Making Thanos a more human character is one one of IW's greatest triumph, I think.
Making Thanos a more human character is one one of IW's greatest triumph, I think.
Avengers-Infinity War
Bloated. At times overwhelming, yet simultaneously underwhelming. A bit like a 57 course buffet where you have to have a bite (or more) of everything. One can only watch 350 fights between individuals/superheroes/Avengers etc, without becoming bored. This movie had twice that many. I Viewed it in 2d IMAX in a new theater. The picture and sound were almost immaculate, thus giving my grade a 1 beer bump.
4/6 beers on the RFSRS
Spoiler:
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Bad Samaritan-
Quirky movie that combine a bit off Silence of the Lambs with a hint of Saw. Despite being a drama, there are several laugh out loud parts.
Interesting that several of the main characters have, then lose, then regain their accent.
3/6 Beers on the RFSRS, but it was an enjoyable 105 minutes.
Tully: I think this might be Theron's best work, though her body of work is so diverse it's really difficult to compare. But at the very least, she was excellent in this and if she's forgotten come Oscar time that would be a tragedy. Being a massive man of the Reitman/Cody collaboration Young Adult, I was extremely excited for this film and it didn't disappoint. While the film isn't as humorous as their past two collaborations, Tully makes up for that in poignancy, especially in the first third as Theron's Marlo struggles to deal with raising two developing kids, one who is autistic in someway (though it's never made clear), along with her newborn daughter. There is a fantastic montage near the beginning where the monotony of her daily routine of waking up, nursing, changing diapers, feeding her other two kids etc., is demonstrated so well in a quick-paced style that, if it had continued for longer than needed to get the desired effect, would have truly demonstrated what it feels like to be trapped in tape loop. But it's not just raising her kids seemingly alone as her somewhat distant husband (Ron Livingston) after working long, hectic hours at work or traveling, likes to unwind with some Gears of War online. In many ways this echoes Young Adult in which Theron's Mavis is undergoing a mid-life crisis, and Marlo is here as well, but in a totally different way that proves to also be self-destructive in its own way.
In today's climate of feminism and career women, it would've been easy to portray Marlo negatively as a housewife, whose husband works, and she's miserable not because of motherhood, but because she doesn't contribute to society as a whole and her depression really stems from a lack of fulfillment. And I am sure there is some of that there. But Marlo is always portrayed as a human being and as a mother, struggling to take care of her family and herself at the same time. Her feelings of inadequacy and poverty are also shared with her husband in the face of Marlos successful brother (Mark Duplass) and his seemingly perfect family. They're both prideful people who don't want to admit their are problems in their relationship or with their family, a mindset I imagine many married people, especially with several kids, tend to feel. But eventually enters the young, wise night nanny, Tully (portrayed very passionately by Mackenzie Davis) and suddenly everything begins looking up for Marlo...she can sleep through the nights, and she found a friend, and through their relationship Marlo begins to make many positive changes, but not all of those changes are what they seem to be on the surface. The last ten minutes is sure to be incredibly divisive, but I thought it was done extremely well in a way that didn't feel cheap and fit the themes of the film, and especially Marlo herself. I think I loved this film, but with the last ten minutes, it really beckons to re-explore the film in a new light. I imagine upon a second viewing it'll get full marks.
