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Reviews
To Leslie (2022)
Best Anorexic in a Leading Role
This movie is tired and clichéd. Andrea Riseborough seems to desperately need an intervention, and not just in her acting which is also clichéd; though tbf, the script didn't give her much to work with; the same old tropes and non-realism trying desperately to seem realistic, poignant and new. Problem is there's nothing redeeming about her character. Steven Root is out of his depth and looks like he tried (and failed) to dress up as a biker for Halloween; and he's horrible in this; looks like deer caught in headlights just before impact. Tired, unimaginative casting. Guess they couldn't be bothered to find a more appropriate actor and the first-time director opted for cachet over skill/realism when it came to casting Mr. Root. I marvel at how this movie was even made. Maybe someone has a rich uncle? That said, the cinematography is ok.
See How They Run (2022)
Sure, I can do a British Accent! NOT!
Are you telling me that no one on his team or on the crew could break it to Sam Rockwell that his British accent is TERRIBLE?!
Are you telling me they couldn't afford a proper dialect coach?!
Kudos to Saoirse Ronan and company (except David Oyelowo, whose performance was cliché and over the top), because it must have been hard working with an actor who looks the entire time as though he's wondering if his last line sounded authentically British and whether his next one will hit it's mark accent-wise; concentrating so hard on trying (but failing) to nail the accent that he could barely do anything else. Talking with his fingers moving around near his mouth trying to seem nonchalant.
At least when Kevin Spacey mutilated the British accent in See No Evil, Hear No Evil, he actually attempted to do a little acting.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries: Episode #2.6 (2023)
I Kept Watching Hoping This Series Would Improve But It Just Gets Worse With EVERY Episode
I thought there was supposed to be comedy in this, not just contrived clichéd implausible murder mysteries.
With the exception of Steve Edge, Sally Lindsay, Alex Gaumond, Djinda Kane, Narayan Hecter and Alais Lawson, and perhaps one or two other recurring actors the acting is mediocre to atrociously poor (and leaning hard towards atrociously poor end of the spectrum). Though Sue Holderness and Robin Askwith are ok and even good choices for the roles they play.
This episode took the cake though. Casting was unbelievable, and there were so many missed opportunities for a laugh; as though they deliberately tried to not make the audience laugh. NO LAUGHING PERMITTED!!! THIS IS A SERIOUS DRAMA PROGRAM!! Lol. What a joke! I wonder who at the network is getting kickbacks for this, or if anyone read the scripts before greenlighting the second season. Finally, what most people don't realize is how difficult it is to act with bad script and across from bad actors, so kudos to the ones who performed well; it must've been a chore.
The Essex Serpent (2022)
A Drawn-Out Clichéd Mess Masquerades In Costume With High Production Value
This is one of the biggest wastes of time EVER. Claire Danes is horrible--she constantly has this surprised silly look on her face which shouts "Look at me! I'm doing a REAL British costume drama IN BRITISH ACCENT! SEE!!! I'M A REAL ACTRESS NOW!!!"
The story is mediocre at best, but the acting is solid (except for Claire Danes' and) except Tom Hiddleston looking half the time like he's over it; like he's wondering if this'll damage his career; and the other half looking like he's in horror of the bad performance Claire Danes is giving him, and wishing they'd hired any of a hundred lesser-known talented British (OR American) actresses who aren't pretentious poseurs.
Bad performances by the two leads aside (Oh and Clémence Poésy was completely unexceptional, verging on bad), the story was too drawn out. Could've made a nice little TV movie. But nope! Someone had delusions of grandeur.
Also, tbf: Hiddleston, who's normally good, was dragged down by bad casting (Claire Danes). As Terrence Stamp said when turning down the Star Wars movies opposite Hayden Christensen: "Actors like to work with Actors."
Babylon (2022)
A Pointless, Boring, Indulgent, Inaccurate, Sensationalist Mess
I guess the director fancies himself as a modern day Cecil B. Demille, but this tawdry overblown waste of time shows a sophomoric, cliched, sensationalism that even the nudity can't save, and which made the many costume-related inaccuracies that much more annoying. At the end of the day, who cares about this story? No one, at least not anyone with any semblance of cinematic taste. I've written about all that can be written about this garbage which doesn't deserve the minimum 600 characters which are required to post a review, so I'd just add to save your money and time and opt for a real movie.
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (2022)
An Unfunny Grift
Has anyone noticed all the content nowadays pretending this is 1982--when it would've been a real drama to come out of the closet--instead of 2022 when no one cares about sexual orientation anymore?
Well here's another one that tries hard to push the sympathy and progressive/cutting edge buttons---which wouldn't be so bad if it were actually funny or compelling. But it's just a Yawn-Fest. I understand pushing the "Woe-is-me-i-HAD-to-come-out" in order to get a foot in the door of the wokedom that's present-day programming. But maybe try adding some comedy next time. This was the worst standup ever.
Tausend Zeilen (2022)
Pretentious & Cliché'd Snoozefest of Epic Proportions
This movie uses cliché'd cinematics to try to bolster a weak and boring story, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it didn't fail horribly in doing so.
It's like the producers and directors had a list of boxes to check, and closed their eyes and pointed to scenes and used them at random. So it's like a pretentious student film. Casting is also cliché'd and acting poor to mediocre for the most part.
