Ernie Truman

Ernie Truman3½/5⭐ ± The strong aspects of MISSING LINK are so tied together with its weaknesses that I can both recommend it for certain strengths, but equally acknowledge what keeps it from being a strong animated movie. For one I love most of the voice acting. Hugh Jackman, Zack Galifianakis, Timothy Oliphant, Stephen Fry, and others are extremely well done, whereas Zoe Saldana was noticeably bad. Her dramatic tones were weak, her comedic timing was off, and her accent was too fake. The opening of the story was strong. The main character, voiced by Jackman, hit that sweet spot of antihero that we love to root for, and his character worked well with the subversive take on the Yeti named Susan, voiced by Galifianakis. The way their relationship makes fun of certain story tropes is funny for awhile, but their friendship doesn't seem to build properly over the course of the narrative, and the scale of events aren't properly represented, making certain scenes feel more like a sketch comedy movie rather than a real adventure. Many of the characters's realizations happen in movie trope fashion as well, instead of steady character development with depth. It's a shame because I loved the animation; quite beautiful and funny at the same time and the world that it builds could have been explored more. This film reminded me of RANGO, but with that film I felt like they kept all these elements balanced while still developing the character and making a cool statement on The Hero's Journey. Overall the characters don't seem to have an authentic sense of history or connection and their bonds are not fully earned. Yet, when it's good, it is really good, and some of the scenes are funny enough that I forget the flat story and undercooked character development. I do like certain statements it makes about belonging, and finding one's tribe and true calling, but again for some reason it didn't seem to go very deep with me. There is still a lot to recommend here. More disappointing than bad.

Ernie Truman+/- HIDALGO thrives on production, costume and cinematography/visual effects that are centered on more traditional approaches; the filmmakers have immense love for the Western adventure story. It has a wonderful cast that gives a sense of PG awe to the material, and Viggo Mortensen does his best with what he is given. The native characters are handled with a certain level of tact for the small amount of time they are featured. I also thought the horse was utilized very well in his scenes in both filming and editing. Having said that, the editing was one of the key weaknesses of the film. The introduction for Frank, Hidalgo, and the big race itself took far too long in what is essentially a plot-centric movie. Letting story elements breathe is one thing, but going on and on about how deadly the great desert race is and one too many conversations about why everyone is racing dragged the narrative flow down. The race is not the kind that lends itself to fast-paced narrative. Races are supposed to create a sense of urgency, but aside from the random sandstorm and locust attack, it sort of meanders to the finish line, with bland side quests as filler. Because this is a Disney film directed by Joe Johnston, and one that is a bit more reverent, it doesn't let the story explore darker themes and as a result the film can be too white bread for my taste. This seems to be a recurring thing with Johnston. Something about creating wholesome family violence makes some movies feel a bit inauthentic and stuck a little too much in tradition. This shortcoming leans a bit on the writing as well as the directing. And for a movie that is called HIDALGO and utilizes the horse so well, they really don't hone in on the connection between him and his owner for a lot of the film (aside from Frank saying how much he loves his horse). It is mostly about Frank and how his identity is torn between his American and Native bloodline and loyalties, and even that feels surface. A bit disappointing

Ernie TrumanI'M NOT THERE is a worthy film that aims to explore who we call Bob Dylan in a way more fitting than that of traditional Hollywood form. It takes six stages of his life and embodies them as different characters that come into the film in non-linear narrative. Not one character has the name Bob Dylan, but they embody him like songs embody an anthology album played on shuffle mode. It takes the form of folktale, fever dream drama, pseudo-documentary, philosophic investigation, visual poetry, and fantastical western. It is all of these things and none at the same time. Just like Dylan himself there is no center; nowhere to rest our understanding of him, and the more mysterious his song becomes, the more free we are to engage with the work that extends beyond the man himself. It becomes more of a perceptual odyssey that implicates us, the audience, in the act of fabricating biases and demanding people define themselves by them. It is one thing to go through it with family and society, quite another to go through it on a global level, and this film explores that theme. When watching A COMPLETE UNKNOWN I felt as if I grasped Dylan. Here I walked away with more questions, was less satisfied with what I thought I knew, and was taken away by the wind of cinematic whimsy. I understood it, but on a more intuitive level. If Lynch had ever made a biopic, this would be in the ballpark of how it would look. Whereas A COMPLETE UNKNOWN was expertly crafted to give the people what they wanted, I'M NOT THERE walks a risky artistic line that challenges the audience and delves into ideas for which it has no answers. Fitting for its subject. + Directing, performances, set designs, lighting, wardrobe, editing and script are all next level quality for a loose attempt at a biopic that explores the soul and psyche of an artistic enigma. - The western segment is a little undercooked, but in the spirit of dream logic, makes very little difference to the overall quality.

