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lauarrojo
Reviews
Justified (2010)
Dumbing down so the bad guy gets away with everything
It's frustrating to see how they even make an effort to create every character so dumb just so the mediocre bad guy can get away with his really lame and easy to catch decisions. It's like he owns the world and everyone else catches up way too late. He's no gansta king or warlord criminal by the way. Just a regular street criminal with no smart qualities. It's just that everyone else is this stupid.
They expect the audience to be this slow ? It gets old. He has no gang, he has no power really, and everyone hates his guts, even the people that works for him at one point or the other. I haven't finished the first season but when you find yourself deleting old files in your phone just to make space while watching a series, it's time to realize the series is getting very boring. The actors are great, but the writing is so so lame makes me angry so I'd rather do something else while watching it. Nothing original, nothing special, and the main character, who's supposed to have the "smart traits" one would want in one, always gets short.
House of the Dragon (2022)
It started with a weak plot and at the 6th EP it deflated like meringue
I'm giving 5 stars, one for each passable episode. But what the heck happened in episode 6?
What makes a story good? Conflict. Greater stakes make for an interesting story.
There isn't much at stake, since there isn't a big menace. Daemon seems to be the biggest threat against the king, he seemed ambitious and smart, and basically has more balls than the most gullible king I've seen in any fiction. You may think great, there is a story. It builds at the right pace up until episode 5. Daemon and Rhaenys seem to have friction and the hots for each other, ok, interesting. They have a passionate encounter at her wedding with Laenor, then her father the king drops -you may think dead- but nope.
Come episode 6, apparently 10 years have passed, that old dying king is pretty much alive ..hooray! Mid ages with a miraculous cure now he doesn't even cough , Whatever.
Rhaenys is now married to Laenor, all that character building of an adventurous curious girl out the window. She is now bearing children one after the other (she vehemently didn't want to bear children) but wait there's more! The kids are from some random knight (watch of the city or something) a random new guy we don't give a damn about... And they don't even seem to be in love, there's not even a scene to show 'hey during those 10 years they grew on each other' or something.
Meanwhile daemon is also having children, drinking and getting fat in somebody else's house, doing the married life (the "ladies" house days are over apparently) he doesn't give a dang about anything at all, he just retired. What? The point of building an interesting character is to show their ambitions. He was the only one who had them. He really wanted power. He did crazy things for it.
Now for no reason at all he got married had children and wants to live off of some lord in the country?
Not to mention after ten years Rhaenys looks 40 (she was around 16 before) daemon and Sir Criston didn't age a peep, not even a wrinkle or a gray hair.
Btw to make things worse people usually detest when you cast new characters to make them age. That was a really really bad idea.
Alicent went from virgin Mary Sue to wanna-be cersei.
This sure is a mess and if it doesn't get fixed it's gonna flop like a warm flan. Turn it around, hire new writers or read a book on how to build characters, but don't waste this opportunity!
The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (2020)
Poor delivery and confusing exposition (and I've seen 'Dark')
The idea is good, but is convoluted script that goes into tangents and makes people dizzy.
I've seen Dark, Donnie Darko, Inception, etc. So is not the first time I watch an alternative timelines movie.
But you have to keep a thorough followup of every aspect of each story otherwise it ends up like Lost, so many mysterious timelines and situations that are left unexplained.
Some things are left to the viewer's interpretation, that's ok. What's the life form that controls humans ? Aliens? AI? Archons? Or just ourselves boycotting our own choices ? That's for you to decide.
But even in sci-fi there are rules you have to follow. Laws created in the very own world you write about.
Like when Freddie finds Cindy in that old room they've been at 10 years ago... She hasn't aged, nor is she eating drinking pooping shaving? She's still young and perky, no baggy eyes, nothing. Just as they left her ten years ago. I mean I get the multiple timelines idea but people still are supposed to age in them ! It makes no sense and Good luck guessing if that's even what it is, because some things are not even timelines , they're just Freddie's imagination.
What about the numbers in the bathroom stall? What about the scared kid popping up wherever Freddie is to explain what this is about? Etc etc etc
Reminds me of lost, adding many details and failing to deliver an explanation, because there are so many that in the end most didn't have a reason to exists in the first place, just ideas they probably got in the shower and forgot to give them meaning.
