Thursday, April 23, 2015

The past is never past

Sam Mendes knows how to make a great movie. For example, American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and in 2012, Skyfall.

Daniel Craig is a more vulnerable Bond in this movie than in previous installments. The Bond in Skyfall is older, slower, injured, and not sure who to trust. This movie is very much story driven. Javier Bardem is downright disturbing as the villain. Skyfall is really a history of Bond. There are new characters taking over for old characters. A peek into the inner workings of MI6. A look at Bond's childhood home. This is a great Bond movie.

You know, this might be the most story driven Bond movie. Not that I'm some sort of Bond expert, but this is much more about the story than the gadgets or fighting. That's not to say that this isn't your typical Bond movie with sweet gadgets, fighting, and Bondisms, because it is. You don't need to see any of the other Daniel Craig Bond movies to fully appreciate this movie. The end of the movie is perfect.

9/10. This may possibly be my favorite Bond movie.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Love, Love is boundless

Interstellar by Christopher Nolan overwhelmed me. Nominally, the film is a science fiction movie, but the movie is really about family. More particularly, the movie is about a father's love for his daughter.

I don't really know how to pin down highlights in this movie. I love the awesome (in the true meaning of the word) nature of the cinematography. I loved the way that Nolan managed to convey the difference in time between the astronauts depending on where they were in relation to each other. Pro tip, relativity is a bitch. The story is great. Humanity is on the verge of collapse and we need to escape. Enter our brave astronauts: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, David Gyasi, Andrew Borba, and Wes Bentley. Where do you know Wes Bentley from? Yes, American Beauty. Arguably the two best performances in this movie come from Michael Caine and Jessica Chastain.

This movie is difficult to write about, because there are so many chances to spoil the movie. With that concern in mind I am just going to list some selling points. The movie was inspired by the work of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne. Read the scientific accuracy section on Wikipedia. You've got time travel, betrayal, drama, romance, spaceships, and Christopher Nolan is the director. If that combination does not appeal to you then I don't know what to say.

9/10. I loved this movie, and would watch it again, but given how heavy it is and how long it is I can only watch it from time to time.