Three Thousand Years Of Longing

Not at all the movie I thought it would be but I'm still happy.



I can't recall when I first saw promotional material for this film, and even then I only saw it once but I knew this was going to be a movie for me so here we are. What a fascinating little film! I truthfully thought the concept of Tilda Swinton playing a literary scholar named Alithea based solely in science and fact coming into contact with a djinn a wish giving creature of fantasy played by Idris Elba was pretty cool, and I figured the film would almost be this battle of religion and science but in a very intellectual and and thought provoking way. What I got was a still regardlessly interesting blossoming romance movie where the vast majority of it is with our two stars sitting in a room talking and telling stories. Doesn't sound far off from skull caving boredom, but it couldn't be anything farther from that! The devils are in the details and how the both literal stories of the character's past and the progression of the plot are what keeps it engaging. Of course Alithea finds it hard to believe despite physical evidence to the contrary that this mythical being has emerged in her hotel room but they quickly disband a lot of rebuking and denial that the djinn can't actually exist and move onto a few questions of his existence which leads to his history. Beautifully directed by George Miller, he of the incalculable Mad Max Fury Road fame, it's a visually striking and filled to the brim rich environment of scenes, with interesting camera work, slick editing, and colors galore as we follow his origins from the times of King Solomon to present day. Now on one hand I can easily see this movie not grabbing people's attention as firmly as it did mine, it's almost ludicrously simple in concept with more or less monologues abound of past histories formed as stories, yet I feel that is entirely the point. The movie really leans hard on the concept of stories, of tales, of legends and what humans get out of it and what they see in making such things, hell the only media I've seen that holds similar standing on the concept is The Sandman comics. It articulates itself very well, better than I can honestly find words to describe it myself so I do suggest people give it a go. It's not even 2 hours long, and while the movie has more fades to black than Return Of The King (my only slight complaint about the movie period) I found it easy to slip into this world, hear the tales, get invested in our characters, and did wonder at exactly how it all would end. It's a strange but neat little interesting story that I'm very happy to have seen. I personally give it 4 stars, 8.5/10, and while the idea that we're all just stories in the end has been in my mind for some time this movie actually reinforces that just a little bit more.

Second Viewing: Doctor Strange

Not my second viewing, but I couldn't think of a better title.

I can't believe how well this works as a standalone movie. Let's set the wayback machine to 4 years ago, I've seen two MCU movies, Iron Man and Iron Man 2, I hear tale of a movie with Benedict Cumberbatch and Mads Mikkelsen two of my favorite actors. The film is called Doctor Strange and the Marvel movies are barely on my radar, but I seek out the movie anyway and review it opening day, my opinions have not changed since then. This is still a high favorite of mine in the MCU, but going back to it after I've digested all this knowledge and inner continuity between films it works incredibly well as a standalone film. Sure Thor pops up at the end but the story and events are pretty disconnected from the other movies so perhaps it was just good fortune that this was the movie I watched above all others. And I felt it would be wrong not to talk about every film in this series even if I have done reviews on it before, and the same will go for Black Panther when we reach that. But Doctor Strange is still a very good movie, it's one of the most interesting, original, and entertaining movies of the series and one of only 2 Marvel movies I own on video. So obviously that out of the blue desire to see it left an impression. And what a perfect catalyst for me as a viewer, almost placed in Stephen Strange's shoes, a normal guy who gets thrust into this impossibly and infinitely large universe as he learns his way about it, now that holds even more meaning now that I've been viewing every one of these movies. Boy did my reaction mirror his when the term Infinity Stone was brought up, that could not have went more over my head if you shot it past the moon. This is a great beginner film for anybody wanting to get into these movies, maybe even more so than the very early films like Iron Man or The Incredible Hulk, I mean hell all you gotta do is turn it off when credits roll and boom, perfect cold opening. I like the villains, the visual style is mesmerizing at times, it doesn't rush things, the characters are easily understandable and have good writing to them, screw it I'm gonna say it. Despite my strong feelings towards certain entries, Doctor Strange upon rewatch is my favorite of the Marvel movies. Is it due to change? Quite possibly! We still have 9 movies left before the end, so it is entirely feasible that this could be toppled. I've written plenty about this movie so for my extended thoughts I have two seperate entries for you to read up on, but the bottom line is this is a very good movie, one of the best in the series (so far), and always a treat to watch again. 4 stars, 8/10! The Guardians Of The Galaxy returns tomorrow so let's see what wild shenanigans it has in store for us.

