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Reviews
Eo (2022)
Never gets off the ground
It starts well enough, but then slowly loses focus, rambling from here to there, with no direction home. There's no story, which is fine, but there is not much of interest after a while either. I'd call it a major disappointment. Maybe film students, who thinks film should be more art and less entertainment will approve. I wasn't exactly bored, but I became more and more frustrated as it progresses, or should I say, failed to progress. The donkey has a personality, but you don't see if very often. It encounters various people, but there isn't much to say about them either. A let down. See if if you must.
Rare Exports (2010)
Unreleased tension
I sought out this film, after hearing about it. And what I found was promising at first, with good actors, well paced plot, but then.... it just fizzled out. There seems to be danger, but there is little of it, and it just never happens. There's barely any action at all. Why? There could have been so much more, with a little gore and actual fighting, but, just nothing. What a disappointment. It's not that it isn't entertaining, but it's a huge let down, when it turns out that the imminent danger is easily dealt with. And lucky one of the finns in the middle of nowhere could fly a helicopter, no? Nah, I can't recommend this movie, at all.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022)
Properly over the top!
Song & Dance, fighting and running from tigers - what's not to like?!
Great movie, tipping 3 hours, which is long, but I was never bored. Loved the main characters, the action scenes are properly over the top, without getting thoroughly ridiculous. Excellent movie.
Perhaps the best part in in the first half an hour, when you are introduced to the two protagonist, and see what they can do. Those scenes are both great, with another superb encounter when they meet, and without a word plans how to save a stranded boy trapped in a fire in the river(!). Things progress nicely from there, and goes on to the end, sprinkled with a great song and dance routine which has become a cultural phenomenon. Recommended.
Glass Onion (2022)
Very good - until it wasn't
It was very, very good for a long time, right up until the end, which ruined everything. What kind of lazy ass writing was that?? No great detective work there, just plain stupid revenge, on the whole of humanity, no less, because what kind of idiot would do that, to get back on someone?
It's just poor, poor form. Rian Johnson is not a bright writer, but not a terrible one either, because up until that scene, he'd done a pretty good job. But there and then we realise he is nothing like the great detective, he just couldn't pull it off, and "be" Benoit Blanc, master detective, to solve his script. Blanc couldn't solve it, and neither could Johnson. Good grief.
It's not a complete waste, though, cause the actors are great. It's just a huge, huge letdown, where you realise the incompetence of it all.
The Boys (2019)
Will it ever end?
Yes, it's well made, it's cynical, violent and dystopian. Actors are good. Characters are generally interesting. But, and you get the feeling, will it ever end? Will they ever reach their goals? When they have their chance, will they back off, endagering everyone - AGAIN? If there was an end in sight, great, but I have my doubts.
Copshop (2021)
The ending....
Okey, it was somewhat interesting, right up to the end scene, the big showdown. That was one of the least believable I've ever witnessed. Big dramatic speeches and whatnot. I'll not reveal some of the other stuff in that part, let's just say, whoever wrote this stuff, isn't really big on realistic. I'm making a note of the name, and not because I particularly want to see anything based on that writer's work again.
Your Honor (2020)
The acting is good
The actors are very good here, the judge (Cranston), the gangster, and the rest of the cast. But plotwise, it's all just too much. Implausible and unnecessary. The teacher thing? It doesn't bring anything to the table, and would have been best left out. The new girlfriend? Even worse. It's not needed. Could it happen? Yes, I suppose it COULD, but like I said, it's just too much. And the choices the judge makes? Ah, no, don't even want to go there.
