This is the weekly watch. Check out my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch it, It depends, Skip it.
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| The Walk - Exhilarating! |
Watch The Walk
Written by: Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne, Phillipe Petit ( book "To Reach the Clouds")
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Badge Dale, Ben Kingsley
Rated: PG
Plot:
Phillipe Petit endeavors to walk across a tight rope from one twin tower to the other.
Review:
Petit's walk is the reason to watch, but that doesn't occur until well into the film, and everything preceding and after pales in comparison.
I liked the opening with Gordon-Levitt addressing the camera with the clouds behind him. It sets this movie up as something different and keys us in on the character. Gordon-Levitt does a great job of capturing the exuberance of Petit. He is an entertainer first and foremost, and we get to see that whether he's on the street juggling or in a dentist's office mimicking other patients.
This is based on a true story, and it's engaging to see someone so dedicated and determined to pull off an impossible feat with obvious risks. I appreciate the movie addresses Petit's arrogance, as someone has to be a little arrogant to attempt such a thing.
Petit recruits a rag-tag group to get him to the roof of the tower, making the first half of the movie a heist set up. James Badge Dale is notable as one of the cohorts. The last hour is easily the best hour when we get into the actual walk. I imagine a lot of the scenes are CGI, but it is effective at putting you at the dizzying height.
It's worth one watch for the nice visuals and some good direction. The thirty minutes of the walk is simply amazing and makes this movie worth that one watch. It will be one of the best scenes this year. Zemeckis always has that moment in his movies where you're perched on the edge of your seat, heart racing, and this is it. In this it's the walk, in Flight with Denzel Washington, it was the plane crash. It's such an amazing sequence as Petit tempts life, death, and the cops.
The cops provide a moment for me to catch my breath and comic relief, afraid to apprehend Petit while he's on the high wire. Petit finally relents, detained by the police, though considered a hero by cops and spectators alike.
The movie should have ended with the reporters and his triump, but instead the movie drags it's feet including unnecessary scenes of Petit going out to dinner and thanking his team. It's a poor about face, the complete opposite of the exhilaration experience on the high wire. The movie should have ended on a high note instead of overstaying it's welcome.
Verdict:
The Walk is not without it's faults, but at its best its absolutely exhilarating. The actual walk is the only thing to see in this movie, unfortunately there is an additional ninety minutes, and even an ending that just won't stop.
It depends.
Read my Brokeback Mountain Review
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| Pan - He is the Pan! Technically, but I was hoping for more. |
Watch Pan
Written by: Jason Fuchs, J.M. Barrie (characters)
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried
Rated: PG
Plot:
The origin story of Peter Pan, from an orphanage to Neverland.
Review:
This movie explains how Peter Pan came to power. The problem with explaining away the myth is that the character loses their mystery. Captain Hook somehow began has Peter's friend, which makes the movie feel poised for a sequel, though that won't happen with this film as it was not successful.
My head was spinning after the introduction as the movie shoves Peter, his friends, the orphanage, and nuns down my throat. The setup is provided as quickly as possible, so when Peter was taken by Neverland pirates and his friend was left behind, it didn't have any impact as I had just met these characters.
The introduction to Neverland and the pirate Blackbeard, played by Hugh Jackman, is a sing along to Nirvana. It's a bewildering choice. A chant created specifically for this movie about working in the mines would have worked much better. This movie is set during World War II after all.
Blackbeard reveals the legend of Peter Pan as predicted by the fairy kingdom. It's a nice moment that adds to the lore, but it's also pulling back the curtain and revealing too much. Not knowing and just believing was half the fun. Previous movies ask us to believe on blind faith. Pan attempts to convince us to believe.
The movie is at it's best when is slows down, but that occurs infrequently. I can't help but compare this to Hook, the Robin Williams post-Neverland story. That movie was better paced, giving us time to know the older Pan, and it was also more fun. Pan favors broad sweeping shots of CGI instead of the intimate moments that Hook used to help us relate to Robin Williams' character. In Hook we see Peter attempt to fly and fail multiple times. In Pan he practices once and later performs the feat. Pan rushes almost everything, never slowing down. It loses the sense of adventure and discovery.
