Day 50 – Moana – 2016

Day 50, I can’t believe I have reached this checkpoint. Another film released in 2016. Is it any good?

Moana is from the people who brought us Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. It is a tour de force when it comes to emotional punches and truly is return to form for Disney with its incredibly intricate introduction to new characters, its large-scale world building and its truly extraordinary talent behind the music. The animation is magic.

Moana tells the story of the title character who lives on a Polynesian island somewhere in the Atlantic ocean. It recognises the natural habitat and folklore of the surrounding islands and it sews seeds for the great tale which takes Moana on a journey of self-discovery and friendship at the sea. She meets Maui (played by Dwayne Johnson) who is a demi-god and has lived for a thousand years. Wanting him to return a stone to bring back life to the island she left thanks to the corruption occurring all around her. Along the way, we meet a whole host of characters such as the chicken Heihei, the giant crab Tamatoa and my personal favourite; the ocean itself.

The story is fun and adventurous and takes Moana, Maui and Heihei across the ocean in a humorous yet strong character development which showcases Disneys talent to always remind the audience that family is forever. It is an incredible achievement on both a story level and a technical level thanks to its beautiful animation from Disneys Animation Studio which is separate from Pixar. Maui’s hair and tattoos are very responsive to the actions that the character takes with the latter having a persona of his own. It’s both hilarious and sweet thanks to the portrayal of the sweet animation. Did I mention that Maui’s tattoos were all hand drawn then digitised into the computer? Disney has returned to the roots that made them great in the first place.

The score was drafted by Lin-Manuel Mirinda who currently is massive on Broadway for his play Hamilton. The music is incredibly subtle and packs a large punch thanks to the Polynesian style and beat which made it big for replays across the Spotify playlist lovers. The songs are very personal because it showcases the mind of Moana and Maui as they cross the ocean. The Polynesian language in the songs also adds a sense of authenticity and also very catchy. I myself have listened to some of the songs on full blast while smiling across the city.

The main attraction in the film in my eyes is the character of the ocean. How did Disney create a character out of the environment and make me feel like it was an essential part of the story. The animation and fluid detection in the film is second to none. It is beautiful. We are really living in the future of cinema.
Overall a beautiful return to form for Disney after Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. All are fantastic, but this is even better.

Should you watch it: YES

Day 47 – John Wick – 2014

John Wick, don’t set him off.

What an adventure we go through as a viewer of the dark world of which John Wick is set in, Keanu Reeves pulls off a second renaissance (first being The Matrix) with his portrayal of the retired assassin lumbered back into the world he walked away from all them years ago. All because some kids stole his car and killed his dog (of which his dying wife gave to him).
Set in New York, John Wick’s plot is small but the damage he deals is mighty. The amount of carnage he causes to multiple people in the 1 hour and 41-minute runtime is incredible.

Did you know that Director Chad Stahelski was Keanu Reeves stunt double in The Matrix Trilogy. That’s why there are some incredible gun action in the film. Hyper-stylised, John Wick is a return to form for Reeves who’s roles have been interesting for the past 10 years with a lot of independent films being in the mix. Because this film is literally a Matrix reunion, Stahelski also adds Matrix alumni Daniel Bernhardt to the mix. He played Agent Johnson in The Matrix Reloaded and becomes the man who almost literally breaks John Wicks back.

Violence, destruction and kinetic action are at the forefront of this film. Incredible action sequences with a simple plot keep the film fresh and inventive. You care more about the world and character building in this universe thanks to fantastic art direction and simplistic structures across the usual brooding New York skyline.

Keanu Reeves is the man, with us first seeing him in the whimsical Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure, he stole everyones hearts in the early 90’s with his portrayal of the undercover cop Johnny Utah in Point Break and then finally embracing his life goal and becoming the saviour of the human race as Neo in The Matrix Trilogy. Moving to the world of assassination has been a long time coming with him dipping his feet in the water previously with Street Kings by David Ayer and his martial arts endeavours in The Man of Tai Chi and 47 Ronin. It comes full circle with John Wick.

The action in this film is in one word: Flawless. Every kill he makes is calculated and quantified and then judged. It feels electric and energetic to see him just make mince meat out of the opponents in the various sequences we see him in with one sequence standing out. The Red Circle club of which John Wick infiltrates and tries to take down Iosef (with a very convincing Russian accent by Alfie Allen). The gun play and physical action of which takes place in the club is precise and intricate and superbly brutal. John Wick is a focused killer, and he always gets his mark. A number of bodyguards he literally destroys in the sequences is out of this world, and with ease. The art direction of the sequence is varied, moving from the spa in the basement of which is moody, sensual and overall relaxing towards the club on top of which is vibrant with neon hues and blues and the over the top heavy music silences all of John Wicks kills instantly.

