Dunkirk (2017):
One of the most technically dazzling movies I've seen. The cinematography, the dogfights, the score, the interspersed editing is a wonder. Where it lacks a bit is in the story department. There wasn't a "hook", so to speak, which is exactly what Nolan wanted, i understand: it's war, it doesn't matter who these people were, war didn't care about that sort of stuff. But to me, that made it a bit cold, but that is a small gripe. I think I had the same complaint with Baby Driver, a marvel of technical mastery behind the camera, but a weak storyline stopped me loving it wholeheartedly. Minor complaints, when the results are this good.
This is a bit slow getting off its feet, but towards the latter half becomes so captivating that you won't be able to turn away. I was transfixed by what Nolan was able to achieve and the scale of this story. Dialogues are not Nolan's forte and he kept them at a bare minimum this time around, which works for this movie. Hans Zimmer does not disappoint, and the score is pretty darn good.
This might not be THE greatest war movie of all time, but it sure is one heck of a movie. Might even given Nolan that elusive Best Director Oscar finally. It will be a highly deserving one.
8/10
mother! (2017):
It was impossible for me to walk into this with no knowledge. I frequent a lot of movie websites and of course, this one, and am an avid viewer of ScreenJunkies. So, I had a clear idea of what to expect. That may have diminished my experience, especially the shock factor.
The first half plays like a normal psychological horror/thriller, with some off hand weird things like the bleeding house and beating heart inside the walls, but otherwise it is pretty straight up: creepy husband, house in the woods, no signals, close camera follows the protagonist, and Jennifer Lawrence's see-through top (not complaining, I am a very shallow person, I love girls, what can I say...).
At every stage, I was aware of the symbology that was being put forth (given that I knew the context) and once you know it, it is very easy to make the connections, it stops being subtle. Like once you see an illusion in an image, it becomes really hard not to see it. For me, it was the story of how humanity takes mother nature/earth for granted. God is the silent audience in it, and it seems he is very much nonchalant about what happens to earth. Then you got all these biblical figures like Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel, etc. They intrude on mother earth's privacy, her home, her bedroom, her sex life (that was a weird thing, but hey, Aronofsky cranked up the screenplay in a weekend, shit is bound to be half baked in some ways).
I did not hate this movie. I might be one of the few ones who were in the middle. It is okay, the symbology is very obvious when you knew what exactly is going on. It is weird as fuck, no doubt, especially when shit hits the fan in the 2nd half.
Aronofsky is great behind the camera, tho, even if his script is heavy handed. It is no surprise since his visual style is always very confident and engaging and it is the same here. Shot mostly from closeups from over the shoulder of Jennifer Lawrence, it gives you an eerie feeling, borderline claustrophobic. The fight scene between the two brothers is shot really well, presenting us the unhinged state of affairs that were unfolding. The scenes of "shit hitting the fan" are done very well, as is expected from Aronofsky.
The cast is great, except maybe J-Law. Let me explain: playing a waif-like doe-eyed girl is not her forte. Don't get me wrong, she is a talented actress (you don't get 4 Oscar nominations before you hit 30 for no reason, even if I think a couple may have been undeserved), but I felt no energy at all from her (again, it is the problem of the role more than hers). Javier Bardem on the other hand is given the most heavy handed lines of the script but he sells them. He plays the arrogant 'Creator' well. And Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer, legends of the screen, are amazing in their respective roles, especially Pfeiffer (what a year she has been having: this, The Wizard of Lies and Murder on the Orient Express).
All in all, not as terrible as the "F" cinemascore would have you believe, not as profound as Aronofsky thinks his script is. It is just an okay movie.
6/10