Letterboxd — Your life in film

While uncomfortable at times (understandably), DJANGO UNCHAINED is still an amazing piece of entertainment with enough humor and heart to balance out the horrible brutality and some questionable directorial choices. Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson give standout performances. As long as this film is, I still wanted more... and that's a sign of quality.

Every so often I get disillusioned with everything coming out of Hollywood. Luckily, every so often, something amazing like DRIVE comes along.

DRIVE is a simple story, one you've no doubt seen 100 times before, but this time done with an amazing sense of style and some powerhouse acting. Movies are great again!

(Until the next one.)

I've already seen MISSION TO MARS and the season six episode of Star Trek TNG "The Chase". I didn't need to see them jammed together with the tease of an ALIEN universe prequel. Weak characters, lackluster direction, bland set design and plot elements that continue to produce a big ol' "Huh?!" the more I think about them. I'd prefer to pretend this doesn't exist, just like everything that came after ALIENS.

Some movies just never click with me, and FIGHT CLUB will always be one of those. I'm a fan of just about everyone involved, and the film is well made (although it's a little too clever and showy for its own good). The "twist" knocks it down from great to merely good, and the overall message of the film that chaos and anarchy is just what everyone needs in their life, well... screw that.

With PROMETHEUS on the horizon, it was time to revisit this classic. Not much to say that hasn't already been said about ALIEN, except that the pacing of The Alternate Cut from 2003 is a little off, somehow. Ridley Scott says he still prefers the original cut, and I tend to agree.

It's interesting to watch the trailer for SEVEN to see how this thing was pitched to audiences, knowing now that it was unlike anything being released at the time. Even today, as the film has been copied and ripped off numerous times, it still holds up as a perfect crime thriller. Spot on from beginning to the gut-punching end.

Watched BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT, which is my first exposure to the film in over 20 years, having not retained any of it from that initial viewing. As it stands, it holds up more as an incredible visual experience than a story driven one. It's interesting to see Harrison Ford actually attempting to act, although his "bad ass" robot killing character seems rather spastic instead of cool. Rutger Hauer is incredible in this though, given his limited character to work with. Should definitely be seen.

Unconventional and quirky, with some great performances. Christopher Walken always tickles me, but Colin Farrell really stands out here in the "Matthew Broderick-esque, what are all these weird things going on around me?" type role. Liked it a lot, might come to love it in subsequent viewings.

If you're not prepared for this film, there's a barrier to entry that can last upwards of 20-30 minutes. Its hyper sense of style is quite something, and in the end is the film's biggest strength. The direction is a wonder to behold, with concepts and ideas coming together that I couldn't even begin to comprehend how to plan out, let alone film. That's good because the clever writing is at times too clever, and could potentially get annoying based on your mood at the time. Still, repeat viewings are probably in order, and I would imagine that my rating will only go up afterwards.