Alex_Lo Reviews

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Maybe the most disappointing sequel

[4/10 · 21 June 2022]

I loved the first film. It was complex, exciting, enigmatic.

I have rarely been so disappointed by a sequel. It felt like a bad star trek episode.

It sorts the apish world leaders into pacifist chimpanzees and militant gorillas, rushing them into battle against a remnant of humanity according to the dramaturgical laws of adventure novels from the previous century. The socially critical component in this film is also disappointing and hardly present.

I'm kind of scared now to watch the rest of the franchise.

The Northman (2022)

Gritty, picturesque, Eggers

[10/10 · 21 June 2022]

After mediocre Witch and great Lighthouse, now a Viking Story, that fits, somehow.

Oldschool but still thrilling story, astonishing pictures, intense, extraordinary.

Rather watch two hours Northman than six seasons Vikings.

Annie Hall (1977)

I don't think I'll become a Allen-fan in this life

[5/10 · 21 June 2022]

Unpopular opinion: Despite well-done individual sequences, the bitter aftertaste of an egomaniacal work hangs over the film, the main character seems to be almost indistinguishable from his leading actor/director. In fact, the best part of the film was the last sentence.

Argo (2012)

The Best Affleck

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

It's easy to produce a thriller with shootouts and car chases, but extremely difficult to pull it off with perfect timing and a plot. In this case, the suspense and comedic tips help overcome some incorrectness.

The Velvet Queen (2021)

Pure Magic

[10/10 · 21 June 2022]

Beauty of Nature and meaningless thoughts in one documentary. Somehow melancholy and at the same time moving and mind-changing.

Just sit back and enjoy this beautiful film.

Muniere has my admiration and envy.

The Elephant Man (1980)

The few perfect Movies in the Life of a Cineaste

[10/10 · 21 June 2022]

That's why I love movies! You want to have a cozy evening with an entertaining horror movie and at the end you have seen a deeply human story and sit there with a broken heart. Cinema forever!

Amadeus (1984)

Characterization? No Thanks

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

If you don't care too much about historical accuracy or apt characterization of Mozart as well as Salieri, you can at least enjoy the staging and the music.

Ammonite (2020)

Not a "Fire Portrait", but good

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

The film is carried almost entirely by its outstanding actresses. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are convincing in their plausibly characterized roles and clarify their emotional worlds with the smallest gestures. The cold atmosphere and set design are also authentic, but the story remains conventional and the emotional tension dissolves in superfluous sex scenes, as in many genre representatives.

Wild Strawberries (1957)

Extraordinary!!

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

Anyone who wants to write dialogue and characters for a book, stage play or a film should have seen this film. And that's just the tip of the iceberg ...

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

The coolest Neanderthals are back

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

I had doubts when I heard the sequel is as good as part 1, but this movie is gigantic fun. Great gags, great timing, plenty of fantastic ideas. I can't wait for part 3.

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)

The surprises of the broader horizon

[9/10 · 21 June 2022]

What a delightful comedy!

To be honest, I didn't think beforehand that I would have so much fun with this film. The film is wonderfully observed and hit exactly my kind of humour. I never knew that one of my favourite Loriot sketches was based on a scene from this movie (the diagonally hanging picture).

Every tennis match I make his move, nobody understands, but I have fun anyway.

I hope I can get my hands on more Hulot movies!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Not new .. but somehow perfect

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

Thats how you pay tribute to a cult movie!

I cried at the end, I'm honest.

I was shocked how unimaginative this movie was. But i was touched by what a wonderful tribute to the original was grinded.

Platoon (1986)

Processing Vietnam

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

Robert Richardson's brilliant camerawork is more documentary than narrative, making the jungle war incredibly compelling. But the film also wants to be political. "We're fighting each other when we should be fighting them." shows the big weak point of the film. Even though the atrocities committed by the Americans are not glossed over, the Vietnamese who actually suffer remain a marginal presence. This fact and the simultaneous commercial success of the film in the States show that in the mid-1980s there was still no reflection on the American mission in Vietnam. But the film is an important step in coming to terms with the subject.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Chaos and other Misdemeanours

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

For all the entertaining nonsense on offer here, one thing cannot be denied: James Gunn knows how to fill even the strangest characters with soul. A few years ago he made a tree with a catchphrase and a choleric raccoon the stars of a superhero universe. And again he manages the feat of making me grow fond of characters called King Shark, Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot-Man. Even if they, like all the characters, don't achieve the depth I would have liked, they seem more sympathetic and human than all those who went on mission in David Ayer's version. But that can be developed in a sequel. Light-footed, completely over-the-top fun with promising characters.

Monster Hunter (2020)

Wasted Potential = Paul W.S.Anderson

[1/10 · 21 June 2022]

"We have the film rights here for a popular video game series. Let's see ...there are practically no limits to worldbuilding, you can get really creative here; then we add a few well-animated monsters in gripping fight scenes. Then we should introduce a few likeable characters with some backstory; they should of course be played by popular and talented actors. For the story, we'll take a good old-fashioned hero's journey; changing locations, that's where adventurousness arises. And everything is completed with a rousing score. The perfect summer blockbuster." "Or we could hire Paul W. S. Anderson to make the film ..."

