Darkest Hour
Summary: Go see this. If you have kids over say 10, go see it with them. It's a story about sticking with your convictions and doing the right thing. The trailer makes it look good and it does not disappoint.
Going In: I wanted to see this for Gary Oldman alone. The trailers made his acting look like a treat. I didn't read any spoilers. I saw several articles that praised Oldman's performance.
Popcorn Value: 9/10. I am definitely going to buy this movie. It was very well done. I personally wouldn't see more than once. It was pretty emotional and I don't like being emotional in public. If I wasn't worried about that, I'd see it again.
Art Value: 9/10. This was just a very well put together story. It was moving, it was done well. I do think they stumbled in the first act, but with the way they executed it, you kind of forgot it.
Acting: 3/3. Pure awesomeness - in particular Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Ben Mendelsohn deserves props as well as King George VI. If Oldman doesn't get at least a nomination, I'll be offended. If he doesn't win, I'll be disappointed.
Cinematography: 1/2. Some of the aerial shots and the Cliffs of Dover are still in my head. I think they intentionally muted the colors but allowed a little air to breathe. There didn't seem to be much room for this.
Art/Costume/Make-up: 2/2. Well done for the period. The make-up was fantastical for Churchill. There was only shot I didn't like; it made the makeup look completely fake. The set design was incredible. I'm not sure if they actually shot in the palace or in Winchester, but did you feel like it. Some of the CGI shots were a little obvious, but it was immediately drowned out by the art and acting.
Music: 1/2. There was one moment where the movie really started to swell. They almost did it but not quite. I really, really wanted to give full credit here because often times, the music just doesn't stand out and this almost did. But I felt it didn't quite get there. If I gave half-points, it would go here.
Editing: 1/2. No surprises, but nothing signature either.
Story: 4/4. Well crafted. I have an easy tell I use that works for 90% of the movies (maybe 99%). I use it to tell where I'm at in the movie. With this one, it wasn't obvious. But the movie was tightly told and it didn't matter. I was thinking about how much fluff was there but they gave the characters room to breathe (especially Churchill and his wife) and kept the story moving along. Themes were about sticking with your convictions. I liked that the characters drove the plot. I kept expecting one of the characters to die as a deux ex machine or at least a moment of serendipity. However, that didn't happen and it was somewhat refreshing.
Director: 3/3. I liked this movie a lot. It emotionally resonated. It made me cry and laugh at the right moments. Aside from one overhead shot, nothing took me out of the movie after the first act. That's unusual. If a movie takes you out of the story in the first act, it doesn't get better. This one did.
Producer: 2/2. A good call and it was timely given this movie and Dunkirk were within months of each other. I don't know if the story needed to tell, but I'm glad they did with the team they had.
Going In: I wanted to see this for Gary Oldman alone. The trailers made his acting look like a treat. I didn't read any spoilers. I saw several articles that praised Oldman's performance.
Popcorn Value: 9/10. I am definitely going to buy this movie. It was very well done. I personally wouldn't see more than once. It was pretty emotional and I don't like being emotional in public. If I wasn't worried about that, I'd see it again.
Art Value: 9/10. This was just a very well put together story. It was moving, it was done well. I do think they stumbled in the first act, but with the way they executed it, you kind of forgot it.
Acting: 3/3. Pure awesomeness - in particular Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Ben Mendelsohn deserves props as well as King George VI. If Oldman doesn't get at least a nomination, I'll be offended. If he doesn't win, I'll be disappointed.
Cinematography: 1/2. Some of the aerial shots and the Cliffs of Dover are still in my head. I think they intentionally muted the colors but allowed a little air to breathe. There didn't seem to be much room for this.
Art/Costume/Make-up: 2/2. Well done for the period. The make-up was fantastical for Churchill. There was only shot I didn't like; it made the makeup look completely fake. The set design was incredible. I'm not sure if they actually shot in the palace or in Winchester, but did you feel like it. Some of the CGI shots were a little obvious, but it was immediately drowned out by the art and acting.
Music: 1/2. There was one moment where the movie really started to swell. They almost did it but not quite. I really, really wanted to give full credit here because often times, the music just doesn't stand out and this almost did. But I felt it didn't quite get there. If I gave half-points, it would go here.
Editing: 1/2. No surprises, but nothing signature either.
Story: 4/4. Well crafted. I have an easy tell I use that works for 90% of the movies (maybe 99%). I use it to tell where I'm at in the movie. With this one, it wasn't obvious. But the movie was tightly told and it didn't matter. I was thinking about how much fluff was there but they gave the characters room to breathe (especially Churchill and his wife) and kept the story moving along. Themes were about sticking with your convictions. I liked that the characters drove the plot. I kept expecting one of the characters to die as a deux ex machine or at least a moment of serendipity. However, that didn't happen and it was somewhat refreshing.
Director: 3/3. I liked this movie a lot. It emotionally resonated. It made me cry and laugh at the right moments. Aside from one overhead shot, nothing took me out of the movie after the first act. That's unusual. If a movie takes you out of the story in the first act, it doesn't get better. This one did.
Producer: 2/2. A good call and it was timely given this movie and Dunkirk were within months of each other. I don't know if the story needed to tell, but I'm glad they did with the team they had.
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