schorschi100 Reviews

On Cloud Nine (2022)

An eternal love

[9/10 · 14 May 2024]

A series with rare qualities, which kept me captivated, hoping and crying at their same time. It's not action (in fact there is very little going on), it's not high school or college drama, it's not struggling in life. It's acquiring awareness, it's eternity, it's closure and a new beginning at the same, all at a metaphysical, philosophical level. I also like the fact, that the series is well-paced and finishes once the story is told; it doesn't stretch more than necessary.

The acting is very good, both main characters excel in their respective roles, conveying their emotional development with minimal actions (as required by the script). The cinematography is simply spectacular (what with Thailand's breathtaking nature), the music is ok. The plot, however, is a bit confusing. There is a strong tendency towards abstraction and vagueness (which is justified), but it goes a bit too far. This does not diminish the series' worth, since the plot per se is not the main focus.

Reminding a little bit of "What dreams may come" with Robin Williams, this series may speak to the not-anymore-so-young ones among us a bit more.

Watch with your closest and oldest friends and plan for a couple of beers or a glass of wine afterwards.

Eien no kinô (2022)

Predetermined sadness and a grief never coped with

[6/10 · 13 May 2024]

This is a sad story, with a sad beginning and, unsurprisingly, a foreseeable sad ending. I sort of liked the plot, but I am rather indecisive regarding the acting. The story is just a miracle which happened due to love. So far so good. It becomes clear from the onset that this miracle has an expiration date and that it is all about coping with sadden loss. The idea is rather genuine (although it bares similarities for instance with "Ghost", staring Woopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze), but the realization is quite stylized in a typical Japanese manga fashion. Unfortunately, the developing of the characters (mainly of the one left behind) is unsatisfying - after 8 episodes the mourning lover has not come to terms with what happened, in fact he has not really progressed at all. If the story had some comic instances in-between, I might had forgiven this, but alas this is not the case. So we are left with an unresolved emotional burden (no catharsis, no absolution, no new hope). Perhaps, if the penultimate scene replaced the last one, we would at least have been left with a shimmer of hope.

Generally, the story feeds on the emotional distress induced by the sadness of the event (but not the ensuing plot), offers a predetermined unavoidable course of events. It generally falls under the definition of a kitsch movie/series, namely one that gives no food for thought and just evokes tears through pre-chewed emotions (very much like your typical tele-novella, simply in a more artistic Japanese style).

DNA says love you (2022)

A very original plot, with mature development and quite a nice cast.

[9/10 · 12 May 2024]

I was really pleasantly surprised by this BL series. I suppose the main reason is the originality of the plot. Everything starts with a certain focus on some friends trying to develop a vlog channel, when a "newcomer" enters the scene. Then slowly our attention shifts on the new relationships develop, and equally importantly, on how these ones affect the old ones. When secrets slowly get revealed, the plot thickens. What I really liked about this particular aspect, is that the secrets themselves, although they trigger changes, it is not their revelation per se but rather their effects on which the story concentrates.

The acting is quite good. Perhaps not stellar, but then again it is not needed. This is one of the rare cases in such series, that the emotions of the characters are adequately described by their actions, and therefore overly emotional outbursts are not really necessary (which does not mean that the characters are blunt, it is simply that the series does not rely exclusively on the chemistry between couples). I also liked the side couple's story, which beyond filling air time also supports the plot (having been an established couple for four years). All characters are mature (in the sense that they adults and use their heads, but also grow as time passes by. Perhaps they are all a little bit too good-hearted, but then again this does not save them from pain (which for a change does not stem from a crooked world or a particular big bad wolf).

Perhaps some viewers will be perplexed about the existence or not the temple our adventurers are looking for, but in my opinion this is completely irrelevant. The quest more than adequately serves its purpose in offering material for the vlogs - it gives the backbone but not the flesh and blood to the plot. It is nice to occasionally have a story which is different, in that it makes you think a little bit, and not just brainlessly cry your eyes out.

Compared to the overall rating of the series, I give it a relatively low rating for the rewatch value. This is no contradiction, it is simply a consequence of the genre. It is neither a comedy, where one wants to listen to funny lines again and again, nor a sweet romance, where one simply wants to enjoy passion. Here we are dealing mainly with realizations, which per definition are absent in any subsequent second run.

