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cameronstiffler
Reviews
Last Seen Alive (2022)
Is Gerard Butler the New Bruce Willis?
Maybe Nicolas Cage would be a better comparison. The point is, the last couple movies I've seen with him are pretty bad as of the release date of this one. Don't get me wrong. I like a lot of Gerard Butler's movies, but this film isn't really worth watching.
There are a couple of other movies with the same plot that are made very well. Try watching Breakdown(Kurt Russel, 1987) if you are interested in this sort of plot and want to spend your recreational time wisely.
A couple more notable films with the same sort of plot are:
The Next Three Days(Russell Crowe, 2010)
The Vanishing(Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges, 1993)
Arsenio Hall: Smart and Classy (2019)
Not Smart and Definitely not Classy
I laughed a little at the beginning of this but then just started laughing at what a white-washed republican this guy is. My amusement turned to disgust when he started making fun of little people and started a tirade that involved repeating the word 'midget' over and over. All it made me think about was how much more class people like Peter Dinklage have than this jerk. His political incorrectness is not like Dave Chappel's who is actually witty. He's just a dick pandering to ignorance.
Greta (2018)
Terribly Written
The characters' vocabularies are all limited by the writer's limited vocabulary. Slang words are misused. The executive producers all have Chinese names. I doubt they noticed the film they were making in English had subpar dialog.
This story is supposed to be set in NYC but doesn't feel like it at all. I noticed was filmed in Ireland and Canada in addition to NYC.
I've seen these actors in several good films, don't blame them for this movie falling on it's face.
Bird Box (2018)
Good writing poorly executed perhaps.
I don't deny that Sandra Bullock is well cast in the role of depressed women. If properly executed this film could have gone further than the typical regretful white cougar wanting to bed the athletic black man.
Mandy (2018)
Some Symbolism Present in the Film
Red hails from the eye of the storm on Jupiter to bring cosmic order to the world.
If you pay attention to the colors, in Mandy, there are hints to this theme. After Mandy's murder by the christian cult, when he is in the bathroom tempestuously freaking out, the wallpaper is yellow with an orange design printed on it. Jupiter is largely a yellow and brownish planet. The storm is orange and red set against the yellow of the planet must like the wallpaper colors. Red is wearing an orange shirt and is also set against the yellow of the wallpaper. This establishes him as being akin to the storm on Jupiter. Also, the characters name is 'Red' which the storm on Jupiter is in it's center.
Later on in the film, the chemist calls him a Jovan Warrior from the eye of the storm which further confirms this theme. The planet Jupiter symbolizes authority. Perhaps Red is the warrior sent by this celestial authority to bring cosmic order to the world. One could argue this cosmic authority is set in counterpoint to the false christian authority Jeremiah Sand invokes.
The Illusionist (2006)
Stellar Performances
I love rewatching this film. Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell and Eddie Marsan all give great performances. That being said, In my opinion Paul Giamatti stole this movie. He is the victorian gruff voiced police inspector who finds himself caught between the antagonists and protagonists. Caught between his admiration and duty.
I'd seen him in his early character actor roles, but I've been following his career closely since 'Sideways' where he proved he could carry a film as the lead. He towers above some amazing actors in 'The Illusionist' which speaks to his abilities. As I said, everyone in this film does an excellent job, but I rewatch this movie to see Paul's performance.
Game of Thrones: The Mountain and the Viper (2014)
Exemplary Writing
While awaiting condemnation from his own father, Tyrian and his brother Jamie converse in Tyrian's dungeon cell before the trial which is set to determine Tyrian's mortal fate. Their conversation meanders onto the subject of their cousin, Orson.
Having been left 'simple' from being dropped on his head as an infant, cousin Orson spends all of his time smashing beetles. I believe, Orson's behavior is meant to characterize the Lannister's most fundamental nature. When distilled or reduced to their essence a Lannister's most prevalent characteristic is to seek to destroy everything around themselves which they perceive as a lesser life form. Cersei and Tywin Lannister certainly exhibit this characteristic. Tywin's oppressive determination to punish and steer his own son, Tyrian, to his demise surely illustrates this.
I commend the writers for this episode for delivering such a thoughtful analogy to illustrate a point that, unfortunately, I suspect, went over most people's heads. I am here to say, 'I got it'. And there is a reason this show is world renowned. This scene was entertaining and wonderfully acted. I appreciate the work of the writers efforts to artfully bury deeper meaning in the text. This is my favorite scene from this series and is one of many examples of the fantastic writing that goes into it. The end of this episode is also amazing but I will leave that for another time.