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12-27-2016 4:03 pm
fuzmeister: Rogue One
Possible spoilers ahead, so read on with caution if you haven't seen this flick yet.

I am somewhat unsure why this film is getting so much praise while many people thought Episode 7 was a "garbage re-hash." Let me be clear, I didn't hate Rogue One. From a technical perspective, it's a well-made film... excellent special effects and very nice cinematography. I'd be willing to say it inspired a sense of awe that was missing from The Force Awakens in terms of world-building and scope.

However, I generally think this film was a mess in terms of pacing, character development, and narrative. Maybe it's partially my bias that I didn't even want to see this film from the beginning. I mean, if the story isn't super-interesting, do we really care how the plans for the Death Star were retrieved? I consider myself a big fan of Star Wars and even the now-defunct expanded universe, but I didn't have a great feeling about this film from the moment it was originally announced.

So, in terms of the film's characters, what's the deal here? So much lost potential with the protagonist and her father's relationship. I really felt like this could have been a very interesting aspect of the story, but it felt rushed and hollow like much of the movie.

To be fair, everyone felt superficial and shallow - why was the great Forest Whitaker so wasted? I know there were reports that a large portion of this film was reshot after the original cut, but is that what's to blame for the unsteady pace and superficial characters? I feel like this movie had so many moments of wasted potential.

And yes, I know what you may be thinking - "dude, Darth Vader was such a boss in that movie." Ok, sure. It was cool to see him again and hear James Earl Jones reprise the voice, but Vader was mostly there as fan service without playing any crucial role in the story.

I absolutely do love Star Wars and I'm trying not to be a jaded grandpa, but where The Force Awakens gave me hope Disney wouldn't just exploit this property without creating quality content, Rogue One makes me extremely nervous for any future anthology films. I guess if you view this as a one-off, we have to give credit for toying around with what works. To me though, this could be a slippery slope.

Mood: Eh
Music: 10cc - I'm Not in Love


Tags (beta): star wars, film

Comments (4)

9-30-2016 12:08 pm
fuzmeister: Sam Klemke's Time Machine
What a curious film. Despite the title character's existence being mundane and, at times, rather depressing, it feels like there is some universal correlation that can be drawn. I guess this movie puts everything into perspective - some universal experience or intrigue into the unavoidable passing of time.

I can't say this was life-changing cinema, but it kept my interest even if just as a curiosity of sorts. Check it out on Netflix!

Mood: Intrigued


Tags (beta): film

Comments (0)

8-13-2014 8:44 pm
fuzmeister: Guardians of The Galaxy
Kate and I caught this one last night. I was on the fence on seeing it in the theater since I'm not super familiar with the source material, but, damn, this was a fun movie!

The whole film captured the essence of Star Wars quite well in some ways. The half-action/half-comedic tone worked really well and I loved the soundtrack. The casting was excellent as well, though I wasn't particularly attached to Zoey Saldana's character.

The infinity stone macguffin was completely forgivable just based on how much fun this movie was. I'm quite excited to see the direction they take the already-announced sequel in. Deeper story, more laughs, more awesome music - do it, Marvel!

Mood: Satisfied


Tags (beta): film, movies, marvel, ooga-chaka

Comments (1)

7-30-2014 8:09 pm
fuzmeister: Prisoners
A few movies were recently the topic of posts on Ventilation, so I figured I'd weigh in on the subject. A few months ago I had the privilege of watching Prisoners - a film that really received very little fanfare upon release from what I recall.

What a crime that this movie has been so overlooked. Marty - I love you, but The Wolf of Wall Street only got so many accolades and so much press due to you and Leonardo. Yeah, the performances were good, but the shallow characters and self-indulgent length kept it from being anywhere close to your past work. This is all my humble opinion, of course... but, I digress.

PRISONERS! Coming hot off the heels of his trip to Japan, Wolverine plays a father trying to find out what happened to his kidnapped daughter. Iron Man 1 Rhodes also stars opposite of Wolverine; he's lost his daughter as well, but handles it in a completely opposite way. It's early on in the movie when you maybe question how you would react to the situation. My gut says a lot of viewers would internally lean towards Wolverine's behavior, but maybe not have the gumption to act upon those thoughts.

Either way, Donnie Darko shows up as a detective assigned to the case and really adds an extra dimension to the story without overshadowing Wolverine's role. Honestly, I would be really thrilled if they brought back Donnie Darko's character for more movies with completely new cases. He plays the character so well that you can see this guy becoming a serialized gumshoe - like Colombo, only more modern.

Anywho - a lot of stuff happens in the movie over the course of almost three hours, but I was always intrigued and emotionally-invested in what was happening. Without any spoilers, the film nicely wraps up the main storyline while still providing an open ending. I love that they wrapped up the meat and potatoes, but didn't totally phone the ending in. It's always a fine balance with open-ended movies whether I ultimately love or hate how things are done. The way they handled it here - I love it.

Prisoners is a great movie. You should go watch it. It's long, but rewarding. It's unique, but grounded in reality. I'm seriously bummed not more has been said about it, because it's maybe the best standalone film I've seen in a long time (IE not a long-running franchise or adaptation).

Mood: Contemplative
Music: Frank Zappa - The Gumbo Variations


Tags (beta): movies, film

Comments (2)

12-07-2008 10:37 pm
fuzmeister: Deleted Scene From The Dark Knight


Ok, it's really not, but for some reason this stupid vid cracked me up. Don't forget - The Dark Knight comes out on DVD this Tuesday! Pick it up! I'm not going to lie; I'm jealous of all your blu-ray owners with this one. It'll look beautiful!

Mood: Amused
Music: Joy Division - Passover


Tags (beta): youtube, film

Comments (6)

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