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Reviews
Wrong Turn (2021)
Just Wrong
I have the first 6 Wrong Turn movies on Blu-Ray. There's some drop-off from one to the next, but liked all of them. I got this movie because I had read some of the reviews said this movie was as good or better than the original. Wrong. This wasn't even half as good as Wrong Turn 6. This was basically what a Wrong Turn movie would look like if it were produced by Lifetime. There *were* a few good scenes in the movie (thus the 2 stars, as opposed to 1 star). However, the rest was boring. Flat acting, no urgency and unlikable protagonist characters. Very disappointing.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
"Ouch!" Brutally Honest Review by a Wonder Woman Fan
I'm a Wonder Woman fan (full disclosure - I originally couldn't picture anybody other than Lynda Carter as the big or small screen Wonder Woman, but during the wait from when Gal Gadot was announced as Wonder Woman until she was introduced on-screen - I warmed up to Gal Gadot and have even embraced her as WW.) The first Gal Gadot one wasn't bad, but both of these movies only have 2 gears within the movies - 1st gear and 5th gear. In 5th gear, AKA the action scenes, the movies are generally good, however, in 1st gear, they're boring and painfully slow. I 'get' that you can't make a movie 'all' action from beginning to end, because you can't sustain that intensity and keep the audience interest, but there 'are' other 'gears that can allow the audience to take a breath and start building to the action again, without a full drop to a dull 1st gear. Please....mix it up and be more creative with the writing. I found the Max Lord character to be the worst combination of annoying and boring. I read that he's going to be in the next WW movie. I don't think I'll be watching it if that's the case. They didn't really take advantage of setting the movie in the 80s except for a couple baffling, 'forced' scenes. There was an embarrassing fight scene that reminded me of a Saturday morning TV show. I 'really' want the DC movies to be good, and close the gap to the Marvel movies, but they're not going to do it the way they did with WW84. There's only ever been maybe 20 movies that are both 2.5 hours or longer 'and' good. The rating for WW84 on IMDB as I write this is 5.4 out of 10, and that's roughly percentage of good content to bad content - 54% to 46%. Whatever the reason for the 2.5hr length ( it's possible that they didn't care how long it was, since it wasn't in the theaters and thus wasn't limiting the number of showings) it was a bad idea. They could have easily edited 30 minutes to an hour out of the movie without missing anything. They need to follow the show business mantra - 'Always keep them wanting more'. I got goosebumps with the reveal of 'Asteria', but I wonder how many people stopped watching before the credits. I'd like to see 'Asteria' featured in the next movie. I saw a comment somebody posted that they thought 'Asteria' should fight 'Wonder Woman'. Not a bad idea considering the disappointment of WW84.
Daredevil (2015)
Perhaps the Best Comic-Book Series . . .
I'm familiar with a lot of Comic Book Heroes and their respective movies & TV series, but hadn't been very familiar with DareDevil. My introduction to the character was the 2003 movie Daredevil, so it was with some trepidation that I even tried the Netflix series.
I took a chance on it because I saw that Deborah Ann Woll was going to be in it, and she was great as 'Jessica' on 'True Blood'. I'm glad I took a chance, because not only is Deborah Ann Woll great as 'Karen' on Daredevil, the entire series is well-cast. I would have to say that nobody would be better as Wilson Fisk than Vincent D'Onofrio. I'm very impressed with his talent as a 'chameleon' to become a character. I've become more and more aware of movies that I've seen him in, that I didn't realize until afterward that it was him in a certain role.
DareDevil is well-written, well-shot and well-produced. The series is dark in tone and setting, but not without humor. All of the main characters have proper introductions and backstory. All the martial arts scenes are well-executed and impressive. This review is for the first 2 seasons and I'm looking forward to season 3.
Terminator Genisys (2015)
Worst...Terminator...Ever...
I'm a Terminator fan, so let me give you my opinions of the series so far, so you'll know what I was hoping for in Genesys (there *are* some spoilers):
The Terminator - Very Good. Original interesting story. Well cast, written, directed, produced and edited. Arnold perfect as the Terminator with a good infusion of humor.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Excellent. All the good aspects of The Terminator along with tremendous special effects, a new terminator, the interesting twist of Arnold as a 'good' terminator and more 'self-aware' humor.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Good. Reading through the user reviews I was a little surprised that more people didn't like it. T3 perhaps elevated humor higher in the mix of sci-fi and action than in any of the movies. IMHO, when Kristanna Loken as the T-X licks the discarded bandage and does an instantaneous DNA analysis and match to John Connor - then gets this subtle smile of realization and anticipation - that's brilliant comedy.
