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Reviews
The Avengers (1998)
Unwatchable
Given the choice of watching this film or staring at a blank wall for two hours, I would stare at a blank wall for two hours. It is painful. I had to turn it off after 20 minutes.
I was a fan of the original show back in the 60s. This is such an insult to that legacy. What more can I say.
I need 600+ characters so ... Call me Ishmael. Some years ago-never mind how long precisely-having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation.
Summerland (2020)
Beautiful movie to watch
The cinemography is wonderful. Every shot is composed with elegance. So much of film to today is hype. It's nice to watch a film both for the plot and the wonderfully composed images. The actors are wonderful also included and especially the children. This isn't a knock you over the head movie like all the CGI shoot-storm super hero movies. This is a relax and take it in on at the end of the week kind of film. It's nice to watch a film that is a piece of art moreso than a film trying to suck $$$ in at the box office. The scenery is wonderful. The lightning it wonderful. The shot composition is wonderful.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Big Names, Lots of Stars, but just another CGI @#$% Storm
Tried to get into it, I was patient with the set up. But, for the most part, it's just another sequence after sequence of CGI action scenes without much substance. It's fun to see all the stars in the same film, but not enough to rescue this release with low art value and high commercial corporate fooder value.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Spectacular visuals, sets, and sound, good adaptation
Shakespear can be inexcessible today as some of the English usage has changed enough that you actually have to pain attention and think in order to understant the dialog. If you are willing to put in that mental effort, the dialog is rewarding.
Now let's get the presentation. First, if there were a separate Oscar for lighting, do not even both to vote, give it this film. Every possible use of light (to solid bright white) and dark (to solid black), and every shade of gray (it's in black and white) is brilliant. Shots in hight contrast; shots in shades of gray, shots with portiions in hight contrast and other in subtle shades of gray, complex lines and shadows, everything comes together and yields a complex effect.
The film is in the old 4x3 format, not in widescreen. It works. The actors take the screen in close ups and let's the sets play like on a stage theatre in the wide shots. The film visually is spectular like the artistic silent films of the 20s.
I don't recommend bothering with this one on video. Any distraction and you won't put the attention into it to appreciate it.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Would like to give it 7.5 stars.
Definitely worth watching, not perfect and a few minor holes but fun. A nice twist a horror story. I read one other review say it's a religion story with horror elements. I think that's totally off. The genre is definitely horror with a religous theme, kinda lke the Exocist.
Acting is good, sets and production are good. Imagery is good. Characterters are good. I wonder if the plot 100% fits together or only 90% fits together but it still works for the most part.
I Care a Lot (2020)
First of all, IGNORE the one star ratings. It's not a masterpiece but it's okay evening entertainment.
There's a certain segment that rates something zero if it's not their thing. Ignore those votes. And the subject matter is disturbing so some may vote it down as they don't like that. So, if you nix the one-star votes, the average rating would actually be much higher.
It's a reasonably good made-for-TV movie. If you want a couple hours of something to watch on a Friday evening, this movie will suit the bill assuming you don't mind a somewhat dark them.
Regarding the criticism of the protagonist being unlikeable, I'm thinking perhaps the reviewers got it backwards. I don't want to give away spoilers so I will say only that the most prominent character functions as the antagonist, not the protagonist.
Ad Astra (2019)
Something to watch if you have nothing better to do. But there are better movies to spend your time on.
The current review average is 6.5 is about as much as this movie deserves. If you just want to put on a movie that's okay because you have nothing better to do, this movie is watchable. But it tends to drag after a while and the ending is slow and anti-climatic.
It's base on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" which takes place in late 19th century Africa. But that story was already retold in "Apocalypse Now" which, while also a tad slow toward the end, is ten times the movie "Ad Astra" is.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Good Schlock Horror
There is a paper thin line between good entertaining schlock horror and abysmal schlock horror. This movie is on the good sign of the line. The editing is brilliant. The shot composition is brilliant. It turns something that good have failed into fine art.
The Blob (1958)
Underrated, truly captures an era in what is not a terrible movie.
Yes, there were a ton of b-movie sci-fi monster movies in the late 1950s. This is the "good" one. It captures era perfectly without being too cliche. Just a tad comic book, just a tad teenage angst, just a tad hotrod. Teenages that are just a tad rebelious but end of forming an alliance with the school principal to save the town. I really think this movie is underrated.
The Passage (2019)
Dull acting. The story will make or break it.
I read the three books and really enjoyed them. It's a good story. I watched the first episode of the TV series. I was torn as whether to rate this 6 or 7. I may update my rating later.
I have to save that the acting is at best a C-. And if the acting isn't very good, I have to blame the directing so I give the directing at best C-. Plot I'll give a B+ for now.
The story has potential. If the series can do a good job relating the stories per the books, then it may be worth continuing to watch. I'll give it a few more episodes and then decide if I want to lower my rating.
FYI, I'm watching on DVR. If it were watching realtime, there is no way I could stay with it with all the commercial ads.
House M.D. (2004)
Forumlaic but well done
Pretty much the same plot week after week. Someone has a mystery disease and it's up to Dr. House and his sidekicks to cure it before it's too late. Each week there's a minor side guess that eats about a minute or two of screen time and adds a joke or two. Then there's some distraction as the characters conflict with each other. Dr. House's crass demeanor provide various black humor moments.
Even though it is the same thing with a different twist every week, it's entertaining.
It will get tired in another year or two but it's much better than most of the crap of the tube these days.
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Not as bad as the reviews. Entertaining for kids and adults.
The reviews really bad this film but I think they were way over critical. The movie didn't fit the critics preconception of being pure to the Dr. Suess book so the panned it. The film isn't a classic but it is fun, famaily entertainment. I went with to 2.5 year olds. It was there first time in a real theater. They loved it. All the adults in our group were pleasantly entertained also.
I gave it a 6 which for me a possitive rating. I've only given a handful of movies a 10. If I really like a movie it's an 8 or 9; pretty good it 6-7.