My Opinions Every Sometimes

Each post has one big review with a series of smaller ones. Normally just a selection of films I have seen recently (I don't have the time to talk about everything I see because I see a lot of films). I will also discuss other stuff from time to time if I feel so inclined. Sometimes I will make posts everyday and sometimes I will wait a month to post, it just depends on how much free time I have. Older posts may have rankings but I have done away with that.

La la land  I absolutely loved whiplash back in 2014 so when I heard Damien Chazelle was making a musical in the style of the 70s I was unbelievably excited. Despite this, I did not anticipate just how much I would be blown away by this film. The first two acts of the film beautifully plays homage to the beautiful musicals of the 70s. The music could not have captured this era more perfectly, though as a general rule, they are not as upbeat as one may expect (there is really only one number that I would describe at "catchy" because that is not what the film is aiming for). More often than not the early parts of the story are told through slow ballads or jazz instrumentals, which were extremely captivating but won't leave you coming out of the theatre singing the songs. As a musical style jazz (a dying art in and of itself) is an inspired choice of music for a film playing homage to a dying art. The beautiful music is complimented by the film's beautiful look...

I'm not good at this noting down movies thing but here we go, let's try to carry on. I've watched dozens and dozens of films since last post so these will be really short. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016) This was a really fun movie. I love the idea of continuing the Harry Potter universe without any connection to the original story as the universe is vast and interesting but any attempt at revisiting the original characters would likely feel forced and unnecessary. I really hope they keep it that way as the Harry Potter easter eggs were one of the more disappointing parts of the movie. There were several really obvious moments where you could just feel the characters nudging you as they mention a person or situation mentioned in the earlier movies (luckily they could not do this too badly as most of the Harry Potter characters are not alive at this point - although they do try their hardest). The main cast create a bunch of very fun characters. ...

Its been a while since my last post. I have watched a fair few films. I will probably have forgotten a bunch here so I will catch up on those later. Because there are so many I will make my blurbs smaller than usual (if I can I will try to keep some of them as small as a single sentence). 99 Homes (2015) 99 Homes is timely, deep, engaging and very well shot. This is a perfect companion piece to watch after the big short (which I should revisit one of these days). It is very well acted with Michael Shannon putting in a particularly strong performance. At times, however, it is not an easy watch. It really saddens me how people can be so driven by greed. Regardless it is well worth the watch. 4.5/5 Midnight Special What happens when Spielberg meets King? You get an engaging drama with plenty of heart. The suspense in this film is great, I simply love the feeling of watching a movie and wondering what is going to happen next. Additionally, the whole cast give great performance...

Lately most of the films I have seen have been at the film festival. Here are my opinions listed from worst to best, I haven't included the animated shorts, which will get a post of their own. Heart of a Dog  I hate to say it but this film is lunacy at its finest. It comes across as if the director wants to put us through philosophy 101 without having ever taken a philosophy class. The whole movie consists of the camera zooming onto something and putting an ugly filter on it while Laurie Anderson gives narrative that is supposed to make you ask deep questions about life. Instead it simply left me wondering where she got her education. I hate to shit on someone for doing something different but I cannot give a pass to something this stupid, ignorant and pandery. I am sure plenty of people will give it good reviews but that is only because most people watching it will not be academic so may not realize how dumb the whole thing is. Of particular annoyance is when she decided to...

Okay so I haven't posted anything in a while but I have still been seeing films so here is a big dump. I am certainly missing heaps but I can add more later. Also I have been at the film festival lately. Will add those in later. Good will Hunting (1997) So, for the first time since I made this blog I have re-watched my favorite film. This movie is about as close to perfect as you can get. The film has a wonderful script from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and a great ensemble lead by Matt Damon in a role that kick started his career. The standout of the ensemble is Robin Williams in a career best performance that blends humor and heart with believablity and realness (yes its a word). This film is smart, funny, heartfelt and real. Its characters are whole, real and deeply moving. The casting is perfect, the music is perfect, it is paced perfectly and it is shot in a simple, non-invasive fashion, which makes it easy and pleasant to watch.Would thoroughly recommend to anyone...

Plane Movies So I recently took a trip so was on a plane for a few hours. The following were some films I saw on the plane. Therefore I may not have seen them at their best. Frozen (2013) - Repeat viewing Frozen is an excellent movie. To start with, the animation is stunning. From the character models to the scenery everything is gorgeously made. The voices are impeccably well cast. I would put emphasis on actors who are particularly good in this, however I would be mentioning the whole cast. Additionally the music is nearly perfect, the story line is constantly engaging and the comedy is brilliantly timed. What makes this movie truly special, however is that it is daring enough to take elements of the princess movie sub-genre that have been cemented for years and completely transcends them. In doing this it also has a lot to say about sisterhood and love. For this reason it has become one of the biggest animated films of all time. 5/5 Tangled (2010) It is unfortunate ...

