FreedomBliss's blog: "30-Day Movie Challenge"

Today's film was the Avengers and it's of course the first time I've watched it. Right off the bat let me tell you I'm am disappointed with almost every aspect of this film. It is just another action/superhero film. The film relies too much on the "cool" "epic" idea of the Avengers and doesn't bring anything special to the genre of the superhero film. It just makes the action bigger and the cgi greater. There is no in depth character, no real story, no twists, no turns, nothing but action. I know I'm being a little harsh because you not going to the Avengers looking for characters, I guess you leave that to Nolan and the Dark Knight.

Let me start out with what I liked. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner works great. He is perfect for the role. I look forward to his own Hulk movie. That's it. Even with his great performance, there isn't much of it because there is so much else happening.

For the rest of the film, it's just average. The main problem with this film is that it is too much. There is too much exposition and explaining for a 2 hour 10 minute film. It is a hard task to get all these story lines meshed and I don't know why they just didn't make it two films. I'm sure after Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, a reboot of Hulk, and even the Nick Fury movie, there will be an Avengers 2. The could of easily set it up like the Hobbit and had it told over two films. That way you are not rushing into things and you can take your time and explain and dig deeper into the characters. I don't want to sound like a Batman fan boy but with Nolan's films, he digs into the characters and it gives the film a true sense about it as you can relate and connect with a superhero, one person who is fighting for you. With all these superheroes coming together, at no time was I cheering or even wanting them to win. The whole film is set up for the two actions sequences.

Built into the pace of the film is bits of comedy by mostly Stark and the Hulk. This breaks up the action with a quick one liner or action. To me, when films do this it's almost as if they don't feel strong about the film. They need comic relief to end a scene. If you have an amazing action sequence, it should be fine by itself. You don't need to throw one sentence of comedy to close the scene. It seems like they didn't feel comfortable with what they had and needed to try to add more than was required to try to spruce up the characters.

I could go on for days but I don't want to say too much since it's not out yet in the US. Let me just say that if you want to see an action film than this works. If you want a drama or even a story based film, than this will do nothing for you. It really doesn't matter what I say because people will see it no matter what but I really just want you to know what to expect, a decent action movie.

Positives: The little Mark Ruffalo

Negatives: The stupidity of the characters, the unrealistic approach to being a superhero, the "story," the lack of connection between characters and audience, the settling of problem solving and "luck" of solution, I could go on

Score 2/5

*Once again thanks for reading. Any suggestions or questions would be great. I may have a full review next week that really digs into everything else but it won't really matter by then because you will have all seen it.

Today's film was Cube. This is my first time watching it. This is a 1997 film about 6 people stuck in a giant cube shaped puzzle. In some rooms are deadlh traps and others are safe. It's basically Saw before Saw and less violent and more thinking. This film has a great concept but doesn't hold up by todays standard.

The plot works. The puzzle is fun to solve and it was great when they got another clue because then I was thinking along with them. With the whole film taking place in the puzzle, it made you feel like they felt. No flashbacks or any visual backstory makes this claustrophobic. With these twists and turns the pace never slows down and that made this film fun to watch.

With no big name actors is where the film struggles. The acting is terrible. Terrible. The lead guy seems like is in a school play. Now bad acting I can usually get over if the story is intriguing and this story just barely helps. This film is its for its own time, the 90s. Everything about it feels 90s and the acting is really where it shines. Take an average film from the 90s, with the standard acting and this film is exactly that. For that reason, I won't re watch this film. It's just too much.

With a great idea and execution of the story, the film does suffer from it's characters. I don't want to spoil anything but one character's transformation feels forced. They needed some more entertainment and they made this character try to become interesting. Each character is different and they all have a "skill" that comes in handy when solving the puzzle. But the interactions and emotions between them feels weird. When you finally get to the end it doesn't work. Maybe it's because the newer films with this type of premise seem to have developed characters but even the Saw films which I don't like, have something with the characters that is fun to watch. The dialogue throughout, especially the end, struggles to make these characters seem real.

