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CynDaVaz
Reviews
Barbarian (2022)
Such promise! But ultimately disappointing in the end.
UGH .... so close - SO CLOSE! But in the end, no cigar. All that potential and solid storytelling dissolving into to a nonsensical, clumsy, rushed, and ultimately unsatisfying conclusion, implementing all of the worst elements of horror movies. That's what disappoints the most. This movie held so much promise and had such a great start and journey all the way up until the end, but sadly the writer(s) somehow couldn't find the way to keep that strong storytelling up to par all the way through to the end. It wasn't that I disliked the end result. It was the clumsy way the screenplay got us there that left a lot to be desired. I was rolling my eyes on multiple occasions during parts of the final act. Video review to come soon.
Prey (2022)
Good, but not as clever as it thinks it is ...
While this was enjoyable for the most part and I do consider it to be a solid entry in the Predator franchise, unfortunately I am not as in love with it as many of the "official" critics are, for numerous reasons. Video review to come shortly.
Fresh (2022)
Well-written thriller/horror!
This was quite good. Disturbing and gross, but very well-written and well acted. Despite some of the typical cons that come with horror movies, it's worth the watch for anyone who is a fan of the genre. Video review to come shortly.
Moonfall (2022)
BAD - very BAD
This was pretty darn AWFUL. I can't believe the "official" critics have rated it as high as in the 40s. Interesting-ish enough of a concept, but so poorly excecuted that I didn't care about the characters. This would have done much better as a miniseries type of thing.
The King's Man (2021)
Quite good!
This movie was surprisingly good. Great character development, emotion, and solid writing (despite historical liberties). I liked this much more than I expected to.
The Guilty (2021)
Jake's performance was a negative
Got the opportunity to check out an advance screening of Netflix's new film The Guilty, which is a remake of a European movie by the same name. While most elements of this are the same as the original, it doesn't execute the story nearly as well. The MC, played by Jake Gyllenhaal is unlikable almost from the beginning, and the nearly constant dramatic moments of him being an abrasive tailhole wore thin very quickly. Even his voice grated on my nerves. Overly dramatic and over-acting. Almost every time he opened his mouth it was annoying. The original got it right. This one did not.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Too short
It suffers from being a pretty short movie. Consequently, it's not nearly as much fun as the first movie, but still worth the time if you're interested and liked the first Venom.
Copshop (2021)
Fun film!!
Wow - what a surprisingly fun movie! Went into this not knowing what to expect and was pretty impressed with the quality of the writing and the overall movie production. Well done!
Candyman (2021)
Not very good at all.
While it was interesting to see the tie-ins with the original movie and the return of certain characters, the writing as a whole ended up being a convoluted mess (including heavy-handed "social commentary" that was ridiculously over the top) that fundamentally disrespects the original film. Tony Todd is only in here for like ... two seconds and has one line. That's it. Blehhhh.
Free Guy (2021)
Fun film! Even for non-gamers
Not a gamer, but I still enjoyed this film. Looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen.
The Green Knight (2021)
Pretentious and plodding
While this film was gorgeously shot and wonderfully acted, it ultimately felt ridiculous, pretentious, and like a complete waste of my time.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Great sci-fi/time travel flick!
Got the chance to see an advance screening of this last night and thought it was great! Very well done - great acting, solid writing, and no divisive sort of "message" or "agenda" they were trying to smash in our face. Nice job!
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The roots for this mess started way back with TFA.
What started as something possibly good (but which had problems from the start, specifically the writing revolving around Rey the Mary Sue) - TFA - went off the rails in TLJ, and by the time this last one came around, it wasn't enough to save this mess of a trilogy. It would have been better if it hadn't even been made to begin with. I'm not going to count this as canon.
Sally and Chica (2012)
Cute little show!
I've been watching "Sally and Chica" since Aurelia started uploading episodes to YouTube.
It's a cute little show with funny, quirky, interesting characters. At first Aurelia did all (or most) of the voice acting herself, then she expanded the show with so many characters she opened up auditions for the various roles, which has made it even better.
With such a diverse cast of characters and their own cute little stories, it's easy to enjoy. Knowing that the creator of the show is a self-taught animator makes it even more interesting. It's been fun watching this show grow over the years and I look forward to more episodes and seasons in the future.
Recommended for anyone who loves dogs, animation, and/or both. Suitable for young ones as well.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
A lot of fun!
Not as bad as the "official" critics claim.
Gadot won me over with her portrayal of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman - I'm looking forward to her movie a lot more now.
Cavil did good, of course - just like he did in his first portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent.
Affleck held up better than I expected. I'm not sold on any claim that he's the "best" live action Batman (Bale retains that top spot for me), but he wasn't as horrible as I thought he'd be.
All in all, this movie was a lot of fun and deserves to be viewed on the big screen.
Terminator Genisys (2015)
Solid entry in the Terminator franchise
7.5-8.0
I don't care what the expert ''critics'' say, this was a pretty solid entry in the series script-wise. Cameron's direction would have made it spectacular - I think we all know that - but this was still quite enjoyable. I loved all the little tie-ins they did with the first two films and squealed like the fangirl that I am each time a tie-in was apparent. One primary complaint I do have: Sarah's physique should have been similar to the one we saw in T2. At least a little. This Sarah didn't look like she'd even done one pull up. Emilia has very little - if any - muscle definition at all. Her acting wasn't stellar, but she did alright ... I often found myself forgetting she isn't American because she did a good job with the accent. Jai was decent as Kyle and Arnold was ... well, Arnold. I look forward to seeing this at least once again on the big screen, and adding it to my DVD collection.