Holy Motors Review

Not gonna lie, Holy Motors may be the strangest movie I've ever seen. Released in 2012, Holy Motors is Franco-German fantasy/drama that is like nothing I've ever seen before. The film was met with very positive reviews from critics and even appeared on numerous best of the year lists. The plot is simple but doesn't make much sense. A man named Mr. Oscar spends his day dressing up as other people and taking part in their lives. There’s a poor old woman, a crazy homeless guy, an old man on his death bed, a hit man, and a couple other roles. All of which can actually be related to roles that are commonly found in movies. One of the more interesting ones would be when he put on a motion tracking suit and simulated fighting (which is becoming more and more common in movies). Holy Motors is a movie of actions not words, there isn't a lot of speaking. The story is told through these absurd characters and crazy events. The acting is well done for the most part. The only stand out performance would be the lead actor who plays the character perfectly; the actor even won a couple awards for his part. Now the thing is I don't know why I liked this movie, but I did. The story doesn't make sense, there isn't much dialog and what there is isn't great, and for the most part the movie doesn't have a lot going for it. But there's something mesmerizing about Holy Motors that we don't see often in film. I would actually recommend this movie to others, it's really unique and I respect the director for taking such unorthodox chances. While movies like Holy Motors don't always work out, it's nice to see something every once in a while that's just really weird. 

Moulin Rouge! Review

I don't like musical's, that's just the way I am. I can count on one hand how many musicals I actually enjoy, but the one that stands above all the rest is Moulin Rouge. Running jover two hours I loved every minute of every scene, every song and dance number, all the performances, the style, the cinematography, the set pieces and costume design, everything. It really is just a joy to watch. Released in 2001, Moulin Rouge was loved by critics and audiences and became the first musical nominated for best picture in ten years. The movie is what you would call a jukebox musical which means the soundtrack consists mostly of already existing songs changed up to fit the movie. The story takes place in the very early 20’Th century in Paris, France. As you probably could have guessed, by the fact the movie's a musical; it's a love story (because every musical ever has some sort of love story). It's about an inspiring artist who moves out to Paris to pursue his dream; not long after being there he falls into an acting group consisting of several strange individuals. While out hoping to get a gig the group goes to the famous Moulin Rouge night club. There the young man meets the center attraction, a beautiful singer and actress that catches his attention immediately. Confusing him with the Duke (who she was supposed to have a private meeting with), she gets to know him and quickly falls in love. After spinning a quick lie about a show they plan to put on, the two lovers get to spend more time together. But the Duke (who thinks that the woman loves him) is being more than difficult. So the couple must try and keep their love secret, or die trying. Moulin Rouge changes throughout the movie; it starts off more like a comedy but ends as a heartbreaking drama. I always felt that the two stars do a great job and have great chemistry, plus the supporting cast also shine throughout the movie. The visual style of the movie fits perfectly as well, and Baz Luhrmann's directing style worked great (as compared to some of his other movies). I really do love this movie; it's a rare and delightful gem that we don't see very often. In my opinion this is a must see, even if you don't like musicals.

The Tree of Life Review

Upon its release, The Tree of Life was met with much critical acclaim. It was on dozens of top ten lists, being put at the number one spot on many of them; it won dozens of awards including the coveted Palme d'Or, and is actually considered by many to be one of the greatest movies of all time. All I can say is... it's all right. The Tree of Life is directed by the infamous Terrence Malick, who has made a name for himself by doing his best to stay out of the limelight. He doesn't do interviews, press appearances, red carpets, ect. I looked, there are like three different pictures of him online. He's a very unique director to say the least. His style is unlike any other director I can think of, but honestly he's kind of an asshole. He directed a movie called the Thin Red Line about a decade ago, and the way he edited it was controversial to say the least. There were at least seven actors that were in the movie with important parts that got cut out. Apparently the actor that the film was originally centered around was cut out of the film completely, and wasn't told about it until the movie's premiere. Not exactly the nicest thing I've ever heard. Released in 2011, I would classify the Tree of Life as an experimental film. To be honest I haven't the faintest idea what the hell this movie's about. It's full of a lot of deep philosophical sh*t about life and stuff and it went straight over my head. The movie starts out about a family in Waco then goes to Sean Penn like 40 years later, then we see the creation of the universe, the planets form and then sea life comes out of the ocean and there's dinosaurs, and then there's like 2 minute shot of jelly fish. It makes no coherent sense, it's a very non linear story told in a very unconventional way. The movie has several things going for it; first of all it's beautiful. The cinematography looks incredible; it feels like you’re watching a moving painting. And the special effects when you see the universe created look great. The musical score is also top notch, it really complements every scene. Now I have one major problem with the movie, it's boring. I want to like it, but I honestly can't think of a time I've been so bored watching a movie. The other day I was watching it while I was doing my math homework and I was so bored I considered turning it off because I was enjoying the math more. The closest comparison to the movie I can think of would be 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both have similar themes involving man's place in the universe and the directions in which we guide our lives, but the Tree of life isn't nearly as interesting or original as 2001. It's almost like the director became full of himself and tried too hard to make a masterpiece, unfortunately he failed. Malick made an ambitious movie and I can respect that, but I don't think it reached the level many were expecting. The Tree of Life is a beautiful film but is bogged down its slow pace, confusing narrative, and almost pompous direction. It's not a bad movie, I just found it boring. Maybe one day in a few of years or if I watch it a couple more times I might get the message behind it and see why so many think it's so good, but today is not that day.