Overall the film is good. The puzzle is interesting and the pace of the clues works well. But the unrealistic characters and the lack of any kind of backstory or overall connection between the people falls short. There is never any solution to why they are there. Now that doesn't bother me but the ending doesn't leave you with anything to come away with and that's what makes this film from great to good.The first scene before the title is great and the film should of stayed with the mystery of that scene.

Positives: Puzzle/Idea, Pace

Negatives: Unreal characters, acting, no reason

Score 3.5/5

*Thanks again for reading. Any suggestions would be great.

Today's movie was Vahalla Rising. It is my first time watching it. I picked it because of the director, Nicholas Winding Refn. He directed Bronson, which I liked and Drive which I loved. This film is 2 parts epic and every other part alright. From the first couple minutes you can tell that this film is beautiful. The cinematography is amazing. The creepy fog and pale colors great a glow to the shots that make it something special. With that in mind, the music then sets the level even higher. It is eerie and with a slow moving film like this, you get surrounded in the tones and strings the music plays. With the amazing look and wonderful sound you would think that the rest of the film should be at that standard but it isn't.

The story is about a mute warrior who breaks free from his captors and takes a little boy along a trip of religion and a new world to find who he really is. It is a great idea but the film lacks substance. Nothing really happens that much throughout the film and you will leave wanting more. It's not boring or painfully to watch, it just doesn't have anything to remember it by. The plot struggles to stay on track and a lot of the film is just the warrior and the kid walking around.

While I was watching, it reminded me of two films. It has the music of There Will Be Blood and it has the time frame of Apocalypto. It isn't as good as these films but if you liked those yo should check this one out. With all that said he two epic parts that work, cinematography and music, still don't save this film. The average movie goer would struggle with this film. If you love looking and examining every shot like I do then this film has some interest. The least I can recommend is you look online for short 2 minute scenes or listen to a bit of the music because those are what saves this film from being terrible. I still like Refns directing style and I hope he keeps making films. It is interesting and is different than anything mainstream and I think with Drive it proves that he has evolved and has become better.

Positives: Music, cinematography

Negatives: Plot, pace, lack of substance

Rating 3/5

*Once again thanks for reading. Any suggestions or comments would be great. Thanks.

Today’s film was 9. This is the first and only time I will watch this film. After watching the trailer a couple years a go with Coheed in the background I was very hopeful of a great film but this film did not meet my expectations. This film is not good. It suffers from so many clichés and doesn’t come to any conclusion.

This clichés bothered the film, and me throughout at least the story and characters, felt old and unoriginal. It’s sad because the visuals are beautiful. The art direction is great. I loved how the puppets and monsters looked. Even the one that looked like the spider baby from the original Toy Story looked great. But the heroine who is loved by the main character, the leader who is eventually bad, the dumb jock/guard, the death of the sidekick, all these clichés tear this film down.

While watching I had my idea for the end and when it got there I was disappointed. This ending was bland and didn’t really make much sense. I was hoping of an original idea that successful created meaning to the puppets and to the film but it didn’t. I really feel bad because the film has a great setting and a great idea for a story but the path it takes doesn’t work. The action is really just tossed in to keep it entertaining and it still is only 71 minutes.

I can’t help but dislike this film. I know that a lot of people like it but I can’t put myself down enough to enjoy it. If you like it, that’s great, keep liking it but if you haven’t seen it I suggest you pass. If you want a post-apocalyptic world with robots watch Wall.E,

Positives: Art direction, character design

Negatives: Lose and unoriginal plot, clichés, characters

Score 2/5

*It might seem lame that I’m not doing bigger and more popular movies but I feel that most people have seen them. I’ll still do one if somebody wants me to but I’m trying to find films that I’ve always wanted to see or the are films that got overlooked. The Departed was the biggest film I watched and you can see the terrible review so I’m going to try to stick to films I haven’t seen so I can give you my initial reaction and try to hopefully give you new films to watch. But anyway, once again thanks for reading. Any suggestions on films for me to watch are much appreciated.