The premise was interesting, but all in all, I wish I'd given it a pass.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Reversed myself
There was a point there, well into the film, when I was thinking, what is this crap, he never used to behave this stupidly - who wrote this?? But then, very suddenly, within a few seconds really, it all turned upside down, I was thoroughly surprised and pleased at the same time, and from then on out, I really enjoyed it! It wasn't bad before that, it is very competently done, but I was getting more and more annoyed, how could Peter be so wreckless? But like I said, what happened next - I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Yes, that elevated it, up to perhaps the most enjoyable movie in the entire Marvel catalogue. Maybe not quite, but yes, it confirmed what for many of us has always been the case: Spider-Man/Peter Parker is the most relatable, the one you root for, the one who wears his heart upon his sleeve, the kid who won't stay down. He was always my favourite hero, and still is. And what I saw today was such a fun ride.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Enjoyable in spite of weak plot
First of all, it's not a bad action film to watch, there seems to be a dearth of good action movies this summer, and this fills a spot, sort of. Just forget about the logic of the plot, that doesn't make sense. For one, how on earth is it supposed to help to bring grossly overweight men and women in their forties with no military training, to fight aliens with regular rifles, that the fully equipped military force of the entire planet couldn't handle? That's just silly, and the writer would have been better off telling ut that we're bringing the best of the best soldiers from the past to the future to help us. Not scared adults who are not in their prime. It's both weak and stupid writing.
Also, it's a much weaker movie than Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place, two excellent films it is natural to compare this with. The alien monsters are pretty much the same, with some variations with regard to weaknesses. But still, it's a quite enjoyable yarn at it's best, the action scenes with lots of monsters. Chris Pratt is also a believable hero, and Strahovski is also quite good. I'd give it a 6.5 if I could, but not a full 7.
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Good - but at least 30 minutes too short
I enjoyed the first one, and this one as well. The monsters are (mostly) convincing,and are so fast and devastating that it feels believable that they could subvert the entire planet in a short time - as opposed to zombies in other films and series, that are so slow and weak that they can be killed with a stick most of the time.
But that said, the movie could have been a lot more interesting, with more insight into the first days (and not only THE first day) and weeks, with a more thorough character building, especially for Cillian Murphy. I'd welcome a Director's Cut here, 45 minutes longer, to enable us to know about the circumstances that resulted in the first film. Some scenes also seem a bit underdeveloped, like the marina confrontation and the island community ones.
But all in all, a solid effort, just desired even more.
Grace (2021)
Good while watching - bad in retrospect
This is a review of the first, movie-length episode. It's interesting enough while you watch it, but afterwards I'm stuck with a feeling that it wasn't all that impressive. The police work is not exactly mindblowing, which would be fine, except for that there's nothing impressive at all. That envelope in the refridgerator for instance. It wasn't great police work that he first closed the door, then had a second thought, reopened, and found it at once. It would have been sloppy work indeed had he NOT found that one, "hidden" in one of the vegetable drawers. And there are several other such things. Studying that photograph near the end, realising something. It wasn't that great a leap of insight. The end wasn't very good, without revealing too much. The inclusion of a pretty dim police chief - this changes nothing - Grace being right, is a lame and tired move. But what about the medium?? Are we really supposed to swallow that part? The reason he was "fooled" in the first place was pretty obvious, but why have a MEDIUM in there at all? Ensures even sloppier police work, leaning on a medium that has never been wrong, except that one time when it counted the most. No, I can't really say this was a good series. It's not bad, the actors are all right, the setting fine, there was excitement sometimes. But the writing sucks.
The Handmaid's Tale: The Crossing (2021)
What was the plan?
So you've just betrayed everyone, but the thing that bothers you the most, is that your daughter, who's obviously been brainwashed for some time, is afraid of you? That's what disturbs you? It's going from okay to pretty bad fast, now. It's almost misogynistic to see someone swearing to never tell where the others are, break down in 1 minute under the threat to her child. And Moss directed this silliness herself to boot. And if she was so ready to die, why didn't she just throw herself over the edge or find some other way out, knowing that there would be no point to threaten the child again? But no, she betrays everyone, and THEN she's ready. Awful, just plain awful, and not even mentioning the other weaknesses here, which are to live with. Yes, one thing: why not try to move on, other handmaids, when your leader who knows where you are is caught? What was your plan there? Are they that helpless? Yes, I'd like to see where all this ends, but it's getting to be a bit of a drag to get there.
