allygalli Reviews

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Good effort, but...

[4/10 · 4 March 2023]

Kudos to Nick Cage for taking the risk of playing "himself". It takes a lot of irony and one mustn't take oneself too seriously. But this film is a mess that not even Pedro Pascal can save.

Since you have to meet a character limit to submit a review, here's a poem by Sylvia Plath:

Clownlike, happiest on your hands, Feet to the stars, and moon-skulled, Gilled like a fish. A common-sense Thumbs-down on the dodo's mode.

Wrapped up in yourself like a spool, Trawling your dark as owls do.

Mute as a turnip from the Fourth Of July to All Fools' Day, O high-riser, my little loaf.

Vague as fog and looked for like mail.

Farther off than Australia.

Bent-backed Atlas, our traveled prawn.

Snug as a bud and at home Like a sprat in a pickle jug.

A creel of eels, all ripples.

Jumpy as a Mexican bean.

Right, like a well-done sum.

A clean slate, with your own face on.

The Cave (III) (2019)

Put it into prospective

[7/10 · 14 September 2022]

This film is not perfect. It's not as cinematic as the Ron Howard movie, it's somewhat 'slow' for our standards, but I still think it's worth watching and I enjoyed it.

It's like a crossover between documentary and fiction. This film focuses mainly on the efforts that surrounded the four lead British divers rather than that group itself. A lot of room is given to the Thai people, to the support divers, to the logistics.

The story is definitely not told with an epic tone, but has a rather realistic hue to it. If you're interested in the story, and you've already seen The Rescue and Thirteen Lives, I think this is a nice addiction. It gives you bits and pieces of extra information. It works better after watching those two, rather than as stand alone film.

Lightyear (2022)

Ugh...

[2/10 · 3 August 2022]

I'm giving it a 2 and not a 1 just because I feel sorry for the animators who worked on this.

It's so boring.

Hard to imagine Andy saw this movie and then wanted Buzz's figure...

Landscapers (2021)

A rare gem

[9/10 · 16 July 2022]

I almost never do this, but I feel compelled to write a review. The writing is amazing, the acting powerful, the whole production formidable. In a time where more movies and TV shows are being made than ever, where there is an over saturation of less than mediocre material, Landscapers is a rare gem. It does ask for an effort from the viewer though. But these are the films/series I personally like the most, you have to put yourself in the characters shoes and empathize. Ed Sinclair handles this story with such grace and care. The way he makes fantasy and reality collide is so Twin Peaks-like, and it pulls you into Susan's world. Colman and Thewlis are giants who make these two meek and uncharismatic people explode with a quiet force and pierce the screen. Full disclosure: I believe their story. I think the system failed Susan time and time again. And whenever I see a crime series I'm always baffled to notice how all the authorities involved know little to nothing about trauma. I do wonder if the trial would go differently if it happened today. We all make decisions that, if put under a microscope, would seem illogical, counterproductive, or downright stupid to other people.

I only reserve the 10/10 rating for those films/series I find myself thinking about periodically, long after I've seen them. I've just finished this so we'll see...maybe I'll even up my vote in the future.

Well done!

Dune (2021)

Good...but so distracting

[7/10 · 24 November 2021]

I love Lynch's Dune and I had such high expectations for this new adaptation because Villeneuve is an amazing director.

But the film is just good, nothing more.

Also, it was most distracting to see Chalamet and Zendaya. They are absolutely everywhere, on every talk show, over exposed. I know everything about them against my will and it takes away my suspension of disbelief.

Am I watching a film or Zendaya's new fragrance add?

Daniel Day Lewis has a point when he hides away from the public and lets his craft speak for him. I wish young actors would be more like that instead of chasing exposure in a marketing race to maximize their relevance.

The Guilty (2021)

Mind boggling

[2/10 · 24 November 2021]

It's truly mind boggling how a movie made verbatim from an outstanding film could suck so bad. Like how? How do they do it? Amazing.

This American remake lacks the guts the Danish original has. They show too much, they say too much, the nuances of the original are gone. Shame.