Spectre (2015) ***1/2 [Bondathon 2022 Pt. 26]
Sam Mendes Feature Films Ranked James Bond Feature Films Ranked
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Skyfall (2012) **** [Bondathon 2022 Pt. 25]
Sam Mendes Feature Films Ranked James Bond Feature Films Ranked
Top Films Of 2020
1. Possessor **** ( Review ) 2. 1917 (2019) ***1/2 ( Review ) 3. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019) ***1/2 ( Review ) 4. Corpus Christi (2019) ***1/2 ( Review ) 5. Palm Springs ***1/2 ( Review ) 6. Deerskin (2019) ***1/2 ( Review ) 7. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things ***1/2 ( Review ) 8. Sound Of Metal (2019) ***1/2 ( Review ) 9. Gretel & Hansel *** ( Review ) 10. The Lodge (2019) *** ( Review ) Biggest Disappointments Da 5 Bloods **1/2 ( Review ) Bill & Ted Face The Music **1/2 ( Review ) Rebecca **1/2 ( Review ) (Click image above for Letterboxd link)
1917 (2019) ***1/2
Playing as a cross between Dunkirk (2017) ( review ) and Saving Private Ryan (1998) ( review ), 1917 (2019) is a riveting ride and a ridiculous technical feat (and exactly the type of film made for IMAX). The amount of choreography, blocking, and timing that went into this film to make it appear as one take boggles the mind. The challenges that the cast and crew undoubtedly faced must have been tremendous. But, much like Dunkirk , I found myself wanting more story and human connection outside of mere survival and traumatic experiences. So while director Sam Mendes accomplishes an insanely impressive level of " Hitchcock ian audience manipulation" ( Alonso Duralde ), there are times when the "simulation of raw immediacy slips to reveal the calculated construct underneath" ( Justin Chang ) and it's there that 1917 falls short of being a truly excellent narrative film.
Spectre (2015) ***1/2
Spectre (2015) has kind of weird tone and pacing for a Bond film but that made it interesting at times. I hated the theme. I really enjoyed some of the action sequences, particularly the train fight which was a nice nod to From Russia With Love (1963) (there’s also a reference to 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ). A particularly introspective Bond film. Overall uneven, but still a good entry.
