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williamdeanauthor
Reviews
Parallel (2018)
OMG! Unexpectedly fantastic movie. A complete surprise!
Looking at the thumb nail on Amazon, I really wasn't expecting much. I checked IMDB reviews which were mostly favourable, but also cautioned not to expect too much. Then I watched and kept waiting for it to falter like all the reviews said, but it never did. Top-notch acting, script, and production values throughout. I did not see one thing that reeked of compromise. Some people here have commented that the special effects were minimal and I agree, if we're talking CGI, but truly the story did not require much and wherever it was required, the effects were perfectly applied. I also liked that it wasn't completely predictable. Yes, you know you're headed on a slow descent into ambition-fed hell, but there's no stilted or cliched dialogue, every line adds to the story and all the characters, backstories, and subplots are believable. I really can't imagine what more you could want from a Twilight Zone type of story like this. Maybe it's really an 8/10 or 9/10 movie but I just had to give it 10/10 because it's so solid. If you don't need action-packed CGI but care about characters and storyline and like the parallel universe idea, you're going to love this movie.
The Silent Sea (2021)
Had to downgrade a point because of that last 2 episodes...
Great sets and solid graphics give a real feel of a lunar setting, but the script is filled with creative ideas completely unsupported by any kind of consistency or credible science so then it is more like a lunar-fantasy-horror. Unfortunately, the script is merely a vehicle to propel us from one interesting-though-improbable scene to the next...really just a string of genre cliches.
Personally, I like this kind of slow-moving isolation drama so I enjoyed most of it, chiefly for the atmosphere, but the last 2 episodes were so filled with illogic that it became painful. (Especially irritating to me was the gun-wielding without reason, followed by not using guns when there was every reason in the world to do so.)
To top it all off, there is no satisfactory conclusion...we end up not knowing a whole lot about lunar-water, we don't find out for sure what happens next to what's left of our heroes and there were hints of deeper mysteries and they hit us with one last completely super-hero-like impossibility right at the end as if it will shock us and keep us guessing except that it's all so vague and beyond possibility that, basically, it's now just magic.
Ultimately, except for the mood, there is nothing of value here. I kind of enjoyed it for that but expected some revelations in the last 2 episodes and was bitterly disappointed. I definitely will not waste my time if there is a second season.
Breach (2020)
lower your expectations...lower...lower...lower...
...you're still going to be disappointed.
That's all you really need to know, but IMDB says my review is too short so...
I don't expect much from Bruce Willis anymore and he lived down to my expectations. They have a star aboard but can't afford stars out the portholes. For some reason, they CGI'd a lighter flame...badly...for lighting a cigarette. Set looks and sounds a lot like Red Dwarf left over. There is obviously only one corridor. The reactor core is a bundle of red toy lightsabers. The plot and dialogue might have been written by remedial high schoolers. I can't comment on the acting as there wasn't any.
To be fair, I have seen worse so I gave it 2 stars to reserve space for those.
Koma (2019)
Matrix/Inception mashup with some good plot twists
Amazing movie...especially as it's not Hollywood-Big-Budget. The story and setup are great, and it start off at a fast pace, immediately launched into the Coma world. The voice acting is especially good and the dubbed English (it's Russian) is remarkably good...not just studio voice-over...it's like they restaged the scenes and took audio from reenactments...people far away or in large spaces sound like it. This actually made a large difference for me. The cgi-scapes are amazing (reminiscent of Dr. Strange/Inception) though slightly more static than in, say, a modern Marvel movie. There are a couple of twists so that the story keeps delivering right to the end. Absolutely loved it. For me, as good as The Matrix or Inception.
Becky (2020)
psychotic kid vs. psychotic criminals...with just a twist of Final Destination.
Becky is Macaulay Culkin if he'd been a little less precocious and a lot more psychotic. She's Batman, if both parents had died. Tons of gruesome gore and revenge. Great cast, great acting, great script, great special effects, lots of clever camera work. Fun when you're in the mood for a much less-than-wholesome fantasy.
Save Yourselves! (2020)
Low-key, cute comedy...
Very low-key comedy about 2 useless pseudo-woke millennials struggling to survive a tribble-like-alien invasion. Well acted and a good script, but the comedy is quite subtle with no particular highlights so I can understand that this is not for everyone. The only criticism I have is the ending, which is abrupt and needlessly vague...a sudden veer into symbolism, I suspect.
Mare of Easttown (2021)
Good script, good acting, not much of a police show
This is more of a family drama than police show, so it lost a point with me.
Lots of realistically-drawn small-town characters and situations, all with pretty predictable and depressing problems. Overall, it's a bit of misery-fest. (As one other reviewer put it.) The main character (Kate Winslet) is interesting with all her various issues and disagreeable attitude, but I really think Julianne Nicholson sells it with her convincing portrayal as best friend.
Kate Winslet's (Mare) performance has its moments, but it seems a little over the top and cliche, though watching her gradual (very gradual) psychological progress is interesting. However, she is so up tight and belligerent and non-communicative that when the two main men who suddenly come into Mare's life are instantly attracted, I could see no natural justification for it. On the other hand, I've watched so many cop shows where attractive, happy, popular young women swoon over unattractive, over-the-hill, loser men that I almost felt this was appropriate payback. And, I guess, I've seen more bizarre match-ups in real life.
