daveh282001-893-288947 Reviews

The Big Wedding (2013)

Soft core porno

[5/10 · 28 November 2021]

Everyone is in heat. Deniro is a snake that'll screw any female he he crosses, and the women are also available for sex. The whole event centers around a wedding. But almost everyone is consummating their desires.

Killer Joe (2011)

Raw

[3/10 · 28 September 2021]

The film opens with full frontal Gina Gershon naked. Her brother is in trouble with the mob and needs money. His step mother is having an affair. The only way to gets large amount of cash is to have their birth mother die and get her life insurance payout - $50k. They try to hire a hit man to do the job. The film is mostly titillating sex scenes, very foul language, violence and in my opinion, a stupid ending.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

Great for 10 year-olds

[5/10 · 18 September 2021]

Not much new here. Orphaned kid who doesn't fit in. His uncle introduces him to witchcraft, so he desperately tries to impress the most popular kid in his class by showing him some magic. Things get stupid after that, but adolescents will ignore the weak plot and lame dialogue since the movie has all of the animated elements of a video game.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Annoying

[4/10 · 7 September 2021]

My wife and I started watching this because it looked interesting. I'm still watching because it's something my wife and I can watch together. Like most of these series, the 3 seasons could've boiled down to one or possibly two. But in order to fill it out, it's crammed with superfluous drama, with lame, predictable dialogue. Bad drama where everyone's pissed off or afraid of someone or something all of the time. The plot's so weak, that new characters have to be introduced to bolster the thing. It must be me, but I really don't like almost 90% of the photography being close-ups of everyone's face, like they're so damn attractive, you can't take your eyes off of them for a minute. It's a trend that I find annoying.

The Ice Road (2021)

Could've been a good movie

[5/10 · 11 July 2021]

What a waste of talent and money. It started with the inclusion of an "insurance actuary?" insisting on being part of the trip, and nobody vetting him. And then it went downhill from there (no pun intended). I lost track of how many disasters occurred, and at some point I didn't care anymore. This was like a "bad" action film with increasingly implausible situations, and an undercover assassin that wouldn't die. Good special effects & scenery were the best part of the film. And Gurty was the best character, with the best dialogue.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Too prurient

[5/10 · 25 April 2021]

My kids tell me that when a film includes liberal amounts of foul language and deviant sex, it's because real life is like that. So what? Was this movie trying to show how hopeless and miserable people can be, or how perverse life can get when you're a tragic hero / heroine? I was confused by the graphic, lurid sexuality liberally used in this, I'm guessing, character study / love story. It was tough to sit through some of it to get to the next plot point.

Straight Time (1978)

Career criminal study

[7/10 · 11 March 2021]

Dustin Hoffman gets out of prison and tries to go straight. He almost succeeds except that he gets M Emmett Walsh (Earl) as his prick of a parole officer who actively threatens him if doesn't do everything that he's told. Earl makes a deal with Max to get a job within a week or he'll have to go to the half-way house that he's required to live at after release. Later, He visits his apartment where he finds evidence of drug use, and so sends Max to jail for drug testing, but then leaves him there for a week ensuring his loss of the job he was able to get. When he starts pumping Max for the name of who was doing drugs in his room, Max loses it and humiliates Earl publicly and steals his car. He's a fugitive again and moves back into his former life of crime with his old buddies. I'd have rated this higher, but I thought the last job and the ending of the film were kinda lame.

The Woods (2006)

Boring Nonsense

[3/10 · 7 March 2021]

Heather is a troubled teen who's mother decides that she needs to be straightened out in a girls prep school, Falburn Academy. We learn that her parents don't have the tuition money, so the school admits her on a scholarship because they believe she has "special abilities". We soon see that the school has a sinister undertow and soon her classmates start disappearing. Then Her best friend starts acting strange too. The film drags on too much, and I found myself wanting it to end. Then, the ending was really preposterous after waiting an hour and a half to get to it. "Don't forget to drink your milk!"

