The writing is indeed as bad as advertised. The amount of woke on display boggles the mind but beyond that it's simply an awful movie. The cast is terrible and the characters about as deep as a mud puddle. Honestly, the villain hasn't been this awful in a CBM since Sharon Stone's villain with evil make-up in Catwoman.
Reviews
8 Reviews
American Sniper
(2014)
Superb Any Way You Judge It
16 January 2015
I honestly believe every American should see this film. If after viewing you aren't filled with a sober reverence and feelings of gratitude then shame on you. This is the quintessential film surrounding the war on terror from the point of view of those that served and even their families. I've read a review by a former Navy Seal (Brent Gleeson) that says it best
"The way the film was directed coupled with outstanding performances by Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and the rest of the cast made for a heart wrenching and deeply accurate portrayal of the external and internal battles our service men and women face. Not to mention the even greater sacrifices made by the families and loved ones back home."
I would rate it shear perfection had they spent more time with his recovery and angst driven road back once he was stateside. This is easily one of my top five films of the year.
I would rate it shear perfection had they spent more time with his recovery and angst driven road back once he was stateside. This is easily one of my top five films of the year.
The Wolverine
(2013)
Best Adventure Film Of The Year
19 December 2013
This is a wonderful film on every level. I honestly prefer my summer films to have substance and be more than just "mindless popcorn entertainment". To me, a movie achieves excellence when judging them by these things: If the film was able to capture the heart of the story while fleshing out complete characters that are challenged by meaningful obstacles. If the use of CGI and effects were wisely chosen and used to further the plot itself. If the movie used its own ideas and is well structured. If an adventure film truly thrills and delivers intrigue. And finally, if the actors, cinematographers, and producers were able to flow with the director's vision and deliver using their own particular craft.
That being said, The Wolverine works on all those levels.
That being said, The Wolverine works on all those levels.
Django Unchained
(2012)
Unpleasant to the max and NOT entertaining in the least
11 January 2013
The word that best describes this movie is "unpleasant." I know Tarantino crafted the film to impart the horrible nature of the subject matter. It works in that regard. Still, it's unpleasant from start to finish and in a drawn out and poor fashion.
Part of Tarantino's charm is that his often juvenile sensibilities shine through in all his work no matter the subject matter. His work is usually entertaining and crisp first and foremost. Here, what's delivered is neither. There's his trademark bloody, cartoonish violence but none of it feels rewarding or is even captivating to be honest. The unpleasant message is hammered home time and again but with no charm. I certainly wasn't expecting a feel good film or a Charles Bronson revenge flick but I was expecting to connect with a character or two and was expecting more of a thrill ride. I found nothing of the sort in this film. What I did find is an almost three hour film that feels like five. I guess that's part of the creative decision but he seemed to sacrifice all entertainment value for a chance to drive home his white guy guilt angle. What results is a simplistic and poorly written plot with one dimensional stereotype characters drudging through as unpleasant of a story as possible.
That's a tough way to spend three hours at the cinema.
Part of Tarantino's charm is that his often juvenile sensibilities shine through in all his work no matter the subject matter. His work is usually entertaining and crisp first and foremost. Here, what's delivered is neither. There's his trademark bloody, cartoonish violence but none of it feels rewarding or is even captivating to be honest. The unpleasant message is hammered home time and again but with no charm. I certainly wasn't expecting a feel good film or a Charles Bronson revenge flick but I was expecting to connect with a character or two and was expecting more of a thrill ride. I found nothing of the sort in this film. What I did find is an almost three hour film that feels like five. I guess that's part of the creative decision but he seemed to sacrifice all entertainment value for a chance to drive home his white guy guilt angle. What results is a simplistic and poorly written plot with one dimensional stereotype characters drudging through as unpleasant of a story as possible.
That's a tough way to spend three hours at the cinema.
