The disappoint runs fierce for those of us hoping for something more mature and substantive. I don't understand why a book directed at older, intelligent people is turned into a teenage puff piece. Don't go into this expecting the level of storytelling in Vikings, Game of Thrones, or even The Tudors.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Annihilation
(I) (2018)
They must be paying people...
13 March 2018
They must be paying people to give this movie any kind of approval at all. Those in ivory towers pontificating on existential meaning and the use of post modern allegory to defend this film are just missing the point,i e: it's a bad movie. From beginning to end, it's just bad. I don't want to argue the technical virtues, for sake of argument, I will affirm some good photography, special effects, and maybe even the art design. But WOW! the movie just made no sense. The was no character identification, just nothing in the story made yo like or sympathize with anyone. There was no clear sense of direction in the story line or even in the editing. The acting was mediocre and lackluster. The characters themselves were paper this and stereotypical. I can't emphasis enough my contempt for this garbage. And please, anyone who brings up 2001, I will throttle you..
The Mist
(2017)
Skip it if you are sick of political messaging
22 June 2017
I am soooo sick of political messaging in television shows and, unfortunately "The mist" is lousy with them. Personally, I don't need to watch something that pours one political agenda after another all over viewers. i might not mind quite so much if they didn't take such a heavy handed approach to it. But in the first half of the show, they just hammer you with issues like sex education, police brutality, anti- bullying, Gay acceptance, anti-white male, and even anti-football nonsense. I just can't deal with all this type of programming anymore. If you get sick of it too, skip it.... it will save your cranium from exploding.
Batman & Bill
(2017)
Watch it!
9 May 2017
If you are a Batman fan, this is the best 90 minutes you can spend learning about the history of the Caped Crusader. This is great story telling straight from the heart. The doc contains all kinds of trivia and history you never knew before. From the creation of the Batman character to the most recent movie, you'll find out things you never knew before.
God's Not Dead
(2014)
Very Encouraging
5 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I am a Christian and I liked this film. It represented most of my core beliefs perfectly. It may have been aimed at the choir but that's okay. Sometimes even the choir needs to be encouraged. Having spent 12 years in college, I can certainly attest to the fact that professors like the one portrayed in this movie do exist. I can also confirm there are few brave souls out there that are not afraid to stand up and share their beliefs in Christ. If you are a Christian in college, I highly recommend this movie to you.
A Dog's Purpose
(2017)
Not great, but a solid good
26 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If you appreciate dogs, you should watch this movie. The acting, storyline, dialogue, and cinematography are all very solid. It's good clean fun and it's something for the entire family. I love dogs. If you do, then this movie will both put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye.
Horace and Pete
(2016)
Train wreck
25 February 2017
By episode three I decided not to rubber neck this train wreck of a show. But I try and be a fair guy, so I watched a few more episodes. It didn't help, in fact, I disliked it even more. While I admire Louis's decision not to score the show and style it in the old playhouse fashion, the show is depressing as hell. The total lack of any likable characters makes it dreary to the point of being disheartening. The bleak lives of the characters crushes you like a slow moving steamroller. The storyline and dialogue are so gloomy you can feel the weight of it. The acting, at times, is substantial and will lure you in. Still, however well acted certain scenes are, they only serve to ramp up the engines of despair that run throughout the show. On top of all that, Louis heaps up a generous amount of social preaching. Which tries to deliver up "All In The Family" type lessons, but falls far short. One has the sense that the awkward and forced messages are just added in to make the characters even more depressing than they already are. In my opinion, there is little reason to waste your time and emotions on this accident scene.
Noah
(2014)
The Bible meets The Lord of The Rings , meets The Shinning
1 April 2014
Cinematic Value
I found this movie to be very mediocre. The acting was fair to good. Russell Crow clearly didn't give a 100%. His facial expressions during times of inner conflict resembled more like the expressions of someone wondering how they got talked into doing a "Bible movie". Jennifer Connelly had her moments, but she just didn't deliver a consistent performance. Emma Watson has hard to watch, just awful. She was totally unconvincing whatever her scene was.
The camera work was good but not great. I wanted something a bit more dramatic during the action scenes and more intimate during the personal exchanges. The special effects were very good and helped push the story forward during the action sequences. The editing left much to be desired. Several scene transitions seemed rough at best.
Biblical Value
IMO this was a total bust as a Christian movie.Giant Rock people built the Ark and kept it and Noah safe (There was a battle scene in the movie "heavily influenced" by the battle scene in The Lord of The Rings involving Ents) . Noah was turned into a vegetarian. Industrialization was the product of the wicked and the cause of the total destruction of the land. Apparently, the film makers decided that God actually talking to Noah and giving him detailed instructions was to easy, so they decided to blur Noah's comprehension and God's message.The Bible says Noah had three full grown sons with wives at the time of the flood, of course Hollywood had to change that for "dramatic" purposes. Then, for some reason, the writers decided Noah needed to go all Jack Torrance (that's Jack Nicholson in The Shinning) on his family until love won out.