The Visitors (1993)

Not what you expect

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

French comedies. One could write whole books about their uniqueness. The most successful films in French cinema history belong to the comedy genre, more recent examples being "Welcome to the Sticks" and "Intouchables". With these films, France has perfected the so-called "crowdpleaser" and thrilled millions of viewers. Slapstick combined with wordplay made Louis de Funès a legend (also loved by me). The beauty of French comedy is that they don't need to go below the belt and delight with their witty dialogue.

This is also the case in this film. While many "Out of Time" films rely on blunt gags, "Les Visiteurs" shows underneath its seemingly blunt comedy an amazingly clever wordplay (also in the dubbing), a socially critical approach and charming actors. Surely there are far more intelligent comedies than this, but this film is just incredibly fun and has more to offer than it seems at first glance.

Nobody (I) (2021)

Jimmy freaks out

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

There are scenes you didn't know you wanted to see your entire life until you saw them. For example, Doc Brown with a shotgun, or Jimmy McGill beating up some idiots just after your favorite Steve Lawrence song played.

Great Action, great Music, great Humor, great Entertainment!

A Star Is Born (2018)

And another wannabe-actress Singer ... but wait!

[9/10 · 21 June 2022]

With "A Star is Born", Bradley Cooper succeeds in combining a fairy tale with a great tragedy, a musical drama with a relationship drama, an unadorned realistic view with all the power of a fictional story and forming a film out of it that carries away and inspires, that touches emotionally and yet makes you think. Lady Gaga is not only convincing musically, but also in her acting and harmonises perfectly with Cooper.

1917 (2019)

Like War ... not that I would know it

[10/10 · 21 June 2022]

While watching "1917", you feel as if you are on the front line. The film is sometimes tense slow, sometimes rushed, which exudes an incredible elegance and sovereignty. Sam Mendes has perfected the one-shot movie and the subjective perspective, always close to the convincing actors, makes the film enormously thrilling. But the film is not only a masterful technical achievement, it also tells a story of immediate humanity.

Nomadland (2020)

The kind of Movie you only see in a Decade

[9/10 · 21 June 2022]

"Nomadland" is a beautiful and deeply human film. You don't often find such authentic and naturalistic films, plus this dreamlike music. The picturesque landscape shots have a magical poetry. When I came out of the cinema and the sun was setting, I realised that I had probably never perceived a sunset so consciously.

The fates of the people are portrayed in a believable and compassionate way. The film shows the simple beauty of sitting around a campfire with other people, but also shows how difficult it is to maintain friendships and relationships. And for this universal truth, one does not necessarily have to live a nomadic life.

In the end, the question is whether one should pity these people for their loneliness, their meagre lives and everything they have gone through. Or whether one should admire them for their courage, and perhaps even envy them for their freedom.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

The most disneyious Disney-Movie

[7/10 · 21 June 2022]

This Disney film is one hundred percent Disney, that's the best description I can come up with.

There are too many sidekicks, but they are still likeable. The moral of the story is overused, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. The visuals and worldbuilding are stunning, the story is too formulaic. The story is cheesy and also beautiful. So simply Disney.

Evil Dead II (1987)

Sorry to my Friends

[5/10 · 21 June 2022]

After seeing and rating the film I kind of felt the need to apologise to my friends, who love this film and strongly recommended it to me, cause I liked the first "Evil Dead" too. But this was simply not my film. It was neither funny nor scary to me. So, I am sorry and not sorry.

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Quality is not a matter of age

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

It's amazing how effective an almost hundred-year-old film can still be today. A masterful combination of image, music and montage.

To be honest, I was not very motivated to watch this one, but I was completely surprised, how thrilling it was.

The Hunt (II) (2020)

Underestimated

[8/10 · 21 June 2022]

A great survival thriller that is also a sly, biting and funny-to-watch parody of America's political divide. Its social commentary is more intelligent than it is given credit for. The pointed exploitation film doesn't offer solutions or make a decisive statement, but uses the premise for entertaining fun with a clever ulterior motive. Gilpin also offers an entertaining character study of a slightly different young woman.

Out of Africa (1985)

And the Oscar goes to ... Out of Africa ... but why?

[5/10 · 21 June 2022]

7 Oscars? For what? Best Cinematography, agreed. Best Original Score, accepted. Other than that, the film doesn't have much to offer. A much too slow told and uninteresting love story. By the end, I could barely remember if anything happened. The film seems like a glossy adaptation of a Rosamunde Pilcher novel, which is a shame because I was looking forward to this film due to Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. But all that is delivered is a shallow, interchangeable story for which the two actors are completely wasted. Had I known that, I would have preferred to watch a documentary about African nature.