Jag Uar

Story: 4/5. (Documentary). This is one of those stories yet again that starts off as if it is focused on light-hearted shenanigans and then very quickly escalates to a lot of heavy life commentary. The way the story is presented is very natural and real. So raw that I sometimes wondered how genuine it was, but chose to believe that it was anyway. The pivotal people followed here are all very distinct and often relatable in their own ways. They share their traumas and anxieties in a way which became very hard to look at at times. It was stark and eye-opening while also being very reflective of a young American manhood. Visuals: 4/5. There was a point where it finally hit me that Bing was filming this stuff while also skating himself. As soon as I realised that, everything that came before became even more impressive. This is filmed in a very raw and un-flashy manner and it works perfectly for how grimy this story often becomes. It needed to feel natural and that's what it is. The only time it's ever flashy is with the skate footage, which was honestly impressive as hell. The editing was tight and precise. Sound: 4/5. The sound design of this film was good throughout. The skate tricks felt real and hit hard whenever they were performed. The sound editing was done well, too. The music was good, though altogether not remarkable for a documentary. I especially felt unsure of the music right as the climax drew in. I liked the rest, though. 12/15: A very real and moving portrait of young American men.

Story: 3/5. This was a mild but entertaining action fantasy film. The story of immortals who just are and work for the good of mankind works for the most part. It's a departure from most fantasy in that they can't really explain much of anything because this is something that just happened. It's interesting to know they have little understanding but go about their missions regardless. The introduction of the new immortal helps with the exposition that's needed for the details to be filled in. It was a very humorless story and I don't know if that was the intention or not. I did laugh at points, but that was more from the physical humour of some of the kills. The action was fine, but not as exciting or interesting in choreography as 'Extraction' was. The airplane fight was probably the most interesting set-up. The characters were all fine, with Charlize and Kiki being good in their respective roles. I could not care for the villain and forgot him every time he was off-screen, though, and just did not feel much of a threat to him. I questioned some of the logic, too. With so few of these immortals in existence, I found it hard to believe that they would all be good when they were not all part of a team. Human nature isn't like that and that isn't explained. The implications of the ending were more rousing than a lot of other moments. Visuals: 3/5. The cinematography was competent but not altogether very interesting. The fights were mostly edited well and easy to follow except for splashes of really quick cuts. The colours and tones were consistent and pleasant. The locations felt a bit small and London was least convincing but it was not all bad. The CGI was solid throughout and I was impressed by how grounded the damage was. Their injuries looked pretty real and their healing happened in convincing stages. Sound: 3/5. I liked the sound design but disliked most of the score. I dislike lyrical scores in film and even more so during action sequences. Lyrics tell stories and it becomes distracting to hear the overbearing story of the lyrics while people fight. It was just not as cool as vocal-free music would have been. I liked the sound design, though. I found myself specifically appreciating the sounds of the guns and how the hits landed. That was handled and edited well. 9/15: An entertaining fantasy action with no specific strong points but also nothing altogether very weak.

Story: 3/5. This is a tricky one. It's a very clever story, but I feel that the handling of the narrative will require a second viewing for me to give it its full appreciation. This story of a folk musician who's down on his luck and just can't catch a break comes off as something meandering aimlessly until its threads start to form a cohesive idea. I caught myself being unsure about it at a point until a certain conversation started to bring light to what I was witnessing. It's a strange and introspective experience but I did find myself struggling to connect with some of its ideas. The cast is great all-round and Oscar Isaacs gives a good performance as the lead. Visuals: 4/5. This film has a very specific look to it. It felt like a comic book panel for so much of it. Like a film noir comic book panel of some sort. It was very stylistic and I liked it a lot. It also did not come off as being superficial, as a number of séquences were elevated by the grim and dark look of it, adding a lot to the character and his experiences. The editing was good and the pacing pretty flawless. Sound: 3/5. Do you like folk music? That's the entirety of this soundtrack, from what I remember. The music is integral to this film's experience. And the music performed is on the edge of being good but not brilliant. Perhaps that was the entire point, considering the story? Maybe it is smarter than I imagined? The sound editing was super effective and appreciated throughout. 10/15: This deserves a second viewing and I know I will be doing one because I get the sense that my wits were not as sharp on my first run.

