There’s a scene in a car in here that is AS GOOD as THAT car scene in Children of Men. Like it’s a scene that’s waaay better than it has to be. But it’s so good. Great movie??

72

First clever, then uproarious, and then, without a designated shift or tonal development, terrifying. Pushes its farce and satirical elements past the far side of the moon and into the great beyond, one of paranoia and mistrust. Also has an incredible car chase? Truly an original.

this goes from a goofy comedy to a heart pounding thriller so seamlessly that you don't notice the shift until you realize your face has been tucked into your shirt for the last ten minutes

1. i have a gross crush on matt johnson and i don't like it also owen looks like idubbbz in this movie
2. imagine making two movies so close in quality and both being so fantastic in such a short period of time matt johnson is a god
3. i love space!
4. i can't believe my ass wasn't taken to sundance last year because i would've screamed and cried and thrown at least seven temper tantrums until i saw this
5. the dirties>this solely based on personal preference and my fondness of any movie that explores school shootings
6. really really cute more subtle love letter to movies and it made me want to cry out of how pure and passionate this movie is i want to care about stuff this much

the moon landing was fake because wallace and gromit weren't there

While the commitment to period accuracy prevents it from being as groundbreaking as Matt Johnson’s later work on Nirvanna The Band The Show, it’s still a sight to behold. No one comes close to Matt’s ability to somehow make work lovingly indebted to the past while simulataneously breaking new ground for the future.

Probably the best 2016 dramedy release that I've seen aside from the great Toni Erdmann; I want to become best buddies with Matt Johnson (and man, do his films always get real as fuck toward the end of their runtimes).

This is neat but it's pretty clear Johnson has no interest in any actual project here beyond his own cleverness. I can do that too: his stolen access improv thriller allegedly about the reliability of images is packed with CIA agents that uniformly sport heavy Canadian accents and call each other "dude" all the time.

So there's a part of me that wishes that they would give a bajillion dollars to Matt Johnson and let him go sick on whatever the hell he wants to do next. The other part of me wishes someone would steal all of his money so he would have to keep doing what he's doing.

Matt Johnson is a genius for inserting himself into one of the biggest conspiracy theories in human history in the most sense-making way possible. The result is an effective mockumentary/comedy thriller that doubles as a sincere ode to the power of cinema.

In his usual goofy white guy mode, Johnson turned himself into a CIA employee who infiltrated NASA by pretending as a filmmaker to locate a Soviet mole. The comedy tropes become extra endearing when Johnson unabashedly showcases his cinephile identity on screen, adding nodding references and inside jokes to the mix. But when the story slowly takes on a darker turn, that's when the real strength of Operation Avalanche shows. The accurate retro visuals are another highlight of this delicate production.

Operating with enough indie spirits and improvisational excellence (the final chase scene stands out), Operation Avalanche is a compelling demonstration of Matt Johnson as a smart, unique and underrated new voice. Recommended.

Matt Johnson always be playing a character named Matt Johnson