Oblivion -
I had to ponder this one a bit before writing the review. Despite Tom Cruise overload, I kind of liked this movie. It was far more "intimate" than I was expecting. Despite what the ridiculous synopsis says it's really just about one man's personal journey of discovery, , not saving mankind entirely. Sure, that's in there a little bit, but it's secondary.
There's a lot wrong with Oblivion. I was left with questions on top of questions, and not all the good kind that come from great movies. I won't even go into them.
The movie looks and sounds great. Andrea Riseborough is totally yummy, and Morgan Freeman even shows up in kind of a stupid role. Actually, that whole portion of the movie makes very little sense.
Still, I'm a glutton for sci-fi, and liked it more than I probably should have.
The Wall -
Wow. Did this movie ever catch me off guard. I forget where I even heard about it, but I'm glad I did.
The premise is so simple. A lone women ends up stranded in a secluded mountainside area by the sudden "appearance" of an invisible wall. She cannot figure where it came from or why it's there, but she's now stuck where she is. her only companion(initially) being her dog Lynx.
As any could guess, she learns to live off the land, by hunting(which she hates doing), and scavenging fruit, herbs, etc.
The scenery is STUNNING. It might even make you want to be in her place for a little while.
The story pulls no punches about the reality of her situation. This is a dark movie, filled with dark moments. The woman(who is never named) goes through some very existential times, and seems to go in and out of depression. Her animal companions help her cope with the loneliness.
We listen as she narrates what she is writing down in her journal, and I felt a deep connection with her as she talks about life, nature, and our place in the world. This is powerful stuff.
It's a slow moving film that requires patience. I highly recommend this to any true lover film, and thought-provoking entertainment. It's on netflix streaming, so no excuses.