Last Movie Watched

[LetTigerIn]

Cool. Very curious to hear your opinion. This movie has stuck with me for a few days, usually the mark of a good flick in my opinion.

I did watch Spring last night. I thought it derailed pretty severely a little over halfway through, either momentarily or permanently (I can't yet decide which). It's entirely possible I'm being very harsh on how much it comes off the rails, because up until that point, I found it to be thoroughly amazing.

The storytelling and acting, particularly through that first half, are natural and compelling, with a rare and unique genuineness. With a couple of obvious, glaring exceptions, the actors ring true, especially the principal characters. The plot, while not entirely unique, is just clever and rare enough to get by. The tone, overall, is mysterious and engaging. The photography, unfortunately, too frequently is just terrible, but is often buoyed by the inspirational scenery of the locations and, thankfully, some truly beautiful shots are also to be had.

The bottom line for me is that despite what I consider some extreme, extreme deficiencies, this ranks among the favorite things I've seen this year. It will probably be in my top ten, if not top five.

 

[jerseydevil]

Cool man! I'll check it out this week sometime. Free on Prime is a bonus. What genre would it fall under? Im down for anything but the wife is picky wierd like that.

DOOD, make the wife watch. It is under Horror, but could just as easily be listed under another category that chicks tend to dig. I don't want to say more because it would be spoilery, and you would do yourself a disservice to spoil it for you and yours.

 

[jerseydevil]

I did watch Spring last night. I thought it derailed pretty severely a little over halfway through, either momentarily or permanently (I can't yet decide which). It's entirely possible I'm being very harsh on how much it comes off the rails, because up until that point, I found it to be thoroughly amazing.

The storytelling and acting, particularly through that first half, are natural and compelling, with a rare and unique genuineness. With a couple of obvious, glaring exceptions, the actors ring true, especially the principal characters. The plot, while not entirely unique, is just clever and rare enough to get by. The tone, overall, is mysterious and engaging. The photography, unfortunately, too frequently is just terrible, but is often buoyed by the inspirational scenery of the locations and, thankfully, some truly beautiful shots are also to be had.

The bottom line for me is that despite what I consider some extreme, extreme deficiencies, this ranks among the favorite things I've seen this year. It will probably be in my top ten, if not top five.

See, your critcisms are valid, I want to add, as a personal issue, I have a hard time with animal violence in horror as a substitute for actual violence. It's a minor nitpick, and the use is valid to the story, but it bothers me. I am glad you liked it despite the shortcomings(that I chalked up to the low budge/indie nature). The shift you talk about...it's tricky. I don't want to spoil for those that might watch, but I think it was daring and necessary. It IS off putting, but the movie hinged on that...and although it threatens the overall experience, it also is, for me, what made it special. I HATE seeing something from a filmmaker like this. It sets the bar so high for future projects. I think, to a point, a movie like Moon will haunt Duncan Jones forever. Slightly off topic, but I really would love to see the creator of this go on to possibly even better things. Very glad you thought so highly of it.

 

[LetTigerIn]

See, your critcisms are valid, I want to add, as a personal issue, I have a hard time with animal violence in horror as a substitute for actual violence. It's a minor nitpick, and the use is valid to the story, but it bothers me. I am glad you liked it despite the shortcomings(that I chalked up to the low budge/indie nature). The shift you talk about...it's tricky. I don't want to spoil for those that might watch, but I think it was daring and necessary. It IS off putting, but the movie hinged on that...and although it threatens the overall experience, it also is, for me, what made it special. I HATE seeing something from a filmmaker like this. It sets the bar so high for future projects. I think, to a point, a movie like Moon will haunt Duncan Jones forever. Slightly off topic, but I really would love to see the creator of this go on to possibly even better things. Very glad you thought so highly of it.

It is definitely tricky and undoubtedly one of the things that makes it special, which is what ultimately makes this a film that should be seen and will hopefully be remembered instead of must be seen and remembered. If those tricky few moments (and arguably a scene or two the rest of the way) had been handled as adroitly as the rest of the film, I'd place this unimpeachably among the all-time greatest. My list might be a little weird, though.

Like you, I hope the creators of this film get better and better.