Today's movie was Primer. This is the first time I've watched this and I have to watch it again. After watching Triangle (yesterday's film) it lead me down a path of movies that deal with time and make you think. I'm a sucker for time travel. Primer is that type of film. It's the thinking man's or woman's type of sci fi film. It's about two guys who invent a time travel box. The film is too smart to understand the first time. If you are not confused after you watch it then you are Einstein.

The first 20 minutes is rambling and what I assume to be when smart people get together they would talk like this. It made me kind of jealous because I want to talk so smart that a lesser mind would be baffled. After being confused for a while, I started to understand what they were building and how they built it. When they finally reveal the time travel it is wonderful. It's a mystery for the audience as it's hard to comprehend what is going on. After you think you have caught up it kicks you back down again. The film keeps a fast pace and doesn't give you time to think about what you just saw. The end is great and really ties things together while still leaving confused as hell.

After watching I looked up the science to the film and read a plot summary on their Wiki page. After reading that I understand more but still not everything. The idea of how to time travel they bring up is amazing. It is a unusual way to grasp the theory of time travel but it is cool. People recommend you re watch this film to undersatnd more and you need to. I will watch this at least one more time. It kept me thinking and I liked that. Even when I was confused I still felt like I was understanding something and still wanted to see what would happen next.

This is a true indie film as it was made for only 7000 dollars. That's amazing. These friends made this film, which won awards at Canne, with only 7000 dollars which they said was mostly spent on the film stock. I look up to these guys, because as a filmmaker myself, I want their story and I want to get noticed my the work I make. It doesn't matter about what big name actor you have or the special effects you put in it. It comes down to the story and this is a very intersting story. The film is only an hour and 13 minutes so it's shorter than usual. But it's a for sure watch. If you want to learn and feel smarter after you watch a film then watch Priimer. If you want to impress your friends by talking about time travel then watch Primer. If you are at all interested in time travel then watch Primer. And if you have an hour and 13 minutes to kill watch Primer. You won't be dissapointed. But I must warni you, you will have to watch it again and you can't give up. It will be too smart and you will have to research it. But please do. It is worth it. I watched it 15 hours a go and I'm still think about time travel and the theory of what exactly it is.

Postives: Story, time travel, twists and turn, this film is smart

Negatives: You will be confused

Score 5/5

*Thanks again for reading these. Please any suggestions would be great or if you know other films like this you want me to watch.

Today's movie was Triangle. This is the first time I've seen this and I have to watch it again. This is a very interesting movie that deals with afterlife and punishment. This film doesn't have any big names but this works because at any point one of them could die. The story is about 6 friends who take a boat ride to the middle of nowhere. A storm rolls in and they get stranded. A cruise ship picks them up and then a weird thing happens. I won't spoil anything but it is a unique idea and made me think the whole time.

While I was watching different ideas popped into my head about life and the idea of a final judgement. This film is complicated. I have my ideas on it but I'm sure the next time I watch it I'll have new ones. I checked some other reviews of this film and it seems you either love it or hate it. I don't know how you can hate it. Sure the fx are not the best and the acting is that great but who cares. Film is about stories and characters and this film has an interesting story to tell. This film isn't that popular and never really got noticed. I suggest you at least rent it and if you buy on Amazon or something it is worth it. You will have to watch this film more than once.

Overall this film was great. I loved the story and the ideas it brings up. I will watch it again and even tell some friends to watch it. It's one of those films that you want to know how other people saw it and what ideas or conclusions that they come up with. Please spread the word about this film, it's great. You have to give this film a try. You must.

Postive: Gripping unique story, amazing theme/idea, entertaining

Negative: A few weird lines of dialogue, fx are not great, but nothing to make you not watch the film

Score 5/5

*Once again thanks for the support. I would love to hear your thoughts on Triangle or any suggestions on other films to watch.

