jsmiemans-15452 Reviews

Midnight Mass (2021)

Should've eased up on the Christian gobbledygook, it's a bit much.

[7/10 · 5 December 2021]

Definitely an interesting little horror mini-series, although it probably would've worked better as a movie. Parts of it I really loved, but I also found myself being very bored and even dozing off at times due to some of the dialogue scenes being overly long.

Hamish Linklater delivers a stand-out performance as "Father Paul", he's undoubtedly the highlight of the show (I can't recall ever seeing him in anything else, but he's really great in this) and I think the show is worth checking out even just for that. But his long, incessant spouting of Biblical prose, albeit realistic, does get pretty tedious.

The other actors are mostly fine, although I didn't care for Samantha Sloyan's performance as "Bev", her character felt a bit cartoony and two-dimensional. The series probably also would've benefitted from having a more prolific actor as the lead. Zach Gilford does seem like a competent actor and he's really trying, but he just looks and sounds like your standard "actor man" and lacks screen presence.

The actual horror is handled very well, though, and I really liked the island setting and the grim, bleak tone overall. Story-wise it did manage to pleasantly surprise me with some creepy twists and turns, but unfortunately that feeling did kinda dissipate once the proverbial cat is let out of the bag and you see where all of it is inevitably heading.

It's creepy fun and it manages to create something new within a horror genre that's been done to death, so I do commend it for that.

Would certainly recommend it to any horror fan, although it does require a certain amount of patience to make it through to the end.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Vast improvement over the original, although it still feels kinda dumb and bloated

[7/10 · 21 March 2021]

The original Justice League was a pretty baffling disaster of a movie. Structured so poorly that the plot felt completely nonsensical, full of blatant technical flaws, lacking any character development, and rife with the dirty fingerprints of extensive studio-meddling. -- I was glad to see the Zack Snyder cut actually did fix (most) of those issues. However, I don't think the movie deserves the 10/10 scores fans are heaping on it. Disregarding the fact that the whole thing inevitably feels extremely "weird" - essentially you're paying to watch a re-release of a movie that came out only three years ago - its 4 hour running time did make it a bit of a slog to watch, for me. The scenes and dialogue come off as being a bit self-indulgant at times, the whole thing feels like the work of a director who's obviously trying very hard to distance his version from the original in every way possible. If you're a hardcore comicbook/superhero genre fan I'd wholly recommend it, you'll definitely enjoy this movie and it does feel like DC redeeming itself in a lot of ways. However, I would NOT recommend it for the average movie-goer, if only for the fact that its overly long running time (and distracting 4:3 aspect ratio...) will be a turn off for most people.

Rambo III (1988)

Some really spectacular 80's action schlock set-pieces for the fans, and all the modern political/historical implications add a real sense of irony to the whole thing

[8/10 · 9 June 2020]

Yes, boys and girls... It's THAT Rambo movie. The one where he joins up with the Islamic Mujaheddin freedom fighters which now know by another name: Al Qaida! But rather than focusing on how tragically ironic and unintentionally funny all of that is to think about while watching, I think there are plenty of other elements which make this a really exciting and fun action movie. The fact that it's by far the most ridiculous, over-the-top movie in the series sets it apart from the rest, for me.

The elaborate action set-pieces definitely the main attraction, and it's the movie's saving grace. Along with the soundtrack, which is also excellent. The acting, however,....... is what it is. I'm just glad they didn't force in any kind of romantic sub-plot. The scene where Rambo takes on a team of Russian Spetsnaz commandos in a cave is a part of 80's action cinema history, I think everyone who ever watched it as a kid has that scene burned onto their retinas. And if you've ever wondered what would happen if a Hind attack helicopter played a game of 'chicken' with a T-72 tank...

Why are you even reading this review? What are you? Some kinda nerd, or worse...; a PACIFIST!? Go grab a few beers (or sodas) and watch Rambo mow down these Russians already. It'll put some lead in your pencil! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Space Force (2020–2022)

Starts dragging a bit mid-season, but Carell still pulls it over the finish line

[7/10 · 9 June 2020]

'Space Force' (season 1) unfortunately lacks some of the snappy, clever writing and pacing I think most people were hoping for after watching the initial trailers for the show. But the show's saving grace is that it does feature a great comedic cast, a funny premise, and a decent production budget. The sci-fi elements really aren't taken seriously (which I suppose was upsetting to some people), but in return we get a test-monkey 'apestronaut' who has go on a space walk to fix a broken satellite... I think they made the right choice. All-in-all it's an entertaining show that made me chuckle quite a bit. Although admittedly there weren't that many laugh-out-loud moments, for me.