 

[chaingunsofdoom]

Saw The Man from UNCLE yesterday. Not the greatest film ever made, but it was definitely worth-watching/entertaining. I'd say a 4/5.

 

[jerseydevil]

I had two DISTINCTLY different moviegoing experiences this weekend...and the dichotomy points out what is wrong with the THEATER experience and why Hollywood is to blame.

First, at the Grove, The Visit.



PG-13, in a theater set up for major traffic. From the outset, it was like being in 14 seperate living rooms while dumbass teens all giggled and talked OUT LOUD despite my constant urging to SHUT UP. The movie was fine, bordering on entertaining...but it was geared for a lowbrow, lcd audience to barely pay attention to while playing with their besties. A mid budget found footage horror flick, with insufferable kids(if I never see a 13 year old white boy rap again, I will be thrilled...and the sister who referenced mise en scene repeatedly was no better). It did have a nice buildup, and despite a kind of mundane resolution, it was not bad by Shamalamadingdong standards. Now, the troubling thing is that, for a horror flick, it almost seemed like this was geared explicitly for the short attention spans of the idiots I was trapped in a theater with. It was like they were afraid to be QUIET for a moment in order to develop dread. Like the person who has to keep talking just to hear their voice.

Now, the other end of the spectrum.

Goodnight Mommy, at the Landmark, Westside Pavillion.



Austrian...subtitles...silent to the point that eating popcorn seemed like an avalanche. I don't want to spoil, but this movie lulls you with almost non events and LITERALLY silence except for ambient noise. This movie is defiantly quiet. The crowd was quieter than in church. Like adults. When things...intensified, it was almost as if nobody wanted to even breathe. The way that the theater going experience used to be like. I do not want to spoil any of this for anyone. BUT, you need to see this. In a theater if you can. It's a terrific movie that, even if you see the house at the end of the road, it will not ruin the experience. Bleak, reminiscent of a few movies that I cannot mention without fear of spoiling, and it has a terrific throwback feel to it like the odd odd movies my grandparents used to watch when they were babysitting me. Between this and SPRING, my faith and belief in HORROR has been rewarded. This movie will be on my best of list at the end of the year despite the inclusion of some animal violence that I could have done without(despite the fact that it was used well in the service of the story).

So, to wrap up...theaters, and Hollywood are both to blame for driving away business. Everything is geared for people to have social experiences at the movies instead of actually trying to please people who want to see a movie. It keeps people who love movies away, and the folks voting with their wallet keep reinforcing the 'make more dumb movies cause who wants to pay attention' model that is overwhelming everything.

Or maybe I am just old and cranky.

 

[chaingunsofdoom]

Saw Sicario today. It was fantastic!

 

[nocturn]

That comparison on the poster is sooo valid. I had read a lot of best of 2015 so far lists that had this movie on it so I decided to check it out. And man, was that a good decision. Free on Amazon Prime, I will not get into spoilers because this movie DEPENDS on you not knowing. Small, obviously indy flick, but it's soooooo perfect. GREAT acting by the leads and some terrific teasing PRACTICAL (mostly) fx, but the story is the thing. So slight, yet so wonderfully done. If you are into movies that don't need to be loud and over the top to distract from the fact they have nothing at all to say, I cannot recommend this enough. This movie deserves to be seen.

I did watch Spring last night. I thought it derailed pretty severely a little over halfway through, either momentarily or permanently (I can't yet decide which). It's entirely possible I'm being very harsh on how much it comes off the rails, because up until that point, I found it to be thoroughly amazing.

The storytelling and acting, particularly through that first half, are natural and compelling, with a rare and unique genuineness. With a couple of obvious, glaring exceptions, the actors ring true, especially the principal characters. The plot, while not entirely unique, is just clever and rare enough to get by. The tone, overall, is mysterious and engaging. The photography, unfortunately, too frequently is just terrible, but is often buoyed by the inspirational scenery of the locations and, thankfully, some truly beautiful shots are also to be had.

The bottom line for me is that despite what I consider some extreme, extreme deficiencies, this ranks among the favorite things I've seen this year. It will probably be in my top ten, if not top five.