In Retrospect: The Dead Don't Die

I still love it.

You know, I think this movie is getting a bad reputation. Cause the brain dead zombie lovers will swallow anything with the Z word in it, but they want the same old shit and this movie is so not your regular zombie movie. Oh it sure has some beats and references to other zombie movies but the tone and story are so different from really any movie. I'll fully admit this is my first and so far only Jim Jarmusch movie I've seen, and yet I knew I was going to get something different yet unique when I walked into this movie and I really would love to get my hands on more of his work one day. See I'm not a zombie fan, I have respect for Night Of The Living Dead and enjoyed it, Shaun Of The Dead was a great comedy, and Zombieland was sorta blah for me but I know it has it's fans, so I walked into this movie with zero expectations and just wanted to see what it was about. What I got was a very funny, very entertaining, and just a neat movie that did it's own thing. I mean I will not lie to you, I saw the movie because of Bill Murray and Adam Driver, they are two of my favorite actors and I loved them just as much in this movie. The meta aspects of it were subdued but executed well and always made me laugh, unlike some other movies (cough Deadpool cough) and besides I can't exactly hate Star Wars references. It's just a fun little movie to watch and if I had to really pick my favorite zombie movie I'm hardpressed to find one I like more than this, though of course I know of no doubt superior films like Day Of The Dead and so forth. I actually did notice more on my second viewing that the film kinda has this low budget B-movie feel to it, very small set location, basic camera set up, off key acting though it doesn't detract from the movie, and the fact they give this science-y reason for the dead rising. I don't know, it just seemed in the spirit of many movies you would see on Mystery Science Theater, but that's not to say the movie is poorly made or bad. It has a good look to it, the zombie makeup isn't too much and it works, I really like the characters, the music is damn good and speaking of which I know some asshat is gonna be like well this movie was just a feature length sponsor for the song by Sturgill Simpson but let me tell you a little secret....if that's the case the finished product could have been way way worse. I mean how many friggin' movies have tried to sell you something throughout the whole movie, and how many were good? I actually don't mind The Wizard that much but yes, it's to sell you Nintendo stuff. Now let me be clear, a lot of movies have product placement but I'm more focused on where a movie is trying to shove something down your throat all the damn time and wants you to buy it and that's the purpose of the film. Hell that's the write off excuse for any movie made from an 80s cartoon and it is correct sometime. But not in this movie, the song is played for comedic effect cause it's all that's on the radio, and it's funny! And yes, I do like the song. That's a good song. It's a shame this movie made only about $13 million, because it's the director's most widely released film and people just wanted more standard zombie fare, so if you see the movie just take everything you know about zombie movies and throw it out the window. Just roll with it, you'll have fun I promise. I know it's pretty much hit cult film status, but give it a shot even if you aren't that big a horror fan. I greatly enjoyed it, and still would give it a solid 3 stars, 7/10, a sure fire rent or buy!

The Dead Don't Die

May be missing some bone in my skull but hey new movies, new reviews.

And in the case of The Dead Don't Die, see it. Just see it. If you can catch this movie in the theatre, do it. It is a lot of fun, it's friggin' weird for a zombie movie, and I really digged it. I almost expected a non-zombie movie because it takes awhile for the dead to rise and even then the movie's not centered on it. It's centered on a small town where there is some weird shit going down, days and nights stick around way too long, watches are frozen in time, the moon is glowing, only one song is heard constantly on the radio, it has a bit more of an apocalyptic feel almost. And there is indeed a reason for the dead rising, and I'm pretty sure it would take 20 minutes of Star Trek technobabble to explain it. But in the meantime we hang out with Bill Murray and Adam Driver as they drive around town and do their normal duties as police officers, and the funny thing is even when the zombies are shambling around they don't hop into action. Also free tip, Adam Driver knows what's up. Like this movie I swear has chronic self awareness, meaning they point out that this song which is also the title of the movie, is the theme. And I was like okay so we're self aware now? But thennthe movie keeps rambling on doing it's thing and it is so odd. I really like this movie, I enjoyed it but even then I can't deny it's weirdness. But you should see it regardless, and draw your own conclusions. I know I didn't divulge much beyond basic plot, and it's for the best trust me. When you watch it, you'll get what I mean, and maybe hopefully enjoy it.