Unforgotten (2015)
Season 4: starts strong, then disappoints
I like Nicola Walker, she's a strong actress, and she does well here, too. The script writers, however, does not. It's the sort of feeling you get after finishing the season, that you enjoyed it while it lasted, but it didn't feel very satisfying in retrospect. It starts well enough, an intriguing headless body... but then, well, how they "solve" it is a series of not particularly interesting interviews and investigations, it's all too easy, really, and the actual series of events leading up to the murder aren't very believable. The main character's father is supposed to be suffering from increasing dementia, it seems, but it doesn't really show, other than forgetting a couple of words or two. The various subplots are not very convincing, like I said, it's all too easy. Disappointing and left me with a feelin of major unfulfillment.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
A snooze
I was actually really looking forward to watching this, during Christmas. Forest Whitaker is one of mye favourite actors, Hugh Bonneville is great, but...
It's a slog. It's just so MINDNUMBINGLY boring! Nothing interesting happens, there's no evolving of the characters. Suddenly a couple of decades have passed, and... well, nothing much interesting happens. It's just an empty shell.
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Pretty weak - mediocre more than bad
I like Will Smith, I even loved After Earth very much and I think it is pretty exciting. But this? The humour is bad to the point of embarrassing, with Martin Lawrence being worst of all, his jokes are just cringing. Maybe if you're 12 years old and this was the first action comedy you saw, you'd find it funny, but for grownups with a little more experience, not so much. Even the action scenes are lacking, with an almost total lack of realism. One can accept the disregard for the laws of physics, with unlimited bullets and no recoil, the bullet proof tables and other silly stuff, but it's just too much overall. Also, the support characters are nothing but cardboard characters, with the exception of Joe Pantoliano. All inn all, the film is approaching level terrible, and this being one of the most watched movies of 2020 is just sad. I read that director Adil El Arbi have been picked to direct Beverly Hills Cop 4. Now that is one movie I intend to skip.
The Purge (2013)
What not to do during a purge
We learn several obvious things in this film:
-kids are stupid
-it's perhaps not a good idea to be using a flashlight when you're trying to hide
-it's probably not a good idea to wander around the house when there are multiple intruders inside
-if you're investing an enourmous sum of money to secure doors and windows that anyway can be penetrated by using a regular car then perhaps you should invest in a panic room
-purgers aren't necessarily very careful or concerned about their own wellbeing
-grownups are stupid
The film is not without entertainment value, but at the same time, it's not that good either. You might spend a lot of time shaking your head while watching it.
The Call (2013)
has its moments, but also some deep flaws
The main problem with this film is that the characters behaves - without exception -extremely stupid. Halle Berrys character is perhaps the worst, since she is not under the same sort of duress, and she messes up badly at least twice. Breslins character is also not doing to well, but she improves. The girl in the opening scene, characters trying to help are all acting so stupid it's hard to believe, one after another. The movie itself is not excrutiatingly bad, but it could have been a lot better.
Game Night (2018)
Not bad, but pretty ridiculous
The guys who made this probably thinks that Home Alone was the best movie ever, and decided they could do something similar, just dump the kid. There are som pretty good actors in this, and it's a comedy, but hello. It's over the top stupid at times, but still enjoyable, even if I lost a lot of interest halway through.
1917 (2019)
Incredible filmatic achievement
Great movie, really, really good. The one-take cinematic approach is mindboggling, it looks like it really only took around 2 hours to film it! But for some preparations.
I like the story, too. But why didn't they just fly in?
Fasandræberne (2014)
A serious man cleraring cases
Don't get me wrong, I quite like this series, but I have to mention this: Claus Mørck is an idiot. He does risky and frankly stupid stuff, which results in him being hit in the head, repeatedly. He is also a humourless, gloomy tosser, and the series could benefit from him lighting up a bit. Yes, they deal with deadly serious matter, but you can't go on like that, you'll be a nervous wreck in months. But after having seen the first three installments, I'm sure I'd like to watch the next ones, too.
