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The Menu (2022)
Misses the mark
I wanted to like this movie. After having watched the trailers a few months back, I was looking forward to a witty thriller with elements of horror and comedy, but perhaps I set the bar too high.
While the premise is interesting, "The Menu" quickly falls into the trap of trying too hard to be edgy and weird. The speeches by Chef Slowik (played by the always-so-splendid Ralph Fiennes) that he makes before every dish is served are perfect parables for the film itself - They inititally start off very good and set up a mysterious atmosphere, but as time goes on they become less cleverly exectued and too on-the-nose. Once you realize the true motive of Slowik the many faults of the film begin to rise.
There's a stark contrast between the guests and the restaurant workers, but not in the way you may think. Whereas the guests are given human faults and emotions, the restaurant workers feel less like actual people and more like cold machines. I get what the filmmakers wanted to convey here; This is of course a reference to real-life high dining spots where the chef is seen as God by the kitchen workers, and you're never allowed to question the chef - Because the chef is God. The problem is that instead of making a mere reference to this phenomenon, its carved into the plot and throws all sort of logic out of the window.
In its defense, the film is supposed to be a black comedy and perhaps I shouldn't be so harsh on plot elements that are clearly intended to be there for laughs. It's just that I was perhaps expecting a bit more and not just another dumb "eat the rich" film.
Before making a conclusion, I'd like to praise Anya Taylor-Joys' performance as Margot, though. She did the best with what she had, but her character is not nearly as interesting as the film wants her to be. Since the twist about her character's fate is revealed half-way through the film, any sort of momentum she may have is quickly lost throughout the end.
Overall, "The Menu" is a film that tries to be clever and biting, but ultimately misses the mark. While it has its moments of humor and visual flair, the script and the acting often feel lackluster (with the exception of Fiennes and Taylor-Joy) and fail to live up to the promise of the film's intriguing premise.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
A human slaughterhouse
Incredibly beautiful to look at, there are zero complaints when it comes to the visuals or cinematograpy in Avatar: The Way of Water. The faults lies, unsurprisingly, in its story which at this point feels like it should be going somewhere instead of repeating stuff from the first film. On the plus side, it tells a traditional story about family and the central figure (Jake) takes the role of a loving and protecting father which is actually quite rare to see done right in a Hollywood film these days. There are some interesting new concepts presented such as the character of Kiri, but it feels like the mystery surrounding her is saved for a later film.
With the positives out of the way, let's move on to the negative stuff.
Length: The length is not a problem per se because there are plenty of three-hour movies that feel engaging and exciting from start to finish. The Way of Water, however, did not need to be 3 hours and 12 minutes long, and they could have easily cut 30 minutes of "Jake and his children marvel at Pandora's nature" and still have lots of beautiful nature scenes left. This would have given the film a much better flow and feel more cohesive in its structure.
Lack of human perspective: The humans are given too little room in the story and their strategies lack any form of logic. Although the story focuses on Jake and his family and not the humans, the film spends a maximum of 5 minutes explaining how and why the humans have returned to Pandora. It needed way more exposition to get a better picture of the political and military situation with the humans. I get that some of this might also be saved for a future film, but the severe lack of exposition really hurts the story in this one.
Humans don't feel like a threat: It's mind-blowing how useless the humans are at fighting in this film, which means that you never see the humans as a threat to the Na'vi's existence. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is a film where the humans are completely slaughtered by the Na'vi, they are completely useless and get constantly beaten over and over again. I think I saw perhaps two or three random Na'vi die in the background, while there are at least 20-30 quite graphic scenes where humans are slaughtered and dying to the left and right. The first film didn't have a great story either, but at least the humans felt like a strong threat. This film just feels like a human slaughterhouse.
Miles as a character doesn't work: There is zero explanation given as to why it's so damn important for this new Na'vi version of Miles to hunt down and kill Jake, when there are literaly thousands of other tribes on Pandora with their respective leaders that would be capable of making resistance against the humans. If it's nothing but a personal vendetta that Miles has against Jake, it should have been explained in a better way because there is no logical reason for this new Miles to be given endless of financial support and military assistance to hunt down and kill just 1 single Na'vi. What makes this plotline falter further is the realization that the new Miles only has memories from before his arrival to Pandora, which means that he doesn't have memories of ever meeting Jake - So why does he hate him so much? I tell you why, because the plot says so.
Overall, not a bad film, but pretty mediocre in terms of storytelling and world-building. This is clearly a movie to be enjoyed for its incredible visuals. Hopefully, the story will improve in the upcoming sequels.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
This is how you do social commentary
In a world where crime dramas have become oversaturated and increasingly uninspiring, this film felt like a breathe of fresh air. Underneath of what's basically a pretty simple story of a young woman turning to criminal activity to pay off her student loans, you find a nuanced narrative that feels brutally real and will keep you consistently edged to the seat. It's different and raises a lot of interesting topics about morality and choice.
