Birdman

Iñárritu is a genius.  So is Lubezki.  While we are at it, let's just add Keaton, Norton, and pretty much the entire cast of the movie to that list.  I could just go on and on about how amazing this movie is - from the brilliant acting to the dark comedy of the script to the mind-blowing way it was shot and edited.  They tackled this movie with the intent of making it appear as though it is one continuous long take; an incredible feat.

The introspective self-reflective subject matter and the entirely raw feeling to the movie has a powerful effect, especially when combined with this challenging shooting style.  This movies leaves a lot up to interpretation, but shockingly not in the annoying "the-writers-don't-know-what-to-do-so-they-get-ambiguous" kind of way.  Every last aspect feels intentional, even when it can be explained in more than one way.

All professionals involved, in the peak of their game.  Go see it, and revel in their awesomeness.

Interstellar

The first 2hrs 15min of this movie are going to blow your mind, in a good way.
The last half hour is going to blow your mind, in a rather unfortunate way.

Christopher Nolan is an incredibly talented Director.  That is an established given.  He is also an incredibly complex writer.  Inception, for example, was surely convoluted and confusing and required multiple watchings to glean a true understanding, but in the end when it is all said and done the movie makes sense.  Not so much with Interstellar.

But overall, very much worth seeing. Incredible experience on 70mm IMAX, plus acting and editing and all the other requisite goodies to boot!

***SPOILER***

The following is what totally didn't make any sense to me.  I will try to keep this as concise as possible...

If the daughter solved the gravity problem, then why not follow Brand's beacon to the new world? Why just launch several human "pod stations" into orbit in Earth's galaxy? And if that was the goal, than why couldn't they launch human pod stations earlier, the same way one would launch any other rocket into space?

If it was revealed that McConaughey was "them", then who created the wormhole? A different "them"?  Or when he went through the "dimensional zone" black hole was that in fact the wormhole, that in turn dropped him back in Earth's galaxy?

And lastly... love?! Really Nolan? Is that the moral of the story?

Snowpiercer

Last night I saw one of the BEST movies I have seen in a long while.  Certainly the best since my last blog post back in December for 12 Years A Slave.  This movie was totally and completely amazing. You know me and my innate ability to pick out tiny flaws or inconsistencies, and while there may have been one or two things I took a moment to be like wait, what? (i.e.: re-appearing matches - you will understand when you watch) overall I was so mesmerized and captivated by this entire film honestly in this case those things don't even matter.

I am also not often surprised by movies, plot lines are generally predictable, but damn if this film didn't throw a few curve balls my way.  It was full of unexpected story jumps, as well as a shockingly good performance by lead Chris Evans.  The story was relatively simple, with a straightforward goal for the characters, and it wasn't muddled by "what happened in the past" flashbacks.  The story moved forward as the characters made their way forward in their mission,  the audience and the characters discovering the train along the way.

Unfortunately I cannot say much more without ruining the wonder of this film, but it was shot beautifully - extremely gritty and raw - with an exceptional use of light and dark, shooting speed, and unique style.

I think I may have to go out and see it again...