jacobmounter Reviews

Dexter: New Blood: Sins of the Father (2022) Season 1, Episode 10

Disappointing... but

[6/10 · 10 January 2022]

My rating has mostly to do with the story and execution.

So Harrison Kills Dexter.

Not only that but Dexter breaks the code unnecessarily (he could have just choked the officer out or something).

He should know that letting his son kill him would leave Harrison in jail for murder so why get him to do that?

On top of that there were some awkward lines in this episode, sometimes at essential moments, which take you out of it and make you think "Dexter wouldn't say that." Unfortunately the new season of Dexter was even more sloppy than the ending of the 8th season.

Sadly we've once again been handed a rushed and mistreated ending to a mostly excellent show.

Dave Chappelle: The Closer (2021 TV Special)

Great standup if you haven't seen him before

[7/10 · 24 October 2021]

This is the first time I watched Dave thanks to the coverage he's been getting online.

I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud at times.

Just wanted to say though, after going back and watching his other special Equanimity I was very disappointed to find out he does the same skit about the Chinese woman who's Californian in that one too.

Which made me ask, "Aren't these supposed to be SPECIALS?". If he's using the same material from other specials then it's not really special is it?

Anyway, apart from that, it's great fun.

Dune (2021)

Overrated, is IMDb broken?

[5/10 · 21 October 2021]

Hanz Zimmer does the music, I was surprised because it's very dull and sounds like every other epic score.

It's hard to understand.

Constant telling rather than showing.

Characters are extremely flat and you will have almost zero to relate to.

Environment is boring. Just sand everywhere. Where are they supposed to get food?

Overall the movie is boring and leaves you with absolutely nothing. The only saving graces are that it is beautifully shot, acting is fine but nothing great and the last 30 mins are somewhat entertaining.

The first 1hr30 is extremely slow.

If you don't watch it, you won't be missing a lot.

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Not really sure what to make of this documentary

[5/10 · 30 July 2021]

Admittedly I had to turn it off after 30 minutes.

It's extremely fast paced and tries really hard to get you excited about something you don't care about.

There's talk about how their work inspired other artists in the beginning and yet there's no evidence or comparisons made. You just have to go along with it.

Their music isn't clearly shown, I kept asking myself, "is this background music theirs?" We're told about their music and not shown their music.

If I'm not interested in the first 30 minutes of a documentary then I'm not going to waste my time.

Really wanted to like it aswell since I'm a fan of the director. He is clearly in the wrong lane here though.

Wildlife (2018)

What a load of...

[6/10 · 11 June 2019]

ACTING: The casting of the son was so wrong. He looked nothing like his parents and it was super off putting. He's a great actor but he was not right for the role at all. Jake was the bomb as always, and Carey was ok, if not meh. She almost cracks a smile at one point when she's supposed to be serious. STORY: I was disappointed at the ending, where Jake's character essentially finds out his wife's been seeing another man, WITH HIS SON AROUND. I was looking forward for something super dark, since my blood had been boiling throughout the film at the wife's infidelity and disgusting character. And what happens? He pours a bit of gasoline on the porch and sets it on fire. A small fire at that. All is forgiven, and we get this wishy washy ending where everyone is affraid to confront what actually happened... really unsatisfying. DANO: The director / writer did very well for his first movie, he has had extensive life experience of what a great film looks like so this makes perfect sense. My only gripe is that some of the shots are really badly framed. Like when the phone rings and the boy sits up on the couch. Half his head is going off frame. These sort of mistakes take you out of the movie, make you realise, oh yeah I'm staring at a screen. Anyway, decent movie, but extremely forgettable with nothing really to take away except that you should do what's right for your kids and not marry stupid untrustworthy gold digging women.

Finding Neighbors (2013)

Waste of time, is Okay at best.

[5/10 · 29 July 2017]

Decent performances. But I was really just disappointed at the end. I was intregued throughout and trying to persevere, although I was borderline tempted to turn it off. The relationships weren't interesting enough. And the wife just creates all the problems, not the husband. He's not even depressed, he's just going through a dry spell artistically and she's just messing up his life. Watch the movie with this in mind. She doesn't have anything redeeming about her. The only interesting person was the female neighbour and she just disappears somewhere in the middle. Wouldn't recommend, there are tonnes of better movies to spend your time with, this one is just frustratingly all over the place.

The Wailing (2016)

Chilling...