Arrested Development Season 4 Review

It's not often we see a series come back after 7 years, and even rarer that it comes back and still be f*cking hilarious. In 2006, the universally acclaimed TV show Arrested Development was canceled after its third season. Originally airing back in 2003, the show became an instant success. Winning awards and pulling some pretty good numbers, the show looked like it had a promising future. But being on Fox, it was canceled before it's time like every other show on the network (except for House and American Idol). It's generally considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time. The show revolves around the Bluth family, especially the middle son Michael. The Bluth's are extremely wealthy; they own a once major real estate business. But after some bad investments and a couple of counts of treason they weren't doing so hot. Most of these problems were solved by the end of the third season. This new season take place six years after season three. While some of the members are getting on with their lives most are still just as dysfunctional as we left them. This new season primarily acts as a catch up for all the characters. And I would like to commend the writers on the whole set up. There is a very complicated and intricate story line. They give several characters six years of back story that weaves together so impressively that it’s actually quite amazing. But I would say that is my major problem with the season. Since much of the season is shown in flashbacks, following the timeline can be confusing. But what always made this show great was the humor, so how does the new season stack up? All I can say is the show is just as great as it’s always been. The show has been garnering a lot of attention lately, not just because it was being re-launched but because the entire season was released at once on Netflix instead of TV. We've seen Netflix have original shows before but not a well established like this. Personally I love it, it's convenient because I can just marathon the season all at once (which may or may not have been what I did with my day). This is proof Netflix is taking over the world. It's fantastic that there are new episodes of Arrested Development; it's really one of the best shows out there right now. I'm glad that someone was willing to take a chance and bring this show back and have it still be great. Let's just hope that they decide to continue and make a fifth season.

The Hangover Part III

It's always sad to see a series end, especially one that gave us experiences we only wish we could have. But sometimes you just have to call it quits, before it's too far gone. So the time has come, the wolf pack trilogy is over. Part 3 takes place 4 years after the events of the original, most of the guys have their lives together but Alan is still up to his crazy antics. After the death of his father (caused by him), his family decides they want to send him to a facility for help. So they call in his friends to make the process easier. But on the way there, the guys are run off the road and kidnapped. They are taken by a guy named Marshal who recruits them to find an old acquaintance of theirs, Chow. As collateral they take Doug hostage and threaten to kill him if they don't find Chow. So the wolf pack has to go on one last crazy adventure to save their friend... again. I've always had one problem with the Hangover series; they made a trilogy out of something that was clearly not made to be one. Some studio executives were sitting in a room saw how much money the Hangover made, and decided to make sequels. And you can especially notice that in the second one. I am glad they decided not to use the same plot as the last two and take it in a new direction. Like the previous films, I wouldn't exactly call the humor in this movie high class. A lot of the humor in the movie felt really forced as well. The whole plot of the movie, while different, is really convoluted as well. The key character in the movie was Chow, and the problem is they made him really annoying. Chow is supposed to be crazy and I get that, but they make him do something crazy like every ten seconds. At one point he eats dog food, just because. While there are a lot of problems there are a couple positive aspects. There are several throwbacks to the original which were nice to see, they threw in some pop culture references, there were a couple funny jokes, and I will say it was more enjoyable than the second film. All in all it wasn't a bad movie, just subpar. Not the worst movie I've seen this year and certainly not the best.

2/5 Stars