stephen-16185 Reviews

Mute (II) (2018)

a fine film, better than the low reviews

[7/10 · 30 July 2022]

This is a fine film. The low reviews are inexplicable. The screenplay is fine, the acting is excellent, the filming is great. I don't particularly like dystopian films and the sad ending means I will very rarely watch the film; this is just the second time in 4 years. Nevertheless they did a great job of it, a fine film.

Most Dangerous Game (2020–2023)

A fine film, playing off the original 1924 story by Richard Connell

[9/10 · 25 July 2022]

Although not by Ambrose Bierce, like many of Bierce's short stories, this one by Richard Connell created a plot line new to readers; in consequence variations have appeared in all mediums since then, this is just another form of it.

I am not sure why there are so many negative reviews, armchair general syndrome perhaps. A number of the characters were irritating in one way or another. His wife fulfilled the unthinking, hysterical, entitled woman role (a trope i particularly loathe) though she wasn't as irritating as say the ones in the Transporter series or Taken 1.

Like many writers, I am aware of plot lines, character tropes, and the incredible stupidity of hollywood. Nevertheless, I have kept alive the part of me that likes to crawl under the blankets with a fun adventure story. And as Samuel Jackson once said, when people were picking on Snakes on a Plane, "Snakes is just like the films I loved to watch when I was a kid, late at night on the movie channels."

Was the screenplay of this film a great literary work? No, it wasn't and I am thankful for it. Sometimes I just like to turn off my internal editor and immerse myself in a story that goes from A to Z with a minimum of "days of our lives" psychological BS (alcoholism, woke this or that, right wing insistences, and so on). Will I watch this film again? Possibly. It was fun enough that I will zip through the boring parts (such as they are) and watch the action and the acting. Christoph Waltz was great, as usual, so was Liam Hemsworth, as were three of the five hunters. And there was just enough character development to make me care for the protagonist (unlike say, the Gray Man, in which i just kept hoping all of the characters in the film would die and put me out of my misery. Note to those guys: Action only works if the viewer comes to care about the protagonist.

Memory (I) (2022)

It is Taken, No. it's still good.

[6/10 · 20 May 2022]

Yes, the Belgium film (from the book) De zaak Alzheimer is better. Is this film bad? No. It is a perfectly serviceable action film that I found enjoyable and which I can see watching again in the future. That is one of the caveats I have for films: can I watch it again? Like many people I like Liam's work and miss him when he is gone too long. Unfortunately several of his recent forays have not been all that good in my opinion but this one is just fine. It is not Taken but then few things are.

The Thaw (2022– )

good but . . .

[5/10 · 11 May 2022]

The cinematography was great, the pace was fine, although yes it is slow, I just don't mind that in this instance. The problem with this series is a police detective who does not notice that she is being followed day after day by the same car? That it is her young daughter that notices? And maybe it is just the polish culture but the detectives behavior toward each other and their suspects was inexplicable to me. Overall, it could have been great but the behavior of too many of the main characters was just, well, lame. Hence only 5 stars and that is mainly for the cinematography. I fast forwarded the last three episodes just to see what happened. Not a good indication.

Tokyo Vice (2022– )

great until the last episode

[3/10 · 7 May 2022]

I really loved this show, would have given it a 9 or 10, until the last episode. The last episode is more than a cliff hanger, it is a cliff hanger on steroids. To add insult to that injury, the initial scene in the series, episode one, never appeared in the series. We were led to believe (a lot of reasons) that it would be in the last episode. But it wasn't. The writers, producers, betrayed both their viewers, the story itself, and the craft. There is, as well, no word on whether the series will continue. It may not. In short, i would not have spent so much time on this series and come to love it so much had i known what was in store. Good, yes, for all but the last episode. You will end up feeling ripped off.

Wheelman (2017)

A Great Film

[8/10 · 24 April 2022]

I am unsure why this film is not rated higher overall; it is a very, very good film. Grillo is fantastic. He has to hold every minute of screen time with no breaks and he pulls it off fantastically. This is the kind of film that used to be made before all the Marvel universe films turned up. Cut to the bone, action, great acting, and edge of your seat. I want more.

The Wizard of Loneliness (1988)

A tremendously good low budget, independent film

[8/10 · 8 April 2022]

Like many who saw this film long ago, it sticks in the mind, returning every so often, asking me to watch it again. I have been a fan of Lukas Haas ever since Witness and he is perfect in this film (as he also is in Lady in White, the film he did after this one). John Randolph, a character actor I have always liked, is wonderful and that line of his: "Time's going by so fast it makes your ears whistle" has lingered in my memory for decades. Dylan Baker, always good at crazy, is appropriately creepy. And Lea Thomas is great. Wonderful casting all around. But, really, it is just a beautiful script by Jenny Bowen (who also directed) and Nancy Larson, from the novel by John Nichols (whose films never seem to be big hits). Jenny Bowen, disappointingly, never had much of a career despite her delicate handling of this script. Jenny Bowen as well has only had minimal success though her screenplay of Within the Whirlwind was made into a very fine movie in 2009.

I truly like these kinds of small independent films far more than big Hollywood productions and wish more of them could be made. There is such talent out there, it is just so rarely tapped.

100 Code (2015)

betrayed at the end

[7/10 · 7 April 2022]

Cliff hanger at the end, no second season. Crimes not resolved. I hate this sort of thing. Other than that a riveting thriller. The acting was great, the character development interesting, the daughter's behavior predictable.