Overall, I think this is a better than average show. Though some of the police work is cringeworthy, there's very little policing in the story, so it's entirely bearable and there are many well-scripted golden personal moments. Mare's mother (Jean Smart) really steals some scenes, making the family life seem real, charming and funny. If you're looking for a good small town police-family drama, then this should be a good fit.
Synchronic (2019)
Lots of promise then slowly (too slowly) devolves into nonsense,
Great idea and good start (say, first half hour), slowly depleted by a multitude of problems including: long and meaningless pseudo-woke lectures, unrealistic dialogue, vague hints at family problems which are never really explained, cringey buddy/comaraderie dialogue, wife and daughter very roughly inserted in and out of the story, clunky and annoying present-day-flashbacks intermixed with actual time travel events, unrealistic paramedic behaviour, time travel which annoyingly always deposits the traveller seconds away from mortal danger, inconsistent time travel rules, plot holes and hanging threads, annoying shots of "the universe" for no reason. Started thinking about bailing at the halfway point, but hung in there. My reward? It got steadily worse and finally, mercifully, ended. Very disappointing.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
Good but not the greatest. Next season has lots of potential.
Just finished season 1 and I agree with all the 7 to 8-star reviews that say it's not the greatest, but it's also not pathetic. If you're thirsting for a superhero story, it should fill the gap, but it's not going to amaze you. The worst of it is the slow-paced origin story that runs simultaneous to the present-day action. The cross overs are smooth, the story clear, the acting good but that plot is episodic and slow and worse, predictable. As well, I agree that the teenage daughter is so over the top angsty/angry and unreasonably resentful and selfish that she becomes boring and annoying. The writers have seized on a couple of good realistic superhero conundrums which I hope they make more of, next season. It didn't knock my socks off, but I am hoping it goes another season but brings in a little more action.
Torden (2020)
Great basic story idea undermined by a very poor script
Technically competent cast and production crew, great idea but hobbled by lazy scriptwriting--slow, monotone and repetitive with standard low-level meaningless dialogue.
Because it's set in Norway, within the first five minutes, it's very apparent to the viewer where this is headed but it takes its time getting there through characters who don't know what's going on, can't verbalize what they experience and how they feel about it, which yields sluggish, confused, vague dialogue. Adding to this are extended pauses, long fades and repetitive special effects. (It's relatively low-budget and, to their credit, at least they don't get overly ambitious with their limited effects so the cracks don't show too often.)
Our hero is basically a confused American in Norway (which, by the way, seems to dilute his destiny...I mean did he really have to be American? Everyone else is Norwegian...it gets awkward.) He is a combination of The Hulk and Thor - emotionally erratic and not in control of new and raging powers. And, in this movie, everyone and every situation they put him in sets him off, so we're basically moving from one unlikely and totally avoidable uncontrollable rage-blast to another.
The acting's not bad, but the characters are stereotypical, dull-witted and swing into action as if on valium, often spurred by unjustified or unclear motivators. It's an origin story in which the actual origin triggering event is only vaguely alluded to. And, when our hero finally accepts his destiny and wields the mighty Mjolnir...he erupts in still-uncontrolled fury indiscriminately obliterating innocents as well a handful of his tormentors (so we are left to presume).
And then...it ends! Very abruptly and without any real resolution.
Definitely not a "Great breath of fresh air" "a must-see!" "Spectacular" or "Best film of the year!"
Stowaway (2021)
Standard but solid space drama
Several stretches of science and practicality but I found it easy to overlook this due to good characters, good acting and reasonably good dialogue. As well, I appreciated the space-station-like ambiance and first-rate special effects. Not sure I liked the ending...seemed to me a traditional heroic ending would have been a better fit -- definitely would have added a couple stars to my rating. But overall, a competently constructed, standard space yarn.
Zoe (2018)
Nothing dramatically new, but a well done story, nonetheless
This is a good story; a close and personal examination of love and loss and artificial love. I agree with some of the criticisms from other IMDB users: it's slow-paced, doesn't bring much that's startlingly new to AI genre, Ewan McGregor's character was dull and dreary, and there was a lack of chemistry between the two leads. Still, I found it entertaining. There is a some interesting AI-perspective dialogue and had the above-mentioned attributes been in place, it would have been a great film. But I can definitely see that it's not for everyone.
Ji qi zhi xue (2017)
Being a Jackie Chan fan will not get your through this one
Let's face it, Jackie Chan is poetry in motion and we don't really care too much that the plot makes total sense...but this one pushes that limit and then some. On top of all that, the Chan-action is minimal and not very creative. I think they were trying for a futuristic James-Bondy-type comic strip feeling, but really failed badly. It's not even laughable, just boring.
Encounter (2018)
Script has problems but better than expected for low-budget sci-fi...
Some good actors mixed with bad, some good script writing mixed with bad, special effects are minimal to non-existent but, overall, a good low-budget sci-fi adventure... basic found alien pod type stuff. The mystery is the pod's intentions and there are a few out of the norm thoughts about life/death thrown in.
