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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Reign of Fire (2002) in Movies

Apr 13, 2020 (Updated Apr 13, 2020)  
Reign of Fire (2002)
Reign of Fire (2002)
2002 | Action, Sci-Fi
Better than you'd think
I remember watching this when it first came out and being fairly impressed. I havent seen it since so decided to give it a go and it's really not as bad as you'd expect.

Story wise it's a great idea for an apocalypse style scenario, definitely beats a zombie film any day. I'm surprised something like this hasn't made a resurgence after the popularity of the dragons in Game of Thrones. Christian Bale is always enjoyable as a lead character, although his London cockney accent does make me laugh. Matthew McConaughey has potentially been given a rather cliched character but he does have a lot of fun with it at least.

The effects and CGI are potentially a little dated at times, but that's to be expected with something that is now 18 years old. There are some cliched and cheesy lines and a few predictable and cheesy moments, but overall it's just a rather enjoyable bit of entertainment. The ending is a bit cheesy as well but I wouldnt have expected it to end any other way. It won't win any Oscars, but I feel like it's a film that's been fairly forgotten and underrated over time.
  
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
1982 | Drama, International

"Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece was an international critical and financial success, winning four Oscars. And that was in its truncated, just-over-three-hour version. Included in this set is Bergman’s full version, made for Swedish television. Presented in four parts, it comes in at over five hours, nearly twice as long as the theatrical cut. It’s truly a marvel to behold, intricately detailing every aspect of the lives of the Ekdahl family in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden. As it brilliantly charts a span of several years through the eyes of children, the film is equally detailed with its adult characters’ points of view. Equal parts joyous and tragic. A marvelous and loving tribute to Bergman’s life in the theater. Full of magical realism and stark, painful reality. A meditation on death and a celebration of life. Dickensian in nature (Dickens is said to have been a major influence on Bergman for this film). Truly unlike anything else he ever did. It recalls the great epics of David Lean, which were massive in scope while also being concerned with intimate details of the human condition and its fragility. A masterwork in either version. Watch them both and never be bored for a moment."

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Do the Right Thing (1989)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
1989 | Comedy, Drama

"To live in New York is to live in a place that is both heaven and hell, kept from dissolving into economic and racial chaos only by the maintenance of a minute-by-minute decency, respect, and understanding. Spike Lee spends a good amount of time, early in the film, dousing a Brooklyn neighborhood with gasoline, as we hold our breath to see who will strike a match. Making perhaps one of the twenty-five greatest dramas of the past thirty years, Lee is in Sidney Lumet territory here, by way of Paddy Chayefsky, by way of Huey P. Newton. The acting is, at times, as raw as you see in film. Danny Aiello, in the self-immolating role of the pizza shop owner who strips away decades of spiritual growth in a matter of minutes, gives one of the great performances in contemporary movie history, and both he and Lee, as screenwriter, were nominated for Oscars. Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis, and John Turturro are riveting. Ernest R. Dickerson’s photography is memorable, as is Bill Lee’s music. But it’s Spike Lee, on his way to making films like Malcolm X and Clockers, who knocks you on your ass so hard you have trouble getting up at the closing credits."

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Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
2016 | Drama
Casey affleck (1 more)
Michelle williams
Harrowing Oscar worthy film
Tough, Emotional and beautifully acted Manchester By the sea proves to be one of my favorite films of the last few years and this is mainly down to the fantastic acting of Casey Affleck.

The film centres on Afflecks character Lee Chandler who receives bad news that his brother has died and must return to his home town to be a guardian for his orphaned nephew. This causes issues with his nephew Patrick as Lee wants to move back to Boston and there is clearly a traumatic reason Lee does not want to stay in Manchester.

Casey was overlooked in the wrongfully dismissed gone baby gone, but I feel here he may finally get the plaudits he deserves and must be a front runner for the Oscars. Affleck gives an emotionally charged nuisanced performance that manages to not only hit you in the feels but plays a reclusive man dealing with trauma with silence and looks......hard to do but he pulls it off.

Michelle Williams although plays nothing but a side character here is captivating in every scene she is in and gives an emotionally charged honest performance.

overall this film is difficult to watch but I found it truly captivating. This is due to the emotionally heavy plot and Oscar worthy performances.
  
Downsizing (2017)
Downsizing (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
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.