theovosse Reviews

Solace (II) (2015)

Worse than cliche

[4/10 · 5 May 2024]

Certainly the first half of the movie feels like they phoned it in. The writers even couldn't be bothered to look up police and thriller cliches. The result is a sequence of barmy dialogs where the lead investigator resorts to the supernatural in the first minutes, without any reason. The writers must have thought that faking friendship between two of the protagonists through "tell me what you feel" dialog sufficed if it was complemented with Hopkins looking broody into the distance or out of a window.

Well, it wasn't. Midway, they seem to realize their error, but instead of fixing the movie from the start, they just add more dialog that gives the impression it was written by an alien trying to mimic human relationship.

The movie has some saving graces, but the main one, the somewhat original plot, is marred by elementary errors. And instead of taking their time to make the final confrontation logical, the director wastes it on matrix-style slow motion. Which means we're left with a rather jumbled solution to the main plot. Which is a pity, because the final scene deserved better.

The same can be said about the acting. Not that there was much to act, the writers saw to that, but the FBI agents are worthy of a Raspberry.

Fool Me Once (2024)

All the cliches in the world

[1/10 · 18 March 2024]

I could not stomach more than 5 or 10 minutes. They manage to pump out so many cliches in that short time, that whatever the story and the plot, it's already unbelievable. Not only have we seen the same scenes a thousand times before, and better, but the there are also flashbacks in the opening, and they are utter crap. It's as if they want to rub it in your face that you're watching garbage. The title music is just as bad.

The point where I broke out in sheer laughter was when a mother who'd lost her son says to his recent widow: "How are you doing?" upon which she replies: "I'm grieving."

Who says that? Worse, who says that as replying "two loafs of bread, please" when it's your turn at the bakery? But it doesn't stop there. The mother-in-law then says, to this woman who's got the emotional range of a turnip, something like "I'm grieving, but there's more in you. You have to seek help.", with all the sincerity of the insurance salesman who's turned down your claim.

It's really, really bad. No plot in the world can save it.

Blackout Effect (1998 TV Movie)

Looses steam midway

[6/10 · 17 October 2023]

Problems with air traffic control lead to a collision, and many deaths. Who or what is responsible? How to prevent it from happening again? Those are the questions this movie is centered around, and it does so fairly well. Especially the first half of the movie is decent, but unfortunately the ending lets it down. The story looses steam and takes a somewhat weird turn a bit after the midpoint.

The dialog is fairly well written, and characters are ok, even though the protagonist is rather flat, and the acting is quite natural. I appreciate that they didn't turn every potential conflict into a lengthy emotional scene, nor do the actors stare wistfully into the distance. The scenery is typical for a TV movie: only a handful of locations, and a somewhat lackluster decor, but the essential locations are well developed. The people who built the control room set can be quite pleased with their job. The score also does its job.

If you don't go in with high hopes, you can enjoy it.

Trackers (2019)

Better than the sum of its parts

[8/10 · 11 February 2021]

As other reviews point out, there are cliches, the plot is not 100% watertight, and the acting is somewhat stiff, but the plot is pretty good, more a tangled web of grudging cooperation and unforeseen consequences than a two crossing straight lines with good and bad guys, and has a decent mix of surprises, red herrings and ordinary life; the underscore is a bit simplistic, but it works. The whole is mainly well paced, and kept me interested until the very end, and that doesn't happen too often.

Lucifer (2016–2021)

First impressions deceive

[1/10 · 31 August 2019]

So I watched the pilot, and thought: that might be good fun. There's plenty of room for inventive tv. Then I watched the second episode. Turns out it's a copy of the pilot. Every goddamn episode has The Devil coincidentally working side by side with the same police woman, who grudgingly accepts his help, and then they solve a crime Or so it seems, because I stopped watching and just picked a few bits from random episodes.

This is utter tripe, probably written by Satan himself for airing in the first circle of Hell, where the sinner would be forced to listen to the same character say "Detective", over and over again.

Eye in the Sky (2015)

Intention vs. reality

[9/10 · 29 July 2018]

Great movie that doesn't have to rely on tons of CGI to sustain interest. Instead, there is just a handful of characters, and they discuss about consequences. It's a discussion that won't happen in reality, of course, but the characters represent the different viewpoints in the drone killing process, and they do it very well. As another comment said: you have never seen a Skype call this gripping. This is great cinematography.

