End Of The Week Shorts #93
The first stand-up I've seen from Damon Wayans, and I couldn't have guessed he'd be so good.
Quite ruthless and far too brash by standards ten years later, Wayans hits all the low notes quite well. The material is not particularly imaginative, but it is performed with some great act outs and a lot of energy. If it makes you laugh, it makes you laugh - and I laughed; his daughter learning to swear is gold.
The jump in quality between this and Wayans' 2006 special is quite substantial, but that doesn't mean The Last Stand is bad. The notes, you could say, are bluer, the comedy harsher, but it mostly works. The laughs aren't as big here, but they are infectious. The act out of handy man is beyond ridiculous; the laughter can't be suppressed. I always like not knowing some of the references a comic makes, and a bunch went over my head here (not as much as in Still Standing), but such is something of a unusual plus in my books. In total, this is watchable, but Wayans here is just not as good as his older self - again something of a plus.
I can't not see The Hurt Locker as a fundamentally sad story.
A reckless, almost unshakeable, bomb disposer only finds meaning in being close to death. He seems not to be very focused on his country, on his men, on the citizens he tries to save. Of course, he forms bonds, but these only snap back upon him, leaving rather deep scars. A father and a husband loves only one thing: almost dying. In Freudian terms, he's possessed by thanatos, and this is merely celebrated. There is no bittersweetness; all exploration, all realism, is shrouded by patriotic fervour. And such is rather damaging as The Hurt Locker's only true draw is its realist presentation of a side of war not-too-often explored. One can't help but see this as subservient to an "America!" kind of ending and thus an uncomfortable source of spectacle. In short, this has no reason to be so acclaimed in my opinion.
My first contact with Dragon Ball Z; never watched it as a kid, always had an intrigue, but didn't have the channels to watch the TV show. Having recently been allured to the huge screams and bright colours of this mysterious world again, I finally decided to watch a Dragon Ball Z movie.
I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly felt let down by Battle of Gods. The action feels limited, and all entirely incidental. There is something to admire about a film that does not attempt to contrive conflict, rather contrives buffers to prevent conflict from occurring, but the effect on screen is less fun and more dopey. Of course, this wasn't a great place to start with Dragon Ball Z, but the least I was hoping for was some ludicrous action--and I just didn't feel it here.
Alpha is an immersive tale that not only explores the emergence of self-dependence and heroism in a young man, but the integration of animals into the human world; indeed, the latter is a symbolic allegory of the former tale, but both narrative strands can stand independent of one another. What this does so well is balance those two narratives, presenting a fascinating period in the evolution of society alongside an affecting coming-of-age narrative.
The limitations of Alpha concern the intensity of drama and the execution of certain elements of action. Whilst this then looks rather breath-taking, the aesthetics do not always enhance drama. And the CGI, whilst acceptable, is sometimes too noticeable. In all, this simply does not exude mastery and does not maximally affect, but is certainly an impressive piece of cinema.
In short, Nocturnal Animals doesn't work. I'd go as far as to say that it is pretentious.
A mismatched relationship stressed by anxiety erupts with betrayal. The betrayed man overcomes this (apparently) by writing about the death of his family and the birth of a new self within his body with strokes of deep naivety and nihilism. What does Nocturnal Animals then reveal? A woman is lost in life - what was once a bright alternative path for her is what seems to be a sensitive asshole. It seems she should not return to him. It seems she has wasted her life. It seems that she has nowhere to go. How dismal and how meaningless... what more can be said?
Made for the songs, but with what to explore? This puts back on stage Freddie Mercury, revealing all at once the moors of his celebrity and the triumph of his performer's philosophy. I can't say, however, that Bohemian Rhapsody is a particularly effective character-study due to its bio-pic spectacle elements (which distract to some degree). At best, one may say that the values of Bohemian Rhapsody are the values instilled into Queen's music by the band (emphasis on Mercury). However, to what depth are these values investigated and questioned? Unlike a documentary such as Amy, this does not try to reveal what goes into an artist's songs - and this is what I was hoping for. Without this, Bohemian Rhapsody is a mediocre mesh of musical sequences and bio-pic stitched together with unsatisfactory sound-montage. Not bad, but far from great.
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Forest Of The Gods - Hush
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Bumblebee - A New Start
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