It's ok Ricky, it doesn't interest me at all either.
It's ok Ricky, it doesn't interest me at all either.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
I think you of all people would like this, Heather. I know you're big on cinematography and the visuals in this film will give your mind an orgasm. Don't take the (rather admittedly) effective marketing as gospel... this isn't really an action thriller so much as an intense drama with occasional bouts of violence sprinkled in. Don't pass on it so quickly..
One thing I meant to mention in my review; Villanueve and Deakins captured the hopelessness and despair of daily life in Juarez perfectly. I don't know how many of you have ever been there but the gloom and sense of danger is very real. When I was younger, we would take family vacations to Guadalajara to visit my grandparents in a car and our route required us to pass through Juarez. My dad would always time the departures to ensure we passed through the city during the day, never at night. The prospect of getting lost or otherwise stranded in that area come nightfall was terrifying.
Sicario is NOT a date movie. I took my wife to see it yesterday and the movie disturbed her so much that she was sick to her stomach for a few hours afterwards.
I thought it was brilliantly done. The earlier reviews posted here are dead on. I'll decline to try and write something else.
6/6 beers on the Randall Flagg Six Pack Rating System
Well that's me sold, RF!Originally Posted by Randall Flagg
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
And I as well. Will try and see it this weekend. Thanks for the advice!!!Well that's me sold, RF!
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?????
Went to see the Martian, found out I had my times switched with another movie theater. So ... I didn't want to wait an hour until it started so I asked when Everest was playing ... also in an hour. Fuck. So then I asked when Sicario was playing, which ended up being in ten minutes.
Sicario: 4/5. Very well done movie, even if you're kept in the dark (very much like the main character) about what is going on for the first 70% or so of it. If I had to sum the movie up in one word, it would be ... Intense. Great scenes, paired well with the score. And depressing/hopeless, like someone said above. But all in all, a very good film.
Glad to see all the love!
Wow. You guys are all spot on. Sicario is a very well made film. I can see why people might get a little queasy while watching this film. It's not that it's any more violent or grotesque as other films out there, it just feels that much more real, which is a testament to a great filmmaker.
Fernando, I can't imagine going through a place like Juarez as a kid. That place looks terrifying.
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One of my new favorite scenes/shots of all time now is that desert dusk scene with the red sky and pitch-black lower third and everyone walking down and almost sinking into nothingness. Mind-blowing.
Oh!! BRAVO, Pablo! I wanted to mention that scene. It's like a painting. Pure artwork. Deakins really is amazing. The fact that he hasn't won an Oscar is a crime.
Deakins also was the cinematographer for No Country for Old Men and Sicario really reminded me of that film with some of its desert shots.
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Yeah just thinking about that shot makes me shudder. He better win an Oscar for this. Also:
My favourite shot was when Alejandro got the cop to the pull that guy over when the only lighting was the headlight. That silhouette shot you guys are talking about was great too. Deakins is just a tremendous talent. I still think his best work is in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Speaking of which, I really need to rewatch that film. It's absolutely fantastic. Just google the film's cinematography. Stunning.
In terms of cinematographers working today, I'm also huge fans of Robert Elswit (PT Anderson regular), Robert D Yeoman (Wes Anderson regular), Robert Richardson (Tarantino/Scorcese regular), and I'm becoming a huge fan of relative newcomer Hoyte Can Hoytema.
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My Sicario Review
Sicario - 8.5
Sicario is an unfamiliar word to most Americans. In short, the definition means “hitman.” Sicario will now be known in America for another reason and that is the fact that it’s one of the best films of the year and a film most people will be talking about come Oscar season.
Sicario is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who directed Prisoners, one of the best films of 2013. What he has crafted with Sicario borderlines on perfection. The film is a master class on building suspense and tension. Sicario rarely lets up for the duration of its 2 hour running time, and even that flies by.
In Sicario, we follow Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt. Macer is an idealistic FBI agent that gets caught up in a drug war between the U.S. and Mexico when she is asked by a shady government task force to join them on their mission.
For Macer, the rest of the film feels a little like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. She finds herself in a land she doesn’t quite understand, surrounded by people who seem a little off (an understatement). It’s through Macer’s eyes that the audience views most of the film. We are just as bewildered and mortified as she is, begging for questions and getting no answers. Until we do get some answers, and boy are we, along with Macer, better off not knowing.
