joanne-ca

All of the Netflix promotion for Bird Box was a curiosity for me as I get accustomed to hype I associate with movie theatre releases. It was cool to be able to settle down in front of my own television for what was presented to me as a movie theatre experience. The movie itself is rocker recliner worthy, thanks in large measure to Sandra Bulloch. I find her entertaining to watch in whatever she does - I just like her presence and this movie was among the best to showcase the gritty dispassionate persona she excels at portraying. John Malkovich was mildly irritating owing to being the stereotypical malcontent character but that was the only drawback for me. In terms of the storyline, it doesn't hold up at all under second sober thought, but by then the movie is over, I'm off to bed, and most importantly, I've had my entertainment fix.

The tag line for this documentary, "in 2009 three young men are killed in Yellowstone National Park", caused me to think I would be watching a typical investigative journalism piece. Evidence would be presented, key actors in the case would be interviewed and whatever occurred that was relevant to the murder would be re-enacted. Boy, did I have it wrong! This documentary, for someone like myself completely unawares of this murder and unfolding, left me speechless. The presentation of the story was meticulously crafted, delivered and filmed. With a story like this, the decisions about what and how to let the audience know the facts that have been uncovered are critical to leaving the greatest impact, without overstating events. This documentary is wildly successful in this regards.

Denzel Washington can carry a movie and that is the only reason that seeing this movie isn't a complete disappointment. As a Canadian I wondered if the movie never seemed to get out of the gate because I missed Los Angeles cultural nuances that for the conversant made it filled with purpose. I found that the characters had a lot about themselves and their lives that could have been developed, but only the surface was skimmed. Background was in staccato snippets that left a lot on the table in terms of building depth, drawing me in, or giving me a good reason to keep watching. Not all occurrences in the movie were plausible, which is problematic as the movie aims to be realistic. The character of George was unexpectedly interesting, so that added a star to my bottom line.