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« on: March 11, 2024, 09:02:39 pm »
U.S. Marshals - It's obvious in the first 60 seconds that this quasi-sequel is inferior to the sublime The Fugitive. It's bigger, broader, dumber, twistier, and more bombastic, but it's not necessarily a bad movie. In fact, it's watchable as hell. The setpieces all work, and the performances are mostly solid. One of those flicks where the biggest crime is not being the predecessor.
Night Game - I don't know if I've ever seen a movie that was less than the sum of its parts than this. Cool conceit, fun cast, killer soundtrack, but just completely asleep at the wheel.
Dune: Part Two - I've seen this twice now, and my biggest issue is that there isn't more of it.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller - Totally delightful when it plays to Altman's strengths, like dialogue and character work (especially in the first act). While the climax is quite revisionist for the era it is easily the weakest part of the film as it mostly does away with those aspects.
Point Blank - Way more experimental than I was expecting, but that was mostly frontloaded. It gets more straightforward as the story goes on, and it makes the pacing feel a little funky. Obviously the inspiration for a lot of crime thrillers that came after.
Love Lies Bleeding - A gorgeous, raw, seductive, and brutal film. All of the performances are top notch, and there's an amazing attention to the grit and grime of the details. And that pitch perfect soundtrack!
However, I dont know that the reveal in the climax works. I get it on a metaphorical level, and the movie was obviously foreshadowing it pretty hard, but it just didn't really land for me.
Troll (2022) - This is unfortunately really flat. It takes itself to seriously to have fun with the premise, which is really unfortunate, because if it leaned harder into the camp it could be a good time.
Road House (2024) - This is fine. Not trying to be the original, which is good, but it also makes it have little lack of personality.
Slither - There's a lot to love here, but it's got some pacing issues, it has a little trouble balancing tone, and Fillon's character is just 'Well that happened' personified. Those are overall minor things that just stop a really good flick from being a great one.
Wonka - What were they trying to accomplish giving Willy Wonka such a depressing motivation? I dont see a world where this sad sack Wonka becomes Gene Wilder, at least not from this pretty mediocre Timothee performance. I just really wish they used all the obvious creativity of everyone involved to make something original.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Better than Afterlife by virtue of the fact it feels like an actual sequel and not solely a hollow nostalgia mine - though it does have intermittent doses of that. It's definitely got problems, most notably the overabundance of characters and plotlines, but I had fun just watching a ghost busting mystery unravel.
Starman - It's might be Carpenter's most family friendly film, but it's filled with such beautiful and mature themes you'd be forgiven if you don't think of it as such. Bridges gives a terrific showy performance, but Karen Allen's soulful and melancholic Jenny Hayden is just stunning.
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