A hyped up production with lots of buzz for its bizarre plot pieces. A cast of international characters thrown together to confront a conspiracy (that goes right to the toppy tops of the very universe) facing a mystical and mysterious force (which has its own human allies). Somehow loosely held together by contrived sci-fi concepts, the plot never resolves any of its multitude of conflicts, arcs or questions. And as befits any streaming series (and "Lost" exploited, I mean truly "exploited" to the limit), it is drawn out with melodramatic soap opera scenes of exaggerated angst and empty pathos. But the characters are not as crisp and charismatic as Lost, the production values not as rich, and the direction not as dynamic. And those drawn into its convoluted mystery looking for an elegant resolution have probably forgotten by now how Lost concluded.
Reviews
27 Reviews
Trouble with the Curve
(2012)
Hallmark fodder made palatable by fine cast
2 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler alert - "Trouble with the Curve" has the same plot as every Hallmark movie (that have become so much a tropey parody of themselves that there are TicTok channels devoted to mocking them). Big city, over-achieving lawyer gets drawn back to her small town roots to help her family in crisis who about to lose the family business. During her Hallmark Hero's Journey she meets a simple boy from that background her draws her out of herself and she break up with her loser yuppie boyfriend from back in the big city. She solves the family problem with her talents, falls for the hometown boy, and leaves her hectic big city career for something that satisfies her. #EveryHallmarkMovieEver. (You also see the climatic ending coming a mile away especially since they made it the title of the film)
Fortunately, Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood (and the veteran cast of strong actors make the film watchable.
Fortunately, Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood (and the veteran cast of strong actors make the film watchable.
Great start that fizzles with self-absorption
11 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
A middle-aged man facing a mid-life crisis who starts out with energy and vigour, but eventually tapers off to a tired and drawn out self-absorption. Describes both the film and the star.
I was rocketed back and forth by the fast-paced early scenes with twists, and humour. But then the Viagra but have worn off for this initial stand-up production and things got very limp.
The turning point was when one of the key characters decides for the 5th time to double-cross Cruise despite almost getting killed all the other 4 times she did so.
And then there was the train scene. An apt metaphor for staging an endless series of action scenes as contrived as they were confined. The writing team had too many Red Bulls in the brainstorming room coming up with all the ways they could milk this device. Unfortunately, the facilitator must have opened with "there are no bad ideas" and all of them made it into the film.
Meanwhile, Cruise probably didn't even bother scrutinising the action shots of him riding, jumping, fighting, parachuting, grappling, etc. "Keep 'em all in from all angles...I did all those stunt myself you know so let's milk them and get our money's worth from those expensive insurance riders." he must have said. And we're only in PART ONE!
Great film for watching with your partner who falls asleep halfway through every film because they won't miss a thing.
I was rocketed back and forth by the fast-paced early scenes with twists, and humour. But then the Viagra but have worn off for this initial stand-up production and things got very limp.
The turning point was when one of the key characters decides for the 5th time to double-cross Cruise despite almost getting killed all the other 4 times she did so.
And then there was the train scene. An apt metaphor for staging an endless series of action scenes as contrived as they were confined. The writing team had too many Red Bulls in the brainstorming room coming up with all the ways they could milk this device. Unfortunately, the facilitator must have opened with "there are no bad ideas" and all of them made it into the film.
Meanwhile, Cruise probably didn't even bother scrutinising the action shots of him riding, jumping, fighting, parachuting, grappling, etc. "Keep 'em all in from all angles...I did all those stunt myself you know so let's milk them and get our money's worth from those expensive insurance riders." he must have said. And we're only in PART ONE!
Great film for watching with your partner who falls asleep halfway through every film because they won't miss a thing.
Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)
Self-absorbed and bloated directorial disappointment
22 January 2024
This is a lovely 2 hour story told in 3 hours 15 minutes by stretching out every shot, depicting the same thing over and over again, and including extraneous scenes. I guess he got seduced by the success of "The Irishman" to thinking that he could do another epic mobster film just moving the setting from NY to OK.
