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Ross (3282 KP) rated Downsizing (2017) in Movies
Oct 18, 2018
The idea behind this film (in order to save the world from mankind's expansion and overuse of resources, Norwegian scientists master the science of shrinking, and with humans being a fraction of their size the planet can start to recover) was excellent. However this did not translate into a good film. Matt Damon tries his best to portray the man looking for a new start post-downsizing, adding humour and charm, but is not enough to carry a script that just didn't know what it wanted to do.
While the film managed to show that some facets of humanity will still carry on post-shrinking (we need working class people to run the utopia so we have tiny shanty towns) and add an element of satire, it was not a cohesive film.
While the film managed to show that some facets of humanity will still carry on post-shrinking (we need working class people to run the utopia so we have tiny shanty towns) and add an element of satire, it was not a cohesive film.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans '66) (2019) in Movies
Jan 2, 2020
This is an excellent movie all around. I was fascinated by the story itself, and thought they did a terrific job of putting it to film. The race scenes are thrilling, and it's fun watching them build the cars. Christian Bale and Matt Damon work so well together. Caitriona Balfe is amazing as Mollie Miles. Jon Bernthal did a great Lee Iacocca. Josh Lucas has clearly been typecast as the douchebag, which he does very well here as Leo Beebe. Tracy Letts is a perfect Henry Ford II. Granted, 2.5 hours is a bit long, but it holds up throughout so that it doesn't really feel that long. Probably the best movie I've seen in a while, and definitely the best racing movie I've seen in a long time. đźš—đźš—
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated The Adjustment Bureau (2011) in Movies
Mar 7, 2019
No Adjustment Necessary
Contains spoilers, click to show
Is it just me, or is Matt Damon just getting better and better? He is developing into a well-rounded actor, with a definite ability to draw in his audience and deliver some great performances. In this, Damon is a would-be Senator who meets a falls in love with Emily Blunt, a modern ballet dancer.
Meanwhile it quickly becomes clear that the world is being organised by a group of shady men in 50's suits and hats, don't forget the hats, who 'Adjust' Peoples life paths to adhere to the grand plan. Unfortunately for the star-crossed lovers, they are not meant to be together and the they must ultimately challenge them to pursue their own fate.
Philip K. Dick is a strange and often wonderful sci-fi novelist, whose work has often been adapted for the screen, with the likes of Bladerunner, Total Recall, Minority Report and more recently, and I believe more faithfully In A Scanner Darkly.
The cinematography, art direction and ultimately the direction as a whole was very stylised without becoming uncomfortable or otherworldly, which I think was quite an achievement.
This has been referred to by other critics as 'Inception light', and though I can recognise a vague comparison, I wouldn't like to compare them myself. This was an interesting science fiction story, dealing with deep ideas in a lighter and ultimately more palatable way. Damon and Blunt were both enjoyable to watch as their romance blossomed, though be it in small vignettes, and the shady men themselves were often amusing if not outright funny.
There is nothing particularly new for fans of the genre, and though it is not as deep or intense as Bladerunner, this is certainly a nice addition to the Philip K. Dick movie cannon and it's always great to see a decent Sci-Fi film.
Meanwhile it quickly becomes clear that the world is being organised by a group of shady men in 50's suits and hats, don't forget the hats, who 'Adjust' Peoples life paths to adhere to the grand plan. Unfortunately for the star-crossed lovers, they are not meant to be together and the they must ultimately challenge them to pursue their own fate.
Philip K. Dick is a strange and often wonderful sci-fi novelist, whose work has often been adapted for the screen, with the likes of Bladerunner, Total Recall, Minority Report and more recently, and I believe more faithfully In A Scanner Darkly.
The cinematography, art direction and ultimately the direction as a whole was very stylised without becoming uncomfortable or otherworldly, which I think was quite an achievement.
This has been referred to by other critics as 'Inception light', and though I can recognise a vague comparison, I wouldn't like to compare them myself. This was an interesting science fiction story, dealing with deep ideas in a lighter and ultimately more palatable way. Damon and Blunt were both enjoyable to watch as their romance blossomed, though be it in small vignettes, and the shady men themselves were often amusing if not outright funny.
There is nothing particularly new for fans of the genre, and though it is not as deep or intense as Bladerunner, this is certainly a nice addition to the Philip K. Dick movie cannon and it's always great to see a decent Sci-Fi film.
