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Reviews
Oppenheimer (2023)
Nice to see some science history in public
While I am not an expert on the quality of the film, I can say that I loved seeing this important story told for public consumption. People all around me are talking about the science of the atomic bomb, quantum physics, and radioactive isotopes in ways they never did before. The scientists are becoming better known now than perhaps ever before. I know that the art of film-making does not always keep the story perfectly accurate, nevertheless this film seems to be doing a great job getting people interested in learning more about the development of the science that resulted in the atomic bomb as well as many other innovations that came after the war. That would be a very good thing.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Let Indiana Jones Live Forever
While not as great as some of the earlier films in the series, I still enjoyed this one. Perhaps because I grew up watching Indiana Jones go on impossible adventures, it was a comfort to see him again. In fact, watching this film was remarkably like seeing a close family member for the first time after being separated for many years.
I'll agree that this film did not have many of the funny moments and quotable scenes that the previous ones did, and that there was a lot of sadness with the older Jones. I did not sympathize with Helena or Teddy. It was difficult to believe Indy could keep up, physically, with the demands of the plot: so much running, falling, climbing, and fighting seems unrealistic.
However, it was still our beloved Indiana Jones character, with the same quirky ethical code, the same bottomless knowledge, the same cat-with-nine-lives lucky breaks. I was frightened that he would be left behind or killed off like Han Solo. I'd much rather let these characters' endings go untold, so that I can imagine them continuing forever.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Straightforward adventure
First, I enjoyed this film. It was a lot of fun. The characters were interesting. My passing familiarity with the setting (from role-playing games 30 years ago) helped me feel connected.
There were a lot of fight scenes. Every five or ten minutes there was a battle, leaving just enough time afterward for the plot to move forward a bit before the next exciting fight. This is similar to the D&D games I've played, where the players start getting anxious if they haven't needed to roll for initiative in too long. These fight scenes had swords and mythical creatures as well as magic spells, also just like a regular D&D day.
The characters were of various species, and the film suffers a little from that thing (common in Star Trek and other sci-fi/fantasy stories) where the world appears to be populated mostly by humans with examples of individual others, as useful. In this story, at least Doric's community and Holga's tribe are represented briefly to give the viewer the understanding that there are many like them in the world.
I think this film would be fun for anyone interested in fantasy, even if they are not D&D gamers. It is stand-alone, although a person with familiarity with the setting would get more of the references (such as the identity of Simon's wizard grandfather) and inside jokes.
Waru (2017)
Nothing like it
I was impressed by the way this film was made. Eight female indigenous directors created eight pieces that span the same 10 minute time period in a Maori community in New Zealand. The pieces are connected, some more than others, and all relate to the suspicious deaths of Maori children although that part is not fully explained. Actually, quite a lot is unexplained and I wished I had a Maori cultural expert to help me understand the context. Each piece focuses on one (or two) female Maori characters and is shot in a single take, requiring massive coordination of everyone involved. While the eight are all very different, they also come together into a whole, reflecting the collaborative effort of the directing group.
I liked it not as much for the story as for the characters. They represented the female experience in their society, the many forces affecting them, and their struggles.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
A Good Story with Opulent Dressing
I'm not the most critical of movie reviewers, I know. I enjoyed this film. It was fun and entertaining. I cried at the end. That's what I'm at the movies for - to escape from my troubles and experience a good story, and this film was all about stories. The costumes and scenery were beautiful, the music was lovely. Watching this film was like listening to a storyteller on a long dark winter's evening, which I guess is exactly what it is.
It bothered me a little that The Djinn didn't have a name, and that we never met any other djinn. Are djinn so few or so dilute that they don't often exist near each other? There was a reference to a djinn gathering where they tell each other stories, but that wasn't followed up at all. Most of the djinn must not be trapped inside bottles, so what are they all doing?
Alithea seems to be smart and caring. It's unfortunate that her character is painted as an old spinster. Yes, the script does try to show us that she's happy with her life and doesn't mind being single, but I couldn't help noticing the hints that suggested she could be better with a partner (e.g. All the young couples rollerblading and laughing in the park). Why can't Alithea be just herself? Her brief and long-ago marriage has no impact on the story.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
If you loved Top Gun in 1986, you won't be disappointed.
