1917

Well the first movie going experience of the new decade and the year. Shit.

I'm just gonna get this out of the way but, I totally jinxed myself today. I said not 6 hours before I walked into this movie, "I haven't had a bad theater experience in the 4 years of reviewing I've done.". Yeah the projection broke down twice. And it hurt the experience, the immersion, and the enjoyment of the film for me. I wasn't mad at the theater cause these things happen and very rarely too but with a film like 1917, you need that immersion. The whole movie is set up to be shot in one long take, very much like Birdman, but when the film stops and then literally has to rewind back a few minutes it does hurt the film. We had no hiccups after that and it started around the 30 minute mark but I couldn't fully enjoy the film afterwards because there was a nagging thought in the back of my head, the movie could break down again. That f***ing sucks man. My rating has been compromised because of the experience. Granted I very much liked the film, it was filmed absurdly well and I only counted a max of 5 cuts in this 2 hour movie. It has a strong story with two british soldiers tasked with crossing enemy territory to relay a message that will save 1,600 men. It does warrant the R rating with it's content, they don't shy away from anything, there's multiple instances of decomposed and grotesque corpses littered on the battlefield and environment. It does remind that war is worse than any hell ever created by a religion, but it has deeper themes of friendship, loyalty, comraderie, life, death, and beauty amongst ruins. The performances are all done very well with Dean Charles Chapman and more importantly George Mackay, they have to carry this film all the way through on their backs and they do succeed. But Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, and Benedict Cumberbatch though having bit parts do elevate the film. As I said Sam Mendes has done a great job with directing and each shot is excellent, never letting up that under the skin tension and anxiety for the audience. You just never know when someone is about to take a shot and you're as apprehensive and stressed as the main characters. It's a damn good film and if I saw it last year it would have made my top 10 list, probably would have put it at number 10 because while it is a technical marvel and a strong and powerful story, there was some stiff competition for last year that gave me a lot of enjoyment and love. So take my rating with a grain of salt, it could be way way better for you than it was for me. 1917 gets a solid 4 stars, 8.5/10. It does severely bum me out that the first movie experience of this year was less than spectacular but we must press on for better and new experiences.

Okay I've compiled a list of movies I own that I haven't done yet. It's a small list but there was one particular series that I'm all for revisiting, and I would like to do it 5 years in than much later. It's kind of a crime I haven't reviewed them before but that will be rectified starting next Sunday for a whole week. It will be a wild magical time for all.

Bridget Jones's Diary

This is the movie I needed to see today.

Bridget Jones's Diary is a very good, funny, just plain wonderful movie about an average 30-something year old woman searching for love and trying to do things better in her life. Already this movie has got me. That is a ridiculously simple plot but life has great charm in simplicity! And that's the word for the movie, charm. This is a charming movie. Bridget Jones is a clumsy, off putting, but very truthful and sympathetic character. She's trying to do better by her own standards and trying to find love, and honestly and truthfully doesn't everyone do that? At some point in your life if not frequently in your life you have tried to a.) make yourself better or b.) tried to find love. It's what humans do. So already the film is wearing it's heart on it's sleeve so it made it very enjoyable to watch, and then you add all the other elements. This film is hilarious! The humor is very british and a bit crass but I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh quite a bit. The romance isn't half bad either, we got Bridget's boss played by Hugh Grant and oh my God he is so Hugh Grant in this. I love him. And then we got....actually what is he? Her friend she made years ago? Her blind date set up by her parents? I have no idea, he's played by Colin Firth and man do Hugh and Colin love to be in movies together. First Love Actually, now this. And the romance is cliched but the rest of the movie is enjoyable in it's odd, awkward, no bullcrap style so I don't even really mind that much. Now all the characters are highly enjoyable but Bridget's dad played by Jim Broadbent is perfection. I love him to tiny little itty bitty pieces. He's like, the one perfect character, he's not a jerk, he's not looking for romance, he's just kinda living his life. There is a wonderful love and care he shows for his daughter, he never panders to her or treats her different, he's just being the best dad he can be and loves his wife and daughter. I aspire to be like Bridget's dad in my future years, I mean best dad ever. Bridget's dad is awesome! Just all the element's worked, it's such a good movie and though I haven't seen the other two movies I'm not totally against seeing them in the future. My mom loves this movie and she was nice enough to sit and watch it with me, so at the very least I can thank her for that. And of course I wish you not only the happiest of Valentine's Days, but the best and most loved for years to come. And I look forward to seeing all of you this Friday for another movie.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Well this was a good movie to end the day with.

