When indie favorites level up to studio blockbusters, do they lose themselves in the process? 'Twisters,' 'A Quiet Place: Day One,' and other mega-productions suggest different answers.
other small quibbles: in the last jedi section, "hoards" to "hordes." and in the harry potter section, "Harry and the gang have been thought a couple of adventures" to "Harry and the gang have been through a couple of adventures"
David Gordon Green is definitely a unique case. I really hope the utter failure of his EXORCIST sequel (and the cancellation of its proposed sequels) allows him to escape from Jason Blum’s clutches. Another JOE or PRINCE AVALANCHE would be welcome right about now.
I was living in Boston when Pineapple Express came out, and one of the fantastic, nose in the air art house theaters, maybe the Brattle or Harvard's theatre, did a DDG retrospective without even hinting that he had a new movie coming out.
I will always love his shifts, even if they aren't often very good, because I picture that curator sobbing while hugging a VHS copy of George Washington.
This piece made me smile and laugh, both of which are in short supply right now in the good old US of A, at least for this household.
However, even this little levity was somewhat blunted when I thought about the movies that got these directors into their more expensive chairs. Like Brick. In my opinion, Johnson has not made a better movie than that one...
THOR: RAGNAROK is easily one of the best movies in the MCU and one of the best superhero movies, period, and it gets better with every viewing. On the other hand, ETERNALS is in the contest for worst MCU movie.
Critics seem to like THE LAST JEDI for being a "fuck you" to the STAR WARS franchise, but that's part of the reason why it's not a good movie. It completely screws up the Luke Skywalker character without giving him any proper motivations, something Mark Hamill even stated publicly. Even if Luke hates Jedi, what does that have to do with him refusing to help his sister? Han's death doesn't motivate him in the slightest? And every bit of Luke slapstick like him milking an alien is cringe-inducing. All the time spent with Luke not training Rey is the antithesis of drama. And the whole premise setting the plot in motion is absurd on the face of it. The First Order has to chase Resistance ships at their speed when the First Order could simply and briefly send half their fleet to light speed and then turn around to corner the Resistance? That made zero sense. Holdo withholding strategy from Poe until he mutinied? Total plot contrivance.
here I go engaging with TLJ criticism, but I think you are misunderstanding why people like the movie. it's not because it's saying "fuck you" to Star Wars, it's because it adds some moral ambiguity and tries a few clever sci-fi plot devices like the Holdo maneuver. I agree with you that the ticking clock plot clangs in a world with lightspeed travel, but it doesn't derail the movie. And as far as Luke...he has an arc! he becomes a hero again at the end! watch the whole movie!
The Holdo maneuver isn't clever. It sits in direct conflict with the rest of Star Wars continuity: just direct one or more un-manned freighters at every Death Star or star destroyer at light speed and problems solved. And Holdo withholding communication from Poe exactly like what a good leader shouldn't do was stupid. Luke doesn't have an arc. He resists Rey's advances to train her directly for the entire movie and then ex deus machina Yoda shows up and turns Luke around in a second. Up to this point, we see Rey's internal struggle, not Luke's except for that expository flashback.
Hammill is second-biggest taken-out-of-context movie star quote, behind like Daniel Craig saying he'd rather slit his wrists than play Bond again. What Hammill actually said was, at first he not thought character felt like Luke, and then by time he filmed it, he understood what Johnson was doing. A lot of fans just wanted Luke Skywalker Action Figure dusted off (and for that, we have later seasons of Mandalorian), but me thought it made perfect sense that Luke would be older and have regrets — and that being able to fill Obi Wan's shoes not same thing as being able to fill Yoda's. Me thought it was great characterization from franchise that generally resists characterization.
And me thought it was pretty clear that he had no idea Han died because he had cut self off from Force. Realizing how disconnected he had become was what brought him back around to helping Leia.
And me agree completely that slow-motion car chase in space not make lick of sense. My take with movie is, anytime Luke, Rey, or Kylo are on screen, it some of best material in franchise, and every time they not on screen movie is hot mess.
Nah, definitely not by the time Hamill filmed it. Hamill aired his grievances in interview after interview after the film was released. People can spin Hamill's comments however they want, but that he even aired them publicly in the first place shows his dissatisfaction, something actors are loathe to do lest they are perceived as someone who can't support the projects on which they've been hired, hence, inhibiting future hiring. And Luke knew Han had died, not from learning it through the Force, but through Rey and R2, hence Han's dice. Luke not dealing with that onscreen just screams prioritizing forced plot mechanics over character touch points. And that brings us to Luke's having regrets isn't the same as Luke refusing to help his family and friends. Motivation to reject them, not just the Force, is what is a big character hole in the movie.
