Change Your Image
benjhoy
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Babylon 5: The Road Home (2023)
Convoluted plot mars an otherwise cool idea
Really loved the original series but sadly this wasn't for me. The jokes were unfunny, the plot was weak and convoluted and the entire movie felt more like an extended fan service than a proper stand alone film. I don't think anyone who hasn't seen the original series is going to be able to follow this as dozens of characters are introduced with insufficient backstory. For long time fans of the show, I am not sure the jokes or storyline is going to have much appeal.
On the positive side of things, the animation was decent and the voice acting was well done. The concept of bringing back the series holds a lot of potential. Sadly this was missing a lot of the original series' charm.
Barbie (2023)
One dimensional characters limit this film from reaching its potential
I was really excited to see Barbie, but sadly the film came up short for me.
On the positive side of things, the film has plenty of creativity and the idea of recreating the doll's actual world was a cool one (no stairs, no liquid in cups, feet permanently on tip toes, etc). Margot Robbie was excellent as always. Cudos to Mattel for their willingness to sign off on a film that depicts their company in such a negative light. That isn't something you commonly see.
On the negative side of things, the plot felt a bit like a rehash of the dozen or so other films I've seen that feature a "two worlds colliding theme." A lot of the silly ideas I was expecting to find funny (the beach off) fell flat for me and seemed to rely more on just saying the same joke over and over, rather than using it in a creative way.
The film's messages about the crushing weight of society's expectations on women and the uneven distribution of power/respect felt hamstrung by the lack of depth in the characters. Ken (Gosling) comes off as an idiot for the entire film and the CEO of Mattel feels more like a cartoon villain than a real person. In the end, the barbies don't aim to create a more just society, but are content instead to simply replicate problematic structures in the opposite direction. The film ends with little to no character development, no one seems to have learned anything by the end of the film. The patriarchy, which this film centers around, is reduced in places to drinking brewskies, horses, and brainwashing. Those kind of reductions make it hard to appreciate the social message that the film portrays and sells the audience's intelligence short.
Part of the problem for me, I think, is I am unsure of who the target audience for this film is meant to be. If this is meant for children, the simplistic characters and over the top messaging might make sense but the themes and jokes feel a bit dark and too adult for them. If this is meant for adults, the characters lack the nuance that Gerwig was able to show in some of her other work (Ladybird).
In the end, there are a few fun moments in this film, but the films heavy handed messaging mixed with the lack of depth/nuance in characters means it doesn't hit nearly as hard as it probably should have.
Wszyscy moi przyjaciele nie zyja (2020)
A fun and silly Christmas horror
The film is silly and a little slockey, but was everything I was looking for.
Other reviewers have described this as an American pie + horror and that seems about right. The film is over the top (in the best possible ways). It has an intricate array of interesting stories that overlap into a complete blood bath. The acting, script, and direction are all effective and the end result is a satisfying movie for those looking for something on the more ridiculous side of things. While the final ending was a little off in both conception and execution, the final showdown in the main room was delightfully silly.
Overall 7.5/10.
Angela's Christmas (2017)
Cute film with undertones critical of religion
The film was a bit of a mixed bag. The animation style was fun, the run time was quick, and the voice acting etc was all solid. The story had some nice moments.
For a religious themed film about Christmas, however, it felt surprisingly critical.
First, organized religion is depicted in a fairly unfavorable light. The priest, for example, was unkind and uncaring. In one instance he has to be reminded by a police officer how to be a decent human after he tries to throw a child in jail. If there is a villain in this story it is almost certainly him.
Second, while the film often contains valuable lessons (kindness, not stealing etc), it also suggests that miracles (at least in some instances) may have come from hoaxes or misunderstandings. Angela's sneezing (while unseen) becomes the basis of the sneezy miracle, which is accepted by some of the church goers as real. While this was certainly an adorable scene for those non-religious, it may strike a different cord for those who believe in the continued presence of miracles.
Overall, the film had an interesting story and above average voice acting. It's not a great Christmas film but is certainly a passable one. I'm mostly surprised that religious audiences seems to enjoy this one as much as they seem to given that it doesn't shine the kindest light on religious beliefs or figures.
1313: Frankenqueen (2012)
Worse than anything on the bottom 100
I have watched almost all of IMDb's bottom 100 list and half of rotten tomato's worst 100 list of 2000 and I can say without a doubt that this is the worst film I have ever seen.
Spoiler Alert.
The film has no real plot to speak of. Instead it consists of a series of scenes whose only purpose is to waste time. The most egregious of these are the walking and scanning scenes. The film spends at least ten minutes following a man walking painfully slowly by a pool and through a house. The scene could have been fifteen seconds or less. Instead it is a test of character for the audience. The scene is then followed by another ten minutes (I kid you not) of the scientist scanning the man with a book light. Again the scene could have been fifteen seconds or less. Instead we suffer through her moving the book light up and down his body. This is then repeated on other actors. After that we watch the actors work out in real time often seeing repeated footage over and over again. What little plot there is feels rushed and undeveloped at the end which makes the 50 minutes or more of senseless footage throughout the film that much more insulting. I have no idea how this film got onto netflicks. I'm convinced it was filmed in less than a single day.
I have no idea who the audience of this film is intended to be. The male actors are all attractive and spend the entire film shirtless and often in their underwear or in the shower (also clearly in their underwear). There is, however, no nudity or even implied sexuality. As a result, it feels like a softcore pornographic film that attempted to get a pg rating. I can't even imagine anyone who wanted to see shirtless men enjoying this film. Having a bunch of shirtless men flex or even suntan for 90 minutes with no plot would have been better than this travesty of a film. Congratulations Frankenqueen you have set a new low in cinema.