BlakeEngel

IT makes a number of weird choices. Zero setup for Pennywise, he just shows up in a gutter. The logic behind his powers is equally underdevelopment. Is he omnipresent, omnipowerful? Then how do a bunch of adolescents beat him up in the end? In spite of this, IT is fun, like Stranger Things. A 80's-set hangout movie with a great, sinister evil in the middle. I wish Pennywise had more monologues. The beginning is the best part.

4 _1%

Mother! (2017) - Rated 23 Sep 2017

If one decides to demolish all sense of story for the sake of pure allegory, then the allegory should provide insight. We are all familiar with the Biblical stories, so "updating" them should be a tool to connect these archetypal stories to something familiar. In mother!, there is no insight, no familiarity, nothing to connect to or with. I went into this movie knowing that humans are currently desecrating the world. When I walked out, I learned nothing new. What was the point?

85 _99%

Good Time (2017) - Rated 26 Aug 2017

Interesting to experience a movie that functions in terms of an immediate "What happens next? And then what?" storytelling philosophy. It really feels like the American version of the Dardenne Brothers. Instead of following people with a wide lens behind their backs, we follow from the front with a long lens, so often staying in a pretty tight closeup. The score is mostly fantastic, all performances are great, its just a giant meltdown in the middle of New York. Bizarre and unique.

7 _22%

Baby Driver (2017) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

On first viewing, the car chases and action are riveting. On second viewing, the characters reveal themselves to be pretty thin and the use of music to be nothing too special. Baby was supposed to "use" music to be a better driver, as if the soundtrack activates his abilities. But really it's just an excuse to have a cool soundtrack. This is certainly a fun movie, with two fantastic car chases, but it doesn't live up to the opening chase and the characters are not as good as Wright's previous.

9 _71%

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

Matt Reeves is a genius on par with Villeneuve and Fincher. It just so happens his forte is summer tent poles. One of the fascinating aspects of this movie is how fucked up it is, with parallels to the Holocaust, forced labor camps and POW camps. Harrelson is a fantastic villain. Serkis and company are perfect and powerful. But Reeves deserves the praise - excellent staging and cinematography, all while using the most complicated mo-cap in history of cinema - the results are amazing!

9 _71%

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

This is pretty much everything I want from a Spider-Man movie. Tons of fun, a great Spider-Man, a great villain, a Peter Parker that suffers and struggles the way a Parker should. The Marvel connections worked well, not because I give a shit about Marvel but because it's cool to see Iron Man show up. There's some contrivances and easy coincidences, but who cares? This movie is why I pay for overpriced tickets. Pure, well-down fun.

6 _12%

Bubble (2005) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

I get what Soderbergh was doing - experimenting with early digital cinema, trying to make a movie as quickly as possible. On the one hand is a portrait of people rarely put on screen, but on the other is awkward, kind of wooden performances from non-actors. It just all feels off, even the cinematography, which is frankly boring. There's a Hitchcockian element that drives this story, but that's like the last 20 minutes or so of a 70+ minute movie. It just didn't pull me in very well.

6 _12%

Lady Vengeance (2005) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

The story immediately gets off on the wrong foot and never sets itself right again. Through an extremely convoluted set of circumstances, the protagonist is imprisoned. Then she befriends the inmates, who each help her once she gets outside. And then, instead of getting vengeance, she helps the families of other victims get vengeance. I'm not sure what the point is, precisely. Sometimes its beautiful, but its mostly confusing. The protag felt like a tour guide more than a main character...

9 _71%

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) - Rated 15 Jul 2017

An elegantly structured story that's constantly playing with narrative expectations, Vengeance turns protagonists to antagonists and starts following a totally new character at the midpoint. Despite all the twists and turns, its all incredibly simple and streamlined. Before he starting getting over the top with his camerawork, Park was still doing incredible things in a simple way, specifically in terms of coverage and staging. Wonderful work.

9 _71%

It Comes at Night (2017) - Rated 11 Jun 2017

After the indulgent, kind of boring 'Krisha', who would have thought Schults' sophomore feature would be a taut thriller that doesn't let up from the first frame. That's the amazing thing here - there's almost zero exposition, there's five main character, there's one location. With these simple tools, he crafts something that grabs you by the throat and only lets go to throw you down into the mud by the end. Its simply never boring, never indulgent, always leaves you at the edge of your seat.