Okay, I am starting the petition here to make this one of the features that gets annual updates (like Keith's ever-growing Nicolas Cage filmography reviews) and that's only partially because I am dying to see what happens with Barry Jenkins doing a prequel to a CGI Lion King remake.
Rian Johnson is currently my pick for what the best case scenario looks like in these situations. He dipped into Star Wars, showed that he could do it, but caused enough of a ripple that it does NOT look like he's going to be stuck there for another decade churning out follow-ups. Instead he carries the cachet he now has to create his own series of mystery films and TV shows that showcase his thematic interests AND are crowd-pleasing hits to boot! Everybody wins!
Everyone wins except Last Jedi fans who had to watch everything good about it get zeroed out in the next film. Not that I'm complaining too much. I'll take a third Knives Out mystery and a second season of Poker Face in exchange!
Every time it comes up someone says it's not actively in development but "is still getting talked about." I feel like it is unlikely they will ever officially pull the plug AND I feel it is unlikely that it will ever get made.
David Lowery can exist in the future update too as he may be the only one of them with a Disney+ exclusive film that came out last year and I only found out about it because I was just going to say "...don't forget Pete's Dragon after Ain't Them Bodies Saints."
I think generally a filmmaker forfeiting his/her personality for the sake of delivering on a franchise is a bad thing, though I guess you could say that something like TWISTERS is well-crafted. One craves personality tho.
Some other people thrown directly into the blockbuster meat grinder: Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed), Josh Trank (Chronicle), Gareth Edwards (Monsters), Marc Webb (500 Days Of Summer), Duncan Jones (Moon).
would love to read about all of these. lots of forgotten blockbusters in this thread that I'm developing a morbid curiosity about: Warcraft, ASM 2, Bumblebee, Thor 4...
I'm trying to think how far back you can take this concept, and whether you could go all the way back to Lynch's Dune. (Another pre-2000 one could be Jeunet and Alien: Resurrection).
bovine is cows, *porcine* is pigs, but that's a minor quibble for a very fun guide
other small quibbles: in the last jedi section, "hoards" to "hordes." and in the harry potter section, "Harry and the gang have been thought a couple of adventures" to "Harry and the gang have been through a couple of adventures"
David Gordon Green is definitely a unique case. I really hope the utter failure of his EXORCIST sequel (and the cancellation of its proposed sequels) allows him to escape from Jason Blum’s clutches. Another JOE or PRINCE AVALANCHE would be welcome right about now.
I was living in Boston when Pineapple Express came out, and one of the fantastic, nose in the air art house theaters, maybe the Brattle or Harvard's theatre, did a DDG retrospective without even hinting that he had a new movie coming out.
I will always love his shifts, even if they aren't often very good, because I picture that curator sobbing while hugging a VHS copy of George Washington.
I loved JOE so much. Saw it twice on the big screen.
This piece made me smile and laugh, both of which are in short supply right now in the good old US of A, at least for this household.
However, even this little levity was somewhat blunted when I thought about the movies that got these directors into their more expensive chairs. Like Brick. In my opinion, Johnson has not made a better movie than that one...
THOR: RAGNAROK is easily one of the best movies in the MCU and one of the best superhero movies, period, and it gets better with every viewing. On the other hand, ETERNALS is in the contest for worst MCU movie.
Critics seem to like THE LAST JEDI for being a "fuck you" to the STAR WARS franchise, but that's part of the reason why it's not a good movie. It completely screws up the Luke Skywalker character without giving him any proper motivations, something Mark Hamill even stated publicly. Even if Luke hates Jedi, what does that have to do with him refusing to help his sister? Han's death doesn't motivate him in the slightest? And every bit of Luke slapstick like him milking an alien is cringe-inducing. All the time spent with Luke not training Rey is the antithesis of drama. And the whole premise setting the plot in motion is absurd on the face of it. The First Order has to chase Resistance ships at their speed when the First Order could simply and briefly send half their fleet to light speed and then turn around to corner the Resistance? That made zero sense. Holdo withholding strategy from Poe until he mutinied? Total plot contrivance.
...
here I go engaging with TLJ criticism, but I think you are misunderstanding why people like the movie. it's not because it's saying "fuck you" to Star Wars, it's because it adds some moral ambiguity and tries a few clever sci-fi plot devices like the Holdo maneuver. I agree with you that the ticking clock plot clangs in a world with lightspeed travel, but it doesn't derail the movie. And as far as Luke...he has an arc! he becomes a hero again at the end! watch the whole movie!