Had it just been a discussion about the moral ambiguity of drone strikes, the movie would not have convinced. Where the movie shines, IMO, is its portrayal of uncertainty. Reality cannot be manipulated, and can certainly not be taken for granted. The outcome is not decided in the discussion, but afterwards, and we have to face it. That can make you reluctant to act to the point of cowardice, or all gung-ho, but it doesn't make a difference in the end.

So, is there a happy ending? It doesn't matter. Live with the pain.

Westworld (2016– )

I feel sorry for the original idea

[5/10 · 10 June 2018]

There's been a lot of hype surrounding Westworld. I'm late to the show, since HBO withdrew and put its content almost out of reach. But, when I found a decently priced DVD set of the first season, I gave it a chance.

The first episode is very promising. The weaknesses are small and few, can be forgiven for the audacity, the stunning imagery (the sound track is a rather bland), and above all the writing and the clever pacing, including repetition. Phrases get repeated, and make you review your first interpretation, and this turns something initially innocent and casual into a preview of hell. The acting is up to standards for this type of production, etc. There's not a dull moment, and it manages to combine entertainment with food for though. It's overwhelming.

Probably the channel was overwhelmed by the success and immediately asked the creators to prepare sequels, because starting in episode 3 or so, the pacing slows down, until in episode 6/7 plot twists are introduced seemingly only to delay the development and open a few escape routes for future development in case they were writing themselves in a corner. The plot gets more and more unbelievable and the willingness to overlook the inconsistencies and downright idiocy of some developments lessens. And while more and more of the initially attractive features are thrown out, pretentiousness is the last to go. It's LOST all over again.

It's it pity, and I almost feel sorry for the ones who originally developed the idea.

Hotel Beau Séjour (2016– )

Most convincing thriller since The Killing

[9/10 · 26 November 2017]

To me, Hotel Beau Séjour was probably the best show I've seen on Netflix, and the best whodunit/thriller since The Killing. It's never dull, doesn't get soapy despite its length and isn't full of the clichés that make story telling easy, but characters unbelievable. The acting is very natural, and the production level is high, certainly for Belgian standards, where the budgets are rather small.

The plot is not the series' main strength. In fact, I thought the final bit of detection was the weakest point.

Instead, the series' strength is the telling of the everyday lives of ordinary people, sucked up in a world they don't completely understand and control, and how that can lead to the death of a young girl. It is a story of weakness, the weakness that defines the human condition. The whole business is common and sordid, but can only be told by showing the entire context, from the laissez-faire attitude of a farmer via the failures of a drunk headmaster to the clumsy sexuality of a simpleton. The truth can finally only be seen through their despair and helpless attempts to make something out of their lives, and the writers can only be praised for making almost every character a round and integral part of the story. In that sense, this series provides a deeply compassionate view on society and all its flaws.

Homeland: The Smile (2012) Season 2, Episode 1

What arrives slowly and leaves very fast?

[4/10 · 19 November 2015]

I liked the first season. It might have been a bit over the top, but it had good points, a good plot, and the final episode was very well done. The ending caught me by surprise.

Perhaps that made me expect too much of the season 2, but boy, was I disappointed. It starts well, but quickly starts using all spy movie clichés that fit in 20 minutes. And why is a female reporter who must be known to be related to The Bad Guy allowed to just waltz in and make someone do things they don't want to by just saying a few words? I'll never know, because that was the moment the credibility was lost, and I have no interest in resuming watching.

Big Buck Bunny (2008)

Only craft and technology

[4/10 · 12 July 2008]

OK, this movie is a bit different: it's licensed under "Creative Commons 3.0", so you are free to distribute it and to adapt/remix it. Nice, and it does have merit, as the visual and auditive part have been done with great attention to detail. Some people call it better than some of DreamWork's productions, I would call it on par. But still, that's a heck of a qualification for a labor of love and released for free.

The down-side is that the movie is just uninteresting. It is just not funny, nor moving, nor interesting enough. Its plot is weak and predictable, and although the movie is 3D, the characters are truly flat. The only thing it has in abundance is cynicism. I'm not going to spoil the plot, but if you've seen one or two animation blockbusters, you've seen this one.