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Oppenheimer (2023)
Oppenheimer - the tangled and bewildering tale of the father of the atomic bomb (I recommend it if you don't have anything better to watch)
I admit I have very conflicting feelings about the movie. It just doesn't click for me. Christopher Nolan crammed biographical milestones of the physicist, mixed with the depiction of Robert Oppenheimer's greatest achievement (Cillian Murphy), namely overseeing the Manhattan Project which produced the first atomic bomb.
Amidst all of this, the story of a certain Admiral Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) emerges, who politically speaking, was somewhat of an arch-nemesis of Dr. Oppenheimer and orchestrated his investigation for alleged acts of espionage for the Soviets.
I suspect there was an attempt to develop the narrative on three more or less parallel planes.
The personal plane where Oppenheimer is a bit leftist and somewhat promiscuous, bordering on the Communist Party where his wife had been a member, and his mistress was a staunch activist.
The professional plane of a highly successful physicist with managerial skills which led to his appointment to oversee the Manhattan Project.
And there's the political plane, where after using the scientist, the homeland investigates him under suspicion of treason, and here Admiral Strauss comes into play.
If you find it hard to understand as you read, know that it's the same when you watch the movie. My overall impression is that it's a well-made artistic documentary, but that's about it.
Honestly, I don't think it deserved the Oscar, but it was a case of the one-eyed leading the blind this year, although in my opinion, the clear winner should have been American Fiction. I suspect its status as a blockbuster and the impressive distribution in terms of Hollywood stars brought it the statuette.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith or The Afternoon of an Elite Spy
You wouldn't expect an action series continuing a well-established franchise of the same genre to actually be a two-character play, but that's exactly what it is.
Don't get me wrong, the fight scenes are not lacking, and they're exceptionally well-done, but the overall impression is not of your typical action-packed series.
The writers are absolutely brilliant, and the dialogue between the two main characters, the two spies named "Smith," a sort of generic conspiratorial name, feels like a conversation between two regular people in a relationship. Their "service" as mega-spies seems almost incidental. They argue, they love each other, literally and figuratively, they have normal people problems with their own families, the whole package.
Two exceptional actors, Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, are the best proof that diversity hiring, when it doesn't overshadow talent and competence, doesn't bother anyone.
It's leagues above the original 2005 film with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, which is a two-dimensional comedy with shootouts and gimmicks.
The series is available on Prime Video via subscription.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Dune: A Cinematic Epic in Two Parts
Masterfully directed by Denis Villeneuve, the first chapter of the cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's masterpiece, "Dune," opens its doors to a vast and unsettling universe. With meticulous attention to detail and stunning aesthetics, Villeneuve brings to life on the big screen the landscapes of an atypical universe.
The film follows the story of Paul Atreides (portrayed by Timothée Chalamet), a young noble who becomes the key to crucial events as his family takes control of the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only place in the universe where "melange" is found - a precious substance that affects the entire known world through its effects.
With an impressive ensemble cast, including Rebecca Ferguson as Paul's mother, Lady Jessica, and Oscar Isaac as his father, Duke Leto Atreides, the film shapes its characters in a way that allows the audience to feel a deep connection with this fascinating world. Additionally, the performances of Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban add an extra dimension of intensity and drama.
Villeneuve uses his remarkable directing skills to build a tense atmosphere full of mystery and danger. The magnificent visuals and hypnotic soundtrack contribute to creating a captivating and memorable cinematic experience.
The novel Dune, considered unfilmable and rightfully so, is somewhat minimalist in its portrayal, which might somewhat bother the "purists" of the book series, but the general impression is that Denis Villeneuve has done as much as possible in this regard given the constraints imposed by a film of maximum 3 hours.
With a brisk pace and a well-constructed narrative, "Dune II" follows Paul's rise amidst the desert tribes and his exploration of his prophetic powers, as well as his confrontation with the imperial and political forces seeking to control him.
Timothée Chalamet's performance is surprising, showing the complex evolution of his character as he discovers his true power and assumes his responsibilities as a leader. Meanwhile, the supporting characters continue to shine, and the remarkable acting performances of Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the most successful so far, add depth and emotional tension.
Visually, "Dune II" impresses with its epic battle scenes and stunning landscapes of the planet Arrakis, while the intense soundtrack contributes to amplifying the tense atmosphere.
"Dune I" and "Dune II" represent not only two remarkable films but also an exceptional cinematic adaptation of a monumental literary work.
Perhaps a bit more could have been done; my fundamental reproach is that Villeneuve did not even explain through a reference the fundamental premise of the universe he describes, namely the Butlerian Jihad (the war against machines), an event that explains why the Dune universe looks the way it does, why there are no AIs or even computers, what was the fundamental role of spice, what the Guild was, and why it needed this substance found only on Dune, and so forth.