Knightfall (2017)
1. episode review
I almost gave up after the first 10 minutes, but eventually made it through the whole episode. As others have pointed out, this has very little to do with history, even though some major events like Philips expelling the jews did happen.
The problem with this, rather low budget approach, is that the writing is very, very weak. It's like it was written by a 16 year old with a profound love for Arthurian legends, and who desperately wants them to be true. Characters are called Gawain and Parsifal, oh yes very common names at the time. Or not. The cliche-filled dialogue does not tempt you to continue watching for very long, and neither do the low-key battle scenes. They are not very impressive. Fast charges that turns to slow motion, unconvincing sword fights, even the brutal killings with a sword through a man's skull leaves one unmoved. The only good thing here is Tom Cullen, who performs admirably, but sadly, it is not enough. I'm into the second episode now, and suddenly Jim Carter, known for his role as Carson from Downton Abbey turned up, as the Pope, which is a good sign, but not enough.
It Comes at Night (2017)
Unresolved - I CONCUR
This movie ..... well it's not good, and it's also really bad. What more do you want? I decided to see it based on the rogerebert.com review. Boy was I wrong. The reviewer too. When it ended, I yelled at the screen, WHAT? Seriously? A bit of athmosphere, a bit of mystery, a bit of intrigue for a while, but then... nothing. Avoid.
They Came Together (2014)
Weak movie - but with lovable main characters
This is.... surprisingly weak. You have both Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, and none of them are particularly funny in this movie. That said, Rudd is more like a funny straight man more than most comedians, but he can shine, "slap-a-da-bass" anyone? The jokes in here are pretty dim too, and when Americans try to create surreal humour, they seem to always fail miserably. And then we have a lot of predictable scenes, where you can see the joke coming many, many seconds away. If only they were funny, you could forgive (some) of it. But no.
You're much better off watching Parks and Recreation again, where any five minutes of any episode, is much better than this entire movie.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
if you hated Prometheus, you won't like this one either
Remember how you felt about Star Wars? The three originals were, if not exactly hard science fiction, quite entertaining, great fun. Then came the next three, which... wasn't. And even if the new batch is better than those, it's not like the first time.
The Alien-series has sort of copied that path. The first was great. The second even better. The third was not as good, but still the third best in the series, and I quite liked it. The fourth... started out well, but then deteriorated fast into utter silliness, with that hybrid Alien monster. And then came the Alien vs Predator, clearly on a low budget, both with regard to actors and script writing.
What we have now, is hard to make heads or tail of. Prometheus started not so bad, but again quickly imploded upon itself. This one, well, if you're longing to see the Alien monsters again you won't be disappointed, but maybe you will feel a bit let down, since they seem like more of a side show now.
Ridley Scott has made some of the best movies I've ever seen. Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down. But it's been quite some time since these films, and everything since then, with the possible exception of The Martian, has been severely below par. This movie isn't awful, it's just not very good, or interesting. I actually bought it, because I didn't catch in the theaters, and I wanted to catch up. I won't buy the next one.
The Jungle Book (2016)
Not even close to the Disney animated version
Well, technically it's good, the animals are convincing enough, but... apart from that, it's nowhere near the quality of the Disney animation, not surprisingly, since that is one of the best animated features ever made. It's funny, exciting, and have GREAT songs!
This has neither. Well, maybe some excitement, but not enough. It seems like Favreau is unable to create tension here, things just trots along. When Akeela meets Shere Khan for the last time, well, it was like, so what. No grief, no dwelling about what happened. It just did - move along! There's very little comedy, but a couple of times there was a funny bit.
All in all, technically very well done, but you're better off watching the original again for entertainment. That one never grows stale, this one already is.