Incredibly movie making and I didn’t even talk about the music. Tyler Bates has composed an incredible collection of music for every situation John Wick is in. From mourning his wife’s death at the beginning to the reprisal when he receives the gift from her convey the feeling of emergence into the world for him. It feels warm, adding to the subtlety that he wants to move on with his life. Then when we see him in The Red Circle Club music is dark, energetic and flows in such a way that you would dance in a club with but at the same time showcases Tyler Bates ability to use it as an introduction to the dark and shady world of which John Wick works in. The underbelly of society that we know nothing about. The shoot out music that we hear when John Wick goes berserk in the club was called Shots Fired by Le Castle Vania. The music is perfect in John Wick.

Overall a great film of which everyone should watch. Intense, stylish and sexy, John Wick is the anti-hero for the next generation. Keanu Reeves back and he is deadly than ever with the return of Babayaga.

Should you watch it: HELL YES.

Day 46 – Manchester by the Sea – 2016

Incredible storytelling and wonderful acting from Casey Affleck. The film is an interesting take on the sob story. I can see why people are raving about this film.

The film is about a man whose brother passes away and has to move to Manchester by the Sea to look after his nephew because his mother has moved away. It shows us why Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) moved away originally thanks to the horrible tragedy that occurred previously in his life. Kenneth Lonergan wrote and directed the film, he also wrote the 2002 Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York. It is an incredible tale, of which I recommend to everyone to watch.

The main star of the film is Casey Affleck. His portrayal of the broken and lost Lee showcase his impeccable acting skills. His presence is felt on screen at the most dire moments making the viewer really feel what his character is feeling. His actions with the grief and rage returning to Manchester connote that he shouldn’t be the man to look after his brother son Patrick, played by newcomer Lucas Hedges. The Bostonian accent is always present and that adds to the always icy yet humorous characters portrayed on the screen.

The direction from Lonergan is incredible, with every scene bursting with energy and emotion. The amount of development a character has is incredible, as they all have backstories. The amount of decisive composition is very clever, a lot of the shots have some kind of centre. Many of the characters are either in the centre of the shot, being key to the scene. It’s a nice way of showcasing who is the main character in the scene. Also, Lonergan uses colour as a way to show the lonely mind of the main character of Lee. The greys and low hues tell me that he is clearly lost in the world and he feels he has no purpose until his brothers passing. It is very sad, at the same time very intriguing.

The use of emotion is used vividly. I had moments in the film of which I’m not going to give away which really hit me emotionally. The location of Manchester by the sea is always bleak and overcast. And using flashbacks with a little more depth and colour adds to the realism of that this could happen to anyone. The music is a catalyst for emotion, using classical cues. Lonergan removes the dialogue on screen multiple times and increases the classical music to intensify what the characters on screen would be saying. It’s a clever way of showing the incredible emotion on screen without sacrificing the dialogue in the script.

Overall a fantastic movie, and again I recommend everyone should watch it. An Oscar winner for sure.

 

Should you watch it: YES

Day 45 – Underworld: Blood Wars – 2016

Slick action and fantastic fight scenes can’t save this film from its terrible plot. Based on the Underworld Franchise written originally by Len Wisemen and Kevin Grevioux. This 5th entry into the world is lacklustre, to say the least. Usually, when a film looks incredibly pretty and has a very sexy feminine figure on the poster you would think that the film would be good.

Essentially this is trying to reboot the Underworld franchise to be more consistent with today cinemagoers. It applies to the younger generation who from no fault of their own have become accustomed to large set pieces and incredibly choreographed fight scenes. I blame this on the Fast and Furious franchise.

As this is the fifth in the franchise, the vampires have gone underground and the werewolves who are called Lycans are merging their forces to attack the last stronghold of the vampires. The only person who can save them is Selene (played by the incredibly sexy Kate Beckinsale). It’s a generic story, with some generic science fiction brought in to with blood and nonsense.

The only redeeming factor for the film is the visual effects and the cinematography. Let’s talk about the visual effects. Firstly the film is set at night so some of the set extensions look like they stretch for miles but in theory, they are literally only a couple metres long. The Lycans who morph from the human bodies look really bad. They look like they are trying to cross between the wolfman and a bear. Issues arise with the ability to make it look real to the point where is crosses the uncanny valley. The cinematography, however, looks incredible thanks to the sweeping shots of the night city and the long takes in the city streets with Selene slaughtering the variety of enemies in her path. It is quite a site to behold.

Overall the film is more style over substance. They should have left this film in development hell and brought us something new, fresh and vibrant.

