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Film reviews

Project Hail Mary Review

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A breathtaking space adventure that will blow the audience’s minds. An audacious book adaptation that feels like a new world of spectacular elements. Project Hail Mary is glorious with vibrant motions and beautiful colors. The experience is best had in IMAX. Based on the novel written by Andy Weir, the film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. They put theirminds together and succeeded in making space look captivating. There are many themes that are hard to dismiss in Project Hail Mary. Especially given the focus on astronauts, the world in space is clearly different than the world below. In the end, the film comes down to science and persistence.

Project Hail Mary is aimed at a science teacher named Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling. He wakes up in a space shuttle many miles away from home after being in a coma for years.His mission is to find a substance that is a threat to the sun. The threat is also a danger to the earth. Throughout the spacecraft he utilizes every inch of scientific resources. His life as a teacher is one of solitude filled with diverse challenges.

For Ryland, going home will take time. The direction of Project Hail Mary creates the sense that the space shuttle is the central environment. The cinematography and lighting have angles that make the atmosphere seem real. This film has the brightest and most shining space artistry that I have seen in a long time. The story and the subject of disconnect blended with science reinforces the realism of the film. The primary message in Project Hail Mary is to never lose hope. Faith does emerge in the adventures experienced in the story.

With scientific issues and other complex aspects being thrown into the mix, there is an unexpected element of surprise. Ryland befriends an alien-type creature who he gives the name Rocky. Actor Jamie Ortiz gives voice to Rocky. Ryland and Rocky work together to get home.  Their special friendship sold me. Finding a friend in space to travel with over many miles while creating memories was heart-warming. The confidence to make it home showcases the power of a wonderful friendship in Project Hail Mary.

Gosling is the king of space in this movie. He has a dramatic acting style which enables him to  play someone unprepared who is able to execute what looks to be impossible. Failure is not an option for Ryland in Project Hail Mary as he struggles through extreme hardships. Overall, this movie is a winner in terms of writing, science, and technology. The way it is presented makes the experience feel real. It is an incredibly audacious and vivid film that made me feel like I was floating into a new world of voyeurism. The IMAX experience enhanced the scenes in space and transported me to new world where I forgot everything else, but what was happening on the big screen. The vivid landscape was simply out of this world. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Project Hail Mary.

 

Film reviews

The Fall Guy Review

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Ryan Gosling is still being praised for his role as Ken in Barbie last year and he deserves even more for The Fall Guy. Gosling is the hero in this film, but his co-star Emily Blunt deserves applause along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson who plays the movie star. The Fall Guy is a comedy-thriller with a clever personalitywhich makes it soar with delight. The film is a blast from director David Leitch. While there are a few moments that drag, the adventure is interesting enough to offset any boredom.

Watching The Fall Guy feels like being an audience member on a movie set during shoots. The film industry is the focus of the film. The lead is Colt Seavers played by Gosling. Colt is astuntman who leaves the film industry, but then finds his way back into the routine of the business. He has his eye on the prize, his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno, a movie director, played by Emily Blunt. Colt may have landed his lucky project by finding his way onto Jody’s project. There is a twist, however, when the lead of her project, Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, goes missing. Suspense is a key part of this film’s creativity.

Of course, the setup relies on lots of action involving Colt. He must put together the pieces to find Tom. He must also get his reputation as a stuntman back. And he must do what he can to attract his ex-girlfriend again. There are plenty of diverse moviesets in The Fall Guy which have different atmospheres with various people and specific dangers.

The thrills are intriguing as Colt faces new and complex risks.Colt is used to doing stunts in movies and must perform some of them which cause him to face actual life-and-death scenarios. While sometimes exciting, the humor is occasionally mediocre. Fortunately, the different movie sets add value and keep things interesting.

The Fall Guy feels two-sided. It feels like it is a film within a film. One side contains the film which is set in the movie industry. The second side contains Gosling as the hero. Which side has the upper hand? The Fall Guy will make audiencesthink twice.

As I mentioned previously, the film is all Gosling. He is the king of continuity and thrives creating stunts with a killer attitude. In one scene, Gosling plays someone escaping in a boat with his hands tied behind him yet is still an unstoppable force. Although it is silly in spots, The Fall Guy still kills. It has laughs, excitement, thrills, and comedic peril. When his character Colt says, “Professional is my middle name,” the element of surprise rises.

My love for The Fall Guy is due to its utilization of movie sets as settings which greatly boosted the entertainment value. These cinematic settings created an enthralling vibe. Gosling jumps through many hurdles in this adventure and does not rely upon his pretty boy persona. This time, he deserves recognition for playing the hero, attracting the girl he loves, and gaining his career back. The Fall Guy is an above-average ride that deserves three out of four stars.

Film reviews

Barbie Review

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“I haven’t been in a box in ages.” Those words are from Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie in the new movie of the same name. And it’s Barbie outside the box that makes Barbie full of color and grandeur.

Directed and written by Greta Gerwig and co-written by Noah Baumbach (Gerwig’s husband), Barbie is a unique experience in a world of pure happiness and perfection. But when a sign of turmoil comes around the corner, the positive world is challenged by some darkness. It never becomes that dark, though, because the directing and writing of Gerwig brings joy throughout this wonderful and unusual film.

Barbie is set in Barbie Land, a place where real life ceases to exist. It is a wonder world with many people named Barbie and Ken. The main Barbie and Ken are Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, two actors perfectly cast for these eccentric and uplifting characters. Helen Mirren is the narrator, and her narration starts the film off as if there is never sadness in Barbie Land. It is just happy, happy, happy all the time, and negativity is never mentioned. That is, until Barbie asks, “Do you guys ever think about dying?” From there, all bets are off. The turmoil of her curiosity takes Barbie Land into strange places, and to explore her true emotions Barbie must travel outside Barbie Land to the real world. Ken goes with her, and they enter a world that they know absolutely nothing about.

The interesting part of Barbie and Ken’s trip into the real world is their realization that there are now real-life consequences. And this realization is the source of many silly moments, unexpected situations, and fun topics that enliven the film. Barbie meets Gloria, played by America Ferrera, in the real world, and she turns out to be a trustworthy human who helps her realize what must be done to find truth in herself. The race is on as a crazy Mattel CEO (played by Will Ferrell) makes it his goal to get Barbie back as a marketing tool—by putting her in a box again. We also meet Allan, played by Michael Cera, a shy, introverted, and socially awkward guy. He’s one of many characters that will make for quirky times for audiences around the world. The colors of joy thrive in the film, and they help make Barbie a magic sensation.

Helen Mirren’s narration is also one of the features of Barbie that will really draw audiences in. Her humor comes through in unexpected moments, and the film finds its wonderful vibes in her twisted and poetic narration.

There’s no question that the many artistic moments in Barbie are because of Greta Gerwig’s direction. She also directed Lady Bird, and she knows how to bring characters together. I felt like some of the fragments dragged just a little, but overall Barbie is smart, fun, and definitely a wild ride. Three stars for Barbie.