[Cali Panthers Fan]

Watched 2 films today, both very different from each other.

Avatar-Way of Water: Okay, so we drop back into this alien world with little to no recap of events that passed. All of a sudden, there's another war with almost no explanation. They jump to a new environment where we go through the same thing as in the first Avatar, learning the ways of the locals, except this time the newbs are the forest Navi. cool...

Everything is carefully laid out to build to the finale battle, almost a little too carefully laid out. While I deeply appreciated the spectacle, attention to detail of how a sinking ship goes down, and the general aesthetic, this is a film that just leaves you feeling sorta...meh. Despite the overt father themes, I wasn't moved enough. I will say that it is a technical marvel, and was very nice to look at, but I don't know that we need the obvious sequel that is coming.


Then, we came home and watched Banshees of Inisherin on demand. I had heard quite a bit about this, and I'm a big McDonagh fan, but it wasn't what I expected. Let's start with the good: the performances are fantastic. There really isn't a lot of plot, and the dialogue isn't overly complex, but the actors really inhabit every inch of these characters, especially Farrell and Condon (the sister). I was really taken by the cinematography. It's a breathtaking landscape, and so those shots are always going to be pretty, but it's hard to make simple shots have meaning and tell a story, or be beautiful. Ben Davis, who has done a ton of Marvel movies, really nails the ability to tell a story through imagery and shot composition.

The disappointing part? There was an exploration of complex emotional subjects that didn't really get past a surface level delving. I thought there was such potential to get some big moments, and there are some scenes that hit home, but it only skitters across the surface without really having a deeper conversation. I was left a bit wanting.

Don't get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the film, but it wasn't oscar worthy to me. Chalk it up to an industry that barely produces anything of value these days I guess. A film like this will stand out starkly when there's little to compare it to. In prior years, this would have been an indie darling that had a small following, but that's it.

Overall, I give Avatar 6/10, and Banshees 8/10.