DrWilhielmWonk Reviews

Deliver Us from Evil (I) (2014)

Based on a "true story"...

[5/10 · 26 April 2023]

*though, it never happened on earth. Ever. Or this universe. This is the most misleading based on a true story gimmick I've ever seen.

Ok, I admit it. I don't believe in superman, spiderman, demons, monsters, ghosts, gods / god, devil, mickey mouse, or anything of that ilk.

The whole movie would have worked so much better if they had left out the supernatural hodgepodge. Which never happened.

This is not to say that there are not people that are evil. Or insane. Or both. And / or believe in monsters. Hell is other people as Sartre said.

If they just left out the mumbo jumbo it could have "made sense" - as in it could have happened - and warranted a "based on a true story".

Ps. I know it's based on a book by a retired police officer, but that doesn't make it more "real" than Bambi or Humpty Dumpty.

Poker Face (2023– )

Monk meets Columbo...

[8/10 · 1 March 2023]

Monk meets Columbo, featuring a young and feisty Bonnie Tyler... Creative murder mysteries with surprising twists and turns get solved by a perceptive and shrewd female Columbo (Natasha Lyonne). Being born with a near superhuman superpower for spotting lies she's able to detect any fib by the perpetrators, which helps guide her as she picks up inconsistencies in peoples accounts and unwinds the murder schemes.

All episodes are stand-alone so you can pick up watching at any episode. Lighthearted and adventurous plots mixed with humor in the dialogue makes it a pleasure to watch. A number of well-known actors guest stars in each episode.

The Girl from Oslo (2021– )

Two thumbs up for the Norwegian-Israeli thriller

[8/10 · 26 December 2021]

I was positively surprised by this suspenseful thriller series. It starts off when a three new friends - a young Norwegian woman and two Israeli siblings - are abducted while on vacation in the Sinai peninsula. Soon thereafter the Norwegian mother and diplomate travels down to Israel in an anguished attempt to locate her daughter. That's the beginning of the series that keeps you captivated during numerous twists and sudden turns with all double-dealing characters with their hidden agendas, along with the politicians trying to capitalize on secret information against their opponents.

I greatly enjoyed the character gallery from Norwegians lawyers and criminals to Israeli politicians and security forces to Palestinian doctors, Hamas leadership and ISIS terrorists, and the varied scenery from the geographies.

The tenacious mother soon contacts old friends in both Israel and Gaza to come up with creative ways to leverage her knowledge and find the necessary win-win exchange to cajole the recalcitrant parties to cooperate.

Neither Israeli or Palestinians people are painted as purely good or bad, which makes the series more interesting and realistic. And who knows, maybe the countless conflicts and tensions in the Middle-East would have been solved with some Norwegian pragmatic, non-judgemental and good faith approach in dealing with the parties in the region.

The Postcard Killings (2020)

The Girl With The.. I Don't Believe This For A Second

[7/10 · 25 March 2020]

Kudos for setting of this American thriller in various novel locations Europe, e.g. Stockholm, London, Madrid, etc. It adds some tickling spice and flavor to a tried and tested suspense thriller movie recipe.

The main issue I have with the film is the serial killing couple is so unfathomably unbelievable. Not necessarily that the acting per se is bad, but the profiles don't fit purported crimes. And I know that that's sort of the idea. You want serial killers that aren't obvious. But when it's more plausible that Mother Teresa and Gandhi went on a serial killing spree than the main characters of the movie, you know you've gone too far.)

Moreover, the artistic hodgepodge philosophy behind the gruesome atrocities fails to convince any critical viewer with more than half a brain. Which is also true for rambling father, as he echoes the same nebulous, superficial artsy-fartsy quackery. It's really the stupid man's concoction of how an intelligent man sounds - and it doesn't change this fact even if you play Bach in the background.

Other than those mortal sins, it's a pretty decent thriller!

The Hunt (II) (2020)

Never reaches its potential (Watch "Most Dangerous Game" instead)

[5/10 · 22 March 2020]

On paper the story line of a "liberal elite" hunting deplorables could have been great. And it's not without its charm, funny quips, and some (literally) explosive scenes. But the much of it is sadly wasted in a mindless story of splatter killings that makes the average porn movie seem like Tolstoy.