Well, I watched it with the wife last night and I agree with Tiger, it went south about halfway through the movie, IMHO. The first half was organic, engaging and mysterious. I felt that once the secret “got out”, 2 of the 3 qualities that started the film off strong, went away and killed it for me. I completely lost interest. Without spoiling, I also felt the film was out of balance, storyline wise. Too much emphasis on the “post secret” side and not enough on the “pre secret” experience. The director could have done a much better job of leading (or misleading, ftm) the audience with a bunch of the time spent on the "post secret" partying. Like I said, once the cat was out of the bag... It was over for me...and my wife.

 

[jerseydevil]

Well, I watched it with the wife last night and I agree with Tiger, it went south about halfway through the movie, IMHO. The first half was organic, engaging and mysterious. I felt that once the secret “got out”, 2 of the 3 qualities that started the film off strong, went away and killed it for me. I completely lost interest. Without spoiling, I also felt the film was out of balance, storyline wise. Too much emphasis on the “post secret” side and not enough on the “pre secret” experience. The director could have done a much better job of leading (or misleading, ftm) the audience with a bunch of the time spent on the "post secret" partying. Like I said, once the cat was out of the bag... It was over for me...and my wife.

That's too bad. I see your point, and as I described earlier I thought the payoff made up for the semi-derailment. Sorry you didn't enjoy it.

 

[nocturn]

That's too bad. I see your point, and as I described earlier I thought the payoff made up for the semi-derailment. Sorry you didn't enjoy it.

No worries, it happens.
The director spent a lot of time in the first half trying to convey the gravity and reality of the situation. The first 5 minutes were absolutely gut wrenching and set the stage for everything thereafter. Everything up to the “reveal” was spot on what I love about indy films. It just fell flat. Kind of like how The Babadook did, for me.

 

[LetTigerIn]

I thought I'd mention a few movies I watched on my long plane ride that I might not have ordinarily seen.

TOMORROWLAND — I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would considering the critical response and box office. I see this as a great kids' movie worthy of addition to the pantheon of similar types of live-action Disney films from the '50s, '60s and '70s. I probably have a ton of those on my guilty pleasures list, and I gladly welcome Tomorrowland to that same list. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered the Blu-ray when the plane landed.

JURASSIC WORLD — Garbage.

TED 2 — I got a few hearty laughs out of this one, and that's pretty much all I ask of a comedy. It's puerile, yes, but so am I most of the time. My recommendation for the curious is if you are not amused and/or turned off by the first few minutes of it, you're not losing anything by turning it off and pretending it never existed.

 

[adgy-san]

Man, I'm falling behind.

The God Of Cookery - One of a number of older Stephen Chow films that has popped up on Netflix recently. Chow plays a superstar chef who gets brought low because he treats everyone like ****. Jobless and despondent, he meets a street vendor making cheap food who shows him the real value of cooking and treating people with dignity. It's a pretty funny movie, with the same themes as a lot of Chow's films (there's nothing wrong with being poor, beauty is on the inside, etc). I enjoyed it, but wouldn't count it as one of his best.

Day Of Wrath - Really great 1940's movie about religious villagers who don't seem to care much for people they think are witches. Nowhere near as good as some of Dreyer's older, silent stuff (Passion Of Joan Of Arc is still ****ing me up), but still pretty great. The witch-burning scene in particular is intense and memorable. Recommended.

The Ipcress File - I finally got to ****ing watch this. I've heard lots of people say it's their favorite Michael Caine movie, but it's not readily available in the US. But for Caine's birthday, Turner Classics showed it (and a bunch of others). It's the kind of espionage flick you've already seen a dozen times by now (probably fewer at the time of release), but it's really well done and Michael Caine is charming as ****, so I liked it a lot.

The World Of Kanako - The newest movie from Tetsuya Nakashima, director of one of my favorites movies of the last 5 years or so, Confessions. The story of an ******* alcoholic police detective whose daughter, Kanako, goes missing. In his search for her, he finds out that she was not the girl he thought he knew. Not even close. It's a pretty ****ed up, depressing movie, which is what I wanted, but it didn't have anywhere near the impact of Confessions or Nakashima's movie before that, Memories Of Matsuko (also ****ed up and fantastic). I liked it a lot, will upgrade to Blu-ray when it gets released out here (by Alamo Drafthouse later this year/early next), but was a little disappointed that it wasn't anywhere near as good as Confessions.

Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Fun, stylish in the way you would expect. Ultimately kind of empty calories, but I enjoyed it and would be pleased if they do a sequel.

Cleopatra Jones - Pam Grier-lite. It had it's moments (pulling the parts of an uzi out of the side panel of her car was awesome), but ultimately all this movie really made me want to do was watch Coffy again. I still haven't seen all that many blaxploitation movies, but it seems like a lot of them have a formula to them. So when I see a movie that's pretty similar to a movie I genuinely love, like Coffy, it's hard not to compare the two. And this one comes up way short there.

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave - Oh, look, another Christopher Lee Dracula movie that DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH GODDAMN CHRISTOPHER LEE IN IT. Still enjoyable, although the male protagonist was a pretty terrible actor.

Zero Focus - Hitchcockian is right. A newly wed bride is forced to search for her husband who goes missing on a business trip. It doesn't end well for anyone involved. Super Hitchcock-ish, and worthy of the comparison. Not as good as his best, but holds it's own for sure. Wouldn't be surprised if Criterion gives this a new release at some point.

Wet Hot American Summer - Had never seen this before. Enjoyed it. Lot of actors I like in it, but Chris Meloni stands out as being the best supporting character. Started watching the new Netflix series, but haven't finished it. Enjoying it so far, but not as much as this movie.

Overlord - WWII movie that follows a British soldier from his first day at boot camp through D-Day, with some actual WWII footage interspersed throughout. I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly, although I honestly think the actual WWII stuff was my favorite part.

The Lord Of The Rings - Despite having seen Wizards about 100 times during my youth, I had never seen Ralph Bkashi's LOTR animated movie. There was a lot of stuff I liked about it, the ring wraiths were super creepy, and all the roto-scoping was kind of cool, I thought, but parts of it dragged. It was interesting to see how Peter Jackson lifted entire sequences, cinematography-wise, from this. Worth a watch if you're a fan, but if you've never seen it, you're not missing a whole hell of a lot.

Seven Psychopaths - I thought this was ****ing funny and fun. Would watch again.

Flame & Citron - Based on the real life story of two resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Excellent ****ing movie. Loved it. Available on Netflix streaming, so hop to it.

Z - A based-on-real-events political thriller about 1963 assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis and the government's attempts to cover it up. Enjoyed it, but probably would have liked it even more if I had been at least a little familiar with the events and time. Really well done, though.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For - I don't know what happened here. I still enjoy the first Sin City movie and catch parts of it on TV every once in a while, but this one did absolutely NOTHING for me. I didn't manage to care at any point about any of it. I don't know why. There's nothing on the surface about this that's different from the first movie. The only thing I can think of is that the story is weaker (and it is), but not by that much. It sticks to the comics well enough and the comics were good (not as good as the ones the first was based on, but again... not by that much). It has some great performances, especially Powers Boothe (as usual) and Eva Green who seems like she was practically born for this sort of noir femme fatale role. Like, she's ****ing fantastic, chewing scenery and working that **** like she does that kind of **** every day of her life. And everyone else was fine. But for some reason, the movie just did nothing for me at all.

St. Vincent - Hey, do you like Bill Murray? Great, then this is for you because Bill Murray does his thing for the entire length of the film and it's exactly what you want and exactly what you expect. The emotional arc of all the characters involved is pretty predictable, but Murray makes it work. Liked it, would watch again.

R100 - This movie is just ****ing bizarre. A lonely father, whose wife has been in a coma for the last couple of years, signs up to have dominatrixes come beat the **** out of him at random times, unexpectedly. And he loves it until they start coming to him at work and into his home while his son is sleeping. And then he must fight back. I can't really say that I liked this movie, though it did make me laugh and I definitely appreciated the ****ing wacko-craziness of it. I can honestly say it never really did anything I expected at any point. And that's cool. But that was really all it had going for it. It wasn't as... uh... "visually appealing" as I had hoped, which is kind of plus in one sense (congrats on not going down the easy softcore/sex route that probably would have gotten this a lot more fans), but a negative in another (I probably would have been a bigger fan of it had taken the low road). It's hard to recommend this to anyone, but if you watch it (it's on Amazon Prime right now), I don't think you'll regret it, I just don't know that you'll enjoy it. If that makes sense.

