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Prometheus (2012)
Prometheus (2012)
2012 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
I have seen so many bad reviews for this movie, but personally I didn't think it was so bad. The main characters were wooden but I enjoyed the acting from Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender. The old person suit/makeup/CGI on the aged Weyland was proper weird and didn't look good at all. It does seem this movie doesn't really know what it is trying to say about the weird black goo either. But the introduction of The Engineers was interesting addition to the world of Alien.
  
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
2017 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Visuals (2 more)
Sound/music
Michael Fassbender's dual roles
Script (2 more)
Overall story
Character choices
So much potential...
I will admit to being in the minority of those who enjoyed Prometheus. Flawed? Yep. But at least it was trying something new and wasn't a strict retread of Alien. It offered some thought-provoking ideas, great performances, amazing visuals and some genuine sci-fi terror.

Then comes Covenant. The shame is that instead of it being Prometheus 2 it became Alien 5, offering nothing new to the table.

Some of the performances are great, particularly Michael Fassbender (nothing new) but the characters make stupid decisions, the story is built on too many coincidences and it all feels like something you've already seen and seen done better.
  
The Light Between Oceans (2016)
The Light Between Oceans (2016)
2016 | Drama, Romance
Extremely slow, slightly frustrating plot
I did find the plot pace a little too slow, and the female character Isabelle, played by Alicia Vikander, exceedingly frustrating. I can't remember how many times I rolled my eyes at her antics. Only the last few scenes were the best in the whole film where I almost shed a tear. Michael Fassbender, as per usual gives a stirring straightforward performance as did Rachel Weisz. The story needs a lot of polishing though. Babies tend not to arrive by boat in the middle of the ocean like a biblical story just like random floating messages in bottles.
  
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
2019 | Biography, Crime, Thriller
I thought this film really did something I wasn't expecting. Instead of focusing on the physical crime that created Ted Bundy into the infamous killer everyone knows him as today; it was refreshing to see a more emotional take on the whole events. I loved the performance of Liz. Wholly, I think this film will be disliked because it didn't divulge into the gruesome and gory deaths that we all know about, but I think the director did an amazing job of holding the perspective.

This film reminds me of the Steve Jobs film with Michael Fassbender, and also Legend with Tom Hardy.
  
Jonah Hex (2010)
Jonah Hex (2010)
2010 | Action, Drama, Horror
2
5.1 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A recent re-watch of Jonah Hex went something like this:

- a lot of stuff happened before that title card that it's already incoherent
- wait, Michael Fassbender is in this?
- I can't see what's happening
- ah sweet, it's the dude from Mastodon.
- wait, Will Arnett is in this?
- Megan Fox really drew the short straw on a lot of her movie projects
- is that Michael Shannon!?
- ah sweet, it's the dude from John Wick.
- wait, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is in this!?
- once again, couldn't see what the fuck was happening because of the piss poor lighting, but Jonah Hex is nearly dead again, apparently.
- Ah cool, here's a mid-runtime action heavy sequence, still can't tell what's happening.
- wait....nope, it's over.

Christ, this movie is a blurry mess that's impressively hard to follow considering its short runtime. I love the Jonah Hex comics, I tend to enjoy Josh Brolin and John Malkovich, how is this such a trainwreck?

That Mastodon soundtrack is badass though.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (2019) in Movies

Apr 2, 2019 (Updated Apr 2, 2019)  
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (2019)
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Documentary
9
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Hugely affectionate and enjoyable portrait of Chris Sievey, who became a cult figure as the hapless, anarchic, peculiar all-round entertainer Frank Sidebottom. Sievey/Frank is probably best known outside the UK thanks to the movie he inspired with Michael Fassbender wearing the head; this documentary makes it quite clear just how much stranger and more entertaining than fiction reality was in this case.

Definitely a portrait of Sievey rather than his creation, but still hugely entertaining: the film doesn't skimp on detailing the troubles that he encountered throughout his life, but you still come away with a definite sense of a life well lived, and an immensely creative mind ceaselessly at work. A worthy memorial to a unique individual.
  
The Snowman (2017)
The Snowman (2017)
2017 | Crime, Drama, Horror
No, not that one
Nordic noir is big business at the moment, but with the incredible scenery of the locations lending themselves perfectly to film, is there any wonder?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Hypnotist are just a couple of movies that have fallen into this massively expanding genre.

Now, Jo Nesbø’s chilling The Snowman novel gets the silver screen treatment in a film of the same name. But can this continue the thrilling trend of whodunit novels being turned into fabulous crime dramas?For Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender), the death of a young woman during the first snow of winter feels like anything but a routine homicide. His investigation leads him to “The Snowman Killer,” an elusive sociopath who continuously taunts Hole with ingeniously crafted cat-and-mouse games. As the brutal deaths show no sign of slowing, Harry teams up with a new recruit (Rebecca Ferguson) to try and lure the madman out of the shadows before it’s too late.

With Michael Fassbender at the helm, director Thomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) manages to blend gorgeous imagery with an intriguing plot and excellent performances in a film that suffers from a couple of issues that stops it from becoming a must-see event.

These R-rated thrillers are ten-a-penny these days with the bar still being set incredibly high by Gone Girl. Last year’s Girl on the Train was a decent stab at dethroning David Fincher’s masterpiece, but it just fell a little short – well the same has happened here.

Michael Fassbender is uniformly excellent as troubled detective, Harry and the actor can do no wrong in his performances, but he’s suffered this year. After Assassin’s Creed failed to ignite the box-office, it looks to be a similar story this time. While The Snowman is technically competent and filmed beautifully, it lacks the sense of originality that breeds success.

It also doesn’t help that he’s surrounded by thinly padded supporting characters like former love interest Rakel (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and new police officer Katrine (Ferguson). Elsewhere, bizarre glorified cameos for Val Kilmer and Toby Jones leave you wondering if these actors expected a little more from their parts.

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh. After all, the cast is one of the film’s strongest suits. Add J.K. Simmons to the aforementioned roster and it really does have one of the best line-ups of the year. It’s just a shame the script doesn’t do more with them.

To look at, The Snowman is absolutely gorgeous. Helped obviously by magnificent Norwegian landscapes, Alfredson shoots using steady cam in scenes reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, high praise indeed. In a year populated by CGI-heavy blockbusters, this comes as a real breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, the constant use of flashbacks and a peculiar subplot involving a Winter sporting event ruin the pacing, though at 130 minutes, this isn’t too much of an issue. The ending however, is disappointing and lacks an emotional payoff after the film’s events.

Overall, The Snowman is a gritty adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s successful novel and while some of the plot choices leave a little to be desired, a great anchor performance by Michael Fassbender and stunning cinematography mean it’s definitely worth a watch; just don’t expect too much.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/10/14/the-snowman-review/