7 Days Before Valentine (2023–2024)

Nice inter-time love story, heavily influenced by Goethe and Genki Kawamura

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

I recently started watching this series, and was immediately captivated. The storyline pretty straightforward: Sunshine makes a pact with a supernatural being, who grants him 7 wishes in order to bring his boyfriend back (very much like Dr. Faustus did with the devil in the classic novel by Goethe, however to a different end), and for this has a price to pay. The price for every wish is to make someone disappear from the world (an idea very similar to the exceptional novel "If Cats Disappeared From The World" by the Japanese author Genki Kawamura, which cost me two sleepless nights). Each wish predictably leads to unanticipated results, which gradually teach Sunshine a lesson about life and complexity. The story is based on the book by Patrick Rangsimant, but (at least the few pages that I read) there are differences, especially with respect to the overall atmosphere. In fact I like the adaptation more. I cannot tell about the actual plot and its ending, since the series is ongoing.

The acting is quite good, and the two main lead characters have great chemistry (according to some research I did, which I am not sure is correct, this reflects their relationship in real life). Despite the reason for it, they definitely are very convincing.

Technically the series is good, the sound background very nice, cut and angles are very good.

Having said that, I do have some criticism as well. I am not a huge fan of over-dramatized stories (you know the one that make you cry all the time). I like emotions to come in finite portions, while here (especially in the last episodes), the drama simply grows and grows. It is not a perpetual whining yet, but I feel that the series would gain more with a touch of down-to-earth objectivity. But this is a matter of personal taste perhaps. The second (rather technical?) thing that bothers me are the countless flash-backs, which not always serve a purpose. I would go for shorter episodes, since rewatching so many scenes again and again in most cases brings no new information.

As a whole, I am really enjoying this series, which gratefully is not another high-school puppy-love BL drama, but explores more aspects of the human nature, and clearly comes from the pen of an author with certain life experience and maturity. We certainly need of those.

Laws of Attraction (2023)

Mafia-like politician against lewd lawyer and his naive martial arts BF

[6/10 · 10 May 2024]

It is a good thing that modern BL movies have escaped the pure boys love landscape, in the sense that we get to watch adults engaging in adult situations and not just teenies whining about their first love. In this respect laws of attraction is great.

I watched with mixed expectations, and some of them were fulfilled while others did not.

First things first: The plot is a combination of crime mystery, with all the clichéd characters one expects. The lewd layer, the naive martial arts master, the corrupt politician etc. So far so good. Some of the characters do have some development, such as the senators son, who started out as a spoiled little brat and become a more kind hearted person (having been abused by his psychotic father), and the lawyer who became more humane. Others, like the senator, on the other hand remain one-dimensional throughout, who is simply portrayed as the personification of evil without any justification, back story, or development. The criminal story has several loopholes but it generally makes sense (at least to an extent), but of course one should always keep in mind that this is a BL series and not a Hollywood movie, so please judge accordingly.

The acting is rather problematic. I think that the chemistry between both the main and the secondary couples is lacking (to put it mildly). In the first half of the series there is quite some tension in the air, which, alas, culminates in a melodramatic bubbly Barbie-ish atmosphere in very unsatisfactory way. Tin is supposed to has just lost his niece to a murder, is a virgin (I suppose this regards same-sex relationships?) and yet falls head-over-heels for the (untrustworthy at first) lawyer. Everyone is accepting (what a perfect society we live in), and Grandma (who runs a traditional restaurant in a poor neighborhood and has lost her granddaughter AND her parents previously, happily wants to pursue a singing career in a bar run by an (adorable) lesbian couple. On the whole little makes sense in this direction....

The senator behaves like the worst mafia boss, kills, tortures and threats indiscriminately (even his own son, whom he uses to cover up his own crimes) and this happens perfectly hidden from public scrutiny. Even if one was to say that Thailand is not the most democratic country, it is definitely so corrupt (well at least not according to several international rankings).

