Saw it in the theater, saw it again now because I want more 70s/80s nostalgia like Stranger Things. I was also curious why I didn't like the movie the first time, and I was reminded quickly and often that this movie has no soul. It is a well made automaton, much like J.J. Abrams reboots of Star Wars and Star Trek, but likewise feels hollow.
Lost was good, and it had soul, even though it increasingly ran off the rails, but since then, the magic is gone. If Abrams is following in the footsteps of Spielberg, he seems to be following the later sentimental and useless period (from The Color Purple and on), not the early stuff that was interesting (Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders, E.T.).
Its actually kind of impressive how well produced Super 8 is, and how close it is to E.T., and yet is as life-like as a mannequin. There are so many people, in front of and behind the camera, trying so hard, and you can't help but root for them, and want them to succeed. Unfortunately by the end its like being the senior medical technician looking down at your rookie partner, tirelessly doing CPR on a corpse, and you almost don't have the heart to tap them on the shoulder and say, OK kid, you did good, but you can stop now.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
I want to rate the movie, but there's no good rating scale. Its not enough to just say how much I liked it, but also whether or not its worth seeing. It is worth seeing, but it is also good. This rating scale, or scales, needs work.
J.J. Abrams, like his idol/mentor/whatever-you-call-it Spielberg, is now a name brand unto himself. That's probably been the case for years and I'm late to the party, but I'm understanding this now. Whether you like his work or not, you're getting a certain quality level, and some values, and you know that going in.
[edit 2016.09.22 Abrams produced, but others wrote and directed]
The movie keeps feels like its going to go too long, but it doesn't. Your patience is rewarded with plot advances great and small.
I remember the initial hype, thinking who needs a Cloverfield sequel, or a one-room play, but I kept hearing good things from various sources. I'm glad I avoided spoilers. If you haven't seen it, and are going to, go see it and come back. OK?
Spoilers.
I like how the movie commits. As we approach the end, I'm ready for some bullshit non-commitment level, where we never get to find out who was right, and whether it was safe to go topside or not.
Sometimes you want that ambiguity, that mystery, because that's art. And sometimes you just want someone to draw a line in the dirt and say I'm on this side of the line, and I'm fighting to the death over it. I am most impressed that this movie commits to one actual story at the end, and not only that, it goes all the way. Whatever most of the movie is, the ending is all Aliens. Our hero is not only in control at the end, she actively seeks the fight. Humanity is already gaining ground, and you know she's going to help turn the tide. Its quite a nice positive message to roll credits on.
I watched all the featurettes. I can't believe how much work goes into movies like this. Its like a moon mission. They're clearly proud of their work, and they deserve to be. The net effect is curiously humbling. There are so many talents and disciplines giving their all, and they all know they are but part of the whole. A good piece of art should stand for itself, letting you know all about its authors. Yet the featurettes about the effects, music, editing, etc. do communicate a little extra dimensionality to the art, and that's worth hearing too.
J.J. Abrams, like his idol/mentor/whatever-you-call-it Spielberg, is now a name brand unto himself. That's probably been the case for years and I'm late to the party, but I'm understanding this now. Whether you like his work or not, you're getting a certain quality level, and some values, and you know that going in.
[edit 2016.09.22 Abrams produced, but others wrote and directed]
The movie keeps feels like its going to go too long, but it doesn't. Your patience is rewarded with plot advances great and small.
I remember the initial hype, thinking who needs a Cloverfield sequel, or a one-room play, but I kept hearing good things from various sources. I'm glad I avoided spoilers. If you haven't seen it, and are going to, go see it and come back. OK?
Spoilers.
I like how the movie commits. As we approach the end, I'm ready for some bullshit non-commitment level, where we never get to find out who was right, and whether it was safe to go topside or not.