I love watching Steve Carell doing his thing, though. The man's comedic timing and delivery are still brilliant. His 'gruff army General voice' is really funny, I'm sure it was the driving force (no pun intended) behind getting this show off the ground. Malkovich is also hilarious as the 'stuck-up scientist' character, he plays is just subtle enough so that it doesn't become ridiculous. Him and Carell have good chemistry and their banter often stands out as being the highlight of the show. A lot of other familiar faces from shows like 'Silicon Valley' and 'Parks & Recreation' round out the cast pretty well and it's fun seeing them all here.

The only thing I did find a little jarring is the story-line of Carell's character's wife (played by Lisa Kudrow) serving a life-sentence in prison. First it's played just for laughs, which works, but it becomes a bit dour later on in the season and it kinda starts making Carell's character's daughter come off like a spoiled, inconsiderate brat. I didn't really like the actress playing his daughter to begin with; she over-does the snarky teenager thing and I found myself getting a bit annoyed whenever she was on screen. The 'black lady astronaut' character was also a bit of a swing-and-miss, for me, but that wasn't really the actress' fault. Her character is just pretty boring.

Overall it's 'good enough' for me, though. If you like Carell's whimsical humor then you're probably gonna like this. I hope the writing and story-lines get a little more interesting if/when the show gets picked up for another season. Maybe adding a bit more edgy humor would spice things up a bit. I'd love to see it go a little more towards 'Silicon Valley', and further away from 'The Big Bang Theory'.

Definitely recommend the show and hope to see more of it.

Smiling Friends (2020– )

Hilarious pilot! Keep 'em comin'!

[8/10 · 23 April 2020]

Stumbled onto this little show by accident, ended up laughing my ass off throughout the pilot episode. And then when I recognized Mike Stoklasa's voice, that really sold it for me. (He's really great in this, please make Desmond a recurring character!)

The whole pilot oozes creativity and raw comedic talent, it reminded me of the first episodes of South Park. If they keep this up then I think they've really got something here, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this!

Birds of Prey (2020)

This movie is the equivalent of a trashy chick who gets hammered at a bar and thinks she's being "funny" by ruining everyone's night

[4/10 · 15 April 2020]

Had to turn this off at some point because it was giving me a headache, the movie is literally unwatchable. The screeching, crass-without-being-funny dialogue feels like listening to nails on a chalk-board. The movie also has an absolutely HORRIBLE soundtrack and some of the visuals just look godawful. It's violent for no reason, the characters are all screaming idiots and the plot makes no sense at all. Margot Robbie also completely misses the mark, her character is just unbearable and at no point are you rooting for her to succeed in any way. I just wanted her to stop...

It really is an assault on all senses, this movie makes 'Man of Steel' look like 'Citizen Kane'.

The Gentlemen (2019)

Jep, it's definitely a Guy Ritchie film

[8/10 · 27 March 2020]

After Guy Ritchie's somewhat disappointing foray into the medieval fantasy genre, with his 2017 box office disaster "King Arthur: Legen of the Sword", Ritchie returns to form with the type of lighthearted British crime-comedy which made him a household name some twenty-odd years ago. Yes, the plot of The Gentleman can feel a little meandering at times, mostly due to the fact that we as an audience are hearing most of the story told through an unreliable narrator. And yes, there are moments where "style over substance" takes over and it all seems a bit excessive. But if you've enjoyed watching a Guy Ritchie movie before, these things won't surprise you and chances are you will certainly enjoy his latest work. The writing isn't quite as brilliantly snappy as some of his earlier films, and since the film does bear a lot of resemblance to Snatch in a lot of ways it's easy to draw that comparison. But in a landscape where Hollywood is pumping out mindless, unoriginal garbage at an unprecedented rate, I was just pleased that people are still making movies like these for me to enjoy. The acting is good. You can clearly tell McConaughey, Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell had a lot of fun with their roles, which sets a nice tone for the entire film, off-setting some of the more brutal aspects of the world of crime it takes places in. There's plenty of laughs, double/triple-crosses, British gangsters being British gangsters. It's the complete Guy Richie package I've come to known and enjoy over the years. I would definitely recommend this one to any fan of the genre, as well as to those who aren't.

The Aeronauts (2019)

Little bits and pieces of charm here and there, but overal it's a mess

[5/10 · 25 December 2019]

First off, the marketing for this movie is pretty misleading. The Aeronauts is what I'd call a "fantasy chick-flick", not a "based on historical events" type of movie. People wouldn't feel bamboozled if they'd made that clear in the trailer, so I'm quite understanding of all the negative reviews. As for the movie itself... Well, if you can ignore its historical revisionism and eye-rollingly blatant pushing of a progressive political agenda,... Then I'd say it's definitely not the worst thing I've ever watched, it has its moments.

