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Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
I AM OPTIMUS PRIME and I will abuse your eyes and ears for 3 hours
This film will give you a headache. Cartoon sequence action scene after action scene interspersed with more over the top action scenes.
The Transformers video games have less fighting and dragonball Z style monologues than this film.
Would kids enjoy it? No. Kids could not take 3 hours of this.
Plot is an afterthought, character dialogue is cringe-inducing (every line feels like an attempt at a comedy show one-liner).
After the first hour the entire film melds into some kind of super noisy, CGI spectacle laden blur. I wanted it to end, I wanted the pain to stop. But it kept going. It wouldn't stop.
Pay money, suffer greatly.
The Putin Interviews (2017)
Candid and Revealing
With every subsequent hour, Oliver Stone's questions get more and more contentious. Putin manages to answer every single one (except those bordering on highly classified territory). He does so in detail, and sometimes from different perspectives.
This documentary offers revealing insights into the mind of Putin, his words, his body language, his tendency to play with the sofa stitching as he talks. From geopolitical issues, sensitive domestic Russian affairs to Putin's personal life; it's all there.
I will state an interesting observation; what rustles Putin's jimmies the most is the topic of NATO encroachment toward Russia's borders, and the US administration's stationing of ABM systems in eastern Europe. The only time during the interviews you can see Putin's expression change to one of barely veiled annoyance is when the conversation veers in this direction.
Another thing of note is Putins very academic answers to a variety of topics. Stone asks him about the prominence and rise of the Russian Orthodox Church during his tenure. Putin answers by stating that after the fall of communism and its associated ideology, civil society had nothing else to grasp onto, but the centuries old traditions that the Church provides. Putin says he supported this to give people something to believe in after the traumatic turmoil that was the 90's. To provide stability in their lives. A very practical answer, and it even leads onto more sensitive questions, such as the treatment of homosexuality in Russia. And Putin answers this candidly as as well. Even jokingly sometimes to highlight the absurdity of Russian culture in regards to such topics. This is the theme throughout. There is very little dodging or political wordplay. Most of his answers are formed on the spot, and seem to come from him directly.
It is obvious Oliver was charmed during the filming of this. It is apparent Putin humored him on many occasions and that he has a very powerful ability to charm those he talks to. We see a controversial leader (at least from a western perspective) give very direct, apolitical answers to every question that the typical viewer might want to ask such a public figure. In this regard Mr Stone did very well.
It becomes patently obvious as to why Russians would express such far ranging support toward Putin. He's very convincing and obsessed with practicalities. But of course; you be the judge. It's a very informative, revealing 4 hours and definitely worth your time.
Interstellar (2014)
Well acted, well directed, well written.
Well acted, well directed, Well written, well padded (3 hours long, long enough to flesh out the few characters in it) but skirts the line between heavy handed gritty realism and metaphysical fantasy in a way that is perhaps too clumsy and/or indifferent. I had lofty expectations given that this was a big budget sci-fi epic from a well polished director, but those expectations were not met, then I remembered why-it is Nolan. I wasn't a fan of his Batman films beyond the initial spectacle. He does what he does very well, but it's simply not my style of very well.
8/10 for interstellar. I see no reason of ever seeing it again. If I did the score would drop by a point every time. I am surprised by this, considering that the film has every possible element I would have expected from epic sci fi space opera and more. It's just that Nolan touch I guess. He rubs me the wrong way. He is a teaser mixed with a spectacle fanatic. This is a frustrating combo given that the epic elements are right there on film but there is always something even better hidden off to the edge of the screen. Bah.
This is one of those very rare times where my views align with the critics, perhaps because I'm a big fan of this genre. The general public will love this film. Why? There is a hong kong soap opera element to it, but with white Caucasian characters. The emotional feels will hit and resonate within most casuals in very piercing ways. The musical score has a big part to play in that I suspect but so does the acting. I suspect Nolan did 500 takes for every scene with every character, whipping them with a steel rod as they screamed for mercy. By the end of the film everybody is noticeably disheveled courtesy of their dramatic escapades across the galactic expanse.
This is not a fun film, it is not happy, it isn't sad. It isn't a mix of the aforementioned. It is just a Nolan film. Unique, but in a very neutral, indifferent way. In about a month I will probably forget it ever existed.
The 100 (2014)
High school teen drama dressed up as post-apocalyptic sci-fi
For an adult that enjoys sci-fi, this is impossible to recommend. It is clearly aimed at young teens, in terms of script and narrative complexity. It never seems to rise above that.
Characters are well dressed in expensive clothes with extensive makeup and grooming, preposterous given the premise-a bunch of juvenile delinquents from some space station that is running out of resources stranded in wilderness on earth.
The reckless, counter-intuitive behaviour of the characters given their perilous/urgent situation is comical and further emphasises the target audience.
For a 2014 show it also has some questionable special effects, below what one would expect of even a budget production. This further highlights that this is a low-brow teen drama dressed up to be something else.