blackwaterjulia Reviews

A Star Is Born (2018)

Music fueled drama, that excels at its integrity

[9/10 · 5 November 2018]

I went to this movie with very little background knowledge on the story and/or most of the actors. I had heard of Lady Gaga, but since I hardly listen to radio I was unaware what she sounded like. As far as Cooper goes, I might have seen one movie with him and that was it. Still the trailer looked good, Lukas Nelson (yes son of) helped to write the music, and all time favorite Sam Elliott played a part in it. Reason enough to go check it out, and I wasn't disappointed.

The story line is very well executed, and although based on the original and its remake, there were plenty of unique touches, making this story stand out from the others. Script wise we see a well balanced movie that alternates between music, dialogue, and that was is left unsaid. It is hard to believe this is Cooper's writing and directing debut, and he should be given high praise for doing an excellent job.

Being a story about two singers, this movie wouldn't be much without its music. Of course music is always a matter of taste, and whether or not it's to someone's liking comes down to personal preference. That said, the music does have a high standard of quality which I like. Not all songs met my personal preference, but the three main songs did. Reading an interview after seeing the movie, I was mind blown to learn Cooper had learned to sing and play the guitar from scratch for this movie. Now that's what I call dedication.

The last part of this review leaves me with the acting. To my surprise Gaga turns out to be an excellent actor, that plays her part convincing yet seemingly effortless. The same can be said for Cooper, who transitions between being a jerk and being extremely vulnerable in moments. Although the two leads know how to put down a strong and realistic character, the real surprise in this movie is Elliott. It's said that some things get better with age, this definitely goes for the actor who is in his 70's by now. In the role of Cooper's big brother he plays the emotionally charged scenes with a heartbreaking conviction. I'm not exaggerating when I say I saw over half the visitors leave the cinema that day with red eyes.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Exceeded all my expectations

[10/10 · 5 November 2018]

Most people will remember the first record they bought. I sure as hell remember mine, it was the Queen greatest hits album. I bought it for a fiver on the local flea market, just because the boy I had a crush on back then happened to love Queen. The boy was soon forgotten, but the music managed to capture and keep me.

With that music being so dear to me, I was both thrilled and apprehensive about the movie being made. I hoped it would be nothing short of magnificent, but I feared it would be the opposite. It's a hard job to portray any of the band members accurately , but Freddie? No... impossible in my eyes.

Yet this movie did exactly that. This movie, the actors, the script and the entire atmosphere; everything about it is right. The band has never settled for mediocrity and neither does this movie.

I can't say anything about the plot, or about the story line. It is what it is, the life and history of four completely different and extremely talented people that gave the industry the middle finger and went their own way, creating something unique.

By sticking to the band's real history and maintaining their quality standards, this movie has become the epitome off a phrase that was once penned down by Shakespeare: "This above all: to thine own self be true"

Hard Sun (2018)

Original pre-apocalyptic crime series

[9/10 · 23 September 2018]

The British are great at writing crime, this serie is another proof of that. While crime is not usually my favorite genre, I do like Luther and that series comes from the hand of Neil Cross. Since this mini-serie is written by him too I decided to give it a go, and I wasn't disappointed.

Agyness Deyn, who plays the role of Elaine Renko, was originally a model before she got into acting. When I read that I almost couldn't believe it, because she puts down a very convincing performance, that seems to come natural to her. Her character is a tough cookie and it's definitely not one you'd like to pick a fight with. As we get further into the series we do see more depth added to her character, which makes her all the more interesting.

The other lead role is played by Jim Sturgess. He portrays the character of Charlie Hicks, a cop with a rogue edge but otherwise a good man. Or at least, he thinks he is, but the story itself leaves the viewer to make up their own mind about that.

And that is not the only issue on which the viewer gets to fill in the blanks. A lot is left unanswered, but not in an annoying way. Or at least to me it wasn't irritating, but some people may not like it. I however, think it was done in a good way and with a satisfying ending.

The writer, Neil Cross, has said he was interested in doing a fiver year story arc, but to the best of my knowledge the series hasn't be renewed. It's a shame, because it's rare to see doomsday genres combined with crime, and it's even more rare to see it being done with this level of quality.

American Beauty (1999)

Mixed feelings

[6/10 · 18 September 2018]

I've watched this movie as a case study. The goal was for me to learn more about script writing. In that the movie (and script) definitely succeeded, yet it left me with mixed feelings. Obviously the movie is multi-faceted and the writing is very good, but I found parts of the movie to be cringe-worthy.

Maybe the uncomfortable scenes are a sign of good writing. It's very well possible that this movie wasn't created just to entertain, but to show you a side of society you are not comfortable watching. I'm not sure. Either way, it's not likely I will forget this movie anytime soon.