some quotes....

I just want to tell you, I'm the one who was supposed to take care of everything. I'm the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn't work out like that. And I left. I left you... And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat... and I'm alone. And I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me.

-Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, The Wrestler

jeudi 1 août 2024

Satoshi Kon, l'illusionniste (2021)

 


This is a very heart-warming film about Satoshi Kon - a must for anyone who is a fan of Kon's works - like myself. There is nothing new or extraordinary about this film, just a simple, straightforward story about one of the greatest, and certainly the most original storyteller and animator from Japan. The clear structure, simple explanation of the themes and Kon's storytelling style throughout his short but diverse and illustrious career in this film make it a perfect introduction as well for anyone who has interest in Kon's films, or simply is curious on why this guy, who already passed away 14 years ago, directed "only" 4 full-length features, and received no Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year at all, is still held at very, very high regards by his contemporary and animation aficionados alike, including those more "awarded" like Mamoru Hosoda. For me, though, this film is simply an emotional recall to the pass, and a lovely reminder that I still cherish the memories and above all the various feelings watching Kon's films. I cannot wait for my son to be grown up enough so that I can introduce him to this very different, yet very "real" and memorable side of Japanese animation - Satoshi Kon.

mercredi 8 mai 2024

Trường An tam vạn lý (2023)


Thông thường tôi sẽ bình phim ngắn bằng tiếng Anh nhưng do phim này tôi xem với phụ đề tiếng Việt (thực sự cảm ơn các bạn nào đã làm bộ phụ đề tiếng Việt cho phim này quá xuất sắc) và nó gắn nhiều với tuổi thơ sách vở (tiếng Việt) của tôi nên tôi sẽ bình phim này bằng tiếng Việt. Trước hết có thể nói luôn là về chất lượng nghệ thuật phim này không xứng đáng 4 điểm, cùng lắm là 3.5 hoặc thậm chí là 3 điểm vì cách tạo hình nhân vật 3D trong phim này là không có gì mới, lộ rõ ảnh hưởng rất lớn (nếu không nói là sao chép) phong cách làm phim 3D của Hollywood (Pixar hoặc DreamWorks) và thậm chí là phần chi tiết nét mặt còn thiếu tinh tế hơn - điểm yếu này của phim đặc biệt lộ rõ trong những phân cảnh cuối khi Lý Bạch và Cao Thích đã về già. Đây là điều đáng tiếc vì phim có rất, rất nhiều nhân vật lịch sử, đặc biệt là các nhà thơ thời Nhà Đường, và hiếm khi khán giả có cơ hội được chứng kiến nhiều nhân vật như vậy cùng đứng chung một khung hình - vì phim lịch sử Trung Quốc thường chỉ tập trung vào chiến trận, triều đình, vì thế Dương Quý Phi, Đường Minh Hoàng, An Lộc Sơn, Quách Tử Nghi mới là những nhân vật thường được nhắc đến, và những nhà thơ như Lý Bạch, Đỗ Phủ, Vương Duy thường chỉ được sử dụng làm "nền" - hơn nữa phim lịch sử Trung Quốc về giai đoạn Hán - Đường thường tuân thủ rất triệt để theo ghi chép lịch sử và thường không "dám" tạo ra các cảnh "giả sử" để các nhân vật lịch sử có thật được ở cạnh nhau, tương tác với nhau (ngay đến phim "xuyên không" giờ cũng đã không còn được khuyến khích ở Trung Quốc, đừng nói là phim "giả sử"). Dù đây là phim lịch sử, lấy bối cảnh là các thành phố và quang cảnh nổi tiếng của Trung Quốc thời nhà Đường nhưng cách xây dựng và chất lượng nghệ thuật của các bối cảnh này dù đẹp, hoành tráng (đặc biệt với những cảnh tự nhiên rộng lớn như Động Đình hồ) cũng không thực sự mới mẻ, gây ấn tượng sâu sắc và vẫn có chút hơi hướng gì đó của phim hoạt hình 3D Hollywood. Đây là điểm theo tôi là khá đáng tiếng vì Trung Quốc có kho sử liệu và tranh vẽ đồ sộ từ thời nhà Hán, nhà Đường, nhà Tống vẫn còn tồn tại đến tận ngày nay - nếu các nhà làm phim tận dụng hơn các mô-típ của tranh thủy mặc thời Tống hay tượng đất nung thời Đường thì phần "nhìn" của phim trông sẽ đặc sắc hơn rất nhiều (ví dụ cách dựng hình ngựa trong phim là đẹp, sinh động, và khác biệt hơn hẳn so với phim Hollywood - lý do đơn giản vì chúng được lấy theo đúng mẫu các bức tượng ngựa thời nhà Đường - ai đã từng thấy các bức tượng này ở bảo tàng, triển lãm sẽ nhận ra ngay những con ngựa mà Cao Thích hay Lý Bạch cưỡi có ngoại hình giống hệt. Về mặt tiết tấu, phim có tiết tấu khá chậm, khiến khán giả đôi lúc sẽ có cảm giác phim "quá dài" - nhất là những phân đoạn đối thoại giữa Cao Thích và Trình giám quân - tất nhiên độ dài 168 phút của phim thực sự là "rất dài" cho một phim hoạt hình, nhưng vì kể câu chuyện trải dài suốt nhiều thập niên về giai đoạn Nhà Đường từ đỉnh cao rơi xuống vực sâu, nên độ dài này là cần thiết, nhưng rõ ràng các nhà làm phim có thể điều chỉnh tiết tấu để phim nhanh hơn, lôi cuốn hơn với nhiều trường đoạn tương tác giữa Lý Bạch và Cao Thích, và các nhân vật khác hơn. Cái kết hơi mang tính "dân tộc chủ nghĩa" (phong cách thời thượng của phim Trung Quốc thời điểm hiện tại) cũng làm mất đi phần nào giá trị của phim - một tác phẩm vốn nói về sự tương phản giữa một Lý Bạch phóng khoáng, sống hết mình, với một Cao Thích luôn tự cầm chân mình trong các giới hạn của đạo lý, luân thường trong bối cảnh xã hội tao loạn - chứ không phải là một tác phẩm nói về đề tài "chống ngoại xâm", "diệt Thổ cầm Hồ" thời Nhà Đường. Cũng phải nói thêm là nút thắt mở dẫn đến phần kết này khá thú vị khi nó giúp phim tạo được sự khác biệt đáng kể so với "Amadeus" của Miloš Forman - vốn có phần kịch bản đầu gần như tương đồng so với "Trường An tam vạn lý" - cũng nói về tình bạn/đối thủ giữa một thiên tài phóng khoáng (nhưng vì thế mà thất bại trong đường sự nghiệp) với một nghệ sĩ kém tài hơn nhưng luôn chịu khó cúi đầu đi về phía trước để cuối cùng trở thành người "sống sót"/thành công hơn để kể lại câu chuyện của cả hai.