All the lovely acting (by the Osage characters...not DiCapprio who played a one-note angst-ridden dullard throughout) and cinematography was not enough to keep me awake for the entire evening of trying to watch this thing. Definitely the most clumsy of all of Scorsese's mobster films (no character arcs, unclear character motivations, weird plot points, unclear point of the whole thing), but I guess he thought that the halo effect of being a docudrama depicting an historical injustice would buy him slack on the standard of quality.
All the lovely acting (by the Osage characters...not DiCapprio who played a one-note angst-ridden dullard throughout) and cinematography was not enough to keep me awake for the entire evening of trying to watch this thing. Definitely the most clumsy of all of Scorsese's mobster films (no character arcs, unclear character motivations, weird plot points, unclear point of the whole thing), but I guess he thought that the halo effect of being a docudrama depicting an historical injustice would buy him slack on the standard of quality.
The Castaways
(2023– )
Hodgepodge of lazy writing portrayed by stilted actors
29 December 2023
Like many reviews here, I enjoy a good "isolation" adventure film and thought in 5 episodes I would find some redeeming escapism, but alas. Written and acted like a bunch of teenagers doing their class project. A collection of castaway tropes cobbled together by cardboard characters stiffly acted.
The two main protagonists are a couple of sisters who thing either shouting or breaking down is the only way to deal with anything life throws at you. One scene with the younger sister and a boat was straight from the Three Stooges. And whenever the older sister, Lori, faces a life and death situation her go-to move is to storm away in a huff.
Most of the plot is driven by the two sins of bad movie writing - stupidity and serendipity.
Read the plot summary with spoilers and save yourself 5 hours of being marooned with this shipwreck of a production.
The two main protagonists are a couple of sisters who thing either shouting or breaking down is the only way to deal with anything life throws at you. One scene with the younger sister and a boat was straight from the Three Stooges. And whenever the older sister, Lori, faces a life and death situation her go-to move is to storm away in a huff.
Most of the plot is driven by the two sins of bad movie writing - stupidity and serendipity.
Read the plot summary with spoilers and save yourself 5 hours of being marooned with this shipwreck of a production.
The Lighthouse
(I) (2019)
Stylish portrayal of descent to madness without plot or point
12 September 2023
"The Lighthouse" is a stylish portrayal of descent to madness without plot or point. It is classified as a thriller and seems to have all the pieces of a thriller except the fact that there is (a) no real conclusion, and (b) no real point to it all. The story is limited (2 guys going about their work at a secluded lighthouse island), the characters are limited (crusty seafarer and seeking wanderer tropes) going about their business. Sprinkle in a few weird things which escalate to more and more intense conflict (sort of...fighting one minute and hugging the next) and confusion. Nice cinematography though.
Raatchasan
(2018)
Reasonable concept marred by redictable trope-fest
29 March 2023
Ratsasan is a mash up of what would happen if you replaced Clarice Starling in "Silence of the Lambs" with serious version of Abid from the TV series "Community". Protagonist Vishnu uses the knowledge and skills he acquired from his failed film career to hunt a serial killer.
The film has plenty to commend it except for several major sins repeated throughout:
1. Plot Driven By Stupidity - Every 15 minutes you are shouting at the screen "Why are you doing that stupid thing???" Vishnu learned some things from watching films, but obviously didn't learn many tropes like not calling for backup.
2. Predictability - The second a new character even appears on screen, it is patently obvious what their role will be.
3. Lingering Direction - The film would be much snappier and flow better if it didn't linger so much on many scene moments.
The film has plenty to commend it except for several major sins repeated throughout:
1. Plot Driven By Stupidity - Every 15 minutes you are shouting at the screen "Why are you doing that stupid thing???" Vishnu learned some things from watching films, but obviously didn't learn many tropes like not calling for backup.
2. Predictability - The second a new character even appears on screen, it is patently obvious what their role will be.
3. Lingering Direction - The film would be much snappier and flow better if it didn't linger so much on many scene moments.
