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dgilleand
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ReBroken (2023)
Wildly entertaining
ReBroken is a great. It's one of those things I don't think I'd want to tell you too much about, in fear of spoiling everything about it. There's definitely more than meets the eye in this film, and what really keeps the intrigue going is the editing. Tobin Bell (Saw) is also in the film, portraying a smaller, yet vital role as a mysterious homeless man on the outskirts of town. It's amazing how small his roles can sometimes be, and yet still be something that's hard to forget.
Scott Hamm plays the grieving father in this film, and it's a combination of his own performance and the repetition of the editing that really helps sell the idea of what he's personally going through. He wants out of that cycle - and therapy isn't helping. So, he's considering alternative "cures", so to speak.
Definitely check it out. I found the entire film to be a lot of fun overall.
The Irishman (2019)
Great technical aspects, no plot
Great visuals, cinematography, editing, strong dialogue, and mostly great performances...but there's no plot. And by plot, I dont mean things that physically happen in the film, I mean something our characters are specifically trying to do from beginning to end. They aren't trying to get to Mount Doom, save Zion, save Private Ryan, find the infinity stones, solve that murder mystery, etc. There is no end goal. There is no objective. There is no Point B to their Point A. This film is littered with things that simply happen. But movies have story goals because that clues the audience in on what's to come. It gives the narrative obstacles. It gives characters individual importance. Without that story goal....you have an incomplete story. I feel like the biggest draw for this film is the cast, and sure...big names and strong performances...but do they all feel born to play the roles...? I'm not sure. So, some good, some not so good.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Isn't 13 supposed to be the unlucky number?
Do me a favor. Imagine you're tasked with coming up with a sequel - for any movie. What do you think is the first thing you need to do? You need to discover the "soul" of the original film and use it as the foundation for the sequel. In the case of Ocean's Eleven, you're talking about a heist. Then, you'd look at tone. There's a lot of cool, smooth, cleverness going on with a hint of comedy that blends in very well with everything else to make one well-oiled machine. But that's not what the writers of Ocean's Twelve did.
They made a fatal mistake with the foundation of the film. Instead of being primarily about a smart and clever heist, it's about the actors having a good time together. That focus single-handedly got rid of a main heist, transitioning the film into something aimless and convoluted and turned an originally colorful group of characters into a saturated mess that all blend together and no longer play an independent role in the outcome of the film
Furthermore, the type of comedy went from smooth and subtle to over-the-top and even slapstick, which went into some weird and random sound editing issues, like a scene in the beginning where Don Cheadle's character is complaining about them bleeping out curse words in a song while the movie was using phone rings to bleep out cussing in the same scene. It makes no sense with the rest of the movie, only that random scene, and the ringtone was synced with the use of swearing, it was inconsistently patterned so it wasn't even a clever use of swearing either. It is so....bad.
I could go on and on...I just don't get it.
The Emoji Movie (2017)
High brow masked within stupidity
It would appear that most people hate this film because they are unable to grasp the inner concepts that this film was built around while appealing to a braindead audience who are easily amused - most people just see the stupidity. Let's attempt to break it down, though.
Our heroes in the film are Emojis, but it really doesn't matter what they are, but rather, what they represent. Like Inside Out, Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh, or virtually any other kids film, the main characters are simply personifications. Their outward expressions and the world's expectations for them to keep those expressions is social commentary on how people are supposed to act in public, or in their professions. The Meh emoji represents inner turmoil at believing there's more out there than the safe expectations of society, he is an explorer, and societies differences give him depression.
People have also complained about the plot about needing to reach Dropbox. Dropbox is yet another metaphor, just masked in something relevant to the setting. Exactly like Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. It's an adventure story with plenty of heartfelt, meaningful messages and diverse, colorful characters
This is Man vs self, man vs. faith, man vs destiny, man vs society, and man vs industry, depending on which character is focused on. The characters are well-rounded, as they all have individual character goals, motivations, and growth, all of which aren't without healthy flaws that act as obstacles to get them where they need to be right away.
Hate for this movie makes no sense to me. It's relevant, the visuals and animation is pretty great, and a lot of thought was put into making it smart all around
The Meg (2018)
I just watched The Meh!
The Meg was clearly a typo title, as a more fitting title was just one letter off - The Meh. In a single word, The Meg was significantly "boring". I had a hard time distinguishing what exactly was wrong with it until I realized it was incorrectly marketed. It wanted to be in the same market as Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows, and Deep Blue Sea for obvious reasons, but it lacked a vital denominator that connects the others - suspense. They are a type of horror film that really keeps us on our toes and gets us worried about the characters, not knowing how things will ultimately pan out in the end. This wasn't horror, thrilling, or suspenseful, it was an action movie starring Jason Statham. The characters were forgettable, two-dimensional, and even though they were constantly in peril, you never really believe it because you don't really care about who they were.
The whole "this is the biggest shark in the history of shark movies" thing is mostly a gimmick, and they completely rely on that gimmick for any success it actually finds. Yes, the graphics were rather decent, but this happens to be the most forgettable shark I've ever seen in a movie like this. The size is memorable, that's it. As for Statham, he was so underutilized because this isn't his type of movie, action, or character. It was fine for what it was, but it literally anyone could've played that role. As I write this, I've already forgotten his character's name, because who cares?
To say I'm disappointed is a bit of an understatement because it had all the opportunities in the world to really make something special
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Lazy and kind of pointless.
There's not a lot of musicals that have sequels, and maybe there's a good reason for that. There was one musical I wanted a sequel to, and that was Across the Universe. Well, Mamma Mia borrows from the same concept of using an artist's discography as their soundtrack, so maybe this could be a good thing? Potentially, but that potential is ruined.
ABBA didn't have as many hits as The Beatles, so the sequel had to reuse some of the most popular songs from the first film, which no sequel, musical or not, should ever do. It shows a lack of creativity and feels like a cop-out. The unused music it does have feels like the rejected songs the first couldn't or wouldn't fit in.
The story itself is nonexistent. There is no real reason to have the flashbacks, and the actors portraying the characters don't look much like their counterparts. With respect to Donna's besties, those were spot on. Let's face it, though. This takes place in 1979, and Meryl Streep still looked and sounded like Meryl Streep in 1979. She's a legend. Anyone trying to copy her will at most look like a cosplayer. It's just not wise to try. Besides, like I said, the flashbacks don't tell us anything new, not really, they were just a conduit to introduce more songs.
It was okay, but it's not worth a second viewing