Chê thì chê, nhưng tôi vẫn chấm phim này 4 điểm, vì xem phim này tôi thực sự xúc động khi thấy các nhà làm phim đã chuyển hóa được các bài thơ Đường (chủ yếu là của Lý Bạch) thành ngôn ngữ hình ảnh, âm thanh của điện ảnh. Đây là những bài thơ tôi đã đọc, và thích từ ngày còn bé, nhưng quả thực chưa bao giờ tưởng tượng và liên hệ những bài thơ đó một cách toàn diện, nhiều tầng ý nghĩa, nhiều tầng cảm xúc như ở bộ phim này. "Tĩnh dạ tư", "Tương tiến tửu", "Tảo phát Bạch Đế thành" là những đỉnh cao trong sự nghiệp thơ ca của Lý Bạch, và những phân đoạn về các bài thơ này trong phim cũng là những điểm nhấn đẹp đẽ, đáng nhớ vô cùng. Vì thế nên xem phim này tôi vừa thấy cảm động, nhớ lại cái tuổi niên thiếu của chính mình ngồi ngâm nga những bài thơ Đường ở cái thời còn chưa thể ngấm được hoàn toàn những tâm sự, suy tư của Lý Bạch khi làm những bài thơ này, hay cái mới, cái đột phá mà Lý Bạch đem đến cho thơ của ông, và tôi cũng thấy có phần "ghen tị" khi chẳng biết đến bao giờ Việt Nam mới có được những bộ phim hoạt hình lịch sử xuất sắc đến thế này.

mardi 23 avril 2024

Miyazaki's eulogy for Takahata

 


I have been so caught up by life that even though Takahata has always been one of my favourite directors, I was not aware of this heartfelt eulogy for him by Hayao Miyazaki during his funeral in 2018. I love them both, in fact, just as many fans of Japanese animation, but whereas Miyazaki has always been the "Anime God", especially among Western fans, Takahata's subdued and seemingly more traditional style has been appreciated, in my opinion, not as much as Miyazaki's more bombastic and "Westernized" masterpieces. I love every single films by Takahata and am always able to find solace, relatability, and calmness in his films - something that is a little more difficult to find in Miyazaki's, except for those more personal to him like "The Wind Rises" or "Totoro" (this is not a criticism of Miyazaki's everlasting masterpieces, I also love them all, but they are just of different flavour than Takahata's).

Back to the eulogy. I love this one so much since it really is a demonstration of not only the love and respect that Miyazaki has always reserved for Takahata (even until now I am sure), but is also a symbol of their support and care for each other - the very important ingredients that led to the everlasting values of their works, and something that was beautifully portrayed in the lovely documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness". The relationship between Miyazaki and Takahata, as narrated by this eulogy, really is an emotional and uplifting story that I want to keep for myself on the windy road ahead.

Also, many thanks to the original posters, since without them, I would have never been aware of this eulogy.

===========

https://www.onegai-kaeru.jp/2018/05/15/farewell-speech-for-isao-takahata-by-hayao-miyazaki-full-english-translation-on-15-may-2018/

Not sure why he was nicknamed "Paku-san" really but he was not a morning person. As we started working for Toei Animation, he always came to our office almost late. (In the morning people saw) he often gobble some bread after putting his time card (into a punch machine ) and drink water directly from the tap. The sound he made by eating the bread which is in a Japanese onomatopoeia "paku paku" is rumored to be the reason of his nickname.

 

It is not an (official) memorial message but today I will read what I wrote.

 

I thought "the" Paku-san would live until 95 years old. "That" Paku-san passed away. This made me feel that I have not much time left.

 

9 years ago our medical doctor called me and told me "if you are his friend, you must tell Mr. Takahata to stop smoking.". His voice was serious and even scary. Because the doctor was so serious I and Mr. Suzuki (Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki ) got him to sit together over a table. It was the first time that I talked to him in that serious manner. "Please stop smoking, Paku-san", said I. "To continue your job, please stop (smoking)", said Mr. Suzuki. I expected him to come up with numerous excuses and counter arguments but he simply said "thank you and I will stop smoking." and nodded. And Paku-san really quit cigarette. I deliberately smoked near him (to test his determination). He said "Nice smell but I do not feel like smoking at all". He got me! That convinced me even more that he was destined to live till 95 years old. 

 

In 1963 when Paku-san was 27 years old and I, 22, we met for the first time. I still remember very well the day we talked for the first time.  In dusk at a bus stop I was waiting for my bus to Nerima. There came a young man walking towards me on the road still partially wet after the rain. "I heard that you are gonna visit Mr. Takuo Segawa." said he. He looked gentle and smart. That was the moment I met Isao Takahata later as known as Paku-san. I wonder why I can remember so clearly; even it was 55 years ago, the memory (of that day) is still vivid. I can still see his face as he was at that time.

 

I met Paku-san again after I was pushed to be an executive member of the labor's union of Toei Animation. Paku-san was the vice chairman ( of that union). Under the pressure, my hard days started. I wanted to almost throw up under that heavy pressure. Despite of that (hardship), I slept over in the labor's union office (which was a kinda shack). And I and Paku-san talked a lot as if there would be no tomorrow... on so many kind of things, esp on our jobs.

We were not satisfied with our jobs (that time). We wanted to do a job further from and deeper than what we were doing then and something we could be proud of. (We talked about) what we should create. Paku-san's knowledge was so great and broad. I felt so happy that I could meet a wonderful person like him.

 

The production ( of " The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun " as Takahata worked as its screen writer) did not proceed well. The staff were not familiar with (Takahata's) new style. The work progress was so slow that the project became an headache to the entire company. Paku-san was an incredible persistent guy. Even as the company's top management tried to change his direction with, sometimes, threats and, sometimes, begging, he did not change. I just by myself worked over weekends with no AC in the summer drawing the sketches for the background pictures on the big sheets of paper. The agreement with the labor's union did not allow the work on weekends but I did not care. It was so simple. I just did not punch the time card for the weekend work.