Us
(II) (2019)
Clever twist on zombie genre marred by rampant stupidity
18 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The doppelganger concept behind this zombie flick is clever and novel. But the whole experience is marred by regular stupidity by the actors. You spend the entire time yelling at the screen "Don't do that!... Look first before you go there!... Look around you!... Stop staring into space in over-acted shock and get going!" There were a few clever quips. Ultimately, how we are supposed to believe that an army of zombies with no particular superpower (they are basically human) can take over gun-filled America armed with sewing shears is one of the biggest film contrivances I have seen lately. But yes, if Americans are a idiotic as portrayed in this film, I suspect that Edward Scissorhands could conquer them in a weekend.
Thirteen Lives
(2022)
Rich telling of a riveting story
14 January 2023
After seeing the docudrama "Thirteen Lives" trailer, I feared that "Thirteen Lives" would be an over-done hype piece, but actually it was a rich portrayal of the many complexities in grappling with the true story of the Thai cave tragedy. It was hard to see Colin Farrell and (especially) Viggo Mortense as over-the-hill dweebs they were supposed to play, but they are exceptional actors and they depicted their characters very effectively which actually downplayed their role as heroes compared to the documentary.
I recommend watching documentary about the event, "The Rescue", first as it is more hard-hitting and all the more so seeing the full story depicted for the first time. "Thirteen Lives" is a fine follow-up, almost like a "director's cut" of the story which delves into more detail (2.5 hours of detail) into depicting more of the surrounding players (local farmers, the families, local authorities, the boys themselves) than "The Rescue" (which focused more on the rescue operation).
I recommend watching documentary about the event, "The Rescue", first as it is more hard-hitting and all the more so seeing the full story depicted for the first time. "Thirteen Lives" is a fine follow-up, almost like a "director's cut" of the story which delves into more detail (2.5 hours of detail) into depicting more of the surrounding players (local farmers, the families, local authorities, the boys themselves) than "The Rescue" (which focused more on the rescue operation).
The Tourist
(2022–2024)
Amateurish hodgepode of contrivances
14 January 2023
At the heart of the series is a clever premise in an alluring setting that could set itself up as an intriguing thriller/mystery. But it's all downhill after the riveting first scene. And that first scene provides a hint of the contrivances in store for the next six episodes as the climactic collision makes no logical sense whatsoever (like so much to come).
If you try to make sense of the chaotic plot or you will end up as perplexed as Jamie Dornan's character. I won't even start to go into the inconsistencies, gaps and "really?" moments in order to avoid spoilers. Anyway, if I did an "Everything Wrong With the Tourist" YouTube video, it would last the entire 5 hour duration of the series. I tried to suspend disbelief in the beginning, but even the Golden Gate Bride couldn't support the coincidences, stupidity, fantastical incidents piling on top of each other. In fact, as the writer is starts to wrap things up in the final episode, he has to resort to one of the most forced devices I've seen used to try to pull together the disparate collection of plot pieces. It was almost like a crime/thriller skit show comprises of cute and clever (often tropey) bits loosely strung together.
And yet despite all the randomness, the core elements of the plot are utterly predictable (see tropey). Pretty much the moment every main character was simply introduced on screen, we predicted what role they would play in the mystery.
The character arcs were as flat as the Australian outback. And yet the characters regularly did things completely out of character. Not that it represented some shift in their outlook or motivation, but just because the chaotic plot called for it. In particular, Jamie Dornan plays the protagonist as one dimensionally as he played Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey" (in this case "broodingly bewildered")..
The shining light, both as character and portrayal is Danielle Macdonald's Helen McDonald. She is irresistibly awkward, enduringly lovable, exquisitely complex cornerstone to this story (much like Jennifer Coolidge in "White Lotus"). Hopefully, she (and her relationship with Dornan) will be more carefully crafted in the sequel obviously set up by the contrived cliffhanger ending.