Andre Holland recommended The Bourne Identity (2002) in Movies (curated)
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Downsizing (2017) in Movies
Feb 3, 2018
Drink Me but you can't eat me
The story of Paul Safranek (Damon) whose life as a physical therapist wants more out of his life with his wife but, can't seem to grasp the brass ring. An medical procedure called Downsizing which not only can make Humans but, anything we use to live a fraction of it's size is the in thing to do. It is supposed to be the escape from your current life to a better life that is easier to bear and suppose to be good for the planet as well. Paul convinces his wife that this is they way for them to get a new start but, at the last minute fear gets the better of her. Now he his forced to live in this new version of the easy life with out her and he comes to realize that things aren't all that different from what he left and niether is the world around him. However one thing changes his prespective on life as he is learning to live it that makes him see the betterment of being one way over the other.
Not usually a Matt Damon fan but, in this movie he was really good. Not that this would win any oscars but, it should have been nominated for best original screenplay as this is a great original story.
Not usually a Matt Damon fan but, in this movie he was really good. Not that this would win any oscars but, it should have been nominated for best original screenplay as this is a great original story.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Nov 3, 2017
So initially, the only reason I wanted to see this movie was because of the director, Taika Waititi. The Thor movies haven't been the greatest, but I was hoping, somehow, they could manage to make a good Thor film. I've loved everything Waititi has directed, so it's no surprise that I also loved this movie.. I'm definitely suffering from superhero movie fatigue, and this is what Marvel needed.
There were actual character arcs! Chris Hemsworth did well with the comedy, as did Tom Hiddleston. I might actually start watching Hiddleston's movies again.
The reason this only gets a 9, rather than 10: Hulk. I can't stand the Hulk, and I feel like they only put him in there for the children.
1st post-credit scene was great, 2nd was lame.
ALSO, that MATT DAMON cameo was hilarious.
I can't wait to see it again on Sunday.
There were actual character arcs! Chris Hemsworth did well with the comedy, as did Tom Hiddleston. I might actually start watching Hiddleston's movies again.
The reason this only gets a 9, rather than 10: Hulk. I can't stand the Hulk, and I feel like they only put him in there for the children.
1st post-credit scene was great, 2nd was lame.
ALSO, that MATT DAMON cameo was hilarious.
I can't wait to see it again on Sunday.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Great Wall (2016) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
Disappointingly Pedestrian
Acclaimed director Zhang Yimou has been at the helm of some of China’s greatest film assets. 1991’s Raise the Red Lantern is widely regarded as one of the defining foreign-language films of its period and 2004’s House of Flying Daggers received huge critical acclamation for its stunning cinematography and exceptional script.
Here, Yimou teams up with one of Hollywood’s greatest assets, Matt Damon in a monster flick to rival all others. But does The Great Wall showcase the very best from its director and leading man?
When a mercenary warrior on the run from a group of bandits (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within China’s magnificent Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As surge after surge of snarling, prowling beasts called Taotie besiege the massive construction, his quest for immeasurable fortune turns into a journey toward heroism. He joins a vast army of elite Chinese soldiers to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.
Unfortunately, The Great Wall squanders the talents of both Damon and Yimou with an unnecessarily dense script overriding any sense of drama. To be honest, it’s all just a bit of a bore.
The cast is fine but so vast that Damon and Jin Tian, who we will see again very soon in Kong: Skull Island, are the only stars to make any sort of impact. Even then, a poor script stops them from being anything but cardboard cut-outs. There is no character development whatsoever. In fact, as I write this paragraph I nearly forgot to mention Willem Dafoe. He makes no impact on the final outcome at all.
Elsewhere, the special effects range from laughably poor to adequate and certainly not befitting of a film costing well over $200million. The wall itself is rendered in decent CGI and the numerous battle scenes have a reasonably immersive feel, but the Taotie lacks realism and as the main antagonists throughout, this is a serious problem.
The cinematography too is not up to the standard of Yimou’s previous works. Relying far too heavily on green screen, it wastes his incredible eye for detail and continuously feels like you’re sat watching a very expensive video game. As with last year’s Gods of Egypt, there’s a certain glossy quality to the picture that dominates and this is what stops it being believable.
