Embers (2015)

It is a performances centric movie

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I was intrigued when I originally saw the premise of a culture with no memories, and hopeful when I saw a 5.2 rating on IMDb. Then I saw this exercise in futility. How can a person who has no memories have language? How would they know that they are hungry, what food is, and how to acquire it? How would one be able to read instructions, or anything else? How would the ladies show up with shaved pits? I had to turn it off after 30 minutes, because the consistent lapses in logic were just too frustrating. I'm surprised this was rated as high as it was. Yuck. Were that I were a character in this film, and able to forget I saw it.

Liked the journey, hated the destination! Will someone in Hollywood figure out that there has to be a conclusive ending?The first two lines is all I wanted to say but, it told me I needed 10 lines of text to submit. Read the first 2 sentences 5 times. Like sooooo many movies these days, it appears to be in vogue to end movies with the audiences having to guess what happens next. Really lazy! To fill more space, there is unrest in the forest, there is trouble with the trees, for the maples want more sunlight, and the oaks ignore there please. Why don't shrimp share? Because there Shellfish! Trouble with the maples, and they're quiet convinced their right.They say the oaks are just to lofty and they grab up all the light. But the oaks ca't help their feelings if they like the way they're made. and they wonder why the maples can't be happy in their shade? There is unrest in the forest there is trouble with the tees. For the maples want more sunlight and the oaks ignore their please.

While Embers' story is not completely original (Memento did it first) it blows up this idea to a much larger scale but it isn't nearly as intriguing or thought-provoking as it should have been. The plot of Embers is the reason I watched the movie in the first place. The idea of short-term amnesia spread across a population sounded very interesting and brimming with possibilities. This movie could have been awesome had it focused on the social possibilities and scenarios regarding the situation, rather than following a few uninteresting characters wander around while mumbling philosophies. The thing is though, these characters don't even relate to one another. They never meet each other or interact whatsoever. The characters are never placed in any interesting scenarios either so what is the point really? The characters are never developed and the idea of world-wide amnesia is never built upon, so at the end, what really even happened? Well... nothing really. Embers builds up to literally nothing. The only part of the story that is even remotely interesting is a couple trying to maintain a relationship despite them forgetting each other every time they wake up. Every morning they have to re-learn who they both are and this portion of the story is actually fantastic. It feels realistic and understandable. I would've much rather had the movie revolve around this story, but this is only a portion of the film's plot. The rest is boring, dull, preachy and extremely pretentious. Instead of following the entertaining part of the story we follow a crazy man who runs around and attempts to rape women, a little kid who says nothing and displays no emotion, and a family in their underground safety bunker. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I forgot another major character entirely because that is just how dull and uninteresting these other characters are.Embers was a very frustrating viewing experience because I so desperately wanted something interesting to happen within the story, but as the run time ticked down, I realized that this movie is going nowhere and will end up nowhere.It did look technically okay, but we only see the aftermath of this apocalypse on a small scale so it was kind of hard to be immersed within the environment even if the few destroyed buildings did look realistic.Embers is a film that tries so hard to be so much more than it needs to be. It had an interesting premise that held some amazing possibilities but instead this idea is wasted on a preachy and pretentious plot that goes nowhere. Only about 30 minutes of Embers are enjoyable but after that part of the story concludes, we are forced to sit through the extremely dull side-stories that share no relation to each other. Embers left me feeling more than unsatisfied. I was thoroughly frustrated that better concepts and scenarios weren't explored within this idea. Instead Embers gives me an experience that I wish I could forget as easily as the characters within the story.

This is my favorite film of 2015, and maybe my favorite film of the whole 21st century.I grade pretty rough, so it doesn't get all ten stars (I think I only give that to one film, Hana-Bi),but it earns all nine of the stars I offerThe performances alone are spectacular, but it's the directing, the costume design, the score, and the unbelievably gorgeous locations and production design that elevate this film from standard genre filler. I look forward to watching Embers many more timesI hope you'll join me.