Sometimes you want that ambiguity, that mystery, because that's art. And sometimes you just want someone to draw a line in the dirt and say I'm on this side of the line, and I'm fighting to the death over it. I am most impressed that this movie commits to one actual story at the end, and not only that, it goes all the way. Whatever most of the movie is, the ending is all Aliens. Our hero is not only in control at the end, she actively seeks the fight. Humanity is already gaining ground, and you know she's going to help turn the tide. Its quite a nice positive message to roll credits on.
I watched all the featurettes. I can't believe how much work goes into movies like this. Its like a moon mission. They're clearly proud of their work, and they deserve to be. The net effect is curiously humbling. There are so many talents and disciplines giving their all, and they all know they are but part of the whole. A good piece of art should stand for itself, letting you know all about its authors. Yet the featurettes about the effects, music, editing, etc. do communicate a little extra dimensionality to the art, and that's worth hearing too.
Friday, September 2, 2016
Midnight Special (2016)
As far as I can tell the title has nothing to do with anything.
Its another child with powers story, with all the memes you know and love, but its less like E.T. and Stranger Things, and more like Firestarter. In other words, there's not a lot of humor or nostalgia, and a lot more weirdness, creepiness, and violence. Being on the run for the duration seems to be a common denominator in this type of story.
It's a long slow movie, heavy with mood and atmosphere, punctuated with occasional extreme action. Kind of like a Coen movie (like No Country For Old Men).
Spoiler: the coolest thing about the movie is the way our dimension overlaps with another dimension, and you can suddenly see all their buildings and cities all around, as if they were always there, but just hidden. Even cooler, its not just our heroes who get to see this - everyone in the southeastern USA sees this, meaning that even after E.T. goes home, our world is changed forever.
Even better, that's all left to your imagination. There's not a lot of handholding or spoonfeeding in this movie, and after a steady diet of Hollywood tropes, its kind of refreshing. Is the hero (and the people he is going home to) a human or an alien? Is that the future or the present in that other dimension? Are we even asking the right questions, there are so many possibilities. And then the movie is over, and you get to take all these mysteries with you.
Its another child with powers story, with all the memes you know and love, but its less like E.T. and Stranger Things, and more like Firestarter. In other words, there's not a lot of humor or nostalgia, and a lot more weirdness, creepiness, and violence. Being on the run for the duration seems to be a common denominator in this type of story.
It's a long slow movie, heavy with mood and atmosphere, punctuated with occasional extreme action. Kind of like a Coen movie (like No Country For Old Men).
Spoiler: the coolest thing about the movie is the way our dimension overlaps with another dimension, and you can suddenly see all their buildings and cities all around, as if they were always there, but just hidden. Even cooler, its not just our heroes who get to see this - everyone in the southeastern USA sees this, meaning that even after E.T. goes home, our world is changed forever.
Even better, that's all left to your imagination. There's not a lot of handholding or spoonfeeding in this movie, and after a steady diet of Hollywood tropes, its kind of refreshing. Is the hero (and the people he is going home to) a human or an alien? Is that the future or the present in that other dimension? Are we even asking the right questions, there are so many possibilities. And then the movie is over, and you get to take all these mysteries with you.
Friday, August 26, 2016
John Wick (2014)
Good action movie, but the only memorable things are the assassin's guild with their own gold coin currency and rules, and a welcome appearance from a saloon keeper of old in a new modern position that just seems right.
Production and cinematography are good, making it easy to watch. Fight choreography is mostly believable and entertaining (if you're into that sort of thing, and I am). The story and dialogue are mostly good, and there's nothing cringe-worthy.
Why didn't John Wick shoot Iosef (gangster's son) when he had him in his sights in the Red Circle, not even a third of the way through the movie? I know its because the movie is only 1/3 over, but they could have tied it in more to Wick being a bit rusty, rather than some strange hesitation.
Why didn't Wick kill Viggo (gangster boss) when he had the chance? John had to know by now he was in a total war situation, especially since he started it, and was willing to sacrifice anything (his retirement, his life) for it. Letting Viggo go just seems like dumb choice for someone who should know his trade as well as Wick.