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Ernie Truman3½⭐ +The craftsmanship is out-of-this-world and into the 60's good. The acting is great in some places and really good in others. Timothy Chalamet, Edward Norton, and Monica Barbaro being the former. All the rest being the latter. The music is first rate and the classic Hollywood structure is so, so, so well done. - Bob Dylan himself is an enigma in cultural history, much like Bowie. He is all the versions of himself and none of them. So why focus your lens on Dylan with a traditional structure that would be more suitable for a figure like Mick Jagger or Paul McCartney? When the superhero craze was in full effect James Mangold focused on a beastly character that kills, curses, heals when wounded, and has a drinking problem. When tackling his first music biopic he chose the guitar slinger, Johnny Cash and kept him complex and undefined, even if it did present him in the Hollywood tradition. Here he takes Dylan in ONE stage of his life where he transitions from folk to electric and uses it as a springboard for a statement about artistic vision and the limitations that formula and craft can sometimes place on it. Yet it is so definable in how it unfolds, and defines Dylan just enough, that it becomes a disappointing Hollywood formula movie where the artistry that went into the making of the world upstages even the idea of the enigmatic poet/artist and makes him and the movie, as well made as it is, as uninteresting as the countless movies that came before it, using the same Hollywood tricks. The love triangle; the goofy scuffle at the end; the f-you moment at the folk festival; all limit it, and makes the play of cinema form weak. This is, if nothing, a crowd-pleaser, but did Dylan ever aim to please the crowd, and by extension the institutions that pandered to them? A movie doesn't always have to challenge us, but at least pick a subject that is better suited for this style and form.

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Ernie Truman?/?⭐ I'd only recommend this to those who are familiar with the landscape or who have never seen a movie in their life. Plot and cohesive story are ghosts, coming through here and there, but not for very long. It's a strange terrain filled with riddles covering the ground like rocks on a mountain hike. When you reach the mountain-top chances are you probably won't know how you got there, and may have the sneakiest suspicion that you were there all along. We don't look at nature or listen to an orchestral music composition and ask what they mean. Questions that ask what you are bringing to it or what you are feeling are key to connecting to this film. I consider myself fortunate to take in this work that allows me to engage with my intuition and imagination so that I have the freedom to take away from it what makes sense to me and requires little justification as to why it isn't that way for you. I viewed it as an exercise in directing actors to touch on common (and not so common) notions and experiences with very little to no continuity or reason. One big rhythmic unfolding of events, fractured like a kaleidoscope nightmare, where the image changes with the movement of perspective. In a weird way I think the movie is more about that than it is any story or plot thread. It seems to focus on an actress played by Laura Dern, but it could be "the woman in trouble" archetype remembering herself as many different women. The performances are good, but mainly because David Lynch knew how to cut them to fit whatever world this is. Even understanding traditional performance quality is at the mercy of interpretating what this movie is for you, though I do think Laura Dern is flawless here. Leave your need for conclusive understanding at the door; it isn't welcome on this odyssey of cinema. INLAND EMPIRE is an enigma in your nervous system evoking a felt state that is akin to beauty or awe, but not exactly the same as those states. A perfect companion to MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

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Ernie TrumanA rorschach ink blot in motion. I love bringing my psyche to this film.