The Predator (2018)

not bad like other reviewers say

[6/10 · 25 March 2022]

I thought this a fine, enjoyable film. It was not as mythic as the first one which really captured something uniquely mythological. I didn't think the second one any better than this one, i like it mostly for watching Bill Paxton do his sleezy cop routine. Predators with Adrien Brody is great. And then this one. I happen to like the actors in this film and i thought the story line fine. Academy award potential? No. Good as the original? No. But a very enjoyable few hours and besides, I really like shane black's work. He was great in the first one. And i think this a fine directing job.

Drive Hard (2014)

if you know what it is, it is a fun romp

[5/10 · 10 March 2022]

Sometimes I think people expect to be tuning into a major masterpiece given the reviews they leave. It just makes more sense to look at what they were trying to achieve with a film and then judge it by that standard. The heart of this film is the interaction between Thomas Jane and John Cusack. That's it. Scenes outside that tend to be a bit cheesy though Jane's daughter does have a few good moments.

It has taken awhile but I have become a fan of Jane's work, especially in more recent turns such as Troppo. And like many people, I have loved John Cusack from the beginning. So, I am already going into the film wanting to like it. And I do. But again solely because of the interaction between these two. Is it deep? No. But it is often funny. And sometimes that is all you need to have a bad day get a bit better.

Evidence of Blood (1998 TV Movie)

superb

[10/10 · 7 February 2022]

Thomas Cook, the author of the novel, is one of the great, relatively unknown writers in America. His is a delicious pen, his stories deep and often troubling. The Fate of Katherine Carr, is a prime example. So it, Evidence of Blood. Unusually for me, I actually like the teleplay of this novel's ending far more than the book ending. I very rarely can say that about any film but i can this one solely because of the excellence of Dalene Young who wrote the script from the book. She is always marvelous and in this surpassed herself.

The director, Andrew Monshein, is truly marvelous. Monshein is primarily an oscar nominated editor and occasionally a second unit or assistant director. I don't know why he has not done more directing but again, he has done a stunning job on this film. (To be sure, he has been the editor on a great many stunning films which is probably why his director's eye is so good with this one. I would be curious to know if he edited this one as well.)

I am a fan of David Strathairn but do get tired of him playing the heavy in films. He has such a sensitivity of expression and demeanor that with a good director (as he has here and as well in his John Sayles films) he really shines. He brings a depth that is not often seen in film, especially in television. I was in fact shocked that this was a television film; I first found it on VHS long ago.

The use of sepia tone to the flashbacks was stunningly done and highly effective, especially when Strathairn's character's childhood memories surfaced. Again the director's sensitivity to the movements between past and present were truly beautiful.

Great performances were brought forth in all the characters, even those I detested. And Mary McDonnell was as usual quite good, but the character itself and the direction brought out aspects of her work that were truly fine. (Strathairn and McDonnell has previously been together in Sayles' Stunning passion Fish.)

As usual, there will be people who do not warm to the film but anyone who has a true sensitivity to this kind of story and character will find it one of the films that returns to the mind over and over again, as it has done with me for several decades now. It truly is one of my favorite films.

Reacher (2022– )

flawed, partly okay

[5/10 · 7 February 2022]

The first half adhered fairly closely to the book, which was great. Unfortunately, it then fell victim to the "oh, let's just change a few things and make it better" syndrome which, given the American mindset, usually means it's worse. About episode 5 it begins to go downhill.

They left out two of the most poignant parts of the book, the reason why Blind Blake was important to the story and the revelation that the Reacher boys' mother was in the resistance during the second world war and killed someone who would have betrayed her (at age 13 if I remember rightly). Those two episodes, esp Blind Blake, considerably deepened the story, the plot line, and the character development. And there was definitely room to include it.

There was no real reason to kill off Kliner and add in the Venezuelan gangsters and make them and the psycho son of Kliner the main killer. There really was plenty of time to leave the book as it was and just make a screenplay from the book itself. There is a reason why Lee Child sold millions of copies of the Reacher series and why few have heard of the screenwriters of this series.

The actor was fine in the role in terms of size and appearance, which Tom Cruise was definitely not. The initial episodes, he was fine, but begin to lag as time went on. He did not have the requisite intensity of Cruise, something Reacher in the book has. I don't put this down to his acting since he did fine in terms of intensity in the initial episodes but rather to a combination of the direction and the worsening script half way through.

It could have been much better but failed, as all too many do, from regrettably American tendencies common in both the film and television industry (shallowness, mental deficiency, and an unfortunately misplaced belief in their own capacities as storytellers . . . And it seems an erroneous belief that American audiences are not very bright).

I wish it had been better, the books, and we, the viewers, deserved it.

White House Down (2013)

a lovely film

[10/10 · 7 January 2022]

This is a lovely film. I suspect that the inherent kindness of the characters threw people off; most seem to prefer hard core serious with grim expressions on their faces throughout the film. This is the kind of film where you go into the theatre and come out later feeling better about the human race and how we can treat each other. Oh, well, haters gotta hate. As a serious film fanatic for some half century now, this simply is just plain a fun and enjoyable film.

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

as slow as cold honey

[3/10 · 5 December 2021]

Yes, beautiful. Yes, well filmed. That being said, contest between plot speed and cold honey, honey would win. Have they ever seen a plot cliche they could not use? No, definitely not. And could their "sharing" be any more trite? No, it could not. Wanted to like it . . . But, really, what happened? This is no game of thrones, no lord of the rings, just a lot of pretty scenery without a reason to exist.

Outside the Wire (2021)

okay until the end

[4/10 · 16 January 2021]

Sophomoric ending, until then enjoyable. The usual idiotic humans will do better storyline by someone who has never read extensively any history of war or civilizations.