I found this movie to be very mediocre. The acting was fair to good. Russell Crow clearly didn't give a 100%. His facial expressions during times of inner conflict resembled more like the expressions of someone wondering how they got talked into doing a "Bible movie". Jennifer Connelly had her moments, but she just didn't deliver a consistent performance. Emma Watson has hard to watch, just awful. She was totally unconvincing whatever her scene was.
The camera work was good but not great. I wanted something a bit more dramatic during the action scenes and more intimate during the personal exchanges. The special effects were very good and helped push the story forward during the action sequences. The editing left much to be desired. Several scene transitions seemed rough at best.
Biblical Value
IMO this was a total bust as a Christian movie.Giant Rock people built the Ark and kept it and Noah safe (There was a battle scene in the movie "heavily influenced" by the battle scene in The Lord of The Rings involving Ents) . Noah was turned into a vegetarian. Industrialization was the product of the wicked and the cause of the total destruction of the land. Apparently, the film makers decided that God actually talking to Noah and giving him detailed instructions was to easy, so they decided to blur Noah's comprehension and God's message.The Bible says Noah had three full grown sons with wives at the time of the flood, of course Hollywood had to change that for "dramatic" purposes. Then, for some reason, the writers decided Noah needed to go all Jack Torrance (that's Jack Nicholson in The Shinning) on his family until love won out.
After Earth
(2013)
Critics Suck
17 September 2013
All summer I read that this movie was a huge disappointment. Critic after critic waxed on about its many failings. But after watching it for myself I have once again confirmed my belief that most critics suck. At the bottom of each movie going experience is the question, "was I entertained?" I was certainly entertained by this movie. Was it predictable? Hell yes it was. But aren't most movies? We all knew Batman would win, that Dominic Toretto would get the girl and drive off into the sunset, and that Wolverine would slice and dice anything in his path... so what? Is the acting Oscar worthy? No. But it's good enough for this story. I say Jaden did a satisfactory job and good for him. I think people feel ripped off because Will Smith wasn't the primary star. They should have read the plot summary. The movie has some failings, but I enjoyed it for what it was. What was it? A message about fear in our lives couched in a sci-fi wrapping. Screw the critics, they go too far, I liked it.
Man of Steel
(2013)
Almost Super
16 September 2013
I had waited to see this movie because I read so many negative or lukewarm reviews about it, but I finally ponied up the ten bucks and went to go see for myself. I can safely say, don't listen to the egghead critics. This isn't Shakespeare, it's comics in motion.
The Good News: The special effects are galaxy class, no complaints there. The basic storytelling, direction, photography, and editing are all first class as well.
The Bad News. Yes, the dialogue is weak in places and doesn't do much to help us bond with the characters. There's no conversational exchanges that are memorable, so I didn't walk away with any one liners. The acting isn't bad, but there isn't any dialogue or scripted moment to really let anyone shine through. So, whose fault is it that Henry Cavill comes across as a bit stiff or awkward? And playing Superman is a bit like playing the noble savage. One has to play it with dignity and a certain abandonment at the same time, not easy to do. Yes, if I could get every superhero movie to deliver what The Dark Knight (best superhero movie in history) delivered, I'd do that. I wish the dialogue and acting were better, but it certainly didn't stop me from enjoying the best Superman movie to date.
I say rent it if you haven't already.
And if anyone connected to the movie happens to look at this, build from here, don't start over. Batman Begins, wasn't "great" either. but it was good enough to keep the franchise going and look what it lead to.
The Good News: The special effects are galaxy class, no complaints there. The basic storytelling, direction, photography, and editing are all first class as well.
The Bad News. Yes, the dialogue is weak in places and doesn't do much to help us bond with the characters. There's no conversational exchanges that are memorable, so I didn't walk away with any one liners. The acting isn't bad, but there isn't any dialogue or scripted moment to really let anyone shine through. So, whose fault is it that Henry Cavill comes across as a bit stiff or awkward? And playing Superman is a bit like playing the noble savage. One has to play it with dignity and a certain abandonment at the same time, not easy to do. Yes, if I could get every superhero movie to deliver what The Dark Knight (best superhero movie in history) delivered, I'd do that. I wish the dialogue and acting were better, but it certainly didn't stop me from enjoying the best Superman movie to date.
I say rent it if you haven't already.
And if anyone connected to the movie happens to look at this, build from here, don't start over. Batman Begins, wasn't "great" either. but it was good enough to keep the franchise going and look what it lead to.
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