 

After I watched the first version (test view of the Great Adventure of Horus) I could not move. It was not that I was moved but I was totally taken by the surprise. I was aware of the dispute over the scene of "Mayoi no Mori /the Enchanted forest" as to if it should have been edited out or not. Paku-san negotiated with the company board patiently and he had no choice but had to agree on the number of the animation slide and the number of the work day to the deadline. Of course, he could not keep the agreement. More slides and more days cost. Every time he broke the agreement, he had to write the apologetic letter (to the company). I wonder how many (apologetic) letters he had to write. I was also fully tied up with my own job and I could not help him in that tough fight. 

 

I watched the scene with Hilda in the Enchanted forest at the first version test view. The overwhelming expression and the pictures! And so much love! I came to understand for the first time that this was what Paku-san wanted to create. He completed the work. (Then ) it was in year 2000, 30 years after the release (of that film), that Paku-san suggested having a gathering inviting the film people. From the person in charge (of the Great Adventure of Horus), the board members, the managers who were pressed between the people on the work field and the company top members in that company (Toei Animation), production manager, illustration staff, the females who worked on the background and colouring to the staff in film-shooting, recording and editing, so many people came. The film was not financially successful but nobody cared about it any longer.

 

Paku-san, we lived so fully that time. The way Paku-san lived was exactly how we lived. Thank you, Paku-san. I will never forget about you, Paku-san, who talked to me at the bus stop after the rain.




samedi 30 mars 2024

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (2023)

 


I know that this film has been considered "overrated" by many, especially since it was inexplicably selected to represent France at the 96th Oscars instead of "Anatomie d'une chute", which is among if not the best wide-released cinematic works of the Western world in 2023. To me "Anatomie d'une chute" is indeed better-rounded and more memorable, but "La passion de Dodin Bouffant" has its own merit. Of course, just like numerous other films by Trần Anh Hùng, the performance in this film is not really the focal point, neither its strong aspect (despite the absence of Trần Nữ Yên Khê - Trần Anh Hùng's eternal muse [he did dedicate this film to his wife] but, again, in my opinion only, not really an outstanding actress), but the humanist interactions between the characters are extremely effective and moved me a lot, a lot. I love the fact that this film does not only appear peaceful and cozy, but is indeed a peaceful and cozy film, where everyone is kind and good to each other without any hint of bitterness, jealousy, or pessimism. Watching this film thus really warmed my heart seeing how people of different tastes, different social standings, different ages, and even different world view could be so caring, so subtle, so dedicated to the ones they love and the one they care about - the same way a visionary "gourmand" like Dodin and an outstanding chef/cuisinière like Eugénie take care of their food. Naturally this is a film about food, and about how passion and dedication transform a simple dish into a unforgettable dish, and a good dish into a "tear-jerking" dish. But this is also a film about camaraderie, about soulmates, about the many aspects of interactions and harmony between two hearts that share the same beating frequency in Dodin and Eugénie that are way more than thus "love" and professional harmony. I especially love the very final scene of this film, where Dodin affirmed to Eugénie that she's not his "femme" (his wife, or simply his "woman") but rather his "cuisinière" - a role encompassing BOTH aspects of Dodin's life - his private one, and his "professional" one, and also a role of more equal footing with Dodin in all aspects. Talking about language, I really, really like the French Trần Anh Hùng used for this film's script, as it makes the film so much better, so much more moving, so much more emotional and thus memorable from beginning to end (an important point since the film's pacing is rather slow while the length is not really encouraging for those who prefer shorter and more entertaining films). On this note, I find it pretty funny that Dodin and Eugénie agreed that Dodin is anyone but a poet, but by the end, Dodin's thought and lines just become more and more poetic and romantic like a true poet. Just like the other works of Trần Anh Hùng, this film also has magnificent lighting and scene composition (both indoor and outdoor) to the point that you can cut any single random frame in this film and it would instantly look like a painting with no need for forcing the director's view on to the audience. Sure, this film might be a little bit slow, a little bit long, a little bit dry to some, but once you pay it some attention, you will quickly become emotional observing such a beautiful relationship between Dodin and Eugénie. Such a wonderful film, I would easily give this one a 4.5.

vendredi 1 mars 2024

Anatomie d'une chute (2023)

 


This film is so good on so many levels that not only I enjoyed watching it very much but it also made me think about things - a hard task these days given the fact that I already have a full hand of things that I have to think about everyday.

Firstly, as a legal drama, or more correctly, a courtroom drama, this film is just a perfect one from start to finish with a very subdued (and thus realistic) tempo except for a few moments of emotional peaks during the examination sessions very typical of a realistic court case (the larger part of this film is dedicated to the actual procedures in front of the judge and jury, and only a small part on the preparation and aftermath, so it is rather a courtroom drama - like 12 Angry Men instead of a legal one - like Primal Fear, in my opinion). This "faithfulness" of this film vis-à-vis a French court process is actually very important and meaningful to me, since I have been a big fan of the "true crime" genre in recent years and just fascinated by and paid great attention to good true crime films. But as its name implies, most good true crime films just focus on "the crime" and not on the court process, which might be to the filmmakers already a "done deal" despite the fact that in reality court process, the prosecutors' and defense lawyers' talent (or lack thereof), and defendant's and witnesses' "performance" ARE the decisive factor that leads to a conviction (or not), and NOT the facts/evidences gathered/left behind by the investigators/culprits. And this film is a very, very rare example of a magnificent courtroom drama (I discount My Cousin Vinny, which is too humorous for its own good and too exaggerated for a realistic courtroom drama) even until its very end, when the audience, just like the (almost) blind young witness, have to follow the court events one at a time, unsure what is the truth, what is the fiction, who is right, who is wrong, even after the final verdict was already given by the court. This ambiguity of the script is extremely tasteful, as it gives the film a necessary dose of tension to compensate for its lack of action sequences or crime depictions, the audience a doubtful impression about the characters, about the court process, about the whole thing, and surprisingly enough some comfort, doubtful it is though, thanks to the very final scene with the lovely dog Snoop (acted amazingly by "Messi" - he should have given an acting nomination for this film, how could he, a dog, "act" perfectly like that I have no idea).