Overall I think the concept is good albeit nothing new, but could have been a better delivery with a clear exposition.
The Voyeurs (2021)
Underrated movie, more plot twists than the world political stage
Lately most movies are either political, or ideological, or woke or just boring. If you're looking for mere entertainment and fun and unexpected plot twists, give it a try. Most low ratings are about some actor who changes his accent, I couldn't care less. I usually get bored with new movies because they are so boring or lame or predictable. This one makes you question where the heck is this going? You can imagine some plot twist and get it right but sometimes you won't see it coming.
But whatever it is, you're gonna be asking yourself questions instead of ending up cleaning your house while the movie's in the background because it's so slow and boring (lately that's what happens when I start a movie ) point being the story moves and keeps your attention. It's a movie guys, and does its job. I'm glad I accidentally found it.
Alma (2022)
Telenovela melodrama with some supernatural background... When they remember to write it.
I guess they started writing with the idea of a supernatural show... But right of the bat it goes full soap opera mode on steroids and stretches like melted bubble gum.
Dramatic forced scenes that wanna make you cry, but you don't even know therefore care for these characters yet. Welp, that continues throughout.
It does move along so you can continue watching but do some chores in the meantime just so the long soapy scenes won't bore you.
I mean seriously, cry cry cry and more crying come on, it's cringe. Stop writing excessive crying characters, it becomes a satire!
Dexter: New Blood (2021)
We're All Back Here For Michael C. Hall
The true miraculous event of creating a smart character that it's given life by the only actor who can play it doesn't happen often, specially in the last few years of movies and television.
This is why we're all craving our so missed characters like Dexter.
Having no one to fall in love with modern fictional characters, the minute we heard Dexter was coming back we all flipped out!
Studios know this. This is why we're seeing so much recycling of old good solid characters played by "creature" actors that aren't easy to find.
The season started bland in my opinion but this is because we have high standards. The original Dexter series was so good we had high expectations.
But we're patient. They don't need to sell us Dex, we are in love with him already thanks to Michael.
But he can't do the show on his own.
We need intelligent characters around him.
I never felt anything for Angela, and I'm not saying I have to like her but come on, give her a bit more Depth! All the dislikable characters in the first series were also likable because they were good enemies for our main player. But now, the kids are just Disney like characters, Harrison can only pout for every take, whether he's angry or sad , and it didn't feel like it was going anywhere fast till the last episode.
My god what a disappointment.
Dex knows how to choke someone without killing them, just let them pass out... we, his followers, seen that! Now he just kills good people? He's been in worse situations and didn't kill innocent people.
It just went downhill like a flan dessert on a hot day.
And Harrison just decides to shoot him ? I thought you didn't want to kill like your daddy, why not just turn him in and teach him a lesson ? After bonding, he doesn't think it twice, sure Jan.
I'm so angry I'm gonna create my own ending in my imagination, cause I can't bare the thought of him dying in such a pathetic way. I got more to say (Angela was the stupidest cop till the last few minutes, etc) but it's just beating a dead horse.
They already said he's not coming back. But they're weighing the options of a Harrison come back.
Don't bother.
We were here for Michael C Hall.
Spiral (2019)
Slow at first but gets to a point
I don't think 2 or 3 stars is fair, and I tend to dislike new movies easily. Yes it's slow at first and could've had more "filling" in the beginning/middle but still it delivers by the end. The cinematography is really good, and although some conversations between the couple are ridiculous (long time relationships don't get into simple break up fights) and you expect the main character to react to certain situations that are insane yet he brushes them off (don't wanna spoil here) but overall ends up entertaining as it should.
The Dinner (2017)
this "movie" doesn't move ANYWHERE!
I think the lack of creative screenplays is making good actors lean towards seemingly independent but TERRIBLE writing.
Indie doesn't mean good.
Apples are red, leafs are green, and rich assholes are rich assholes. Shocking reveal!
What you get from this movie? Nothing. (or the desire to speed it up, see if it goes anywhere)
A film is supposed to leave you with a feeling, that we translate as a thought and then we talk about it at the parking lot.
I think they wanted to show that some rich privileged people would do anything and say anything and believe anything when faced with the fact that their kids are disgusting monsters.
