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jschwantz
Reviews
Spotlight (2015)
A Generic Lifetime Movie at Best
I've been reading through the reviews of this film wondering if these people are paid to boast this film as Oscar worthy. Don't get me wrong, movies have been going downhill for years, but this was one of the most overrated films I've seen in awhile. I guess it doesn't take much to impress people these days.
Was I the only one who didn't think it was dark enough? I've seen darker Lifetime movies than this, and the whole movie is entirely built on conversation with very little action. The acting was OK, but the script was just bleh. I felt like it never reached an impactful climax, and I was hoping to see some gnarly stuff given the topic.
I was really looking to seeing this movie, it had all the workings of what could have been a great film, but it just didn't deliver. Based on the story topic, it should have been knocked out of the ballpark, but to me, it fell completely flat. I'm even having a hard time remembering what I saw because I was so bored throughout the film and left feeling like what I just saw was forgettable pretentious garbage.
Interstellar (2014)
Sloppy and skips over so many necessary details
I don't know where to start. Maybe it was the first half of the film where I'm watching a horrible whining child actor ruin any hope this film had, but the ending wrapped up like a 7th grade home science experiment gone wrong.
Anne Hathaway's role could have been played by any other Hollywood starlet, because it required absolutely no depth. This is mainly thanks to bland script writing, but congrats to Matthew Mcconaughey for portraying the only realistic character all the way through this silly and stupid story. Poor Wes Bentley, his character served absolutely no purpose in this film, and when he's gone, nobody ever mentions it again.
The only notable part of this film is Matt Damon's guest performance, offering some drama and suspense. Otherwise, between the cheesy graphics and a mythical 3rd dimension of love, I couldn't help but roll my eyes over and over again at this garbage.
I guess if you're a Sci-fi lover you will find some joy in this movie, but I thought it was long, lame, and in 2 years we'll all being saying "Interstellar who?"
Young Adult (2011)
One of those movies you think about long after it's over...
This is my first review for IMDb, although I should do it more often, because I watch enough movies and went to college for film, but this movie is thoughtful and brilliant and deserves notoriety!
I've always been a Diablo Cody fan, and being originally from Minnesota, she always leaves a special place in my heart with all of her Minnesota-based work. When I ask my Minnesota friends about this movie, they either haven't seen it, or they don't get it, which entertains me as now an outsider looking back into that culture.
This movie is not fast-paced, rather more on the slow humor, with subtle details. There are scenes where you see "Mavis" getting her nails done over and over again, and shots with random hair pulling. Some people are completely weirded out by this or don't get it, but they are repeating images of the characters compulsion and her self-love. This movie doesn't address these issues in your face, because it doesn't want to insult your intelligence, it rather wants you the character masking her inner beauty (including the binge eating trips to the "KenTacoHut").
Maybe I'm sick and just love a dark comedy, but this movie is the poster child for anyone going through a post-divorce or quarter-life/midlife crisis. Also, for a leading female role, I think Charlize Theron did such a good job playing someone crashing down with reality, and it wasn't too overboard or boring. I think everyone should give it a try, and just remember that it's one of those movies you'll think about later. Whenever I go home, I still try to throw out a few of my favorite quotes from the movie like "take that, liver!"