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rockyandbullwinkle
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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Keanu's gettin' old
The fight scenes tell it all . . . Excruciatingly slow and overly choreographed. The guys he fights move forward and back like rag dolls without any effort on Keanu's part with overly emphasized movements. At one point the guy he was fighting had a gun and just held it limply waiting his turn to get his ass kicked. I saw the nods to the Matrix in a few scenes (the rain scene and the subway scene) which was interesting but I'm telling you the fight scenes were yawnworthy. The storyline was weak too . . . I thought he was going to take on the twelve but not only did he not do that but we are left with almost no knowledge about the 12. I would have liked to do more of a deep dive on that subject . . . Surely we could have investigated that more deeply in the THREE HOURS?? Keanu's movements are also getting too slow and deliberate. In a way I think that's why they ended his story . . . He probably wanted out. It was great to see Laurence Fishburne again since they snubbed him in the last Matrix movie but I would have liked to see more of a deep dive with his character. Overall I give this Mr Wick's swansong a "C"
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Derivative and Verbose
I am so disappointed. There was soooo much empty and repetitive dialogue that I often found myself nodding off. This "villian" reminded me of Mr Nimbus from Rick and Morty. And how many costume changes do you need for one movie? It felt like a fashion show in which the storyline was only contrived to work around the costume changes. There was also not one other marvel character in this movie, where was Iron Man? Oh I know, they were so busy ripping off the iron man suit that they couldn't have the actual Iron Man in the movie. I've got to tell you, there were so many plot holes in this movie it was laughable. Save yourself the time and money, go watch puss n boots instead.
Hustle (2022)
derivative fanboy garbage
Well . . . First I'd like to say that Adam Sandler is a great comedian when in an ensemble cast. He is a poor dramatic actor. From start to finish the plot played out like a crappy version of Rocky with weak dialogue, a weak cast of characters and 1000 crappy cameo appearances from well known basketball players. I say the cameo appearances were crappy because the snips of dialogue they used all felt forced and lets face it, as a rule, basketball players are not actors. It is well known that Adam Sandler is a huge basketball fan. This seemed like he found his golden opportunity to meet and talk with all his heroes. Having said all that I did like the actual scenes where they were on the court.
Night Sky (2022)
They found a way to make sci-fi boring!
I wanted to like it, I really did :(
I love Sissy Spacek and J. K. Simmons and the idea was so exciting I couldn't wait to watch the series. The first episode was not bad but it quickly went downhill from there. By the third episode I came to realize that I was forcing myself to watch because the storyline was so meandering and the characters who should have been peripheral to the story suddenly became central for no reason. It felt like they were struggling to find filler for the series because they had no ideas.
The Batman (2022)
Watch the Dark Knight series instead
This movie was a disappointment from start to finish. A one dimensional batman - a one dimensional plot. I could not engage with any of these actors who seemed to be sleepwalking though the picture. I hate to say it but the original batman movie with Adam West was an improvement over this picture (especially the scene with the shark repellent.)
From (2022)
LOST in translation
I am suspicious that this is going to be derivative series following the tv series "lost." Like the smoke monster from "lost" the creatures are surrounding them in the woods waiting to consume them. And like "lost" there are more questions than answers which, if you remember, drove fans insane with frustration. Why the talismans? Who left them for the people who found themselves on the island, oops, the village. Why are there chickens and cows made available to the abductees? Why are there two separate groups (tribes)? Why is the crazy man measuring the distance that trees move? As in "Lost" most of the characters are not likeable so why watch the series? To get the answers to why chickens and cows are made available to the "townsfolk" of course. It's a trap folks. They pepper you with inane questions that may never be answered just so you will tune in next week. I'm not getting sucked into this one ;)
Dr. Death (2021)
The Cutting Room Floor
I'm trying to make sense of it . . why all the cut scenes? The only explanation I can think of is that the director created a great mini series, tested it on some cellphone addled 20 somethings with no attention spans who panned it. Then when told he would have to revise the script, gave up on it. The movie then fell to the studio to jazz it up. The movie then gets shredded onto the cutting room floor and roughly taped back together so it can appeal to people with no attention spans and voila!!! Dr Death!!!
Ted K (2021)
garbage
When I see garbage like this I have to wonder what the ulterior motives are of those who wrote, produced and directed it. There is little mention of what led to this man's tormented life, specifically the mk ultra experiments that were performed on him at the very university he attended that some argue created the damaged human being we know as the unabomber. He is portrayed as an outsider in school, yet he was active in school groups. He is portrayed in this movie as a simpleton yet he was a mathematics professor and successfully evaded the FBI for 20 years while performing his acts of terrorism. What I suspect is that this is an attempt to marginalize this man to provide some form of comfort for society. I can't speak for the whole film as I was too disgusted to watch it in its entirety.
Freaks (2018)
What a Remarkable Movie!
Lexy Kolker as Chloe is on par with Drew Barrymore as a child actor. The plot moved along at a great pace and the movie immediately draws you in. If you are a sci-fi fan this movie will not disappoint!
A Patch of Blue (1965)
Heart Rending
Sidney Poitier: A man who elicited change in race relations throughout his film career with class and style challenged perception of the roles black and white people play by provoking discussion. I admire him for this. "A Patch of Blue" is another example of his thoughtful portrayal of a black man in white America in the 60's.
This is a heart rending story of a maltreated blind girl of 18 living in squalor who seeks some small measure of happiness and is introduced to the larger world by Gordon Ralfe (Poitier).
Both during and after the movie we discussed the choices made regarding race, age, education, tolerance, love and hate. It is one of those movies that I found riveting and am happy to add to my collection.
Apparition (2019)
What's with the bogus reviews?
