This blog is for Monday, Feb 5th's class WOW. This may become a top 5 for me. It was all around just an awesome movie I don't even know what to say. Ok I'll start with the strongest attributes of the movie. The fight scene was so perfectly done. I loved it because of the explosions, the way the bad guys got trapped a lot, the characters going all out with their swords, and the great end to it all. The creativity behind the deaths, the many different camera angles of the guys running above on the roofs and so many more. My favorite was when this guy got his head trapped sideways in between a tree and a wall, and the camera angle turned sideways and a little blurry to simulate what that dude was seeing as he died from his wounds. The aesthetics of the clothing, the hats, the swords, and the hairstyles were very authentic and real. The hatred I developed for Naritsugu when we saw him do terrible things to innocent men and women was a great way to start off the movie, as it justified the killing of all the guys in the last hour of the film. The pacing was on point, with just enough development and anticipation to make you excited for the fight. It left a great chunk of time for you to sit and watch the battle, which I liked because sometimes the buildup in these sort of action movies ends in a 20 minute capped brawl or something. This was enjoyable and satisfying. Loved seeing Naritsugu roll around in the blood and mud. Also seeing his bestie bad-guy's head get chopped was great as well. I sound crazy oh well. This movie is probably gonna be a top 5 for me now.
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This is for Monday, Jan 29th's class Predator is a classic of a movie, and is something I have been meaning to watch for multiple years. I watched this movie for the 200 movies club instead of the movie they had listed on their which was prey so I could see the original first. Even though the special effects were a little goofy and outdated, the movie was really really good. The movie's strengths are that there is a lot of suspense, and the Predator's character is very entertaining to watch as his tech and invisibility capabilities provide for some thrilling action scenes. The clicking his voice makes is also a really scary, and effective effect. I remember my dad telling me about this movie years ago and I remember him telling me about the noise he makes. The thermal camera view of the Predator's mask was something I found really sick as well as I've never seen anything like this in a film. The setting is perfect and the jungle and landscape really immerse you in the movie and make the film feel like an experience. None of the characters were boring to watch, and all had their own unique abilities/personalities. Arnold is a badass and its my first time seeing him in a movie as I somehow haven't seen Terminator yet. The pacing was another strength because the suspense felt very well balanced with action and I could tell because I never once got bored or detached. The literal only downside to this film is the goofy effects and editing, but that is just cause its an 80s movie. The fact that this movie is from the 80s and is still so entertaining highlights just how great the rest of the aspects of it are. The cinematography is surprisingly good, as there are angles and shots of the team walking through the jungle and the views from the predators POV. Great writing, plot, and a pretty satisfying ending when Arnold ended up defeating the Predator who blows itself up in a dramatic, awesome ending. I gave this movie an A rating at a 93/100.
Even though I was sick the day our class went to see it, I can still review it just because I saw it a couple weeks ago with Sydney. Historically I have really liked Ghibli. I loved Ponyo and Porco Rosso and then also Howls and Spirited away. My expectations were really high coming into it so maybe that influenced what I thought of it. Here is what I thought.
This movie was gorgeous, spirited away type gorgeous, and one of the best visual movies I have seen in recent memory. The fantasy and mystical element which tends to shine in Ghibli movies was still there and was super entertaining. The goofy characters like the bird people, and the heron, and the little white bouncy guys that fly in the air were awesome and had me laughing outload in the theatre like a dork. The fire scene and the way that was edited I liked. I also liked how he built his own bow and sort of found ways to deal with his grief. I also think the general idea and meaning behind the movie was a really good one and that it is relatable for some. It was definitely odd, and I think it made it interesting and new. I really wanted to love this movie, and I just didn't. The movie was really bizarre, which isn't a bad thing, but it was too bizarre and complex to have a 2 hour run time. The second half the movie felt like a totally different movie which felt a little overwhelming, as the whole idea about grief, which should of been the main idea of the movie and should of been brought up again throughout, was just totally ignored in my eyes. I think that my main criticism is that the mass majority of the events lacked explanation, and I found myself thinking, what is going on. I never really understood what the resolution was, and I felt like the part about grief was never resolved. To enjoy this movie, I would of needed to not have to critically think and analyze every event. The scenes fly at you so fast that you have no actual time to process what in the world just happened. It was just frustrating because I felt like it could of been so good but it was not. I also don't think this is a child friendly movie which subtracts points because I watched some of the Ghibli movies when I was a kid and I know I would of verk disliked this if I were a kid. So in summary I think this was a missed opportunity of a movie, as it had the audio and visual aspects perfected, but it just lacked direction and clarity. Okay, I get it. I know it is another Tarantino but I promise I have watched other movies since my midterm project...But this movie, was freaking dope. I was a huge fan of it. I think it was brought together beautifully in the end and how the two main characters (susan and rick dalton) plot lines come together after the crazy scene at Rick's house. I loved the Western stuff, and just the whole concept. The last scene was sooo good and so funny. The casting was perfect, very high profile actors, but really really fitting. The cinematography as always was unique, OH and i noticed another trunk shot. I looked up the reviews for this movie and I saw mostly positive, but not amazing reviews however I disagree. Maybe im just biased, but I don't think so honestly. It was formatted really differently from other films I have seen, and though that is a smaller amount, it was still new. The soundtrack was also really cool, and I loved the integration of the late 60s, early 70s CULTure. Manson really does freak me out though, but I thought it was really creative how QT switched what happened and had the killers get absolutely man handled by Cliff's dog and a flamethrower. I rated this movie the highest of any other up to that point on the 200 days 200 movies page at a 93/100.
The other day I watched this movie for our 200 days 200 movies club. Most of us gave it a 87-89/100 as we thought it was a really good movie, but wasn't a great movie. I gave it an 88 and it would of definitely been higher if the ending was different. I just don't get movies that have endings that leave the audience unhappy and unfulfilled. If the main characters die, fine, like that's cool, but its just like this whole movie's buildup with their relationships ended up not working out and thats why it dropped a couple of points for me. I thought Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were perfect, however, and they both had great performances. I loved the jazz, the soundtrack and also the cinematography. I gave it a higher than expected score at a 93. I had held this movie off for maybe 2 years, and I'm not too sure why. I think from the outside it looks like a cringey Broadway musical movie since that's what all the clips I've seen had been, so it pleasantly surprised me. Neil also hyped this one up for me and I get what he means, but I don't think its a top 10 like he says but it still isn't bad.
The joker was absolutely nuts. This movie really messed with my mind like it freaked me out a lot. The jokers behavior and the way Joaquim Felix portrays him i think is masterful. Scariness aside, it was visually beautiful. It was not like beautiful because it was all bright or anything, it was dark and bland, but somehow still visually pleasing. The deterioration of his already bad mental health was very entertaining. I think this was a great movie, but it's not one of those ones to watch again. I think it's really good, but its not like incredible. I enjoyed seeing his background, but I do feel like he might of been praised a little bit and it felt a little weird. It was really brutal, and the killings were quite disturbing. The Murray death and the shooting of the third guy in the subway were really violent and graphic. I think this movie is a great idea, and was executed really well. Im gonna give it a 8.5/10
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