vinsma Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Rebel Moon was never meant to a critical success. Accept that and you'll enjoy this movie

[8/10 · 23 April 2024]

Cons:

• Acting is subpar. Kora as the main lead unfortunately does not have enough charisma to shoulder the movie.

• CGI is glaringly bad in some areas. Overall it's not too bad, but some scenes are jarringly bad.

• There are some scenes that was so unintentionally funny that I was thinking they HAD to have done it on purpose. Mainly the scene with the band in the background playing music. For those that watched, you know which one I meant.

• Name of the game is generic. It steals so many elements from Star Wars and other movies. Dialog, story...nothing is breaking new grounds here.

• STOP. USING. SLOMO. EVERYWHERE.

Pros:

• While acting is generally bad, there were some standouts. Noble, the main villain, was a bit of a caricature but feel he definitely steals the scenes.

• The action, when revved-up and non-stop, is really well done and enjoyable, even if again it's not exactly ground-breaking. Well executed in general.

• Physical acting is great, especially from Kora. It feels like she's a trained, competent soldier.

Mean Girls (2024)

Fun musical, catchy tunes, good performances from the leads

[7/10 · 20 March 2024]

I went into this without much expectations as I haven't seen the original, but I had a really fun time watching it. The leads were enjoyable to watch, some of the songs were pretty catchy, the jokes per minute was high, and it just never felt boring or feel flat at any time.

Some stand outs were Karen and Regina. They played their characters perfectly.

Some of the long single shot scenes were incredible. I guess it also captured some of the meanness and dumbness of high school pretty well.

The story itself is pretty predictable and is not exactly breaking new ground, but the enjoyment I think just comes from just the experience of the songs, the jokes and the stellar performances.

Halo: Onyx (2024) Season 2, Episode 6

John fights his own squad as often as he does against the Covenant

[5/10 · 8 March 2024]

Tldr: badly written episode full of exposition that raises more questions, plot holes, and inconsistencies.

Why was Kwan allowed to just walk around during a stealth mission?

How did Perez suddenly become this super confident aggressive soldier? And be called a Spartan, really?

Why did Ackerson send Kai knowing John can turn her loyalty around?

Why did they just let John sit and start walking around after being beaten up?

Still never explained why Ackerson had to take the suits with him.

Are we going to see John in his suit ever again?

How do cave systems "change" in just 20 years?

Why wouldn't Kai simply trust John, someone she's fought alongside pretty much her entire life? Especially now that she doesn't have her chip and can think more for herself? What was the point of last seasons character development?

Halo: Aleria (2024) Season 2, Episode 5

Really like the character exploration of the Spartans

[8/10 · 1 March 2024]

I may be in the minority here, and maybe that's because I haven't fully played the games before, but I do like the character exploration of the Spartans other than their combat abilities. These killing machines that bring fear to the alien horde and are seen as superheroes in the Halo world get to stretch their humanity side and also asks what exactly are Spartans? Simple machine or human beings, or maybe a bit of both apparently. Even though Riz's development feel a bit rushed, I still feel it was effective. She has doubts, weaknesses, ambitions that set her apart from being a simple soldier. And of course Vannak's story was sad and ended way too short.

This episode felt down right small in comparison to the previous one, but a good chance to catch a breath before the inevitable big battle ahead.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024– )

Faithful adaptation, great VFX, mediocre direction and acting

[8/10 · 25 February 2024]

Note: this is just for 3 episodes in.

Pros:

• This show has better VFX than it deserves to have. From the very detailed CGI backgrounds to bending effects themselves, it's top notch at least for TV format.

• Fans of the original will recognize almost nearly all the characters, story arcs, even certain scenes and internal jokes. There's little to none interpretation here, their goal is to make this as accurate to the original in a new format as possible.

• The casting has been excellent at least in terms of making them look like the original characters. I like the varied Asian races representing each of the elemental tribes/nations. The actors seem to make believable motions while bending, and some appear straight-up proficient in martial arts.