In general there was little emotional development. The quantity of blood and killings did not correlate with the couples' relationships, which should have been more mature/adult (not necessarily more skin, but definitely more down-to-earth and less pink-lady-like). Everything feels like a random mixture of movie elements, that have not been cooked together long enough. Quite a lot of interesting ideas, but not pursued enough.

Do not get me wrong. The series is not trash, in fact it is better than many other series out there. However, it does not reach the hight of emotional dramas with amazing chemistry like some HIStory seasons, mood indigo, gray rainbow, a tale of thousand stars (just to name a few), or the action packed genre, like advance bravely, or the sign.

My Beautiful Man (2021– )

Almost emotionally abusive relationship in the shallowest of stories

[3/10 · 10 May 2024]

I started watching this series after having read many positive reviews and thus had high expectations. At this point I should say that although I enjoy watching BL dramas, I am not a "fan", in the sense that I do not watch them for the thrill of seeing two cute guys kissing (although this is definitely a plus) but for the story, the development of the characters and the coherence of the plot. Unfortunately none of this seems to be the case here. A (partially) abusive high-schooler falls for the class's most bullied guy, who actually stalks him, but does not tell him and only treats him with superiority. No person in his right mind would fall for him, unless one suffering from some kind of Stockholm syndrome. The fact that he is the "most beautiful person" is psychologically not enough. So in a few words, the story sucks greatly. There is no evolution of the characters whatsoever, the main leads are either self-indulging or continuously self-pitying, and all six episodes spend a great amount of time in blurry reminiscence of past events (not serving the purpose of realization of present ones). The acting is mediocre (the crying is OK, but apart from this nothing more).

I was really disappointed, because I thought that today'sBL dramas had moved forward (in fact they have, there are many modern mature stories, the authors of which know how to write captivating stories with real content).

Just a final remark. If I consider this as a low-budget BL story intended for secretly admiring all-male romance, then it's OK.

Perhaps one more remark as after all. I realize that the dating culture in Asia is different, but having lived there and having been in a relationship with an Asian for quite a few years now, I can assure you, things are not so extreme there. At least not anymore (might have been decades ago), so this is also no excuse for poor plot.

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (2022– )

When the elephant in the room is forcefully acknowledged....

[8/10 · 10 May 2024]

This isn't a BL story. Well it is and it isn't at the same time. It belongs to a particular genre (which I personally love), in which a few people (usually couples or families) spend some time together in a rather secluded place and all the skeletons in the closet each and everyone hides come out. Usually after that the lives of all participants are irrevocably affected. As is typical for those stories the acting is rather theatrical and the emotional changes which the characters undergo after each revelation or after facing known but untold truths lead to breakdowns, reevaluation of their lives and coming to terms (to the extent possible) with their respective pasts.

Here we have a successful mother (acclaimed soap opera director), her son turning 20 and the best friend of the father, who passed away in a tragic accident. No romance, no kitties, no flowers or rainbows, just brutal truths that hurt and thus everyone tries to avoid. But not everyone can. The ending is not happy (at least not in the usual sense), but rather demonstrates that life goes on, no matter what.

The performance of the mother is excellent, of the father's friend quite good. That of the son is simply stellar! The quarrels at the end (after the elephant is released) are breathtaking and captivating. And they do not revolve around love as much as around life and how it's supposed to be lived. Love is just the ignition of everything .

Interesting detail: none of the actors are actually BL actors.

This is a gem that you should definitely watch. However, do not expect a romantic comedy. It's neither romantic nor funny, but brutally blunt. Thus, make sure you watch it while in a good mood and able to handle distress.

Long Time No See (2017)

A Korean BL version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Something different compared to your average Asian drama. "Long time no see" is a Korean gay version of Mr. And Mrs. Smith, in which two hitmen fall for each other, and then have to face their competing bosses. Woo Suk Tak and Seung Ho Yeon acting performance is decent (contrary to the secondary characters, unfortunately). The story is rather simple, and although it follows a cliche, it is a nice change that this not the typical Asian melodramatic plot, but rather an action packed (well sort of), mafia plot with an unexpected brutality (although not too much compared to today's Hollywood standards).