Secondly, this film has a masterful treatment of the relationship between languages and emotions and loneliness. Thanks to a wonderful performance by Sandra Hüller (I pray to God that she would win the golden statue this year at the Oscar, but she simply has no chance given the political correctness attitude of Hollywood these days, which will 110% give the award to Lily Gladstone due to her native American origin), the audience, especially ones with a sufficient understanding of English, French, and German like me, really feel the emotional "switch" when her character Sandra Voyter had to change from French to English to express herself fully in front of the judge and jury, or when she uttered some rare German words ("Ja"/Yes) when being pushed to the extreme emotionally. Voyter's utter loneliness is also palpable to the audience when they observe the French around her can do some "chit chat" in simple French with her but would switch to fully "high-brown" sophisticated French at court, which not only confused Voyter but also forced her (again) to the realization that she is no one but a stranger in this snowy French town. I feel Voyter's desolation a lot, since I can also speak French comfortably enough but have never been able to become "good enough" to not stand among French people as a stranger from a strange land due to the language barrier. The switching back and forth between French and English in this film naturally reminds me of Inglourious Basterds - a marvellous film in my opinion successful in making the different languages, and language differences become another "character" of the film.

Thirdly, this film is a very thought-provoking piece of philosophical cinema on the subject of prejudice, misogyny and the definition of success, roles, and responsibilities in a modern society. In the era of "Me Too" and LGBT-and-many-more, one might think that prejudice and misogyny is just a "simple" theme that can be tackled with various approaches. But to make such an approach engaging, relatable, and not "preachy" is not at all an easy task. Rather, people have to dig deeper into the subconsciousness to find the commonality in terms of "inherent" misogyny and prejudice between people of different backgrounds, different culture, different countries. And this film just did it perfectly. Not only it shows an obvious misogynistic hostility of the prosecutorial side against women like Voyter, but also gives the audience seveval "awakening" moments about their own prejudices, like when Voyter had to beg the prosecutor and others to remember that her blind son IS enjoying his BEST life instead of SUFFERING from his visual impairment - something he could not change and does not have to change to make his life "better" (in the eyes of other "normal people" with full visual capability). There are many small but meaningful moments and dialogues like that sprinkled throughout the film that make this film an even better watching experience than it already is.

This film is so emotional, so impactful, and so well-made that I really, really hope that it can win the Oscar for Best Picture this year, but obviously Hollywood already made its choice with the bombastic and showy Oppenheimer. I can only wish that Justine Triet will be able to at least win a "consolation" statue in either the Best Director or Best Original Screenplay categories.

dimanche 29 octobre 2023

Matthew Perry, aka. Chandler Bing (1969 - 2023)

 

This quote above from “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister” (S09E08) is not only a very typical dialogue from the ever self-deprecating Chandler Bing, but turns out to be a prophecy as well. To me, Chandler is always the best character with the most memorable moments in any of the ten seasons of “Friends” and IS the true definition of a good and kind-hearted friend that anyone, including me, could hope for.

So long Mr. Bing, thank you for all the laughs and optimism that you brought me at my very lowest. I hope you will enjoy your afterlife as much as I will always enjoy your banters with your friends in “Friends”.

mardi 6 juin 2023

One sentence reviews (16)

 


Phần 15

01. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023): 2/5

Normally I would use the poster of the first film on this thread as the thread's cover picture, but since this film is thoroughly mediocre, I will save that place for another film. I do not understand the raving scores film critics have given this film, nor the incredible hype Redditors have dedicated for this one since before its opening. Were it a simple "video-game" film, I would have given it a good score too, considering the hilariously "beat-being beaten-revive to beat" repeat mode of this film that of course reminds people of "Max Payne" or the top-down perspective of one shooting sequence in Paris that clearly reflects the influence of the top-down shooter genre, especially "Hotline Miami". However, since this film is considered a "neo-noir" action film of the first rate, I would review it as such. This film is all style-over-substance, and in the worst way possible, as the "style" was established with a slick appearance yet giving out a deep sense of shallowness of B- or direct-to-DVD movies, yes, that bad in my opinion. In addition, the style-over-substance nature of this film is also reflected through its way-too-long running time that can easily make the audience tired since the lack of any decent pacing make this film just a very long action sequence without any actual rhythm or necessary "resting time" for the audience to savour the immediate previous action sequence. Thus by the end all the action sequences stay pretty much the same to viewers (except maybe the "Hotline Miami" sequence"), as they were indeed choreographed and filmed in very similar manners. The very, very pretentious dialogues of this film, with foreign words and short sentences injected here and there for absolutely no reason except for maybe making this film sound cheap, especially to the audience of said languages, only makes the matter worse - for example ALL the French dialogues in this film (except for the radio announcer) were spoken by those who DO NOT handle well this language at all, that is just maddening to me! The tiring feeling of this film also comes from the fact that it has NO STAKE at all, since no matter how many adversaries are onscreen or how strong one "appears" to be, John Wick will simply prevail by ... covering his face with his bullet-proof vest (who approved this ugly and super passive style of action for this film????), unlimited magazines, and unbreakable bones despite ALL falling heights. Why modern Hollywood blockbusters are so afraid of stakes I have no idea, as the fact that NO ONE of any significance die in this film (disregarding the very poorly-constructed main villain) really makes it a very unimpactful one in terms of emotion building for the audience. Wick's obvious invincibility might be a selling point in a superhero or over-the-top action film, but this one is all about redemption, about the fallibility of power (I think - especially given the weakling appearance of John Wick, and his ultimate out-of-nowhere death - a hilariously abrupt death at that), yet, the protagonist stays thoroughly unbeatable until the very end, why the writers of this film would think that this is a good idea is beyond me. This dilemma between its theme and John Wick's Superman-like nature was highlighted even more by Keanu Reeves' very disappointing acting. He was just slow, tired, passive from the first until the last minute, even during action sequences (and of course his facial expressions and voice are still as wooden as ever - I have never ever seen Reeves being a decent actor in any film, even at his height during the "Matrix" years). Yes, yes, I understand that Redditors still get crazy by his "authentic" style of manning a gun, but that style really does not matter in this film as he has to use one hand to hold up the bullet-proof vest over his face most of the times (again, an extremely ugly style of action choreography), and Reeves CLEARLY did not act during the demanding action sequences (long-hair cascadeurs must make a lot of money out of this film replacing him) and was also CLEARLY not able to keep up during the action sequences that he showed his face (and thus could not rely on cascadeurs) to the point of making those sequences awkward and boring to look at. Such a disappointing film this one really is, I expected more, much more.

02. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): 3.5/5

An extremely well-crafted film that actually reflects a lot of the older and more "traditional" films by James Cameron like "Terminator" or "Titanic" (the whole sinking-ship sequence in this film is just "Titanic in Pandora") and thus gives out a surprising sense of nostalgia, especially given the closeness of the story and motifs of this film to the very traditional epic "Dance with Wolves". Despite its rather conventional and "slim" story (I would rather not call this story "simplistic"), the film is still thoroughly entertaining thanks to a level of CGI so high NO contemporary sci-fi could even attempt to achieve (the CGI of the new "Black Panther" looks like a child play in comparison to this one), an amazing quality of cinematography - again, the top-notch underwater cinematography (James Cameron's passion since forever) in this film is simply incomparable to any other film in the market, very well choreographed action sequences, and satisfying character development for the leading cast (the supporting cast is rather underwhelmed, but given the extensive running time for action sequences, something else has to be sacrificed). Still, the film is a little bit too long for my taste (probably due to James Cameron's need to tell his stories and the world he has spent decades to imagine and create) and the "Avatar-form" of the cast, no matter how excellent the CGI is, still creates an emotional gap for the audience and thus somewhat distants these characters from the audience from the relatability point of view (something like "Why should we care for these strange "blue creatures", even though the story itself is VERY relatable). Still, this film totally deserves its box office of more than 2 billions USD - a much better sci-fi than what Marvel and DC could pump out these days.

03. The Flash (2023): 3/5

(Woo, three full months since my last review, it has probably never been this long that I have not watched a full film since forever). An okay superhero film with a very, very questionable second act (mostly due to the hideously bad performance by Ezra Miller as the "alternate" Flash) that is somewhat redeemed by the last act and the heartwarming presence of Michael Keaton, who is easily the best part of this film. I like the visual and action style of this film, which is way more unique and memorable than any Marvel film - especially the more recent ones, but the poorly-made CGI did take part of the fun and immersion away from the watching experience. The way the film handles the time travel paradox and the heavy subject of parental loss is also commendable but would have been much more effective with a better lead (Ezra Miller is not THAT bad, he simply is not capable of such a multi-dimensional (literally and figuratively) character like The Flash and his alternate in this film (probably very few, the kind of Leonardo DiCaprio or Christian Bale, can, maybe, but not Miller). It is also funny that EVEN in the alternate world, the Soviet/Russians (I am not sure Hollywood and Americans in general can distinguish between the two or try to do so) are STILL the bad guys - the propaganda game is still as strong as ever with Hollywood.

04. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023): 3.5/5

I really like the visual and concept art of this film, especially the biology-inspired tech and vehicles (the space ships in this film look particularly cool) and the various cyberpunk animals that remind me somewhat of "TMNT" in a post-apocalyptic setting. The storyline involving Rocket Racoon is also very emotional, impactful, and effective in making this film different from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe rosters despite the eugenics theme has already been used for countless time before by previous films in this "Universe". There are numerous things that I do not like about this film, though, which made me rate this film lower than it would have been had those issues been fixed. Those include the half-an-hour-too-long running time of this film due to various "fillers" that contribute nothing to the story or character progress, the again-disappointing main villain who in parts is overpowered and other parts illogically under-powered, wayyy too many banters that are corny and wasteful of running time, extreme inconsistency in terms of character behaviors (for example, Drax is KNOWN for his daredevil nature and yet appears to be a coward for multiple occasions throughout this film), and boring action sequences (except for the "hallway" fight scene - that part is very cool). Not a perfect film in any sense, but at least a film that I enjoy (despite the obnoxious banters) - already a rare feat for a Marvel Cinematic Universe member.

05. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023): 4/5

Extremely titillating animated film with probably the most sophisticated visual that I have ever seen (Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars comes close, but to a lesser extent). The choreography of the key action sequences is also very, very impressive that can easily beat any live action film by Marvel or DC. Still, I did not enjoy this film as much as its prequel, probably due to its super fast pace that is breathtaking figuratively and literally as it made me tired after watching for awhile. Also, despite its sophisticated look, this film does not have the novelty of blending different styles of drawing and CGI like its prequel, thus it could not amaze the audience like me the way the first film did. Still, an excellent film and I do look forward to its sequel.

06. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): 3/5

The film is a little bit gimmicky with a script significantly worse than the recent Mission: Impossible films including another disappointing set of villains (even Vanessa Kirby's character, who was so cool in the previous film, is portrayed in a way more comical and forgettable fashion). The action sequences are still good, especially the falling train sequence by the end that reminds me a lot of Uncharted II - what would have been had Sony entrusted Tom Cruise with the adaptation project of Uncharted.... Still, probably due to the undercook script, the action aspect of this film also appears to be disjointed, less impressive, and inconsistently choreographed. I still enjoy the film thoroughly, though, as it is always an honest attempt by Cruise et al. in entertaining people without trying to be pretentious or preachy - a commendable approach that Tom Cruise has followed in this later phase of his career.  

07. A Haunting in Venice (2023): 2.5/5

A pretty subpar Agatha Christie adaptation in comparison to the previous two Hercule Poirot films directed by Branagh. Branagh himself is still quite good, but the uninspiring script and especially the wooden acting by the otherwise-competent cast really dampened the mood and the quality of this film. Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly, the latter of whom I have loved for more than two decades since her "L'Auberge Espagnole" day, are particularly bad in this film with amateurish performances that are clearly not up to their true standard. The most memorable thing about this film might be the lovely shots of Venice that Kenneth Branagh was able to manage, to the point of "de-populating" this crowded island-city from the top destination of global tourists down to a peaceful and somewhat desolated post-war Italian city and thus giving me a profound sense of nostalgia similar to the Merchant-Ivory films of the old days, especially when being coupled with the classic and angelic voice of Vera Lynn through her "When the Lights Go On Again". 

08. The Killer (2023): 4/5

Is this the best Fincher's film? Probably not. But am I satisfied with this one? Totally. This film is just a pure Fincher flic through and through. From an absolutely stunning and terrifying soundtrack and sound design to the perfect attention to details that only Fincher can achieve, everything about this film helps Fincher's portray of a descent to ... normality of a seemingly superhuman contract killer, played perfectly by Michael Fassbender. Some might find this film devoid of emotions and thus too cool/cold for its own good, but I fully enjoyed this carefully-designed mood of this film, which is very much in line with Fincher's previous thrillers "Gone Girl" and "Mindhunter". I love, love the way Fincher "degraded" his protagonist throughout the film from a meticulous killer "leaving no trace" to an ordinary revengeful guy that leaves fingerprints and CCTV evidences everywhere on his way to the ultimate act of revenge. Of course, the plot and the dialogue of this film could not be compared to Fincher's absolute best - "Seven" in my opinion, but an entertaining one? You cannot find a better one.