If you try to make sense of the chaotic plot or you will end up as perplexed as Jamie Dornan's character. I won't even start to go into the inconsistencies, gaps and "really?" moments in order to avoid spoilers. Anyway, if I did an "Everything Wrong With the Tourist" YouTube video, it would last the entire 5 hour duration of the series. I tried to suspend disbelief in the beginning, but even the Golden Gate Bride couldn't support the coincidences, stupidity, fantastical incidents piling on top of each other. In fact, as the writer is starts to wrap things up in the final episode, he has to resort to one of the most forced devices I've seen used to try to pull together the disparate collection of plot pieces. It was almost like a crime/thriller skit show comprises of cute and clever (often tropey) bits loosely strung together.
And yet despite all the randomness, the core elements of the plot are utterly predictable (see tropey). Pretty much the moment every main character was simply introduced on screen, we predicted what role they would play in the mystery.
The character arcs were as flat as the Australian outback. And yet the characters regularly did things completely out of character. Not that it represented some shift in their outlook or motivation, but just because the chaotic plot called for it. In particular, Jamie Dornan plays the protagonist as one dimensionally as he played Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey" (in this case "broodingly bewildered")..
The shining light, both as character and portrayal is Danielle Macdonald's Helen McDonald. She is irresistibly awkward, enduringly lovable, exquisitely complex cornerstone to this story (much like Jennifer Coolidge in "White Lotus"). Hopefully, she (and her relationship with Dornan) will be more carefully crafted in the sequel obviously set up by the contrived cliffhanger ending.
Glass Onion
(2022)
Hodgepodge of twists
28 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
While "Knives Out" exploited movie tropes to enhance its story (sort of like the "Scream" of the mystery genre), "Onion" just cobbled them together in hodgepodge fashion. And while "Knives" seem to represent a mastery of storytelling by Rian Johnson, "Onion" had all of the forced clumsiness of so many sequels (buy hey, kaching!).
And the jokes were the same as the twists. Instead of the "comedy" part of the "comedy/mystery" being based on a core premise, depiction, or set-up, it was just a collection of gags (more Will Ferrell than Bill Murray).
In "Knives" the twist was heart of the movie, while "Onion" was more of a grab-bag of contrived twists for the sake of sprinkling twists all over the film. Instead of elegantly hiding in plain sight (but nonetheless easy to overlook providing the ah-ha feeling in the reveal), Onion's twists were blatantly obvious. The minute they were introduced you could not only see that they were going to have an impact on the plot, you could tell what the impact would likely be and hence lots of other things about the plot. And what really happened in the most pivotal event in the film (the murder) was obvious to every movie goer EXCEPT the best detective in the world.
When the central deceit of the film was reveled early on, I sat up a bit and thought that it had real potential as a plot foundation. It is a lesser used, but not unfamiliar mystery device (best used in one of the great mystery films of all time, "The Prestige"), but it was never exploited that much. Unfortunately, it was never really developed nor payed with to its potential.
Another great achievement of "Knives" was a stellar cast providing inspired performances. Unfortunately, "Onion" got the sequel quality "B" list. In the heyday of White Lotus' brilliant casting and portrayals of disfunctional characters you find distasteful, Onion's crew paled in comparison (maybe Jennifer Coolidge could rescue the next Knives Out sequel?). Even Edward Norton was just playing the every-man baddy character (sort of the Tom Hanks of slimy) that he is increasing typecast as.
The one bright spot was Daniel Craig who seems to really enjoy this Benoit character and wore him a bit more naturally (even the caricature of a southern accent fits hits caricature portrayal fitting of a comedic mystery).
And the jokes were the same as the twists. Instead of the "comedy" part of the "comedy/mystery" being based on a core premise, depiction, or set-up, it was just a collection of gags (more Will Ferrell than Bill Murray).
In "Knives" the twist was heart of the movie, while "Onion" was more of a grab-bag of contrived twists for the sake of sprinkling twists all over the film. Instead of elegantly hiding in plain sight (but nonetheless easy to overlook providing the ah-ha feeling in the reveal), Onion's twists were blatantly obvious. The minute they were introduced you could not only see that they were going to have an impact on the plot, you could tell what the impact would likely be and hence lots of other things about the plot. And what really happened in the most pivotal event in the film (the murder) was obvious to every movie goer EXCEPT the best detective in the world.