The Sandman (2022)
Awesome
Awesome show. The casting is excellent. The script puts some "pauses" in the epic line of the show and develops some real short stories, related to the universe but they feel like the action is stopped for just a moment to tell another story (500 years old man, John restaurant experiment...). Splendid. Tom Sturridge is a little bit to bidimensional, but in his defense also the character he's playing.
The plot intermingles between fantasy and reality and it seems very natural like the two-story levels are just one thing.
Can't wait for the season 2 and I really hope I won't be disappointed like in other significant cases ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
M.S.T.G.A.
Well, that's definitely Star Trek I knew and love. I don't care that's not goanna land well with some people but they've did make Star Trek Great Again...:)))
Rogue One (2016)
Brilliant
SPOILER ALLERT!!!!
When you are using real actors and not "reheated" stars alongside silly semi-amateurs, plus a script that does not self plagiarize, any movie from franchise can only be good and very good at least for a hardcore fan like yours truly. Rogue One dares to get out from the Star Wars clichés, but not so much as to alienate the fan-base. It is designed as a single episode without the possibility of a sequel, because otherwise it would be seriously out of time line of the universe. Action is firmly anchored in the main story and in general throughout the universe by the appearance of characters (Senator Bail Organa, Saw Guerrera, Mothma mother, Princess Leia - CGI and of course Darth Vader in the flesh ... and various gadgets attached trough was, you know ..) or by references to them (at one point is heard the name of Admiral Syndulla - Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels). I can not help noticing the courage with which the filmmakers abstained to "exploit" heavily Darth Vader, risking nose grimace of a significant portion of the American public that wants endless remaking of the first three films, mistake they made, from my point of view, in Star Wars The Force Awakens. Overall, the script does not contain exaggerated sentimental effusions, relationship between Jyn and Gaelen ERSO is treated naturally as possible without accents of soap opera. K2 android has replicas of natural humor, unforced. As I said, the acting is well above the average Star Wars movies and I may remark Bob Mendelsohn, actor "specialized" on negative roles in Director Krenik character, whom he plays it brilliantly. Also, a great novelty, at least from my point of view, is "Cassian Andor" the character played by Diego Luna brilliantly. I think that is the first true three-dimensional character of the entire Star Wars series, not like rebels with a heart of gold - Han Solo but authentically. Captain Andor is able to kill in cold blood for the cause he believes in honestly and has a dark but human side, real and not simulated as in other cases.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force awakens - a fan chronic
As a huge fan that I am, a "fundamentalist" of this franchise and SF genre in general, I went to the preview, 0:05 pm on Thursday 12/18/2015 Romanian time. I bought tickets like a month ago with a good friend and I waited with almost childlike joy this moment.
By nature I am pessimistic and skeptical, and with that kind of expectation I went to see film. Unfortunately my fears where confirmed ...
They used the same recipes from the first 6 films. I will exemplify just a few:
Darth Vader Recipe: Ben Solo, son of Princess Leia and Han, renamed Kylo Ren, is "seduced" by the dark side, deny their family and moves with "all weapons and baggage" to the Empire, now renamed the Fist Order.
Luke Skywalker recipe: Rey, an orphan on the desert planet Jakku (Tatooine) discovers that it is "force sensitive" and goes in search of her perfect master training which - Luke (Yoda).
Recipe Death Star: First Order create / convert, I was not very clear, a planet in a destruction device that, using the energy of a star has the capability to destroy other planets. Obviously it was destroyed by the impetuous Resistance attack using a technical vulnerability, sending Han Solo "riding" the Millennium Falcon + Chewbacca + Finn to disable shielding. Does it sounds familiar?
With the exception of John Boyega which is ridiculous, the acting skills of young actors is satisfactory. I would like to remark here Adam Driver in the role of Kylo Ren, good character definition without falling into exaggerations and being ridiculous .
Han Solo disappears as a character,killed by his son, who by this gesture practically completes its transition to the dark side, like his grandfather Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) by killing small Padawans. It is among the few logical development of the characters, paradoxically, the result of agreement between Harrison Ford and Disney .. :)
I can not condemn those from Disney, because they went on formulas verified as producers of soap operas. They have invested a lot of money and they want and take them out but I hope that even after this point will be reached and movies do really good, especially the SW universe spans 30,000 years.
PS1 Man, I can not understand this at all. How the heck, to cast Max Von Sydow, one of the greatest actors still alive and kill him within 5 minutes of the film.
PS2 I do not want to be grumpy but, brother, I think Rey is one of the most bad ass Jedi ever, because knows mind control and force grab without any training at all !!!! Well, if you remember the original series, Luke struggled for months just to lift a boulder ...