Change Your Image
simonmoon
Reviews
Times & Measures (2020)
A poorly acted and very poorly written film.
The acting is poor even for amateurs. The dialogue is terrible, and the plot is non-sensical in a very bad way. The plot is really truly contemptable. The cinematography and sound are just about the only things in this movie that are fine.
Chasing Giants (2021)
A poorly done amateur effort.
This was not a good documentary. It was poorly planned, and doesn't have the production values that many Youtube homesteaders produce almost daily. It does seem like someone just giving a quick interview to friends. There is almost no racing footage. The is very little information given on the various classes of cars other than some cars are cheap and faster cars cost more. In an era of go-pro cameras for cars, drones, and cheap stationary cameras the whole track could have been covered to let the viewer experience a few minutes of exciting footage. A small team of amateur but experienced young people probably could have been talked into making an interesting and exciting documentary for beer money.
All I Want (2017)
Everything about this film is solid. The cast is great, good writing, solid direction.
A couple have an anniverssary party at their home. More description of the plot would not be helpful. Everthing about this film is thouroughly professional. The actors, although relatively unknown are all serious actors, especially the leads Center and Rausch. Center as the primary character, and co-writer really shines. Her on screen presence is a 10. The script shows what can be done on a tiny budget without looking cheap. The movie is almost exclusively shot at one house and its yard. Charm, good writing, and solid direction create a indy film really worth seeing.
Another Life (2019)
The writing on this show does things on the top of the bad writing tropes list.
When a character does not mention a key detail FOR NO REASON, and the lack of that important detail causes numerous arguments and vitriol over episodes, it is the perfect example of what writing should never do. A large portion of the script is almost a hate crime against young people. The smartest, most well-trained, literally 1 in a million elite, 20 somethings are unable to have good judgement or accept leadership from someone in their 30s. The crew behaves like people too stubborn and thick to get through high school. This is just bad writing.
Curfew (2019)
Stupid beyond all reckoning, and not in the fun way.
It was apparent from go that this was going to be a non-sensical adventure. It seemed like there was the potential for a B-movie grindhouse kind of fun. There is far too much stupid non-sense and too many unnecessary flashbacks to undermine any goodwill this this series could have had. A bus, a Volvo station wagon, an ambulance, and various super-cars racing against each other fine, but most of the time none of the racers seems to care about racing at all. Characters motivations are completely random, and the script seems like it could have been written by a large team of troubled teens each writing a page of script without ever seeing the previous pages.
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
A mostly solid film ruined by too much nonsense.
This movie looks good, and has good acting. The dialogue is tolerable. There are turns in the plot, that are so nonsensical as to bring the whole project down. I'll overlook standard horror/thriller silliness. Like Jules choosing to run through the woods to the cliff after she has tranquilized Jackie. But why would Jules return to the house after driving off in the Jeep ? The Jeep could have been disabled, and Jules could have had a more serious leg injury to explain why she was unable to leave. The return to the house is inexplicable. It makes this movie a bad bad movie.
The Kettering Incident (2016)
I was taken in by how increasingly terrible the series was. Not worth it. Yawn.
There are so many problems with his series. The writing, the characters, and the plot are all faulty. I can forgive the science being bad, and the super-natural elements contrived, but the way people act and the way the conventional world works should remain believable. A crooked cop making 1000 times what's possible selling party drugs in a tiny remote village. A group of anti-logging environmentalists, who can effectively stop loggers without police intervention. Casting of actors that seems to have been done without regard to age or appearance. Why is Renae with someone who looks 25 years to young for her ? Why is the handsome, randomly caring and sometimes competent, mysterious, drug dealing cop, having an affair with a frumpy middle-aged woman ? Why would the main character sleep with the drug dealing cop, who has been a creep to her ? Why do people keep secrets for almost no reason ? Why do police officers witness crimes like the burying of a body without doing anything ? Why is there a doctor who gives tours of a women's prison, because of corruption, instead of moving to a new town, or alerting state authorities of local corruption ? Why is their so much un-milled lumber at a mill that needs lumber to mill ? It's not how police work ? It's not how environmental activists work. It's not how the lumber industry works. It's not how a small town economy works ?