Story: 4/5. I've always liked Victor Fries as a villain because his story and his purpose is so easily understandable and justifiable. His wife is terminally ill and his entire mission is to save her life at any cost, often being a criminal one. That makes it easy to empathise with him. What this story does even better is how to up the stakes by putting Barbara Gordon at the centre of the solution. The involvement of Batman and Robin then works even better. This was a very cool story and impressive that it was all done in just over an hour and with a wide array of characters. Barbara herself was really impressive in this by showing her skill even without gadgets and Dick had a cool chase sequence. Visuals: 3/5. I love the old 90s look of Gotham and this is no exception. There's just something to it and the nostalgia it feeds. It had a mood to it and I loved the feel of it. The one annoying downside was the reliance on CGI elements and swapping between them instead of traditional animation all the way and it was very noticeable. Sound: 3/5. It's the sounds of 90s Batman, down to the use of his Tim Burton-era theme. Of course that was cool to hear. And this era of Batman is often jazzy, with this film being no exception. The sound editing was good and so were the voice performances. 10/15: A cool and little-known Batman story that has a lot of surprises and a story full of heart.

Story: 4/5. I'm starting to understand Bong Joon-ho's philosophy. I'll be revisiting some of his other films after this. This story of a girl and her superpig vs the corporate machine is surprisingly not as crazy as it sounds. As soon as each element is introduced, it makes sense as if this were any other day in the business world. There's a cold uncaring from the corporate end that moves through the entire film and keeps the sense of hopelessness flowing. The girl and Okja were both good in their roles, but Paul Dano was the standout character and performance in this. Tilda Swinton was really good. However, Jake Gyllenhaal was a bit too crazy for my liking, despite being a good actor. Joon-ho's comedic directing is always great, even though this is quite a dark story. Visuals: 4/5. Since Okja is a CGI superpig character, it was very important to get the CGI right here and they really did. I was not pulled out of the experience and everything blended together convincingly. Okja's interaction with environments was really cool. The cinematography was great and the overall look of the film was pleasant. Sound: 3/5. The score is often zany and comedic and it complements the first act of the film really well, and it evolves as the tonal shift comes along. It was not the most consistent score, but I haven't really loved most of Joon-ho's scores so far, despite liking them. The sound editing was great. 11/15: A funny and dark corporate commentary with a number of interesting performances.

Story: 3/5. Once again, we have a Justice League film that's better than the live-action disaster but not exactly great in its own right. Perhaps I am just not a fan of the DCAMU overall and I prefer their one-off tales. There are a number of good moments here but also a number of very cringe moments, too. The premise is the build-up of all the previous films; band absolutely everyone together to bring Darkseid down, with an emphasis on the Dark members of the League. Of course, those members stand out, and Constantine is great, as always. The good guys are overshadowed often, and the Suicide Squad make an okay appearance (with some of the worst attempts at their humour here). Again, the third act had the best moments of the film, making everything before it seem almost lazy. The Batfamily had the most heart, along with Constantine. Is the DCAMU over now? I don't think I'll miss it. Visuals: 2/5. I did not like the look of this one much. There was a distinct point where the character design was so lazy that I thought we were seeing Silver Swan but it was actually Mera or something? I can't even remember and it's only been a few minutes. I'm just going to move on. Sound: 2/5. Booming score to make the spectacle of it all seem bigger than it felt. It was fine all round. 7/15: The Dark members deserve their own better films and this was just fine.

Story: 4/5. Heavy (and often funny). This story of a mutated chemical spill monster terrorising the riverside civilians quickly becomes more than just a monster flick. I figured that would be the case from how early on we get to see the monster and deal with how everyone else reacts to its existence and taking of people. There are quite a few elements at play here. The family and its relationships are at the core and are what drives the story. Kang-Ho Song is the standout and delivers a great performance, along with Byun Hee-bong as his dad character. Their relationship and the relationships with the rest of the family could have been a story on its own, which brings some of the issues I have with the story. It seems to have a wider political narrative that is not quite properly explored. At least, not in a way which I found satisfying for something important enough to include. Visuals: 3/5. The creature is present for quite a chunk of the film, in broad daylight, and the CGI just isn't that great and isn't aging well. It's hard not to notice when the creature is present so often. However, the design of the creature itself is interesting and the way it moves felt different to a lot of other film monsters. The cinematography was also smooth and played well into the suspense of a number of scenes. The editing was good, too. Sound: 3/5. The sound design was good and was an integral part of what made certain sequences work. It was edited well and added to moments of humour. The score was mostly just okay but picked up very suddenly in the final act, being quite booming and effective. 10/15: A good monster film that's very focused on the humans who are being terrorised by the beast.

