Change Your Image
reneemegancalapardo
Reviews
Cho-neung-ryeok-ja (2010)
Something different
Despite the action and pacing feeling a bit lacklustre at times, I found it intriguing enough to carry my interest on from the premise. I'd say it has established itself as refreshingly different from the typical korean movies that I have so far encountered under the thriller/suspense genre. There's some charm to the grunge and isolation that they show through this film and left me curious enough to abandon my usual bent of trying to predict the ending and basing my satisfaction off of that.
Also, I usually would also refrain from mentioning but it's quite nice to see non-native actors playing actual characters this time instead of nameless filler roles. Hollywood with its self-congratulatory pride on filling out diversity quotas could take note.
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
Terribly disappointing
The most convincing actor here was the news reporter. Pettyfer could've made a rather ideal Alex, but as with much of the film seemed torn between delivering the sort of action the book was loved for and over-the-top brevity that was either too suddenly comic to be funny or too serious to be taken seriously. Somehow, I don't think the people behind this intended to portray a circus but that's sadly what has happened. What I saw before me was a pitifully garish regurgitation of the book. There were brief shots that worked quite well and looked attractive but ended up being pointless and insufficient to salvage the film. Some of the fight scenes made me burst out laughing, but I wish that joy didn't have to come with the price of having tainted the legacy of dear Alex Rider. Seeing it the first time as a young preteen obsessed with the series was an exercise in being let down by my heroes. Rewatching it as an adult to hopefully chuckle at how bad it was ended up just making me a bit sad. Shame to have so many good actors involved only to waste their talents.
Joker (2019)
Refreshing
To be honest I was mildly afraid of going in to see the movie, given that I found myself frequently thinking of the numerous and ever-increasingly absurd "society" jokes surrounding the titular character so often that I couldn't take him seriously anymore, but this was so good that despite tackling the same issues I truly couldn't find it a bit ridiculous at all. The tone was consistent and immersive, but not so much that it remained stagnant and boring. It injected enough bizarre little twists that fit in so well but still introduced a new level of crazy to help us track the descend into even more madness. This world held enough difference to set itself apart as a new version yet remained sufficiently faithful to the source in that it expanded just right on the same themes one has grown to look for and associate from previous versions of the Joker's world. It embellished and drew me into a downwards spiral exploring this story with a sympathetic eye, gave the thrill of comic violence that DC provides best but never in a way so heavy-handed that it smothered. My first time viewing was ruined by technical issues so vexing that even my ever-patient family decided to leave (along with 3/4 of the theatre halfway through) but my gentle cousins liked it so much they, too, went through the effort of going to see it again. A worthy new chapter to this franchise.
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman (2013)
More than I expected
I honestly would have given this a higher rating except I'm personally just not that impressed by people like the two main characters here AND YET I was still charmed enough by this film to not be able to let my "dislike" of them seep any more than that. I loved the cinematography, as it managed to capture gritty nighttime bits and somewhat shady living arrangements in a way that made them more attractive and quaint but without overselling the whole neon nightclub vibe. The plot gets quite dark, although the movie itself doesn't feel like it runs too heavy-hell it gets a few chuckles out of you. The soundtrack for this was just perfect and in all the right places. There's a little bit of "magic" here and there that you're never quite sure of, as reality never gets like that for the most part- or maybe it simply does for Charlie. Having to gather my thoughts as I wrote this review made me realize I was fonder than I though of the movie and bumped my rating up a star. As someone who is not usually a fan of this genre, it has been an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. Would recommend.