Emily's road to criminality hits hard because of her financial stituation, a situation that many young Americans can relate to. The villain isn't the system per se, because it's never directly blamed for anything. The villain might even be Emily herself depending on what conclusions you might draw at the end. That's why the social commentary works so brilliantly in this film, because it's fluid and real rather than forced into your face.
I applaud Aubrey Plaza for a great performance that should be appreciated by anyone who considers themself a fan of "strong female characters". Because this is how you do it right. This is how you write good, strong characters.
Eastern Promises (2007)
One of Cronenberg's best work
"Eastern Promises" is a cleverly told crime drama that doesn't shy away from depicting the brutal cruelty of London's underworld, most notably the Russian Mafia and their various dealings. Although the film tackles obvious topics like gang wars, sex trafficking and rape on the surface, the underlying story is rooted in themes around family, loyalty and ultimately betrayal.
The build-up of events, character revelations and twists is one of the best I've seen executed on film - ever! The screenplay knows exactly how to take turns in the story at just the right moment before surprising you in the next scene. Even though you may have hints about what's to happen, your expectations are still blown out of the chair. And I mean that in a good way.
The acting is stellar all across the board, but I have to give special credit to both Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts for their touching perfomances. You feel for these people, and you feel for their dilemmas. It doesn't come off as either fake or forced, but genuine in a way that's rare to see in cinema these days.
Surely, this is a movie that I will be revisiting many, many times in the future. I've been a fan of Cronenberg's gory sci-fi films for a long time, growing up watching classics like "The Fly" and "eXistenZ" without ever realizing that his portfolio is way broader than that. "Eastern Promises" is certainly not what I was expecting to see from him, but oh boy did it deliver on every level imaginable.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Too short, too on the nose
I wasn't overly excited about Tales of the Jedi, mostly because Ahsoka has been milked enough and as an audience we already know her motives, personality and struggle throughout the Clone Wars and Rebels era. But I was curious about the prospect of seeing a young count Dooku explored in a TV show. Unfortunately, there is not much to see here. The potential of the series is held back by a lackluster script and having too few episodes.
The episodes with Ahsoka feel like unnecessary filler that don't really serve any purpose or tell us something new about Ahsoka herself. It mostly boils down to nostalgia and the retelling of stuff we already knew. The stuff we didn't know is either generic or rushed retellings from the Ahsoka novel (released in 2016).
The episodes with Dooku are a bit more enjoyable, but still suffer from the same problems as above while simultaneously failing Dooku as a character. It's very rushed and paints a picture of Dooku as an impatient, jealous Jedi who's becoming evil for no real reason. In the prequels, Dooku was always described as a political idealist by the Jedi before they realized his true intentions. He was cunning and manipulative and that's why he managed to leave the Jedi Order without them noticing his fall to the Dark side. Dooku was also someone who enjoyed wealth and luxury, he looked down upon the poor - yet in this series we are given the impression that Dooku gets his political ideology from seeing the poor being oppressed by the rich. It's a very generic and uninspiring take on politics. You don't have to be against the rich to be against the system. Politics aside, the writers throw in callbacks and references to important events from the movies but don't do anything with them - that's what I call lazy writing.
It is beautifully animated, however, and I applaud the craftsmanship that went into it. But I just can't rate this higher than 5/10 because of its many missteps. It had potential, and I wish they'd focused on making 6 episodes about Dooku instead. We're already getting an Ahsoka live-action series next year which will explore a completely new era in her life, so I don't really understand her filler presence in Tales of the Jedi. The people who are giving this series a 10/10 are blinded by fandom and failing to notice any flaws. They see Ahsoka flinging with her lightsabers and they go "Ooohhhhh".
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Superb first half with a lackluster ending
In "Triangle of Sadness", Ruben Östlund once again shows his mastery at portraying the most awkward and uncomfortable situations that sometimes arise between people in relationships. This time however he has chosen to focus on the wealthiest people in society, and the social commentary that follows is very obvious and on-the-nose (but probably intentional). While Östlund certainly doesn't try to break any new ground here, the film is probably his funniest so far.
Like his previous work, male fragility is once again front and center in this film, and the main character (a straight white CIS male) has to combat his own insecurity and jealousy throughout the entire story. We've seen it before, and although the dialogue and execution is top notch I think Östlund should try something different for once. As it stands now, it just feels as if he's repeating himself and there's nothing "new" to offer. On the other hand, he's probably the only big director that tackles male characters this way, so perhaps he can be forgiven.