The Fifth Element (1997)

One of my top 10

[10/10 · 7 March 2021]

My boys suggested that I see this film years ago. I've been a fan ever since. Luc Beeson has directed other films that are great (The Professional for example), but this is his best in my opinion. It has all of the best elements of an enjoyable film. Great characters played by great actors, a superbly funny sci-fi script, great set designs and special effects, and action that moves along briskly making the film seem almost too short. This is one of the few films that I have to watch whenever it's on TV. "Multi-pass." Four ancient elements are hidden on earth to protect them. A fifth element is kept elsewhere to protect it separately from the other elements. Together they have the power to save the universe from Ultimate Evil which is heading to earth to get the 4 elements and annihilate the planet. Only one man, Corbin Geiss (Bruce Willis) can save the universe, and Zorg (Gary Oldman) is his nemesis trying to get the 4 elements for himself, on behalf of Ultimate Evil. Enjoy a really different sci-fi experience in this wildly creative movie! 🍿

Nomadland (2020)

Decent character study

[7/10 · 3 March 2021]

I like most anything that Frances McDormand is in. Fargo's still my all time favorite. In this film, she plays a widow who's world has disappeared around her after the only employer in town of any size is forced to shut down. The town evaporated as a result, but Fern hung on until it made no sense to stay any more. So she modified her utility van into a living space and set off in search of....something. The slow pace made the two hours seem longer, but the story isn't boring and takes some interesting turns.

Sixteen (1972)

Painful

[3/10 · 2 March 2021]

I watched trailer for this and decided it couldn't be as bad as it appeared. Wrong. This is listed as "drama" I guess because there is no"waste if time" category. I may have seen this (sort of) film in a double feature at a drive-in on a date. That's because the story, the dialogue and the acting were so bad that you didn't miss anything if you only concentrated on your date. There are a ton of filler scenes, and overly long reaction shots of mostly the entire cast just staring at each other instead of saying anything. The ending is just as stupid as the rest of the film. Weren't there statutory rape laws back in the 70s?

Wildlike (2014)

Good character study

[8/10 · 1 March 2021]

Mackenzie is a neglected 14 year-old who's only option is to live with an uncle who betrays her terribly by abusing her. Or run away, which she eventually does. Fate brings her into the life of Rene. Will he finally be her anchor in a bleak life?

All About Steve (2009)

Cute, fun film

[8/10 · 26 February 2021]

A cute story about a super-smart cruciverbalist who has no social skills. She's fixed up on a blind date with "Steve" (Bradley Cooper) who can't get away from her fast enough. He feigns an interest in having her join him as he leaves to do his on the scene news crewman job. She decides that he wants her to follow him, so she ventures out to find him - while he does everything he can to avoid her. Thinking it's funny, his broadcast buddy keeps giving her information on where they're going.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Great time!

[9/10 · 17 February 2021]

3 hour movies are usually too long. (Some movies are too long at any length). This movie seemed too short. The whole film is fun to watch. Most of the pacing, the story and the dialogue are excellent. The humor is actually funny and the characters, which were introduced in the first GG film, continue to be dynamic in this sequel. I actually cared about the characters. I especially liked Michael Rooker's An-du character, and his admission that he loves Quill like a son. Actually, the only ones who don't get a happy ending are the Cree & Ego. Great special effects too. 👍🏻👍🏻

Land (I) (2021)

Dramatic outdoor character study

[7/10 · 16 February 2021]

The film opens with an manically depressed Edie who wants to die. Her sister appeals to her not to do that, so she decides instead to completely withdraw from society. While it appears that her condition is trauma based, we're not given a clue as to why. She decides to get away from everything by buying a large piece of land with a cabin on it in an extremely remote part of the mountains, and requests no one bother her - ever. Even though she has little-to-no outdoor experience, she thinks that she can survive by learning as she goes. There's plenty of beautiful vistas and scenery salted throughout the film. Bring Kleenex; you'll need it.

Hunter Killer (2018)

Easy to watch

[8/10 · 14 February 2021]

I admit that I generally like naval-based films. I could (and have) watched Under Siege, Battleship, Crimson Tide, Red October and will watch this one more than once. While I'm not sure about Gerald Butler as the captain of the Arkansas, he did an adequate job. The movie suffers from some Hollywood dramatizations of the interaction and perceived (in front of the crew) insubordination of the ExO. He would've done that exactly once in reality before being confined to his cabin. You never challenge the captain in front of the men unless you're staging a mutiny. The action is good and the tension build-up is well paced too. Some original ideas and scenarios were a pleasant inclusion. Gary Oldman was wasted in his role as the Commander of the Joint Chiefs, who seems to need to yell to get his point across.

