Movies on a plane review: May 2017

Quick reviews of movies marathoned on a plane...

Short list (in the order watched)

1. Split
2. Nocturnal Animals
3. La La Land
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Split - Entertaining movie that gets bonus points alone for being an M. Night Shyamalan that doesn't suck. Two of the biggest highlights are the powerhouse performances by James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy (who's on a fast track to being a kick-ass actress); Betty Buckley is also entertaining in a slightly campy way, whereas the two other girls are a bit too campy. Trying to avoid spoilers, but the best part of the movie is the ending. So great to hear that theme again (even if awkwardly edited), with the acting in the last several minutes being top-notch. I am loving the creative/story direction in this saga. While a bit lenient: Highly Recommended and can't wait for the sequel.

Nocturnal Animals - Solid acting by Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in an interesting movie. Great cinematography with interesting ideas in the script, but the story/editing/pacing (something) could be better. Amy Adams plays her character similar to Arrival, which... worked, but maybe a tad too dry. However, I loved her performance at the end, along with the ending itself. Based on the description, was hoping for a bit more of either a John Carpenter or Stanley Kubrick-like story, but still entertaining. Also, great music. Recommended.

La La Land - Within the first opening musical number I was already saying "F*** this movie," not long after thinking "this can be my shining example of what a polished turd looks like," but as it went on and I mentally tuned out all the saccharine, nostalgic musical numbers and elements, I grew to enjoy the character arcs of both Mia and Sebastian, particularly how they matured as humans. Seb explaining jazz to Mia was a little cringe-worthy, among a number of other little moments (Mia dancing), but the general anti-hype towards La La Land and the "white savior" argument is completely overblown. Seb doesn't even save jazz! John Legend's character Keith does, with Seb only being along for the ride. I did hate almost every musical number - I'm confident excising those from the film and focusing more on the characters would be a huge improvement. I would have LOVED to see an alternate version where the colors of the film are adjusted based on the story (starts saturated like old films, then becomes more real, then returns to saturated a bit at the end - or something else to denote their happiness and growth). Acting-wise, I enjoyed both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (as someone who typically thinks he's overhyped), particularly since he went from asshole to tolerable. The main jazz song, City of Stars, was kinda lame, though. Regardless of the above, it's masterfully directed by Damien Chazzelle. Hopefully he can apply his skills to something non-jazz next. Highly Recommended, if only for the controversy surrounding it and seeing the various lenses with which to watch the film.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Entertaining, but a bit of a mixed bag. I continue to believe David Yates is a bad choice for the Potter-verse - he's tonally inconsistent, among other issues. He might get some great character work, but his storytelling is flawed. I loved Colin Farrel's acting/character (play more villains, please!), and even Eddie Redmayne's take on "Matt Smith's Doctor on the spectrum" was interesting. Definitely nice to see a more pacifist lead, even if he could have been a more active/driving force in the story (seemed often too reluctant). Alison Sudol's Queenie was also nicely played, if not a bit dated/stereotypical. The climax was a bit underwhelming - it needed a smidge more buildup in the sequence for me to be more affected. MINOR SPOILER - but the reveal at the end was pretty cool, though the actual ramifications of the choice make me sad. Meh Recommendation due to the conflicting tones.

On a side note, it was fun to compare the choices for diversity casting between La La Land and Fantastic Beasts, with La La Land receiving (a bit too much) flack for it's choices whereas Beast received nothing for arguably being too diversely cast for its time-setting (though kudos to it for casting the way it did).

Additional Thoughts on Moonlight - The Power of Sadness and Control

When I first finished watching Moonlight, my immediate thought was - "that was it?"

It was clear that Chiron was sad throughout the film and had a difficult life, but I unfortunately wasn't able to connect with the film the way others were; at least at first. After several days of reflection and conversations with friends, as well as soaking in the sorrow of the movie, it finally hit how profoundly sad the film was - with regards to how effective the film is at conveying that sadness (in other words, making me feel that sadness).

That said, I think I finally realized what one of my main "gripes" with the movie is, in which is caused me to have the initial reaction - we never actually see Chiron do anything. We see how he reacts based on how others are acting (or reacting) towards him, but he doesn't really do anything. He's not really a driving force in his own life, save for the third act. He's just depressingly, profoundly sad.

And that's the beauty of Moonlight. It's an almost documentary-like capture of a person who's experienced so little love in his life (and damn the people who caused him to retreat). It's a fantastic story reflecting on the importance of friends and family (or lack thereof), as well as how homosexuality is handled in certain cultures.