09. Full River Red (2023): 3/5

Just like its outrageously mismatched soundtrack, this film feels great, and not-that-great at the same time. For example, I was very moved by the little humanist moments shared between Zhang Da and his brother-in-law Sun Jun or especially the tiny bits of romance between Zhang Da and Zither, but somehow those heartwarming/wrenching moments are just all over the place and just could not create a true emotional impact on the audience. The whodunit theme of this film was also masterfully done by Zhang Yimou (as he often does) but the overtly patriotic tone by the end really undermines such whodunit approach of this film. Still, I enjoy this historical piece thoroughly and can only hope that Zhang can spare some part of his busy schedule making contemporary "patriotic" films for these historical and wuxia projects that I enjoy much, much more. 

10. Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny (2023): 4/5

ANOTHER amazing installation of this "Kingdom" series (I gave the previous two 4/5 as well). I cannot believe that the filmmakers were able to maintain the quality of this series, but they did it again, I am so happy! Of course this film possesses a big advantage having a superb original manga script to adapt, but the pacing, the acting, the production values, and the concept arts, all those excellent aspects of this film are totally due to the quality and dedication of the filmmakers and the cast, kudos to them. I cannot wait for the next installation of this series, especially the sure return of Masami Nagasawa's Yang Duan He, who in my opinion is still the coolest character in this series full of cool characters. Her necessary absence in this third film, although not affecting its quality, did make me miss her character and long for her return. Such an enjoyment this film really is.

11. Lesson in Murder (2022): 3/5

Pretty decent Japanese-style murder mystery/criminal mind film. The film itself is quite slow with a final "plot twist"/revelation relatively easy to predict but possesses a very immersive ambience thanks to the nice cinematography (the repeated superimposition of the main protagonist and antagonist during their meetings is interesting and implies a lot, but turns to a little bit jarring by the end due to the lack of variation of this superimposing frame), unique palette of colours that is often used in Japanese ... serious drama/family films à-la-Hirokazu Koreeda, and some surprise sequences of goriness. On the other end, except for the main antagonist/villain, the film has a less-than-optimal cast with unconvincing performance of the leads, thus unfortunately makes this film subpart to similar ones that are adapted from Keigo Higashino's novels and often have superior casts. Still, a very easy film to follow and a nice watch for any fan of the Japanese murder mystery genre (like me).

12. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023): 3/5

This film really has amazing CGI scenes that are totally comparable to Hollywood standard. However, like many recent Chinese films, CGI is definitely over-used here despite the fact that the film has little fighting sequences, and thus gives the audience a jarring vibe, especially in the second half. The script of the film is solid enough, as it was adapted from the freaking Fengshen Bang (which I love and is the only reason why I watched this film), with fleshed out characters and easy-to-follow lores and story settings. Aside from the exhilarating opening battle, though, the slow pacing of the film makes this script less effective since the filmmakers spent so much time in building their characters (who are all already very well-established characters in Chinese tradition and literature that probably any Chinese or ones with interest in Chinese culture like me already know to some level) instead of accelerating the films to the way more exciting battles and confrontations. The poor performance across the board did not help on this aspect either. This film just reminds me of Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower due to the similar approach of "style over substance" with a lot of exotic settings, golden costumes, and unique Chinese imperial dynamics between characters. But Creation of the Gods fell way behind in terms of acting (its young cast might look handsome and powerful, but their acting is anything but) and production design (which is very inconsistent - great at parts but terribly cheap at others) and therefore becomes much less memorable. At least this film sets a very solid background for the sequels, which would, and must, have many more exciting moments of battles and duels. As a side note, originally I had given this film a 2.5 stars, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it did indeed succeed in GIVING the audience a promising launching ground for its sequels, and the (supernatural) character designs are also very impressive disregarding the acting quality of their performers, so a 3 might be a more appropriate score. Nonetheless, I really look forward to the sequels, hopefully they will live up to my own expectation after watching this film.

13. A Man (2022): 4/5

Seemingly a heavy everyday drama at first, this film quickly turns into a strange mystery and yet again into an existential tale of those who try to find themselves while facing prejudices and tragedies in life, and yet again into a story of ironies and twists of fate. Such a strange combination and somehow the film still works thanks to an extremely impressive cast who all performed very well no matter how important their roles are in this film, and also due to the subdued, seemingly ordinary and even illogical at parts yet very effective approach to storytelling by the filmmakers. Thus this film reminds me of "Drive My Car", which coincidentally won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Film just the year before this film, and also succeeded in "de-dramatizing" very heavy dramas in a very relatable way to the audience. Of course, one might find this film's telling of major issues in modern Japanese society like prejudice (against children of parents with not-so-great past, or against Zainichi aka. Korean Japanese), unhappy families/parenthood/childhood, or loneliness and loss of oneself, especially in this era of smartphone and social network too "unrealistic" and "stage". But those issues are very true and have already been explored in other Japanese literary or cinematic works and thus this film appears to me to be totally convincing, especially with such excellent acting across the board - no wonder why this film basically swept all acting categories at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize save for the Best Actress category since this film does not necessarily have one. Simple yet deeply effective and emotional films like this really is the bread and butter of Japanese cinema.

14. Laplace's Witch (2015): 2/5

A shockingly bad adaptation of a Keigo Higashino novel, and it was even more shocking to me when I realized that its director is no one else but the unique Takashi Miike. This film's script and implementation are just all over the place without a clear focus on either character development or "problem solving". Instead Miike spent too much time on nonsensical monologues of both protagonists and antagonists that contribute almost nothing to the story but only make it more incoherent and unimpressive, especially given the very consistent quality of Keigo Higashino's writing. At least the acting is quite good, especially by Suzu Hirose who played the titular Laplace's Witch, but the rest of the cast lack the necessary charisma to the point that I had hard time believe that Sho Sakurai (who played the actual main character of the film - Professor Aoe) is a member of the famed Arashi band.

