New Release! 1917 (2019) [No spoilers, so read away!]

Spoiler-Free Review, so have no fear:

Director: Sam Mendes

One of the greatest war movies ever made. Hands down.

As the name of the movie implies, it takes place during World War I - the massive conflict in the early part of the 20th century that saw multiple countries at war throughout Europe and Mediterranean. Though the war was a massive affair that dragged on for roughly four years and involved millions upon millions of soldier, this particular movie mostly follows two young British soldiers, Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield. The two are commanded to deliver an urgent message to a regiment of 1,600 fellow soldiers who are set to fall into a massive trap. Blake's brother is in that company, and he and Schofield have to traverse a few miles of supposedly-abandoned no-man's land to reach their comrades and deliver the message before the attack takes place the following dawn.

The set-up of the tale is simple enough, as a classic race against the clock tale. But the execution is what sets this movie apart from so very many of its counter-parts.

Probably the most obvious element of the filming is that the entire movie is done in a virtually unbroken "tracking shot," meaning that the camera constantly stays on one or both of the main characters the entire time, without the camera ever cutting to a different angle or jumping to a different scene. This builds a sense of complete continuity and place, as you are experiencing exactly what Blake and Schofield are in real time, at exactly the same pace that they are. Plenty of films have used the tracking shot for such purposes, but they rarely last for more than a few minutes, due to the technical difficulties of executing them for very long. 1917 goes all-in with it, though, and the effects are powerful.

By telling the story with unbroken chronology, we are allowed to see everything these characters experience for the roughly two hours of the mission (two hours minus an indefinite period when one of them is knocked out). And while there are certainly moments of intense action and harrowing escapes, there are almost as many moments of eerie quiet and poetic meditation. As the story progresses, we can see the effects of the trauma through the ever-more glazed looks in the eyes and the ever-more desperate and blind urgency in the Lance Corporal's movements.

Blake and Schofield cross the wire into no-man's land,
towards the start of their mission against time. This still may
suggest the care that went into the costumes, sets, and props.

While all of this may suggest a thoroughly grim slog across a hellscape of war, there is more to it than that. Yes - the horrors of war are clearly presented, in their various degrees of gross inhumanity as well as brutal intimacy. However, there is real visual beauty and majesty to be noticed here and there, suggesting the remnants of the things which are supposedly being fought over. When Blake and Schofield walk through a quiet, abandoned orchard of stunning, white-blossomed cherry trees, it's almost painful to realize how much death a destruction has and will continue to happen in and around this otherwise beautiful, pastoral setting. Moments like this give the film extra layers and shades rarely found in a war picture.

I've read a few pieces critical of some elements of the movie, such as finding the sustained tracking-shot technique a distracting flourish, or that the slow moments beg questions about whether the characters' actions are in keeping with the demands of the premise. But I'm yet to read one of these criticisms that has shaken my feeling that I was watching a real masterpiece of cinematic art.

I highly recommend that anyone go and see this movie. Chances are that there will be something that amazes you, if not many things or the entire thing. 

New Release! Spectre (2015)

Director: Sam Mendes


A barely-adequate modern Bond movie, which falls victim to the preceding film's shadow.

I suppose I've never been a massive James Bond fan. Sure, I thought the character was cool enough when I was a kid in the latter portion of the Roger Moore era. He had a slick accent, nice suits, cool gadgets, and the ladies seemed to love him. I got it, on some basic level. Still, even after going back to watch all earlier Bond films, and all through the Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnon eras, I never became obsessed with the franchise as many have.

That said, I've enjoyed Daniel Craig's run, and my hopes for Spectre were quite high. Casino Royale  was a really strong retelling of Bond's origin story. Quantum of Solace wasn't nearly as good, but it was decent enough. And then, Sam Mendes came along and gave us Skyfall, arguably the best-executed Bond movie of all time, bringing together so many great elements of modern action movies and the elements that have made Bond an indelible film franchise. So when I saw that not only was Mendes teaming up with Daniel Craig for the follow-up, but that the brilliant Christoph Waltz was going to be the villain, I figured that there was no way that Spectre could be anything less than brilliant.

The tank-like henchman, Mr. Hinx. Hinx was one of several
new characters with plenty of potential, nearly all of which
went untapped.

I figured a bit wrong. Spectre isn't necessarily a bad movie; it's just very thin. All of the things that you want to see are in it: the sinister, megalomaniacal villain, the terrifyingly massive and nigh-unstoppable henchman, the sleek cars, a few gadgets, the globe-trotting adventure. Yet, it is all held together with some very flimsy adhesive. The few new characters are only moderately engaging; the plot cobbles together ideas from other, similar films, including many from earlier Bond entries; and the dialogue showed very little imagination or creativity.

I will say that the movie does offer a decent sense of closure, not only for its own story but also for the Daniel Craig Bond era. It will likely please fans of Bond well enough. It will never become the joke that some past Bond films have become over the years. All the same, I would recommend against setting one's hopes too high.