Movie Review: Armageddon Time

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A beautiful and heartbreaking film.

There is a tendency for movies about childhood to idealize this part of life. To look back on it with a wistful nostalgia. Yet if we really take a close look back at our own childhood there are parts of it, we would never wish to repeat. This is certainly true of writer and director, James Gray (Ad Astra), who turns in one of his most personal and emotion films with Armageddon Time. This film strips away all of the wistful nostalgia and instead offers brutal honesty. The movie can be very hard to watch at times, but it is one that had a very strong emotional effect on me. This film does not have a neat traditional three-act storyline, but instead revolves around various smaller plotlines that take place in our main character's life. He becomes best friends with a black kid and sees real racism play out in front of him, he develops a close relationship with his grandfather, he has conflicts with his parents who don't understand his desire to be an artist, he struggles with school and feels no desire or ambition to become what everyone seems to want him to be. While these many smaller plot lines may make this film feel jumbled to some, to me they just made it feel more real and like a portrait of a real person's childhood. James Gray has stated that he drew heavily draws from his own childhood experiences with this film. You can feel that authenticity throughout the whole movie and as we watch the film, we have no trouble putting ourselves in the main character's shoes. For nearly two hours we are living and feeling every experience this character lives through. This film also does a wonderful job of exploring themes like racism and how the school system doesn't always work for everybody. This film really gets us thinking about these subjects and leaves us with a lot going through our mind as the end credits roll. 

My biggest complaint with this movie is one scene involving the Trump family. I have no problem with filmmakers inserting political commentary into their films, but here it feels completely out of place and forced. Maybe the film could have done this in a subtler way that would fit the storyline better.

This is a truly great movie that is very emotionally powerful and thought provoking.  

Movie Review: Ad Astra

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

An incredibly atmospheric and moving film. One of the year's best movies so far and as good as you can want from a science fiction film.

Anyone who wants Star Wars style action in their sci-fi movies might be disappointed by a film like this. This is a quiet, slow and contemplative film that requires and demands a lot of attention. However for someone who is into this type of film, this is as good as it gets. The story of this film is controlled by emotions rather than logic. Few space movies have captured the pure isolation of space than this film. This movie's sense of isolation is incredible. This movie's vision of space is so massive and awe inspiring. However as beautiful as this film looks, the look also gives a sense of pure emptiness and coldness. Space not only dwarfs our main character, but offers him little if anything warm and human. The other people in this movie offer him the same lack of warmth and humanity. Many act like cold machines simply doing their assigned tasks in their assigned way. Meanwhile what our main character is looking for may or may not be just as empty. He is looking for answers that may or may not even exists. This brings up questions of whether man truly alone in the universe or if there may be some purpose out there. This film gives no easy answers to either of those questions making the sense of isolation all the more powerful.

Director and co-writer (along with Ethan Gross) is especially daring to even attempt a film like this. The fact that he successeds so fantastically is an even more incredible feat. Meanwhile Brad Pitt gives one of the finest and most subtle performances of his entire career. He gives a pure sense of humanity to the role that helps endear this abstract art film to us on such a relatable level.  

Though this is certainly not a film for everybody, it is a powerful movie that had a really powerful impact on me.

-Michael J. Ruhland