I’m glad that Sandra Bullock said yes toThe Unforgivable, a well-executed tale of one woman’s journey to reconnect with her sister after finishing a twenty-year prison sentence.
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt, what stood out immediately, in addition to the excellent performances, is how engaging the story is. I cared about Bullock’s character and couldn’t wait for everything to unfold. At the same time, the pacing and story edit are both so good to the point where I hardly found myself wanting things to move faster.
Then there’s the perfectly complementary musical score and the kind of tense moments that never have one too sure about how things will unfold.
Even though there is one moment where I felt the catalyst that was supposed to lead to a key character’s change of heart was insubstantial, The Unforgivable is still worth watching.
See it for the generally well-executed story and because Viola Davis, Rob Morgan, Vincent D’Onofrio and Jon Bernthal make up the supporting cast.
The Guilty, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riley Keogh, Paul Dano and Ethan Hawke’s latest crime/drama/thriller about a demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is well-acted, though not exactly perfect.
Director Antoine Fuqua’s film is intense, and I like that immediately it’s clear that Gyllenhaal’s character, Joe Baylor is far from the model police officer. I enjoyed how the intensity built up as the movie played, especially since the action takes place in two rooms. Nevertheless, at times I did find myself frustrated by the pacing.
Another frustration is the story edit towards the end when we learn the truth of Keogh’s character. I’m not sure what could have happened differently. However, I am sure that the story edit in that moment and one or two others left me wanting.
The most expected thing about The Guilty, besides a good performance from Gyllenhaal, is the increase in my appreciation for the work that first responders do. Especially the ones who do absolutely everything they can to help.
I was surprised not to recognise any of the voices of the well-known actors. Specifically the ones the audience only get to meet through how they sound when they speak to Joe Baylor on the phone. I still can’t tell you which characters Paul Dano, Ethan Hawke and Peter Sarsgaard played. Is it just me?
Give The Guilty a chance if you’re curious. The story will break your heart in multiple ways, and the intense moments are a highlight, even if you end up wishing for a slightly different story edit.
If you want a brilliantly executed story set in one place, and where you only meet the other characters through their voice over the telephone, I can’t recommend Locke (2013) enough.
Focused on the story of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, we get to learn plenty about the avenger’s complicated past in an engaging tale that features unhealthy family dynamics, secrets, lies and some impressive action/fight sequences.
The main stars, Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz are great. And unsurprisingly, as is the case with most, if not all Marvel movies, the musical score is impressive.
In addition to the action and music, my favourite thing about Black Widow is the sisterly dynamic between Pugh and Johansson’s characters. So much so that I’m ready for more Johansson/Pugh movies.
In terms of where Black Widow sits in my list of favourite Marvel movies, the understandably seemingly abrupt ending aside, I can say that I liked this film more than I did Captain Marvel (2019). Which of the two films ranks higher for you?
Your thoughts are very welcome in the comments below.
As far as movie disappointments go, Suicide Squad (2016)is up there for me. And since I’m one of those ‘once bitten, twice shy’ people, I took my sweet time to watch The suicide Squad (2021); DC’s James Gunn directed attempt to redeem themselves.
My main hope with Gunn’s movie was for the story to be great. And for the finished film to be worthy of Margot Robbie’s super captivating take on Harley Quinn. If you’ve seen the Suicide Squad Comic-Con trailers, then you understand.
I can say without hesitation that The Suicide Squad is unequivocally better than Suicide Squad (2016). But, did I love it? Well, my favourite characters are played by Robbie and Idris Elba; no surprises there. Robbie’s Harley Quinn isn’t even featured particularly heavily. But, thankfully, when she was on screen, missing her a little in other scenes proved just about worth it.
Story-wise, I had more fun with this second movie, thanks in part to one or two surprise twists and turns. There’s also the moments of excellent camerawork, stunt work, special effects and a particularly well-executed last quarter.
The Suicide Squad (2021), Idris Elba, Warner Bros. Pictures
The parts that made my experience less than desired include the rather annoying characters who worked closely with Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller. There’s also a specific emotional scene between Elba and Cleo Cazo’s Ratcatcher that felt forced and not entirely earned. Lastly, I don’t love rats, AT ALL. But that weasel!
Perhaps I should just be grateful that this movie did a better job of weaving a story around many hardly known characters than the 2016 film. By ‘hardly known’, I mainly mean hardly known by non-readers of comic books, such as myself, of course. I’m certainly glad that Gunn’s movie is an improvement on the Suicide Squad story. Even if the film still has a somewhat empty/surface-level quality to it.
Besides The Suicide Squad being quite fun, particularly towards the end, both films are fixed in my mind as reminders of just how difficult it must be to deliver a truly great story, one that features many comic book characters.
Watch it if you’re curious because there’s definitely some fun to be had.
The main reason I wanted to watch Godzilla vs Kong is the monster fight. What proved most disappointing is that I found the fight sequences to be ‘just ok’ at best.
The special effects were impressive and I particularly appreciated the city lights in Hong Kong, as well as the film’s smart use of colour. Other highlights include Brian Tyree Henry who came across very convincingly as the investigator/conspiracy theory enthusiast.
As someone who enjoyed Kong Skull Island (2017), I was expecting an equally engaging story with Godzilla vs Kong. Especially where the fight sequences were concerned. It’s unfortunate that by the twenty-minute mark, I found myself wanting to fast forward to the monster face-off, rather than sit through the tired human stories I was supposed to buy into.
My desire to skip to the fun moments is partly because I wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief enough, not to notice how silly and cliché the story felt at times. I also missed Tom Hiddleston’s character from Kong Skull Island and found myself wishing he were in this movie. Because that way, he’d have helped ground things a little more.
If you’re curious about the special effects, watch Godzilla vs Kong. You may find yourself thinking that it feels sillier than expected, but you will most likely enjoy the CGI and the lights.
The Movie My Life 