Enemy of the State (1998)

1998 Film Was Prophetic

[10/10 · 13 February 2021]

This Will Smith film speaks to the kind of corruption that I'm sure, runs through our government today. A powerful NSA congressman kills the chairman of the committee that oversees government security. The murder is accidentally caught on tape. So this same paranoid megalomaniac (Voight) engages his federal government's antiterrorist dark ops, goon squad to monitor and then kill every innocent citizen who might know or could know anything about the video. We've seen this in other films. The only implausible premise that I have a problem with is the fact that in the entire resources of the well-funded and well-equipped agency, no one questions all of the stuff that this guy and the goon squad are doing to unaffiliated people. I makes me sick to think that there are possibly people who KNOW what they're doing is wrong and criminal, and have no problem supporting this kind of evil. No oversight of these kinds of things?

Employee of the Month (2006)

Fun to watch

[7/10 · 13 February 2021]

This film was obviously shot in a Costco. It is a fun couple of hours. The characters are exaggerated which makes the movie comical. The store manger wouldn't hold his job under normal circumstances, so they make him the brother of the owner. The store owner is even more bizarre. Like I said, fun to watch.

Ravage (2019)

A waste of time

[1/10 · 11 February 2021]

This looked no sounded promising based on the summary. This would qualify, back in the days of the drive-in, as a second feature, since you probably weren't watching it anyway if you were on a date. The plot is stupid. The dialogue is stupid. It's the back-woods maniac murderers being discovered and threatened by a nature photographer. After sitting through this piece of junk, there's no happy ending. Fir the film or me.

Honest Thief (2020)

Another Liam Neeson thriller

[8/10 · 18 November 2020]

If you like Jack Reacher type cinema, and Liam Neeson in Taken, then you'll like him in his latest offering as a former bank robber (with a particular set of skills) who was never caught, but who wants to make amens and turn himself in. He calls the FBI to turn himself in and then everything goes wrong. The film has some glaring assumptions that allow the plot to work, but it moves along enjoyably.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Lost interest

[1/10 · 12 November 2020]

Having watched the original series as a kid, I was excited to see this. I could only stomach about 20 mins of it before I turned it off. The scene where the cyborg-like Russian spy runs up and jumps on Solo's getaway car was stupid enough, but when asked why he didn't shoot the guy hanging in front of him on the trunk, he replied,"it just doesn't seem right" or something to that effect. That's when I shut it off. I didn't want to waste any more time on it.

White Zombie (1932)

Best Bela Lugosi role

[8/10 · 1 November 2020]

For its time, this is a great horror film. I really liked Bela's treatment of the character was brilliant. Madge Bellamy was so cute. She looked like a China doll.

The Meg (2018)

Could've been better

[6/10 · 1 November 2020]

I enjoyed the first half of the film. This screenplay has obvious ripoffs of scenes from Deep Blue Sea and Jaws. The helicopter hitting the ship was just plain over-the-top stupid. The cast was easy on the eyes. Especially Bingbing Li and Shuyan Cai.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Confused mission

[6/10 · 23 October 2020]

I really like Luc Besson's films. One of my all-time favorites is The Fifth Element, which is definitely a "10" in my Sci-Fi book. Bruce Willis was an excellent choice for the main character. His film, The Professional is also a classic. This film unfortunately suffers from ideas obviously originating from other films, including Avatar and Star Wars. It wasn't much fun sitting through the entire film listening to two libidinous teenages, who are supposed to be the best of the best, on a serious mission to save a homeless race of people, and even the Universe, exchange junior-high school dating quips, while narrowly escaping death a half dozen times. Valerian especially lacks any focus, except maybe for his unending pursuit of Laureline. If you're a CGI junkie, this film will give you a satisfying fix. Most of the film is CGI. I'm sure that I would've really liked this if I was 13 or 14. My pick for favorite character is Rihanna as Bubble.

The Commuter (I) (2018)

So sad.

[5/10 · 15 September 2020]

What preposterous pile of dog poop. Liam must have been hard up for some cash to want to do this waste of a couple of hours. Taken was a gem of a film! The sequels got worse as they went along. They should've kept the original writing team and director. It's a shame that a screen presence who made Run All Night & A Walk Among The Tombstones watchable films is wasted in this. I have to agree that the plot of this film is ridiculous. Even Johnathan Banks was mercifully killed off early in the film. I see that he may make a Phillip Marlowe film. He's a little too old for that role, but I could imagine him pulling it off if he has a good script and director.