Should you watch it: NO

Day 44 – Ghost in the Shell – 1995

Anime is a Japanese way of animation. It’s intricate, jolty and overall a fantastic way to tell a story, and what a story it is.

Based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, set in 2029 the world is connected to an electric network. Most humans have cybernetic enhancements of which makes their daily struggle easier. Some use it for good which is the majority, then some use it for evil. The Major is a member of Section 9, the team of which takes down terrorist organisations across the Neo-Japan. With her is Batou and Ishikawa who work in tandem to take down these threats. They come across an elusive hacker called the Puppet Master and it’s their mission to eradicate the threat during the movie.

As its set in the near future, there is a lot of things in the film (which was made in 1995) that we have in today’s culture, with the main thing being the interconnected network of which we call the internet. It is interesting to look at this film and see what has become reality. Many other film and game makers have taken stuff from this film and the world and used it in their own way. An example is the augmented in Deus Ex, the machine world in The Matrix universe and the ability to have a surrogate body like in the film Surrogates from 2009. The Major is heavily augmented.

The film was revolutionary at the time, showing what could be achieved using animation and telling an adult story. They utilised a mixture of cell animation and CGI to create the world of the Neo-Tokyo and some of the scenes in the film are incredible. An example would be when the Major jumps off a building and assassinate a certain individual. It’s incredible cinematography considering it’s an animation. Using the animation in tandem with the music showcases a fantastic variety of technology in motion especially in 1995 when it was scarce, to begin with.

I actually viewed the Remaster of the film called Ghost in the Shell 2.0 which has digital animation and opening sequences. Also, the audio had been redux to include a 6.1 surround sound audio which was amazing. Certain inconsistent scenes were also removed to incorporate the larger universe from the later films to have consistency in the world. The voice over work was also redone to showcase the Japanese talents across the pond where the film did fantastically at the box office. Unfortunately in 1995 when the film was simultaneously released in the US, UK and Japan it bombed. But as any film, it carried an incredible cult following across the world. And that’s why Hollywood is now finishing making their interpretation of the film with Scarlett Johansen and Rupert Sanders directing. Hopefully, it will be true to this film and manga that came before it. With some incredible cinematography and beautiful landscapes of the city.

Overall a fantastic film. Everyone should witness the Major in all her glory!

Should you watch it: YES

 

Day 43 – Hacksaw Ridge – 2016

Did Mel Gibson really need to be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for his adaptation of Desmond Doss story?

No.

The film is basically a sob story based around a Christian man who joins the army in World War II, but thanks to his beliefs he is unable to bare arms throughout his life. Its an interesting concept, but in war people die and the ability to have a soldier on the battlefield unable to defend himself is a liability. The US Army also thought that and had him court-martialed, but thanks to an Act of Congress he was allowed to continue in the Army and join his squadmates in battle. The technical term was called a conscientious objector.

During the battle sequences of the film, I felt that Mel Gibson really wanted to showcase that Desmond Doss was true to his religion and throughout showcased his ability to overcome his problems by not hurting anyone. At one point he even helps a member of the opposing force while searching for survivors on the aforementioned Hacksaw Ridge.

The film is clearly designed to be part of Gibson’s bigger picture. He uses an incredible amount of Christian themes in the film. The bible, ascension and baptism are all at the forefront thanks to the Directors own beliefs. As Desmond Doss was a member of the Seventh Day Adventists, using such an amount of religion in the film was necessary, but I felt that the way Gibson handled it was due to his prior convictions outside the film industry. Using it as a tool to tell the world where they can find solstice, something I feel should be kept outside the world of cinema.

The amount of talent in the film is astounding. The main bulk of the cast such as Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington who all play their roles respectively, including Teresa Palmer as the wife Dorothy Schutte. There is also some great talent who are on screen briefly such as Richard Roxburgh who literally is on screen for 5 minutes playing a Colonel. My personal favourite actor in the film was Doss’s alcoholic father Tom Doss played by the legend himself: Hugo Weaving. His sincere yet brisk role as the father showcases his ability to play the role of the figure chooses he wants to be yet present a vulnerable male from the first world war. He really is a fantastic actor who’s work I would like to research more this year from The Matrix Trilogy and Last Ride.

Andrew Garfield has been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role thanks to this movie, yet I felt his stellar performance in Silence by Martin Scorsese was more a role he should have been nominated for. The struggle his character went through in that film is more deserving. Then again the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prefer a true story over a fictional one.

Overall the film is ok. Christian Propaganda from the mind of Mel Gibson. He does a good job, minus shoving God down your throat. Shame he doesn’t act as much anymore.

Should you watch it: YES.