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Reviews
The Killer (2023)
Pretty terrible if you consider it a movie
Let's start positive. This flix is pretty and the colors are beautiful. The score is really interesting. So I gave it a 4 for those two things.
Otherwise this is a terrible movie. If you can call it a movie. Really it's a short, probably could have been 50 minutes tops. It's a terrible film mostly cause it's a a throwaway for such a great director and actor. Fincher has made very memorable movies. Movies that I've watched over several times. This flix I'll never watch again. It's just a throwaway. Nothing inventive, not a new story, nothing.
It might have been a better series. Kinda like "Barry" or "Dexter".
Anatomie d'une chute (2023)
Huh? Snoozing sound...
This is one of the those movies where I ask myself "did I see the same movie as everyone else?" Why? Because for all its accolades and best picture nod, this movie bored me to tears. Not necessarily in a bad way, the whole story just seemed pointless.
The acting is good. The script I guess is well written. But it's so pitifully shot and dull; it has the feel of an 80s made for tv movie starring Cybil Shepherd. So much could have been edited out, i think the whole story could have been told in an hour.
No plot twist. No intrigue. Nothing. And in the end i am not sure I got any resolution. And basically I didn't care if she did on didn't do it.
Fallout (2024)
Too much not enough
Let me first say, I don't play video games. And I never even heard of this one. The trailer look interesting and when our 18 year old want to watch with us, well you take the offer. Secondly I like Last of Us. Thought it was interesting and after years of sloughing through the Walking Dead final seasons, was a better take on the zombie genre.
Now to Fallout. The last of us, I felt I didn't need anything from the video game to understand the story. However Fallout, not so much. If you play the game you'll probably get it more than I did. Fallout is more fantastical than I like. The script seems weak, the characters are little odd acting, campy? Not sure. The story drags in huge parts. The score is off.
Yes it's a pretty shot show. Nice camera work. Nice color saturation. However for this 53 year old, it just wasn't my thing.
Oppenheimer (2023)
You'll need a history lesson
First, the buzz around this movie is very overblown. 15 years ago this movie wouldn't have been anywhere but the History Channel. And why was this film in imax. There's nothing special about it.
Secondly before you watch the film, brush up, heck do some research. I feel pretty educated and felt lost AF in how this story was told. I know no more about Oppenheimer now than I did having watched this movie.
Thirdly, the film is chaotic and all over the place. Back and forth and quick edits and time blurring. I was aggravated with the flow. I kept having questions, I would have stopped and googled the film to figure things out. But...
Forth. It's way too long. This would have been a great HBO miniseries. Like Chernobyl.
Look I like Nolan's movies. And yes the acting is very good. Set design is good. This movie's story telling just wasn't for me.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 4 (2024)
Pure Misery
I was ok w this show through episode 2. The first two weren't great, but I was somewhat interested. However this episode shut the door for us to watch any further. Didn't even finish this episode.
The show lost its way and instead of trying to figure out a crime, descended into the misery of the characters. The whole show became so depressing. And convoluted, which multiple stories of miserable people.
Not sure why anyone at studios can't make decent entertainment anymore. I am all for complex and dark story lines. Heck "Seven" is a favorite movie and I loved "XFiles" in the day. However this show became like tearing duct tape off a hairy arm.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Many faults maybe too many
This film is definitely not a favorite Martin Scorsese film. Really it's not even in his top ten movies,
First off it's a complete bore. With a 3.5 hour run time. I mean come on.
Secondly the story as told here feels disjointed. Strange edit jumps. Cut off scenes that left me asking "huh?" I had a hard time getting into any flow to the movie.
Third there's no good or bad character i am rooting for. The characters are very flat. And Leo sounds like Billy Bob from Slingblade. Not his best role at all. A film needs a central character they want to follow, Didn't get that.
Lastly it's cinematic for sure. But it looks really digital. It has no depth. Very flat lighting. It has a tv mini series film quality. Which a mini series might have been a better way to present this story.
The score is a 1. Annoying and at times doesn't fit.
