Nothing else to say
Even over a century after it’s release, F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu is still considered by many (including me) as the best of all vampire movies.
Although a basic rip off of Dracula (Bram Stoker’s widow vowed to have all the copies destroyed and almost succeeded), it is a stark reminder that being a vampire seems appealing (mainly famous a while ago in the Twilight franchise, from what I heard), but that, in the long run, it can….well, suck.
(Note: All actors regarded to are in the English version of the film).
I’m not sure if I was too late in joining the Studio Ghibli band wagon when I discovered Spirited Away (which, after two decades, is still the best animated film of the century), but I have yet to jump off of it.
As much admiration that I have for Wes Anderson and his films, it wasn’t until recently that I found out I haven’t actually done a proper review of one of his films in some time.
Much of this I will attribute to cowardice on my part: I admit to not being able to completely dissect all he is as an artist. Still, it should not give off the idea that I am not a fan of his films. Very few filmmakers are as unique and eclectic as Anderson is. So distinct is his style that many a youtuber (AI or otherwise) have made their own WA trailers for a menagerie of classic movies, though that joke does not last long after the second or third one viewed. Basically, AI can’t compete with the original.
In any case, there is still enough here in Anderson’s 11th film, Asteroid City, to satisfy all fans of this brilliant filmmaker (I myself was surprised to see so many fans in my viewing.) The story centers around a play named Asteroid City, and the back and forth between the making (so to speak of the play) with scenes of the play itself.
Said play takes place in a very remote desert town in 1955, where the visitors for a Junior Stargazer Convention. Events in the play occur that will greatly shift the lives and relationships of the characters.
As is the case with every film by Anderson, the cast is not only stacked quantity wise, but quality wise (thought this is his first film not to star Bill Murray: he reportedly had to back out due to catching COVID). Here are just a few of the stars: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johanson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Liev Schreiber, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, Hong Chau, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, and Margot Robbie. It would take too long to describe each of the performers’ roles, and would (more importantly) rob you of finding them out for yourself. The cast is more proof that Anderson is one of the most respected director’s in an actor’s eyes, and to read just a few lines of dialogue is a chance to jump upon.
Admittedly, Anderson was one of the first directors I discovered to show me how a shot could be framed. When the camera is still (which is a majority of the time), you can admire all the detail centered around the character, from the backgrounds to the angles of the walls to a single cup on the floor. It is always quietly breathtaking, especially on a big screen.
Parents, this is one of the rare examples of a PG-13 movie with graphic female frontal nudity (although it is very brief and non sexual). The rest is casual swearing. Make of that what you will (remember that Titanic was the same rating and had more nudity in it.)
I am still not sure what it is entirely that does not completely work about the film. Perhaps it is just not in the same league of Anderson’s best works, like The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). It could be that the director threw much at the window before he saw what stuck.
Either way, even if it isn’t his best, that does not mean it is unenjoyable.
Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
When I started my DVD/Blu-Ray collection as a teenager, one of my key rules was that the film had to be in widescreen format. I quickly realized that not all films were made in widescreen, but still preferred the aspect of seeing all the screen that I could.
The first thing one would notice about The Lighthouse (along with it being in Black & White) is that it is filmed in 4:3. This is a vital film choice from the director Robert Eggers (who made 2016’s The Witch), as it is one of many key factors that makes his latest film so chill inducing.
Set in the late 1800s, the film revolves around two men tending a lighthouse somewhere off the shores of New England. Most of the story is seen through the eyes of the younger Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattison), who just took the job as a lighthouse keeper and is being trained by Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). We learn right away that one of Wake’s sincere orders is to never go to the top of the lighthouse and locks it up from Winslow.
Much of what Winslow learns is by the hard way (like cleaning the sewage before drinking from the well, how to deal correctly with seagulls (more on those later), and keeping the wind factor in mind when emptying the toilet bowls). While Wake is tough, he is not without reason (he does cook for both of them).
Not to mention the flatulence. This film has quite a lot of flatulence for a movie that is not strickly comedic.
I can’t remember entirely if the film has a concrete reason for the two to be on the island (aside from keeping it in order). We do get some background of the characters (failed marriages, failed jobs, and so on), but it is what happens on the island that is important. To say that cabin fever (or lighthouse fever?) ensues is a gross understatement. We get striking visuals (thanks in large part to the cinematography of Jarin Blaschke, who also worked with Eggers on The Witch) that make the film’s horror aspects more palpable than that of a film that tries to give us cheap jump scares. Eggers is patient in waiting to frighten us.
Both of the two actors are in top form. Dafoe has always been an actor who commands a unique force, and is never boring on screen. Still, I admit to being completely surprised by Pattison. Like many, I went in remembering this is the same guy from the Twilight film series (unseen by me), only to realize I had only seen him in one other film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was way back in 2005. I am not alone in saying I had my doubts when I heard Pattison would be the new film version of Batman, but now some of those doubts are dissipating.
Parents, this is indeed not a film for children. The film does have at least two main scenes with sexual content (as well as female nudity). There is a moment where (minor spoiler) a character is fantasizing about having sex with a mermaid (end minor spoiler). There is also a good amount of violence (especially at the end, with a truly haunting, visceral, yet somehow memorable shot), and swearing. Trust the R rating.
It is this fantasy aspect of the film, I think, that keeps the movie from being truly great. I am not sure if we needed all the fantasy aspects added, and instead just focused on the two men. Human’s diving into insanity (not unlike what we saw recently in Joker) is just as scary as the scenes we see involving seagulls (anyone who knows me is aware of my legit fear of birds).
I mentioned before how the film was shot in 4:3, giving a clear feeling of the characters being boxed in. There is indeed a sense of sheer loneliness, both for the men as individuals and together. It reminded me of moments in movies set in prison, when they would send the prisoner to “solitary”, or “the hole”. For a specific (or maybe not) amount of time, they are alone with only themselves and their thoughts.
And thoughts (mainly the sinful ones), is where horror can sometimes be birthed.
Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
For the most part, the casting choices in the DCU films have been good (even Ben Affleck as Batman was not a total loss). That is still the case for Jason Mamoa as Aquaman, which is really the only true positive thing to say about the movie. He does make a splash, but the script is down right soggy.
The film does open with an origin story (which is fair, since it is not as well-known as those of Batman or Superman). We see how Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse worker, finds a wounded woman named Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) on the shores. He heals her, they fall in love, and have Arthur. Eventually, Atlanna must return to Atlantis to stop the onslaught on Tom and Arthur after having run away from her marriage to King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren).
Nothing else to say