Well that's all for now, but next week is no joke and we are going deep into nostalgic love.

In Retrospect: Doctor Strange

More magic filled movies, what's not to like?

Doctor Strange might well be my favorite Marvel movie of all time, I mean it's got Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen, a great retelling of an origin story, outstanding effects, surprisingly philosophical and spiritual overtones, all done so well. It's a really good movie, and the one good thing I can say about most Marvel movies is the fact almost every movie is a standalone movie. You don't need to watch all the movies from Iron Man to Doctor Strange, you could just watch Doctor Strange! Skip the after credits scene, and voila! A solid superhero movie that stands alone. The story is very interesting, mainly just due to the fact of Stephen Strange's training in the mystic arts. Doctor Strange, the only superhero who got powers from reading books. All jokes aside, it is the best part of the story in my opinion, and yes while the rest of the story is fine, that was the part that still grabs me and pulls me into the movie. All the main actors do great jobs, and the comedy didn't actually grate on me that much this viewing around. Not sure why, maybe I just accepted it and moved past it, knowing damn well there is nothing I can do to change it, so why complain? The really bad part is, I looked up the full list of films in the Marvel cinematic universe, and there was only....3 I would watch, and only one in the future that I want to see. Now granted, I'm not much of a Marvel fan, I hardly know anything about characters or certain stories first hand, 99% of my knowledge stems from comic reviews and these movies. But I will admit I do want to read the Doctor Strange comics from the 60s just to see what it was all like. Beyond that, it's just another Marvel movie but a damn good one that I can safely say I will enjoy in the future.

Alright, that's enough In Retrospects for awhile and this Friday it will be a new movie in theaters. Until then, catch you later on down the trail.

Doctor Strange

Wow. Okay, first Marvel movie I have seen since Iron Man 2. Boy howdy was that different.

Doctor Strange, very good superhero movie based off of a lesser known Marvel character, how does it hold up? Well it's no secret the visuals in this movie are brilliant, with colors, and patterns, and psychedelics creating a truly mind bending experience. Casting was quite good, Benedict Cumberbatch is a no brainer in my head for a hero like Doctor Strange, although he's very Sherlock in places which makes me laugh that much more, Mads Mikkelsen was a treat to watch as always, dare I say those are the main reasons that I wanted to see this movie. It's not a big surprise that I am mainly a DC fan and not a Marvel fan, obviously I have been several years late to this cinematic universe, so I was trying to acclimate myself to this with mostly sound success. I sympathized with Stephen, was interested by the magic, blown away by the visuals, liked the mythos, but sometimes...the comedy just rubbed me the wrong way. Now I get it, Marvel is very lighthearted, it cracks jokes, I get that but there is a difference between comedic relief and shattering the mood. Several times I got thrown off, just by the excess humor during what should be a serious scene. Is that a thing in most Marvel movies nowadays? Cause...we might be having problems with that. I appreciate humor, I laughed several times, but they need to work on balancing humor and drama. I'm not saying it should be completely serious and dark, far from it, just tone it down a bit. Beyond that one little issue, I enjoyed the movie. It's not going to make me a Marvel fanboy, I barely stayed past the credits, I know, blasphemy!! Heretic! Don't care that much! The story was well put together following a very Cumberbatch surgeon (Is that a noun now? That should be a noun.) who following a brutal car crash, has lost the ability to use his hands. He seeks a man who has overcome an impossible medical disability who tells him to search for a temple. He travels there and slowly learns more about everything he knows about life is merely microscopic compared to the innerworkings of the multiverse. He learns spells, fights corrupt magic users, and even throws down with a multi-dimensional conqueror of worlds. It's pretty thrilling. Final sum up, go see this movie if you are interested. I know I was and am quite happy to have seen it, so I say go for it. You never know what you may learn...