movieswithowen

[movieswithowen]

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

I, honestly, have no idea where to start. This is my favorite movie, it encapsulates the way I view the world in a way no other art form has. This review will in no way do justice to this movie. I doubt anybody could truly do it justice without showing the movie in its entirety to their readers first. This is a movie that features just about every emotion a human can feel. Although it is so out there with its concepts and presentation, it succeeds at feeling more real than any other piece of media I have ever seen. I am not going to give a synopsis. It is best to go into this movie without seeing a single frame or hearing anything about it. The film may not speak to you as deeply as it has to me, but it still has things that everybody can take away from it, allowing them to gain something rather important when they leave. The Daniels did a wonderful job with this film, and A24 should be proud to produce art like this. This review may seem rather short, but it is rather difficult to put into words the reasons I enjoy the movie without providing context, yet I feel I wouldn’t be able to do it justice even by spoiling, so if you have any appreciation for film, I recommend this movie. 

[movieswithowen]

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is hands down my favorite romantic movie ever. It pits a man with bipolar disorder and violent tendencies with the challenge of readapting to society after spending time away at a mental hospital. After some struggles with his parents, ex-wife, and therapy, he meets his friends sister, a widow who has been lashing out at the world in her own ways. Eventually, they become interested in each other and decide to work together on a dance competition that is very important to the woman. I don’t want to go much more into detail because each detail in this movie importantly subverts your expectations and I can’t do the experience justice. I appreciate the speed at which their relationship develops I will say, it feels rather natural and more realistic than a lot of other movies. This movie will make you cry at the weirdest moments and  pulls at your heartstrings. I love this movie and if you like any story around relationships forming, I definitely recommend this one, it’s also a great entry movie for people not too familiar with the genre. 

[movieswithowen]

Dune

Frank Herbert’s “Dune” is one of the most influential books of all time. It is a sci-if epic that encapsulates thousands of years of stories and histories around this universe he created. It has influenced many sci-if stories including but definitely not limited to things like Star Wars and Star Trek, and in turn all of the things those properties have influenced it could definitely be considered the equivalent of what Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” did for modern fantasy. All of this being said, Dennis Villeneuve’s 2021 film adaptation brings the worlds of dune to life in a fantastical way. It breaths a whole new life into the stories originally weaved by Herbert. It’s filmography is second to none, producing the scale and magnitude of the worlds in Dune with such detail, it’s hard to suspend your disbelief when the art becomes closer and closer to the way we conceive things now. The soundtrack mirrors this, by understanding Dune’s ancient history and its sci-fi roots. Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack goes above and beyond furthering the majestic landscapes presented in the movie. The story is rather close to the book, captured greatly by the actors, actresses, and everyone else in-between. While it can be hard to follow at times without context or if you don’t pay attention to every detail, it still is very enthralling for its entire runtime. My only issue with the movie is the more open ended movie, which is understandable considering it’s leading into a sequel, I am just very impatient. Anyways, this movie is easily one of my favorite movies of all time.

[movieswithowen]

Avatar

Avatar is an interesting movie when it comes to the grand scheme of things. For a long time it was the highest grossing movie before it was dethroned by Avengers: Endgame. This movie is not perfect, but I would be hard pressed to say I don't love everything about it. It is a late 2000's Sci-Fi movie in the best way possible, it creates a pre-established universe with a ton of depth and allows for endless possibilities. It opens with a large transport ship finishing its long voyage to a distant planet. On the ship is many different military grunts who have been in cryosleep for the journey. Our main character is the paralyzed twin of a soldier who was selected for a special program, he took his brothers place after his brother died. The program, it turns out, is a very advanced program where the user transfers their consciousness to an alien body of the natives on the planet. This then transpires in the main character, Jake Sulley, learning the culture of the aliens and growing with them. This movie is a great grand sci-fi that is less focused on space and has a more grounded fantasy feel along with with the military feel without being grounded in our current cultural disposition. It is an emotional, action and adventure filled film that avoids taking itself too seriously. I recommend it to the 2 humans alive who haven’t seen it at this point.

[movieswithowen]

Baby Driver

Edgar Wright's magnum opus Baby Driver is a heart-pounding, emotion filled film that keeps you enthralled all the way through. The synopsis is, there is a young, quiet, man who is extremely skilled behind the wheel. He is the getaway driver for a group of bank robbers and is one of the best getaway drivers on the planet. While he is working however, he cannot perform well without his music, and that is where the genius of this movie shows. Almost every scene is fully choreographed to a wonderful and lively, bluesy soundtrack that pairs together with the visuals like peanut butter and jelly. The movie has to be one of my all time favorites, allowing for an action packed time that uses music to its advantage, and has moments that feature a much quieter and emotional approach, making the peaks all the more impactful. If you enjoy action movies and have a blues, rock and roll, music palette this movie is a must watch. Just be warned, it features a character played by Kevin Spacey, and due to his crimes, it is hard to stomach his part, but that is a terrible blemish on an otherwise wonderful movie.