Another small annoyance is John Wick is so thorough in taking people out (shown with constant double taps), which I like, but when he chokes out Kirill (Viggo's top guard) in a few seconds, John gets up and walks away. I'm not knowledgeable in such matters, but it doesn't seem like a guaranteed enough time to kill someone, but maybe only enough to knock them out. Once you gain control of the situation, why not take a moment to make sure, especially when its one of your (few) defining characteristics?
What else.... how about the biggest one of all. If you're going to run a criminal enterprise, make sure all your people, especially family, know all about the assassin's guild and who's in it.
Production and cinematography are good, making it easy to watch. Fight choreography is mostly believable and entertaining (if you're into that sort of thing, and I am). The story and dialogue are mostly good, and there's nothing cringe-worthy.
Why didn't John Wick shoot Iosef (gangster's son) when he had him in his sights in the Red Circle, not even a third of the way through the movie? I know its because the movie is only 1/3 over, but they could have tied it in more to Wick being a bit rusty, rather than some strange hesitation.
Why didn't Wick kill Viggo (gangster boss) when he had the chance? John had to know by now he was in a total war situation, especially since he started it, and was willing to sacrifice anything (his retirement, his life) for it. Letting Viggo go just seems like dumb choice for someone who should know his trade as well as Wick.
Another small annoyance is John Wick is so thorough in taking people out (shown with constant double taps), which I like, but when he chokes out Kirill (Viggo's top guard) in a few seconds, John gets up and walks away. I'm not knowledgeable in such matters, but it doesn't seem like a guaranteed enough time to kill someone, but maybe only enough to knock them out. Once you gain control of the situation, why not take a moment to make sure, especially when its one of your (few) defining characteristics?
What else.... how about the biggest one of all. If you're going to run a criminal enterprise, make sure all your people, especially family, know all about the assassin's guild and who's in it.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Stranger Things season 1 (2016)
Just finished watching Stranger Things on Netflix. At this time there was only one season (eight episodes), and I hope more are already being made.
This show shouldn't have worked, but it did. Take a bunch of 1970's and 80's cultural references, a whole bunch of tropes from stories about secret government labs, innocent civilians who get caught up in the mess, etc. and put these ideas in a blender and give it a few pulses, and see what comes out. If there's a right way to do that so you don't get a tired cliche of a product, Stranger Things found a way.
Maybe the secret ingredient is quality? This series had a few lapses in acting and writing and production, but more often than not it got it right. There are clear and obvious references to the works of John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg, but just pushing those buttons shouldn't just work, or everyone would do it. A good example of this is JJ Abrams "Super 8", where he tried to do this and made a technically good product, but it didn't have the spirit of the 80s in it, no matter how much money and technique was thrown at the screen.
And Super 8 tried to be subtle and cool about it, whereas Stranger Things has non stop blatant mention of movies by the characters, posters on the walls, images on the tv, etc. They're practically rubbing your nose in it every 10 minutes, and yet it feels somehow less exploitative. I don't know what the secret sauce is, or I'd be making it myself.
*spoilers*
A few thoughts about the ending. From early in the show, I suspected Eleven was actually the Demogorgon. Not on purpose, but maybe in her nightmares she was somehow driving it, or feeding it, or calling it. My near proof of this is that she, at the end when it proved unkillable, could walk up to it, seem to merge with it or cancel it out, and destroy it though it consumed her too. And she knew this was going to happen, because she said goodbye. So who is the Chief leaving Eggos for in the wooden box in the forest?
Aside:
Are Eggos still being made today, decades later? If so, did they sponsor this product placement? (A quick search... yeah, this product is still around, so maybe)
The fact that the rescued kid is coughing up dark world slugs, and occasionally visiting the dark world is not surprising or interesting, but it would be kind of cool if this gives him superpowers (like Eleven) in season two, and/or makes him the new Demogorgon.