When the central deceit of the film was reveled early on, I sat up a bit and thought that it had real potential as a plot foundation. It is a lesser used, but not unfamiliar mystery device (best used in one of the great mystery films of all time, "The Prestige"), but it was never exploited that much. Unfortunately, it was never really developed nor payed with to its potential.
Another great achievement of "Knives" was a stellar cast providing inspired performances. Unfortunately, "Onion" got the sequel quality "B" list. In the heyday of White Lotus' brilliant casting and portrayals of disfunctional characters you find distasteful, Onion's crew paled in comparison (maybe Jennifer Coolidge could rescue the next Knives Out sequel?). Even Edward Norton was just playing the every-man baddy character (sort of the Tom Hanks of slimy) that he is increasing typecast as.
The one bright spot was Daniel Craig who seems to really enjoy this Benoit character and wore him a bit more naturally (even the caricature of a southern accent fits hits caricature portrayal fitting of a comedic mystery).
Chaotic mash-up of 'Matrix' and 'Sliding Doors'
20 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A self-indulgent romp through endless (a) martial arts fight scenes, and (b) contrived 'multiverse' complexity. Not sure whether the kung-fu fighting is supposed to make the mind-bending premise of separate universes, or whether the multiverse premise is supposed to make the action movie more hip, arty or serious. The semi-transparent relationship metaphors and the intriguing "could have been otherwise" philosophical question that reveals in the end could have been told with half the fight scenes and a bit deeper exploration of the characters and relationships. I'm also not a big fan of the trendy optimistic nihilism conclusion. If you are a fan of either action fight scenes or multiverse sci-fi, then these are depicted with exceptionally fine creativity, effects, and direction.
Burn After Reading
(2008)
90 minutes of pointless chaos all for a 6 minute punchline
13 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Not much comedic in this hodgepodge collection of chaotic coincidences and idiocy. Even the A-list cast can't inject humour with their overacting. The only thing that could give it some engagement is if the plot was actually building to something that you were increasingly intrigued by as pieces started to unfold (SOP for spy thrillers). But this is just a collection of aimless bits going nowhere. I guess that's the warped joke of the film - that there is no point. Just one big joke on all of the characters and audience at the same time. Ironically, the the CIA plays the Greek Chorus who sings out how inane the whole sequence of events. And they seem just as nonplussed and bored by the whole the as the audience ends up being (which when portrayed in the final 6 minute scene is quite funny).
Enter the Void
(2009)
Aimless hodgepodge of cinematic innovation
9 November 2022
If you are a film student, then go ahead and grab yourself a cup of tea for a long drawn out exposition of a hodgepodge of innovative cinematic techniques. Don't worry if you need to get up to get more snacks to alleviate the boredom because the film progresses at a quaalude-like pace and is so repetitive that anything you miss will likely be re-shown at some other random point.
I guess that is the worst failing of this movie - the editing. Instead of a carefully crafted and flowing storyline, instead its seems as if the filmmaker just created a collection of crazy shots and then strew them on the floor and called it a movie. And even when this chaotic assortment of scenes was assembled, it got stitched together using the most amateurish lingering fade-to-black seams.
The film is devoid of any discipline and seems to be guilty of the same self-indulgent meandering it seeks to portray on the screen).
No real plot, no real character insights, no real point. But some cool cinematic effects (and some people might enjoy the ten minute parade of gratuitous sex scenes towards the end which I guess is their to reinforce the film's "edgy" credentials).
I guess that is the worst failing of this movie - the editing. Instead of a carefully crafted and flowing storyline, instead its seems as if the filmmaker just created a collection of crazy shots and then strew them on the floor and called it a movie. And even when this chaotic assortment of scenes was assembled, it got stitched together using the most amateurish lingering fade-to-black seams.
The film is devoid of any discipline and seems to be guilty of the same self-indulgent meandering it seeks to portray on the screen).