Highly recommended, and allow the film to gestate and ruminate with you afterwards. Discuss with friends, read think pieces like this article from Variety on Chiron's name.

Movies on a plane reviews: April 2017

Quick thoughts on movies watched on a plane in April 2017...

Moana - Loved it. Very enjoyable. The humor was fun, even if a little too meta/self-referential. The songs were mostly good. Arguably directors Ron Clements and John Muskers' best Disney musical; easily my favorite and one I'd be happy to rewatch (though I haven't seen Aladdin in a long time). The visuals were amazing, seriously top-notch, particularly water, hair and general design aesthetic. Kudos to Auli'i Cravalho as the voice of Moana (and Rachel House as Grandma Tala). Possibly top 5 of 2016. Easily better than Zootopia, possibly better than Kubo, though Kubo still has a special place for me (better score, simply different production design). Highly recommended.

Moonlight - Was a good, very sad movie. The impact took a little time to fully kick in, but once it did I was more onboard with it than I was immediately after finishing. A little surprised Mahershala Ali won for his little screen time, particularly as I enjoyed him more in Luke Cage as Cottonmouth (similar characters/acting techniques) - but big kudos, he's a talented actor. Reminiscent of Boyhood. Naomi Harris as the mom was really enjoyable. Didn't really think it was cinematic in the sense it could have been a play; but still powerful. After initial viewing, Moana, Handmaiden and Kubo stood out more for 2016, but Moonlight's up there. Also, really enjoyed Chiron showing different sides of his personality depending on who he's around (e.g. shyness) - so few movies do that. Highly recommended.

Doctor Strange - It starts very cliched and by-the-numbers, but once it eventually gets going it's enjoyable. The forced humor mildly works, but is clearly forced. Benedict Cumberbatch was the wrong choice for Strange (his accent didn't work for me). Rachel McAdams was wasted. Colorful visuals and some inventive sequences. Tilda Swinton kicked butt, regardless of any whitewashing controversy; glad to have seen her do her stuff rather than another Asian male stereotype. Music was... OK - consistent with Michael Giacchino's Star Trek and Speed Racer scores, but not anything special; the end credits suites were good, but that's to be expected with Giacchino. Modestly Recommended.

La La Land - Wanted to watch, especially right after Moonlight, but decided to sleep instead.

Batman: Eternal thoughts

Enjoyed the first portion (volume 1), but it became less compelling as it went on. Reminded me of Hush, Knightfall and No Man's Land, but as a rehash. Characters were rather one dimensional, mostly marquee villains (Scarecrow, Bane, Clayface, Freeze, et al) and Batman himself, otherwise compete flips on characters (Catwoman). Julia P may have been the best handled character, along with Bard; I'm going back and forth on Harper Rowe (interesting character, but a little too manic pixie dream girl? The design/hair is probably my gripe, along with her adept fighting prowess - even if she slipped up early it was obvious she'd learn shortly). Arcs seemed to end too abruptly or disappear and show up sporadically.

Another main gripe is it would have been great to see more pathos for Batman, rather than him just being angry all the time. There may be interesting psychology and storytelling that Batman "devolves" to anger, but it didn't do it for me.

Also, trying to avoid spoiler, but the ending undermined itself. It was building towards something so nice, then the rug was swept from underneath.

Scott Snyder has been writing Batman for awhile, but what's his general reputation?

Movies and TV of 2016

2016 was an interesting year for movies. A number of big blockbusters came out, but it was the indie movies that were the real winners, though it appears general consensus is hard to pinpoint one particularly "big" movie.

In any case, here are quick thoughts and my rankings for the movies I saw circa 2016.

Favorites
Kubo and the Two Strings - Hands down favorite movie. Amazing craftsmanship, production design and musical score, among others, help overshadow any story or character issues. It's message on the importance of memory and storytelling is beautiful (especially compared to self-indulgent Hollywood stories).

The Handmaiden - Fantastic movie. It's like Hitchcock meets Paul Verhoeven meets feminism. Beautiful visuals and music.

Moana - Incredibly vibrant movie with luscious visuals and good humor, if occasional a little too post-modern. Enjoyable songs, with great messages and themes throughout the film.

Sing Street - It may be relatively cliche, but the overwhelming charm, 80s setting and fantastic soundtrack make it a near-instant classic. Also has probably the best song of the year: Drive it Like You Stole It.


