming factor for the cinematography is that there were some shots that looked cool, especially considering the camera it was shot on, but Soderbergh needs to give up this gimmick. Editing (Steven Soderbergh) 3/10: To go along with his not good cinematography, Soderbergh combines it with his bad editing. This goes hand-in-hand with his breaking of the 180-degree rule. In addition, during a two-person dialogue (which was 99% of this film) the film stays on a third person not saying anything as if they're having some big reaction to the conversation, but they aren't. Soderbergh just stays on a bored actor. The only reason his editing isn't getting a 1/10 is that the film is still comprehensible. Enjoyment 2/10: Normally I don't like to think of a film as worse because it's boring. Take 'Roma' as an example. Most of the film is slow and boring, but it still tells a brilliant story through action and subtext. You can remove most dialogue and have it still be interesting. But because 'High Flying Bird' is almost all dialogue with almost no action at all, a lot of it is hard to follow. I would have fallen asleep to this film had I not finished a cup of coffee immediately before watching it. I will say, it could have been worse. It wasn't painful to watch by any means, but I wish there was some shred of excitement in the plot. Musical Score (David Wilder Savage) 5/10: Score? This film had a SCORE? It did not feel like it. Most scenes needed some kind of music to be more interesting. It needed some ambiance to give it some atmosphere instead of just the sounds of New York City. Although, I did very much enjoy the opening song. It was fun and was a good opener that made me disappointed by the end. Sound Mixing 4/10: The sound is rough in this film. The transitions from inside to outside are hard to listen to because of how harsh they are. They needed ambiance in the form of music or just something nondiegetic to give it life. Production Design (Andy Eklund) 8/10: The design of this movie is pretty nice. Each setting is unique in its own way and tells a little bit about the characters they belong to. The gym set was especially nice and fitting. Overall 4/10: Steven Soderbergh needs to give up the gimmicks and just stick to the stories. I can't say anything bad about him wearing so many hats because it's worked well in the past, but if he focuses less on the iPhone gimmick and goes back to traditional filmmaking, he'd have better films. Also, Tarell Alvin McCraney needs to write better screenplays.

BREAKDOWN Writing (Taylor Sheridan): The story of 'Wind River' is beautiful and structured flawlessly. I even enjoyed the flashback they threw in to give us the backstory on the crime. It was also a nice little surprise visit from Jon Bernthal. The characters were very well-written and each one was emotionally complex. In addition, that ending was incredibly satisfying. 8/10 Performances: The acting is all wonderful, whether it be from the central cast or the supporting. It was beautiful watching the hospital scene and seeing Elizabeth Olsen break down, very similar to the medic scene from Captain Philips. I only saw one problem with the acting and it came from an extra. When Natalie's dead body is lying on the examination table, the actress playing the dead body is seen breathing through the diaphragm. It's small but noticeable. 8/10 Cinematography (Ben Richardson): The cinematography is outstanding in this film and goes the extra mile to show off the beautiful scenery of the snow-covered mountains. Absolutely flawless on the part of Richardson. 10/10 Editing (Gary Roach): I was surprised to see how great the editing was, especially during some parts where I can imagine it was challenging. The moment of the pepper spray raid was well-edited, as well as the flashback. 10/10 Visual Effects: The VFX were well-done and seamless from the practical effects. From the blood running down characters' faces to the look of frostbite to the dead animals. It all looked stunning and is exactly how filmmakers should apply VFX. 10/10 Enjoyment: 'Wind River' is a very exciting film that constantly has the audience's attention and curiosity. It even goes the extra mile to make sure it satisfies the viewer with an incredible ending and a connection to the real world we live in. 8/10 Musical Score (Nick Cave/Warren Ellis): Cave and Ellis bring it again with a beautiful score after their excellent job on 'Hell or High Water'. The soundtrack is very similar to that soundtrack but supplies some different tracks that help convey the freezing cold of this setting. 9/10 Sound Mixing: The sound mixing is very well-done in this flick as we're given a lot of ambiance through the sound alone. Even the gunshots are well done, minus the fact that some of the sound effects they used for the gunshots were ones used in many movies before. However, that was not distracting enough to be a problem. 9/10 Production Design (Neil Spisak): The scenes were well-designed from the cabins and trailers to the yards they reside in. Even the natural settings are beautifully crafted. 10/10 Overall: 'Wind River' is another excellent film by Taylor Sheridan after my personal favorite of his 'Hell or High Water.' The film is mysterious and jaw-dropping while also opening our eyes to travesties done toward Native American people. 9/10