We've Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew (2016)
This movie is clever and emotionally smart with three great performances from the leads.
At the start of the movie it seems like a post-apocalypse survival tale. But that is not what this movie is. It very slowly reveals itself. I think people should would best enjoy the movie if they discover the surprise of what this movie is really about. It is really well written, acted, and directed. (Brief post viewing content below)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The movie is an allegory for a relationship. The while they are in the wilderness the woman is taking care of the man by doing domestic duties like providing food. The man tells her of about better future. A future the man has no idea how to actually provide. It's just a story he tells. Hardship ensues and the man is able to find a poor facsimile of the future he's promised, but it's good enough as a temporary fix. As they become more comfortable in their new surroundings the man ignores his mate, and distracts himself by finding interest in the recordings of other peoples lives. While the man is distracted the woman is wooed by a mysterious stranger. A stranger she literally brings life to. But the relationship with the stranger is toxic and abusive. The man saves his partner from the toxic stranger and the couple head out into the wilderness to find the future the man has promised.
Bright (2017)
The critics were right. Don't trust reviews from people, who loved Suicide Squad.
The critics were right. Don't trust reviews from people, who loved Suicide Squad and Batman vs. Superman. Bright was not good. It 's better than Suicide Squad, which is a 2/10, but that isn't saying much. It's a ham-fisted allegory with incompetent world building. The non-sense nature of the world that is built leave many questions, that would not be answerable, because the answers would make no sense. The story in general is also lacking. The action scenes are fine. The acting is fine in the sense that the actors are doing what the director has told them to do. It's not the worst movie. The concerted effort and vitriol of fan boys talking this movie up, and the The Last Jedi down just show how psychologically empty and immature fan boys are.
Pork Pie (2017)
This movie was bad, and thankfully forgettable.
I did not like this movie for many reasons. I wanted to like it. I read a review that described it as sleek, kinetic and eye-catching retooling of the 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie. It's kinetic and looks professionally made, but the plot, writing, and characters are not good. I found myself mostly annoyed with the story. New Zealand has exported much better culture. In fact this is the worst thing I have seen come out of New Zealand. If you want to see a good independent movie from New Zealand, that looks great see,"Chronesthesia" (2016). It's much better than this.
SMILF (2017)
The more episodes I see, the more I like it. Kind of...
I was not a big fan of the first episode, but setting up the story for a series is hard to do. The acting by the entire cast is very good, even Rosie O'Donnell, who normally would annoy me, is excellent. The second episode is better than the first, but still held back because it's still introducing the characters. The third episode leaves me hopeful, that this series is really going to be good. One of the things I really like is that the child's father's new girlfriend is presented as a genuinely good person, and although successful, still struggles with issues. I do wish there were less shock value sex scenes, but premium cable... Edit: I'm going to knock my review down a notch, because of some things I like it a little less as it's gone on. But I have to note Some of the very negative reviews could be summed up with,"I hate this show, because I'm a right-wing hate monger and generally terrible person.". Why would a person like that watch this show in the first place ? Calling a bi-racial child,"political", is one of the most pathetic things I have read in a user review.
Marlon (2017)
Bad Bad not Good
There are many unfunny and annoying things about,"Marlon". Marlon's shameless camera mugging would be OK if it were once or twice a show, but it happens in nearly every time Marlon talks. The stalking of the ex-wife on a date was an inappropriate plot for a protagonist in 1980s television. In the 21st century only a creeper stalks an ex-wife. It's not that the main character has to always be likable. Jerrod Carmichael's character is sometimes the worst person on his show, but,"The Carmichael Show" is well written and acted, and there is a point to every show. The point of,"Marlon", seems to be irresponsible, creepy dads are hilarious and lovable. They aren't.