There are a bunch of predictable places you could take the series from here, or they could try and break some new ground. The dark world / upside-down place / whatever you want to call it is quite interesting, and there's a lot left to explore there. You could just call it quits here, and let it fade away into a frustrating legend of what could have been, or take a gamble and see if you can do more. If the same people can keep driving, or at least the same quality level maintained, I'd really like to see where they go next.
This show shouldn't have worked, but it did. Take a bunch of 1970's and 80's cultural references, a whole bunch of tropes from stories about secret government labs, innocent civilians who get caught up in the mess, etc. and put these ideas in a blender and give it a few pulses, and see what comes out. If there's a right way to do that so you don't get a tired cliche of a product, Stranger Things found a way.
Maybe the secret ingredient is quality? This series had a few lapses in acting and writing and production, but more often than not it got it right. There are clear and obvious references to the works of John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg, but just pushing those buttons shouldn't just work, or everyone would do it. A good example of this is JJ Abrams "Super 8", where he tried to do this and made a technically good product, but it didn't have the spirit of the 80s in it, no matter how much money and technique was thrown at the screen.
And Super 8 tried to be subtle and cool about it, whereas Stranger Things has non stop blatant mention of movies by the characters, posters on the walls, images on the tv, etc. They're practically rubbing your nose in it every 10 minutes, and yet it feels somehow less exploitative. I don't know what the secret sauce is, or I'd be making it myself.
*spoilers*
A few thoughts about the ending. From early in the show, I suspected Eleven was actually the Demogorgon. Not on purpose, but maybe in her nightmares she was somehow driving it, or feeding it, or calling it. My near proof of this is that she, at the end when it proved unkillable, could walk up to it, seem to merge with it or cancel it out, and destroy it though it consumed her too. And she knew this was going to happen, because she said goodbye. So who is the Chief leaving Eggos for in the wooden box in the forest?
Aside:
Are Eggos still being made today, decades later? If so, did they sponsor this product placement? (A quick search... yeah, this product is still around, so maybe)
The fact that the rescued kid is coughing up dark world slugs, and occasionally visiting the dark world is not surprising or interesting, but it would be kind of cool if this gives him superpowers (like Eleven) in season two, and/or makes him the new Demogorgon.
There are a bunch of predictable places you could take the series from here, or they could try and break some new ground. The dark world / upside-down place / whatever you want to call it is quite interesting, and there's a lot left to explore there. You could just call it quits here, and let it fade away into a frustrating legend of what could have been, or take a gamble and see if you can do more. If the same people can keep driving, or at least the same quality level maintained, I'd really like to see where they go next.
Friday, July 29, 2016
A Chef's Life (2013-2015)
Just caught up with Season 3.
I've been watching the show at random, but I saw PBS was running all three seasons in order, got it all on the DVR, and watched the whole thing in order. I remember almost every episode, so I think I've already seen the whole show already.
It cleared up a lot of confusion. I don't think I got it at first just how chronological it is, and major milestones, such as having one restaurant or two, or having various size children running about, etc. were confusing at first.
Is there anything else like this show? Part documentary, part cooking show, part life story. It's absolutely fascinating, though if I didn't find every facet of it interesting, maybe I wouldn't think so.
Its got bits and pieces of shows like Bourdain's various globe trotting shows, where local ingredients and farmers are featured. There's a little bit of cooking instruction, but it never gets too long to be boring, and usually ties into whatever food production was featured that episode. There's a fair bit of life drama, what with the kids and marital and family relationships. There's also a nice bit of business insight, as we learn about staffing problems, crisis management, getting ingredients from other local business people, etc.
If all that wasn't enough, we're also slowly seeing the revitalization of a failing town. It also helps that its shot well. This is something you always get on Bourdain's show (probably due to Zero Point Zero production), but rarely elsewhere.