This could've been a good film (if the script were a bit better), and I imagine it will end up in some film-school course on how not to make a movie.
It's remarkable that it got theatre distribution in its country of origin. I guess the theatres there are desperate for content.
Roslund & Hellström: Cell 8 (2022)
B.A.M.! (Bad Acting Mostly)
First the good:
Production values are high and the locations innovative. Camerawork is ok to good. Editing is good. Sound is good. Score is good. The actor playing the governor is ok, as is the actor playing his wife. The actor playing the American singer's father is also ok. The Swedish characters actors seem ok to good so far--only seen one episode, but so many things stuck out as wrong that I'd to stop and write this.
Now the bad to not so good:
The actor playing the American singer is perhaps the most vanilla (and faux) punk rocker in history, and his acting is TERRIBLE. Tbf, he may be an otherwise ok actor, but it's clear from his choices he shouldn't have been cast in this role. And to be even more fair, this could be the director's fault for letting him play the scenes the way he did. The actress who plays the governor's daughter is cookie-cutter one dimensional and, like the American singer actor, her acting is also forced and unbelievable. This wouldn't be so bad if they had chemistry, but there's no chemistry between the two of them at all. They not only don't look like they're interested in each other, they don't even look like they're interested in the opposite sex. (Speaking figuratively here--there are many talented actors who can pull off heterosexual attraction but who are not actually heterosexual.)
Got news for these Swedes: Even the most racist right-wing white supremacist American politician (which the governor character is not) wouldn't be seen having anyone close to him that looks like a white supremacist, as the bald headed goatee'd guy on stage behind the governor does. That just wouldn't ever happen. Ever. This isn't a comment about his acting because I've not seen him do anything yet, and it may not be a comment about casting either; as a simple shave, or a mustache alone with no goatee would've probably done the trick.
Perhaps the director wasn't going for realism, but was rather attempting camp and misguided cliché ("misguided", because pure cliché would've been a vast improvement), in which case he's succeeded. Or maybe his own biases made him make the choices he did. Still, the actors should have probably helped him not to make so many simple mistakes on so many important details.
Survive (2020)
Good Acting Can't save Poor Writing And Directing
Because this project, originally intended as a feature film, could neither get a wide cinema release nor a better streaming platform to distribute it, it ended up on the soon-to-be defunct Quibi platform where no one will see it. And the people who subscribed to see Sophie Turner will feel ripped off and drop their subscriptions the following month. Even the good acting from the two leads couldn't save the sophomoric directing and writing. This might've been a different story if it were a short film--so much screen time is devoted to the brooding desperation of the lead character that it's redundant and annoying. Don't get me wrong, it's quality brooding, and the production definitely got its money's worth out of Turner, but we got it after the first 7 crying/sadness scenes; she's depressed. And then there's too much cliché. Had they edited down to the 25 minutes it deserved, this could've been an award-winning albeit student film.
1917 (2019)
A Perfect Movie
This is a Perfect Movie. Shot in real time in what seems to be one long continuous take, perfectly orchestrated action, consummately choreographed and shot. It's got Everything; sets, costumes, acting, score, cinematography, story (not necessarily in that order). And it'll set a standard for years to come.
Btw, I get the comparison to Saving Private Ryan, which has perhaps the best invasion scene ever. But on the whole and in many ways 1917 surpasses SPR. It's a Monumental Masterpiece; practically incomparable.
Mr. Jones (2019)
Perfection on Every Level
When a movie achieves perfection across the board--in originality, production design, acting, directing, editing and score--and the story is both highly compelling and historical, it deserves nothing less than a 10. The attention to detail of every aspect of this movie is extraordinary. And that it's also an historical drama about an unsung hero who paid the ultimate price to expose the Truth, and has so much relevance in the current era of false news, is the icing on the cake.
Bruno Manser - Die Stimme des Regenwaldes (2019)
As Picturesque and Well-Played as it is Timely and Disturbing
I saw this remarkable film at the Zürich Film Festival last night; the first Swiss film to open the festival since its founding 15 years ago. Niklaus Hilber's epic spanning 16 years is amazing achievement on every level, and especially so considering that it was shot for only $6M.
The true story of the maverick Swiss environmental activist (and self-taught Anthropologist and Linguist) who didn't just live among the indigenous rain-forest dwelling Penan people of Malaysia but who also adapted their lifestyle, mastered their language, and put his life on the line to defend them and their way of life. The story, pacing, photography and acting are superb and this combination is potentiated to the fullest by the score.
C'est ça l'amour (2018)
Extraordinary Attention to Detail and Realism in Superbly Told and Acted Interconnected Stories of Longing and Love
I saw this Masterpiece at the Zürich Film Fest last night and was taken by the attention to detail and realism in every aspect of the story and production. This is a movie which doesn't force its uniqueness but achieves it naturally, as a function of the narrative and superb writing, acting and editing.
The multiple stories of love and longing which transpire involving the members of recently separated Mario Messina's (Bouli Lanners) family inform a larger narrative as well as transform and strengthen their love for one other. And this emotional ride is flawlessly interspersed with well-observed comedic beats contrasting with the subject matter and reminding the audience of the humanity, imperfection, and sometimes absurdity, implicit in our own attempts to love and be loved.
Because there's so much taking place, and doing so on so many different levels, and because its all so effortlessly woven together this apparent family narrative belies a profound complexity, one that easily bears repeated viewing.