This is a tough one for me to write about. Simply put it is about subject matter that should absolutely be talked about and is made with the best of intentions, but, unfortunately, is not very good. The film takes place less than ten years ago, making the ideas presented timely and all the more worth discussing. The film follows a Nigerian pathologist, living in America, named Dr Bennet Omalu. He is a hard working Christian who performs autopsies for a living. One day, upon performing an autopsy on an NFL player who had gone crazy later in life, he discovers a brain disease caused by repeated head traumas. The movie follows his attempt to get this discovery noticed, while the NFL attempts to cover it up and get him discredited. The problems this movie has are of the nature that it teeters on the edge of being a good movie. Therefore many of my criticisms would not necessarily be problems would it not be for how they fit together as a whole. The most obvious example of this, and...

(I have only seen this in its native language (Japanese) with subtitles so cannot comment any dubs) It is rumored that this is going to be the final film from Studio Gibli. If this is true, I can happily say that they went out on a positive note. This is a sweet film that, in true Studio Gibli fashion, should appeal to a wide audience while pondering deep, topical themes. In this case they chose to focus in on depression, especially where it related to both parenthood and people who grow up without a true family. The film is centered around Anna, an introverted 12 year old girl who has lived with foster parents most of her life. She suffers from asthma and is consequently sent to live temporarily with relatives of her foster parents where the air is cleaner. While living there she discovers an abandoned mansion where she meets a mysterious girl named Marnie. She agrees to keep a secret Marnie a secret from the rest of the world as they use each other to keep themselves mentall...

The X-Men movies are one of those franchises that can go both ways for me. For the most part I have thoroughly enjoyed what fox has done with the franchise. Some entries, however, have fallen very flat and recently others are have been starting to feel a little tired. Somehow, X-Men: Apocalypse manages to embody most of what can frustrate me about the franchise, while also not being an altogether terrible film. This film takes place in the prequel story-line, following on from days of future past. The story this time involves an ancient mutant by the name of apocalypse waking from a long hibernation to announce himself as king of the earth. He quickly comes up with a plan to destroy everything "weak" in the world including all non-mutants, leaving the Xavier and the other X-Men to stop him. It should come as no surprise at this point that Magnito is initially on board with this plan much of the tension in the film involves an attempt to stop him from getting out of cont...

Here I am doing a bunch of very short reviews of films which I have seen this year. This is far from all the films I have seen and am not doing longer reviews for but it is the films that I can remember most vividly (as such it is probably some of the better or more noteworthy films I have seen recently). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) This film has been on my radar for years but I only got around to watching it today. An absolute treat of a film. Particularly strong are the performances by both Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey and the screenplay by charlie Kaufman. This is an optimistic yet slightly melancholic look at modern day relationships, with depth and heart to spare. While being very moving it can also be very comedic at (albeit in a heartfelt way) with strange, witty characters that are hard not to fall in love with. A real gem that comes thoroughly recommended. 4.5/5 The Jungle-book (2016) One of the most visually stunning films I have ever see...

The idea here is that Zootopia is large urban city akin to New York or San Fransisco home to all kinds of anthropanthropomorphic (human-like) animals. In Zootopia it is said these animals can live simultaneously free of discrimination, where anyone can be or do anything. Unfortunately when our main character "Judy Hopps" a bunny who has always dreamed of being a police officer moves to Zootopia she finds that finds a society much less equal than she had imagined. If that descriptions sounds a little familiar to you, that is what I thought coming into this film too. Little did I know the Disney movie about talking animals walking around on two legs could end up being one of the best films of the year. I cannot think of a single aspect of the film that I would change if given the chance. Both the scenic and character animation are absolutely gorgeous. The world detail has particularly being meticulously designed, hilariously allowing for many different species to coexist...

So I decided that before I make my first post I should figure out what format this will actually take. I wish to include my opinion on as many films as possible, however, I have seen hundreds of films and am not about to review every single one of them now. Therefore I will use this post to provide an outline for how this may work. So without further ado let a tacky list be created: I will start by providing a brief review of some of the noteworthy films, which I have seen this year. I will label each of these to simplify any searches undertaken. Films will from thereon be reviewed when I see them or as a list when there isn't enough to talk about or I get lazy (most likely the latter). Reviews will be very short form because I do not have a lot of time in my life and wish to include as many as possible. Films will be assigned a rating out of 5, which will not necessarily mean much at all. I will occasionally provide lists of favorite films and they may not fit together coh...