Nevertheless, the music is very good indeed. Ramin Djawadi has scored big budget blockbusters like Iron Man and Pacific Rim with The Great Wall taking a few influences from the latter. It’s definitely the saving grace here and alleviates a couple of the shortcomings.
Overall, The Great Wall is a film unworthy of the talent both behind and in front of the lens. It’s crammed full of poor CGI and uninspiring cinematography, though its great score is unquestionably a highlight. With such good subject matter, it feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/02/18/the-great-wall-disappointingly-pedestrian/
Here, Yimou teams up with one of Hollywood’s greatest assets, Matt Damon in a monster flick to rival all others. But does The Great Wall showcase the very best from its director and leading man?
When a mercenary warrior on the run from a group of bandits (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within China’s magnificent Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As surge after surge of snarling, prowling beasts called Taotie besiege the massive construction, his quest for immeasurable fortune turns into a journey toward heroism. He joins a vast army of elite Chinese soldiers to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.
Unfortunately, The Great Wall squanders the talents of both Damon and Yimou with an unnecessarily dense script overriding any sense of drama. To be honest, it’s all just a bit of a bore.
The cast is fine but so vast that Damon and Jin Tian, who we will see again very soon in Kong: Skull Island, are the only stars to make any sort of impact. Even then, a poor script stops them from being anything but cardboard cut-outs. There is no character development whatsoever. In fact, as I write this paragraph I nearly forgot to mention Willem Dafoe. He makes no impact on the final outcome at all.
Elsewhere, the special effects range from laughably poor to adequate and certainly not befitting of a film costing well over $200million. The wall itself is rendered in decent CGI and the numerous battle scenes have a reasonably immersive feel, but the Taotie lacks realism and as the main antagonists throughout, this is a serious problem.
The cinematography too is not up to the standard of Yimou’s previous works. Relying far too heavily on green screen, it wastes his incredible eye for detail and continuously feels like you’re sat watching a very expensive video game. As with last year’s Gods of Egypt, there’s a certain glossy quality to the picture that dominates and this is what stops it being believable.
Nevertheless, the music is very good indeed. Ramin Djawadi has scored big budget blockbusters like Iron Man and Pacific Rim with The Great Wall taking a few influences from the latter. It’s definitely the saving grace here and alleviates a couple of the shortcomings.
Overall, The Great Wall is a film unworthy of the talent both behind and in front of the lens. It’s crammed full of poor CGI and uninspiring cinematography, though its great score is unquestionably a highlight. With such good subject matter, it feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/02/18/the-great-wall-disappointingly-pedestrian/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Good Will Hunting (1997) in Movies
Jul 9, 2021
Well Deserved Oscars for Williams, Damon and Affleck
One of the benefits of “Secret Movie Night” is that it forces me to watch (or rewatch) a film that I would not seek out on my own. Such is the case with this month’s selection - GOOD WILL HUNTING - the film that made Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars and earned the late, great Robin Williams his only Academy Award.
Leaning hard on the mantra “write what you know”, GOOD WILL HUNTING tells the tale of a generationally talented math prodigy, who grew up in South Boston and fights his demons to find his place in this world.
Famously, the screenplay of this film earned Damon and Affleck Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and it is well deserved. They paint a picture of life of these “Southies” that appears to me real and genuine. The “family” feel of the friendship of the main characters rings true and Damon and Affleck have real chemistry with each other - like old friends playing off each other.
However, the relationship between Affleck and Damon’s character in this film is only the 3rd best relationship in this film. The best, of course, is the relationship between Will Hunting (Damon) and the shrink that is assigned to him, played by Robin Williams. It is a haunting, raw, emotional and REAL performance by Williams - one very deserving of the Oscar - and I was more than a little sad to watch this performance knowing that this uniquely talented performer is no longer with us.
The surprise to me in this rewatch of the film is the performance of Minnie Driver as a young lady that becomes emotionally attached to Will. Driver’s performance as Harvard student Skylar is also real and the struggles of her character to get a connection with Will was heartbreaking to watch.
Good Will Hunting also features strong supporting work by Stellan Skarsgard as the MIT Math Professor who discovers - and then becomes jealous of - Will’s talents and Ben Affleck’s younger brother, a then unknown Casey Affleck, who steals almost every scene he is in.
