Dennis D. McDonald (ddmcd@ddmcd.com)consults from Alexandria Virginia. His services include writing & research, proposal development, and project management.
What is on display here is a technocratic approach to filmmaking driven by a checklist of sights, events, and characters that a committee decided need to be on display.
Don’t let the stick figure animation fool you. This is one of the most sophisticated science-fiction films I’ve seen since Her and Ex Machina. And it’s only 17 minutes long.
This movie wonderfully answers the burning question, what would happen if some really good comedy writers made a faux reality documentary about a group of 4 vampires living in the middle class suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand?
I don’t think I’ll be submitting myself to this cinematic torture again. I guess I prefer my spirit to be uplifted, not crushed, even when the crushing is beautifully and artistically portrayed.
Oddly enough, as much as this show twists history, I think you will appreciate it even more if you do know the details of the events that are being twisted.
What propels the movie way beyond what might have been just another exploitation of over-privileged middle-aged angst is the movie’s tight focus on the relationship between Rock’s character and a sharp and attractive newspaper interview played by Rosario Dawson.
What propels the story along are the twin realities that (a) this story is true and (b) Japanese prison camp conditions really were this horrific. Jolie’s almost documentary approach lets these things speak for themselves. You can’t help but be moved by the results. I certainly was.
This tasty little thriller really packs a punch with frequent and unexpected twists and turns along the way. Jude Law and Rooney Mara star in an expertly crafted cat and mouse game that pits … well, explaining the story too much would spoil things.
Every now and then I find it enjoyable to see things done in bright colors and with well-drawn characters or personalities with motivations (good or bad) that are unmistakable.
Seeing INK reminded me of my guardian angel days as it explores the conflict between good and evil and the shadowy netherworld of dreams, nightmares, and overlapping timelines.
This is a magnificent movie. It looks great, the acting is terrific, and it presents us with a classic confrontation between good and evil that culminates in a spectacular small—town all-guns-blazing gunfight.