My biggest issue with the film, however, is everything that happens on the shipwrecked island. Whereas the first half on the boat is very focused and offers a sense of great build-up, the story hits a massive halt on the island. Not only does it drag on for too long, but it introduces a new main character that was completely absent from the first half - This comes off as a bit too random. Normally I enjoy the loveable unpredictability of Östlund's films, not knowing what the characters are up for next, but this felt TOO random. Not only that, but his love for reversed gender roles became so ridiculous and unrealistic at this point that I eventually began to facepalm. I appreciate his effort, though.
Contrary to "Force Majeure" and "The Square", the ending of this film is much more ambiguous and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. The main character does not receive rectification of any sort, which is a bit disappointing considering how much sympathy we are supposed to feel for him throughout the story. But I guess that's just how Östlund rolls.
Lastly, what was the point of highlighting Woody Harrelson as a big name for the film? I won't spoil any details, but he's barely in it.
Monster (2022)
Like Dahmer, Netflix just can't help themselves
This started off as an incredible miniseries that had me on the edge of my seat. The first episode sets the tone perfectly by luring the viewer into the mind of Dahmer through the experience of a victim. Evan Peters does an incredible job at portraying Dahmer, everything down to voice and mannerism is so well-acted it's borderline creepy.
The show manages to portray the gruesome murders without being overly explicit about it, which in a way only adds to the physical discomfort you get from watching it. Instead of seeing blood you instead get to imagine it, which is way more scary. Combined with being beautifully shot and acted, you feel as if you're almost there seeing the real Dahmer himself hunt down and kill his victims.
Unfortunately the show reaches some sort of blind alley from Episode 7 and forth, when the writers start to take too many liberties with the script. Up until that point the show felt very focused, grounded and straight to the point, but then all of a sudden it becomes a political story about discrimination, police incompetence and racial injustice where the writers hijack the story in order to send a message rooted in today's racial climate as of 2022. I mean, I wouldn't mind watching another show about those things but it felt incredibly forced, especially since Dahmer did not discriminate when it came to the color of his victim's skin - he didn't target black people or minorities, but the last four episodes is all about that which kind of ruins everything that came before. And I hate to break it but it's not just that interesting to watch through 1 hour of the victim's families sitting down talking about how miserable they feel. Most people watch these type of shows because they want to see inside the mind of the serial killer himself.
It also doesn't help that a lot of the stuff in the last four episodes is made up, skewed or deliberately pushed aside in order to fit the "message" that the writers wanted to shove down our throats. What a shame. This could've easily been a 10/10 show if it wasn't for the fact that Netflix, just like Dahmer himself, just can't help themselves.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
A disjointed mess and far cry from the games
The biggest issue of the film is that it tries to cram the stories of RE1 and RE2 into one story, and it obviously doesn't work. The film is a disjointed mess and suffers from too many characters going into different places. Both RE1 and RE2 have very simple straight-forward stories, and that's why they work so damn well. I actually kind of enjoyed the scenes with Alpha Team at the RPD being instructed by Chief Irons to investigate the Spencer Mansion, and most of the stuff involving them and the mansion felt the closest to the source material. Which only got me thinking - why not just make a movie based solely on the first game? It would've been SO much better instead of the crap we got.
The whole idea of turning Raccoon City into an already abandoned run-down city felt like a cheap excuse in terms of budgetary concerns regarding people. Obviously it would be more expensive to have hundreds of zombies running amok on the streets, so instead they went the easy route of simply having the city be more desolate in the first place. The problem is that it doesn't make sense for this half-abandoned town to still employ two full Stars teams of highly skilled policemen and women. Like why? Realistically they would've been fired a long time ago. Addionally, with Umbrella already having left the town it felt like a central villain was taken out of the story. Overall the city felt so empty, and the lack of zombies and people made it feel less scary and more like a cheap TV show.
Another problem is that the movie changes basically all of the characters' personalities and backstories, including their motivations and goals. The character that suffers the most from these changes is William Birkin, whom suddenly is a generic bad guy and not the troubled, relatable victim we saw in RE2. And for some reason he's a scientist AND the head of an orphanage? Like... why? I mean I get that the orphanage was supposedly run by Umbrella but this is seriously some horrendous screenwriting. Yet the two biggest misinterpretations of this film are undeniably Hannah John-Kamen and Avan Jogia as Jill and Leon, respectively. I don't understand how you can get more un-Jill and un-Leon than these two, and it has less to do with the fact that they look nothing like their in-game counterparts but rather their personalities being a far cry from the source material. Jill is not supposed to be a whimsical douchebag full of sass and callbacks, and Leon is not supposed to be an incompetent fool whom acts like he doesn't even want to be a cop.
