Skip to main content

Yesterday

What I liked: I few years ago I had the great adventure of a cruise. The cruise line was targeted to people my grandmother's age, so every night somewhere on the ship was a Beatles tribute concert. I listened to a lot of Beatles music. Yesterday is not like being on a ship full of grandparents trying to remember the lyrics to the third verse of "In My Life." Instead we get some long shots of English cities as people hear Beatles' songs for the first time. It's charming. It's creative. And despite being the length of a Beatles tribute concert it is more engaging and more fun. I mostly liked how very normal all of the people were. The struggling musician living with his parents who wish he'd get a real job. Trying to put on a tiny concert for the neighbor but being constantly interrupted. Their moron friend and the weedy recording artist. It all felt just right. I must say never before in my life has a plastic submarine bath toy inspired more dread. Admittedly, it was very little dread, but still more than one usually expects from a bath toy. I liked all of the other things that were also missing from the alternative reality and I really liked the google searches.

What I didn't: I don't know if I liked the love story. Clearly the writers like the love story. Either way one must admit that Gavin is a superbly decent guy. I did not love how many scenes there were with missing teeth. I mean they were convincing and all, but that made them hard to look at. I was slightly confused by the choice of who got cameos. I do feel like after everything resolves there would be at least 4 very very very confused people in the world.

Who should watch this? People who like Beatles music but not so much that they want to sit through 12 hours of Beatles music on a cruise ship. People looking for inspiration to stick with their faltering music career. People who want a fun creative little movie. Not for people who really care about the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby. 

Would I watch it again? With someone who hadn't seen it.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Titanic

What I liked: Liked is definitely the wrong word for it but the scenes of the sinking of the Titanic were masterful. They were technologically impressive, apparently remarkably accurate, and emotionally gripping. The variety of ways in which different people dealt with a completely hopeless situation was both touching and thought provoking. Especially beautiful was the string quartet. In isolation from the love story, the sinking of the Titanic is a tragic reminder of the cost of hubris and the necessity of regulating emergency procedures and capacities. It carries similar gravitas as a war film. At the 25th anniversary of the film, I can appreciate how Titanic has impacted movies made later.  What I didn't: So here's the thing. I feel very bad for you if you died in the sinking of the Titanic. I feel less bad for you if you managed to get on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then decided to get off. I question all of your decision making and priorities if you decide to get off a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mrs Harris goes to Paris

What I liked: This is a happy movie. I liked the dresses and especially how very happy seeing all of the dresses made Mrs Harris. I liked how her enthusiasm wins over the tailor and almost everyone else. Mrs Harris was so delighted with Paris and the people she met that she motivated them to live just a little more enthusiastically and optimistically. From the philosophical model, to the intellectual accountant, to the withdrawn Marquis and the cold director the characters were all imaginatively Parisian (assuming your an American author in the 1950s). I liked that they drove a vespa. I was glad that while Mrs Harris got a fresh view of the world and had a wonderful time in Paris, they steered clear of the potential cliche plot pot holes they could have fallen in. I especially liked her friends who helped her live her dream of going to Paris to buy a dress while really not understanding it at all.  What I didn't: Mrs Harris did such a great job agitating in Paris she really could h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Avatar 2: The way of water

What I liked: Like the first one, the graphics in this movie are incredible. As one would expect from a movie called the Way of Water, there is a lot of water. The splashes, ripples, and movement in the water are all faultless. When you stop to remember that all of it is CG it's pretty staggering. I also liked that most of the 3D added depth to the film rather than sending 3D effects flying at your face. Our favorite blue family relocates to an island village so we get to meet sea creatures and the island clans. I liked that the sea people had rudder tails and broad hands. And I liked their springy walkways between their houses. Also like the first one, the animals were cool. I liked the plesiosaurs, the shark thing, and the tiny glowy jellyfish things. I really liked the underwater fairie wings. In addition to cool creatures we get cool robots. I  liked the crab robots but am unclear on why they were crabs other than that crabs make cool robots. The plot was better than the first ...
Post a Comment
Read more