Very Good, with minor flaws
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Great performances by Sam Neill(!), Julian Dennison (the kid!) and Rima Te Wiata (Bella!), with plenty of charm and goofiness. The dynamic between Neill and Dennison are great, losing only a little steam towards the end.

Don't Breathe - Great filmmaking throughout. Some excellent shots, interesting enough characters and solid tension.

Moonlight - Profoundly sad love story. Took a little time to fully sink in, but haunting.

La La Land - Didn't care for most of the musical numbers or Hollywood nostalgia, but loved the growth of the characters during the film. Great maturity.

Train to Busan - Doesn't add much to the zombie genre, but is a great ride.

Kung Fu Panda 3 - The weakest of the three, but still great music, visuals, style and message

Deadpool - Very fun characters and relationships help elevate the mundane plot, but is also helped by it being partly a satire.

The Mermaid - STEPHEN CHOW!!! It's a great return-to-form for Chow, plus more modern elements.

The Lobster - Quirky, creative and very original. The third act may be a smidge on the weaker side, but that final scene!

Swiss Army Man - Incredibly inventive film with some inspiring sequences, but it's weirdness may be polarizing - occasionally simultaneously good and bad.

Arrival - The philosophy presented in the film, combined with the direction, cinematography and music elevate an otherwise cheesy plot (global crisis) with hit or miss acting/characters.

Green Room - Not the most interesting characters, but once the film and tension gets going it does not let up. Even up to the last shot. Incredibly excellent job of tension.

Finding Dory - Incredibly well made, very sentimental, but also strangely almost completely superfluous

The Jungle Book - Gorgeous visuals help elevate an otherwise shallow nostlagia trip with some nice genuine emotional beats.

Zootopia - The relationship between the two leads plus social commentary help the film stand out, even if some of the jokes fall flat and the message is a bit garbled by the end. Zootopia is the more adult version of KFP3.

The Wailing - Interesting Korean horror regarding exorcisms and various religions. It starts as a comedy then slowly gets darker and darker.

Hell or High Water - Great relationships and dialogue save an otherwise paint-by-numbers plot. The movies screams TEXAS, but not in a bad way (similar to Fargo in MN). Nice commentary on land/history.

13th - Insightful documentary on the connections between slavery and the US prison system. The narrative could maybe have been structured better, but lots of information.

Enjoyed, but flawed
Batman vs Superman: Extended Cut - Acknowledging its made some disagreeable creative choices with regards to characters, the plot makes sense and may have received some undeserved hatred. Certainly better than Man of Steel or Suicide Squad.

Nocturnal Animals - Great cinematography, music, performances and ending, but it was missing something to really gel for me.

Star Trek Beyond - As the third entry, the film solidifies the series' direction of action-adventure. Entertaining, but fluffy, with zero new ideas (and a number of half-assed ones, like the new female character).

Captain America: Civil War - One of the more enjoyable Marvel movies, but very, very messy. Bit too self-indulgent at times.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - Crass and sophomoric, but knows what it is and has a number of funny (and cring-worthy) moments.

Under the Shadow - An interesting story, with nice visuals, but not as compelling as the comparable The Babadook.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - Pretty much what you'd expect from an Andy Samberg/Lonely Island satire on pop music, but well done, with good creativity and music.

Sausage Party - An almost South Park-level of satire with great commentary on religion/faith, but significantly marred by an overly crude and sophomoric script.

The Siege of Jadotville - Pretty entertaining war-action movie telling a lesser-known perspective from a real-life event, though lacking a bit on story and character development.

Lights Out - Completely serviceable horror with nice visual design.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - It's fine. Not Burton's best or worst. Could have used more runtime and fleshing out of ideas/characters. Lead actor (Asa) could have been better and Sam Jackson could have been better utilized. 

The Nice Guys - Somewhat closer to the "meh" side. Russell Crowe is a bunch of fun, along with the daughter (though she has a few off moments), whereas Ryan Gosling is uneven. The film borders on a boring, been-there-done-that Shane Black story, though has nice moments and ideas. A lot of great trailer moments don't actually fit in the movie. Needed better editing for story and film.

Magnificent Seven - Probably more interesting if this is one's first exposure to this story, otherwise it adds nothing new to the narrative/genre. Good music and some elaborate, if not overly long, action sequences are the highlights, with some nice character moments when you can hear the dialogue.