15. Sleeping Forest (2014): 3.5/5

I did not realize that this film is just a television film instead of a full-scale cinema release. Therefore, even though I really hate its digitally-filmed appearance, I cannot deduce a point from my score for this film due to that television-quality look. As a television film, the acting quality in this film is not that great either, especially during the New York sequence when Hiroshi Abe's English is so poor that it becomes hilarious given a very specific dialogue before this sequence assuring that Detective Kaga, as "an elite", can speak English very well. Still, I like Abe since he simply is the perfect embodiment of Detective Kaga in terms of both appearance and manner, which are very important aspects to an avid fan of Detective Kaga like me (in my opinion Kaga is still the best character created by Keigo Higashino, smart, likeable, and very relatable to the audience). The female cast is also very decent, and above all the story and twist-and-turns are really good, realistic, emotional/sentimental (a typical trait and strong aspect in Higashino's writing), and satisfying. Might not be among the best Keigo Higashino adaptations, but an enjoyable one this one still is. 

16. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994): 4.5/5

I do not know why I could not find my review of this film, despite really did see it long time ago, probably almost two decades I think. Still, a second watch with the eyes of a married man with two children is still as fresh as ever, especially with such a refreshing film like this one. Thanks to my wife, who have been craving for "culinary films" after watching "Boudin" that I recommended this film for her and consequently watched it (again) with her. I vaguely remembered that the first time I watched this amazing piece by Ang Lee, it was a delightful experience full of laughs and optimism. This time I still have a lot of fun watching the mouth-watering food being made and the "messy" relationships of the film's characters. But beyond that, I realize much more about the intricate development of those characters, from trying to "fit it" to the "acceptable" recipe of a "normal" life to living at their fullest, cooking the food they want to make, the way they want to eat. Now, being older and with actual experience of forming and building a family of my own, I appreciate even more Ang Lee's masterful stroke in making his characters as normal, as approachable as possible. I can easily find a piece of myself in one character, another piece in others, and still at the same time be able to enjoy the film as it is - a cinematic experience full of "catchy" foods, lovingly characters (I admired Wu Chien-lien for her Anita Mui-like beauty the first time I watched this film, but this time, I adored her even more for her tasteful "office wears", too bad her career was not as long as I expected after such a rapid rise with this film and of course "A Moment of Romance"). 

17. Tampopo (1985): 2.5/5

This film is way worse than I expected, especially given its high rating and praises from even top critics like Roger Ebert. The foods in this film (the first reason why I watched it with my wife, who had asked me for more "food films" after watching "Eat Drink Man Woman") is good, but other aspects are really not of my liking, from the typical (and terrible) Japanese style of overacting, to the confusing editing that makes this film more like a mosaic of lives and loves for good food instead of a food film with a coherent and focused plot. 

18. A Guilty Conscience (2023): 2.5/5

This film won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film WITHOUT a single win in any other category, I should have taken that fact as a warning sign about this film. This film really is a big letdown to me as it not only does not live up to its "HKFA winner" hype and to its very interesting pretext (a legal fight between a destitute lawyer and some "old money" evils, and a mystery of whodunit surrounded by layered tragedies involving children, disability, unfaithfulness, and the eternal social class division), but also has very poor acting, writing, and cinematography qualities. Of course it is still watchable, and pretty entertaining at that - especially with the "drinking water while bleeding" twist at the end, but nonetheless feels very, very emotionally manipulative from the beginning (when the said destitute lawyer was a utterly despicable legal guy with nothing but money in his eyes) through the transition (when he suddenly turned righteous overnight - literally and figuratively) and until the end (when he finally and predictably transformed into a hero of the poor and a sly and respectful figure in court) without any smooth and convincing character development, whereas the rest of the cast - his supporting cast remained exactly the same as they were from throughout the two-hour film. Talking about the cast, my heart broke a little bit watching the poor performance of the entire cast, from the lead actor to every single supporting ones - the kind of performance that is very suitable for the traditional Hong Kong legal series that I once loved very much, but not subtle enough for a competent cinema release, especially given the long pedigree of superior performers in Hong Kong like Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the "Four Heavenly Kings", or the many leading ladies that Hong Kong cinema once had. Nothing represents this lack of acting quality in this film better than the annoying appearance of Michael Wong with his annoying "style" of switching back and forth between Cantonese and English for obviously no reason - I hated it then and I hate it even more now. My heart broke since I felt again, why watching this film, that maybe Hong Kong cinema will never be able to recover, to return to its height when even this poorly-made film could win an award that was once only reserved to the very best like "Chungking Express" or "Comrades: Almost a Love Story". Such a letdown, such a letdown.

19. Galileo: The Forbidden Magic (2022): 2.5/5

I should have expected less from this film given the fact that it is "just" a television film made as a spinoff of the "Galileo" TV series rather than a full-fledged wide release like "Suspect X" or the more recent and still memorable "Silent Parade". The "railgun" idea in this film (and seemingly in the novel - I have not been able to read this one yet since there is still no English or French translations for this novel - Keigo Higashino has written so many books and so quickly that Western translators seem to have a hard time keeping up with him) is a good one, but the rest is pretty derivative - another cautionary tale of how science can still turn evil even by "pure" scientific minds - just like "Suspect X", another story about the struggle between economic progress and environmental conservation - just like "A Midsummer's Equation", and another "revenge story" - just like "Silent Parade" (maybe this is one of the reasons why this is the only book of the "Galileo series" that has not been translated into English or French yet - it is too derivative by Keigo Higashino's standard. The acting and the production value are nothing to go home either, since again, they are "just" of made-for-TV quality. All in all, a pretty forgettable screen adaptation even for an avid fan of Keigo Higashino like myself.

20. G@me (2003): 3/5

A pretty standard adaptation of Keigo Higashino's "The Name of the Game is Kidnapping" with a surprising new ending that does not alter but actually serves as a continuation of the book's ending. This ending is a very good addition to this rather bland and poorly-acted film, though, as it provides a new layer of twist-and-turn, as well as some much-needed emotional and moral fulfillment for the film that Higashino himself did not have for the book. Too bad the rest of this adaptation really does not stand out at all since this film's quality is closer to a made-for-television one instead of a true cinematic release.

