This movie has a very very special place in my heart. It was the first movie theater-going experience I can remember. That first fighter scene sound of Anakin and Obi-Wan going in to catch General Grievous will always be engrained in my brain. This movie being at the top for me is a hot take I know this, most people were not fans of the prequels but growing up watching them over and over again I fell in love. It's a guilty pleasure if you will but I'm damn sure not feeling guilty about it.
The blues turning into the reds, the descent to darkness, the movie where the legendary Darth Vader is born. The story of how and why he got turned is like a Greek mythology tale for me. I truly believe the acting was killer, I didn't know how great of a cast this movie has. Christopher Lee, Natalie Portman, Ewan Mcgregor, Samuel L Jackson, and Hayden Christensen of course but he is not as well renowned as the others but they performed very well. Dooku was one of my favorite characters throughout the trilogy, no one else could be cast for young Obi-Wan like Ewan was.
I wholeheartedly think Hayden did a fantastic job portraying the teen angst and the want of power the feeling of being wanted for his talents, the Jedi Order denied that to keep him humble and maybe a hint of jealousy was my guess. The Jedi way was always to let everything flow and come to you, that you didn't necessarily deserve the rank of Jedi Master but had to earn it and never ask. Once he demanded it was over, he was stronger than any other force wielder but no one let him know that they held him back. Anakin resented it, he never had a father, always felt outta place, and just wanted someone to tell him he was as great as he was. Obi-Wan told him how much he loved him too late, he was fully yellowed-eyed and gone at that point. I think Anakin did regret it and was going back and forth before Padme arrived on Mustafar but after that, it was a wrap. I won't let this review go without this movie's faults, the fight between Palpatine and Windu, Fisto, Saesee Tinn, and Agen Kolar was so underwhelming....that could've been one of the best lightsaber fights in history in 2006 too.
I believe this to be one of the most underrated love stories of all time. Anakin would do absolutely anything to keep Padme safe and alive from his dreams even to the point of her getting in the way of understanding. How Padme died I also had a little problem with that, it was just confusing. Having been through loss now at this point of my life I can understand and find the heartbreaking feeling to be so hurtful it kills you but it did seem like a bit of a cope out, bit of a Romeo and Juliet type stretch. Either way, this movie is so special to me and will always be one of my favorites till the day I die.
I n t e r s t e l l a r
One of the most important movies of my life. A movie that sustainably grew my love for space, gravity, exploration, and the science behind it. Nolan just has me in a chokehold I swear. I can not get enough of how he makes movies and what he creates I'm not sure there is a movie of his I do not like let me think. Okay so I haven't seen Insomnia but besides that one.....ALL BANGERS. The cast on this one is pretty wild and fits perfectly McConaughey as the space-type cowboy with the twang to his voice was such good casting call. I loved CASE and the other moving rectangular AI Intelligent robots and how you could control their level of humor and emotions based on a percentage, you could lower it or raise it whenever haha nice little touch.
Robots with programmed settings of human feelings. This movie made me cry which is rare, I never hold back emotions but this movie took me there. Hans Zimmer takes you to a different place with this one, it gleams into your soul and holds you down while you are glued to the screen the magic of space and the idea of space and time on different planets in pursuit of another Earth without the possibility of knowing when or if you will ever come home. Cooper (McConaughey) has to do it he can not help himself for his love of space and saving his family and the world. Nolan has the idea of love, family, sacrifice, loss, and betrayal all that happens with 5 people in the vast emptiness of space and it is done so well. I always just imagine if I were in the situation, away from your kids and seeing them grow up and grandparents die and your kid's kids be born and see in your own children's eyes on video as they lose hope of you ever coming back home while it's only been months for you. That is HEARTBREAKING as a father. Fatherhood is hard enough and I came away from a lot of this movie with the reminder that every child is really their own person. Duh, I know, if you put 4 children in the same household raised the same way they all come out different.
Each human is incredibly unique but also every child no matter how old holds on to something from their parents and thats what molds them or motivates them. Whether in a good way or bad. Some always look to please and some are looking to prove. It's the nature of this world as I really do not think anyone has "figured" out parenting and no one ever will. From baby to adult they are their own person, raise them as such, stop trying to imprint so much about you and your beliefs on them, and imprint more of the world as a whole on them. Help them become ready for what they don't know that you do. Tangent over lol but Matt Damon comes in and plays the most despicable character I have ever seen him play. If Damon can make you hate him with a passion I'd say he did a damn good job. The family aspect was what got me the thought of leaving your family and never knowing when you will return and knowing they think you are never coming back while you watch the videos they've sent you in the span of 40-odd years while you yourself don't age. The concept the writers went forward with about black holes how they operate and how they can be traveled through was amazing. Do-able or plausible? No lol. But it was a brand new idea on something we truly still know so little about. We do know that anything that goes in a black hole has never come out.
The masterpiece of putting another dimension in the eye of a black hole is inconceivable but blended with the story. I can admit when I first saw it they almost lost me at that point but it does hold together as the story is incredibly written. Anne Hathaway is a treat she really plays the space traveler's hopeless romantic role well bringing out emotions of anger sorrow and happiness while being able to distinguish each one. The resentment Cooper's daughter has towards her dad and her family and how that fuels her genius work on gravity. They even got Michael Caine crying in this one. Caine being one of my favorite actors once said "The modern film actor knows that real people in real life struggle NOT to show their feelings. It is more truthful, and more potent, to fight against the tears, only yielding after all those defense mechanisms are exhausted." They hold many emotions back in this movie especially Cooper's kids and you can see the build up and expect what is to come. This movie's soundtrack will never be forgotten and it's a major part of what makes this movie. Incredibly writing with incredible acting with incredible music with incredible tempo with an incredible climax. It is a masterpiece to me and I honestly have only seen bad reviews say it was confusing and too much....I have no idea how you come away from that with that thought. I feel as though people don't truly allow themselves to keep asking questions keep wondering why they did that scene or what that meant in science terms etc etc. It makes movies that were thought out so well come together.
EX MACHINA
I watched this one at my apt on 9/10/2022 with the surround sound which is much needed asssss always. This is my favorite AI movie ever made. One of the most on-edge silently exhilarating masterpieces I have seen. Oscar Isaac can DANCE!!! One of the best I've seen in a whiillleee I love the suspense thriller with AI in them and the human aspect of what it says about us with the power to create and become gods in the birth and rapid growth of AI with no regulations. Even if it will be their own demise they will still do it for the sake of their egos or they believe it needs to be made for the advancement of mankind or as I like to call it "The Oppenheimer Theory" lol.
AI at some point will outlive us and be smarter than us to a point we can not control we really need to create regulations and be very careful and I don't know jack shit about the technology side. It's as scary as the movie makes it. You only ever know what the main character "Caleb" is kind of thinking and doing, everyone else in the movie is so off the wall and unpredictable that you never know what will happen next. I love that keep me on the edge of my seat make me hate a character or yell at someone asking "why would he do that" but it all makes sense in each character's story.
The acting and writing for all the characters is so in tune. The story continues to flow and gets progressively more high-strung. Alicia Vikander is soooo solid in this. Her facial tone and movements in a Spiderman green suit 🤣 I applaud her. Side note you can rent the Ex Machina house for yourself which is pretty cool and would be very serene.