TheMEXzilla

I always enjoyed the original God of War trilogy. It fit right in with the Greek mythology it’s inspired by—a man whose ego and greed made him susceptible to the wrath of the Gods. Essentially, Kratos is a mad man, a warrior, whose life is meaningless due to his own stupid decisions. He, in turn, finds his purpose, vengeance! He’s vengeful, but the games give you enough moments to play in a world where this vengeful man has a reason. I will say a huge part of why I enjoy the story is the voice acting. It’s very dramatic, a bit over the top, but dramatic. As well as the grandness of the cutscenes, which play a part in how the games look (giant set pieces).

I will note that the gameplay did improve as the series went along. So, I can only imagine how jarring the gameplay is if you're not used to it (platforming, camera angles, button response, etc.). Still, I don’t believe it’s bad, just dated. I also enjoyed the set pieces, felt most games weren’t doing the grandness the series is known for. Also, the music only elevates the moment to moment gameplay. The graphics are what they are (the 3^rd one still looks great!).

Having played the current reboot, I couldn’t help but feel that the game truly works (story wise of course) due to the original trilogy. Certain events that occur are, in my opinion, impactful due to the character that Kratos was developed in the original trilogy. This by no means is to disparage anyone, who didn’t like the original trilogy, to not try the current God of War. I know it plays fantastic, but I believe it’s experienced at its fullest by playing the trilogy.

Oh, and by the way, I quite enjoyed your review. Very thought out. I do recommend playing the current God of War if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s quite fun.

Finally got around watching A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody. Two films telling the story of the unknown talent that will become, well, a star. I find both films verging on the ridiculous and cheesy. It’s strange to see these films being lauded in award season (BR for actor and SB for everything!). I will say that A Star is Born is the better of the two, but that’s not saying much.

Bohemian Rhapsody directed by Bryan Singer/Dexter Fletcher staring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury is what I would call an advertisement. I entered the film expecting the usual sets up on these music biopics, the “oh wow, you just came up with that!?” moments and it didn’t disappoint, but unlike the good music biopics this film reeks of self-promotion. Obviously, the band had a say on what to put in the film and what not to, and it shows. It makes me question whether the bandmates of Mercury got along with him, or if they resent his iconic status. Anyways, the film plays by the numbers, but everything feels forced and unnatural (a trait that it shares with A Star is Born). Do you want to know how Freddie got that mic to his liking? We’ll show it to you. Do you also want to know why Freddie was vocally great? His teeth and jawline, yes, we’ll put that in too.

Essentially, unlike Straight Out of Compton (which sometimes pushes fiction past its facts), Bohemian Rhapsody relies on the viewer to be clueless on who Queen is or to be a blind fan of their music. Because their facts are wrong, but hey F’ that, I love Queen! Just give me hype! But I digress, do we know who Queen are in the film? I don’t. Can I honestly tell you who Freddie Mercury is? No, I can say he is iconic and how he is considered a great singer, but who doesn’t know that. This film basically plays out like a fanboy reading a wiki page and deciding to recreate the moments, but with no sense of storytelling.

I didn’t really get into the actors and their performances, but with such an awful cheesy script and by the numbers directing, I can only say they didn’t save the film.

1/5

Now A Star is Born, as I said, it’s the better film (of the two) but the recognition it’s getting is beyond me. The problem lies in its jarring narrative of a complete unknown becoming a “star” due to being recognized by an aging one. It’s a love story, but it plays on all the dramatic tropes of these love stories without any fair warning. About an hour In I didn’t know what was truly happening. It’s one of those films where the mundane leads to deaths and cries but for no reason. It simply does and so the film marches on. The viewer needs to eat it up, or you’ll end up not liking it. I didn’t eat it up.

Directed by actor Bradley Cooper staring himself and Lady Gaga as the lead roles. What of their performances? I don’t know. They're bland at points and in other their crying and singing and just a whole bunch of different “acting.” It’s empty I suppose because I’m not feeling their “acting.” I will acknowledge Sam Elliot who brings much-needed weight to the material. The drama in his scenes is real and one the films strive to achieve but never takes full flight, except when he is on screen.

The film moves quickly. It’s a breeze. It’s only when you stop to think, “why are we in this scene, again?” that the directing and script start to fall apart.

2/5

@nutter: Mine too. It really caught me off guard since I went in blind. I just saw Joaquin Phoenix and thought he looked cool. Little did I know that it would be a twisted psychological crime film by the director of We Need to Talk About Kevin, lol. Great stuff.

I’ve recently tried to catch up on some movies I’ve missed out on which had me thinking 2018 was not that great a year, but then I saw Lynne Ramsey’s You Were Never Really Here. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a troubled veteran Joe whose job is to be an enforcer (or cleaner of sorts). The film is straightforward in terms of plot as Joe (Phoenix) gets assigned a rescue mission and things unfold from there. The film shines due to the character work that Phoenix gets to do, with his subtle movements, facial expressions, and mannerism that add weight and depth to his character. In fact, the film wants us to know that these cleaners have a conscious.