Surprisingly, the character that ended up being most game-accurate was Chris, because besides being an orphan his personality remains very similar to the games. I really enjoyed Robbie Amell's portrayal of the character and he did a good job at being the most relatable and human character in the film. Mainly because he's badass yet not perfect. Unlike his sister Claire, whom is badass and perfect. Claire is generally an OK character though, but that's got more to do with Kaya Scodelario being the most competent actress of the bunch and not the actual script being good. The problem with Claire is that what makes her whole character work in RE2 is that she's looking for her brother. Her whole character arc is built around her searching for Chris, a trait that even continues well into the plot of Code Veronica. That's her motivation for going through all of the hellscapes in the games. When you take this motivation away from her, she becomes an empty generic shell. They could've saved her character a bit by having Sherry accompany her, but nope, the screenwriters couldn't even give her Sherry. Instead Sherry is completely shoehorned into the ending which feels nonsensical.
A few other things I didn't like, mainly nitpicks:
- Making Jill romantically interested in Wesker and vice versa? Terrible idea.
- Keeping a misplaced character like Lisa Trevor around just for the sake of a deus ex machina moment? Please.
- Having transformed Birkin retain his intellect and being able to talk? Get out.
- Generally poor use of fanservice such as "Itchy, tasty" being written in blood on a window.
A few things I actually liked:
- The scene filmed from inside the car where Chief Irons tries to get out of the city. One-shot, great take and use of suspense, you can't really see what's going on outside, but you can hear it. Easily the best part of the entire film, so much that I wonder if a separate director did this shot. It felt very indie and didn't quite fit with the rest of the film.
- The zombie attacks inside the Spencer Mansion. Great use of darkness and suspense, I really wished we'd seen more of this.
- Robbie Amell's portrayal of Chris and Donal Logue's portrayal of Chief Irons.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
Do. Not. Recommend.
Jesus, man... This was one of the worst shows I've ever seen. Weak and rushed plot, terrible dialogue, mediocre and stiff animation, illogical time jumps, not to mention that the decision to make a 4-episode series where each episode is 25 minutes each isn't justifiable. This could've easily been a 1.30 hour long movie without all the reused flashbacks. It would've still been a horrible film, but at least it would've been a bit more coherent.
The trailers made the show look way more interesting and badass than it really is. What annoys me the most is how rushed and badly written the plot is. It's as if the writers just wrote down some pieces of dialogue interactions between some characters without deciding where those interactions takes place, and then they just threw in some pointless and rushed action in-between since they needed these characters go from point A to point B - yet they didn't know why and how. The submarine part is easily the worst of them all and it just comes off as filler action for the sake of action without moving the plot forward - you're introduced to a new type of monster, the mutated rats that grow out of zombie's stomachs, yet they're never seen again. They also have some other interesting ideas that are brought up and then immidiately ditched, such as keeping an infected person alive through medication after 5 years in an hospital bed only to kill him off in the same scene. Yikes.
I've never seen Leon being more bored than he is shown in this series. He's basically yawning his way through every scene as if he's somehow meta-consciously tired of Capcom shoehorning him into every RE film project. Claire is probably the only decent part of this show, but she is under-utilized and, for better or worse, somehow makes it into the final showdown even though there was no reason at all for her to be brought there other than "well she's a main character from the games so she must be there so she and Leon can have a cutsy awkward scene together".
Also, if I took a shot for everytime the villian Jason talks about "fear" in this series I'd be in serious need of gastric pumping.
This show gets a 1/10 from me. Not really sure what they were thinking when making this. It feels like a bad, unfinished leftover script from 2006 that never got greenlighted because it was weak even to Capcom's standard. Until RE2 remake was released and Capcom realized they could bank on Leon+Claire again. It's ironic given how little screentime Leon and Claire actually share together in this show.
Do. Not. Recommend.
Solaris (2002)
A beautiful tale of life, love and death
Though not as sci-fi heavy as the preceding Soviet film from 1972, Soderbergh's version of Solaris dives deeper into the human consciousness and focuses much more on the emotional aspects of love and death. The atmosphere of the movie can be described as strange and dreamlike, much because of the story being partially told through flashbacks. I can't stress enough how much I adore the chemistry between our main character Dr. Chris Kelvin (played by George Clooney) and Rheya (played by Natascha McElhone). Their relationship is front and center which makes the dive into Kelvin's mind and struggle to understand what's happening so much more engaging. The planet of Solaris takes a backseat and is not the main conflict of interest, instead it shimmers in the background as an unexplained mystery that makes it appear as alien as something can be.
Having not read the novel, I can understand if some people are disappointed in this movie's lack of explanation towards Solaris itself. However, even if you've read the book I think there is enough emotional resonance in this film to appreciate the story being told. After all, it's a tale about how we as humans cope with life, love and death and why it's so hard for us to accept the loss of those things.