BREAKDOWN: Writing (Christopher Wood): I don't even know where to begin with the writing of this film. Either 'Moonraker' is a hilariously bad film or it is the most self-aware James Bond movie that embraces the ridiculousness. I will assume the latter just based on how ridiculous it gets in some points. Fights just happen out of nowhere for no reason and some happen in ridiculous ways, such as the coffin knife-thrower or the glass museum samurai. Jaws also appears out of nowhere in each fight and is hilariously defeated each time. My favorite part of the script is that although James Bond does not change as a character, Jaws changes significantly and so does Bond's relationship with Jaws. Overall, this script is great if it is thought of like a James Bond parody. My only complaint is that the story does not start to develop large stakes until Bond and Goodhead are on the space station and Drax's plan really starts to become the primary subject in the story. But from that point on, it's actually very thrilling. Also, the movie introduces so many characters that we only hear from once and never again or just have no significance to the story overall. 7/10 Performances: Roger Moore does a great job as Bond and really brings the hilarious personality to life with his delivery of quips during inappropriate times. The supporting cast, however, is nothing special with exception of Lois Chiles as Goodhead and Richard Kiel as Jaws. 5/10 Cinematography (Jean Tournier): The cinematography is actually fantastic in this flick and one of the more impressive parts. The shots of the space station really come to mind and the scene where the dogs are running after the woman is also well-shot. 8/10 Editing (John Glen): The editing of this film is iffy. There are some scenes where the amount of cuts is clearly to make up for lack of choreography. In addition, most fight scenes have no music to them and seem incredibly awkward most especially the glass museum samurai fight. 4/10 Visual Effects: The VFX in this film are actually very impressive for the most part. The space station looks very cool and the space battle was fun to look at. The only effect I thought needed a lot of work was the space station falling apart. It was clear that PAs were just on the side of the walls pushing them in. 7/10 Enjoyment: Moonraker is an incredibly enjoyable movie that is best watched with friends at a movie night. It's hilarious and action-packed and will bring a good time, especially with some drinks in hand. 9/10 Musical Score (John Barry): The music is just classic James Bond with some calmer tracks thrown in for the space scenes. There isn't much to analyze here because of how little the score was used. 5/10 Sound Mixing (Daniel Brisseau): The sound in this movie is pretty good. There was definitely an overuse of the bullet whoosh sound effects for when bullets fly past bond, but it's decent for the late 70s. It also helps that the film was kind of reliant on the sound design for fights because of the lack of music. 8/10 Production Design (Ken Adam): The production design is beautiful in 'Moonraker,' albeit underused. Some sets are absolutely stunning, but they serve no significance to the plot and we only see them for 2 minutes, but that isn't the fault of the production designer. The best use of production design is the space station by far. 8/10 Overall: 'Moonraker' is a hilariously good time that makes you laugh at James Bond movies as a whole. Unfortunately, if you were expecting to find another Skyfall, you're not gonna find it here due to awkward fight scenes and useless characters and moments. 6/10