No real plot, no real character insights, no real point. But some cool cinematic effects (and some people might enjoy the ten minute parade of gratuitous sex scenes towards the end which I guess is their to reinforce the film's "edgy" credentials).
The Watcher
(2022– )
Top acting talent can't save this writing disaster
7 November 2022
"The Watcher"'s primary silver lining is that it might be a useful illustration of bad script writing for film making schools.
The biggest sin is "stupidity driven plot". The primary reason anything happens in this story is because the main characters do stupid things. In fact, they do stupid things AND they are stupid in the failure to not do obvious things. This sin is terrible in a thriller where you want to have empathy for the victims but can't because you feel they are getting what they deserve.
The second biggest sin is "lack of coherence" which results in lots of red herrings. Characters get thrown in who in one episode are painted to be one way, then in the next painted a completely different way, then in another painted yet another. This sin is terrible for a thriller because you want to engage in figuring out the mystery, but give up because you realise there is no rhyme or reason to the information presented to you on screen and what is really going on.
The whole thing presents itself as a listless, meandering, contrived story that jumps this way and that without any point.
Don't waste your time.
The biggest sin is "stupidity driven plot". The primary reason anything happens in this story is because the main characters do stupid things. In fact, they do stupid things AND they are stupid in the failure to not do obvious things. This sin is terrible in a thriller where you want to have empathy for the victims but can't because you feel they are getting what they deserve.
The second biggest sin is "lack of coherence" which results in lots of red herrings. Characters get thrown in who in one episode are painted to be one way, then in the next painted a completely different way, then in another painted yet another. This sin is terrible for a thriller because you want to engage in figuring out the mystery, but give up because you realise there is no rhyme or reason to the information presented to you on screen and what is really going on.
The whole thing presents itself as a listless, meandering, contrived story that jumps this way and that without any point.
Don't waste your time.
Inside Man
(II) (2022)
Great concepts, characters, dialogue and acting...shame about the plot
6 October 2022
My title says it all. Two of my pet plot peeves are stupidity (the characters do something stupid to move the plot forward) and contrivance (circumstances beyond credibility to move the plot forward). So masterful in so many ways, it is a shame that this plot seems written by a drunk amateur shouting out random ideas ("hey, and then this could happen!...").
The best bit was Stanley Tucci's and Atkin Estimond's neo-Sherlock/Watson rendition. Great character concept, actor pairing, and portrayal. The only downside (again) was the fairly contrived scenarios they were challenged to solve. But I could watch them banter all day.
I would reboot the series around Tucci and Estimond and hire a professional writer to focus on plot structure and you would have winner to rival "Sherlock" and "Elementary".
The best bit was Stanley Tucci's and Atkin Estimond's neo-Sherlock/Watson rendition. Great character concept, actor pairing, and portrayal. The only downside (again) was the fairly contrived scenarios they were challenged to solve. But I could watch them banter all day.
I would reboot the series around Tucci and Estimond and hire a professional writer to focus on plot structure and you would have winner to rival "Sherlock" and "Elementary".
The King's Man
(2021)
Trope-laden contrivance
27 December 2021
I guess the contrived premise comes from the eponymous comic book from which it was derived (secret cabal of domestics fights secret cabal of world leader manipulators), but the adaptation/treatment did nothing but make it a confused and rudderless string of fight scenes.
Jupiter Ascending
(2015)
Not even an all star cast can save this hodgepodge of scifi tropes
27 July 2021
Great cast, showing up on some decent recommended lists...hey, let's give it a try. The better part of 2 hours wasted with a salmugundi of CGI whizzing past me, a convoluted plot of triple-crossing (or quadruple or whatever, I lost track). Everything was lazy about this production - the script, the alien characters, the imaginary world construction.
I was entertained by the fact that this civilisation that is "hundreds of times more advanced than our culture" hadn't figured out a way to build a gun that hit its target (20th century Earth military had more effective weapons than the CGI glowing magneto-pulse monstrosities bandies about here). Also, curious that all transactions were conducted with big, bulky objects (like every document needed its own iPad to cart around) and digitalisation seems to have been forgotten (mind you the bureaucracy scene was inspired). Also, a few cheeky quips in the dialogue made me smile. Other than that, I just kept wondering when this predictable monotony would be finished.
