Leave No Trace (2018)

This movie takes my fear of camping to the next level. It's one-part Captain Fantastic, one-part American Sniper. It's not a very explicit movie. It leaves much to be inferred about the main character, but we know just enough to understand that this veteran with PTSD cannot reintegrate into society. What Thomasin McKenzie does is to add another dimension of tragedy to this: a young daughter who cannot integrate into society either because of her father's attachment to her combined with his affliction. McKenzie gives a quiet but deeply moving performance.

Inferno (2016)

We saw Inferno at the Cineteca di Bologna, because unlike in the rest of Italy where they dub foreign films, they show films in their original language there. They have some respect for movies there. The Cineteca is world renowned for its film restoration and its rich film archive. It's also really cheap to see a movie there. Even though it's clear on the other side of the city, it's worth going there.

Inferno opened in Italy before it opened in the US, presumably because it was all filmed in Italy. And it is very evident. The movie is basically an extended tourism commercial for Florence. And when I went to Florence a few weeks ago, I was walking around recognizing places from the movie. And it's beautiful and lovely. So...it worked!

The movie itself was alright if you can get over the whole product placement thing. I felt like there was some inconsistency with the plot. The treasure hunt clues were certainly not as airtight as National Treasure. I haven't seen DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons, but I'm going to assume those have consistent treasure maps too. Who left these clues for whom and how did we find them? Did we really need that middle clue? Then without spoiling too much, there is a big reveal at the end of the book (according to Will) that does not play out in the movie, though it is sort of hinted to if you've read the book and can pick up on it. And that reveal sort of gives some reasoning and thoughtfulness that was otherwise missing.

They also must've wasted a hell of a lot of money on special effects for the opening scene depicting Inferno. It is wholly unnecessary and adds absolutely nothing to the plot. 

Hell or High Water (2016)

Hell or High Water is representative of a foreigner's perception of America. The British director David MacKenzie nails all the Texas stereotypes to the point of hilarity. I think the racism is meant to be funny, but there are some other observations that are accurate and ridiculous but probably not meant to make you laugh, like the ubiquity of firearms.  I really liked the screenplay. It starts at a bank robbery gone wrong. And slowly, the story unravels giving us insight into the process and motive behind the protagonists' actions. And it is actually very clever. Thinking back, I think they drop us hints along the way if you're astute enough to pick up on them. It is not just some heist film. There was some genuine thought to put into this story. And Chris Pine and Ben Foster execute their roles with care. There is also a good use of country music to move along the story. I don't really like country music, but it undeniably works in this context. Like I said, it's stereotypical Texas.

And the cast was there! Minus Jeff Bridges. But we saw Chris Pine, Captain Kirk himself! He was having a grand old time. And why shouldn't he? It's a fun movie.