All of this would not have worked without the magnificent, Oscar nominated, Direction of Gus Van Sant (DRUGSTORE COWBOY). He was the perfect choice to direct this intimate, personal drama and he has a way of drawing out the emotions and rawness of the characters on the screen without being cloying or overdramatic. He was a strong contender for Best Director that year (as was Good Will Hunting for Best Picture) but it ran into a roadblock that was James Cameron and TITANIC.
If you have never seen this film - or if you haven’t seen this in quite some time - check out GOOD WILL HUNTING, it is well worth your time.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Leaning hard on the mantra “write what you know”, GOOD WILL HUNTING tells the tale of a generationally talented math prodigy, who grew up in South Boston and fights his demons to find his place in this world.
Famously, the screenplay of this film earned Damon and Affleck Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and it is well deserved. They paint a picture of life of these “Southies” that appears to me real and genuine. The “family” feel of the friendship of the main characters rings true and Damon and Affleck have real chemistry with each other - like old friends playing off each other.
However, the relationship between Affleck and Damon’s character in this film is only the 3rd best relationship in this film. The best, of course, is the relationship between Will Hunting (Damon) and the shrink that is assigned to him, played by Robin Williams. It is a haunting, raw, emotional and REAL performance by Williams - one very deserving of the Oscar - and I was more than a little sad to watch this performance knowing that this uniquely talented performer is no longer with us.
The surprise to me in this rewatch of the film is the performance of Minnie Driver as a young lady that becomes emotionally attached to Will. Driver’s performance as Harvard student Skylar is also real and the struggles of her character to get a connection with Will was heartbreaking to watch.
Good Will Hunting also features strong supporting work by Stellan Skarsgard as the MIT Math Professor who discovers - and then becomes jealous of - Will’s talents and Ben Affleck’s younger brother, a then unknown Casey Affleck, who steals almost every scene he is in.
All of this would not have worked without the magnificent, Oscar nominated, Direction of Gus Van Sant (DRUGSTORE COWBOY). He was the perfect choice to direct this intimate, personal drama and he has a way of drawing out the emotions and rawness of the characters on the screen without being cloying or overdramatic. He was a strong contender for Best Director that year (as was Good Will Hunting for Best Picture) but it ran into a roadblock that was James Cameron and TITANIC.
If you have never seen this film - or if you haven’t seen this in quite some time - check out GOOD WILL HUNTING, it is well worth your time.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Matthew Scott (7 KP) rated Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) in Movies
Mar 25, 2019
Greatest movie ever? MoviePoopChute.com thinks not!
There is not a more positive culture relevant movie in existence. If you like any movie or TV show from the 70s-90s, chances are somebody from that show is in this movie. Mark Hamil, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Carrie Fisher, George Carlin, Pie fucker, that dude that screwed Joey on Dawson's, Stiffler, not to mention hetero life mates Jay and Silent Bob! The jokes on this movie are a mile a minute, so you need to pay attention if you want to catch them all. If you're new to Kevin Smith and his impulsive friend Jason Mewes, then check out their Smodcast podcasts, or any of the other movies they've done together. Mallrats, Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy, etc. This is a must see for any fan of pop culture. This movie is like every Funko Pop figure wrapped into one.
Merissa (11646 KP) rated Downsizing (2017) in Movies
Jan 21, 2019
Downsizing
The premise of this film is amazing... and if it had only delivered what was promised, it would have been outstanding. As it is, the story fizzles out and splutters along aimlessly. There was more connection between Paul (Matt Damon) and Dusan (Christopher Walken) than there was between Paul and Ngoc Lan (Hong Chau). From looking at houses to please his wife, to being socially 'good' to please Ngoc Lan, Paul just seemed to be a wanderer who flitted from one scene to the next, but not feeling deeply enough about anything to really take an interest.
And then we have the whole Norwegian colony - that could have been superb, but instead was 'downsized' itself into a cult. Such a shame.
I was really looking forward to this, and didn't realise it was listed as comedy. That's probably a good thing, because I didn't find much of it funny!
Such an interesting concept, I would recommend viewing it, just so you know.
And then we have the whole Norwegian colony - that could have been superb, but instead was 'downsized' itself into a cult. Such a shame.
I was really looking forward to this, and didn't realise it was listed as comedy. That's probably a good thing, because I didn't find much of it funny!
Such an interesting concept, I would recommend viewing it, just so you know.