Doctor Strange - Inventive visual sequences weren't enough to elevate a cliched script and origin story. Benedict Cumberbatch didn't work for me as Strange, though he was great in the end credits sequence. Lots of forced humor that didn't work.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - A number of interesting ideas and elements weren't enough to save this from an odd, if not inconsistent, choice of tone (not a fan of Yates). I did love Colin Farrell as the villain (more roles like this please).

Didn't Enjoy
The Witch - Started very promising, almost like Kubrick, but I didn't care about any of the characters. Interesting ending, but fairly standard witch movie.

Keeping Up with the Joneses - Interesting characters and relationships aren't enough to save an incredibly cliched and predictable plot. There are some good ideas, for which I would be either open to a sequel or perhaps a TV series.

Gantz: O - Mostly impressive animation, though the humans are on the weaker side. The dialogue is very weak to average, with a number of dumb/forced creative choices. Also, it's pretty sexist.

War Dogs - Probably wanted to be Wolf of Wall Street, but failed. Too slowly paced with unlikable characters.

Midnight Special - This felt like an incomplete, pretentious movie.

High-Rise - Started interesting, then falls apart. Never quite achieves the highs it wants to.

50 Shades of Black - Funny, but forgettable and generic.

Ghostbusters - Starts out OK, but becomes less funny after the first-third. Unearned action sequence at the end, combined with a messy plot/bad writing hurt the movie. An unfortunate misfire for the talented lead actresses.

Now You See Me 2 - Better off rewatching the first, which was dumb-but-fun.

Batman: The Killing Joke - The original content is the most interesting part, then taking a big dive when it goes into an accurate adaptation of the comic. We never really follow any one character, which hurts.

Joshy - Forgettable indie melodrama.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - The weak characters prevented me from being invested in the story, which could probably shave a good 40 minutes and not miss anything.

Suicide Squad - Hard to care about any characters, let alone the plot. The tone is uneven and the editing is sloppy. Becomes more consistent towards the end, but it lost me by then.

Spectral - Found the film to be very flat and bland. The name of the villains made me roll my eyes.

X-Men: Apocalypse - Can't spell "Apocalypse" without "POS"


2016 movies I've yet to see, but want to:
Elle
Don't Think Twice
Hidden Figures
The Edge of Seventeen
20th Century Women
Tickled
Justice League Dark
Lion
Jack Reacher 2
Secret Life of Pets


As for TV shows, I didn't watch much, but here are the highlights:

The Expanse: Season 1 - It may have technically started in 2015, but this was a great first season. First few episodes move the plot forward quickly, then do a better mix of plot and character afterwards.

Luke Cage: Season 1 - Great style, characters and music. Really enjoyed this, even if I wish they had extended the first story arc a bit longer, if only to get more of one character.

Black Mirror: Season 3 - Easily the best season of the series yet. San Junipero is a great episode of television, though I did have issues with the two characters falling in love so quickly. The season opener was a bit weak, but each subsequent episode gets better and better.

Lady Dyanmite: Season 1 - Delightful. The season's a bit uneven, but the highs are incredibly high. The lows are fairly enjoyable, as well.

South Park: Season 20 - First two episodes were brilliantly hilarious, then the show got a bit too real for awhile, while also scrambling to match the then-current political events, but brilliantly picked things back up again towards the end

Westworld: Season 1 - I was compelled while watching, but ultimately ended the season underwhelmed. Some really great episodes, but the show mostly worked via storytelling gimmicks that fall apart upon reasonable analysis.

Game of Thrones: Season 6 - The last episode was the real money episode, otherwise it was a slow season (though certainly better than S5) with some nice moments scattered throughout.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 2 - While the first season had rough moments, it was pretty fun, on the whole. However, with season 2, I gave up after four episodes.

2016 shows yet to watch:
Atlanta
Insecure

Lady Dynamite season 1 review

Netflix's Lady Dynamite is a delight. Pilot's a bit rough, second ep is better, third is when it hits Maria Bamford-Mitchell Hurwitz/Arrested Development gold. It may occasionally get too meta and Hollywood-focused, with the last few episodes losing a little steam and the timeline being very, very strange, but the word play, visual gags and incorporation of mental disorders are pretty great. I hope it's the beginning of something great.

There's some great acting, too, particularly Mary Kay Place and Ana Gasteyer, with a bunch of great cameos. Bamford herself is particularly entertaining, as is Fred Melamed.