Extended Family (2023)
Rehashed Garbage
First my wife and I like sitcoms. We have watched most of the offerings from the past 40 years. We have favorites, seen some great ones and have watched some really piss poor one. This one is the latter.
Unfunny, forced acting, boring story. I am surprised this even got green lit by a studio head. I would have halted this trash at the script stage.
Borrowing tropes from sitcoms gone by (please retire the talking to the camera) any originality dies in a few minutes of watching. John Cryer is funny with other funny people. If it was just him on 2 and 1/2 Men, the show would have bombed. The other actors in this mess don't seem to know why they took the gig.
Just a mess.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Not for everyone, yet interesting
Look let's be honest this isn't a film for everyone. It's not your average Julia Roberts flix and it certainly has flaws. However rating it poorly based on its quirky oddness is the viewers fault for watching in the first place.
First it's done by the Mr Robot creator. Which if you watched or know about that show, it's odd and strange. It wasn't even my cup of tea and I like quirky/strange. So there's that.
Second having read the book, I had an idea about what was happening in the movie. The book was very thin, so they stretched this story out to fit 2.5 hours. Which was very unfortunate. It made for some dragging and boredom. Some quicker edits and faster pacing especially as society dissolves would have been better.
Third the end. I actually liked the movies ending better than the book. I felt it was one of the characters experiencing joy for one last time before everything falls off the rails. In the book I felt very frustrated cause it just ends.
My biggest fault w the movie is the casting. Julia was off. Not the character as I envisioned in the book. The Ruth character I really didn't like. I just found the actress was trying to hard. Forced. Didn't get the rewrite from book version.
Again decent flix but not for everyone.
The Creator (2023)
Lost in Translation
Let's start by saying the trailer for this movie is way better than the movie. With that said you'll understand when I say something is missing in this movie.
The look of the film is way familiar. District 9 or even Rouge 1 come to mind. However there are some pretty interesting moments cinematography wise.
However right way the script goes weak and pointless. I really had a hard time trying to understand the origin story. How humans got to the point of making AI robots. And why such realistic humaniods. I really didn't understand the enemy. I didn't understand again how humans build these amazing ships in such short time periods yet the world for most doesn't advance.
The biggest problem is if LA is nuke, well human kind isn't recovering. It's just not happening. A movie like the Maze Runner, Divergent, or even Book of Eli showed a better post nuclear world.
This movie might have been a better tv series. Or maybe a short. Just wait to stream. Not worth the theater money.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Every Movie You've ever seen
All at once. That's my title for this highly overrated film.
First cinematography is good. Editing outstanding. So it's not a cheaply low budget indie.
However the script is a mad lips of anything and everything. The Matrix, Weird Science, Kill Bill, Hidden Dragon, Power Rangers. I could go on but seriously there's a lot of rip offs in this film.
And then there's the Oscar to Jamie Lee Curtis. Seriously...why? There's nothing outstanding or brilliant about her 10 minute role.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anybody. Some folks might think it's interesting but others not so much. Very bloated overhyped film.
Yellowjackets (2021)
A dash of everything but originality
This show is like a love child of everything I've seen the last 30 years. X files, Lost, Blair Witch, Twin Peaks, anything from the CW. Just a buffet of things.
Sometimes the show works, sometimes it's just boring, sometimes it's just really odd and disjointed. I get disinterested in the storyline, zone out. Never good for a tv show. Way too many storylines interweaving. The daughter storyline is confusing.
The acting is good...sometimes. Other times down right awful. The cinematography is ok, a bit distracting in parts, a lille to artsy in others.
Season One. Ok. Better than most Tv. Season Two. Stupid. Very convoluted.
Poker Face (2023)
Same crime solving story, but better
Than most crap on TV. Acting is very good. Cinematography is excellent. Writing is hit or miss. The problems I have are
1. Lots of product placement. Beer, subway, hot topic (which honestly I didn't even know what that was)
2. Plot holes. Take the episode with the drummer. Suddenly they got the amp back that the cops confiscated? Suddenly the very poor band had $150 bucks each to drop on new Doc Martens. And who the heck was drumming at the end?