As I said Phoenix performance is fantastic, but it wouldn’t be possible without Ramsey’s control of her camera. She also wrote the script, albeit few words are spoken, it’s worth noting because it’s her show. She is the brains behind this film. I emphasize control and I do so because some movies tend to have shots, scenes, and even sequences that leave you scratching your head for all the wrong reasons. With this film, nothing is left out of the table because it’s all meaningful. Ramsey and co. made a film that is 90 mins long and it’s all character. Every shot and moment matter.

I can’ finish this review without mentioning Johnny Greenwood's score. Greenwood has made a name for himself with Paul Thomas Anderson’s films (obviously Radiohead ?), but he’s also carving out his film identity with Ramsey, previously working with her on We Need to Talk About Kevin. Here he furthers this bond by creating a moody score that attracts but leaves enough to wonder. Like the film’s protagonist, there is something twisted and troubled with the score. It’s a perfect match.

Ramsey directed a hell of a film which I recommend to everyone.

5/5

The film Widows by Dir. Steve McQueen tells the story of widows having to plan and execute a heist. The plot is then set in motion when Crime Boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) threatens Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) into paying back what her husband and crew stole. The title of the film is Widows, so you can kind of guess what happens to the husband in the movie.

Essentially, McQueen makes a high art action picture, but for some weird reason, I couldn’t get into it. The actresses Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo all do a good job, yet I never felt a connection. I believe it is how scenes are played out and not acted. McQueen gives the women in the film power and character that most blockbusters/action films shy away from, but too bad it falls flat. One of the reasons I felt that way was because some of its plots move too quickly resulting in scenes not fully peaking. Essentially, there is drama happening on screen, but it is lacking the proper kick for it to work. It’s as if I missed out on scenes to make them function.

Take for example, when Tom Mulligan (Robert Duvall) gets in a heated argument with his son (Colin Farrell) on how to handle his politics. Clearly, there is bad blood between them and Farrell’s character is shown to have masculinity issues. Can he best his father? Can he win against his opponent (Jamal Manning) for Alderman? Again, all these things are presented on this scene, but you never truly feel these ideas, rather you simply know they’re happening. Also, Duvall phoned it in on that scene…

Still, the film is a looker. The aesthetic of the movie is fantastic. It conjures up imagery worthy of a Michael Mann film, which makes half of the film work, but the other half fall flat. It has twists and turns that seem very cartoonish next to the dramatic realism set in motion. In fact, I enjoyed the over-seriousness the film presents with its imagery and script (co-written by Gillian Flynn), but then the film does things that don’t mesh with what it’s setting up. These jarring moments are played out so straightforward that you’ll notice how flat the acting and out of place they are on the script. Believe me, it’s not good. And I know the plot, to begin with, is absurd, but McQueen did a good enough job to make me buy into that idea. He just didn’t pull through on the rest of the film which then pulls the curtain on the ridiculous plot.

I have yet to touch on the performance by Daniel Kaluuya. Great stuff. He is an enforcer and brother to the Crime Boss Manning and enforcing he does. He murders and belittles other characters so well I wish I could have seen the film from his perspective, if not, Jamal Munnings. Both characters intrigued me more than what eventually ended up being Widows.

Overall, I liked the aesthetic. The film looks expensive but lacks the energy of a great action film. It tends to feel as if you’re on neutral instead of driving 90 mph on a heist (I’m not asking for dumb bombs here rather intensity ala heist film classics). It has its moments which makes me wish it was better. Some of the dramatic scenes work and they do because of the actresses selling the moment.

My score 3/5

I don't know what is the greatest year in film since you guys have posted some great ones, but here is1995:

Braveheart

Heat

Die Hard: with a vengeance

Toy Story

Seven

Golden Eye

Jumanji

A little princess

Crimson Tide

Pocahontas

Apollo 13

Clueless

Babe

The Usual Suspects

Mortal Kombat

Strange Days

Casino

12 Monkeys

Dead Man Walking

My Top Five, although there are more battling to enter the discussion but for the time being here are my choices:

1. OOT

2. RE4

3. God of War 2 (normally I would put the trilogy)

4. Mass Effect 2 (normally I would put the trilogy)

5. Half-Life 2

Of the new batch of games that might be in my top 10 or itching to enter my top 5…the only games that come to my mind are

Witcher 3 (and it’s DLC): Giant game that has so many things to do in the world but all the while providing a cinematic presentation to everything. This is probably the first game that made me question how the developer made the game. It really is the next step for giant RPGs of that nature but the main reason I really enjoyed the game was the lore of the world. It really was quite different from most fantasy stories I had read or played before. It also helped that my Geralt felt like what I wanted him to be like meaning my choices not only mattered in shaping the things around me but my Geralt was unique to me.

The other game is…

The Legend of Zelda BOTW: This game gave new meaning to the genre of “adventure” games since it’s the first to make me feel like I was creating one. This game like Witcher 3 provides a giant world to traverse, but unlike Witcher, BOTW forces the player to simply explore and experience. You learn how to play by going through the world and that’s part of the charm of the game. It’s nowhere near the cinematic experience of most games yet it provides moments of awe with its gameplay. Everything about the game is very charming, from the look, the subtle score, to the characters you meet, it’s all interesting and worth investing in. If Witcher 3 is the next step for giant RPG's BOTW might be the alternative step for the literal open world game.