I really expected to be disappointed by this movie, because so many sequels seem to be made just to squeeze a little more money out of work already done. Like so many others, I loved the original Top Gun and played the soundtrack (on cassette tape!) for decades. That movie entered our collective culture and stuck with us. Luckily, I was thrilled by Top Gun: Maverick. You already know the Maverick character from 1986, and it's fun to see what he might be like after 30 years of continuing to defy authority and get into and out of scrapes. Maybe he's not the most mature role model, but he's cool!
Rather than waste time with a lot of character formation and plot, we get right to the action. We are in the theater to see screaming jets, feel the explosions of the rockets, and have our hearts lashed by unsubtle emotions. I found myself enjoying this film much more than I expected, actually captivated by it. I was completely taken in by the action and the adventure. Do I believe that the two pilots shot down over the enemy forest (in a mystical sunlit snowfall) would survive? And find each other unhurt? And steal an antique F-14 that they used to escape back to the carrier? No, that's ridiculous! But I don't care!
The Paper Tigers (2020)
More than first expected.
This film looks like a goofy comedy about middle-aged men doing martial arts, and it is that but also a really sweet story about the long friendships among those men. The things they were passionate about when they were teenagers together have faded and been replaced by their children and other things, but when their old teacher dies mysteriously they discover that they still have some of the old fire. It was lovely to see these men reconnecting after many years, even though they did not always get along and they were not always successful.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Surreal action-comedy
I hardly know what to think about this. It was surreal, it was science fiction with time travel, it was a martial arts film in the comedic style of Jackie Chan, it was a romance, it was a story about a mother and daughter. I liked the film, but I didn't always know what was going on. I cared about the characters (in some timelines) and wanted things to work out well for them.
One complaint I have is that the science fiction part is never resolved. People from the future(?) or at least a different timeline are trying to get Evelyn to help them, and they are important in the first part of the film but not later. That part of the story just ends, and maybe we're supposed to conclude that their timeline is fixed by what happens to Evelyn, but I would have liked more clarity on that.
Planet of Dinosaurs (1977)
Terrific dinosaurs
It is clear that most of the budget for this film went to the dinosaur effects. They are fantastic (for 1977). On the other hand, the scenery is monotonous, the acting is terrible, the soundtrack is bizarrely horrible, and there is no plot.
A group of people are marooned on an unknown planet after their starship explodes and they narrowly escape in a shuttle. Almost as soon as they land, the first of them is eaten by a mysterious animal. The rest of the film shows them walking through the landscape, arguing with each other about the best way to survive, and fighting off the dinosaurs. Except for one giant spider, there are no other fauna on this planet and hardly and flora. No insects, no birds, just large dinosaurs and some plants that have berries.
The amount of time passing is unclear but it seems that the story takes place over several months. All of the characters wear the same outfits for the entire film, which never get dirtier or worn out. But the group manages to build a kind of fort, make simple weapons, and brew an alcoholic beverage, all of which would take more than a few days.
Goon (2011)
Brutal but sweet, how can that be?
I watched this film because I like hockey and I heard it was a good story. Both points turned out to be true. However, the fight scenes are a little too gory for me: lots of blood and teeth and sound effects. Also the characters are just as crude and foul-mouthed as the stereotype. Hardly a line of dialog without an f word and a reference to penises, gays, and/or sex. If you know what you're getting into, then you may be able to see the really sweet story of Doug Glatt and his team, the Halifax Highlanders.
So, Doug is not too bright, but he has firm ideas of the right thing to do. He is working as a bouncer in a bar when the film opens, hanging out with his best friend who has a sort of amateur hockey talk show. One night at a local team's game, an opposing team's player climbs into the crowd to fight with Doug's friend and Doug knocks him around. The coach of the local team invites him to join the team, to be a goon and protect the other players. Doug can't even skate, but he wants to belong. It isn't long before he gets sent up to Halifax to play in a Canadian league and that's where most of the story takes place.
Doug's teammates are the usual band of misfits: the alcoholic old dog who is going through a divorce, the young earnest but not very good guy, the phenom who was injured in a NHl game and is trying to get his groove back, etc. They don't know how to be a team and they are terrible on the ice. It takes the open-hearted honesty of Doug the Thug to mold them into winners. And some fights, of course. By the way, there is also a love- interest in Eva. I'm not convinced she adds anything to the story but the scenes between Doug and Eva are mostly cute. "You make me want to stop sleeping with lots of guys" is not a great line, but it kind of works.