Interstellar is a good movie that aims to be not just a great movie but a movie that people talk about for years and years to come. I imagine that there will be a circle of fans who will do this, but I think, for the majority of people, this will be a movie that they enjoy but won’t ever think of as being unique or legendary. I think this movie tried too hard to make that lasting impression rather than just live in the moment of making a great film. As I will mention below, this movie could have been much more straightforward and, in doing so, much more effective. I felt the first 45 minutes of the movie created a cast of characters and a setting in which numerous stories could have been told, and the film could have succeeded. I say this because Interstellar is, first and foremost, a space exploration movie with overtones of the importance of human relationships and weighing what is best for society against what is best for an individual. However, I would like to know if I recommend the movie. And I do recommend it. As much as I wanted it to be great, it wasn’t. But it was still good. At 168 minutes, it is at least 45 minutes too long. And the spaceship scenes themselves are absolutely brutal. There is way too much dull talk of esoteric physics that went straight over the heads of 90% of the audience. It wasn’t needed and forced you to try to use your brain to comprehend everything that was happening. That wasn’t why I was there. I go to movies to not have to use my brain.
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Category Archives: Year of Release
Nightcrawler (2014)
It’s getting closer and closer to awards season, and I have continued to wait for that one movie that will establish itself as the movie to beat before the real crop of contenders comes out between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unfortunately, some of those I thought would show themselves, especially Boyhood, Gone Girl, or Birdman, have failed. So, the movie to beat at this point is still The Drop. But first-time director Dan Gilroy has made his claim with the creepy Jake Gyllenhaal (Brothers, Prisoners) Nightcrawler. I am sure this will be just one of two movies I’ve seen thus far that will wind up in my end-of-year Top 10. Others are there now that, I’m hoping, will fall as we get into the meat and bones of December. But The Drop and Nightcrawler seem to have cemented their spots.
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Birdman (2014)
For all the hype surrounding Alejandro González Iñárritu’s (Babel, Biutiful) Birdman, I was highly unimpressed. Yes, it was an above-average movie. Yes, the directing was good. Yes, the acting was good. But I never felt anything remarkable about this movie, its directing, or its acting. According to www.indiewire.com, Academy Award nominations are certainties for the film and for Iñárritu, Michael Keaton (as Lead Actor), Edward Nort-on (as Supporting Actor), Emma Watson (as Supporting Actress), and a host of others. I know this has been a terrible year for movies thus far, but there are still two months left. I still have incredibly high hopes for films like Interstellar, Nightcrawler, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, American Sniper, Wild, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Foxcatcher, and Unbroken. I am hoping more than a few of these movies can break through and be the movies of 2014 that you have to see. So far, I’ve been told that Birdman, Gone Girl, and Boyhood were the movies that would be these movies that you HAD to see. So far, those who have said this have been 0 for 3. Each of these movies has been above average (B- to B range), but I will not have lasting memories of any of them.
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Fury (2014)
David Ayer’s (Harsh Times, End of Watch) Fury is a mix of bits and pieces from about every war movie you’ve ever seen. It’s Saving Private Ryan meets Apocalypse Now meets Black Hawk Down meets platoon sprinkled in with a little bit of The Perfect Storm (nonwar movie). It unsuccessfully tries to tug on your emotions while trying to tell fragments of stories about each of the five main characters. If you were to just read spoilers for this movie, you might think this movie is fantastic. The trailer makes the film look incredible.
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Kill the Messenger (2014)
After stints in movies that have limited his ability to showcase his range (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy), the talented Jeremy Renner returns to the type of film that has helped establish him as one of America’s best, under the radar actors. With Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years (The Hurt Locker – Best Actor, The Town – Best Supporting actor), Renner brings his acting prowess back to the big screen for the first time in four years in Michael Cuesta’s (Showtime’s Homeland) Kill the Messenger. While researching this movie, I learned that Renner is signed to continue the Bourne, Mission Impossible, and Avengers franchises. Now while I’m never going to chastise an actor for getting as much money as they can, it would be my wish that he exit two of these three series (the Bourne series is tired and played out, and there is no need for his character in the Mission Impossible franchise) and concentrate on roles that bring out more of the actor in him. Then, of course, he would still have The Avengers movies for name recognition and bigger paydays. I feel like this man has a handful of Academy Award nominations (and hopefully a couple of wins) in his future if he continues tackling these more character-driven movies.
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