It's hard to feel any sympathy for anyone in the one-dimensional character gallery, which are completely awful on the left, and fairly horrendous on the right. Perhaps then aside from the main protagonist on the right - a pretty blond played by Betty Gilpin - which doesn't talk or ask many questions, but an efficient killer that slaughters all opponents. Academy award-winning Hilary Swank also does a great job in a surprising role.

One of the issues with the plot is that it misses its target. There has actually been several politically motivated killings in America. The ADL reported in 2018 that at least 50 murders were committed by right-wing extremists, while zero where committed by left-wing extremists. Overall, the average has been that 75-80% of the extremist killings in US has been by right-wingers, 20-25% by muslims, and about 1% by left-wingers. When you take that into account, the splatter-thriller-comedy is a bit too stoopid.

Instead, go watch the "Most Dangerous Game" (2020) instead, which is a real, intense thriller, but without any stupid politics.

Chance (2016–2017)

Terminating Chance the dumbest decision in film history

[9/10 · 28 February 2019]

It's now two years since this series was inexplicably canned by Hulu in something that will go down in film history as one of the worst decisions ever made. (And this is taking Ed Wood's whole repertoire into account.) The cinematography of Chance is fantastic, the screenplay intelligent and mesmerizing, the acting superb by both Hugh Laurie and and the rest of the cast, the suspense is gripping as it's built up gradually when Dr. Eldon Chance finds himself in pulled into an strange and dark underworld thick of secrets and lies. Highly recommended! Three thumbs up!!

But, four thumbs down for the buffoons at Hulu that killed it.

Succession (2018–2023)

Professional and intelligent

[8/10 · 20 January 2019]

It pretty easy to see that Succession is a solid, professionally made series simply by looking at the captivating script, the visually amazing intro, and the perfect theme music. While dysfunctional superrich families have been portrayed many times before in numerous TV-series, in Succession the characters are multidimensional, imperfect, and human.

All the twists and turns make it a fascinating story and great for binge watching - despite a few unbelievable twists that seems unnecessarily glued on just to make is unpredictable. Recommended!

American Chaos (2018)

A film documenting republican Trump voters during the 2016 election

[7/10 · 14 January 2019]

Aside for a liberal, black professor, the sympathetic interviewer provides a veritable conveyor belt of one annoying, low-information Trump voter after the other - and encourages each one to express their own personal misconceptions. It's a bit painful to watch and resembled having to watch paint dry - or worse, having to read an Ayn Rand novel from the first page to the last.

Despite the best of intentions by the filmmaker James D. Stern, the interviews of poorly educated republicans - and one happy-go-lucky, rich and overprivileged Floridian fuddy-duddy (James Snot-Nose, the III) - fails to provide any actual 'Aha!' moments. If anything, it cements preconceptions that the presidential election of 2016 was not about wealth and income, but rather the level of education as post-election polls and analysis by FiveThirtyEight indicated.

People lacking a high-school education were the most likely to vote for Trump, while people with doctorate degrees the least likely. The pattern even held true statewide: in 10 of the best educated states Hillary won, while in 9 of the 10 worst educated states Trump won. To summarize, if you ever wanted to know what it looks like when a bunch of people climb up Dunning-Krugers' mount stupid, then have a look at this doc.

Masterminds (2015)

Just got slightly dumber from watching it... But not dumb enough to like it

[5/10 · 20 February 2018]

And I don't mean just from watching the goofballs in the movie, which was sort of expected. But from having wasted two hours of my life on this crap. It seemed promising at first with brilliant comedians like Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig, but their talent is completely wasted on a criminally stupid script.

Ostensibly based on "a real story", but really an imaginary concoction - from the contract killer in Mexico trying to shoot Ghantt with a musket, the capture in a bathtub, the killer finding he has the identical name and deciding not to kill Ghantt, overpowering the Mexican police at the airport, crashing the BMW at the iron gate, wife and mistress fighting at the Walmart, and so on and on. The similarities to what happened in real life and in the movie could be summarized in a few sentences. (But why? The real story wouldn't have needed to be "improved".) And this goes even for the general appearance of the main characters. But the final nail in the coffin is that this satire isn't even really funny.