In summary: A little bit of romance, a little bit of action, and some skin make up a pleasant evening with a Hollywood-like happy end. No real plot surprises, decent acting and cute faces. Who needs more?

Fast X (2023)

When "Avengers" meets "Fast and the furious" everything goes wrong

[2/10 · 8 June 2023]

I am (was) a huge fan of the "fast and the furious" series, and of Vin Diesel. Although I am a physicist I can live with "curbing" the laws of nature to some extent, provided that this is justified (e.g., through SciFi, magic, alternate universes etc.). It is also OK in movies like Mission Impossible and similar to drive things to the extreme. However, when both physics AND logic go awry it's simply too much.

The main villain in the story, (Dante, played by an amazing Jason Mamoa) is simply a joke. He is super intelligent, super rich, super powerful, and a caricature of a sociopath à la Joker. He is able to organize his crimes (which are purely driven by hatred) in such perfect timing across the globe and with access to every possible computer, that his abilities surpass those of Robert Langdon's foes (DaVince code), of Thanos (Avengers) and all James Bonds enemies at once. It borders ridicule. And, the most importantly, makes the film boring.

In the next episode they are going probably to have spaceships racing across the galaxy I guess, and Dante will use nuclear fusion to kill.

Acting is generally from decent to very good (well it's not Shakespeare after all, so not utterly important), and the cinematography (referring to the effects) excellent. Unfortunately a nice packaging does not salvage a really bad content.

Finally, I really abhor cliffhangers, and I seldom (if ever) have seen such an infuriating one. It's one thing to leave things open in a story, and quite a different one to literally stop the action in the middle of the most intense scene, like someone just pulled the plug of the TV. This practically means the producers where so sure the viewer will not watch the next one, that they had to use every means to animate them to do so. Plain awful and tasteless.

In a whole this is by far the worst of an otherwise very good series. If you really want to watch it, at least wait until the next one comes out to save yourself the frustration of the unfinished scene.

Lightyear (2022)

A disappointment

[3/10 · 5 September 2022]

The film tries to become a prequel to the extremely successful toy story line. As such it fails miserably, not due to technical issues, but simply because the story sucks. It is inconsistent, carries nothing but clichés and failed punchlines along, and is full of loose ends, even for five-year-olds.

The main problem is that the hero, the actual Buzz Lightyear (who in this movie is supposed to be a real hero, an experienced space ranger, and above all a real person, rather than a cartoonish toy), has all the traits of the wannabe action hero of the actual Toy Story films, and this simply does not work. I did not count how many times "To infinity and beyond" was said, but definitely way to many, I guess due to lack of better punchlines, obviously. Buzz is stubborn, rather than brave, a do-it-all loner, rather than a team capable personality, childish and opinionated, rather than wise and adventurous. All these traits are fine for the toy, which actually does not quite know what the real world looks like, but fail miserably for a real person (in fact I kept asking myself, how this guy could even become a space ranger in the first place...).

If the movie was at least funny, or creative, one might forgive its shortcomings, but unfortunately this is not the case.

The whole plot is an incomprehensible mixture of a cartoonish outer space (where one would expect the black Martian from Roger Rabbit to land any moment), and a B-movie of the space horror genre from the seventies. Huge malicious brainless plants and bugs, an even more brainless super intelligent super villain, and utterly stupid but insanely strong robots. The secondary characters, are something of the trio Stooges, but unfortunately not as funny, with only a couple of punchlines which keep repeating over and over again....

The three stars go for the animation technology, the voice acting and the (strangely enough) not completely wrong physics..... However, Pixar's amazing team cannot compensate for the totally inadequate script.

Watch it at your own risk, with lots of coffee to to help you overcome the boredom (or even better watch something else).

Superwho? (2021)

A fresh persiflage of hero movies

[8/10 · 2 July 2022]

Whoever likes movies like "Spaceballs", "The naked gun" or "Johnny English" will definitely appreciate this one. It is a parody of hero movies with lots of humor, unexpected turns and, of course, intended stupidity. Being acquainted with the Marvel universe will help understand the puns.

