Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Crimes of Grindelwald (and our vacation)

We are heading off to Panama this week-end with another couple. None of us have been, so it should be fun. But before I go I want to mention The Crimes of Grindelwald....

For reasons too confusing to explain, I have seen this twice. A reasonable assumption then is, I must have liked it.

Well....  I found it very entertaining and enjoyable to watch. However, as a "film" I didn't think it was particular good.

It was all over the map thematically. And for every great over the top performance (Zoe Kravitz in red above, as well as the other two women in the front) there were other only okay performances from the famous actors (Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Eddie (can I have another Xanex) Redmanye) and a really stinker from that woman with the black bowl cut in the back. She should never be given a job again.

The man/boy at the center of this - played for a fool by both Johnny Depp and Jude Law - is Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone. A stunned man-child trying to find his mummy. Where to begin... Hard to root for a whiner with those cheekbones. In terms of "horrible backstory", he was given up for adoption to a good family. That he doesn't know his mum is marginally sad, but not rend your clothes, kill the world awful. Hard to invest too much into him.

The computer graphics were great, but very computery.

The clothes were fantastic.

I guess the big problem is that you know how it is all going to end. This is a fight between Dumbledore and Grindelwald (which goes on for 3 more movies!). Well, in the Harry Potter movies, there is plenty of Dumbledore and no Grindelwald, so I wonder who wins?

And Johnny Depp is suppose to the equivalent of a Wizard Hitler, yet he is specifically fighting to avoid Hitler. Now it is true he wants to rule the world. But his reasoning is that without him - there will be a second world war, concentration camps and atomic bombs. A world under a crazy ass wizard doesn't sounds all that much worse than the one under Hitler and then Trump.

And yet, it is a fun movie to watch... There are a few scenes of slapstick with an ancient Alchemist which are hilarious. The scenes with the snake woman are magical.


PS - Ezra showed up at the premieres in London and Paris in full what-the-fuck outfits:
รก Paris

and London