Alita: Batte Angel (2019)

How would I describe Alita? The trailer doesn't really reveal the secret that this is a roller derby movie. Yeah, that was unexpected. It's a very violent movie as roller derby is. The visual effects accommodate the violence. The visuals are pretty cool. I wasn't a big fan of the plot though. And the ending was unsatisfying. Don't make me watch the sequel to find out how it ends.

Downsizing (2017)

Alexander Payne makes some weird stuff. The idea is novel. And there is a message about the environment, overpopulation and class. Matt Damon is charming and Hong Chau is very good. The accent is maybe overkill since we know she doesn't really talk like that (she was in Treme).  The original downsizing concept is interesting, but the class theme then begins to overpower the downsizing. After the first act, the rest of the movie didn't have to take place in miniature at all. This lack of cohesion is ultimately what sinks the film.

Spectre (2015)

Sure, it was never going to live up to the glory of Skyfall, but Spectre fell far short. This is James Bond and we have come to expect certain things from 007--that is action sequences. And for a two and a half hour movie, they are too few and far between. And in such a long movie, they travel to a lot of different locations, more than necessary (Mexico, London, Rome, Tangiers, Tokyo, and middle-of-nowhere). There is more story than action. Action movies have gotten more story heavy lately and I can appreciate that, but I don't think the film did a very good job at explaining things. We are given so little to go on and the leads that he follows seem to arise out of nowhere. I also thought the dialogue was quite lacking. There is some lame dialogue and some uncharacteristically funny lines (Bond doesn't do funny). And that very last scene was wholly unnecessary. The film does attempt to tie all of the Craig films together (it kind of inexplicably tries to) and then ties up the Craig films period. I think it would be appropriate for him to end on that note and let someone else don the suit.

Big Eyes (2014)

Tim Burton's latest is a little out of the norm for him.  Tim Burton's dark and creepy aura is seen only in the paintings of Margaret Keane.  The little children with the big eyes are inherently spooky and yet full of emotion.  There is only one scene that really evokes what we expect from a Tim Burton movie, and that is when Margaret starts seeing real people with her signature big eyes. The other dark element to the movie is Lana Del Rey's haunting songs.  Otherwise, the film is quite bright, certainly not cheery, but bright. The atmosphere captures a genuine sense of 1950s Northern California.

I do think the courtroom scene towards the end is a little awkward. Waltz as his own attorney makes for an unusually comical scene in an otherwise dramatic film.  I cannot be sure if that actually happened in real life, but the point is that it abruptly culminates in the infamous paint-off.Amy Adams is excellent as always as the secretive artist Margaret Keane.  Christoph Waltz as her husband is a fantastic foil.  Amy Adams is one of the best actresses out there, and yet, the perennial bridesmaid, she has zero Oscars to show for it.  Waltz, on the other hand, has two. Both give award worthy performances, but unfortunately the film failed to rack up any nominations.