3. Why can't we figure out the murderer with Charlie? Showing us who murdered the person right away, for me anyways, kinda makes the show less fun. And you know she's going to figure it out soooo kinda lets the tension leave the episodes.
Still much better than most TV by leaps and bounds.
The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023)
Absolutely the dumpster fire of spinoffs
Come on WD producers, this show is stupid, poor, and a dumb concept. Almost like Ai wrote the show.
Let's just say first off. After, let's just say 20 years, after the start of the zombies. Well they'd all be dust, falling apart, oozing puddles of mush. They would be decomposed relics. No hordes dressed like grunge kids in the 90s. The zombies would be almost an afterthought.
Nevertheless this hybrid of Escape from NY and WD, is just stupid. Bad CGI. Silly characters. No tension. No respect for the viewer.
I was thinking Fear was the low point of the WD universe but that World Beyond show took that crown. This spinoff is really a hot contender for the worst.
Quantum Leap: Family Style (2023)
Did ChatGPT write this episode?
This show isn't stellar by any means. Inconsistent Leap migjt be a better title. However this episode was like watching a long joke. From the grub hub ad built into the narrative, to the nonsense of cooking Indian food, which takes hours and hours, in a dysfunctional kitchen with, 3 people? At one point I swear the writers just kept taxing on hours to a day. Characters even had time to stop an eat pizza.
But the end! All the sudden they had tents, complex dishes, all set up in a park. Ahhh permits? I mean nonsense, not even fun nonsense.
The overall show needs a flush of more intriguing stories and less heartwarming. It gets trite and boring to watch. Last night's episode was a perfect example.
Night Court (2023)
If this was the original....
It would have been canceled. Sorry. Take the remake out of context with the original and it's rubbish.
Bland, boring, dull, humor is off, characters flat. The premise is far fetched. Harry's daughter becomes a judge just to become a night court judge? What, why would she not aspire to more. I think that concept needed to be tabled and a better one flushed out. But it still wouldn't make the show any better.
It was hard to even find a likable character. And it was hard to even find a laugh between my wife and I. I kinda wish this trend of remakes would just die.
The set is spot on to the original, so that a nice nod.
The Last of Us (2023)
Well Done EODs Series
Based on first episode, this looks to be an outstanding show. Looking forward to the entire series. Loved Chernobyl, hope the producers stick with that high quality.
Great production value, very solid acting, very good CGI. Like the origin story of a fungus and not virus.
The sets are really spot on and bleak. Definitely gave me first season WD vibes, but better.
There are parts of this first episode that dragged a bit, but once it starts rolling it explodes. Also I don't like extreme time jumps, so 20 years is a bit much.
Never seen or played the game, so I assume it's consistent w a game people love.
That '90s Show (2023)
But does it stand alone?
All these reboots or continued stories, should always ask is one question "is this show good without the context of the parent show?"
In this case NO. Without the old cast and memories of T70sShow the "reboot" just seems forced. The new show just feels at best like a bad Nick show. The humor off, the nostalgia flat, the cast of newcomers are very questionable.
The thing that made, at least the first few seasons, of T70sShow a great show, was a fantastic cast and a smart use of nostalgia. I mean it's source was the 70s. So much kitschy stuff to exploit. The 90s though, not sure these producers/writers are that tapped into all niches of 1995.
It was nice to see the weave in of old cast. Kitty always fun to watch.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Old man and his planes
If you liked the first one you'll like this one. If you like the military you'll love it. If you like a very formalistic movie you'll like this. That said this movie is a boring, long winded, and a very uninteresting movie. Rehashing old stories, convoluted new stories. No great original soundtrack. (I mean that was one of the best things from the first)
And really a 60 year old fighter pilot who can out flying every young buck. Not sure about that? But do the producers care, this movie has grossed 1 billion bucks.
Most of this movie would never happen in the real world. None of it. A mission this dangerous; I think, just guessing, the military would use a drone. And there's the real story that could have been told; it's eluded to....