• The Kyoshi scene was incredible!

Cons:

• The child actors, with some exceptions, are not great when it comes to the actual acting. It's a lot to ask that they have accurate looks to the show while also needing to have some martial arts training and being able to act well at such young ages. But I guess in the end they still act like children, which is what you would expect. But some stand-out acting from Zuko makes me wish it applied to the others as well.

• The direction of most of the non-action scenes seems bland, static, and lots of setting up the story as opposed to developing the characters. It'll probably be better as the show goes on, however.

Some other notes:

• it's been complained about that the clothes are too clean. I kind of agree, but I think you get used to it after awhile. But it would have been cool to see what it would look like if the clothes were more worn-down, almost like if you've been traveling for weeks with a single set of clothes.

True Detective: Night Country: Part 6 (2024) Season 4, Episode 6

Messy, confusing, beautiful, sad. Good representation of the season

[7/10 · 19 February 2024]

The ending feels like a fantastical trip that you never asked for, but appreciative even if it leaves you confused and dizzy. It didn't feel too surprising who ended up being the killers, the bad guys remained the bad guys, the good guys remained the good guys. So it didn't feel like there was much of a whoa moment, and most of the loose points from the beginning seemed to be solved and tied up. But it somehow feels a bit empty, something I didn't really feel with the other seasons.

There were really some good visual elements, that makes this seem more like a psychological horror than a murder mystery. All in all, I would recommend, unless you are a hard core TD fan and expect this to be the same.

Halo (2022– )

Sometimes epic spectacle, mostly mediocre storywriting

[7/10 · 18 February 2024]

The side stories of Soren and Kwan, politics with ONI are sometimes good and interesting , but honestly we're all here to see Master Chief kick butt and take names, and unfortunately there just isn't enough of it. First episode of both seasons so far sets up such high expectations of the rest of the season, it's kind of understandable that it's difficult to meet them. But we still hope.

I really hope season 2 will be different, but I'm already seeing some signs that it may be the same as the first, albeit it's noticeably more polished and better than the first in terms of pacing.

Honestly, despite the complaints, it is still mostly worth it for the first action packed episodes, as well as the expected spectacle of a season finale.

Culprits (2023– )

Inoffensive, by the book, entertaining crime thriller

[7/10 · 17 February 2024]

It's pretty refreshing these days when you see characters in a thriller/drama acting rationally in intense situations. They don't make dumb choices, they take excessive measures and doesn't half ass anything.

This show is definitely not breaking any new grounds, but is very well executed and never feels boring or stagnant. Production is good, about on par with your typical British drama and all that entails.

Some really satisfying scenes early on, especially the one where main guy gets kidnapped but realizes it's not by the people he thought it was.

Overall, highly recommend for those that like British shows, and crime thrillers in general.

Tracker (2024– )

Yet another procedural

[5/10 · 13 February 2024]

It always amazes me how many people watch these generic procedurals. I know I'm not the target audience, but basic cable keeps churning out these objectively bland shows that has no character development, no chemistry between romantic partners, sex is extremely cheap (girl cop falls into bed because he tells one sob story about his dead dad), and annoying plot holes that's waved away very easily. Lead guy always makes the right call (even if logically it doesn't make sense in real life), always partnered with a tech person that basically does half the job for said lead character. All while the music sounds like it's made by the same person across all 50 or so of these shows.

True Detective: Night Country: Part 5 (2024) Season 4, Episode 5

Argh, I hate reveals that's not discovered by the protagonist

[8/10 · 12 February 2024]

The reveal that it was the head of the mines and the cop involved with the death of Annie from their perspective is lazy! What's the point of watching a detective work through a case if the show just reveals important information to the audience away from the detectives themselves. It would've been so much scarier for the audience to see the cop follow Jodie without us knowing why, and watching him kill Otis out of the blue would've been so much more impactful.