 

[orpheus]

You finally got to Day Of Wrath, Adgy? I love that movie, almost as much as I love Vampyr.

 

[jerseydevil]

Beautiful. Brilliant. But there is no audience for this. Me...a few others...but not enough to justify. So wonderfully old school...like Wuthering Heights by way of Poe. Very Usher...Great acting all around(even Jax who is supposed to be vanilla white bread.) Gorgeous color/design and a visual sense you can almost taste.



Look, this is Cabin in the Woods for bong resin Sleepaway Camp flicks. Lots of folks doing great work whilst tongue planted firmly in cheek. And...it actually has a serious 'right in the feels' back to the future-esque subplot. Terrific, and unfortunately under the radar. If you have a chance to see this...strongly recommended.

 

[roenick]

Anyone else watch this? I watched on Glowgaze yesterday - umm ... yeah. Really kind of a wild ride and reminds one of his last great horror movie, The Thing, in many ways. It was entirely NOT what I was expecting and Kurt, as always, was very very good as was Patrick Wilson.

 

[jerseydevil]

Anyone else watch this? I watched on Glowgaze yesterday - umm ... yeah. Really kind of a wild ride and reminds one of his last great horror movie, The Thing, in many ways. It was entirely NOT what I was expecting and Kurt, as always, was very very good as was Patrick Wilson.

I'm waiting for the blu...what's a glowgaze? I am sooo old.

 

[adgy-san]

I'm waiting for the blu...what's a glowgaze? I am sooo old.

Same question here. Glowgaze? Is that a new not-illegal-yet streaming site?

 

[adgy-san]

The Pirates Of Blood River - Pretty standard action adventure flick from the 60's with the notable exception of Christopher Lee playing a pirate. Wouldn't really recommend it to anyone unless you have a thing for pirates or Christopher Lee. If that's the case, then you'll like it just fine.

The Martian - A lot of fun, probably my favorite thing Ridley Scott has done in ages, but the book was still way better.

Dracula A.D. 1972 - A bunch of teenagers resurrect Dracula in the 70s. It's a good thing Peter Cushing is a descendant of Van Helsing. It plays out pretty much exactly like you'd expect/want. I liked it. One of the better ones, I thought.

Maps To The Stars - Cronenberg may not be doing much in the way of shock/horror anymore, but don't ever let anyone say his **** isn't still ****ed up. Liked this a lot. Really impressed with Mia Wasikowska's career at this point. She's already worked with so many great directors, done so many different types of films and been great in all of them.

Trainwreck - Pretty funny. Very Apatow-ish. Could have done without the dance number at the end, but I liked it a lot. Extra points to John Cena for being ****ing hilarious in his small role. Wish someone would make a movie with Dave Attell as the main character someday.

Slow West - It is pretty slow, but it builds up to the big finale and that pays off well. If I had a complaint, it would be that Ben Mendelsohn needed more screen time, but I liked it. Would watch again.

Lucy - Pretty terrible. Super ridiculous. Loved Choi Min-sik as the bad guy, though.

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch - I had never seen this before, having grown up in a house where I was taught that all the Halloween/Poltergeist/Exorcist sequels were terrible. I thought this was pretty decent, LOVED the part where you first find out what the masks really do, but I wouldn't say I loved it or I care if I ever see it again. I should mention I watched it on AMC, though, so maybe some more awesome **** got edited out?

Anthony Jeselnick: Thoughts And Prayers - ****in' LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it. Jeselnick's show might not have been great, but his stand-up is... maybe my favorite of people doing it today. No holds barred. Brilliant.

Unfinished Business - Had some pretty funny moments, but ultimately completely forgettable. As expected.