So. F'ing. What? What else is new?
Other thing: scripts are NOT suppose to go along for ten minutes sounding like a natural dialog, rambling about the same thing, no new ideas, or new conflicts, just talk talk talk repeating the same thing a character thinks.
A script (specially dialog in a script) has a point: to move (movies?) the story forward(which there is none, crazy enough)
Oh, what's with the occasional drifting to Paul Lohman's past? it has nothing to do with anything! like a movie that wanted to grow out of this one... cut it out in editing, and it will be as if it have never even existed. (meaning: not necessary) (if someone says "to show the relationship with the brother I say: audiences are not stupid: we see them at dinner: we get it.)
Writing 101 any movie goer will understand!
I don't like to write bad reviews (come on, people paying and working hard to get a movie done) but I'm done seeing so much talent, money, efforts go to waste for awful (and sometimes pretentious) scripts.
Agents: please call your actors when you actually get good material!!
Not Safe for Work (2014)
Awesome thriller! the reasons why others didn't like it are precisely why I LOVED it
I don't think I've ever wrote a review, but I think I need to write one for this movie; it totally deserves it and you probably need it.
I found this movie by chance, the way you find small movies without a big release. Maybe I should have known this by now, but IMDb ratings are not to be trusted. When I saw 5.7 after watching the movie it made no sense to me. But then I remembered seeing 9 stars ratings to movies that afterwards turned out to be absolute crap. This movie is really good. And I haven't seen something good in a long time. I won't summarize the plot like everyone else does because you have read that part at least 11 times from different people. And I didn't read anything before watching it, just the log line, which was good otherwise I might have passed on it. But I'm going to tell you what I think you want to know.
I see the reasons why people who didn't like this movie are giving it a low rate. And what's funny is that the reasons why they didn't like the movie are a few of the reasons why I LOVED it. They say it doesn't have high action scenes, which it is not true, unless what they mean by action scenes is car explosions, a guy beating another guy to a pulp, and the classic muscle guy with his machine gun, or things of the like. I find that kind of movie to be tacky, more of the same bull and absolutely boring, but hey, we all have different tastes right?
The action of the movie is superb and it doesn't keep you at the edge of the seat, it makes you stand up, pause the movie and go have a glass of water because you are trying to keep yourself from pulling your hairs out. I also read that people were expecting "humor" well... this is a thriller, not the hangover (well that is not humorous either but that's another story, another review...) They were also expecting thoughtful dialogs and a sophisticated storyline.
Well as for the dialogs is true, they don't quite have time to recite Shakespeare when they are in danger and is not like it has 14 characters and you get time to go back on their lives and see "who they are", etc... sorry folks, the story is about what happens in the building and why is happening, no "background story" time, and of course is not necessary.
As for the storyline, is really good, keeping in mind that is a simple plot though a complex situation.
I love smart dialog, I am a Sorkin fan, but this movie doesn't need it, is about what's happening, not much about who they are and what are they going to become. Not that there isn't smart dialog, is only that there's little dialog since a killer might hear you...
It is a smart movie, if you like smart movies and you're as frustrated as me because there hasn't been any lately, you'll want to watch this gem. I always doubt when it comes to watching a small movie happening all in one place, but you won't feel the sense of staleness, trust me. Yes, in a few scenes you're gonna find yourself thinking "oh come on Tom, don't" but not enough to make you want to call it quits. Overall, Tom is a smart guy, and so is the killer, and I think is safe to say most of us are looking for smart characters so the movie can be entertaining right?
As for the ending, I see some criticism saying is predictable. Well there aren't many options where the ending can go, are there? is not predictable when you kind of have a very narrow chance at making it super unpredictable. But is not as predictable as you might think and what is great is that it seems to leave it open for more. I don't like sequels but I sure want one out of this awesome movie!!
One last thing, I see some give it a low rate due to technicalities that are really minor details that you won't care about -or even notice- because the movie is good, it fulfills its purpose... let me put it this way, there are some people that will criticize LOST and hate the show because of the many flaws they would find, little things that nobody who wants a good entertaining show would give a s--- about. You decide.
Stop reading, and go watch it. Then you'll hear my voice in your head saying "I told you so"