A German American dramatized music documentary directed by Todd Haynes, starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere and Ben Whishaw.
Something about the life and career of Bob Dylan is supposed to be communicated.
Holy multiple non-linear plots, Batman! So, we've got 6 plots based on different and undefined periods in Bob Dylan's life and they are alternated through the duration. This tells me that they did not want the viewer to understand what was going on. There were so many characters that thinking or writing about them would make my head hurt. The video and audio were done quite well and it was a technically sound film. I could see and hear everything that was going on. There were some nice shots and creative visual compositions. The music was mixed well with the dialogue to the point that they were inseparable. Overall, a beautiful, but incoherent mess. It was done in such a way to make me think that this may have been intentional. I rate this adequate. Don't plan on understanding it, at least on the first viewing.
An American crime romance directed by Barry Levinson, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett.
A pair of men break out of jail and rob banks. They are known as "The Sleepover Bandits" because they kidnap the bank owner the night before and politely ask for the money. A seemingly unstable woman falls in love with both of them and their getaway driver is a self-proclaimed stuntman.
Not bad. The plot had some good twists at just the right times. Characters couldn't be better. I think the casting was this film's best attribute. Video featured a little more hand-held fast camera movement than I would have liked and the soundtrack had too much pop music. I really liked the Led Zeppelin song when the main characters are using a cement truck to break out of jail. Overall, pretty decent mix of good and not so great qualities that was nice to watch. I rate it adequate.
An American adventure comedy directed by Wes Anderson, starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and Michael Gambon.
An aging documentary film maker and his crew embark upon their last adventure. He is deserted by his wife and joined by a man claiming to be his son. His frienemy has a better equipped lab than their boat, so they rob it. Then they are boarded by foreign pirates and some of their crew are taken hostage.
This was actually good. I liked the plot and setting, with lots of underwater shots and things happening on a boat. The characters caught my interest and interacted in a dramatic manner without bringing in too much romantic relationship baggage. The guitarist playing David Bowie songs in Portuguese really added a unique twist. There was a lot of compositing and video editing involved. I don't think any of the marine life footage was stock. Even if it was just color editing, every fish and crustacean was changed in some way. The soundtrack really fit the scenes, with bubbly, arpeggiated synth for underwater scenes. Overall, this is what movies should be like. I rate it a solid green rating for setting a standard of film making.