Band Of Outsiders - Had never seen this before. Super stylish, but didn't really do much for me. There were bits and pieces I liked, but once again the French New Wave stuff doesn't really do it for me.

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel - This was a fun little nerd movie. Chris O'Dowd continues to be one of the most likable nice guys on the planet. The story was actually pretty decent, it just maybe wasn't as funny as it thought it was. Don't care about seeing it again, but enjoyed it for what it was.

A Most Violent Year - Interesting sort of Goodfellas-ish film, though the ending left a little to be desired, I thought. Thought it built up pretty nicely but the ending was a little flat. Not at all a bad movie, though.

The Battle Of Algiers - One of the better historical docu-dramas I've ever seen. All about the Algerian revolution to gain independence from France in the 50s. If you're curious about how insurgencies start and/or work, this will give you a good idea. Really enjoyed this one a lot from start to finish.

Eyes Without A Face - Holy crap, I loved this movie. Creepy and pretty ****ed up for a movie from the 60s. A doctor's daughter is disfigured in an accident so he begins kidnapping young girls and surgically removing their faces to try and graft them onto his daughter. Ooof. Definitely plan to buy this sometime soon.

The Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence - Almost a complete waste of time. I nearly shut it off a bunch of times, but decided to power through it just so I can say I saw it. There is maybe something worthwhile in watching Dieter Laser hugely over-act and be all crazy, but even that only had a limited amount of charm since most of his dialogue was ridiculously trying to be offensive/disgusting. That's really the story for the whole movie.Tom Six seemed to be just trying to be as offensive as he could. Just like with the second one, though at least this one attempted humor. Still enjoy the first movie without guilt, but the sequels have just been garbage. I think Six's head disappeared up his ass after the success.

Kiki's Delivery Service & My Neighbor Totoro - Both of these movies are adorable as ****. All uplifting and ****. Beautifully animated. Fantastic. Bought that Miyazaki box set when it was Amazon's deal of the day and it was well worth it.

Sisters - Understanding that I'm a huge fan of both of these ladies, I ****in' loved this. Way more profane and raunchy than I had been expecting and way funnier than the trailer had led me to believe (thanks for not spoiling the best jokes there, ladies). Honestly never thought I'd hear Dianne West use the c-word, but there it was. I don't expect I'll see it again in the theaters (repeat viewings are for Star Wars, obviously), but will definitely be pre-ordering this on Blu. More extra points for John Cena being really funny in his small role.

 

[roenick]

Watched this one last night and absolutely loved it. The method of story telling was awesome and some of the leads (Carell and Bale specifically) were great. This is a must see story for anyone who has bought or is thinking about buying a house. They took a complex topic - to some folks - and made it very easy to understand. I couldn't understand why it is up for awards in the comedy category but after seeing it I fully get it. Illustrates one of the biggest travesties in the history of America.

 

[jerseydevil]

Full disclosure...this review will be FULL OF SPOILERS. Not because I want to ruin things for you(that's already far too competently taken care of), but because I want to save you. Yes, save you, from this movie.





In the interest of full disclosure...Look. I wanted to like this. Was looking forward to it. Skimmed reviews that made me anticipate it very much. I have made clear in the past my feelings for Leo. I always feel like he is acting. Never actually commits to BEING a character. That being said, I thought he made terrific strides in an obviously showy role in Wolf of Wall Street. I also thought the narcissistic, morally diseased character played into his strengths.

So onto The Revenant

Suppose you take a wafer thin concept...not even really a plot, and inflate it to way past the bloating point with the kind of grim misery that makes Russian lit seem like a lightweight Disney lark. You add a miscast lead, who you never ever buy into as the character. And to curry favor with critics you make it an endless cinematographers wet dream of burnt trees and pristine snow to the point that it is a 2 and a 1/2 hour Thomas Kinkade painting. Then, you try to say something...anything about the concept of revenge...just to basically 'pull out' and make a decision at the end that just basically says to your audience...'FOOLED YA!!!!!!'