The movie should have been Maverick running Top Gun and married. Leading an average life. Dealing w age and retirement from military service. Then military heads decide to shut TG down. But Pete has to prove why humans are important. And possibly under valued. But no Maverick is a bloated blow hard with apparently a trust fund, his plane at the EOM is worth $4 million. Her Porsche worth $200 to 300k. I mean come on....
Props to producers giving Val his role.
White Noise (2022)
Quirky and not in a goodway
Caught somewhere between Wes Anderson, the movie Super 8 and add a touch of Stranger Things nostalgia; you have this mess. First the dialogue is off putting and doesn't flow right. The first 30 minutes is dreadful and the arthouse indie vibe really isn't Netflix wheelhouse. Second the score, where was the great vibe of the LCD SoundSystem used in the trailer? There's no obscure 80s music, nothing. Just a flat orchestra.
This movie definitely has production value, est. Cost 80million. However, again my problem w Netflix, every movie looks the same. Over saturated color nothing camera worthy. Just boring.
We lost interest by the time they get to the camp. Didn't finish it. So be forewarned this isn't a movie for everyone and probably not most Netflix watchers. If you've seen the trailer, which makes this movie look way different than it is, You've seen a better movie.
Nope (2022)
DUMB
That should have been the title. If you make an alien movie make it. If you want a movie about a sick ape make it. The two don't mix. If you make a movie light it SO I CAN SEE THE DAMN ACTING! Sick of such low light ass movies. Something just didn't jive well with me and this movie. It's boring to dreadful for about 30 minutes in the start. It's confusing. It's got all the tropes I hate. Dark lighting, edits cutting off something an actor is going to say, text edits to define the next series. Hell all this movie needed was voice over and I'd had all the things I hate. I would rather him made a movie called Gordy about a guy getting over the killing of his sitcom family by an ape. That would have been a better movie.
The Handmaid's Tale: Safe (2022)
Stop shooting shows so DARK
Hello producers and directors of TV shows,
PLEASE stop shooting shows so dark. This episode was good. But holy crap there were entire scenes where you couldn't see anything. It's crap. It's a disservice to your actors and audiences. If I can't see their faces thenwhy are they acting. It's ludicrous to think "oh i want to be cool and shoot like we are in a cave". You're making TV. Entertainment. Something someone wants to watch. So there's my preach. This episode was good. The second half of the season was better than the last couple of seasons. Decent story line building towards The Testaments.
Reboot (2022)
Same old Same old
You've seen this show before. Trust me. Critics that are giving high marks for this show are on crack. If you saw Episodes or The Comeback you've seen this show. Nothing very original and nothing that makes me give a crap about the characters. The thing that the creators of Reboot did well w Modern Family was give me characters I wanted to know. Phil or Cam were people I could relate too. Reboot doesn't have that feeling. I could care less about the characters. A lot of Reboot is using language to fill gaps for, I guess, shock? Most jokes fall flat. The director seems grossly fascinated with showing the two female leads w tops off. Really you've seen this show, boring bland.
Station Eleven (2021)
Most Hipster Duffus EOD show ever
This show is a mess. Confusing. Lost in some hipster apocalypse. It's like Wes Anderson and M. Night had a love child movie. I loved the first episode, it really hooked me. Then the series veered into a bunch of sideways stories. Unlikable people. Weird editing. An overall bizarre way to frame a television series. I got to 4 and just gave up.
Dream Home Makeover (2020)
This show should have been called
Bland Uninspired Homes. If you've seen one episode you've seen them all. The youtube shows are better. Less blah blah blah and more just home design. Just a bland white bore of a show. Seek out better designer and follow them.
Station Eleven: A Hawk from a Handsaw (2021)
Episode 1 great. Then this mess
Note to aspiring show creators. Don't jump ahead 20 years in your second episode. It gets confusing. You haven't even got to know the characters. And what happens when I really was interested in what was happening in the first episode and then all you hand me is muddled snippets. This episode was a mess. Now I don't even know if I want to watch any further.