The show covers so much, but rarely mentions itself, even at the end of season 3 when there's a long (for this show) self-reflecting monologue. To me it seems one of the few flaws of the show. They'll go into such detail about some little mishap, or someone's feelings about it, but everyone pretends there isn't a film crew following them around. If I'm complaining, and this isn't a big one, its that everyone does a little too good of a job ignoring the cameras, that it makes you question the net sincerity of the whole endeavour. Or maybe people just get used to cameras after a while.
Looking forward to season four, which seems to be in the works. I wonder if she finished her book. Reading the wiki.... checking their site: http://www.achefslifeseries.com/, season four is coming this September (2016). The restaurant has a site too: http://chefandthefarmer.com/. The book is coming out in October.
In the curious mix of the unreality of TV and the some kind of reality of a documentary, there is the realization the the restaurant is a real place, and I could go eat there. Right now. By chance, I might even see someone I recognize, and if lucky/unlucky, end up in the background of a show. I could actually visit a TV show, with the tiny possibility of appearing in the background of it. Think of all the countless fantasy worlds that go by on the TV - how many can you actually go visit? It gives you some insight to what Vivian must deal with all the time, wondering who she even is at the end of season 3.
I've been watching the show at random, but I saw PBS was running all three seasons in order, got it all on the DVR, and watched the whole thing in order. I remember almost every episode, so I think I've already seen the whole show already.
It cleared up a lot of confusion. I don't think I got it at first just how chronological it is, and major milestones, such as having one restaurant or two, or having various size children running about, etc. were confusing at first.
Is there anything else like this show? Part documentary, part cooking show, part life story. It's absolutely fascinating, though if I didn't find every facet of it interesting, maybe I wouldn't think so.
Its got bits and pieces of shows like Bourdain's various globe trotting shows, where local ingredients and farmers are featured. There's a little bit of cooking instruction, but it never gets too long to be boring, and usually ties into whatever food production was featured that episode. There's a fair bit of life drama, what with the kids and marital and family relationships. There's also a nice bit of business insight, as we learn about staffing problems, crisis management, getting ingredients from other local business people, etc.
If all that wasn't enough, we're also slowly seeing the revitalization of a failing town. It also helps that its shot well. This is something you always get on Bourdain's show (probably due to Zero Point Zero production), but rarely elsewhere.
The show covers so much, but rarely mentions itself, even at the end of season 3 when there's a long (for this show) self-reflecting monologue. To me it seems one of the few flaws of the show. They'll go into such detail about some little mishap, or someone's feelings about it, but everyone pretends there isn't a film crew following them around. If I'm complaining, and this isn't a big one, its that everyone does a little too good of a job ignoring the cameras, that it makes you question the net sincerity of the whole endeavour. Or maybe people just get used to cameras after a while.
Looking forward to season four, which seems to be in the works. I wonder if she finished her book. Reading the wiki.... checking their site: http://www.achefslifeseries.com/, season four is coming this September (2016). The restaurant has a site too: http://chefandthefarmer.com/. The book is coming out in October.
In the curious mix of the unreality of TV and the some kind of reality of a documentary, there is the realization the the restaurant is a real place, and I could go eat there. Right now. By chance, I might even see someone I recognize, and if lucky/unlucky, end up in the background of a show. I could actually visit a TV show, with the tiny possibility of appearing in the background of it. Think of all the countless fantasy worlds that go by on the TV - how many can you actually go visit? It gives you some insight to what Vivian must deal with all the time, wondering who she even is at the end of season 3.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
no second watch
I sometimes see people mention that they're watching their favorite series again, sometimes even a third time. Thinking back to my favorite series, I can't think of one I've watched twice. I've thought about watching them again, but it keeps not happening.
This would be a good time to recount favorite series.
ST:TOS (60s) the first example is almost a counter-example, lots of re-runs on TV, lots of random watching. But since the days where all the media could be accessed at once, I haven't sat down and watched it from beginning to end.
