sidewinder3000

This film is brilliant at being what it is: 1) a jarring, thrilling, terrifying tour de force experience of the horrors of war, regardless of cause or politics, and 2) a mind-bending treatise on the addictive rush of observing, covering, recording, consuming, and ultimately feeding off of violent images. One that indicts us as we watch our proxies, the rag/tag journalist foursome, attempt to navigate the near impossible conundrum of balancing the need to record and share violent imagery without giving into the “I finally feel alive” thrill of collecting & experiencing them in the field, which can & may inadvertently perpetuate it as we wind up consuming it and experiencing the thrill of it on screens. A vicious circle that’s literally fueled by vicious images—from the thill experienced by collectors to the vicarious thrill experienced by voyeurs, which fuels demand for images, etc,. etc., etc… This film is terrible at being what it’s not, which is to say: whatever so many critics and detractors seem to have wished it was. Some idea that they predetermined it should have been, based on the title alone, or their own self-righteous need to have their personal politics validated as the more just of the two sides in the film. My recommendation: see it with an open mind, and without expectations. And spend more time examining or reviewing the movie that Alex Garland made instead of the movie you would have made, or the one you think he should have made.

Super creepy, fantastic art direction and sound desIgn, no easy answers. Performances were uniformly great. It’s a metaphor for suburbia, marriage, child rearing, modern life, the afterlife, all wrapped in a Stepford wives cum Invasion of the Body Snatchers nightmare.

The Last Jedi is a fantastic and fascinating film that stands with the very best in the Star Wars universe. Rian Johnson pulled off an amazing feat: create a film that feels quintessentially Star Wars while also introducing fresh ideas and pushing the story (and the whole universe) in an exciting new direction for old and new fans alike. The highs in this movie are as exhilarating and powerful as many of the best moments in the original trilogy, with a few scenes and images that are more beautiful and breathtaking than anything in the Star Wars canon. There are at least 3 scenes that made me gasp, and a half dozen images/scenes that are permanently embedded in my movie fan memory bank. It's also funny, balances dark/heavy elements with light/fun moments, does a great job of establishing new geographies and critters in a seamless way and, best of all, it's unpredictable. This is not going to go the way you think. Ignore the haters. There is a small percentage of entitled, nutball fans who are trashing this film because it doesn't bow to the tyrannical, whiny 11-year boy inside them. Of course, the movie isn't perfect, and there are a few things here and there that I had considerations about, but these are nothing compared to the power and impact of what this film does well, and the huge themes that are at its foundation. To me, The Last Jedi immediately ranks no less than 4th overall behind 1) Empire Strikes Back, 2) A New Hope, and 3) Return Of The Jedi. And after I view it a few more times, it might be tied for third or possibly take over 3rd place completely. Ignore that tiny fraction of loudmouthed fanboi haters, go in with an open mind, and have a blast. I'm already looking forward to Episode IX, and I can't wait to see what Rian Johnson does with the 3 brand new Stars Wars movies (outside the Skywalker saga) that Lucasfilm has asked him to create. Exciting time to be a Star Wars fan.