All actors stand to their standards, and the plot is funny, fresh, although a bit exaggerated. It is very entertaining, but obviously with no artistic or philosophical claims, which is just fine.

Watch it with lots if friends, popcorn (or similar), and lots of beers.

Just Say Love (2009)

Emotional abuse meets Disney-happy ending

[2/10 · 19 June 2022]

The film is about two guys meeting up for a quicky, ending up in a sort-of no-strings-attached situation (with all the derived clichés). The one guy is a wannabe-witty-but-omg-whiner who endures an emotionally abusive relationship, while the other one, supposedly straight, enjoys a good ... service once in a while. Two thirds of the movie turn around the gay guy swallowing down indirect insults (for everyone who has even a little self-respect) just to meet again with the "hero" he's hopelessly fallen for, while in the last few minutes everything gets miraculously resolved in a Disney-like happy ending (which couldn't be further from any realistic outcome possible). The whole takes play on a minimalistic theater stage (something that might have worked for Dogville but pathetically fails here, since there is no real plot substance to substitute for the stage props missing). Characters do not really evolve, conflicts are not analyzed and resolved but unexpectedly disappear, while cinematography is on purpose absent (I do not consider changing the filming angle cinematography). Matthew Jaeger and Robert Mammana do a decent job trying to act, but the script is so shallow, that they have nothing to work with.

The film is supposed to be an adaptation of a stage play by David J. Mauriello (although googling for the original play didn't result in any information whatsoever). The story might have been enough for a ten-minute short film at best (in which case the development and the catharsis are left as homework to the viewers), but nothing longer. If the author wantonly recites Plato, he should first know (and apply) Aristotele's definition of Greek tragedy (theater 101).

Last-minute addition: Reading my review again, I realized that I may be overreacting (in fact much more than usually in my critiques), but watching it made me angry. I decided not to soften my tone because I don't want others to also waste their time (or if they do, to at least be aware of the risk they're taking). The most important reason for my anger, however, is the subtle insinuation throughout the movie, that enduring an emotional abuse may magically pay off in the end.

Twinkle (1992)

A (badly told) Japanese fairytale about societal nonconformity

[4/10 · 26 May 2022]

Probably a story, which is difficult to understand from a westerner's perspective. The gay doctor who has a younger boyfriend succumbs to his parents pressure for an arranged marriage. Obviously, tensions ensue and things get slowly out of hand. Although the story is quite exaggerated it does reflect the necessity of the Japanese to preserver their social face, despite the feelings people might harbor (or not) for each other. In a country where suppression of one's own emotions and needs is the norm rather than the exception, struggling for acceptance is a thorny path, even when the only people involved agree on their mutual actions. The story, although bizarre, might convey the message, to an extent.

The actual realization, however, lets a lot to be desired. The actors fail at communicating to the poor viewers their struggles, hence the movie oscillates between drama and (probably unintended) comedy, alas unsuccessful at both ends. The plot is quite lengthy, and the ending an incomprehensible cliffhanger-ish (or sort-of).

If you are a fan of "alternative" asian cinematography, it is an average movie to watch. If not, you're probably going to hate it, so better pass.

Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022)

Entertaining, nothing more, nothing less

[6/10 · 13 April 2022]

An interesting story about the (unwanted) transformation of a girl and its alter ego (for real).

The plot is quite original and the evolution of the characters not bad. A teenage girl learns about what it means to grow up (with all its side effects) and the value of friends and family, while the mother learns that she must let go of her daughter, even if the latter wants to go other paths. A typical fantasy story with the obligational moral ending, with a strong Chinese flair. Watch it with your kids and prepare a lot of pop corn.

