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karl-salisbury
Reviews
The Town (2010)
Lacks depth
The biggest gripe I had with this movie is that the man characters aren't very sympathetic, with the exception of Affleck who they try to make out as the good guy caught up in a bad world. Doesn't really land in my opinion.
To me the film's emotional heart is not so much the forced love story between Affleck and Hall or the binding between the crew but the less explored aspects of his childhood and his father. Here you get a glimpse of why he chose this lifestyle and maybe even feel a bit sympathetic towards him. Sadly this just isn't explored in enough depth to make it compelling.
Has some interesting moments and ok chase and heist scenes but it's hard not to draw comparisons to "Heat" as it follows a similar storyline, cat and mouse chase between FBI and a bank robber, escalation of heists ending with a big one at the end.
John Hamm is good as the FBI agent tracking the crew down but this is clearly peak Mad Men era for him and a lot of Don Draperisms come through (eg: calling women sweetheart and his general demeanour).
Overall it just didn't land for me. The performances aren't particularly strong and it never really elevates itself above just being average. The ending feels trite and there's no character growth, redemption or sense of justice here.
Feels like we've been here before and this type of story has been done better.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Everything I hoped the movies would be
As an adult I've come to accept that the original trilogy of Star Wars movies are a little bit silly and are better seen through the eyes of a child. That said there is a magic there that never got recaptured in any of the newer films. I can't quite describe what it is, but the newer movies don't have it.
Somehow this series recaptures the Star Wars magic yet still does its own thing. It's a serious treatment of Star Wars that adult fans who grew up with it wanted to see. It respects the source material without leaning into nostalgia too heavily.
The spectacle and acting doesn't feel overdone, the tone and aesthetic are just right, it has heart, the characters feel real and it's relatable.
The story doesn't try to do too much at once unlike the films. Rather than introduce dozens of characters and complicated plot lines it dials it back to a simple, single minded story.
It has good exposition and the pacing also works really well as it slowly builds up to the finale.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Worse than I remember but at least they tried
Let's face it, the original Star Wars was never the pinnacle of drama and Oscar worth performances, but it had enough charm and was well executed enough it was enjoyable and watchable.
It is a shame as there's so many interesting ideas in here, fascinating characters and worlds. It's clear a lot of effort went into the story and production but it falls apart because the technology wasn't quite where it needed to be and the hammy dialogue and performances make it hard to watch.
In many ways it's a trailblazing film for special effects but the vision hasn't been fully realised because of the limitations of the day. If only it had more restraint and the actors had better dialogue to work with who knows what might have been.
Interesting as a curiosity and time capsule of sorts, but hard to watch.
The Beach (2000)
Perfect backpacker movie
I first saw the beach in the early 2000s when I was still quote young and had not done any backpacking or much travel. I didn't think much about the movie at the time and thought it was far fetched and it didn't leave a strong impression on me.
I've since done some long backpacking trips and spent my fair share of time in hostels in far flung locations. My impression changed
The beach really captures the backpacker spirit of freedom, adventure and longing to find places off the beaten trail, disconnect from society, check out of the rat race.
The characters and scenarios could be ripped straight from the backpacker trails of Southeast Asia. Rag tag groups of young travellers meeting on the road knowing not much more than each other's names travelling together on shaky buses, old trains and boats.
The story is essentially a backpacker fantasy. Finding that one place unspoiled by tourism where you can truly unplug and check out from society for a while. Love triangles and whirlwind romances on moonlit beaches. International travellers in close quarters bickering.
And paradise is never quite perfect, there's always a dark side.
Follow This (2018)
Not really journalism, it's opinion.
Its a frustrating experience watching this show as topics are shown either through rose coloured glasses or they cast judgement on topics they don't agree with.
So you walk away not really knowing anything about the topic except for BuzzFeed's opinion.
Some of the presenters just can't help themselves casting judgement on the people they interview and don't really dig deep enough to show the other side of the story.
It's a deeply unsatisfying viewing experience and a missed opportunity to shed light on interesting topics.