Ok, so after a great opening that was like a frontier version of the beach invasion scene from Saving Private Ryan...things got started well. A lot of characters got introduced quickly and swirling cameras and nice editing turned an open tree lined field into a terribly claustrophobic killing ground. Then, the oft mentioned bear attack happens. Unrelentingly brutal and despite a few seams showing, a nice blend of cgi and practical. And that is where the movie basically goes into a coma. Long story short, after two more hours of heavy handed relentlessly grim misery which even the actors seem bored with, the movie just ****cans the entire 'meditation on revenge' message that it did very very little to establish as a palpable feeling. Now, this is based on a book...so I do not know how much at fault the movie is, but still. You are forced to endure watching DiCaprio's character find new and exciting ways to basically get Evel Knieval-like body breakings and still...he gets up because someone killed his son and left him for dead.


AND here is where the problem really starts. You NEVER buy into anything that DiCaprio is being asked to sell. Ok, that's unfair. He is particularly good at selling his initial traumatic injuries from the savage bear attack. And he does 'freezing' pretty well too. But you are asked to buy a relationship between him and his character's half Indian son that you. just.never.do. The movie has to keep reminding you why his character wouldn't just lay in the snow and say '**** it' by him writing 'Fitzgerald killed my son' in the snow. There are endless fever dream cut scenes where he has these almost embarrassingly cliche 'reunions' with his Indian wife who was killed by soldiers...well, because. DiCaprio NEVER makes you FEEL a sense of loss. They have to underline it with visual clues because he just isn't unselfish enough as an actor. The best parallel I can share, in Gladiator you FEEL Russell Crowe's sense of loss when he is walking thru the fields to his dead family. He connects as an actor because he stops being Russell Crowe and he is the character on the screen. DiCaprio NEVER stops being Leo. And it's even more implausible in this because you can't help feel like he is thinking the whole time 'I'm doing it...I'm ACTING'!!!!! While I give him credit for trying to stretch, he simply is not good enough to pull it off. And when a very very quiet movie NEEDS you to connect with him...you just don't. Add in just tons of mediocre plot devices. Indians looking for a kidnapped daughter who mistakenly blame the American trappers instead of the straight out of central casting 'boo hiss' type Frenchmen. An ernest and honorable Frontier outpost commander who might as well be named Goose since his fate is made almost perfectly clear from the outset. And on and on.
It's really damning when you surround DiCaprio with guys who can actually act, like Tom Hardy. Hardy, who has an odd strokelike slurry speech pattern while trying to talk through an iced over *cranbow* mustache isn't even particularly good in this. His character is a cocktail napkin sketch. Although he has the one truly enjoyable moment of the movie involving a story of finding God in a tree. But even at half power, with the restrictions on him, he makes Dicaprio's faults even more obvious. Domnhall Gleeson as 'Goose' is particularly good in a small small part. And even Will Poulter, who plays a reluctant accomplice to the abandonment, is far more believable.

The thing that bothers me the most...critics are openly masturbating to this Oscar bait. If you replaced the cast, lowered the budget, and didn't have a golden boy director...they would call it what it is. A BLOATED, merciless, beautifully empty corpse of a movie. OOOH strong opinions. Nature is cruel. Men are cruel. The frontier was a harsh horrible place. Way to go out on a limb. Even the cinematography, which is quite beautiful, loses it's lustre after the first hour of sun soaked pristine white vistas littered with dormant trees. Sooner or later in this endurance fest you will start looking at your watch.

To sum up...imagine Death Wish...but instead of focusing on the arguably satisfying subject of a wronged man getting his deserved vengeance, they spent all but the last 10 minutes of the movie with you watching Paul Kersey convalesce. And when they do get to the payoff, have him develop an unexplained change of heart that is made even more puzzling because the lead actor never sells his original emotional mission, much less the complete 180 which is further complicated by a far too convenient Deus ex Machina**.

I HATE THIS MOVIE. HATE IT. And I never hate a movie. Well, maybe V/H/S.

*Cranbow...


**super spoiler...if you want to truly 'leave vengeance up to God', let the villain walk away unscathed. Don't have the lead go all instant pacifist, just to have the convenient arrival of a bunch of bloodthirsty savages(they did it, not me) exact the revenge that the lead is too much of a pussy to take himself...which completely invalidates his journey 'back from the dead'.


HATE THIS MOVIE.
HATE IT.