hjyguy-25992 Reviews

Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Most beautiful K-drama I've watched

[10/10 · 5 September 2022]

As a Korean, it was doubly moving because I could sympathize with the predicament my ancestors were faced with. It was the darkest hour in all of Korea's history and the people were up against an insurmountable force. I could easily imagine there having been actual historical persons who lived as the characters lived, and loved and died as they did. This is a must watch if you would like a glimpse of the life of Korean people during the turn of the 20th century, the struggles they faced, whether within the internal social hierarchy and custom or against outside conquering forces. But even if you're not into history, this series has it all - beautiful cinema, wonderful acting, suspense, action, drama, tears, witty dialogue, and most of all, pure love. I absolutely loved it. It is my new all-time favorite K-drama series. Bravo!

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

A Mach 10 action movie

[10/10 · 18 August 2022]

In my mid forties now and not many movies excite me anymore. But this, this is way, way more than I had hoped for. I haven't felt this excited watching an action movie in a long time. This is how action movies should be made and many thanks (again) to Tom for bringing it to us. Sincerely hope future generations of actors and moviemakers learn from this one.

Lastly, I do have one bone to pick. Maverick's ending dialogue to Rooster should have been "you did well. I'm proud of you", which is what we as fans want to say to Tom and everyone else involved in making Top Gun Maverick one of the best sequels ever.

The Northman (2022)

A solid five

[5/10 · 28 May 2022]

I hoped for something of a Conan the Barbarian or the tv series Vikings, both of which I loved. Conan is my favorite movie all time. Instead I got a mixed bag of American Horror Story and maybe the Labyrinth?? Perhaps it was intended for a more sophisticated audience. I don't care to understand the symbolism if there was any.

Ambulance (2022)

Hollywood not at its brightest

[5/10 · 23 April 2022]

After all these years of movie making, one would think Hollywood would start to grow some brains. But naw. They think masses are dumb in general so people like dumb action flicks with poor character buildup. I only stayed to the end because I just like Gyllenhal (for his Prince of Persia role). As usual, the movie never gets better than the beginning ten minutes.

Freaky (2020)

Just average

[5/10 · 13 October 2021]

I mean the acting was all fluid and well but you can only do so much with a worn-out trite theme as a body change, even if it is mixed with a slasher genre. It would have been more entertaining without the body swap. Vince Vaughn as a serial killer would be novelty aplenty and interesting as fork.

Old Henry (2021)

Entertaining with some reservations

[7/10 · 10 October 2021]

It was fun but don't expect too much. Acting, tempo, cinematography and gun fighting was pretty good. But the plot could have been more suspenseful. The kid should have played a more meaningful role in the fight seeing as he was naturally skilled.

The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (2018)

A huge surprise

[9/10 · 10 October 2021]

Wow just wow. I hadn't watched this movie because of the title - the Witch - thinking it must be a horror movie. And I don't watch that many horror movies nowadays since I moved out of my parents house. It gets a bit scary when you live alone.

I came upon it by chance today and looked it up here and saw reviews describing it as an action movie. And boy were they right. Its as action packed as I could hope for. The story takes its time to build, but its well worth the wait. When the action time kicks off in the later part, it keeps on escalating until you get that satisfying thrill down your spine. Bravo well done. Can't wait to see the sequels.

Kate (I) (2021)

Surprisingly fun n cool

[7/10 · 14 September 2021]

Its a familiar story with some quirks but the acting, dialogue and filming were all good, and I enjoyed this action noir movie quite a lot. The lead actress and the young girl were the perfect casts and they had good chemistry. All in all a good action movie in my book. And I didn't notice any stupid feminist themes ruining the fun.

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

Good but needs some improvement

[7/10 · 5 February 2020]

I'll only write some of the points where I see a need for improvement.

• the robot needs a name. Its incongruous for the boy to have such an affection for the robot yet still has not given it an affectionate nickname.
• the robot needs to learn to speak English other than a few words. Its supposed to be an extremely advanced AI, remember?
• the show must give a convincing reason why the robots are so determined to retrieve the engine.
• need to introduce some more humorous characters. The smuggler is doing a good job but he needs a female partner in humour.
• please no more stuck up, serious face side characters. Already too many.
• make the outfits sexier

Keep up the good work!