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

BREAKDOWN Writing (Josè Saramago (novel)/Javier Gullòn): 'Enemy' shines in some aspects of its writing and raises questions in others. The dialogue is wonderfully written and feels natural when coupled with the performances. The general plot is weird and surreal without being convoluted. In addition, the order of events feels motivated and gives some unexpected payoff, without leaving a ridiculously open ending. The only downside, though, and this may just be a fault in my analysis, is the spiders seem to have no connection to the story. I have been trying to piece it together since watching it, but I can't figure it out. Perhaps it has to do with a web of connected lives or something allegorical. There is also not enough to hint at why Anthony and Adam are basically clones. 7/10 Performances: The cast absolutely shines. Jake Gyllenhaal somehow manages to convince us that there are two of him, each one with different personalities and quirks, but yet is connected by a one or more traits, besides them both being Jake Gyllenhaal. Even the supporting cast is wonderful. Melanie Laurent is fantastic despite not shining until the end and Sarah Gadon pulls off a beautifully emotional performance. 10/10 Cinematography (Nicolas Bolduc): The camerawork in this film is nothing flashy, but yet is an aid in connecting us emotionally with the characters. The most impressive aspect of the cinematography is the fact that Nicolas Bolduc was able to make the characters' lives feel the same through the framing and lighting. 8/10 Editing (Matthew Hannam): There were some choices in cutting the footage that felt wrong. Some cuts were out of place and threw off a scene. However, in some places, the editing made a scene great. 6/10 Visual Effects: The visual effects with the spiders were well-done and felt real while also fantastical. The last spider, however, could have felt a bit more realistic. It just looked too smooth. 7/10 Enjoyment: 'Enemy' is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what the f*ck is going on. It's excellent to watch as a mind trip and definitely deserves rewatches to piece together the plot more, which I will be doing at some point! 9/10 Musical Score (Danny Bensi/Saunder Jurriaans): The score is beautiful and really makes the mood of each scene. Sometimes the score even speaks for the characters. After hearing this score, I can tell why Denis worked with Johann Johannson so much in future films. 9/10 Sound Mixing: 'Enemy' doesn't play with the sound mixing and foley in any interesting ways. In fact, it could have been smoothed out in some spots where room tone and sound effects were added in over no dialogue to, probably, cover up the director giving cues. 5/10 Production Design (Patrice Vermette): The production design is the silent hero of this flick. Anthony Claire's apartment is wonderfully crafted and gives off the vibe of his character before we even see him. And that in comparison to Adam Bell's apartment really show the contrast between the characters. 9/10 Summary: 'Enemy' is a mind-boggling trip that confuses and intrigues while providing some of the best performances of the decade. 7/10

BREAKDOWN: Writing: Velvet Buzzsaw struggles to find motivation. Although it may be hidden under the pile of obscurity it creates, it is seemingly not there. There is no rhyme or reason why the characters that die are the ones that die. If this is the case of the "no motivation killer" such as 'Halloween' then perhaps not enough characters died. Some characters are left in the end to live and you are left wondering why and how they fit into the puzzle besides relationships to other characters. And speaking of the character relationships, most of them in this film have no purpose and are there to give a bit more life to the characters. They in no way fit into the plot and just make the film feel like 'Sex and the City'. 4/10 Performances: With the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Toni Collette, how could this film not have good acting? Gyllenhaal's mental breakdown and degradation are some of the high points in the movie. I only wish we had seen more Toni Collette and John Malkovich in the overall impact of the story. 7/10 Cinematography: The cinematography is uninspiring and nothing flashy. It only serves to show us directly what is on the screen (until the end when the frame replicates something we've seen before). Also, in some scenes, the cinematography does not fit the tone of the scene itself. 4/10 Editing: The editing is choppy in some places. Some cut choices were unideal, in my opinion. But besides that, also nothing special. 4/10 Visual Effects: The VFX is one of the highlights of the films. Some of the killings are done in beautiful ways that make the film not boring to watch. 8/10 Enjoyment: 'Velvet Buzzsaw' is mostly not boring. The relationships, although tacky, give us something to pay attention to during the key moments of the story. The horror elements are also well-done, minus some pointless jumpscares. Also, it was great finally seeing a bisexual main character in a movie. 6/10 Musical Score: The score is beautiful in some moments and fuses well with the imagery. However, early on in the film, there were moments where the music absolutely did not fit what was happening on-screen. 4/10 Sound Mixing: Just like the cinematography and editing, there was nothing flashy here. Although, there is one scene where the sound mixing is implemented cleverly to scare a character, but misses on scaring the audience. 6/10 Production Design: The scenes are beautifully crafted, which is especially important for a film about artists and art. 8/10 Summary: 'Velvet Buzzsaw' is an enjoyable movie for its larger moments, but fails at providing a story that truly satisfies audiences' cravings. It gives us too much with the characters and not enough with the world. 5/10