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jyu01
Reviews
The Good Place (2016)
"Toughen up, Nerds," it's something different
I'm only 4 episodes in, but it's already my favorite comedy on television right now.
The premise is that the characters are in some "Good place" afterlife, but it's not quite endless bliss--in fact, the show wants you to think about what that phrase really means--are you endlessly happy because you are with a bunch of other do-gooder people that make you feel inferior? Are you happy eating frozen yogurt everyday?
Or maybe, just maybe, endless bliss is a journey, kind of like life. Meanwhile, you're getting this while listening to snappy dialog and interesting and different characters. ("Toughen up, nerd" was one of Kristen Bell's lines from ep. 4.)
Seriously, this is not your average comedy.
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005)
Really not bad! Way better than the original
I am grading on a curve, but this movie was surprisingly good and faithful to the D&D theme. The actors are all unknowns and acquit themselves well, especially Clemency Burton-Hill.
This movie is superior in almost every way to the original--the acting is better (none of the overacting of Malcolm McDowell) and the dialogue is decent (cheesy, but not to a ridiculous degree like the original).
The best part is how faithful the movie is to D&D concepts like limited spell casting and a Lich controlling Wraiths. And for a $15 million dollar movie (according to IMDb), the producers did a great job of building lavish sets and costumes which give the appropriate mood and texture to the movie (again, in contrast to the fake and cheap sets of the original).
The weakest part of the movie were some of the computer effects. Understandable given the budget, but a bit of a distraction, especially since the climax uses a lot of it.
Giving this an 8 out of 10 since I'm grading on a scale (this movie was much superior to most direct-to-video or SciFi "original" movies).
Wicker Park (2004)
The Stars are So Pretty
This movie is filled with contrivances. Seriously, don't try to deconstruct or speculate on any of the leads' actions because they won't make sense. Even as parts of the plot unfold, the characters contrive to keep themselves apart. Fortunately, on the way, it plays out as a stylistic movie that keeps you in the flow, suggesting much darker themes than what transpires. The mood sets it apart from the rest of the paint by numbers romantic dramas out there. The theme succeeds, despite constant tension destroying flashbacks. This movie could have really used some better editing.
So why do I give this movie a 6? Because the stars are so pretty. And really, isn't that the point of movies?
Equilibrium (2002)
Hidden gem of a movie
Equilibrium had the misfortune of coming out around the same time as a themeatically similar, but much more high profile picture starring Tom Cruise. I think the director of that "other" movie also was of some notoriety.
Like the Dark City/Matrix relationship, however, this little gem of a movie has elements which are remarkably superior than its more famous cousin, notably a deeper plumbing of emotion and motivation, including a tremendously powerful scene of a character simply holding a staircase bannister.
Calling this a "little" gem is a bit of a misnomer as the movie is chock full of Matrix-like gunplay and special effects. In fact, I'd say it was the movie's main weakness--that the power and depth of the movie is drowned out in somewhat repetitive combat sequences.
Still, the movie manages to create a compelling world and tell a story which never fails to engross and entertain. For the record, I enjoyed the "other" movie as well--but the stories are similar enough that I do not recommend watching them back-to-back. I'm convinced this movie would've been a hit if it had been released a year sooner.