Also, the ending musical cue of every episode has the potential to be up there with Curb Your Enthusiasm's end cue.

Very much RECOMMENDED, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Under the Shadow movie review

Quick review:
A middle-eastern supernatural horror movie set in the 1980s and in the same vein as The Babadook? Having greatly enjoyed The Babadook, color me intrigued.

When a friend first referred me to Under the Shadow, I was instantly captivated by the premise, even going so far as watching it the same day (thanks, Netflix). There were many intriguing elements in the film, despite coming up a bit short by the end. However, on the whole, I enjoyed the film, despite leaving the experience with more questions than answers, and would RECOMMEND it to someone who's interesting in the subject matter. At the very least, there's some great insight into the Iranian culture at the time.

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Warning: More in-depth SPOILER-filled thoughts below

First things first, I greatly enjoyed The Babadook. It was different enough as a horror film to merit intrigue (e.g. the story direction changing halfway through), encapsulating a terror-ific overall experience, despite an arguably good or bad ending. Under the Shadow has a fairly similar premise of a mother trying to take care of her problematic child, but there are some key differences:

1. The father is still in play, even though he's transferred to another city
2. The story is much more linear, per se (follows one character)
3. The story tries to play with reality, to mixed results

To continue with the listing format, here are two things Under the Shadow does well:

1. Shideh (Nargas Rashidi) - She's a compelling character, with an intriguing backstory: she wants to assert her independence, but is stuck in a culture that limits her freedoms, not to mention leaving open the question of to what extent she's pursuing her own goals or those of her mother.
2. The cinematography - Shadow is a gorgeous movie. It's crisp and vibrant, yet still colored in a way that works for both the Iranian, 1980s and horror settings.
3. The depiction of war-torn Tehran - As someone who's has limited exposure to that experience and perspective, it was great to see it told on the screen, even in a fantastical way. Despite living among the horrors of war, it was still a fairly human story, at least until the supernatural elements kicked in.

Here's one thing I'm neutral on:

1. The pacing - Shadow is on the slower side, but building up nicely towards the end. I would have enjoyed a bit more supernatural teasing earlier, but the film was focusing more on character, relationships and other elements

Here are a few things I thought could have been better:

1. The playing with reality - The film could have delved much more with the idea of whether what Shideh was experiencing was real or not. As the film progresses, it clearly delves more into the supernatural, which is fine, but the earlier portions feel like a red herring and/or missed opportunity for the viewer (or to me, at least), even if it's meant for the character to disbelieve; yet her belief never really played a factor in the film.
2. Dangling character direction - As great as the setup for Shideh is, it's never really paid off. She's still stuck in the same directionless situation at the end as during the beginning, she doesn't become a better parent (per se) or pick a new career. As such...
3. It's anti-climactic - Even though there's a fairly elaborate ending sequence, it feels rushed, with the film rather abruptly ending, leaving me wanting more in a bad way.
4. The focus on Shideh and Dorsa - Something about the amount of time spent on these two, particularly Shideh trying to find the tell, felt like it took away time better spent elsewhere, whether getting to the horror faster or focusing on other ideas.

And finally, here are a couple more positive final thoughts:

1. I love the idea raised in the film of using supernaturally-tainted weapons for war, such as the implication of the missile in the apartment. It's such a fantastic concept, though would have been a different story than the one told
2. Will there be a sequel? - The film leaves a pretty open end to their fate, with both Shideh's mother's medical book and Dorsa's doll's head remaining in the apartment. Will the jinn follow them to her step-parents house? If the story continues, the Shadow has the potential to become an AMAZING start to an ongoing horror series, ideally a trilogy. Even if I was a bit underwhelmed, I would still like to see another chapter in this story.

Sky High movie review

Spoiler-free review for the top portion, while some more spoilery-comments below*...

For YEARS I have wanted to see Sky High and, thankfully, it was worth the wait. I had grown a bit skeptical due to the relatively low IMDb rating (currently at 6.2, the equivalent of "fun-but-flawed" leaning more towards flawed), but it turns out this is closer to the live action Josie and the Pussycats movie (itself a rather delicious satire of both pop culture and consumerism, among others) where people may just not have been in on the joke.

