Burnt

I like food films. I like series about food and I like watching movies about food and chefs and restaurants, but that also means I've seen a lot of them and that they get less and less surprising every time. As you know the element of surprise is a big thing for me, sometimes I think I should just stop expecting to be surprised so much. I liked this film, at least it wasn't about a family guy who was working too hard, not paying attention to his young adorable child. Although there was a woman doing that.  The main character had an interesting backstory. It had bits that surprising me, a couple that I really really liked even if I called most of the main plot. It was a good movie, not one that left an everlasting memory or an imprint to my mind, one I am likely to forget about soon, but still a pretty nice watching.

Black Mass

After all the papers here had long finished reviewing and critiquing this I discovered that the movie I've been wanting to see since April was showed here for the last time today. So I went to that very last screening and here is a slightly bias opinion. Technically, opinions are always biased, but I'm saying this, because you should know before hand I'm a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and thus am automatically more likely to love anything with him in it.

But leaving him aside, is Johnny Depp a human camelion or what? He looks entirely different in every single movie as far as I am concerned. He and Benedict don't really look like brothers at all, but neither do my dad and his brother so I'll let that one go. As for Benedict I feel like they tried so hard to make him look ugly with the cheek implants(Yes. Apparently. Not sure how), but sorry - you still failed, along with the women of the film he was still the most beautiful person there and I liked his character too. He was a nice contrast to all the criminals, a politician with a normal-ish family life and 9 children. Sure, he was also involved, he was loyal to his brother who was pretty much the king of the criminal world, but there was still this nice contrast with him somehow. Also (spoiler ahead) I'm so glad he survived! I was so scared he'd be shot at one point or another.  

 
This is the sort of film that keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. Everyone could die, at any point, when you know to expect it and when you won't expect it at all. And yet, somehow, incredibly, both of my favorite characters survived. My nerves are quite fragile and I jump at every gunshot that is unexpected or expected, but it was still a nice thrilling plot. I like the feeling.

It might be a bit unethical to say think about a movie that is based on real life events (and by the way I really like that about films like that. It's the only way they are worth a watch). but I find the criminal world really interesting, their honour code, their interactions, their twisted moral and logic. It's complicated, fascinating, it's what makes the movie so thrilling and compelling. It even....oddly makes you(me) feel for some of the character. Even if they really were as awful as they were.

The last witch hunter

I've re-read my last post on "Crimson Peak" and because I've read plenty of great thoughts on the movie I have to admit I don't think I really did the film justice. I still agree with everything I wrote, but I've read some interesting thoughts on Thomas's and Lucille's relationship and how they were rather pitiful in a way that I hadn't thought of. I can't say I still feel for Lucille in any way, but I do feel for Thomas. I hadn't thought of the way Lucille had manipulated him over the years. It's an interesting thing to consider...

Anyway I saw "The Last Witch Hunter" a while ago and while it was the kind of movie that I'd normally like: with magic and witches and all the supernatural stuff, it wasn't really anything too mind blowing for me. There were a couple of things that came as a positive surprise like the twist with the Dolan. It was entirely unexpected. Honestly, not having had seen anything of the movie besides the poster I sort of expected the film to be about the new friendship of Kaulder and Dolan the 37th( the one played by Elijah Wood) at first and I would have liked that since I really like Elijah Wood. But if there's anything I like in a Hollywood movie it is to be surprised and surprised I was. I also liked Chloe's character powers rather a lot and her style in general.

Now for the things I didn't like - the whole "character has lived for hundreds of years" topic is both really dangerous and really rewarding. It is really rewarding, because you can think about what that time would do to a human and it is dangerous, because we really don't know and therefore it can easily seem unrealistic. In this film, I don't think it was much thought about at all. The makers just seemed to think:"Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we made this character really really old? Yeah. It would. It seems cool and dramatic." But on the same time there's close to no consideration to what that does to a human mind. Or if there is it seems very unrealistic to me. Kaulder's whole character seems like there could be so much more to it, but the writers haven't bothered with him much.

My last big bone to pick with this movie is also the biggest spoiler - it's the ending. It seems like the writers were afraid to kill off the main character, because that is a big no-no in the world of Happily Ever After. But killing off Kaulder would have given the movie more of a point, it would have given it impact and meaning that now just went missing, because a random excuse was found to save the main guy.