Thanksgiving and Christmas are always good for movie releases, and they typically save some good ones for these days as well. Plus, they release a spectrum, so that everyone can go and see them from kids to adults. On top of that, there is Black Friday, so people are out and about, and many malls have movies, so might as well stop in, and see a movie while there! This year, we got two beautifully shot films and an animated film, this made for a great watching experience on the big screen, and my family even came to see one of them with me.
The first movie I saw was Saltburn. It centered on Oliver and Felix’s relationship, two university students trying to find their place in the world. Oliver came from a rough background, and he struggled to find any companionship, but one day, he was able to come to Felix’s rescue to help get him to class on time. This starts a budding friendship, but not everyone in Felix’s orbit are on board with this relationship, specifically, Farleigh. Mainly because Farleigh likes having all of Felix’s attention on him. As the semester comes to an end, Felix invites Oliver to stay with him over the break, at his family’s castle, Saltburn. At the castle, it becomes clear that something else is afoot with Oliver, but what exactly he has planned is hard to tell. He is so complimentary to everyone, and it almost seems flirtatious, from his relationship with Felix’s sister to his mother, even his relationship with Farleigh has some sexual undertones. Then tragedy strikes, and everything comes tumbling down.
This movie has gotten most of its publicity from it being controversial for its sex scenes, but honestly the aspect of the movie that stuck out the most was its cinematography. It was beautifully shot. There are so many scenes where Oliver’s character is just standing there watching everyone or doing something, and the way it is framed is impeccable. There is the shot of him on the stairs at the party, where he is standing there alone and brooding, with antlers on his head in a massive and beautiful house bathed in neon light with people having a great time around him, but he is utterly alone. It is imaged so perfectly in that shot. There are countless other shots too, where the colors and the setting blend together in an amazing manner. The whole story is hypnotic, but the visuals make it even harder to tear your eyes away from the screen.
The final scene of this movie was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was pretty comical, but it did not seem like many others in my theater were of the same opinion. When it finishes, it leaves the audience asking, what did I just watch? The whole story seemed to center on taking advantage of the rich. It creates a little sympathy for the rich people, because they do not know if normal people are just trying to be their friends, or if they are befriending them for their money, but even then, Felix was very stingy with his money and friendship, and he would lord his privilege over them. I enjoyed this movie, but its story was not quite as propulsive as I wanted it to be, it starts slow, but once it starts firing, it does not relent. 3.5 Stars
Another new movie that was visually stunning was Napolean. There are quite a few battle scenes in this film that are massive in scope that look stunning. I could not help but to ponder while watching it, how exactly Ridley Scott manages to direct a scene so massive like that. There are so many battles occurring between individuals and so many moving parts. It was very impressive. Also the landscapes in which he chose to hold these battles were beautiful as well. Massive fields, grand in scale or on top of a frozen lake. The cannonballs would crash into the ice, and it would send horses and soldiers plunging into the bone chilling waters with plumes of red emerging from their bodies. I had not seen anything like that before.
This was a long movie, two and a half hours, but it did not feel quite that long. It was jamming years of this man’s life into a movie, so it jumped from place to place, and so it had to have a quick pace. This did hurt it at times. It felt a little choppy, which others have stated as well, but it has also come out that there is a four-hour version that will be released onto AppleTV, so the hope is that version is a little smoother. It was also oddly comedic but in a weird way. It was not overtly hitting you over the head with comedy, but it was funny in the Joaquin Phoenix is the oddest man in the world kind of way. One complaint I heard was that it made Napolean look like an idiot in this portrayal, but honestly, I preferred it this way. It brought some levity to a story that was filled with death and politics. I enjoyed this, but I do not think I will be going back for the four-hour cut. 3.5 Stars
Finally on the last day of Thanksgiving break, I went and saw Disney’s 100th year celebration movie, Wish, and of the three new films this weekend, this one was by far the worst, but thankfully, its 90-minute run time did fly by, so that was nice. Something about the animation seemed to be lacking. It did not have a pretty finish to it. Also the story seemed more centered on adults. In the kingdom of Rosas, when a person turns 18, they tell their wish to the king, and the king takes the wish in an orb, and he keeps them safe. He also grants some of the wishes to those in the future, but when the dreams leave the people, sometimes it leaves them lost and sad. It is like losing a part of themselves. So basically, the message is that even when a person grows up, it is important to stay ambitious and to have hopes and dreams. Do not let adulthood beat you down. A perfect message for the children. Also, what was up with the random Peter Pan cameo at the end? It just felt like it was missing some serious Disney magic. 2.5 Stars.
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