Movie review: The Mule (2018)

[Post published by Liviu, on Liviu's [Personal] Blog]

Nota bene: for other movie reviews, click for the dedicated page with movie reviews.

The Mule (2018)

[IMDB; en.wikipedia]

Entertaining and boring simultaneously.

Coherent and Consistent storyline.
Linear.
Predictable.
The story drags sometimes.
It displays some funny moments / situations from time to time.
It subtly criticizes the way people categorize and address other people with respect to race etc.

Slow paced - when Clint Eastwood acts.
Fast paced - when Bradley Cooper acts.

Clint Eastwood is old, really old, but also stubborn enough to get the job done well - indeed, the part suits him perfectly.

Bradley Cooper does well, as always.

No special effects or at least no obvious special effects :)

Good cinematography, but cheap - what is that $50 million budget for? :))

You can safely watch it on TV. The cinema experience doesn't add anything special.

Conclusions

Time well spent. Worth watching.

Movie review: The House That Jack Built (2018)

[Post published by Liviu, on Liviu's [Personal] Blog]

Nota bene: for other movie reviews, click for the dedicated page with movie reviews.

The House That Jack Built (2018)

[IMDB; en.wikipedia]

Entertaining for those who understand it, but probably boring for those who don't.
Crazy.
Mind blowing.

Sadistic.
Unnecessary explicit European style violence as opposed to Hollywood's.

Horror & Comedy simultaneously.

Nota bene: the movie might make many viewers feel uncomfortable. This movie clearly is for open minded, mentally sane people. Probably not recommended to average viewers.

Coherent and Consistent storyline.
Lots of old school difficult to swallow European philosophy.
There are some funny moments from time to time.

Lasts for 2.5 hours - feels shorter if you understand it, but also an eternity if you don't :)

Average special effects, but they do get the job done perfectly.

Matt Dillon is great.

The closest thing I can think of would be Nocturnal Animals starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Definitely to watch at the cinema.

Conclusions

Worth watching to me, but probably a bad experience to most average viewers. It's the kind of movie that you either understand (and therefore can enjoy) or dislike, there's no other option.

Movie review: Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

[Post published by Liviu, on Liviu's [Personal] Blog]

Nota bene: for other movie reviews, click for the dedicated page with movie reviews.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

[IMDB; en.wikipedia]

Entertaining. Fun. Nice. Sweet.
Great musical.
Great to both children and adults.


Coherent & Consistent storyline.
A few small twists here and there, but I need to emphasize there only are a few of them and really small :)

My major objection: the resolution to the debt problem is incredibly stupid, it's like writers’ creativity has suddenly vanished.

Fast paced. No time to get bored or lose focus :)


Nice special effects.


Great acting.

Emily Blunt acts well, sings well - she does a really good job, congratulations!
If Emma Stone has got an Academy award for the part in La La Land (2016), then Blunt certainly deserves one, too :)
I just can't stop comparing her against Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger in Chicago (2002) :) and conclude that Jones and Zellweger are better :)

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a revelation to me - great acting, great singing. He deserves a nomination to the Academy awards. He's better than Richard Gere in Chicago (2002) :)


Nice, catchy songs. Some are even educative :) I really enjoyed all of them.


Great musical. Definitely better than La La Land (2016).

I'm still debating which I like more: A Star is Born or Mary Poppins Returns?

Please remember my review on Christopher Robin (2018) in which I state: “Winnie-the-Pooh has the voice of a castrated dying European old man. And he surely behaves like a dumb & always hungry old man.”
Well, Mary Poppins is just the opposite. She’s a young, smart, resourceful, good looking, fertile, optimist/positive lady. That's the right way to build a character!

Mary Poppins Returns reminds me a bit of The Sound of Music (1965) - there's the same joy that really gets into you and you just can't fight it :)

Wonka (2023) [Liviu review] delivers more than Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

Conclusions

Definitely worth watching at the cinema. Entertaining. Fun. Sweet. Time well spent.