I liked it more than most low-budget science fiction. Nothing outstanding, but not a waste of time. If you like the alien pod scenarios, you'll probably like it, too.
7500 (2019)
Great film...very authentic.
Really relays the feeling of typical flight crew and cockpit activity during a hijacking. Totally absorbing. Best movie I've seen in months.
Prodigy (2018)
God-awful God movie...
Basically, a very cheap faith-based story with a poorly executed cliche every minute, horribly contrived situations, zombie-like acting, all working in unison to generate zero believability. There are absolutely no laughs, suspense, action or surprises for anyone who is not highly intoxicated. A cringe-fest and a complete waste of time.
Anti Matter (2016)
Great example of the genre
Very well-crafted film of the "I experimented on myself and now everything seems a litte off" genre. I do not understand the comments from people who didn't understand the ending... everything was explained in concrete terms, though you have to accept the science around it. The editing was great and produced a lot tension and spiked our curiosity. These kind of stories tend to have a little bit of "padding" where we watch a montage of the character floudering, recallinging the clues and trying to piece them together near the end. There is a little of this which I found mildly boring, near the end, but it's probably less than 10 minutes and I was getting anxious to see if what I guessed was going on was right.
Great acting... especially by the two main women. If you like the genre, you're going to love it.
Aquaman (2018)
It's strictly for kids...
...and really young ones, at that. I don't align with any particular cinematic universe and always hope for a good film, whether the character is DC or Marvel. Like many superhero fans, I just keep hoping some DC characters will get the treatment they deserve. This one is not even close. Horrible, nonsensical dialogue, no real characters at all and a lot of bad acting. Momoa is ok, Amber Heard is laughable and the truly seasoned actors (Wilson, Dafoe, Kidman, Lundgren) carry almost all of the acting weight. Stunning CGI, though! But nothing more.
Time Trap (2017)
Surprisingly good!
I like sci-fi, especially clever time travel plots, but am usually disappointed. I was in the mood and Apple offered this up as a 99¢ rental so I went for it.
I was riveted. Decent acting, mostly realistic dialogue and a great plot. One of the most entertaining movies in this genre I've seen in quite a while.
A very pleasant surprise!
Mile 22 (2018)
Action...
Action... almost entirely action with only the seeds of likeable/relatable characters. Inane
Bird Box (2018)
Strong direction, script and cast. Gripping!
I rarely review-only when something surprises me by being abysmally bad or startlingly great.
This movie was fantastic!
An outstanding performance by Sandra Bullock with a very strong supporting cast. It has some similarities to A Quiet Place, but not much. This movie is much more introspective and character based. It really relayed the feeling of such a dramatic cataclysmic event and the terror of trying to fight for survival without the use of your eyes.
I can understand how some people were disappointed to not get any explanations about the creatures that caused the catastrophe, but that didn't bother me as I thought it was quite clear at the beginning that we were going to experience everything as Sandra Bullock's character did, and with the complete shut down of services, it would have seemed unlikely if she just happened to bump into one of the few people on earth who might have had a clue.
In general the movie made the situation very real to me though I did notice that power and water continued to function long after they should have shut down, but almost every story has flaws and I allowed them that... they earned it with a strong plot and sub plot and engaging, well-constructed characters. I think the only other thing that felt contrived was the quick evolution of the Marjorie's romance with Tom, but it's a very minor point, really and I felty it was pretty much smoothed over by powerful acting.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this movie. I think it's the best Netflix has produced so far. I highly recommend it.
Helix (2014)
Great idea quickly destroyed by horrible writing.
I think most of the negative reviews here have it all summed up. It is television at it's lowest.
What Happened to Monday (2017)
An unexpected surprise
Saw this as "7 Sisters" on Netflix.
Initially, I had little interest in the premise and I am especially turned off by any movie in which one person plays multiple roles. This movie was a very pleasant surprise. The plot was clever and twisty and went in directions I did not expect and the characterizations, while not extremely deep, are distinct and convincing.
Gerry (2002)
By far, the worst movie I have ever seen
My title says it all. No spoilers here: Something would actually have to happen in the movie for me to spoil it. I'm pretty sure there are less than 30 seconds of dialogue (not counting the shouting of names). You could, literally, watch this movie on fast forward without missing a thing. This may be art but it is not entertainment.
Go with Me (2015)
A formula revenge movie that does not build any tension.
An old man without a plan, a young woman without a plan, and a young man without a plan go into the woods unjustifiably confident of meting out justice to a psychopathic maniac. It's a formula movie that for some reason does not stick to the formula. We all recognize the set up (innocent woman terrorized), we all know what is coming (this one's got gumption and fights back) and we're all rooting for the payoff (cocky bad guy gets humbled) but in this movie, the payoff is so low key as to be almost non-existent. There's lots of driving in trucks through the woods, lots of old men telling tales about bad things that happened long ago and a lot of Anthony Hopkins standing around looking morose. Other than that, not much. It ends abruptly, and seriously looks like they cut the final 10 minutes from the story. A disappointing script for all involved, especially Hopkins and Liota. Their talents are not apparent here at all.