BSG (80s)
Max Headroom (80s)
Babylon 5 (90s)
DS9 (90s)
Daria (90s)
Buffy/Angel (90s)
Lost (2000s)
Firefly (2000s)
BSG reboot (2000s)
Aang / Korra (2000s)
The only series I'm close to wanting to see again right now are the Avatar series, which should be easy because I think they're all on Amazon Prime.
This would be a good time to recount favorite series.
ST:TOS (60s) the first example is almost a counter-example, lots of re-runs on TV, lots of random watching. But since the days where all the media could be accessed at once, I haven't sat down and watched it from beginning to end.
BSG (80s)
Max Headroom (80s)
Babylon 5 (90s)
DS9 (90s)
Daria (90s)
Buffy/Angel (90s)
Lost (2000s)
Firefly (2000s)
BSG reboot (2000s)
Aang / Korra (2000s)
The only series I'm close to wanting to see again right now are the Avatar series, which should be easy because I think they're all on Amazon Prime.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Deadwood (2004-2006)
2016.04.02
Watched first two episodes, will continue.
2016.04.13
An obvious character is killed. Seems like he wanted to go.
2016.05~
Started second season. Vibe is all different, but is it wrong? The wild west is getting civilized, as promised right from the beginning.
2016.06... or maybe 2016.07
I thought the series was going to end mid-sentence, cut down in its prime cruelly and unfairly like Firefly, but actually it wrapped up about when it should have. It was starting to run out of steam and I don't think there was a whole lot more left to say.
Now free of spoilers I read up to find out what happened, only to find things got a little confused and boring, and probably because of drugs. It looks like the creator of the show got lucky, and in the years that followed never really did anything good again. Only now, after 10 years of nothing really going on, is he contemplating returning to the universe he abandoned, or ruined, or who knows what, its hard to decipher through the long abandoned rumor mills.
Like a lot of art, it had its moment in its moment, and having once had that moment, the moment is then gone.
Adding a surreal layer that most media doesn't have is looking at the long list of real people versus people made up for the show, and realizing there were more real people than made up. Though many of their stories were altered to make a show out of it, some lives may have been more interesting if presented more real. I understand reality is harder to productize.
This show and the movie Unforgiven are now my top favorite versions of the Western.
Watched first two episodes, will continue.
2016.04.13
An obvious character is killed. Seems like he wanted to go.
2016.05~
Started second season. Vibe is all different, but is it wrong? The wild west is getting civilized, as promised right from the beginning.
2016.06... or maybe 2016.07
I thought the series was going to end mid-sentence, cut down in its prime cruelly and unfairly like Firefly, but actually it wrapped up about when it should have. It was starting to run out of steam and I don't think there was a whole lot more left to say.
Now free of spoilers I read up to find out what happened, only to find things got a little confused and boring, and probably because of drugs. It looks like the creator of the show got lucky, and in the years that followed never really did anything good again. Only now, after 10 years of nothing really going on, is he contemplating returning to the universe he abandoned, or ruined, or who knows what, its hard to decipher through the long abandoned rumor mills.
Like a lot of art, it had its moment in its moment, and having once had that moment, the moment is then gone.
Adding a surreal layer that most media doesn't have is looking at the long list of real people versus people made up for the show, and realizing there were more real people than made up. Though many of their stories were altered to make a show out of it, some lives may have been more interesting if presented more real. I understand reality is harder to productize.
This show and the movie Unforgiven are now my top favorite versions of the Western.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa (2007)
Two or three cable/FIOS plans ago, I had saved some movies on a DVR, but ran out of time and had to turn the box in before I could watch them. They weren't special or rare enough to justify any great effort in copying them off, so I put them on a list. Years later I find the list, enter the name into YouTube, and I'm watching.
I think the first time I started watching Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa I was attracted to the post-apocalyptic theme. I just recently played Fallout New Vegas, and it got my attention again for the same reason.
What holds my attention is the look into how society works, and how it doesn't. And how people work, and how they are broken. As tough as this life might be, with Fallout on my mind I can't imagine what this kind of life would be like with added starvation, radiation, raiders, and limitless small arms.
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