Recent Viewing Part IV

It truly irritated me. It was layered on with treacle.

Sorry for the late response. I think I checked out TED LASSO when it came out, but it didn't impress me enough to continue. Perhaps I'll give it another shot!

I may have given a wrong impression Thor, the cities and large towns have decent Internet, sometimes it's excellent. I was most likely referring to the high altitude villages where it's usually dismal. I watched the films on Netflix using VPN to cast my choices wider.

THE GREEN KNIGHT (David Lowery, 2021)

Loved it, LOVED it. Which came as a surprise to me, as I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lowery’s previous films Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and A Ghost Story. The film impressed through its hauntingly beautiful cinematography and (in film) gorgeous score, drawing you into this mythological tale of a Knight on its quest and the people and creatures that come onto his way along the way. This film is all about its atmosphere, Lowery definitely taking his time to tell his story. If you love mythology and melancholic poeticness, this is for you.

So yeah, this is definitely the kind of score that needs to be heard in picture, as Daniel Hart’s music fits the film like a glove, is a major presence and elevates the whole thing tremendously, especially the chorale combined with that cinematography.

IN THE HEIGHTS (Jon M. Chu, 2021)

This didn’t do much for me. I love musicals, but the salsa/rap songs all started to sound a bit samey after a while. The direction is fine, with a pretty impressive dance sequence on the wall of a New York appartement building, but it started to bug me that the cast was clearly lip syncing (poorly, at times) instead of actually singing. The whole thing is also pretty saccharine.

I was able to watch it on Amazon Prime, which is with €2,49 a month a pretty okay deal here in the Netherlands. Isn’t it available on streaming yet in your country?

You’re right, this is definitely a big screen-film.

Jungle Cruise

Man this movie goes on and on and doesn't stop to relax for a moment. The Bad guy is a laughable joke, and don't get me started on the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 subplot, which irritated the hell out of me (not the plot itself but that it's basically Pirates 2 in its look, they don't even hide it). I ... enjoyed it but was frustrated the whole time too. What a mess, people comparing it to the Mummy must seriously have seen another movie. The Mummy was so perfect in its popcorn entertainment, it also knew when to stop and take a breather, or build some suspense.

the chemistry between Blunt and Johnson could have worked if they took a breather too. Again The Mummy with Fraser and Weisz did that perfectly

The score by Howard does sounded nice though, and that Dwayne Johnson theme sounded uber cool. The action though sounds exactly like what the movie required, no chance of taking a breather and a bit all over the place. Will have to check out the score though, wanted to hear this one in the film first

5 out of 10

THE LIGHTHOUSE (Robert Eggers, 2019)

After the also excellent The Witch, Eggers is quickly becoming one of my favorite new directors. Stunning black/white cinematography and great sound design creates a haunting mood in which this tale enfolds of two lighthouse keepers slowly losing their sanity during a heavy storm. With excellent acting from Dafoe and Pattinson and a lot funnier than you think it is.

Yes, from what little I know about you and your tastes, it does surprise me too that you didn’t like it. I have the same interest in New England and folk tales, which is why Eggers strikes me exactly in my sweet spot, and I’m very much looking forward to The Nortman (but I also loved Refn’s Valhalla Rising, so either way I’m good) (also, watched VR after midnight, which I think is the perfect time to watch it).

I get a little bit what you said about The Lighthouse being pretentious, and there were some parts I did not really like (mainly the overly sexual parts, and it came apart a bit when the storm settles), but in the end I see it as Eggers going out on a limb and doing his own thing, being ambitious, and I love that ten times over a director who plays it safe. Also, I really liked that in the end credits it said the film was loosely based on actual seafaring diaries and writings from Herman Melville, just like The VVitch was based on actual diaries. I love that authentic kind of ghost tales.

Didn’t you at the very least just love the look of the film?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

I don't know, but this all begins to look the same. I know this has been going on for quite some time, and I actually enjoyed it. But the second I walked out of the cinema it was like, OK but where was the novelty, the emotion, the fresh approach? This should have been right up my alley, I love kung-fu and it looks spectacular. But then you reach the finale and it's another mega fest of unbelievable action and zero emotion. Sad really.

The music was ... OK but again seriously lacking in the emotional part. Where are the goosebumps you had during The Avengers when you heard that theme explode? When the dragon rises from the lake, you expect something grand like that, giving you goosebumps because something's unbelievable is going on. But no ... it was like an everyday experience. Goosebumps Powell threw at us during his Dragon films.

6 out of 10

Free Guy

The second movie I saw right after that, and I feared it was going to be the same. Cool beginning but oh so formulaic. And then suddenly there was heart. Due to the real world characters, a baddie which was at least devious enough you were scared what he was going to do and actual interesting game concept ideas. It kinda felt like The Truman Show but then for games. But saved through the actual guilt coming from the real world characters. And while it was over the top again visually, at least here it didn't feel out of place because it's what games need to do. It actually elevated the emotional experience at the finale. Really enjoyed this one.

8 out of 10

Ouch. I consider it the best film of the year. The score is up there too. Then again, I'm very attracted to the more detached style that Villeneuve often uses.

I think one has to be attuned to Villeneuve's more cerebral mode of filmmaking. It's often about intellectual layers and lots of meaning communicated through visuals (mise-en-scene). He's not really about creating emotional connections to characters (at least not in the traditional sense) or straightforward narratives, the way I see it. So that will either be engrossing or alienating, depending on your preference. I can like both, for different reasons.

Well, I do think there's some real proper character drama here that I was very invovled with, especially the relationship between Paul and his mother. Tentative and suggestive of both the turmoil and connection between then, not overt and in-your-face. I like that approach. I have a particular preference for films that take themselves very seriously; not too fond of inserting comic lightness for the sake of it (although the film did have a couple of those moments too -- like when Bardem spits on the ground as a means to say hello in a respectful manner).

Sure is.