Today's film was The Departed. This is my 20+ time seeing this movie. What can I say? It's great. I love Scorsese, he is so good. This is going to be short because I'm pretty sure everybody has seen it. Scorsese knows how to move a camera. Every shot is great to look at. The acting is great and the story is interesting. This is way better than Infernal Affairs, this being the remake of that. I guess that's it. If you've seen it, you like it, if you haven't go watch it.

Score 5/5

*This one was short. I didn't have much time to type this. Once again thanks for supporting me doing this. Any suggestions feel free to ask.

Somewhere is Sophia Coppola's second film I've seen. This is the first time I've watched this film and it let me down. I am a huge fan of Lost in Translation and had high hopes for this. I heard it was slow so I at least prepared myself for the pace. The first shot is a car going in a circle five time and then stopping and a guy steps out. It's probably a two minute shot that sets up the pace you have to get used to. Once the movie got going I was fine with the slow pace.

One thing I can say about Sophia is that she knows how to make characters. The scenes between father and daughter are enjoyable to watch and build the connection you are hoping they have. With the first half hour being no kid, the film really didn't seem to be needed that much. You can get that he is a numb actor with a lot less than the 30 minutes he gets. Nonetheless the film works.

But, with seeing Lost in Translation so many times and loving everything about it, this film tries too hard to be the next one. Sophia put too much simliarity in this film that it bothered me. First both films have a numb actor. They both have scenes where the actor has to try to understand a director who speaks in a foreign language and they both have a scene where you don't hear what they are saying to each other (however you could hear what he was saying in this one, but it's the attempt that bothered me).

Just a quick little thing to touch on. Two cameos were interesting. Michelle Monaghan shows up for 1 minute for no reason. The second cameo is a great one by Benicio Del Toro. It's short and sweet.

Positive: Characters, Father/Daughter interaction, Unique style of filmmaking

Negative: Pace takes time to get used too, Falls short of Lost in Translation, Left unfulfilled

Final thoughts: The film was different. Coppolla has a style and you either love it or hate it. The film has some great scenes and is shot wonderfully but the pace and overall message/feeling you get at the end, just didn't work for me. THe average person would turn this off but if you are looking for something different and have 90 minutes to spare. I think you with enjoy the ride but won't remember it the next day. I still like Copolla but she needs to get back to the greatness she had with Lost in Translation. I'm looking forward to her next film and the direction she is heading (more Bill Murray wouldn't hurt).

Score 4/5

*Two films down, 28 to go. Any suggests on what to watch next? Thanks for reading. Always looking for input to make this better.

My first film is In Bruges. This is my third time watching this film and I have to say, still love it. First off this film is beautiful to watch. Bruges is set as a fairytale city and it looks like that when watching it. With Colin Farrells character saying how much he hates it, it makes you wonder if this film sets Bruges in a good light. Even with all the murder, I'd love to visit Bruges. Overall the film moves at a great pace with is key to an indie like film. With the story really only being two people talking back and forth for an hour, it never gets boring. The writing is amazing. I'm truly struck by the quick banter and the pure comedy the lines deliver. You can't have this type of comedy and drama mixed with out acting and it's pitch perfect. If you have never heard of this film or you never saw it when it came out, I highly recommend you watch it. It is one of those films that got passed by but should be seen and praised.

Rating 5/5

*I doubt anybody is reading these but if you are and you have a film you want me to watch, please send me a message. Also if you don't agree, I'd love to here your ideas. Thanks.

As a total film nerd I watch a lot of movies. And I mean a lot. I really have nothing going on in my life so I'm left with huge amounts of free time. I thought that I wold start keeping track of the films I watch and kind of talk about what I liked or didn't like about them. I'm 3 weeks away from graduating with my film degree and I just want to express my ideas on how I saw these films. I will watch new films, old films I've never seen and re watch some of my favorites or give some films a second chance. I don't know what film I'll do next but I'll watch one everyday. This is my 30 day movie challenge and it starts today.