Hunt for the Wilderpeople

I hadn’t been to the cinema since I saw Captain America:  Civil War in India, but getting back out there for Hunt for the Wilderpeople turned out to be absolutely worthwhile.  This movie, the latest from New Zealand director Taika Waititi, provided pretty much everything I’m after in a movie-viewing experience.  Before it started, I was wondering how long it was, simply because I was so tired.  But only a few minutes in I was hooked and fully engaged with the film’s blend of charming, funny, and poignant.

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Bridge of Spies

This last year and a bit has been a strangely prolific time for the movie making business when it comes to spy movies. An unusual number of high profile projects have made it to the screens, most of which have got some connection to the 1960’s. Either they are based on TV shows from that era (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and The Man from UNCLE) or they are parts of movie franchises that take started then (Spectre). They may even take place in those earlier decades (The Man from UNCLE, again, or even Minions, which is not a spy movie of course, but parts of which have that kind of vibe), or they are intentionally trying to capture the feel of movies of movies that do (Kingsman: The Secret Service).

Some of these films were enjoyable, some were not, but none of them would ever be accused of being serious drama. That is, unless Spectre defies all expectations (I haven’t seen it yet).

The recent 60’s-centric spy movie that is serious drama, though? Bridge of Spies.

The Martian (for realsies this time)

So, in my last post I promised I’d actually talk about The Martian, the movie – not just about random little details about the American space program or trivia about actors that were connected with The Martian.  The short story is that I really liked this movie, and I think I’m liking it more as time goes on.  This I think is pretty significant for me as I feel like often there are movies that I like when I’m watching them, but later as I’m thinking of it I realize all sorts of things that bother me about it.  With The Martian, so far there’s none of that.  There’s really not a thing that sticks out as just being kind of stupid, which really, with me, almost never happens.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

I was a bit worried going into Age of Ultron.  The Avengers, it’s predecessor, was of course great and all the trailers for this film looked like similar fun.  But we’ve all been burned by trailers before.  For me, the biggest recent disappointment was Man of Steel — what if this turned out to be like that?  What if this turned out to be a big, overblown, overhyped, bag of hyperkinetic  hot air with a confused structure, dopey characterization, and a lame-brain plot?  What if it, you know, was terrible?

Coherence

OK, Coherence.  What is it?  Well, according to the Wikipedia, it’s many things, in fields such as mathematics, physics, statistics, music theory, computer science and more.  It’s also a film, released in 2013, shot on a very small budget by James Ward Byrkit, which is at once so odd and so successful that I don’t even want to tell you anything about it.  Seriously.  It’s compelling and good and unexpected and you should probably just go and see it before we talk about it any more.

But I will talk about it more, because I do feel kind of compelled to convince you that it’s worth your time and energy to watch it. 

Guardians of the Galaxy (with post-credit scene spoilers)

What a world we live in.

If a movie about the Guardians of the Galaxy had come out just a few years ago, we’d have assumed it was just some sort of goofball science fiction flick, and chances are it wouldn’t have gained much traction.

Now, in the wake of Marvel’s grand interconnected cinematic experiment, we have a film which is indeed a goofball science fiction flick, but has become a success with audiences and critics alike. And Marvel is going so strong in its rolling out movie versions of its properties that it can spend the latest post-credit scene tease characters like

The Wolverine

Just came from watching The Wolverine, marking my 7th thing from my list of media events of the year that I was looking forward to that I now have behind me.  I enjoyed it, more than I would ever have expected to.  True there are some weaknesses  and some questions that began to emerge as I reflected on the film on the way home, but they pale in comparison to what there is to enjoy.  Still, this is my blog commentary on the film, so…

(A lot of nerdtalk about) Star Trek Into Darkness – with spoilers

Man, what an entertaining movie.  Not perfect, of course, but what is?  I had a rollicking good time watching Star Trek Into Darkness, even though the movie has a healthy dose of

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (or Iron Man Three as it’s actually titled in the credits) holds a funny little place in the world of film because though it is a sequel to Iron Man 2, it’s actually more of an aftermath to The Avengers, taking most of its story cues from that blockbuster.  This is to its benefit, since Iron Man 2 was a bit of a dud

Can I Possibly Recommend It?

Today we’re talking about a film that has an absurdly contrived plot, paper-thin characterizations, and simplistic dialog.  It favors broad slapstick over dramatic nuance, and has a very predictable ending.  Is there any way I can in good conscience recommend such a film?  Well