Twentynine Palms (2003)

Annoyingly shocking and shockingly annoying

[1/10 · 13 April 2022]

A tremendously boring movie for about 9/10 of the movie, with no evolution of already pathetic characters, with unnecessary explicit scenes (no I don't mind nudity, but explicit scenes that offer nothing to the plot are just like click-baits on the internet), and a shocking, totally unrelated ending, leaving the audience with an upset stomach (to put it mildly) for no reason whatsoever... For heaven's sake, spare your time and preserve your sanity by watching something else.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)

Very poor realization of a nonetheless inspiring true story

[3/10 · 22 September 2021]

It is difficult to review a true story, more so of a controversial nature, since reviewing the film mixes with reviewing the story itself. I will try my best to stick the film alone. Well, it is mediocre at best. First of all it is a musical, but the singing is bad, like really bad. It seems to me that none of the actors is really a singer, but then again why not hire real singers instead? All songs seem boring and uninspired, sung with untrained voices which change register four times in a second in order to be able to reach anything above c1, no volume, no harmonics, no metal in the voices, nothing. Well this is a musical, right? It'd be fine for a high school production but not a full fledged film. The story plot sucks, there is practically no evolution of the characters, and the protagonist puts on a smile through out the film, which is not the tiniest bit realistic, let alone convincing. I understand he has yet a long way to go, but then again, this is not a college project, so it must be judged accordingly. The school teachers are a joke at best (especially the principal), with flat acting (I'm being polite) and even flater background stories.

Don't get me wrong: I watched the movie to the end and was also moved, but just because of the story and because I was constantly mentally projecting out of Harwood's poor performance the real Campbell in a real harsch environment trying to realize his dreams. Had it not been based on a true story, I'd given up after 15 minutes...

Bottom line: a film to watch only if there's nothing else on TV.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

(Mis)using a famous name does not save the day....

[2/10 · 22 July 2021]

I started watching the film fearing that it would be just a mediocre combination of a legend basketball player's life surrounded by many of my favorite cartoon characters à la "Despicable me". Alas, it wasn't even close. The story sucked, the actors, oh well (they're not actors, right? But then why do they act...). No coherence, no character developing, not even enough cartoon moments, no real laughs, nothing to keep you watching. Yes everything is cartoonish, but besides the names and facial features there is nothing reminding me of my childhood's heroes. Also no basketball (I mean real basketball). To my utter disappointment Warner Bros managed to produce a sequel to Space Jam, which is even worse than the first one (and that's no easy task).

It is simply one of the worst movies I watched lately, and I am certain, that it wouldn't have made it to the theaters without LeBron's name. It's a pity it finally did....

The Man with the Answers (2021)

A road trip to learning how to cope with the past

[7/10 · 26 April 2021]

A Greek young adult, who (apparently) was raised by his grandmother, and has no real prospects in life, pawns his diving medals to make money for a trip to Germany to meet his estranged remarried mother after his grandmother dies. On the way, he meets a German who is traveling to Greece on a yearly basis, and together they drive through Italy and Switzerland to Bavaria.

The plot is not too bad, but it has several logic holes, which make it unbelievable. The main one, is unfortunately a central point of the story: namely he has no driver's license and drives his mother's car, which, even back in the eighties or nineties (when the movie is set), would simply make it impossible to go through the borders. Not to mention that he gets checked by the Italian police and they let him go, despite all this (apparently with no fine either). On the way we learn much about his life story, but nothing about his new companion (who, needless to say, becomes his lover). In the end they reach their destination, meet the mother and her new child, and they (probably) live happily ever after.

The film is not too bad, and belongs to the kind of new wave Greek nostalgic movies, which try to analyze the Greek soul, as it belongs to a different species. Therefore it suffers from the same disease as many indie low-budget movies: being made by talented but not experienced enough people and a very limited team, it borders boredom, and although it manages to somehow develop the main character, all little details around the plot's main thread are simply plausible enough. Surely, one can think of possible answers for each question (for example, what about the guy's social life, what about his other family, what about his father, what about the companion's past, what about the diving medals and so forth and so on). Or one could dismiss them as irrelevant, but then again to understand the psyche of the protagonists, one needs background, and the film simply provides none. The acting is decent (but not great), the scenes acceptable (but not breath-taking), the sound track is borderline.

Watch the film, expecting little and you will spend a pleasant time, watch it trying to understand and you will hate it. If, for some reason, you identify yourself with any of the characters, then your own life's past will fill in the (many) blanks and perhaps make it more coherent.