Suffice to say, Sky High is pure camp fun that almost perfectly blends superheroes and teenage Disney (Channel) sensibilities, complete with elements of coming-of-age, family dynamics, comedy, action and the right amount of commentary on both class and gender power dynamics. There's even some brilliant material on ageism. It touches on lots of topics, yet handles each of them deftly to the point of leaving very few, if any, dangling threads. I would have loved to see more material on certain elements, but I view it more as a positive of wanting more of the world, rather than a critique.

I fully am of the mind that, had Disney continued the trend of Sky High and Enchanted, they could have had a nice renaissance of building tongue-in-cheek worlds to appeal to slightly older audiences, instead of spending BILLIONS on acquiring Marvel (though it's netted well for them).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you're looking for a fun, campy Saturday afternoon (or any time) movie. In a way, it's a genuine classic, if not cult classic.

*Some more SPOILERY comments below.....

Things I liked:

• Kurt Russell may have been perfect in this, with Kelly Preston doing an admirable job, as well
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Pretty much everything about her in this was fantastic: the casting, the music that plays when Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) sees her, her general villainous storyline ESPECIALLY her backstory
• Bruce Campbell, 'nuff said
• The cheesy dynamic between Magenta and Zach, complete with the "happy ending" 
• Every contrived plot moment to allow the "sidekicks" to use their powers
• Steven Strait going from villain to thoughtful stranger-turned-friend
• All the many nods and Easter Eggs to comics/superheroes
• Michael Giacchino's cheesy musical score - it's not really memorable, but works perfectly 

Things that could have been better or are odd, but rolling with anyway:

• Will Stronghold - Angarano was serviceable, but his storyline was rather par for the course. It was both interesting and nice that he developed one of his powers part way through, particularly to advance the story, though there could have been more emotional weight to the idea of never gaining powers building to a reveal at the end (but would have been a different story). As well, while some of the relationship elements were fun, others were a tad too cheesy; or at least, the ending of him and Layla kissing at the end (remember: they're 14ish years old)
• The dynamic between Royal Pain and her "dad" was very strange/didn't make much sense

Despite any flaws, Sky High was such a fun time that I wish we had more of the world and voice. Although apparently as of November 2016 a sequel may be in the works!

The Wailing movie review

I'll preface that I'm not familiar with every Korean horror movie of the past 10-15 years, but I will say two things from the ones I have seen of the past 10+ years: 1) they are interesting, and 2) they are not afraid to go to dark places.

The Wailing is another great entry along those two lines. With beautiful cinematography (and some gorgeous shots), the film starts practically as a comedy before steadily progressing into darker and darker territories, raising new questions and doubts on the path towards a beautiful crescendo of an ending. It's a type of horror I don't often see in American horror films, which, in my experience, are typically either shock scares or a steady sense of dread.

The movie does a great job of blending the practical with the supernatural/religious, providing enough treats and morsels of hints that fully roped me in, anxious to see what would happen next and how everything would be resolved. Maybe one of the greatest parts of the film is how this is pretty much all unveiled through the knowledge/perspective of the lead character, which is why the film is able to take such great twists and turns. There is also some very interesting race commentary, though that's all I'll say on that.

It may not have had the ending I wanted, but it had the ending I needed, overall earning a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED status from me. One of the nicest compliments I can say about The Wailing is that, for 2.5 hours, it flew by and left me wanting more.

The Lobster movie review

I rather enjoyed The Lobster - it is fun and quirky in many of the right ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the discordant dystopia presented in the film, particularly in the first act. Featuring/hiding animals throughout the rest of the movie was a wonderful touch. On the whole, the acting was also fantastic, with almost everyone having very dry, awkward personalities that fit the tone of the movie brilliantly. Colin Farrell continues his renaissance with another great choice (everyone does really well).

The movie is far from perfect, though, as I hav two gripes with the film (SPOILERS if you haven't seen it):

1. It's a bit long in the tooth - As the film is rather unique, it became challenging to stay with the voice towards the end. Had the pacing improved, it may have remedied the issue and helped with rewatchability. Then again...

2. The final act - While the very end of the movie is executed excellently, I would have loved if the third act went in a different direction: do more commentary on romance and societies by having a minor twist where the loners are an additional layer of the society controlling people's love lives, with Léa Seydoux's character actually working for a company trying to control society (same one that owns the hotel). The current dark revenge ending was fine, but it felt like a missed opportunity. It would have also been great to see some of the fallout from the loner's mission to the hotel, but what was done (to expose the lies relationships are built on) was nice.

In either case, The Lobster gets a solid RECOMMENDATION for its originality, ideas and humor.