I was entertained by the fact that this civilisation that is "hundreds of times more advanced than our culture" hadn't figured out a way to build a gun that hit its target (20th century Earth military had more effective weapons than the CGI glowing magneto-pulse monstrosities bandies about here). Also, curious that all transactions were conducted with big, bulky objects (like every document needed its own iPad to cart around) and digitalisation seems to have been forgotten (mind you the bureaucracy scene was inspired). Also, a few cheeky quips in the dialogue made me smile. Other than that, I just kept wondering when this predictable monotony would be finished.
Tenet
(2020)
Noir sci James Bond (with battle scene)
31 May 2021
Every thriller genre packed into one cartoonish excuse for special effects lurching from one trope to another. About the most convoluted application of the time travel motif that is so nonsensical and inconsistent the viewer should not waste mental energy trying to thinking through (all you need to know: some things go backwards).
The B-list cast makes the film watchable with A-list performances somewhat compensating for the indulgent C-list direction (Nolan to producers "Please can we squeeze in one more shot of explosions and shooting with parts going backwards and no one getting hurt??" I'm guessing the Directors Cut version is all battle scene).
Fine popcorn flick probably better watching a bit stoned.
The B-list cast makes the film watchable with A-list performances somewhat compensating for the indulgent C-list direction (Nolan to producers "Please can we squeeze in one more shot of explosions and shooting with parts going backwards and no one getting hurt??" I'm guessing the Directors Cut version is all battle scene).
Fine popcorn flick probably better watching a bit stoned.
The Age of Shadows
(2016)
Meandering hodgepodge of spy tropes
28 May 2021
A thriller pitting Japanese occupation police against Korean resistance fighters with a local hero turned collaborator in the middle of this awkwardly lurching cat-and-mouse tale. The best part is its stylish production making it sort of a Korean James Bond (multiple exotic locations, dozens of bad guys with guns can't hit a target right in front of them, gratuitous and drawn out torture scenes) without the gadgets and misogyny.
The Midnight Sky
(2020)
A trope sandwich in slices of good setup and ending
27 December 2020
Then it meanders into not just one set of tropes (space) but two (snowy wasteland).
Lots of lingering scenes on the man-against-nature battles and the man-against-self doleful pondering. Providing lots of boredom to easily predict the next shot in the collection of tropes.
The concepts of the arctic buddy characters, the space injury and the final reveal are all superb. Probably was a good book that was powerful brought to life with high production values and top tier acting, but let down by woeful directing (sorry George).
The concepts of the arctic buddy characters, the space injury and the final reveal are all superb. Probably was a good book that was powerful brought to life with high production values and top tier acting, but let down by woeful directing (sorry George).
Arlington Road
(1999)
Panicky Jeff Bridges and complexity strain belief
9 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A trope-ridden contrivance fest.
This film lurches from one (apparent?) extraordinary coincidence to another while a panicky and enraged Jeff Bridges makes matters worse. I say "apparent" because some viewers see all of the amazing serendipity as all part of the film's uber-conspiracy plot. But I reject that as the entire conspiracy hinges on the villain torturing his own son (who he clearly loves) just for the sake of kicking off the plot. Even if the conspirators were hyper vigilant, in the days before pervasive cellphone, GPS and cameras, it would be near impossible for them to orchestrate all of the perfect timings that happen. And the beyond-the-odds plot culminates in the final climax where the plotters bank their extraordinarily expensive scheme on lots of guesses of what someone will choose to do (which as a viewer didn't end up being the most sensible or even believable choices) to pull it off. The only thing that has any redeeming value in the film is the very un-Hollywood ending which was a surprise despite being able to guess pretty much all of the other plot pieces.