21. Godzilla Minus One (2023): 3.5/5

"This country has treated life far too cheaply - poorly armored tanks, bad supply lines that resulted in that half of all deaths were due to hunger and disease, fighter planes built without ejection seats, and finally, kamikaze and suicide attacks. That's why this time, I'd take pride in a citizen-led effort that sacrifices no lives at all! This next battle is not one waged to the death, but a battle to live for the future." This is the best monologue in this whole film and also represents its best quality - a monster film that focuses not on the death and destruction, not on the monster itself, not even on the heroic acts of the tiny humans, but on the simple, everyday connection and interaction between ordinary Japanese when facing such imminent threat of death and destruction. On that idea and core theme, this really is a marvellous film. But the execution still left much to desire - due to a rather longer-than-necessary runtime, an imperfect editing that clearly contains continuity errors like when the usually strong Minami Hamabe's Noriko suddenly turned frail and disappeared while encountering Godzilla, and especially the poor performance across the board. The (over)acting of the whole cast in this film reminds me of the old Japanese monster films where actors borrow a lot of ingredients from the Noh stage (where overacting and exaggeration are a must to impress the physical audience) to their big performance on the big screen (which should emphasize more on subtlety and delicate facial expression) as EVERY single one of them appear to me very unconvincing and not successful in delivering the development of their characters to the big screen. The sole exception might be Sakura Endo, whose tiny role still shone thanks to her (again) subtlety - no wonder why she has since long become a favourite actress of Hirokazu Koreeda and also left me with a strong impression thanks to her marvellously subtle appearance in "A Man". Of course I can appreciate this CGI (and most likely practical effects) in this film, but I just cannot understand why Western critics could give such poor performance of this cast a "pass" while praising this film to heaven and back. To me, this is a good and entertaining film, with a heartfelt depiction of what World War II and the two atomic bombs (metaphorically) devastated Japan and its people, but no more than that. To watch a film that actually depicts the suffer of Japanese people due to the war and the bombings (like what Western critics praise this film for), "In This Corner of the World", despite being an animation, is a much better choice in my opinion.

22. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024): 3.5/5

This film is flawed with way too many jump cuts that at best make the action sequences much less effective and less epic than they should have been, and at worst rend those scenes almost difficult to follow to the point of being unwatchable. The dialogues do not fare better, especially with regards to the edgy and annoying slapsticks of Deadpool. And just like many, if not all, Marvel films, the supervillain in this film turns out to be just as disappointing as the rest despite her potential "villainess" and interesting superpower. And also, again like any other Marvel film, this film has no stake - nothing really matters, no life-or-death choice since the audience, from the very beginning, already knows that Deadpool and Wolverine would ridiculously not die, and thus could not care less watching said characters being put in seemingly very difficult situations ("they would not die, so why would we bother?"). Still, I enjoy this film very much for its entertaining and carefree script, well-paced editing, and above all the way the film "canonizes" all the Marvel films made by 20th Century Fox, including all the awful Fantastic Four and X-Men spinoffs. I like this move very much because these films, despite being all over the place in terms of quality, still are a part of my childhood as my introduction to this superhero genre and thus would forever have a near and dear place in my memory. By integrating them into the bigger "Marvel Cinematic Universe", this film just makes it easier for me to continue to enjoy films made under this MCU umbrella, no matter how uncreative, monotonous, and forgetful they have become in recent years.  

23. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024): 4.5/5

This film is more like a 4/5 but I just give it another 0.5 bonus because I like this film very, very much. Watching this film brought me back to decades ago, when Hong Kong cinema was dominated by less sophisticated but action-packed wuxia and gun fu films full of prototypical "hero" and "evil" characters that strictly follow their "codes" (righteousness/filial piety in the former's case and greed/blood-thirstiness for the latter), and of course of well-choreographed action sequences that are sometimes so over-the-top that they become funny. This film is exactly that, but with better CGIs and, sadly, less charismatic (young) cast, including the ever-good-looking-but-disappointingly-uncharismatic Raymond Lam - I have watched ALL of his latest films, including this one, and the more I watch him, the more I feel bored by his total lack of facial expression and emotional acting. Thankfully, the young cast has extremely good chemistry that fully compensates for their lack of charisma, and was also very well supported by the "old" cast (especially Louis Koo) who, despite their fame, just did their job of being supreme warriors, but at their twilight. The talented old cast, and the unique setting (the demolished-but-never-be-forgotten Kowloon Walled City) really made watching this film a nostalgia about Hong Kong of the past, when it still was a lone walled-off island full of distinctive traditions, culture, and people. I was entertained by this "simple" yet honest film, but more than that, I really cherish films like this, since it is able to connect a fan of Hong Kong cinema like me, with the long-gone "Golden Era" of Hong Kong films during the 1980s and 1990s. And of course, I find the "superpower" final sequence and the "supervillain" with his "diamond indestructible" "superpower" ridiculous and somewhat breaks the film's believability/root to reality like traditional films of this wuxia/action genre. Still, I think that such exaggeration is useful in stirring up the plot, which is pretty simplistic up until that point, and thus making the film more entertaining, more unpredictable, and more creative in the eyes of ordinary viewers like me. 

24. Dune: Part Two (2024): 3/5

I like the battle sequences in this film, but really, really dislike its extremely slow pace, which is seemingly a new trademark of Denis Villeneuve, whose commercial successes with two consecutive and previously-thought-to-be-"unmakeable" blockbusters (Blade Runner 2049 and Dune) have likely reinforced his belief in slowing down the pace by including as many "characters contemplating without any dialogue in front of a vast landscape" as possible in his latest works (his earlier ones are, in my opinion, much tighter with rhythmic yet always effective pacing) - this style in this film effectively "kills" Zendaya's character, who did nothing in this film except staring painfully at the landscape or other characters and was not developed whatsoever throughout the very lengthy 166 minutes of the film. Other characters do not fare better with some disappointingly bland and under-cooked like Christopher Walken's Emperor or Austin Butler's "evil guy", who should have been better fledged had Villeneuve spent more time on character development instead of focusing on the emptiness of the desert and its inhabitants, who possess no uniqueness or memorable characteristics in this film, nothing at all, even Javier Bardem's Stilgar, who appeared so cool and full of potential in the very last part of the first Dune. The visual (or production design) of this film does not impress me either, as it shows a strong influence of the Nazi-"inspired" authoritarian and monochromatic aesthetics of traditional Hollywood and is full of uncreative designs (characters, vehicles) clearly borrowing details from (again) traditional Hollywood sci-fi major works like Star Wars. The choreography (for the hand-to-hand combats) in this film is also hilariously boring and way too "safe" despite the central role hand-to-hand combats play in this series. On this points, Hong Kong choreographers like the one responsible for the excellent action sequences in Twilight of the Warriors would easily teach their counterparts in this film a thing or two on "authentic", engaging, and entertaining choreographed fighting scenes.