Terminator Salvation - Horrible. This movie removed any and all humor whatsoever. It wasn't fun and it wasn't that interesting.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TV Series) - Very Good. I had no idea what to expect, but although it took a little getting used to a new Sarah Connor and John Connor - it was well cast, written, directed, produced and edited. Summer Glau and Shirley Manson add excellent humor.
Terminator Genesys - This movie was a long time in the making, with numerous re-writes and recasting over several years, so when I first heard it was going to be released, I had high hopes. Then I saw the casting - and other than Emilia Clarke and Arnold of course, I suddenly had a lot of doubts about it. More doubts ensued when about 75% of the the trailer I saw for Genesys in the theater was James Cameron talking about how great he thought the movie was and that it fit his vision of what the 3rd movie should've been. Genesys had a reasonable opening weekend, but the true test of a movie is its longevity after word of mouth spreads. It did poorly the 2nd weekend, and I knew it had to be bad. Yet with all my reservations about it, I figured that with such low expectations going in, that it couldn't disappoint me. I was wrong. It's horrible. It was as if the worst deleted scenes from a previously unreleased Terminator movie were blindly and randomly edited together. I'm not one to gripe about whether the time travel theories are scientifically feasible - it's science fiction - but I don't like a movie itself to be disjunctive and lack continuity. The jokes that tried to emulate Arnold's catch-phrases from earlier movies fell short and weren't funny. The CG 'young' Arnold were impressive, but definitely not enough to make the movie worth watching.
Couples Retreat (2009)
Wasn't expecting much, but still disappointed
Although I really like some of the cast, especially Kristen Bell, I just didn't find this funny at all. I didn't find the trailer funny, and wasn't really expecting much, but I had hoped when I watched this on cable that I might find some bright spots. I didn't. I think part of the problem may have been an improperly targeted audience. It seems when a movie tries to appeal to too big of an audience it usually fails. I noticed that the rating was PG-13. I don't know if it was 'toned down' so it could draw a broader and more lucrative audience, but I don't know that teens have the experience to understand adult relationships and I don't know if they would find it funny if they did. I'm an adult with experience in adult relationships and I didn't think it was funny. Kristen Bell can be very funny when given the chance, but as in many cases, I feel she was limited by the material. If not for a well-known cast and the fantastic tropical island location(s) where it was shot I'd likely give the movie 1 star as opposed to the the 3 stars I've given it.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Not familiar with the graphic novel, but found the movie very enjoyable
I've never read the graphic novel that this movie is based on, but I like Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and thought I'd give it a shot since she was in it. I also saw a clip she brought from the movie on a talk show and found it to be intriguing. Although I don't know that I laughed early in the movie, I thought all of it was interesting and once I was drawn into this world, I laughed hard. It has a clever and entertaining blend of real-life with well-timed sound effects and visuals from comic books, classic video games and includes some impressive over-the-top Martial Arts. If those things don't sound fun to you, you may not enjoy this movie, but I found it to be a very pleasant surprise.
Badlands (1973)
Puts the 'Bad' in Badlands
I was stunned and amazed by the great reviews of this movie. It's unfortunate that you can't (yet) rate 'why' a movie is good or bad, because this is definitely a tale of two movies. As a drama, I give the rating which I entered as my official rating 1 out of 10 stars. This is no reflection on Martin Sheen or Sissy Spacek's talents or performances. Neither is it a reflection on the general plot, since it was based on a true story (a fact, which until recently I didn't know). I own the movie, and watch it from time to time, but it's because I would give the movie about 7 out of 10 stars as a comedy. The dialogue is hilarious! My brother and I saw it in the early 80s on t.v., pre-cable, and laughed until we were almost crying. So anyway I couldn't in good conscience give a movie that is categorized as a drama, and is so horribly bad, a good rating. If somebody recommended this movie to me as a great drama, I would never trust their opinion on anything else again. Anyway, it's interesting to see how differently people see this movie, but variety is the spice of life. It's doubtful anyone will get through the current 12 pages of comments on this movie to read my comments, but few movies I've seen, if any, have polarized audiences like this one. There's plenty of movies where people seem to either love it or hate it, but this is the only one I can think of where the two opposing factions would give a movie the same rating for opposite reasons.
Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993)
Great Cast, Interesting Movie
Like many movies, your expectations going in can greatly influence your opinion of a movie. This is one is an exception to my expectations. I really like the main cast - Bridgett Fonda, Tim Roth, Phoebe Cates and Eric Stoltz and went in with pretty high expectations. The movie met my expectations. It was neither disappointing, nor the best movie I'd ever seen, but was very satisfying. If you like the cast, you'll most likely enjoy the movie. It had been quite a while since I had seen Phoebe Cates in anything, so I was glad to see her in this movie. I like Tim Roth and Bridgett Fonda in just about every movie they make. The movie also features Alicia Witt in one of her earlier roles.