I like the character development though so far, and we begin to see the motives behind each person. Still awaiting for next episode on how the supernatural elements tie into it, if at all.

True Detective: Night Country: Part 4 (2024) Season 4, Episode 4

Could be a good horror movie, not so much a episodic crime thriller

[8/10 · 12 February 2024]

There are some really nice horror elements in this episode, that as a horror fan I can really appreciate. But it's light on actual detecting and crime solving. Some unbelievable elements/plot holes as others have mentioned, but also little satisfactory discoveries that would move the mystery along. We're over the halfway point and it seems to be adding more questions as opposed to answering anything. It's becoming more about solving an old case instead of the main one.

I'll hold final judgement until the last episode, but it seems like this could've been a really good horror movie as opposed to a series. I just hope it ties the horror elements together in a believable, satisfactory manner as opposed to "I'm using this person's mental illness as a way to show ghosts"

Echo (2023–2024)

Respectful representation of Native culture, middling story

[7/10 · 2 February 2024]

First with the bad. There is not a good story here. Generic, bland, it seems to be treading water the entirety of the show, with not much really happening. Side characters were mostly pointless and doesn't add to the story at all. Poignant, heartfelt moments are few and far apart. It has to keep showing the same flashbacks over and over and over. Kept showing it instead of showing who or what the power came from. Action scenes were mediocre except for maybe the first fight scene. Ending felt rushed and anti climactic. Wasted good performances from Vincent and relative new comer Alaqua.

Now the good. As mentioned, the acting was actually pretty good for the most part. Even from the side characters. It attempts to show the Native culture in a reverent way and appears very respectful to the culture in general, while humanizing the people at the same time. It was also short.

Griselda (2024)

Less polished, smaller scale, more intimate than Narcos

[7/10 · 1 February 2024]

Even though it has one of the original creators of Narcos, it's probably unfair to compare this to Narcos. This is a much simpler, character driven version of the drug trade we saw in the other show ( and spinoffs). And it did it well enough, filling in a little bit the huge hole left by Narcos.

Sofia Vagera is very good in this, and you cannot tell that she used to play the comedic character from Modern Family. She can play the loving mother, the power tripping cartel boss, and the drugged-up mess of a person competently, and you never get tired of seeing her in every scene.

The story does differ from the real life story quite a bit, mostly for dramatic effect, and also to tell a softer/kinder side of the sad story that is the life of Griselda.

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

Nice little hottie flick, a little heart warning too

[7/10 · 15 January 2024]

Yes it's a bit of a cliched movie. Some weird dialogue here and there, some bad pacing that drags it on for a little too long. But it is a GOOD horror movie. There are some decent scares, some fun returning characters, and a good family story.

It did seem like the end of the series, and while it could have been better, it was a good ending to the franchise. For a directorial debut, this was really good. It was a good closure, even if the ending was a little confusing. Definitely recommend if you've seen the other movies, otherwise it's a solid b horror movie.

And yes, that is Patrick Wilson singing in the end.

The Brothers Sun (2024)

Fantastic drama, action, comedy series representing Taiwan/Chinese culture

[9/10 · 14 January 2024]

This is a fast-paced, never boring, always entertaining show that's either making you laugh out loud, and just enjoying some slick action fighting sequences, with a dash of intrigue and love, and lots of family issues and love.

Michelle Yeoh is excellent is this, as are the newcomer (to me) actors who plays her sons. All the supporting cast is quite good too and believable, if a little one-dimensional. But the storyline ire relatively tight, and while plot holes exists, it is quickly hand-waved away.

Overall, I find myself wishing for more at the end, and sad that's over until the possible second season. It shows an East Asian culture that's relatively under-represented, and I loved seeing all of the pastries that I ate as a kid.

There's some cliche story elements, but all in all, I would highly recommend this show.