I can't believe this was "based on a true story". And neither will anyone else with more than half a brain. Because it's not.

The Wizard of Lies (2017 TV Movie)

Surprisingly fascinating... even when you the story well!

[9/10 · 23 December 2017]

I was somewhat surprised by this biopic, since I'm well-acquainted with the modern Ponzi scheme story and the $65 Billion ripoff committed at the private investment firm. But even for those familiar with the general story, the documentary film provides a fascinating portrait of the Madoff family and the key characters. Overall it reminds me of an epic Greek tragedy.

The principal crime committed by Bernie Madoff is clearcut. Officially, Madoff run a phenomenal hedge fund, but in reality it was just one big hoax and pyramid investment scheme. All ROIs were fictitious and existing investors were paid by the money provided by subsequent investors. Aside from defrauding rich individuals of European royalty, Madoff took advantage of the fact that he as a jewish investor had excellent contacts to other wealthy American jews, which allowed him to swindle countless of the latter of all their retirement savings. All in all, in the end it led to countless tragedies and suicides on both continents.

The financial thriller behind it has been well-told by previous accounts, particularly 'No One Would Listen' by Harry Markopolos (i.e. the financial analyst struggled to expose the fraud for many years). It's also true that the ramifications would have been much more limited if the SEC would have done their job properly.

However, what this biopic does is following Bernie Madoff and the effects of the exposure on his own family, i.e. particularly his wife Ruth and his two adult sons. It seems as his family was completely unaware of the fraud and the movie does a good job in explaining how his sons never got the information from their dominating father. Later, when it all blew up the fraud also wreaked havoc on the lives of his wife and sons.

In the end, it was all for nothing. The family members would lived longer and happier lives without massive fraud committed by the Bernard. While the portrait of him is by no means completely unsympathetic, he remains seemingly oblivious even to this day to the devastation he caused in so many lives, including to those nearest to him.

The main roles played by Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer are brilliant, but also the less-known actors playing his two sons.

Toy Story (1995)

A born classic.. nouveau. But why R. Lee Ermey?

[8/10 · 30 November 2017]

Toy story was a fun, imaginative renewal of the animated genre already when it was released in 1995. It continues to be one of the epic children's movies.

Behind several of the voices are well-known actor, such as Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles. That said, personally I have no affection for real-life, callous trophy hunters like R. Lee Ermey, which is playing the role of the sergeant.

Sex Doll (2016)

Romeo and Juliet à la 2016...

[7/10 · 2 July 2017]

but without the gloomy ending of the Shakespeare play. The movie was actually quite a pleasant surprise after I discovered the low rating it had received on IMDb. The dialogue is muted and low-key for the most part, but has a certain touch of authenticity to it. The story follows a number of french-speaking twenty-somethings living in London, with the female lead working secretly as an upscale escort. On a night out with her girlfriend, she meets a tattooed guy that says he might give them a lift home. Later on this strange chap begins to suddenly pop up out of nowhere wherever she finds herself.

The movie is written and directed by the up and coming young French director and actress Sylvie Verheyde.

White God (2014)

A novel mix of a G-rated children's movie and a R-18+ rated horror film...

[7/10 · 10 August 2016]

A novel blend of the old Lassie movies with Hitchcock's The Birds. I was a bit stumped thinking about the intended demographic. Thematically it was a children's movie, but it should also be rated at least R-38+ for animal abuse and gory violence. This leaves us with an imaginary demographic, mathematically speaking. Still I enjoyed parts of the movie, as some sequences are visually amazing, while the dogs are expressive and well-trained.

Agree with the wise reviewer that once said, "It is also a parable about how one species dominates another in the belief it is the superior." Having said that, it's also a tale of huge bastards of the non-canine variant. Not to mention a story of extraordinary vile scumbaggery by a hominem species. In fact, not a single one of the adults seems sympathetic, which makes the movie sort of unique - if not necessarily in a good way.

As a bonus. It was interesting to learn that 100% of all Hungarians are either a**ho***, sociopaths, or both, with the exception of preadolescent girls. (Then again, it is true that much of the Hungarian society in recent years has suffered from virulent strain of xenophobia directed at transitory refugees. Not that it's the only country at that.)

Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged (2011)

Appealing to libertarians, myopic economists, devotees of objectivism, and more

[5/10 · 8 August 2016]

A documentary that appeals to insouciant libertarians, neophytes in economics, and everything in between. The filmmakers have succeeded in amassing an impressive range of political hacks and starry-eyed apostles that are more than willing to espouse their unbridled adulation of Rand. Viewers are richly rewarded with both a flattering homage to the person Ayn Rand as well as receiving a treat of mental masturbation to her philosophical ideas.

The two interviewees with more substantive understanding are Jennifer Burns and Anne C. Heller, which both have written purportedly comprehensive books on the topic. All in all the documentary briefly touches upon Rands privileged childhood in Russia, semi-forced escape to the US in the mid-1920s, to the harsh criticism in the media after the publication of Atlas Shrugged. Objectivism and her magnum opus are slightly expanded upon, while all critical viewpoints are conspicuously absent. Moreover, what is further lacking is any discussion of the character flaws and hypocrisy Rand displayed in her personal life.

The main problem with the implied prophesy of the novel - and the most crucial piece that Rand got completely backwards - was the expected cronyism of the "big government". In reality the problem in US was always an exceptionally strong and overpowering private sector, which has been able to water down regulations and any attempts to rein in its power. This has concerned everything from a lax oversight of Wall Street, to curbing polluting industries, to ensuring America has became inundated with guns and fire arms, to an ever-mushrooming military-industrial complex... At the core the problem was never the naive and idiotic fantasy of secretive government churning out Soylent Green, but an unhinged private sector that won every battle against ordinary people by a cadre of K-Street lobbyists, bought republican politicians, and well-funded media campaigns propagating misinformation.

In fact, after the global meltdown of financial markets in 2008 even the ex-fed chairman Alan Greenspan, the early disciple Ayn Rand ever since the 1950s, had to admit that the outcome of a free, unregulated market was complete financial disaster.

Finally, what clearly detracts from the documentary is having an entire conveyor belt of asinine opinions and mind-boggling ignorance regurgitated by a series of ever dumber pea-brained minions.

Special Correspondents (2016)

Way better than most comedies..

[8/10 · 6 June 2016]

In all likelihood it went over many people's heads, considering how inundated we are with pointless comedies that often receive a far higher rating on IMDb or higher ticket sales at the box office.

Great to see Eric Bana killing it again, but this time figuratively in a role as a self-confident, rogue reporter at a local news station. So too is the rest of the hilarious character gallery, along with their quirky foibles, from the manipulative money-grubbing sociopath played by Vera Farmiga to the over-emotional America Ferrera. Not to mention Gervais in the leading actor playing a fumbling doofus technician with low self-esteem, but with the redeemable quality of being kindhearted and well-meaning. Until he snorts coke, that is.. The film has a fair amount of subtle humor baked into the dialogue and contains a broader societal satire e.g. on the superficiality of news media, on the obsession with fame in today's docusoap infested society, and on the callous amorality of the drug gangs of Latin America, etc.

It's also a feelgood movie you leave with a smile, but that nonetheless doesn't suffer from being syrupy and maudlin which is so typical for the genre. The low-budget remake of the original French film feels like a fresh take in a world where Hollywood constantly churns out focus group-tested flavorless rom-coms.

The Prince (I) (2014)

A hard-boiled, no-frills shoot 'em up thriller

[7/10 · 8 September 2015]

Straight-forward shoot 'em up thriller with few surprises. Soon after a call with his daughter, the car mechanic (and retired super-assassin), Jason Patric discovers his daughter has vanished. Thus, Jason buys a flight ticket and travels to the city of her college after which follows a hunt for the villain/s that took his daughter.

While the storyline and acting in general was passable, the unknown star Jason Patric did a great job as the charismatic lead character. Somewhat uninspired acting by both John Cusack and Bruce Willis.

The shooting scene in the lobby near the end was straight out of the Matrix, aside from the fact it was slightly less realistic.

An altogether decent thriller with a storyline that's not disturbingly stupid.