Story: 2/5. All of the recent DC films have had a need to retell certain elements to align with the new universe and this one does the same. However, it is thankfully only for a few minutes in the beginning and we breeze past it into new territory. The story it tells is not a very complex one. It's mothers and daughters and their relationships, what it means to belong and find your place in the, uh, bloodline. Diana's relationships are as we know them, and Silver Swan's dilemma mirrors Diana's, but on the side of evil. There are a number of cliches along the way and it is really just the third act that was very entertaining. The side characters were more memorable. Etta Candy was hilarious and Ferdinand was cool. The final battle was tense and had some stakes. Visuals: 3/5. The animation is disappointing as a lot of these recent DC films have been, so this is no different. There are fewer character designs to be dealt with here, and the ones we see, we have basically all seen before. Silver Swan could have been cooler, but she was effective. The end fight is really where all the effort seems to have gone. Sound: 2/5. I barely remember most of what I heard. The score had that same Wonder Woman Grecian flair to it that we've come to expect, but nothing remarkable. The sound design was fine. 7/15: An alright Wonder Woman film that ultimately does not contribute much at all to the universe.

Story: 2/5. There are elements of a really good story here, clumped up under elements which don't quite fit. It's the story of two rich girls trying to survive their first-world nightmare and being driven to grave acts because of it. The setup was interesting, and the leads are generally cast appropriately. However, only Anya Taylor-Joy's character seemed to have somewhat of an arc, and it was not very strong. Olivia Cooke is great, but it seems like the one-dimensional angle with her character was made too one-dimensional to be entirely compelling. Anton Yelchin ended up being the most memorable and fleshed-out character. I don't know. I wanted to like this a lot more than I ended up doing, which makes me come off more disappointed. Visuals: 3/5. The film looks really good, overall. The cinematography is smooth throughout, and the images crystal clear. The focus-pulls were all done impressively. The film definitely had style to it, with good set design and costume design. It just felt a little done-for-show at times, with little purpose except for flair. Sound: 2/5. This is the thing that pulled me out of the experience the most. Sound is so important and the score needs to work with the story. If you made someone listen to this score without context, they would likely tell you that it sounds like a creepy slasher horror film - something utterly weird. But that's not what this film is. This soundtrack is far weirder and creepier than the suburban nightmare drama that the story actually is. This annoyed me, even though the score itself was done well - for something else. The rest of the sound design was clever and effective. 7/15: A stylish and dark drama that could have been more effective if it had been more consistent and real.

Story: 4/5. Spike Lee really is just a very good filmmaker, isn't he? I thought I knew what I was in for when I started this, and I was so wrong. This isn't your standard Vietnam movie at all. This is a layered and emotional story about black men and their place throughout the historic fight for equality while being entirely earthed in their sense of belonging and relationships. The relationships at the core of this story are what make it all worth it, and those relationships are strong as hell. The men are all fleshed out gradually and with care, finding their place in the viewer's eyes and heart as the story moves along seamlessly. Delroy Lindo as Paul is so amazing in his role that he almost makes it impossible for the rest of the cast to shine, even though they do a great job as well. But really, Delroy Lindo was made for this role. Clarke Peters as Otis was also a standout. This is a difficult film at times, dealing with harsh subject matters, but it handles all of them well. My only gripe is with its mention of women without showing their important input, which could have done with a bit more work. Visuals: 4/5. This is a film with a lot of mixed media and that could have been tacky but it is handled masterfully here. The film has a look to it and it is maintained throughout. The use of different aspect ratios was a clever choice for the flashbacks. The images gave it a documentary feel in a good way. The production design as a whole was great and it felt like being in Vietnam the entire way through. The special effects were all grounded and believable. The cinematography was never particularly flashy but consistent and appropriate, with Paul's monologue being pretty intense. Sound: 4/5. War movies often have a theme to their scores and this score shares parts of that as if paying homage, but allows itself to have a necessary softness to its story, too. The softness complements the tone of this story and allows for the humour to work really well, too. The sound design was great throughout. The sound editing was cleverly worked into the visual editing in a very pleasing way. 12/15: This is so much more than a war film; it is a reflection on war and trauma and history and it does that amazingly.