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Ernie Truman3.8/5 ⭐ + Immersive special effects, minimal performances that bring an organic feel to the characters, rich in symbolism, mostly skillfully produced to give a sense of an otherworldly perspective while exploring a localized character. Heavily rooted in story and edited rhythmically well to keep the repetition from getting old. It aims to go beyond the human drama while still incorporating it into the narrative flow. - For a film that invites Buddhist concepts into the story, the film is too bleak to represent a well-rounded perspective into how the word "Void" is used. The entangled lives of humans trapped in their karma through aversion and attachment would give way to a sense of liberation when the "spirit" or "soul" leaves the body. Anybody who has felt liberation (of any kind) has had a sense of deep joy, or at the very least great relief for even a small instance, but here the film roots in dark themes. Where's the lightness? Where's the feeling of serenity in knowing oneself apart from one's limited self? Without that, the film only concerns itself with hell and purgatory, but no heaven or bliss, and to be void of a separate self is to be in a state of bliss. Neglecting this can make the film feel unnecessarily brutal, and by extension, limited. This too is not a full exploration of how Buddhists use the word "spirit" or "soul" but seeing as how this is not about religion, I could overlook it if done in a spirit of exploration. However, sometimes it seems too much like feeling manipulation. As if the director would rather go for what is trippy and interesting and sees none of these characteristics in joy and simplicity. This is something that many filmmakers do. Overall: An immersive cinematic experience that aims for higher ground, but can feel too limited by incomplete understandings of what it is trying to explore, making it feel too bleak at times.

Ernie Truman+ Ambitious in the truest sense of the word. WOMEN TALKING is stacked with first class performances, reinforced with masterful cinematography that takes the bleak, anemic colors and uses them to help paint the screen with the internal states of the characters. The set design of the hay house, the costumes and the makeup are the supportive pillars that help the production to come alive. These aspects work hand-in-hand to give the audience a particular textural quality of the world and help to keep us engaged in what is unfolding. It also helps to highlight the smaller characters of the lesser known actresses making the most out of their minimalistic performances. The editing is the stitching that gives us a fully fleshed out sense of these characters and the dilemmas they face. - This would have adapted better as a play. Considering the women's dilemma to either forgive the men for abusing them and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave, Sarah Polley the director has the story unfold in near real-time, employs rapid fire-dialogue, fractured cuts to portray the characters' exchanges and add to the sense of the instability, and coats it all with sharp flashback cuts of the women's past traumatic experiences. It all happens in such quick fashion and makes for a triggering, impressionistic approach to elicit a reaction, but it doesn't always put the audience in the room with the characters. This movie needed time to breathe when it needed to breathe and live through longer sequences with less cuts much like Glengarry Glenn Ross. Sometimes the story is too intellectual for its own good and doesn't have time to properly explore the ideas of conditional forgiveness directly, which is a foundational theme in why the women are pushed to leave. Sometimes Polley's ambition is also her weakness in presenting the story.

Ernie Truman+ Watching PERFECT DAYS felt like an experience in meditation. I don't only mean that the narrative was meditative on this or that theme, but the way the main character goes through his Zen-like rituals soothed my mind. It isn't only about his job and rituals, but about all the little things that add up to what we call life. This movie is an ode to moments, but more, it is a love letter to The Present Moment. The entire narrative unfolds in such simple and direct fashion and depicts life in such a way that it doesn't glorify the little things, but it also doesn't reduce them to the word "mundane". There is a beautiful, almost childlike appreciation for the things we overlook on our way to the grave, and then wonder where life went. The main performance is beautifully understated and fitting for the themes. Since the narrative isn't eventful in the conventional sense we are treated to some beautifully composed shots that pay tribute to the old minimalistic Japanese films where the camera frames the interiors so that the screen is organized into the small Japanese style squares of the apartment, and in a similar style with the huge highrise buildings of Tokyo. Many of these shots would make beautiful, elegant still photography. The film is shot to chronicle the main character's ritualistic day-to-day life, which may become repetitive for some, but I would like to point out the intention that goes with it. In watching movies like John Wick and Deadpool I notice that, even for these types of movies, it isn't uncommon for the action to repeat itself over and over, but mainly to fill narrative space and give the audience a dopamine release every couple seconds. In a movie like this the lens points to the repetition, not to kill time or fill space, but to illustrate a bigger idea and to revere and honor the things we tend to take for granted. In seeing it play out through this lens, it was a profound experience.