thecynicalcinephile

[thecynicalcinephile]

Huh, can definitely see why this failed and Roger Rabbit didn't. Whereas the animation itself is perfectly fine, the live-action interaction is nowhere near as convincing.

Cool World Director: Ralph Bakshi Studio: Paramount | USA, 1992

[thecynicalcinephile]

"can you explain this gap in your resume" Oh yeah sorry i got sent to the 1300s and i had to fight evil skeletons

[thecynicalcinephile]

tessgivnishartist on ig

[thecynicalcinephile]

listen I expected literally Nothing from the D&D movie okay, like I can't make it clear enough that I expected the most soulless money grab with a good cgi budget imaginable, I went in having already gone through every stage of grief and landed on acceptance and LISTEN

I fucking CRIED during this dumb RPG movie. it wasn't just "not terrible" it was objectively good with a clever plot and compelling characters and sincere emotional beats. this movie loves D&D so fucking much and it NAILS the "a bunch of goobers try to be cool and accidentally discover The Power Of Friendship And Also Great Violence" classic D&D party vibe. their barbarian's last name is fucking Kilgore and my entire family cried in the theater.

I hope they make twelve of these motherfuckers.

[thecynicalcinephile]

Huh, I stand corrected. Still not a perfect film by any means, but we can strike "obvious plot holes" off the list of negatives.

So, About Damsel,

A good, fun fantasy story, if a bit predictable. At the end of the day, the dragon is suitably threatening and the ending is incredibly satisfying, which is really all you need.

One substantial issue with this film, other than the overall predictability of the plot, is that for a very significant portion of the action the film has the usual modern problem of poor lighting making it incredibly difficult to see anything. However, this issue does abate as the film goes on.

Additionally, the writing is not without its share of plotholes. Like, why use foreign princesses as the sacrifice and risk provoking a war when they could get "volunteers" from their own citizens? Beyond that, why have an elaborate wedding and dress the victim up in gold and jewelry that'll all be lost forever, when there are any number of excuses they could make to justify a more modest ceremony, or even for skipping the ceremony all together.

Meanwhile, an unexpected highlight was the physicality of the dragon's lair. I can't explain why, but it really feels like a proper series of connected caves, when each area easily could've felt like an isolated set.

Ultimately, given that this is a Netflix film, if you already have a Netflix subscription this film is one of the better offerings available. Give this one a watch, you'll at least be somewhat entertained.

[thecynicalcinephile]

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (2011)

He's on full academic scholarship.. and now he's calling his friend an egghead? Curt's just drunk. I've seen Curt drunk. Jules, too. Well, then, maybe it's something else. You're not seeing what you don't wanna see. Puppeteers.

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About The Zone of Interest,

I'm not qualified to review this film. All I will say, is that this is the most utterly, viscerally horrific film I have ever seen. You never actually see it, but you are painfully aware that it is always there, and you can never be free of it. This should be required viewing.

#movie #critique #review #Zone of Interest #Zone of Interest Review

[thecynicalcinephile]

[thecynicalcinephile]

I feel like some people need to relearn Genre Expectations... "Man, this tragedy sucks!!! Why didn't they just do XYZ, then everything could have ended happily!!" well, then it wouldn't be a tragedy, would it. "Man, this lighthearted teen romcom is terrible, it's so sappy and unrealistic!!" Well, yeah. If it had been gritty and dark, it wouldn't have been a lighthearted romcom, would it. Is the writing actually bad or are you just trying to order a milkshake from a Home Depot

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,

This may just be my new favorite Ghostbusters sequel. That said, it's not without its own fair share of flaws.

Let's start things out on a positive though, that being that this is the first movie where the Ghostbusters are really at full strength. Every other movie starts with them basically not operating, here they're at the top of their game as a fully-functional organization, which opens the door to a lot of new story possibilities that previous films had shut themselves off from. By allowing the Ghostbusters to be more established, we're able to spend less time retreading old territory and more time moving things forward.

Which brings me to my second positive. I really like the direction the Ghostbusters world is being taken. In this film we're introduced to a handful of new characters, ideas, and ghostbusting equipment that really builds on the existing material in exciting ways. In a sense, it feels like a natural evolution and a proper payoff to concepts established in the original and the cartoon.

With that said though, with these new characters, the film does wind up being kind of overstuffed. I mean we've got the legacy characters, the afterlife characters (who each really come into their own here, by the way), and some whole new guys. With this the writers try and give each character their own arc, or at least a proper hero moment, and it eventually comes at the expense of the more important and interesting plotlines not quite having enough time to shine or build tension. Meanwhile some of the minor plotlines will leave you asking "was that really necessary?"

Overall though, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. This is a good, fun, awesome family movie with an incredible villain. It also manages to avoid the pitfalls of the previous movie, making me well and truly excited to see future enstalments in this sequel series.

#ghostbusters frozen empire #ghostbusters frozen empire review #review #critique #movie #2024

[thecynicalcinephile]

tiktok asked me if i wanted to share this video with my contacts

[thecynicalcinephile]

tiktok asked me if i wanted to share this video with my contacts

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About Damsel,

A good, fun fantasy story, if a bit predictable. At the end of the day, the dragon is suitably threatening and the ending is incredibly satisfying, which is really all you need.

One substantial issue with this film, other than the overall predictability of the plot, is that for a very significant portion of the action the film has the usual modern problem of poor lighting making it incredibly difficult to see anything. However, this issue does abate as the film goes on.

Additionally, the writing is not without its share of plotholes. Like, why use foreign princesses as the sacrifice and risk provoking a war when they could get "volunteers" from their own citizens? Beyond that, why have an elaborate wedding and dress the victim up in gold and jewelry that'll all be lost forever, when there are any number of excuses they could make to justify a more modest ceremony, or even for skipping the ceremony all together.

Meanwhile, an unexpected highlight was the physicality of the dragon's lair. I can't explain why, but it really feels like a proper series of connected caves, when each area easily could've felt like an isolated set.

Ultimately, given that this is a Netflix film, if you already have a Netflix subscription this film is one of the better offerings available. Give this one a watch, you'll at least be somewhat entertained.

#damsel #damsel review #damsel netflix #movie #critique #review #film

[thecynicalcinephile]

Top 10 things a good horror move can be:

1: Someones highly specific fetish but put in a different genre

2: An accurate depiction of fears someone has regarding an institution (medical, police, etc)

3-8: Wet

9: Predominantly practical effects

10: gay

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About American Fiction,

There is a reason this film was nominated for five Oscars. It is a well-made, charming, funny, and thought-provoking critique of how the American entertainment industry views representation and people of color. Otherwise there really isn't too much else I can say. Take the time to sit down with this one, you won't regret it.

#american fiction #american fiction review #movie #critique #review #film

[thecynicalcinephile]

the trinity

[thecynicalcinephile]

yeah Romeo and Juliet suuucks they should’ve both survived at the end and lived happily ever after instead. but of course the writer kills them both off for shock value.