rickswami Reviews

Time Trap (2017)

A solid premise, that chugged its way to a strong finish

[7/10 · 26 September 2020]

This could have had a better start if time was taken to develop the characters. It would have been a lot easier to be empathetic to their plight and be drawn in deeper as events unfolded. Nevertheless, given what the budget for this film was, I can understand why it was lacking in that respect. For the most part the acting was decent and the best actors seem to have smaller roles, Olivia Draguicevich who played Veeves a 13 yr old who exuded the confidence of a mature adult. Olivia delivered a nice performance. Max Wright was spectacular as Furby and I wish his character was featured more in this movie, because it would have brightened some of the less finer moments in this movie when you thought it might get bogged down by a weak script that created some unrealistic reactions to what was happening at that moment. I can't say more without being a "spoiler" so I will just say that I liked this one a lot. I liked the fresh and unique approach to this Sci-Fi genre. The FX was exceptional for a movie of such a low budget. Definitely worth watching.

Villain (I) (2020)

Great performances, in spite of an overused plot. Not much is original here.

[7/10 · 23 September 2020]

Craig Fairbrass' gave a strong performance. It's unfortunate that this is such an unoriginal plot and quite overused, in my humble opinion. This is still well worth a watch though, especially to see a surprisingly magnificent performance by Izuka Hoyle. Although, she is a virtual unknown, I expect it won't be for too much longer. She was only in a few scenes but she gave a riveting performance especially in her final scene. She is beautiful and very talented. In spite of an over used plot and storyline, you will find yourself rooting for Craig's character early on in this movie. Thanks to this talented actors ability to draw you into his character to empathize with him.

Karate Kill (2016)

I could have skipped the "oh so typical" storyline and just watched the fight scenes

[4/10 · 20 September 2020]

There were more T's & A's than there were roundhouse kicks, which gave it more of a Russ Meyer's/Grindhouse feel throughout most of the movie. The fight scenes were the most redeeming factor in this film which i gave 4 stars, otherwise a 3 star would be more deserving. This film lacked continuity and a few of the actors portrayed their characters with such a cheesy lackluster performance. My guess is the cast was a mix of professional and amateur actors. Although the fight action was good, there were some noticeable repetitions that made me yawn at a few stunts. David Sakurai is a talented Karate fighter and I would like to see him in higher quality action films. Had this movie been given better supporting actors and a sensible script, I think David would have carried this movie to at least a 7 star rating or better.

Montana (2014)

Lars Mickkelson is what brings this rating to 7 stars

[7/10 · 22 August 2020]

The story/plot is great, the script writing...not so great. Given what Lars Mickkelson had to work with in terms of his lines, he did a masterful job. I thought this was going to be a typical UK movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing typical of UK movies in this film were the gratuitous F-bombs, which I am not a fan of. I think it's just lazy script writing in my opinion. The action and choreography was well done. This movie is worth the watch, seeing an unlikely pair come together and establish a strong bond with each other, and somehow make it quite believable, which can be attributed to great acting.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

This movie truly deserves 10 star rating.

[10/10 · 21 August 2020]

Brilliantly done with subtle and not so subtle messages threaded throughout the episodes. I can't say too much without spoiling it, but it starts out the first few episodes with some scenes that may be interpreted as quirkinesses or silly, but stay with it and you will discover such deep and profound meaning in this movie. The acting was superb and the dialogue soul piercing and moving. I have been a fan of K-dramas for 10 years and I have watched at least 70 or 80 of them and this is one of the best. I'm so glad that Netflix has started investing in original K-Dramas. I have also worked in the mental health field so I have an extra appreciation for the context of this film series. This has drama, thriller, crime, mystery, romance, all rolled into one, with a spectacular scenery to boot.

