Gran Torino, 7/10
This is Clint Eastwood's "farewell film" to his Dirty Harry persona. He plays Walt Kowalski, a grumpy Korean war vet who inadvertently makes friends with his vietnamese neighbors and ends up tangled in their business. It's pretty good. The acting's all good and it's got a relaxed pace that takes its time and immerses you in its everyday trappings. There's minimal music, and it only bubbles up in the most critical moments, and even then it's very subdued. The ending is also incredible.
My problems with the film are with its structure. It's kind of at a halfway point between a completely plotless slice of life and straightforward drama film, and the end result is kind of awkward. It doesn't really have a lot of narrative momentum, because it barely has a narrative to begin with. As such, when things start to escalate towards the end it can feel like the movie goes from 10 to 60 in just a few moments. It's also got a fair bit of a White Savior narrative to it, even when it's very matter of fact and down to earth. Not sharing either of the culture the film depicts kind of leaves me scratching my head at exactly how realistic or respectful it's being. It's also got a bit of a boomer wish fulfilment fantasy whiff about if, with this grizzled old guy teaching those damn kids how things are supposed to be done.
The Wild Robot, 5/10
Decided to watch this since it was a big Oscar darling for Animated Feature. It's about a robot stranded on a wilderness island who ends up raising a gosling, and becoming a sort of protector figure for the island. I didn't like it that much. Beautiful animation aside I found it very schmaltzy and saccharine. The narrative felt very by the numbers and Hollywood, and the score being super insistent and emotionally forced only made me cringe more. It only got worse as it went on, and by the end I was actually groaning aloud at some of the moments. The merits of this movie lie entirely in its visuals, which are very reminiscient of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in the use of color and stylization. The cinematography is also breathtaking with many downright painting-like shots. It's just a shame that the story was so formulaic.
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