Blunt has quickly become a fantastic actress. With last year’s underrated Edge of Tomorrow and Sicario, Blunt proves that she really has a knack for playing strong female characters. With Charlize Theron’s performance in Mad Max: Fury Road, it really is the year of the strong female heroine.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Josh Brolin, who is fantastic as the lead member of the task force. He’s a laid back cowboy who can often be seen wearing flip-flops. His relaxed vibe is unsettling to say the least. You would think he’s about to prepare for a paintball game instead of a raid on a Mexican cartel.
Although Emily Blunt is the lead character, this might be Benicio Del Toro’s film. Sicario is easily his best work since his Oscar winning performance in Traffic, a film that shares more than a few similarities with Sicario. Del Toro plays Alejandro, a mysterious “consultant” with the task force. He’s a wild card that Macer has reservations about right from the start.
The other highlight of the film is the cinematography by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. Deakins has been nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar 12 times for films such as Shawshank Redemption, Fargo and No Country for Old Men. It’s truly a crime of cinema that the man has never won. A travesty that might change this year.
His work in Sicario closely resembles No Country for Old Men. Sicario is filled with wide shots of the Mexican/American landscape, as well as shots of the desolate desert. One scene in particular really stood out for me. It’s a night scene in the desert as the sun begins to fade in the background, the soldiers are walking in the foreground until they disappear. The colors of the sky, mixed with the silhouette of the soldiers is a thing of beauty. You could frame it, put it on a wall and charge thousands for a print of that quality. It’s that breathtaking.
Another favorite scene of mine in the film is a confrontation between Brolin and Blunt. The scene is shot wide, with the actors 25 yards away. Many directors would establish a shot like this and then go in tight on the actors, but Villeneuve lets the scene breath. By keeping the camera wide and at a distance from the actors, Villeneuve is also commenting on America as a society and how we view the issues between Mexico and U.S. - from a distance, detached and solely as a hot button issue to be passed around come election time.
Sicario is a raw and violent film that offers little hope about the crisis in Mexico and its prospects for the future. The film portrays the American government as flummoxed, throwing their hands in the air as a sign of surrender, admitting that the problem cannot and will not ever be solved. A hopeless notion indeed. However, that’s not to say the American government is giving up on the problem. On the contrary.
At the height of Michael Jordan’s career, there was a saying, “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” This is what Sicario depicts. The war on drugs is eternal, but it can be controlled and manipulated. The lengths we go to accomplish something like that might be more terrifying than anything.
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I must say, I really enjoyed The Martian. Maybe some of the most fun I've had at the theater all year. It was way more funny than I was expecting.
Also, there was a great nerd moment that had me geeking out in the theater:
Spoiler:
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Just finished The Gift. Wow. A solid 8.5/10 for me. A fresh thriller that had me guessing till the end and still
Considering it as I write this. All I will say but highly recommend this movie!!!
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
Hmmmm, I'll keep an eye out for it to hit the Directv PPV listing. What was it about, generally speaking?
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?????
I really liked The Gift. One of the more underrated gems of the year. I would suggest that you don't watch the trailer. You're better off not knowing a whole lot about the film before you watch it. All I will say is that Jason Bateman plays a man who is visited by a person from his past who keeps leaving gifts on his doorstep.
The film is written, directed and stars Joel Edgerton.
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Well now you guys really have me intrigued. I'll definitely have to keep a look out for it. Is it available on DVD yet? It's not still in theaters is it? I have to admit I haven't heard tell of this film before now.I really liked The Gift. One of the more underrated gems of the year. I would suggest that you don't watch the trailer. You're better off not knowing a whole lot about the film before you watch it. All I will say is that Jason Bateman plays a man who is visited by a person from his past who keeps leaving gifts on his doorstep.
The film is written, directed and stars Joel Edgerton.
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?????
Still in some theaters I think? Large ones... but man oh man.. in my top 5 movies of the year... maybe my top 3. WELL DONE. Loved it.
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
Actually, The Gift comes out on DVD tomorrow (Tuesday the 27th).
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Cool. Then it should be available on Directv PPV this week or next. I'll make it a point to watch it and report back.
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?????
Excellent, I've been dying to see it.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
Hit PPV today. I'm recording it as I type!!
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?????
Okay, watching "The Gift" right now. No pressure, but this better be good, or somebody owes me $4.99!!!! LOL J/K LOL
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?????
Well??
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