Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (1 September 2016)

I fell for this film's gimmick hard. The fact that this film seems like it was shot in one take is the only good thing going for it. Unlikeable, and unsympathetic characters complaining about their miserable existences to a repetitive drum beat is not what I would call quality entertainment.The acting, while good, feels forcefully cringe worthy and snobbish. The characters are insufferable because most of them are theater actors, as if that's an excuse to get me to like or relate to any of them. The film's attempts to satirize Hollywood always come off forced, as it constantly takes shots at the over-saturation of superhero movies, celebrity self-obsession, and big budget blockbusters. Pretty much all the low hanging targets. The film ends up no better than the movies it takes shots at, with its vague plot points and cliché objective vs subjective themes that pretty much all "smart" films seem to cling to. In case you have not noticed, this film think it's better than you, and all your favorite movies. I guess that is the point. It's God's gift to earth, apparently.
I like what the director did with the Revenant, and this film is similarly well directed, but, once again, if you take away the directorial flair and the tracking shot gimmick, you get a movie so hopelessly far up its own ass, that it thinks it's seeing diamonds instead of the slick shine of its own moist innards. 5 out of 10 for pretension.