Now I have to make myself very clear. I do not hate this movie. Let me repeat that again, I do NOT hate this movie. But.....it's not as great as the first one. The first Kingsman movie came out of left field and floored me with how different but still awesome it's take on the spy genre was. Maybe I had high expectations for this movie but it never made me say, "Wow, this is a pretty good friggin' movie!". So our story picks up a few years after the first, Eggsy is a top agent at Kingsman, he's in a relationship with that chick he banged in the ass at the end of the last movie, and all seems well. Enter Julianne Moore, who I swear to God is the reason you should see this movie! I mean she's nuttier than a PayDay bar, and my God is it beautiful. She plays this guano crazy buisnesswoman who has grossed over $300 billion dollars on drug trade alone. She has this whole crazy plan, with poisoning drug users and then asking for all drug use be legalized in exchange for a cure. Make sense? Not to me. I kinda could roll with the whole brainwave scrambling thing in the last movie and I liked it. The only flipping reason Kingsman is brought into this is because one of her employers has a grudge against them, and Eggsy's girlfriend gets the virus. That's it. Now you could argue, it is saving the world since so many people do drugs, but honestly I don't feel the world is at stake. At all. Kinda diminishes the whole scale and drive of the movie. Now the acting across the board is still great, the action while lessened is still cool, the comedy is there but I just didn't laugh as much the first go around, and has the strangest....I can't evenncall it a cameo because it happens waaaay to often, and even results in a total deus ex machina, and I'm just confused by it. Kingsman The Golden Circle is an okay sequel to a great film. Buy the first, rent the second, or just watch the two trailers to this movie. Trust me, they are excellent! Kinda ended on a downer, but hey next week we got more movies to start as a prologue to a mish mash of horror, sci-fi, and the most wonderful time of the year.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

This was a blast! You want a different sort of spy movie? Look no further.

Kingsman is a great, fun, and very entertaining spy movie that revels in the absurdity and all things awesome that we have come to know and love in the spy genre from the 60s and 70s. Our main hero Eggsy had a father who worked with a completely top secret institute known as Kingsman, he dies on a mission and about 10 years later Eggsy comes in contact with his father's partner Galahad who takes him under his wing and trains him to fight Samuel L. Jackson from killing the world with Suicide Squad bombs implanted in people's heads. Sounds ridiculous? Well, there's a reason. I love the fact that this movie totally says it's a spy movie, unashamedly having fun with the classic James Bond archetypes of megalomaniacal villains, bizzare assassins, ridiculously awesome gadgets, and always cool looking secret agents. I expected a decent movie and I got a really good one! There's many good things to say about it and very little bad things, so I'll keep it short and sweet. First off, bitching cast right off the bat. In one instance we have Mark Hamill, Sam Jackson, and Sofia Boutella in a scene together. Need I say more? All actors are outstanding across the board, the action is absolutely insane in terms of choreography and really creates a spectacle that I haven't felt in a movie in ages. And that's a great word to describe this movie, a spectacle! A spectacle of action, humor, and espionage blended perfectly and poured in a martini glass. This is a movie that deserves the praise and the viewings from people all over the world, and more than worthy enough to buy. So now, I'm stoked for the sequel like mad! I expect it to be a good sequel, with a lot of fun in it, so I will see you there and remember that manners maketh man.

Love Actually

Bloody hell this was good...

So Love Actually is not only a damn good romance movie, it's a good Christmas movie. So we got to talk about that! Love Actually is really a story following 10 different people and all their paths are intertwined, think Valentine's Day or New Years Eve but good. Like really good. I'm honestly not sure where to start with this movie, cause there are lots of characters and lots of ground to cover. The cast itself is amazing, I mean we got people like Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, and the list goes on. I have to be honest here, I could not pick a favorite character in this movie cause they are all awesome! It was like every new scene that popped up I said there's my favorite character, and that happened every time we saw a different character. You might think the movie gets a bit confusing with it's vast cast of characters but thankfully it does not. Hell I can't even call them characters because they are as real as you or me. And that is what I loved about the movie, it centers around relationships. Almost any relationship that you can think of is potrayed in this movie and it is 120% accurate! This is what happens in the world that involves relationships, there are good moments, bad moments, love is won, and love is lost. If there has ever been a movie with the sole theme of love it IS this movie! And I can't believe I have never seen it before. So please for the love of all things good and wholesome in this world, I implore you to go see this movie. The time is right to view it, and the movie really has a strong point that Christmas is a time to spend with people that you love. In my personal opinion that is with any holiday but Christmas especially. This movie makes you want to spend time with the people that you love more than anything in this world. It's almost necessary to see this movie if you haven't already. I promise you will love Love Actually.