I'm quite sure the director must be a big fan of Tim Burton's work, since his stylistic influence can be felt throughout this entire movie; There's the quite over-the-top stage acting, bright color-grading, elaborate set- and costume-designs, lots of fluid camera work, and a heavy reliance on bombastic CGI for its action scenes. So, if you're a fan of "Burtonesque" type fantasy movies, then you will probably feel right at home here.

However, even when judging it purely as a fantasy, it does fall flat in a lot of areas. Both Felicity Jones and Harry Redmayne's characters come off quite unsympathetic from the get-go: Two rich, upper-class snobs who want to ride a balloon as high as possible, because they both want to prove... something. The fact that the pair doesn't have any real on-screen chemistry certainly doesn't help in endearing you - the audience - to their cause. Redmayne has shown himself to be a gifted character actor in past roles, but I think this movie needed a far more subdued, subtle performance to ground things in reality. His weird delivery and strange mannerisms really don't seem to fit the "heroic man of science" type of character he portrays here. Felicity Jones, on the other hand, does alright with what she's given and she's certainly more lively than she was in 'Rogue One'. But it does feel like she's trying too hard in a lot of scenes, to a point where it took me out of the movie quite a number of times. Not a lot of "invisible acting" going on in this one.

The cinematography is decent, some of the sets and costumes in the first act of the movie are very beautiful and the scenes are well choreographed. Which makes it all the more disappointing when the movie reaches it's second act, from which point on the remainder of the movie's running time takes place inside the small basket of a - not very convincing - CGI hot air balloon. From there on there's no real sense of tension, or drama, even as the two main characters are tumbling from one (supposedly) perilous situation into the next. - The unconvincing CGI and physics defying action made it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief for even a second. - There are lots of moments where the camera pans down and you're supposed to feel the vertigo effect of being hundreds of feet up into the air, but (like so many modern movies) it all looks like a video game and the plot makes it pretty obvious that these characters will be alright. So any sense of urgency, dread, or danger, all of which should be driving the plot along, just pop like... a balloon.

I did not feel angry at the end of the movie, though, despite the fact that I'd just wasted an hour and a half watching something which definitely wasn't doing it for me. And it did (sort of) trick me into watching, since I'm a fan of history and was hoping/expecting to watch a movie based on the real life story of James Glaiser. But I'm sure someone might still find it entertaining, as I did here and there. The writing/dialogue has some witty charm and I can imagine teenage/young adult female audiences might enjoy the movie's tone as a whole.

But that's about all the praise I can give it. Objectively speaking, it's just not that good a movie.

See (2019–2022)

Give it a chance, it grows on you

[8/10 · 17 November 2019]

I wasn't blown away by the first few episodes, but the show's interesting premise, weird action scenes (blind people fighting each other), beautiful cinematography, and Jason Momoa's screen presence were enough to keep me watching. And I'm glad I did! Because I really enjoy the direction the story is going and the world it's building around it. My major gripe is that most of the main characters start off somewhat dull and lifeless. The main antagonist "Queen" character being the obvious exception, Sylvia Hoeks (Blade Runner 2048) is really chewing the scenery here, it gets kinda silly at times... But I must admit that after a few episodes, they are starting to grow on me. The show does take some artistic license with how it presents it's world, not all of it makes sense. I think mostly because the true reality of a world where humans have lost their eye-sight would be a horrible, depressing nightmare, and wouldn't look good on camera. It's a pity that a lot of reviewers can't seem to get over those discrepancies, because it's a really entertaining and fun show (so far).

Definitely a "recommend" on this one, and hope it stays the course.

Rogue Warfare (2019)

Boring, by the numbers, doesn't add anything to the genre

[4/10 · 6 October 2019]

Rogue Warrior is a low budget, low-effort action movie about an elite group of special forces operatives from different countries, who have to work together to stop a terrorist organisation. At first they don't get along, but in time they learn to trust each other and co-operate, yada-yada-yada. It has all the typical ingredients of a B-movie; terrible looking sets, clunky dialogue, a bad guy costume that looks like a mix between Kylo Ren and a Muslim woman's hijab... I could go on. I would've been glad to overlook those things if the action scenes were decent (that's the only standard I really hold this type of movie to), but unfortunately that's where I found the movie to be most disappointing. Apparently, in his "day job", director Mike Gunther is quite an accomplished Hollywood stunt coordinator, but that really doesn't show through in this movie. The action scenes look cheap and amateurish, and there's really not a lot of stunts, apart from the arbitrary "terrorist gets shot and falls down". It all adds up to a bland, mediocre package which had me struggling to keep my eyes open, especially during one of its long expository dialogue scenes (of which there are too many). Usually I'd recommend this type of movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon, but there's just nothing interesting here and there are too many better movies, even in the low-budget genre. Give it a pass.