Lost in Translation (2003)
What was lost, is found
This is a movie that I never considered seeing in the theater or even renting, but I knew that at some point I wanted to see. I saw it on cable recently and I really enjoyed it. I'm surprised and thrilled to see that so many people have enjoyed the movie as much as I have. I've spent some time working in Asia, and I could definitely relate to the feeling of isolation and culture shock experienced by some of the characters in the movie. It's a very low-key, sweet movie. Bill Murray is funny as you might expect, but he's a lot more reserved and calm than most of his roles. All that being said, this a tough movie to recommend to people, because I think if people go in with big expectations they'll be somewhat disappointed. It's a very casual, relaxed film, but I really liked it.
After Hours (1985)
Great Cast, Bad Movie
If not for a great cast - Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Terri Garr, Linda Fiorentino, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, John Heard and Catherine O'Hara, I would've given an even lower rating than the five I have given it. I thought it started out great - drawing you in - making you think it's going to be an enjoyable comedy/mystery roller-coaster ride, but some very slow scenes further into the movie without any kind of payoff were a big turnoff, and it devolved from there. It's not that there weren't any good gags, but they were few and far between. I realize there's supposed to be a dark of mysterious element to it, but to me, it didn't work on any level.
21 Grams (2003)
Not What I was Expecting
I don't remember seeing trailers for this, or if they explained the significance of '21 Grams'. Either way, I was under the impression that the 21 Grams was a drug reference. Apparently, 21 Grams is supposed to be how much your soul weighs. This is based on a few occasions where someone was weighed immediately prior to, and immediately after death, and the 21 Grams difference between the two weighings was thought to be the weight of the soul. I had never heard of this before, but it is interesting. There *is* drug use in the movie, but I think it's coincidental. I liked this movie, which I watched because I like Naomi Watts, but I have to admit, this movie would be really depressing except that there is so much irony in the tragic occurrences that they are funny. Not that I laughed, but the humor in the irony, helped balance out the tragic events. I don't know if I've explained that clearly enough, but I liked the movie. If you like dramas and the actors in this movie, you'll enjoy it.
The 6th Day (2000)
Could Have, Should Have Been Better
I'm an Arnold fan, so I expect a lot from his movies. Although far from Arnold's worse film, 6th Day could well have been up there with his best movies. The plot is a good idea - topical and Sci-fi that uses science that exists now, or will very soon be possible. There are other cloning movies, but this is the first movie I had seen where they had an 'explanation' of how humans could be cloned so quickly. They had the adult human 'shells' that just needed the DNA to be infused to quickly grow a clone. The other first in this movie, was that this was the first movie that I'd seen where clones could easily be identified as clones - if you knew where to look. However, the movie was too long, and the subplot with the remote helicopters (although cool) was convoluted and awkward. If this were edited and paced better, it could have at least been an 8 or 9.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Astoundingly Over-rated
The AFI's top 100 movies of all time doesn't have many movies that I disagree with, but I don't know of a more boring movie than Citizen Kane. I realize that some of the cinematography is considered "revolutionary", but it was incredibly boring. I wouldn't rank it in the top 1,000 movies and probably not even in the top 10,000 movies if I've actually seen that many movies, but it would take a while to count how many movies I've actually seen. If there's any silver lining to this tediously boring movie, it's that certain scenes from the movie that have been spoofed more than once on the Simpsons with which they did an excellent job. It was then, and only then that I was glad I had seen it.
Star Wars (1977)
Lifelong Impact Movie
I saw this movie at the theater, and I've never experienced anything like it, before or since. I went into the movie not knowing anything about it, and it just blew me away. I was drawn into it immediately, and was in awe throughout. The movie has all the elements you could want in a movie. It has an intriguing story, action, humor, romance, cool special effects (pre-CG, but way ahead of their time in 1977), a tremendous musical score and has moral lessons about greed, temptation, sacrifice and loyalty. Good and Evil are clearly defined and the fight of Good vs. Evil is the central theme. George Lucas and his extremely talented crew got everything everything right in this movie. The movie benefited from two previous Lucas projects. THX-1138 and American Graffiti. STAR WARS blended Lucas' interest in technology with warm, human, defined characters. If you haven't seen the movie, I would recommend watching the original version, not the Special Edition re-release.