I'm surprised you rated this so high; it doesn't sound as if you like much about it (bad acting, cringe-worthy dialogue)! I felt 2 was a huge step down from the first film personally - clownish, and poor in most departments - whereas the first Die Hard, like you say, is almost perfect as an actioner. Maybe I came to the sequel too late; I didn't see it as a kid so it had none of that residual nostalgia that sometimes carries a bad film over the line.
If it were a solid action movie then fine, but it's not, it's just a series of ludicrous action set pieces. Acting and all the rest is still important to me in a good action movie - if you don't care about the characters and find their dialogue laughable, how can you care about anything that happens to them? You might as well just watch an expensive firework display.
Solid 8 from me. Very often I'm either indifferent or not a fan of female leads in sci-fi and action movies lately. Scarlett Johansson again gave a very sympathetic performance as in Under the Skin movie. Major criticisms come from anime fans who are never happy about adaptations and from those professional critics who care much about whitewashing and cultural appropriation.
Split ( 2016) 8/10
Shyamalan's very solid thriller. In this movie Shyamalan regained credibility from a high class actor ( James McAvoy). For example in his last low budget film The Visit he couldn't afford to invite popular actors. Sometimes in such roles with complex impersonation actors look pretentious and self-indulging. McAvoy was always entertaining and convincing.
Solid 8 from me. Very often I'm either indifferent or not a fan of female leads in sci-fi and action movies lately. Scarlett Johansson again gave a very sympathetic performance as in Under the Skin movie. Major criticisms come from anime fans who are never happy about adaptations and from those professional critics who care much about whitewashing and cultural appropriation.
Wow, so you managed to keep your eyes open through it. I was willing to give it a pass as I knew damn well it was not going to be GITS so lets look at it from another film entirely point of view.
The problem stems entirely from her portraying Motoko in the exact same manner as the character from Under the Skin. What works for an alien grafted into a foreign atmosphere and culture, simply does not fly when that person is trying to portray a person extracted and enhanced in their own culture. Neither director nor actor in this case got that simple point. She turns herself into a poor copy of Robocop with Boobs and it just does not come off. Supporting roles are even more deadpan and the movie slides into an abyss of zero developed characters trying to hunt down zero developed villian in a plot that once again is Marvel in simplicity and structure.
By all means do not follow the original novels or anime films, but please do not push yet another cgi fest on audiences who might just might have more intelligence than a 4th generation inbred gerbel.
The problem stems entirely from her portraying Motoko in the exact same manner as the character from Under the Skin. What works for an alien grafted into a foreign atmosphere and culture, simply does not fly when that person is trying to portray a person extracted and enhanced in their own culture. Neither director nor actor in this case got that simple point. She turns herself into a poor copy of Robocop with Boobs and it just does not come off.
I think they were trying to portray a robot. Her body is robot. For me Scarlett Johansson's performance worked well. The villain wasn't very interesting, I agree here.
I think they were trying to portray a robot. Her body is robot. For me Scarlett Johansson's performance worked well. The villain wasn't very interesting, I agree here.
Solid 8 from me. Very often I'm either indifferent or not a fan of female leads in sci-fi and action movies lately. Scarlett Johansson again gave a very sympathetic performance as in Under the Skin movie. Major criticisms come from anime fans who are never happy about adaptations and from those professional critics who care much about whitewashing and cultural appropriation.
I would agree on 8/10 for the imagery and digital/special effects. But it seemed like it was focused on that too much. Scarlett did look the part. The movie did have some references back to the original but I wouldn't compare one to the other as they are different in storyline.
Shyamalan's very solid thriller. In this movie Shyamalan regained credibility from a high class actor ( James McAvoy). For example in his last low budget film The Visit he couldn't afford to invite popular actors. Sometimes in such roles with complex impersonation actors look pretentious and self-indulging. McAvoy was always entertaining and convincing.
Agreed. After years of making awful movies, looks like Shyamalan is back on track. Solid 8 for Split from me too. Possibly my favourite movie from the director, although some of them are due for rewatching. James McAvoy was great.
It sounds like a sequel, but the 2.0 means version 2.0. The film follows a copy cat, who draws on the account of Raman Raghav, a real life serial killer in the 60s, for inspiration. In parallel to the story of Ramanna (Raman), we follow the thread of his nemesis, cop-on-the-edge, Raghavan (Raghav). It's a twist on the old super-foes story; Heat, or Manhunter maybe, relocated to the slums of Mumbai.
Despite being on opposite sides of the law, the two are peas in a pod - something that becomes increasingly clear until the final interchange. It's right there in their names as well. It's not subtle, but then it's not meant to be - director Anurag Kashyap doesn't deal in subtlety. I don't know much about Bollywood, but I'm pretty sure this is meant to be a shock to the system - there are no musical numbers, no romantic overtones and an irreverence that runs through the film like a seam of neon paint - it seems to delight in shocking the audience as much as entertaining it. That said, most of the violence happens off-screen, which for this kind of movie, is unusual - if it were a Korean revenge thriller for example, it would be explicit.
I think what really pushes it over the average are the cinematography - the restless, energetic camera work that captures the fetid vibrancy of the enivronment - and the performances of the two leads, especially Siddiqui, who has a magnetic screen presence as Raman, veering between strangely comic and disturbingly savage in a film that is all about contrasts and correlation.
I find Anurag Kashyp a little too overrated. Wasseypur-1 is his best, though. Having an encyclopaedic knowledge about cinema is one thing and being great at making films is another. People tend to mistake talking films to making films.
Agreed. After years of making awful movies, looks like Shyamalan is back on track. Solid 8 for Split from me too. Possibly my favourite movie from the director, although some of them are due for rewatching. James McAvoy was great.
I had hopes for this one as the only other film I know of to showcase the SBS is Cockleshell Heroes which was quite remarkable for it's time. What we get here is Dominic Cooper (anyone else there think he bears a remarkable resemblance to Oliver Platt?) as the next book adapted Uber Soldier in a Z grade actioner which looks like it was filmed at an abandoned industrial site in London somewhere. Miserable dialogue, preposterous scenario's, transparent villians and the least intelligent intelligence officers on earth merged with some of the worst special effects ever committed to film. The only possible salvation would be Derek Jacobi but he is not around enough to help much in the only intentional comedic role in this squid sandwich of a film.
This would have failed as an episode of Strike Back so on it's own it merely stands out for the assault on intelligence, eyes and ears of the hapless viewer.
Don't even look at this one in the package on the shelf.
If you ever had that dream that says with you after waking, and wish to immerse yourself even longer; perhaps this movie could satisfy. The beauty of dream is that it is fleeting; the real world is always a breath away.
This movie captures that wonder, the "what if." The confusion of a dream that seems too real. The whimsy of someone who lives as if they are dreaming.
But, it can only last so long. The dream of a young girl in a small village far from the city is fulfilled, or so it appears. It is here, the viewers see that it seems as if one could chase a distant memory, this would be the conclusion.
It is a visual and aural treat to the mind, up there with the finest Miyazaki films. Much like Miyazaki films, this has roots in Japanese culture, implemented flawlessly.
I would gladly watch this movie again. However, I do admit that it may not be for everyone -- the realists may have trouble seeing (or rather experiencing) the appeal.
This one had me rolling my eyes a little more than expected. A lot that just seemed too predictable and maybe forced to me. Character development was also noticeable lacking in this one. To the point where the only character
I was even a little sad to see go was K-2SO.
I actually enjoyed SW:TFA more, even if an argument can be made it suffers from similar flaws (personally gave that an 8/10). Could have done without this one but of course too much money to leave on the table...
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