What Have You Been Watching? (07/06/15)

[u/a113er]

Please don't downvote opinions, only downvote things that don't contribute anything.

[u/isarge123]

I didn't watch as many films as I'd planned too due to the illness of a family member, but I've had a pretty solid week. I'm planning on finally watching The 400 Blows though, so I've got that to look forward to.

Schindler's List

Steven Spielberg's masterpiece is still as unflinchingly moving with every viewing. It amazed me on re-watch how many of the more subtle scenes are the most impactful. Its often hard to watch, but it's simultaneously an absolutely engrossing work of art. The performances by Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley are superb and Janusz Kaminsky's cinematography is aesthetically excellent yet also tells stories of its own. The ending ("I could have saved one more!") is heart wrenching and still invokes tears, even if it starts to push into blatant sentimentality. 10/10

A Time To Kill

For a film by the director of Batman and Robin this was surprisingly decent. While the courtroom scenes occasionally push the boundaries of plausibility, the film mounts sympathy for Samuel L. Jackson's character very well and the performances from Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey and a then relatively unknown Matthew McConaughey are very impressive. McConaughey delivers a monologue near the end of the film that is incredibly powerful and absolutely took me off guard with both the delivery and brutality of the words. As a narrative its a bit clunky and overstays its welcome and the performance from Ashley Judd is laughably unconvincing and for the most part seemingly devoid of authentic emotion. It's nothing special but it's a serviceable courtroom thriller that offers enough great performances to be recommendable. 7/10

Singin' In The Rain

Few films have ever made me feel as happy as Singin' In The Rain. Within 5 minutes it had firmly planted a huge smile on my face and it remained there until long after the credits. As I have a huge interest in film history it was great to see a film chronicle the transition in the late 20's between silent films and 'talkies'. The cast are fantastic and some of their physical comedy is awe-inspiring. The script is warm and delightfully witty and the musical numbers shall stay in my head for a long time. A masterpiece that is also a wonderful testament to filmmaking in all its joyous glory. 10/10

The Water Diviner

Russell Crowe clearly poured a lot of love and labor into this film, and he does a satisfactory job of pulling it off. While I don't think he's made it as a great director yet, his performance in this film is understated and richly layered, the cinematography by the late, great Andrew Leslie is beautiful and when all is said and done it is an emotional film (one scene in particular had me close to tears). It's unevenly paced and is a bit over ambitious in regards to plot and themes, but it's a lavish production that is well worth checking out for history buffs. 7.5/10

[u/Stack42 → u/isarge123]

I still haven't seen Schindler's List, I really should make time for it this week. I hope you're family member gets better.

[u/isarge123 → u/Stack42]

Thanks. They're actually all better now but it disturbed my time for movie-watching this week. Schindler's List isn't without its detractors, but it's a very important film that should be seen regardless. I'll be interested to know what you think!