It says there are 6 reviews. Then it becomes 3 critics reviews. When I check the critic review from Rotten Tomatoes there is no actual review. When I check for reviews there are none. And yet this movie has a rating of 8.5? What is going on here?
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Remarkable Film
I couldn't help thinking about 2001 A Space Odyssey while watching this film. The attention to detail from the director/producer depicting how the scientific community copes with the arrival of a new lifeform unfolded in a realistic manner that was believable. I was surprised that it didn't get as good a rating as Kubrick's film but maybe this was because the ending was so unsatisfying. I gave it a 9/10 because while the plot faded toward the end the acting and set design were exceptional.
Ghostland (2018)
Pervading Dread
I just finished watching this movie and I'm still trying to process it. This is a horror story about abduction, torture, rape and imprisonment. I was ready to bail on it as it started to feel like a snuff film but I held on and the ending wrapped up fairly well. Sometimes after watching a movie I consider what will happen to the characters after the closing credits. I can't help but feel that the damage was done and there is no recovering from it. There is a pervading sense of dread that I felt from this movie that is hard to shake. Having said all that, it is a well crafted plot and the acting is exceptional.
Us (2019)
What a hot mess :(
This was a dumpster fire of a movie and was so disappointing compared to previous works by Peele. It felt like the entire movie was written on a coffee shop napkin then immediately transferred to a movie. I could not suspend my disbelief enough to embrace this stinking mess. Jordan Peele should be ashamed of himself.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
Awesome Movie!
I don't know why all the hate for this movie but I found it to be entertaining. I'm no scientist but from what I know the plot is grounded in science and is more credible than many science fiction flicks out there. So what if it doesn't adhere strictly to the Cloverfield anthology. The special effects are great, the acting is great and ultimately it was time well spent!
The Golem (2018)
A Good Watch
Just finished watching this flick and I found it to be well acted with a good plot. This is a complex story based on historical Jewish folklore. I did some research and this story does fall in line with the jewish Golem mythology. The basic storyline is that a young jewish woman is secretly learning the torah (reminiscent of Yentyl) and becomes privy to secret knowledge - specifically how to create a golem. When the plague ravages the countryside and her village is unaffected, other communities accuse them of creating the plague. When burning of her village and the killing of her people is likely she creates the golem to protect them. The golem takes the form of her dead son and it is hard for her to seperate the golem from her son in her mind. Ultimately a bloodbath ensues and she is left to decide the outcome.
Final Score (2018)
Great Action Flick
This guy has the makings of a great action hero! Pretty much non-stop action with great fight scenes. Plot was a little weak but overall great movie!
The Hurricane Heist (2018)
Not a bad popcorn flick
This movie checks off all the boxes: good acting, good CGI and good action! It is no Citizen Kane but a great action flick from start to finish!
Kodachrome (2017)
Can't wash the stink off me!
What? A 6.9 rating??? Did you guys even watch this movie? What a tired cliché of a film. I wanted to like it because, you know . . . Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris, but it was awful! And a message to Jason and Ed: don't just grab any script that falls into your lap, you cheapen the craft.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Well Crafted
This is a winning combination - a great script and great actors. The movie is not for the squeamish as there is some gore and violence but it also has wonderful comedic elements that take the edge off the violence.
Bad Grandpa (2013)
Tears of Laughter
This isn't a jackass flick. Don't get me wrong, this has the jackass gang but it plays out like a movie where the actors don't go out of character and are not playing themselves. It brought me to tears of laughter many times. This may be a guy flick (my wife hates it) but what I love is the sense of humanity the unknowing participants express (and of course the outrageous stunts). Definitely worth giving it a shot!
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Mitchum at his best!
What a great film! I love the snappy lines of film noir and this film did not disappoint :) It got a little convoluted in one part but overall held together pretty well.
Downsizing (2017)
Diminishing Returns
I'm a little shocked at how this movie went so wrong - A winning formula: the idea that mankind can save the planet by reducing people in size. Top level actors: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis - everything was there but it could not pull itself together! Matt Damon seemed lost staggering from scene to scene. Heavyweight comedians Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis were only bit players. I think this failed because of the poor script and the lack of commitment by the actors.
Krypton (2018)
garbage
My original review was rejected by IMDB so I'll just say that you are wasting your time in watching this series
Thirteen (2016)
garbage
This is a story of victimization. Not so much by the girl's captor but by the police and her family after the fact.
I tried to suspend my disbelief and just let the show take me along but gave up half way into the second episode.
The police were unapologetic about their own incompetence in acting quickly to apprehend the abductor. Instead they badgered the victim - for example they bring her to the place of her abduction without regard to how it would affect her and then were judgmental and distrusting when she reacted strangely.
Then the constant interrogations filled with unveiled accusations were painful to watch. The pretense the police used was that they needed her help in catching the abductor but once she was in that interrogation room she was the criminal being badgered into some kind of confession. And it was relentless . . . she was home for a short time then the police would show up in her home and she would be dragged back down to the police station. Then she would return home only to find the police back at her door the next day to drag her back down to the police station for more questions.
I frankly wouldn't blame her if she just wanted to go back to live with her abductor as he seemed to treat her better than these people are treating her.
The lack of compassion is overwhelming and the few people that show her compassion are equally distrusted. The male police officer had to wait until the female police officer left the room and then had to shut off the camera to speak to the victim like a human being - then was chastised by the female police officer when the girl referred to the male officer by his first name. The mother actively tried to sabotage the relationship with an old boyfriend of her daughter, denying her the phone, turning the boy away at the door etc. The father tried to help the relationship but had to resort to subterfuge to make it happen. Most of the characters in this TV series are not likable and the abductor hasn't even made an appearance yet.
This type of TV series just makes me angry as it had such potential.