Moonrise King of Kong
Since the last post I have seen: The King of Kong (2007), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Smokin' Aces (2012), Looper (2012), Shotgun Stories (2007), Safe House (2012).
The King of Kong
This doesn't hold up as well because Man vs. Snake tells a similar story (with a few of the same characters) but does it a lot better and with a lot more heart.
Noms: none
Moonrise Kingdom
Holds up nicely as a classic Wes Anderson movie. The dialogue is especially good, it feels like a companion piece to The Royal Tennebaums. I might like it more now than when it came out because it sits better with me than Grand Budapest Hotel.
Noms: Wes Anderson for directing, Anderson and Roman Coppola for screenwriting, Robert D. Yeoman for cinematography.
Bourne Ultimatum
The shaky camera and monochrome don't really hold up especially with the explosion of great spy movies in the wake of these Bourne movies. The slower pace and handheld camera are especially difficult after all these years. There was a time I really liked all three original Bourne movies, but in the last 7 years or more it's been tough to get myself to sit down and watch them again.
Noms: none
Smokin' Aces
This actually felt like a better movie than I remembered until the weird swings in tone threw the whole movie completely off the rails by the final scene. Not a bad movie, I'm glad I gave it another chance ten years later.
Noms: none
Looper
Absolutely solid movie from start to finish. Rian Johnson doesn't just direct a beautiful movie with a creative sci-fi story, the sound track comes off as futuristic and cool as well. There are times there is just rhythmic fuzzy static.
Noms: Joseph Gordan Levit's acting, Rian Johnson for directing and writing, soundtrack, Steve Yedlin for cinematography.
Shotgun Stories
I finally got around to seeing this and it's a beautiful movie with an interesting story. The problem with the movie was that the characters relationships were a big fuzzy for about half of the movie, but once that was figured out for me I had a wonderful time getting a glimpse of this look at a family dispute in the rural south.
Noms: Michael Shannon for acting, Jeff Nichols for directing.
Safe House
There are more action set pieces in this with a touch of hyper-realism than I had remembered. It kind of drags in the middle, but the story is engaging enough to stick with it. It feels like another stab at the Bourne movies with Denzel Washington as the titular spy.
Noms: Oliver Wood for cinematography
