Scrapbook 2013: movie reviews 1-25

[felicityking]

Yes, overly wordy me managed to write ~short~ reviews. If you want more elaborate opinions on any films on why I loved or loathed something, just ask. Of the 25 only 3 have really struck me: Jubilee, Clandestine Childhood, and Argo.

1. Halloween III: Season of the Witch. It has some great conceptual ideas, but overall was bleh.

2. A Report on the Party and Guests. A very dry satire on social behavior and fitting in. Good, but could have been better. (Reportedly still banned in Czech Republic to this day.)

3. Dead Man. Great cast + great director + great idea = (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  HORRIBLE VILE MOVIE! Don't watch it!

4. Push. Average sci-fi movie with great actors. Save it for when you want to look at how pretty Chris Evans is without having to think too hard.

5. Moonrise Kingdom. Typical quirky coming of age indie film. Good but nothing groundbreaking. Awesome soundtrack though!

6. The Million Dollar Hotel. Please refer to #3

7. Partition. Romeo and Juliet set in during the India/Packistan border creation.  Good but not thought-provoking

8. Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth visits punk post-apocalyptic England. Fucking amazing! Go watch it!

9. Cladestine Childhood. A semi-autobiographic film about a political family trying to survive in Argentina during the 1970s. Really, really amazing, it needs to watched.

10. Adera. An infertile couple hires a surragate to try to have a baby. An interesting African movie that examines class and gender conflict and expectations. Good.

11. Bullets Over Broadway. A Woody Allen movie set during the Jazz Age about a writer trying to get his play on Broadway. Fluffy but very fun.

12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A US 1950s paranoia alien movie. Fit it time perfectly and still holds up today. The effects are limited but surprisingly good.

13. The X from Outer Space. An atomic alien Japanese flick. Pure cheese and rather boring despite it's attempts to inject suspense into the proceedings.

14. Wings. A Russian woman remembers her days a flyer. It was very dry and very realistic for the most part. But it could have used something extra. Just average.

15. District 9. Aliens in South Africa and their fight against the government. Overrated. Also, didn't need the bumbling white guy hero. Also, rather racist. The effects were very very good though.

16. A Farewell to Arms. Baby Gary Cooper romances Helen Hayes. Should have been romantic and exciting, but it was a total snoozefest.

17. Silver Linings Playbook. Vastly Overrated. Somewhat cheesy. Couldn't stand the hammy acting, the conflating mental illness and stalkery behavior (they are NOT one and the same), the typical indie quirky quality. Nothing really. It had moments that were good, but that is all.

18. My Left Foot. What SLP should have been. A true story of a man whit celebral palsy who learns to use his left foot to communicate with the world. Emotional without being sappy. DDL definitely deserved his win for this.

19. Munyurangabo. Two friends in post-genocide Rwanda struggle to stay friends despite their cultural differences. It felt true to life. Lovely cinematography  as well.

20. Japanese Summer: Double Suicide. In a post-apocalyptic Japan, an American is shooting it up while various gang members try to out-masculine each other. A good solid film with interesting sets, cinematography, and storytelling.

21. The Tailor of Panama. A spy agent is sent to Panama to help overthrown the govt. Boring, tired, and offensive.

22. Argo. Islamophia and whitewashing aside, this was an awesome film. The acting is understated, the cinematography and editing is nearly flawless, and it was good. Ben Affleck isn't the best actor, but he shines as a director.

23. Zero Dark Thirty. Sloppy, haphazard and not well-thought. The controversy surrounding the film is more interesting than then the film itself.  Jessica Chastain isn't a revelation either. More like propped up by the film and its characters. See... #17 (just tone down the cheese and ham factors).

24. Clerks. Two store clerks and their crazy day with friends and customers. I guess I understand why this film is considered a cult classic, but I also think it's not that great. Just good. It is surprisingly witty and even slightly twisted. It even has interesting commentary on slacking vs responsibility. But it doesn't quite live up to its reputation.

25. 54. About Studio 54. The moral I took from this is that a great hair cut will get you anywhere in life. Of all the stories to tell about this legendary studio and the people in it, the film choose to use middle class suburbs guy (with a great hair cut) and focus on his rise. The 1970s were about changes in US culture, fashion, living, lifestyle, etc. and EVERYTHING gets vanilla-fied cuz it's told through heteronormative middle class guy whose hair cut makes him somehow magical. Average. Could have been FAR better.