The Holdo maneuver isn't clever. It sits in direct conflict with the rest of Star Wars continuity: just direct one or more un-manned freighters at every Death Star or star destroyer at light speed and problems solved. And Holdo withholding communication from Poe exactly like what a good leader shouldn't do was stupid. Luke doesn't have an arc. He resists Rey's advances to train her directly for the entire movie and then ex deus machina Yoda shows up and turns Luke around in a second. Up to this point, we see Rey's internal struggle, not Luke's except for that expository flashback.
good golly, what you're describing is Luke's character arc!!
"problem solved" it's a kamikaze maneuver!
Hammill is second-biggest taken-out-of-context movie star quote, behind like Daniel Craig saying he'd rather slit his wrists than play Bond again. What Hammill actually said was, at first he not thought character felt like Luke, and then by time he filmed it, he understood what Johnson was doing. A lot of fans just wanted Luke Skywalker Action Figure dusted off (and for that, we have later seasons of Mandalorian), but me thought it made perfect sense that Luke would be older and have regrets — and that being able to fill Obi Wan's shoes not same thing as being able to fill Yoda's. Me thought it was great characterization from franchise that generally resists characterization.
And me thought it was pretty clear that he had no idea Han died because he had cut self off from Force. Realizing how disconnected he had become was what brought him back around to helping Leia.
And me agree completely that slow-motion car chase in space not make lick of sense. My take with movie is, anytime Luke, Rey, or Kylo are on screen, it some of best material in franchise, and every time they not on screen movie is hot mess.
Nah, definitely not by the time Hamill filmed it. Hamill aired his grievances in interview after interview after the film was released. People can spin Hamill's comments however they want, but that he even aired them publicly in the first place shows his dissatisfaction, something actors are loathe to do lest they are perceived as someone who can't support the projects on which they've been hired, hence, inhibiting future hiring. And Luke knew Han had died, not from learning it through the Force, but through Rey and R2, hence Han's dice. Luke not dealing with that onscreen just screams prioritizing forced plot mechanics over character touch points. And that brings us to Luke's having regrets isn't the same as Luke refusing to help his family and friends. Motivation to reject them, not just the Force, is what is a big character hole in the movie.
A BlueSky follower asked why I didn't do Ben Wheatley's MEG 2 and now I want to just tear this whole thing up. How could I forget?!?!
Okay, I am starting the petition here to make this one of the features that gets annual updates (like Keith's ever-growing Nicolas Cage filmography reviews) and that's only partially because I am dying to see what happens with Barry Jenkins doing a prequel to a CGI Lion King remake.
Rian Johnson is currently my pick for what the best case scenario looks like in these situations. He dipped into Star Wars, showed that he could do it, but caused enough of a ripple that it does NOT look like he's going to be stuck there for another decade churning out follow-ups. Instead he carries the cachet he now has to create his own series of mystery films and TV shows that showcase his thematic interests AND are crowd-pleasing hits to boot! Everybody wins!
Everyone wins except Last Jedi fans who had to watch everything good about it get zeroed out in the next film. Not that I'm complaining too much. I'll take a third Knives Out mystery and a second season of Poker Face in exchange!
Fortunately they never made another Star Wars movie after Last Jedi, right? (Don't answer that )
Not one that sticks in my mind!
has his Star Wars trilogy been officially cancelled yet?
Every time it comes up someone says it's not actively in development but "is still getting talked about." I feel like it is unlikely they will ever officially pull the plug AND I feel it is unlikely that it will ever get made.
David Lowery can exist in the future update too as he may be the only one of them with a Disney+ exclusive film that came out last year and I only found out about it because I was just going to say "...don't forget Pete's Dragon after Ain't Them Bodies Saints."
Gah! PETE'S DRAGON is perfect. Next time I write something like this, I'm pitching it to the group first.
Love The Green Knight.
it seems like an Un film De rating is directly correlated with watchability?
(it's really depressing how long this list is....)
I think generally a filmmaker forfeiting his/her personality for the sake of delivering on a franchise is a bad thing, though I guess you could say that something like TWISTERS is well-crafted. One craves personality tho.
Some other people thrown directly into the blockbuster meat grinder: Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed), Josh Trank (Chronicle), Gareth Edwards (Monsters), Marc Webb (500 Days Of Summer), Duncan Jones (Moon).
would love to read about all of these. lots of forgotten blockbusters in this thread that I'm developing a morbid curiosity about: Warcraft, ASM 2, Bumblebee, Thor 4...
I'm trying to think how far back you can take this concept, and whether you could go all the way back to Lynch's Dune. (Another pre-2000 one could be Jeunet and Alien: Resurrection).
Maybe Guillermo del Toro and Blade 2? That one worked out wuite well for everyone in the long run.
Scrolling and scrolling for Ang Lee's Hulk
This is a fantastic article.