I have a clear memory of watching this movie in theatres in 2002. At the time, I was living in my parents’ house and we had houseguests, which meant that I had to surrender my room and sleep in the then-unfinished basement. That night after watching Signs, I wished I had my own room, and I was glad when our dog joined me in the dark.
Even though I haven’t rewatched it in at least 15 years, the film still felt familiar. It’s not as scary as that first time, because I think the construction and rhythm of the set pieces have left an impression on me like a memorable song. The script may be a bit overcooked, but the humour and familial sweetness work for me because of the performances.
I rewatched these for the first time in a while because Dial of Destiny is in the cultural conversation, and my wife had not seen the originals before. You know what? I know this is a beloved character and series, but I have to say… not really my thing. Of the three1, I like The Last Crusade the most. The Connery-Ford comedic chemistry goes a long way, and the final series of “puzzles” is genuinely cool.
Other than that, there’s a lack of character development—his only trait is that he’s always brave—and I found it annoying that his romantic relationships are all based on bickering and hostility.
Footnotes
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I’m not covering Crystal Skull because I don’t want to subject myself to that again, and I’m honestly not sure if I’ll ever catch up with Dial of Destiny. ↩
I was really absorbed in this thriller for the first third or so. It masterfully creates the feeling of what’s going on here? and deploys its characters through excellent performances, especially by Dave Bautista. But, once the premise is fully revealed, I found myself getting impatient. The story doesn’t give any new information, and we’re just waiting for the characters’ final decision. Once they make it, I said to myself, “Yeah, that’s what I would do too, and that’s what they should have done all along.” It feels inevitable and predictable. Director M. Night Shyamalan is criticized for relying on twists too often, but I felt like this movie could have benefitted from one.
Just the sheer quantity of grunting and screaming in this movie is enough to spike my blood with a level of testosterone that I didn’t think I possessed. I’m thinking about playing the score next time I clean the house to turn the chore into a battle in my mind.
I’m split on the opening in medias res shot: we see the three main characters in a crucial moment, and we hear voices speculating on the question, “Who are they to each other?” I like the concept of the scene because I’ve played this game when people-watching in public spaces. On the other hand, the movie telegraphs itself, and I spent the first part of the movie impatient to get to the part which I knew was coming. But once it gets there… wow. It’s a masterclass of emotional tension, reminiscent of Moonlight’s diner scene.
Jiro’s son Yoshikazu talks about wanting to be a race-car driver before bowing to the pressure of family expectations and joining his father as a sushi chef. By all accounts, we are all glad that he didn’t follow his dreams, as he’s considered to be among the best sushi chefs in the world. Would he have been the best race-car driver in the world, because he has the ability to become the best at anything he does? Or could he only become the best at sushi, because that’s the ability he was “assigned” at birth? Does everyone only get one thing that they can be the best at? What if the thing that you’re assigned doesn’t match your life circumstances? What if the person who would become the best sushi chef is born in the middle of the desert where there are no fish?
Does anyone really think that profiting off landmines and hand grenades is not immoral? Because the anti-capitalist messaging in Triangle of Sadness can be so unsubtle, it had a “preaching to the choir” vibe for me. But I enjoyed the comedic absurdity that permeates the film, especially the gross-out “Captain’s Dinner” scene. Special shout-out to Charlbi Dean’s magnetic performance. RIP.
I got into the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series sometime in the mid-2000’s. Always been a fan of the creative creature designs and gory action, but never really got what was happening from a story perspective. When the Rebuild series started in the early 2010’s, promising a more accessible and clearer story, I watched the first film and decided to wait for the rest before bingeing them together. A decade later, the series is complete and I finally revisited this world.
It kind of felt like one step forward, two steps back for me: while this version does explain some plot elements earlier, it also adds so many new ideas that the net result is just as confusing as the original series. I’m also not a huge fan of the CG “2.5-D” animation style, especially in the latter two movies, which just looked like a fluid simulation exercise at times.
Overall, I think it’s skippable… better to just rewatch the original series.
I’ve always preferred the more “mainstream” parts of the MCU over the offbeat energy of the Guardians series. This third one is my favourite of the trilogy. Rocket’s backstory is effectively dark and tragic, and especially hard to watch if you’re an animal lover, like me.