Job Guys (2020– )

Honest review

[4/10 · 21 August 2020]

Some of these reviews are obviously written by cast members, crew, or friends. I understand that they may be eager to promote their movie and want it to do well, but 14 reviews all over 8 stars??? for and overall 8.9 rating? Thats a higher rating than "The Hangover" (7.7). Quirky - yes, hilarious - no. The redeeming quality of this movie is that it had a good concept and storyline. However, this film proves that there is such a thing as trying too hard to be funny. Brandons comedic acting was way, way over the top at times and this took away from the scene. The actors had their good moments and bad when it came to their pace and timing. Brandons character had the potential to be very funny had he flowed better in his timing and delivered his lines with a little more subtlety. At times, I felt like I was watching a jr high school play. The effects in the gun play and fight scenes were ok, considering that this was a low budget production. The best actor in this movie was Alessandra DeMartino as Maria. There were a few laughs in this movie and some episodes were better than others. Since the episodes are short, you could finish this series of 12 episodes relatively quick. I believe that all the actors in this movie have the potential to be good actors, so I would fault the director with whatever was lacking there. This was not a bad movie, but I think it missed the mark for a bonafide comedy. I would like to see what the producers could have done with a larger production budget with these same actors. I will keep my eyes out for what's next and I will give it a shot.

Death Kiss (2018)

His resemblance to Charles Bronson is uncanny

[6/10 · 25 May 2019]

Overall script and acting probably deserves a 4.5, but I gave it a 6, for the Bronson look-a-like. His gate and facial expressions make this movie worth watching for any Bronson fans. When I judge a film, I always give consideration to the budget. With this being an obviously low budget film, there shouldn't be any kind of "high budget" expectations, so it was actually better than I expected. Daniel Baldwin was the only well known actor here, and he played his role considerably well. The plot was a bite off of Death Wish, if you were to jump right into the story. Which is the weakness of the screenplay. There was no character development whatsoever, but it appears that the writer expected you to be able to keep up as soon as you saw our Bronson look-a-like on screen. He actually made me forget about how poorly the special effects were (not special at all). Most movies of this caliber, I would have quit watching midway through. Robert (Kovacs) Bronzi and Daniel Baldwin, kept me engaged. If you keep in mind that this is a low budget "Death Wish" re-make, it will be worthwhile to see Bronson on screen again in the form of the actor Robert Bronzi. If he makes another movie, I would be willing to watch it.

Magellan (2017)

imaginitive and creative

[7/10 · 23 January 2018]

The first thing about this film that every viewer needs to realize is that it was done with an extremely low budget. No flash and glamour in this one. However, this is a thought provoking film. The screenplay was well written and Brandon Ray Olive gave a great performance as Commander Roger Nelson. I was so entranced as the story unfolded, that I did not care about the low budget props. Even though, i thought the set scenery for Mars was well done. This movie was able to thread many real scientific theories and suppositions, and tickled your imagination for the possibility of life beyond earth. An expedition that was curiosity driven, but yet demonstrated the very human element of a relationship being fractured by the extended voyage of a married astronaut who is struggling with the anguish of being separated from his spouse for an extended period of time. The voices of A.I., Ferdinand and Neil, were both well done. This movie will appeal to those who prefer a well written script over spectacular special effects. I'm sure if this movie had a 20 million dollar budget, it could compete with the Sci Fi movies produced by Hollywood. This movie is an example of metaphoric saying, "having nothing but lemons and making lemonade."

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)

superb cinematography, superb acting, superb story line

[10/10 · 8 March 2005]

This movie was well above my expectations. When a movie draws you into it so deeply that you forget the fact that you are reading subtitles, you have found a superb foreign film. I warn you that this movie does have very realistic battle scenes (More realistic than any other war movie out there)so it can be intense. This movie is done in the style of "Saving Private Ryan", which was a very good movie, but I believe this was one up. One factor that I appreciated was that there haven't been a whole lot of movies about the Korean war, especially from a non-American perspective. The cinematography was of the highest quality for a foreign film of its type. Although there was plenty of war time action, this movie was about more than that. Humanity was examined on a level that I have yet to see in any other film.

Taken (2002)

best mini-series of the decade

[10/10 · 14 August 2004]

This is one of the best scripted, best produced mini-series of all time. Whoever casted this production is a genius. The characters a portrayed well by each cast member. This could very well be Spielberg's best production ever (and it's television!). Dakota Fanning is absolutely the best child/actor I have ever seen on film. After the first episode, this program has you on the edge of your seat for ever single episode. I can't even decide which aspect I enjoyed the most; the sci-fi or the drama? The sci-fi channel has produced a number of duds both before this one, and afterward. It will be tough to beat "Taken". Sci-fi needs to stick with the formula used for this production because it's a winner, especially the casting.