Proximity (II) (2020)

How NOT to make a sci-fi movie: mix all clichés with religion

[3/10 · 26 April 2021]

A geek who working for NASA gets abducted by aliens. The geek and his friend use the world's most valuable satellites just to play games with each other, and with one glance at numbers they see what SETI has not found in decades. The technology depicted in the movie is a weird mixture of 80's, 90's, and 2000's, while the international agency chasing him and his friends posses white anthropomorphic robots (which look like starship troopers and chase them in normal trains, and somehow no one seems to bother!!!). They befriend an other IT genius who from his isolated home in the jungle of Costa Rica can hack into any computer in the world (e.g., NASA) and also into the computer of a former lumberjack who, after being abducted him self now is an engineering genius and manages to translate the alien language into audible english using tapes. He arranges a meeting with the aliens, they come (they have a discussion at his home using the tape machine!!!!) and at the question why they abduct people, it turns out they are looking for Jesus!!!!! Like, seriously????? Forgot to mention, the NASA geek has super powers and the bad guy is looking for what happened to his father......

To sum it up: the plot is ridiculous with many unnecessary twists and scenes which would better match different stories. The acting is half-way decent, but the film cut simply destroys every little successful effort. The soundtrack is weird to say the least (made from someone who obviously has never seen a decent movie), and the scenery is OK.

Don't watch it, unless you REALLY like bad sci-fi films and have nothing (I mean really nothing) better to do.

The Goldfish (2019)

Fresh comedy with very realistic characters

[8/10 · 11 April 2021]

A German comedy about a group of people with disabilities going on a smuggling trip to Switzerland. The movie is funny, honest and fast-paced. Centered around a banking man, who recently lost control of his legs, it portrays his transition from a total prick to a less-so guy as he first exploits and later starts helping the members of his therapy group and the care-takers. It sounds predictable, and it is so up to a point, but the little episodes aren't. Most importantly, the characters are given in their full true colors. One character (a girl with Down syndrome), is played by an actress who actually has the Down syndrome. And no the bad people do not turn completely good, just a bit better. Like real people do (well, sometimes at least). Nonetheless, all the characters develop nicely and in a coherent way.

In total, a surprisingly fresh German comedy, which does not entirely follow the typical Hollywood plot pattern, but which will certainly leave you with a smile in the end, even if you don't crack up laughing throughout.

Blithe Spirit (2020)

Bad remake

[4/10 · 10 April 2021]

I watched it without having watched the first film, shot in 1945 with Rutherford as Madam Arcati, before. The film is unfortunately not funny, which in my opinion lies in the fact that the new adaptation the story changed a lot, adding unnecessary plot elements, overall making it boring. In fact the key part, namely that the maid is the actual psychic is completely removed from the story, and the coming back of Madam Arcati's long dead husband is a new completely unnecessary, yet predictable and not funny twist. The death of Charles, although being the last scene of the 1945 film too, is actually absent in the play (which thankfully one can still watch on youtube with an excellent cast). Nonetheless, in the old film it is just a one-minute add-on which does not destroy the plot (it is an obvious and common thing to do at the time), which is not the case with the new one.

The story is supposed to take place in the 1930s, in a villa which looks anything but that (something between Bauhaus and Minimalism). Since the majority of the scenes were shot there, this insignificant mistake is perceived throughout the film, in an annoying way.

Although everyone's acting is excellent, the plot too blunt to save the day. If you want to watch it then go for the 1945 film, or even better, for the TV play.

The Christmas Setup (2020 TV Movie)

When an attempt of making a gay romantic comedy fails....

[4/10 · 2 January 2021]

Having been a huge fan of Drescher for a long time I was more than happy to finally get to watch this film. Unfortunately the film, although not utterly terrible, by far did not meet the expectations. The story is as flat as it gets, with the (clearly happy) end foreseeable after only a few minutes. The characters do not develop at all - this would not be a problem if the film was funny (like The Nanny was), but since this is not the case, the result is simply dull and boring. The perfect mom helps her gay son to find a perfect match. Everything turns out perfect with practically no twists. The son has a perfect female best friend who falls for his also perfect older brother. After about forty minutes there is a shadow of doubt in the perfect gay couple, which disappears almost instantly, along with the danger that the (you guess it?) perfect Christmas tradition of the town falls apart. The twist is based on a scene which takes place at the very beginning of the film with a side story, which never really explained or further developed. Fran Drescher is just an older, but cleverer and more accomplished) version of the adorable Nanny Fine. Since however, there is practically no comic element in the film, her (admittedly perfect) smile after every single line seems out-of-place (technically this is the time where the audience laughter would be heard in the series).

