lukchabre Reviews

The Revenant (I) (2015)

A Triumph in Movie Making

[10/10 · 15 April 2023]

First of all, the cinematography in The Revenant is one of the most amazing I've ever seen. In combination with beautiful nature, it forms something magical. It's important to point out that Emmanuel Lubezki shot only with natural light (one fire scene being an exception), adding more value to the film and making it look realistic, even though it was much more restricting. Shooting with wide lenses makes us feel like we are a part of the character. Camera movement is slow, going from extreme close-ups to perfectly composed wide shots, and then back to a close-up. I was especially fond of so many details, such as fogging of camera lens when a bear's snout came too close.

Secondly, after cinematography, acting is the strongest part of the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy bring something special with their performances, and in my opinion, both of them deserved an Academy Award, while only DiCaprio has received one. As he said himself, it was by far the most demanding shoot he has ever done. After seeing this movie, you see why. I can imagine (or rather I can't) how excruciating it must have been, from filming in such remote locations, in dark with freezing cold temperatures and scenes in bone-chilling rivers to all the body make-up design and raw meat eating.

Thirdly, it was the music. The main theme song reminds me a bit of All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) in style, but with a major difference: it isn't overused. Sakamoto's musical score creates great depth and a lot of emotions. His recent death saddens me, but with his life's work, I know he will forever be remembered.

All in all, Alejandro González Iñárritu puts all aspects together, forming a unique movie, and every single person who contributed to it's making can be proud.

The Whale (2022)

Honesty!

[8/10 · 3 March 2023]

The first thing you notice is the 4:3 aspect ratio. I honestly didn't expect it and have to say that it fits perfectly. Brendan Fraser's Charlie seems even larger and more obese. The ceilings seemed that they were quite high but shrank when he strenuously stood up from his couch. Fraser's height of almost 1,9m definitely helped, because other actors looked tiny compared to him. Not to forget the admirable work of Adrien Morot who created the 600lb costume, which filled most of the screen on the nowadays not so often used aspect ratio.

I liked the lighting. It was dim and melancholic. Just the kind I'd imagine a person who's locked up in his apartment all the time would have. The feeling of imprisonment was emphasized through the whole movie - most of it took place in Charlies living room.

The acting was top class and induced goosebumps. Even though I sometimes felt that the screenplay was a little too much at some points, it didn't take away from the quality of all performances. In the first half the music was not remarkable but in the second half promoted anxiety and sadness. Some scenes were hard to watch - probably because they depicted the reality of things so accurately.

The Whale touches topics such as addiction, loss, gluttony, self-destruction, faith, honesty, beauty of art, shame, and sexuality. That is quite a lot for one movie, and I felt drained at the end. However, I believe that Darren Aronofsky achieved what I value most about his work - to arouse all kinds of feelings and emotions. And even though I would rate it a little lower than for example Black Swan or Requiem for a Dream, it's still a rewarding watch.

Babylon (I) (2022)

Chazelle Satisfaction

[9/10 · 19 January 2023]

Babylon is an epic film set in the 1920's Hollywood. It follows multiple characters and storylines that interconnect with each other during the movie's three-hour runtime.

Damien Chazelle is a master of the relationship between picture and sound. With composer and a good friend Justin Hurwitz, he yet again manages to bring life and verve into this movie. The energy is also fueled by the rich colors and beautiful cinematography. Just as in his previous movies, Chazelle often uses whip-pan, where he suddenly moves the camera from one object to the other, back and forth. The storytelling might feel chaotic and out of order, but for me this just represents the messiness and disorder of this era. Unfortunately for some, the movie stuns the audience with this messiness in the first few minutes and then also throughout the movie.

The acting is on point. Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt delivered again and proved that they are actors worth the praise they are getting. I read that Emma Stone was considered for the role of Nellie Leroy, and even though I am a fan of her, I can't imagine anybody else executing this character on screen better that Robbie. She keeps us hooked not only by her amazing acting skills but also through her physicality, which we got to see more of in this movie. Both Robbie and Pitt, as all others, portray people at the brink of the transition between silent cinema and 'talkies'. We see them rise, whether it be due to luck or pure talent, enjoy the momentary rewards and then we witness their fall. Nellie is literally a wild child, rising to stardom but struggling to deal with the formal part of this business. Pitt's Jack Conrad was successful in the silent era, event though he too struggled mainly with alcohol, he was sadly not meant to thrive in the new upcoming sound pictures. Diego Calva represents and carries the audience from the beginning to the very end and secures himself a bright future of offers when it comes to upcoming movies. Not to mention the role of an underground LA boss that Tobey Maguire handled with authenticity and believability that only he could depict.

As others have mentioned, Babylon is a love letter to cinema. This is summed up in the final sequence, which for some is unfaithful, but I personally found it to be a beautiful and heartwarming finale to a movie that depicts ups and downs of filmmaking as well as the hard work that is put into every second of every scene. If you don't mind the length of this movie and the frequent nudity, gore, and drugs, definitely go check it out.

Drive My Car (2021)

Not My Cup of Tea

[6/10 · 21 March 2022]

Drive My Car is not a movie for everyone. In its almost three hour runtime, it deals with loss, regret, love, and fidelity. It was heavily dialogued and sometimes it was hard to connect all the things together. Therefore I am surprised with the positive reception from the general public.

I haven't seen many Japanese movies and it's hard for me to compare. From an artistic point of view, this movie was well made. Hidetoshi Nishijima in the lead performed well as a middle-aged man going through tough times.