4/5
A couple last thoughts on Theron. She earned praise for her work in monster where she made herself ugly and put on some weight for the role. I know I praised her in Mad Max for doing everything she could to not be sex...made herself dirty, shaved her head, took off an arm. For Tully, Theron gained upwards of 50 lbs and it really gives Marlo an unflinching aura of realism. Theron described how gaining weight this time, now that she's older, truly affected her mood, and made her sluggish, and she'd never understood how the foods you consume can so greatly affect you. I have a high respect for any actor who makes themselves ugly for a role, undergoes stark body transformations, or isn't afraid to look unattractive or stupid, but that respect is even stronger for women because their physical attributes are, for many actresses, their meal ticket. And Theron isn't afraid to make herself unattractive, or cold, or masculine, or even an unlikeable person. It's funny how in Young Adult she played a high school beauty queen who, in the film, has several montages of the lengths she takes and the time that goes into making herself look gorgeous, and in Tully, she plays someone who is overweight and doesn't even care enough about her appearance to wear makeup. It's it's quite clear watching Tully that Theron is an attractive woman, but she's attractive in a very realistic, simple way, as a woman where motherhood and time have played cruel tricks on her. My hat is off to Theron for going above and beyond for this role because it absolutely paid off, and I commend her bravery in the roles she chooses...I don't know many actresses who would be willing to do the things she has done for her craft.
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Agreed, loved the review and have been looking forward to Tully ever since the trailer. I bet she could get nominated for an Oscar again!
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall
I was bored re-watching Game of Thrones and decided to throw on Amazon to see if something, anything, original or unique would peek my interest. I saw this movie was listed and I figured I would give it a shot. From the beginning I felt the way it was shot and the story line was interesting enough to keep me entertained. I don't want to give away much about the film. I will say it was well acted, had great characters and story line, and was one of the better dramas I have seen in some time. It really hit home with me. The feelings I had watching this film made me excited, content, shocked, and depressed. Everything flows into place as the journey of Sidney unfolds as his tale is told through the present and past. I loved it. 9/10
Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. Edgar Allan Poe
Taco Shop-
What a plagiarist, homophobic, racist piece of shit. Walked out after ~50 minutes. First movie I've walked out of in years.
0/6 Beers on the RFSRS
Tully-Sweet mysterious story about an over-worked mother who is saved by a "night nanny". Other than a questionable ending, the movie was near perfect. Mackenzie Davis is delightful as the NN.
5/6 beers on the RFSRS.
Life of the Party-
Formulaic, and a good Melissa McCarthy vehicle. Perhaps a bit too sweet (probably to achieve the PG-13 rating). Hard to say if it's truly funny as I viewed it in a crowd of ~100 people; most of whom were female. People began laughing and never stopped. The laughter was infections-thus I was laughing too.
McCarthy does has some acting chops as exhibited by the lengthy scene(s) where she has to give an oral presentation. Maya Rudolph is something to be seen.
4/6 on the RFSRS*
*Infectious laughter may have influenced this rating.
Hoping to see it next week, RF. Glad to hear it was funny (even if due to infectious laughter). I think Spy is the funniest of her comedies, for me.
A NEW GAME BEGINS
Breaking In (Payback is a Mother). Not an original idea in the whole movie. Pieced together from stolen lines, plot devices, and ideas of other movies.
2/6 Beers on the RFSRS. It would be one beer, but I added a beer for the brevity of the movie (running time 88 minutes).
12 Strong - I was pleasantly surprised!!! Goingt in I thought it might be a formulaic capitalization of the 9/11 tragedy. Well acted, fast paced and interesting story. Great FX and a pretty good story. I'd give it 5 of 6 beers on the old RF movie rating scale!!!
Michael Shannon certainly seems to be getting around these days. He was pretty good in this flicl I thought.
28 in 23 (?)!!!!
63 in '23!!!!!!!!!!
My Collection: https://www.thedarktower.org/palaver...ion-Merlin1958
The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????
Finally watched it over the weekend. Should've been called "Sociopaths: The Movie."
I did enjoy it (and agree about the shots and music), but I just didn't feel anything for the characters. The way it was acted and how the dialogue was conveyed made it seem like we almost weren't supposed to. I mean, the mother saying that they coSpoiler:What the hell?
A NEW GAME BEGINS
Love that title Yeah it was definitely an odd movie. The acting was bizarre, and still not sure why they took that approach. I don't think I really felt emotionally attached to any of the characters either, but like you said it was kind of hard to with the weird acting. Glad you enjoyed it though. I definitely think it's worth a watch.