[9/10 · 25 September 2016]

I was surprised to find out this movie ran for 2.5 hours! It absolutely flew by and I started to worry about my health... being in a constant mode of tension for that long can't be good for you! But hey, what an experience. The story unfolds quite nicely, and isn't too difficult to follow, although at the beginning I was close to finding another movie because the story seemed a bit plain, I'm glad I stuck with it. It's not long until you find yourself quite engrossed. There isn't any stand out acting performances I'd say apart from the main character and the Japanese man, who have some really powerful scenes! Oh my goodness this movie wraps up quite demonically, in a good way. If there is an innocent bone in your body, you'll be a bit shaken up by this movie. Let yourself get engrossed. Don't expect a happy ending. If you want a fright, you'll have a good time ;)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Clearly Amateur but has a lot of heart

[7/10 · 24 September 2016]

This movie is worth watching. The story could've gone a bit harder with the struggles of being a foster child. The main emotion here being used is anger. But when the child is alone, he doesn't seem upset in the least about his situation, only ever grumpy. It bothered me a little and the acting pulled me out of it a few times. I think the boy did a great job in the comedic and conversational parts, in fact the conversations seemed very real and you can see in some situations where Sam Neil wants to say more but looks like he doesn't know what to say. One thing I hate about amateur movies, I'm sorry if you don't see this as one but I do, is they put in scenes, take shots of things because they cost money and or put an actor in the spotlight, but they feel There are a few slightly lulling moments you might be bored by, but some real gems like the lord of the rings reference and some Rhys Darby moments you'll probably love. If you want an easy "running away from it all" movie, you'll be hard pressed to find one as good as this this year so far.

The Wind Rises (2013)

A different view

[7/10 · 23 June 2014]

Let's begin with the positive.

This movie is undeniably well crafted. There's more animation in a woman folding her shirt than there is in an entire episode of Naruto.

The music was nice, but scarce and often held quite a similar theme throughout the film.

The story was good, mainly a character driven plot, with some enjoyable dream scenes. I liked how throughout the film it shifted between dream/imagination and reality. Sometimes I questioned whether this story was set in the real world or some alternate universe, with subtle differences.

Now a few negative comments and why I had to drop three stars... I personally felt it was a little bit too slow. This doesn't mean to say I wanted something fast paced, because it almost felt like the pacing of the film reflected the beautiful calm of souring through the sky in a plane.

But some scenes really did feel far too slow, and I felt there was far too much animation, I hate to say it, wasted on fleshing out scenes when it could have been put to much better use adding to facial animation (which I'll get to in a tick) or even making another movie!

The emotional content felt like it was poorly executed in places and could have had a much more jarring effect. A good way to put it is anticlimactic, not in content just execution. Their faces also didn't really show much emotion; usually if someone was sad, they'd keep the same expression and tears would form. Perhaps this lack of facial expression throughout the film could just be the culture of the Japanese and not an issue with bad acting, yes animators are actors.

Also, it was quite void of music which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it might have made it that much better with an amazing score.

All in all, I left the film fairly satisfied, it was a pleasure to watch but I won't be going out of my way to recommend this film, unless I was speaking to someone with a love for animation. After the hype has died down I think it'll average out to around 7.4-7.7/10

Boy Wonder (2010)

Excuse me? 6.4/10?!

[9/10 · 7 December 2011]

I have no idea why this film has a 6.4 out of 10. It is truly great. If you enjoy revenge films then this is perfect for you.

The acting is very good and the editing was fantastic and clearly done very carefully.

I don't like telling people too much when i recommend a film as this dents the experience but rest assured you won't know what direction this film will take you. That is the great thing about it.

Also i kind of felt like I was reading a superhero comic. And it does reference batman at times. So for fans, look out for that!

Just sit back and let it pull you in. Go see it!

X: First Class (2011)

Best Xmen film yet!

[9/10 · 1 June 2011]

Xmen: First Class is simply fantastic. Strong emotion and explosive action. The acting is top notch. Delivery from every actor is at it's best, more so from Mystique, Beast, Xavier and Magneto.

The story is more character based than action, however the action sequences are still superb. Personally i'd have liked to of seen it being a 15 and have a more adult but it wasn't a big issue. Also some more background story from the bad super's would have been good but again this wasn't too much of an issue and would leave some nice room for upcoming xmen movies.

I don't want to say too much but to break it down... Go see this film no matter what you are into. There is something for everyone. 9/10 easy

The Joker Blogs (2008–2017)

This guy deserves recognition!

[9/10 · 24 May 2011]

A fantastic series you can watch online. The series spans 19 episodes and a few shorter stories in between to fill in the gaps. Roughly about 5 minutes each.

The story is about Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist, interviewing The Joker and eventually becoming obsessed with him. The creators of this series wanted to give it a Christopher Nolan feel so it's a more realistic approach to the cartoon version of the story.

Scott McClure plays the Joker and he does an amazing job. His voice isn't exactly like Heath's but every other aspect of him is almost perfect and he stays in character at all times. All the other actors in this are good but some could have been better. Seen as this was low-budget it is forgivable. At the end there is a surprise guest actor at the end which i won't spoil for you and suggest you don't look at the cast just yet as it makes it all the better! The full series is shown through hand-held camera which works so well, like a documentary. The Joker takes it out when he escapes and has someone on the inside that puts them on his youtube channel so it feels as if you are watching the real thing. It's actually amazing how realistic it feels now that i think back at it. Certain things like how they managed to get helicopters and police car chases still boggles my mind.

I could go on for a good while but to break it down... It's unique and very creative. It starts off fairly slow but still entertaining. As it goes on it gets much much better, but don't skip the beginning episodes because of this. All acting is overall fantastic and it really feels quite realistic. Give it a good chance, you won't be disappointed especially if you are a Dark Knight fan!