The Mandalorian (2019– )

Desperately needs better action sequence

[7/10 · 3 January 2020]

The Mandalorian is quite fun and engaging to watch. It boasts impressive cinematography, music and CGI. However, what gets me is the subpar action sequence. They desperately need a better action coordinator and improved action plots. The current action sequence is almost children movie level, with enemies going out of their way to make it inevitable for the protagonist to win. Please spend some money on this crucial stage of the production. The Mandalorian is supposed to be among the best fighters in the galaxy. You need to do a much better job to convince the viewers of that.

Horizon Zero Dawn (2017 Video Game)

One of the very best, excellent!!

[10/10 · 23 December 2019]

I've briefly returned to console gaming as consolation while searching for a new job. The world is tough out there and sometimes you need to free the mind to roam distant universes and return with a refreshed state of mind.

If you are a sci-fi fan of the Terminator, Elysium apocalyptic type, look no further and jump right in. The story is extremely well developed and following the main storyline, gameplay is most exciting and fulfilling. If you like collecting and upgrading, there are plenty of side quests that are optional and some of them are quite interesting.

Compared to God of War (the most recent game of the year one), gameplay suffers a bit because you cannot upgrade the melee weapon at will and you rely mostly on the bow for long range combat. But once you get acclimated to the controls and have unlocked more powerful skills, you'll have a blast taking on the gigantic robots, even if it means dying multiple times till you get it right. As a tip, you really want to try out all the different bow types because each robot has its own weaknesses and require strategic combat. Nearing the end, with good modification chips, the default hunter bow becomes fast and strong enough to take on any foe.

One thing I would ask future developers of games like this is to maybe add a little bit of liveliness/humour to the lead character. HZD suffers from the same bland personality style as in Witcher 3. They talk in monotonous tone and rarely exhibit any feeling. Lead character personality (or flavor) from Final Fantasy 10 is the benchmark in my mind.

How It Ends (2018)

Suspenseful B tier apocalypse movie

[7/10 · 13 October 2019]

The movie is generally good, being suspenseful and interesting until the last five minutes. Music was well done and cinematography too.

But despite all the good I must rate this a B tier movie. The acting was mostly amateurish, except for Forest. The script was uninspiring and bland. The storyline was too linear and predictable. Some of the actions scenes seemed forced, especially the one on the bridge with two motorcycles chasing them. I mean, why did the bad guys not surround the car at gun point?

The last part of the movie was, as so many others have complained, quite bad. A stronger finish was sorely needed. Sam needed a better excuse to have stayed alive than some random neighbor helping out. They dont even make an effort to give an explanation as to how he helped. And did that neighbor really have to die?

Movies are all about imagination. Considering the lack of sophistication of the plot, the director and supporting staff did an amazing job of making a watchable movie. I hope next time they get a better script to work with.

The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018)

Netflix should pick this up

[9/10 · 2 August 2019]

Why? Because it is so fun and the acting is great. The only mistakes it made that put a damper on the story were the roles of Louis and Jasper. They simply did not mesh well with the group. Dont try to get politically correct by adding minorities just for the sake of it. Just keep sticking to what works. The story only works with nonserious people. No need to add realistic people to the mix. Just keep it dreamy and ridiculous.

With someone the show made a big mistake in adding Jasper to the

The Office (2005–2013)

Best adult comedy series I know

[10/10 · 14 May 2019]

If you are looking for a comedy series for adults, look no further. If you think it does not start strong, just keep watching, at least until the end of Season 2. If you have a decent sense of humour and you are okay with adult jokes and sexuality, then this show will surely blow you out of the water.

Kudos to Steve Carell and all other actors for this brilliant gem. You start off smiling, then laughing, and in the end respecting and loving the actors and their characters. Job well done!!

Shameless (2011–2021)

Perfect, minus one star for losing main character

[9/10 · 4 May 2019]

This show is delightfully funny and witty, consistently intelligent, and heartwarming. You cannot watch without becoming endeared to many of the characters as they battle with all kinds of life obstacles and manage to strut on. Too bad it does not seem to have a viable season ten with one of the lead characters leaving the show. I would be pleasantly surprised to see season ten succeed against all odds, but my bet is against it. Lip has become much too angry, Ian too serious with gay right issues and Debbie too annoying and egotistical. The lifeline of any series is likeable characters, and most of the remaining ones who started off likable have become non-likeable, with the exception of Frank and Carl.