I liked James Hook as a character in Pan, though it's forced that he and Peter were once friends. Garret Hedlund's portrayal felt forced as well, his voice never sounding as natural as it should have. He has some great moments, a self proclaimed liar often subverting that claim to provide help when Pan is in need.
Verdict:
Pan is ultimately unfulfilling. It's a pre-Neverland story that bookends the post-Neverland Hook. It's not as much fun as it should be, nor as enjoyable as Hook. It relies heavily on CGI, spectacle, and over the top visuals. It's the back story we never needed. Peter Pan has always asked us to just believe. It's never tried to explain why Peter Pan exists because it doesn't need to, and this movie misses that premise.
Skip it.
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| The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him - An exploration of grief. |
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2013)
Watch The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him
Written by: Ned Benson
Directed by: Ned Benson
Starring: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds
Rated: R
Plot:
A couple tries to pick up the pieces of their broken marriage after a tragedy. James McAvoy plays Conor who wants to get back to normal, Jessica Chastain plays Eleanor who wants a fresh start without him.
Review:
This movie is part of a trilogy. Him is filmed from the viewpoint of the husband, Her from the wife's viewpoint, and Them abridges both stories.
I love the concept of this trilogy, but I don't like the execution. I watcher Her over six months ago and am only now watching Him, more out of obligation than desire. I will forgo Them as it's strictly footage from Him and Her. After watching Her, I wondered if I should have started with Them, to save myself two hours. Ultimately I'm happy I watched two out of three.
The mystery of what happened to their son is of little consequence, but making it as mystery as to what tragedy occured at all shifts the focus from the character to the mystery. Soon enough what happened was answered, their son died or was killed, but it felt like a game until that point. I'm okay not knowing the circumstances of losing their son.
James McAvoy is Conor. He wants to get back to normal, how things used to be but his wife, played by Chastain, wants a fresh start. She wants to leave Conor. It's two sides of grief, though I side with Conor which made this movie easier to watch than Her.
McAvoy has a tenuous grasp on life. His wife has left, his business is going bankrupt, and his friends are tired of wearing the special mittens to interact with him.
These threads culminate in a fight with patrons at his bar. Those are crazy customers, but they serve to push the plot forward more than represent reality.
Conor can't come to terms with his wife's request to just leaver her along and forget about her.
I don't remember enjoying Her as much, but this movie makes me almost want to revisit it, just for the opposite side of grief.
Conor finally agrees to let go, to let go of his wife and his failing business. Cirian Hinds does a great job as Conor's father, a multiple divorcee with only his business left.
The movie has a nice bookend, a couple dining and dashing from Conor's bar, a copy of Conor and Eleanor's first date. In this case Conor catches the guy but let's him go.
It has a happy ending, letting go was Conor's step to get his life back and maintain a shred of happiness. The ending leaves you wondering, but I really liked it. Conor decides to take a walk before the night becomes busy, now running a restaurant with his dad. His wife is following him on this walk, but he doesn't see her and keeps walking. I wonder what would happen. Does she want to reconcile? Would Conor want to as he has adjusted to circumstance. I tend to think he keeps walking. He isn't seeking her anymore.
Verdict
Him is half of a whole. Together with Her, they examines two sides of grief, wanting to return to 'normal' and wanting to leave everything behind and start fresh. Watching only one feels incomplete, and watching both is a bigger bore than it should be. I identify with Conor, who wants to return to normal, but the plot isn't groundbreaking. Conor has to accept his circumstance and let go to move on. Other movies have said that before and done it better.
Skip it.
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| Man on Wire - Risking death is usually something to see. |
Man on Wire (2013)
Watch Man on Wire
Written by: Phillipe Petit (book)
Directed by: James Marsh
Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Phillipe Petit endeavors to walk across a tight rope from one twin tower to the other.
Review:
The guy is crazy, and its a bit melodramatic. "It's impossible, so lets do it." Seeing this in tandem with the movie The Walk, it pales in comparison. While the events shown in The Walk are based on actual events, seeing it in the moment is exhilarating. In this documentary we just hear about it.
Verdict:
It's a crazy feat and Petit is just insane. It's disappointing there isn't any video footage of the actual walk.
Skip it.
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