This film lurches from one (apparent?) extraordinary coincidence to another while a panicky and enraged Jeff Bridges makes matters worse. I say "apparent" because some viewers see all of the amazing serendipity as all part of the film's uber-conspiracy plot. But I reject that as the entire conspiracy hinges on the villain torturing his own son (who he clearly loves) just for the sake of kicking off the plot. Even if the conspirators were hyper vigilant, in the days before pervasive cellphone, GPS and cameras, it would be near impossible for them to orchestrate all of the perfect timings that happen. And the beyond-the-odds plot culminates in the final climax where the plotters bank their extraordinarily expensive scheme on lots of guesses of what someone will choose to do (which as a viewer didn't end up being the most sensible or even believable choices) to pull it off. The only thing that has any redeeming value in the film is the very un-Hollywood ending which was a surprise despite being able to guess pretty much all of the other plot pieces.
Secret Obsession
(2019)
Stupid characters doing stupid things
23 June 2020
This film is so full of stupid characters doing stupid things that you just want them all to die for the sake of the gene pool. The film a few redeeming features though if another trip to the editing room could have made it in to a credible thriller parody. It was so packed with cliche tropes that you could see coming a mile away that it could maybe be used in film schools to teach what to avoid in thrillers. A villain who has no idea how to secure a victim, a damsel in distress who has no idea how to walk more than two feet without falling, and a police detective who has no idea of police procedure. It wasn't just the characters bumbling around, but the writer and director with gratuitous plot twists going where (and random guy set up as the obvious killer suspect complete with ominous cello music every time he appeared, who just get removed part way through without any explanation to his connection). This isn't just an movie lacking any intelligence with characters similarly devoid of any, but it is an insult to the intelligence of any movie goer.
Uncut Gems
(2019)
Amateurish and irritating like Sandler's lead character
10 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There is little redeeming about this film which fails in about as many ways as the blundering leading character.
No directing - "Just shout at each other for 2 hours, ok?" Throw in a bunch of distracting side plots/characters who mostly amount to nothing.
No plot - Just an interminable sequence of stupid actions done stupidly. For some reason Howard seems to lie to people who know not to trust him, and pick fights with people who are stronger than him.
No character arcs - No one seems to ever learn anything.
No acting - The surprise performance of the entire film was Kevin Garnett. When a pro-athlete playing himself out acts the rest of the cast, go figure.
No moral - I thought maybe this is a study in stupidity, but even that doesn't emerge. The stupidest thing Howard does is gamble impulsively. And yet he WINS all his big bets. Not great message that you can gamble your way to big pay days. The only one who seems to win in the end (SPOILER ALERT) is the partying lap dancing mistress (a positive message for the ladies).
Most of all "No sense". It is a chaotic mayhem of idiocy that blunders along pointlessly and disconnectedly.
No directing - "Just shout at each other for 2 hours, ok?" Throw in a bunch of distracting side plots/characters who mostly amount to nothing.
No plot - Just an interminable sequence of stupid actions done stupidly. For some reason Howard seems to lie to people who know not to trust him, and pick fights with people who are stronger than him.
No character arcs - No one seems to ever learn anything.
No acting - The surprise performance of the entire film was Kevin Garnett. When a pro-athlete playing himself out acts the rest of the cast, go figure.
No moral - I thought maybe this is a study in stupidity, but even that doesn't emerge. The stupidest thing Howard does is gamble impulsively. And yet he WINS all his big bets. Not great message that you can gamble your way to big pay days. The only one who seems to win in the end (SPOILER ALERT) is the partying lap dancing mistress (a positive message for the ladies).
Most of all "No sense". It is a chaotic mayhem of idiocy that blunders along pointlessly and disconnectedly.
Blade Runner 2049
(2017)
Most robotic actors of their generations type-cast for slog-fest
18 November 2017
While the original Blade Runner's innovation made up for its plodding pace, the "2049" sequel is not much more than a nostalgic homage with an extra dose of Quaalude. Not even the Cuban-anime hologram-robot hybrid sex scene made up for the slow-motion dialogue, blocking and lingering cinematography that turned a 20 minute story into a 2.5 hour tedium as dreary as its drone music soundtrack . Uncanny how leads the in both versions were played by the most robotic actors of their generation.
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