There are two distinct Terrence Malicks--the genius, and the GoPro enthusiast. Likewise, there are three David Gordon Greenes--the arthouse guy, the stoner comedy dudebro, and the mainstream nondescript filmmaker. There are also multiple Gus Van Sants. And, of course here we have one of the better Richard Linklaters'. I'll never forget the utter disappointment I felt after The Newton Boys. How could the director of Slackers do this? Last Flag Flying is an excellent film. It's pretty mainstream. It's certainly not Slackers, the Before trilogy, or even Dazed and Confused. Nor is it School of Rock. Whatever it is, it's a really solid movie with some excellent movie stars by an excellent movie director. Last Flag Flying is a buddy dramedy road movie adapted from the novel considered the spiritual sequel to The Last Detail, and takes place in 2002. It stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne as three men reunited after 30 years (since they served in Vietnam). This was a 4 tissue film for me. I laughed and I cried. This film balances its lightness with its darkness. I kept forgetting this was a Linklater film, but no matter, go see it. It's superb. 5/5 |
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By no means am I reviewing Apocalypse Now after seeing it for the first time. I've seen the film many times, but I'm revisiting it once again. If I space it out right, by the time I rewatch this next time, it'll be like new all over again. I'm really surprised at how much seems new to me today. Strange. In any case, this film is genius. It's an absolute masterpiece, and if you've never seen it you should fix that immediately. If you don't know anything about Apocalypse Now, I guess I could at least say that it's essentially Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness retold as a Vietnam War picture. This is an important piece of American cinema. Do it. 5/5 I had the good fortune of seeing David Holbrooke present his new HBO documentary film, The Diplomat, to a Telluride hometown audience this evening. The Diplomat works on several levels, but primarily as the history of five decades of US foreign policy through the lens of the impressive career of the US Diplomat, Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke's long career began in Vietnam, took him to the Balkans, and later to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He served as Assistant Secretary of State and while he never held a cabinet position and never became Secretary of State, he is considered one of the most influential US diplomats. Holbrooke famously helped negotiate peace in the Balkans for Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s under President Clinton. This documentary has clout, and Holbrooke's life and legacy is fascinating. 4/5 It's impossible to say how many times I have seen Harold and Maude. When I worked at a video store I often put it on repeat during 8 hour shifts. It's my all time favorite and I have to admit that there's nothing that notable about the aesthetic of the filmmaking. For me, this is all heart and soul. My love goes back much further than the video store. It was a favorite as a kid, albeit hard to come by. This is the story of a May-September type, unusual relationship between morbid and depressed young Harold and the much much older fun-loving, eccentric Maude. This movie is super quirky and all around delightful. 5/5 |
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