Furthermore the film is too obviously politically correct. For example, the gay couple is pictured twice kissing (the second kiss is also the end of the whole film), while the straight couple does not give us any really romantic encounter.

The film is not even close to anything like The Nanny, Will and Grace, or any good old-fashioned romantic comedy with Hugh Grant and/or Jennifer Lopez. If you have nothing better to do, watch it while baking cookies or on your computer while zapping through the day's news and stock market. This film will hardly capture your attention for more than that.

Soul (2020)

Beautiful aesthetics and a philosophical story for grown-ups

[9/10 · 31 December 2020]

I watched this movie after waiting with great anticipation, and boy was I right! Pixar has a double primer, namely the first black protagonist and the first films targeting grown-ups. The story is a mixture of contemplation about the meaning of being alive and funny moments, combined with beautiful aesthetics. There are two levels, the world of the living and the world of the souls, both clearly distinguishable through different but perfectly harmonizing styles. Furthermore, there are living creatures (and their souls) and eternal creatures, which are also drawn with different styles (funny bubbly bodies vs. cubistic outlines, both of them matching their roles and their environments). I'm sure on a cinema screen it would look amazing, but alas, it is not possible to verify yet.... The story is easy to follow with some twists, which lead to an expected happy end (it is a Pixar cartoon after all), but not without a few unexpected yet comic turns. The music is really good (although I am not really a fun of jazz and impro, but that's just my personal taste). The only flaw of the movie, is that it is not funny enough (in a slapstick kinda way) for younger viewers, hence it may disappoint them. A classical body-swap situation is the only generator of laughs for the primary school and the teenagers among us.

As a general recommendation: watch it, but perhaps without your kids if they are not at least teenagers.

Summer of 85 (2020)

A teen love story with too much drama but not enough development

[5/10 · 24 October 2020]

I decided to watch the movie with mixed feelings. The plot seemed not intriguing enough, but Ozon's name is (or at least was) a certain guarantee. Alas, the disappointment prevailed. In 8 femmes, Ozon managed to keep an unforgiving and at the same time uncommenting eye into the human behavior. The behavior itself developed the characters, and brought them together into a whole. Eté 85 is a mixture of Ozon and a try to mimic Almadóvar's way of looking into tragedy, which unfortunately fails completely. The scenes are great, the actors true to their characters, but what comes out is a story swaying between a kitsch gay teenagers' love affair and a family drama. The ending is weird (I am referring to the court sentence), taking into account the fact that the subject of homosexuality was at the time socially unacceptable was extremely poorly part of the story to that point, with the exception of a vague reference to an uncle). None of the three main characters (Alexis, David and the mother, Mme Gorman) develop and their reactions throughout the film are irrational, somewhere between funny and stupid, in a combination which simply does not work. Kate's acting is miserable, same as Alexis' parents. The only convincing character, if any, is probably the social worker.

Concluding, this is a mediocre film to watch if you are into gay dramas and have nothing better to do. Matches up the standards of east asian gay drama series, but not the ones of main stream cinematography, and is definitely not Ozon's most brilliant accomplishment.

Anomalisa (2015)

Boring and metaphysical-ish

[3/10 · 22 October 2020]

I must have probably watched another film than most of the reviewers here. The story is about this extremely successful english guy, who while being on conferences cheats on his wife and then he somehow meets a young lady to whom he feels attracted and with whom he wants to spent a night (after he unsuccessfully called another ex). So what's new here and why on earth should anyone identify themselves with him or want to find out what's going on on his mind (beware one never does actually). What was the film all about? There is a mysterious metaphysical level, which turns out to be even more stupid and mundane, in that everyone who is boring to him speaks with his voice. Of course in the end he returns to his wife and everything is fine. Except from the viewer who probably cannot stop thinking what was this all about.....