Fool Me Once (2024)

There's a good mystery here, but clunky execution

[6/10 · 5 January 2024]

I think there's a really good drama/mystery thriller in the source material, but I don't think this show does it justice. It doesn't have quite a good execution of the story. Pacing jumps all over the place, dramatic music swells in and out for the littlest of things (reminds me of Bollywood). The main lead is hard to root for (although we kind of find out why later).

The straw that broke the camels back was end of one of the episodes. Maya was sleeping and she hears knocking and her little girl screaming. Instead of frantically trying to find her and the source of the noise, she goes to the garage, takes the gun that takes like a whole minute to pop out from the secret compartment (there's like six other guns already in reach), PUTS ON GLOVES, then slowly cocks the gun while giving a mean mug. What kind of parent would do that? I find that writing very amateurish.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023– )

Big production value, poor writing and characters

[6/10 · 10 December 2023]

How is it possible that they make all three leads so unlikeable? They are often at each other throats, make dumb decisions, and makes it very hard to root for them. Also their mission doesn't seem very coherent other than that they're risking their lives to find their father who they all seem to hate anyway. Saving grace is some of the other characters are enjoyable to watch like the Russells.

Some lazy writing too like how everyone seems to be able to draw a perfectly scaled constellation map every time, like in the jungle in the past and when they held up the holey paper to the window at exactly the right distance to project dots on the poster map at the exact correct locations.

Monster designs seem generic and boring, and wastes Godzilla's first appearance at the Hawaiian beach with an reveal that's neither dramatic, menacing or awesome.

That being said, for a tv show it definitely has high production qualities. And I understand this is for a more personal story. But for fans of Kaiju shows/movies, I don't feel it really scratches the itch that well.

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Poor adaptation, even worse "horror" movie

[3/10 · 30 October 2023]

Even with the creator involved in the process, this movie did not feel like a FNAF story, or what made the original game so fun and interesting. I do have to give "props" to the animatronics, as it look eerily accurate, but that's about where the similarities end sadly. The main story involving the main character is uninteresting, it's light on scares, the acting from the adults were very iffy (except Futterman, he always does a good job). I understand adopting a game story to a movie is difficult, but the plot is nearly nonsensical. Even if you can get past all that and at least expected a decent fun horror fest, the scariest thing was easily handled by some water and taser, and the main baddie was just a guy in a costume with a design flaw.

Plane (2023)

Tight, if albeit simple, script with great execution.

[7/10 · 17 July 2023]

Underneath it all it's a fairly generic action movie, but it's the execution that makes this an overall enjoyable film. It helps that it feels the movie flies right by, so it has great pacing. But, it does feel overall like it's lacking some substance and every next scene feels mostly pretty predictable.

Gerald Butler is in his usual charming self and adds yet another satisfying "escape from x" action movie to his resume. Mike Coulter is a reliable supporting actor and the copilot Yoson is excellent.

Overall I recommend this movie for a simple fun movie for about a couple hours of guilt-free escapism.

Citadel (2023– )

Budget of a summer blockbuster with the writing prowess of a children's book

[6/10 · 5 May 2023]

There's some potential for a good show here. Slick, high production action. Beautiful looking lead characters. Bezos money. But I wish they spent a bit more on the screenwriters. Bland, shallow story that looks like it was written for people with short attention spans. Cheap lines that only Stanley tucci could save. There's really doesn't seem to be anything underneath the surface here, it really is a predictable spy story with twists that you've seen before. The only thing that can really save it is the charm of the leads, and I think there's something there, enough for me to hold my breath for.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

Excellent world building, beautifully shot, high production values, but story could be better

[8/10 · 12 September 2022]

Too many different plot lines that makes the whole show feel very slow paced. However the world building is incredible for a TV show. Different environments feel different from each other, and each one detailed and expansive. As high of a production value as you can expect from a television show. Characters are difficult to feel attached to four episodes in, but holding out hope. Feels very much like the movies, hope to see more connections. Some of the natural environment shots are incredible. I don't believe the negative reviews are on point, I have absolutely no issues with the more varied cast, it actually adds to the lore in my opinion.