The Vow
(2012)
Has It's Moments but not Enough of Them
27 March 2012
This movie offers an interesting premise that's "inspired by a true story" and that point alone breeds pretty deep contemplation. It's too bad the movie never really capitalizes or delivers on the notion of how our memories define us. It touches on it but the circumstances and complete memory wipe seem like staged and forced writing to me. Rachel McAdams is amazing and it's easy to empathize with a leading male character that loses her love in the blink of an eye through nothing more than a twist of fate. Still, maybe they cast the wrong guy or they didn't know how to get to the ending because at a certain point this movie just loses its way and grinds to a halt. There was a good thirty minute stretch or so as McAdam's character struggles to get a handle on what has happened that really works and is really good cinema. It's too bad the first act and the clumsy run up to the resolution drag this endeavor way down.
A VERY enjoyable film. One of the best of the year.
23 October 2011
I'm glad to see the response to Captain America First Avenger has been, for the most part, very positive. I've noticed that sometimes expectations are unreasonable or some fans are too attached to their comic book preconceived notions. Either Cap stayed very close to its root origins or people are judging it as a film first. Whatever the reason, it seems most enjoyed it as much as I did. Visually it is a sight to behold and that goes for the special effects but also for the time period tone and war grit of the film itself. Every scene was captivating, whether it was full on "Raider of the Lost Ark" action or the developmental down time. Isn't that what movies are suppose to be about?
And here I thought Iron Man or X-Men raised the bar in terms of what we could expect from modern adaptations. While true, what's remarkable is that Captain America raises the bar on what we can expect from a blockbuster in general. It's certainly not just eye candy; it's an all around exceptional movie. Thor and First Class were on the top of their game earlier this year and yet maybe Cap has succeeded in topping them both. What a great year for action adventure films!
And here I thought Iron Man or X-Men raised the bar in terms of what we could expect from modern adaptations. While true, what's remarkable is that Captain America raises the bar on what we can expect from a blockbuster in general. It's certainly not just eye candy; it's an all around exceptional movie. Thor and First Class were on the top of their game earlier this year and yet maybe Cap has succeeded in topping them both. What a great year for action adventure films!
Mission: Impossible III
(2006)
more glitz than sanity
25 May 2006
Who does this appeal to? Quite a large audience I guess
video game enthusiasts, people who believe that loud music and fireworks serve the good cause of giving the intellect a rest while feeding into their emotional lives. But volume and flashes do not a good movie make particularly in the absence of a plot. What passes for a relationship here is just an excuse for Tom to "macho up" and save the damsel in distress. With more glitz than sanity, nothing gives the audience the nourishment that comes from a credible story, or at least a story that's believable on its own terms. Don't waste your money here, just wait for the DVD.
This movie falls into the abyss of most sequels - excellent advertising for an at-best mediocre product.
This movie falls into the abyss of most sequels - excellent advertising for an at-best mediocre product.
The Da Vinci Code
(2006)
Laughably Bad
25 May 2006
By the close it became a kind of pompous joke, a two-hour equivalent of one of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts. "If I'm not me, who am I?" "How deep are the sins of man?" How drunk were the writers when they came up with the insipid dialogue in this script? There's no way the book could've been this bad.
It was really disappointing. It's overtly dramatic and tries to play on sympathies that they just don't set up. I find it very hard to believe that any intelligent critic truly liked this film. Character driven? That is the most overused term, thrown around by those who don't know any better. If a character strings together more then four coherent lines people love to label the movie as "Character driven." The fact is, the characters aren't developed during this film. Sure, they are scarred but the movie is presented in such a pathetic fashion that you just want to cringe.
It was really disappointing. It's overtly dramatic and tries to play on sympathies that they just don't set up. I find it very hard to believe that any intelligent critic truly liked this film. Character driven? That is the most overused term, thrown around by those who don't know any better. If a character strings together more then four coherent lines people love to label the movie as "Character driven." The fact is, the characters aren't developed during this film. Sure, they are scarred but the movie is presented in such a pathetic fashion that you just want to cringe.
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