MOVIE: A Complete Unknown (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
A Complete UnknownYear: 2024Rating: RLength: 141 minutes / 2.35 hours While there have been plenty of biopics about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown (2024) had the benefit of James Mangold directing it. As a director, he’s had a good string of iconic and critically acclaimed movies, including the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line (2005). Since Mangold clearly knew how to make a movie about a famous musician, the same held true here. Unfortunately, the problem with musician biopics is that these individuals tend to have a major flaw that makes them completely insufferable. Most of the time, drugs are the weak spot of musicians like Ray Charles in Ray (2004) or the aforementioned Johnny Cash. In A Complete Unknown, success is Dylan’s kryptonite. I appreciated the background and development of the folk music culture in the first half of this movie, but because Dylan’s talent as a musician and songwriter gave him enough success to do what he wanted, he let...
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MOVIE: The Wolverine (2013)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The WolverineYear: 2013Rating: PG-13Length: 126 minutes / 2.10 hours It's nice to know that of all the X-Men characters to get a spinoff trilogy, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) was able to improve from one movie to the next. Of course, it's easy to surpass the peculiar X-Men Origins (2009) with a movie that explores what happens when Wolverine loses one of the core parts of his identity as a mutant. It also helped that this film (and its sequel, Logan (2017)) were directed by James Mangold—a solid director with a variety of different genres under his belt. I'm glad this little piece of Marvel recognizes there are other locations in the world other than New York City and San Francisco. Having the Japanese setting combined with a nuclear backstory (which also ties into the mutant nature of Wolverine) felt like a breath of fresh air for these superhero films. Because having Wolverine fight guys wielding katanas seems like a natural thing to happen...
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MOVIE: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Year: 2023 Rating: PG-13 Length: 154 minutes / 2.57 hours If you want proof that Hollywood won’t let a good franchise die, look no further than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). The original 1980s trilogy stands pretty well by itself, but the first reboot, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) was so odd that it took almost another 20 years for the franchise to try anything else. Dial of Destiny merely exacerbates the problem of trying to resurrect this franchise by not transitioning off Harrison Ford (like it tried to do in Crystal Skull) but instead doubling down on de-aging technology and nostalgia. There’s a huge section in the first part of this movie that was so CGI heavy, I could have sworn I was watching a video game cut scene for 30 minutes. De-aging Harrison Ford still has the same issues that all other de-aging techniques seem to have (mainly,...
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