Although I don't mind long movies, this one still felt dragged and didn't resonate with me. However you can still find some interesting thoughts and ideas. I can't pinpoint what I didn't like, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I felt that the movie wasn't about anything yet it was about everything. I guess it's better to watch it more than once.

I like that the director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi didn't use flashbacks. It doesn't make things very obvious and allows the audience to make their own opinions.

Overall, It wasn't a bad movie. If you enjoy thought-provoking slow burners then definitely give it a go and don't let the runtime scare you off.

Ambulance (2022)

Watchable

[6/10 · 18 March 2022]

In this 2022 action thriller remake of the Danish film also called Ambulance, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his adopted brother (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) have to escape in an ambulance because their plan of stealing $32 million from a bank goes awry.

Compared to his other films, Michael Bay's Ambulance wasn't so dependent on special effects. Almost 80% of the movie is in a moving ambulance, but we still get to see a lot of shooting and explosions now and then. As in his previous work, Bay also uses circular camera movement and a lot of drone shots. The acting was good from all three leads in my opinion. On the other hand, the movie is lacking in plot and screenplay.

At times it was quite comical and my mind couldn't comprehend some feats. I ain't no medical expert but the scene where Cam (Eiza Gonzalez) performs an open surgery and stops internal bleeding with her hairpin was ludicrous. But I guess you have to be prepared for such things when you go see most of the action movies nowadays.

If you like action flicks and especially the old Michael Bay movies, I think you should definitely go see Ambulance. I have watched it today in Bratislava where it's now playing ahead of its initial release in April.

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Mister, I was born for it!

[8/10 · 15 February 2022]

First of all, I know this looks more like a synopsis than a review. It was not my intention but I felt it important to mention all the facts surrounding the story and its ending.

In this neo-noir readaptation of the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Guillermo del Toro presents the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper). The movie starts with Stan finding work in a circus in the 1930s owned by a fella named Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe). Clem appears to be a well-meaning guy, except that he turns alcoholic men into his geeks, making them eat live chickens to earn money from people who are willing to pay for such acts. Stan is very disturbed at how low a man can sink when addicted to alcohol and opium.

As he becomes familiar with the circus life and learns some "mind-reading" techniques from Pete (David Strathairn), Stan believes he can make a fortune doing mentalistic art in Buffalo with Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara) as his assistant. Before Pete dies from alcohol abuse, he warns Stan not to pretend to connect with the hereafter, as it just leads to tragedy and hurts the person that is deceived. Pete explains from his own experience that the more you do the so-called "spook shows", the more you believe your own acts and therefore become "blind".

Two years later, things are working out for Stan and Molly in Buffalo, until their act is interrupted by psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to expose their code system. Stan in self-defense reads Ritter and brings her dead mother into it, saving their act. After this, Stan is approached by a wealthy judge, who wants to connect with his dead son. Stan sees great money potential in these "spook shows" and decides to pursue them despite the warnings from Pete.

Lilith later invites Stan to her office for a coffee, since Stan never drinks alcohol. Stan persuades Lilith to give him information about her patients, allowing him to make a lot of money from the mentioned spook shows. Molly is not in favor of performing such shows and even tries to get away from Stan. Stan makes riches by connecting people with their dead relatives but is too blind to see that he is sinking deeper and deeper into dark places that will yet be hard to get out of.

Lillith Ritters turns out to be just a femme fatale, wanting revenge for the humiliation Stan caused her when he read her like a book and showed her weaknesses in front of other people. Stan ended up being shot in the ear, broke and he also started to drink. Penniless and addicted to alcohol, he is offered a "temporary" job in a circus. Even though he knows where it leads, he answers with a brave yet very saddening sentence: "Mister, I was born for it".

I love the connection between the beginning and the end, when Stan is looking at the geek, not knowing that he is looking at a mirror.

And now to the movie itself. I have to admit that I haven't seen the 1947 version but I like this one very much. I felt that the movie passed very fast, even with its runtime of 150 minutes. I know it's been mentioned many times, but Del Toro's visuals are just magnificent. Very pleasing to watch. Acting, in general, was good. Willem Dafoe got his share in the first half of the movie, while Cate Blanchett in the second. Bradley Cooper did an amazing job and I have always admired his ability to play a wide range of characters.

Overall I am satisfied with this movie and need to say that the money was well spent when I went to see it in a cinema. I definitely recommend you to give it a watch.

Gold (I) (2022)

Hour and a Half of Zac Efron in the Desert

[4/10 · 9 February 2022]

Zac Efron and Anthony Hayes find a nugget of gold in the Australian desert that is too large to extract with their truck, so one of them (Hayes) has to go and bring an excavator, while the other one (Efron) stays with the gold.

The whole movie is pretty much Zac Efron trying to survive and protect the gold for a few days. It was more or less a one-man show so he got to manifest his qualities. And I have to admit that his performance was quite good, considering the roles he has played in the past. Yet the movie was extremely boring. It didn't offer much, just the obvious consequences of greed that both characters got to experience in the end.

I didn't understand the directors' use of light and colors which felt very unnatural in that environment, though I liked some shots. The same goes for sound mixing. There was not much dialogue, and when there was some, it felt very plain and dull.

I went to see it in a cinema without knowing or reading anything about it. The overall experience was below average.

Upgrade (2018)

Great low budget action movie

[8/10 · 28 September 2020]

I didn't expect it to be so good. I am not a big fan of action movies in general, but i actually enjoyed this one. I felt that clever cinematography and sound mixing made the movie look more "expensive".