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dallasbagley
Reviews
11.22.63 (2016)
It will break your heart, in the best way possible.
All great stories have been told before. I heard this once, and it certainly applies here. Not original in the least... But guess what? It doesn't matter. This here, is the very best example of the genre, it literally sits at the top of the heap, with films like the first Back to the Future, Quantum Leap, and the tremendously underrated "Somewhere in Time" sitting just below it.
Our leading man is introduced to time travel, in the form of a closet through a friend of his. Nothing is explained regarding the science of how it works, but that's because it's not important. What IS important, is the mission, and the mission is to stop the assassination of JFK, in hopes of causing a ripple through time that will ultimately change things for the better... Or would they? But we ALSO quickly learn, that time itself appears to be a consciousness all it's own, and it doesn't want to be messed with. It will throw speed bumps in the road of ones mission, anything from falling chandeliers, to the prospect of true love.
The mission is initially a straight line, but our leading man becomes ingrained in the life and the people of 1960. It essentially starts to feel like more of a home than anything before, in a time where traditional values were romanticized, and Apple Pie never tasted so good. But all this is offset but the juxtaposition of violence, disturbing themes and the cold reality of fate. It is a BEAUTIFUL soup of emotion and story telling, where everything constantly changes, except one underlying theme... Sacrifice.
This is without question, one of thee most beautiful, rich, and unforgettable works of film that I have EVER seen. You will fall in love, and have your heart broken in the best way possible. Realizing in the end, that you were fortunate to have love at all.
9/10
Time Lapse (2014)
Tightly knit, well written, fast-paced thriller!
I caught this film at the Seattle International Film Festival a couple weeks back. Film makers, as well as the cast were there, answered questions, pleasant experience over all.
So here it is...
We got 3 close friends, various character types, all sharing an apartment together. One of which is the property manager. Things happen regarding one of their tenants, provoking concern, and leading the manager to go check on this individual. Upon doing so, a massive contraption is discovered in this tenants apartment, radiating an ominous green light, with photos of the three main characters tacked about the wall.
Upon brief research, they soon learn this to be a camera that takes pictures 24 hours in advance. Oh, and the camera is pointed directly at their living room. And with it being so massive and complex, they can't exactly bring it where ever they want. So it's in this living room, where they leave clues for their past selves.
Obviously (like most would), they use this invention for person gain. One of the three has more of a selfish intent, while the other two sort of superficially resist for a brief moment.
It's from there that this close-quarters-adventure begins. Things get out of hand, characters change, we get a few laughs, jumps and an unforeseen reveal in the third act (you probably won't see it coming).
I personally thought the film to be brief, clean cut, tightly written and straight to the point. It's also in my opinion, highly marketable. The direction was concise, production was smart, and casting was thoughtful. Nothing about it felt pretentious in the least, and I'm thankful for that. I got a few minor nit picks, but I'm a critical prick, so don't be surprised. What makes the film good, far out weighs any minor short comings.
See it.