Homeland (2011–2020)

Great espionage series

[9/10 · 21 April 2019]

Homeland is a thought provoking, and intelligent espionage TV series that never ceases to captivate my attention. I love its masterly plot and dedicated acting and every season offers gripping entertainment. It is not possible for me to start a season without binge watching to the end.

I think generally the first few seasons are remembered as the best and that has a lot to do with the charisma of the actor who played agent Brody. His charm made such a big impression that even all these seasons later, you still miss his presence. The show took a big hit after Brody's departure, but it hung in there to gradually regain a new vitality and in seasons six and seven it struck gold once again.

If this is not the best espionage series ever, I would love to know what is.

Ash vs Evil Dead (2015– )

Perfect Entertainment

[10/10 · 20 April 2019]

Really, what more could you ask for? This gory merry go round is the perfect action/horror/comedy series I could have hoped for going in. The cast, acting, dialogue, story, sound, cgi and filming are all brilliant. This series will live on and come back to life again someday, and I sure hope it comes back with this same ghost beaters team members.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Sorry, could not finish viewing

[3/10 · 12 April 2019]

I had to bail at about fifty mins into the movie. Sadly the movie tries to do too many things at once - family, romance, action, comedy, scifi, human drama. And only god-like directors and actors can pull that off. I can think of maybe Arnold Swartzenegger as the only actor who could do all that in harmony. Absent such a force, they should have dropped family and romance like in the other Marvel movies and concentrated on the rest. If you must try, you need to get a more genius of a director.

The Predator (2018)

Surprisingly fun A-class casual scifi

[8/10 · 7 April 2019]

Look, I too have seen all previous Predator movies, including the Predator v. Alien ones. I liked all of them and this one is no exception.

I think the bad reviews come from the general non-seriousness of this movie. It is a more light and funny plot unlike the prior installments. But in all justice this one pulls off both the action and the comedy pretty well. CGI is also top notch. I rate this as an A class scifi/comedy.

Do yourself a favor and watch without any expectations. You may be pleasantly surprised like I was.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

Exciting, beautiful, immersive

[9/10 · 23 December 2018]

I liked Disney's recent jungle book movie. This Mowgli is a lot different, with more adult taste than children's tale. But it is quite satisfying to watch and I give it a high score of nine to raise the rating which I think should average around 7.5 to 8.0. I think the real reason for the score not being higher is that the main characters are not white, but indianish. And hollywood moviegoers are not too used to seeing indianish main characters. I felt so too at first, but I warmed to it as the story developed and Mowgli began to blossom in the role.

The CGI is amazing. Absolutely one of the best CGIs I've ever seen, and I'm a sci-fi fan who has seen a lot. I dont see how some reviewers criticized the CGI. They must have come from the future. The mesh of real people and animation is sometimes so natural as to make you think either all is cgi or all is real.

I should add the music was wonderful too.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020)

The rating should be much higher

[10/10 · 21 September 2018]

Come on people. I personally find AOS even more fun than the Avengers series. This show has continually met and exceeded all expectations. What more can you ask for honestly? People rating this a six or lower should not be watching this show as they just dont get it; they should go watch some boring realistic everyday life kind of show and leave this brilliant gem to scifi fans to adore and cherish.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020)

The very best show

[10/10 · 21 August 2018]

Would not change a thing and could not ask for more, thanks to all who created this show.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

We crave more diverse motives for villains

[6/10 · 1 August 2018]

All in all, the movie is fun enough to watch to the end. But that said, it doesnt measure up to the standards of the prior installments.

CG and cinematography is great. Acting is generally fine, except for a few quirks here and there. Its the plot that is so problematic.

Really? Money again!! A manager in charge of millions if not billions of dollars of funds should not be so dumb as to risk everything in the hope of earning some millions of dollars. A billionnaire would not be so dumb as to place all his money and power in the hands of one treacherous subordinate.

It would have been so much more interesting if, for instance, the villain had a deranged childlike fantasy of creating a prehistoric world where man fought dinosaurs, and genetically enhanced ones at that. And his dream would be to emerge as a hero by announcing a bioweapon that only affects dinosaurs, which he would proffer after tons of people had died and he would become the savior from the chaos he himself had created. That's just one idea and I'm sure there would be many other more feasible and exciting plots.