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damirpozderac
Reviews
American Crime Story: The Telephone Hour (2021)
Compelling Drama Hindered by Casting Misstep"
I found the series to be a captivating exploration of a significant moment in American history. The narrative delves deep into the complexities of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, offering nuanced portrayals of key players and their motivations.
However, amidst the compelling storytelling, a significant detraction was a complete miscasting of Monica Lewinsky. Despite the show's attention to detail in other areas, actress chosen for the role appeared noticeably larger and shorter than the real Monica Lewinsky. The ridiculous miscasting of Monica Lewinsky unfortunately undermines the series authenticity.
One Day (2024)
Why??
No, thousands times no. One Day (2011) is one of the best films of last two decades in its genre category, with perfectly cast Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. It is a story that has a start and the end as ephermal as the passing time it portrays and a story of unrealized love and lost youth. You take that work of art and stretch it like a bubble gum to maximize revenue and create this series that will eventually devolve into an unbearable water-down drivel. Why is series a go to medium for every story telling nowadays. I don't need 5 seasons franchise for what should be a 90 minutes of perfect experience to convey that all stories, and especially ones that talk about passing of time and missed chances, in the end are short much like the life itself.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Disappointed
Original Avatar was a breakthrough in terms of story, character development, CGI and the underlying message. It was a first movie I saw in 3D and I enthusiastically drank the cool aid . I was really looking forward to the sequel but less than a hour into the sequel I felt a wave of depression come over me. What once was a a true science fiction gold standard, with an emphasis on science that has depicted a struggle between a military industrial complex and a human condition, became a contrived military movie painted in blue. Every bit of this is a vomit inducing unless you are a square jarhead. Acting was atrocious. Attempts to appeal to younger audience when "aliens" started throwing "bro" phrases around triggered my gag reflex multiple times.
I don't understand how this movie has 7+ score. Seems like a lot of shilling is happening here.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Love it or hate it
This is one of those films that you either love or hate, and ratings prove it. You will be either enchanted by it or have your intelligence insulted. I could not sit through 45 minutes of it. Wife fell asleep after 25. Call me ignorant and out of touch but I tried to like it, scouts honor, but simply could not connect to it. It is profusely arrogant in its narrative, disjointed and superficial. I did not understand the point of overzealous fight scenes and while it tries to "blow your mind" it simply comes across as smart as a fortune cookie. It invested so little in character development that I could not give a crap for any of them. It is completely beyond me that this drivel could have won so many Oscars that it did.
Persuasion (2022)
Expectations unmet
Seems to me that much of the negative comments about this film is because it does not follow the book narrative. If the film were to not claim that it was based on the Jane Austen's novel it would have been a decent cinematic effort. Aside the silly politically correct but historically inaccurate casting, entire cast does a very good job in their own rights. Again film does not need to follow a book, but it should also reconsider a claim that it is based on the book.
Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)
Gets better
I've seen this film for the first time again after 30 years and I can say it is like a good wine, gets better with age. For the category compared to the fluff that comes out today it is a piece of art. The music , the visuals, the characters all capture the 80's decade subtly and wonderfully.
The Beyond (2017)
Bro do you even logic?
A hole opens above the earth. So what do you do? You send a probe that vanishes with no feedback. Logical next step send a human. But not just any human, that would be too boring. Let's rip their brain out of their scull, put it in a suit resembling a football protective gear and throw them in the void. So she goes in, stays there for presumably 100s of years but can only recall 5 minutes of it and aliens decides to save humanity thanks to a Facebook year in review collage she brought along on a hard drive.
Humanity is saved and as a bonus gets a new planet to chill on right next to ours. 2 millions of years of evolution, changes in orbital dynamics due to gravity? Fu.c that let's just colonize the f..cker.
What a pile of dog s..it.
The Whistleblower (2010)
Authenticity problems
Excellent movie except for two major mishaps.
First, one would think that such an important subject would deserve at least to be produced properly, meaning, the director could have hired more than one Serbian, Croatian or Bosnian speaking actor if you are shooting a movie primarily in and about Bosnia. Perhaps it is not noticeable by most but it is highly annoying and detracting from this important subject if one knows the language and culture. At one point actors literally talk gibberish posing as if they are speaking in local tongue. The authenticity problems continue in several scenes that were supposed to be shot in Sarajevo, whereas they were most obviously shot in some American city. It is not a big gaff if you can hide it but the film fails to do so on many occasions.
Second mishap of this film is complete miscast of Monica Bellucci. Her acting bordered the worst scenes of soap opera episode that you can think of.
If you can see past those two points it is actually very good movie.
Catfish (2010)
The dark side of Facebook
I never felt like watching an actual documentary. This is perhaps because the movie does not impose on you, it does not try to drive a point down your through as so many documentaries do. It has no agenda and even when you would think that there is a clear cut case there is still no culmination that will drive you to a stereotypical conclusion. The movie creeps into your mind while the issue of lies and betrayal lingers.
Catfish is an honest, intelligent and deconstructive look into the modern social networking. But it is also a look into the human reality, choices we make and the consequences of our actions. Catfish is just one small step away from being a brilliant work of art.
Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
Directing for Dummies flick
Intro scene is the top point of this movie and it goes all downhill from there. I felt like watching an episode of The Office on crack, speed and blow. The movie at times looses a grip with reality so much in an attempt to be witty, funny and quirky at the same time but in the end it comes out as dull, uninventive and just plain retarded. The relationships between characters are forced and non-believable as much as the situations that they create. The most interesting part is that the "non-idiot" characters are actually more moronic than the so called "idiots". I can't believe that so many good actors accepted to be in this crap. I give it a two for the mice.