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Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Not unwatchable... but neither is it good
I SHOULD have loved this movie, I am an avid Sci-Fi fan and love watching properties from Starwars, Star Trek, Star Gate, Dune, Serenity, etc. And their spin-offs. This movie clearly wants to be those... but it is just a disjointed mess.
- Zero character development - Characters are just thrown at you without any reasoning or explanation. We have no idea who anyone is, why they do what they do, etc. We are just expected to accept that these people exist and are willing to join together in the fight. It literally is "let's go get this guy" then they after a couple minutes of "look how cool this person is" we are expected to just accept them into the story.
- Slipshod world building - As with the character development, the "world" where this occurs just unfolds in a way that is confusing. Things are just thrown at you and you have to accept them. In the end, it was "this group is BAD" and "this group is GOOD", without any nuance or background.
- Cliche'd imagery - Half way through, we started playing the game, "where did they steal that from." the whole movie is a mashup of scenes and concepts taken from other Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies. We'd shout out, "that's from Harry Potter!" and "they took that from Firefly!" pretty much every since scene in the entire movie.
- Pointless story - The whole story just is a strung together set of scenes that don't seem to have a point. The final climax was unsatisfying, made worse because the poor character and world development meant we didn't really care who lived or died. Then, the whole thing ended with a huge cliche.
The movie was billed as "an adult Starwars," instead, it feels more like fan fiction. We didn't turn it off, it was just (barely) entertaining enough to keep watching. And, I will likely watch the second movie. But, this was just one long missed opportunity.
Ferrari (2023)
Good character study, not much else
This is an interesting character study of Enzo Ferrari, you see the man and his struggles with both his business and his personal life. It is well acted and produced, not every performance is perfect, but still a solid movie.
The problem I have is the story... there really isn't one. It tells of the events around the breakup with his family(s), his failing business, and his desire to win auto races. However, none of these actually come to any real conclusion in the movie, which leads to a disjointed story and unsatisfying conclusion. A good script usually involves the main character changing, learning, and evolving... not so in this case. The Ferrari at the end of this movie is exactly the same person as he was at the start. Lots of things happen... but nothing none of those happening seem to really impact the main character and drive him forward.
I think if the script had focused more on one or two of these story lines, and followed them from beginning to end, it would have been a better movie. For example, the movie spends a significant time on if Enzo will accept his illegitimate son as his heir, but the movie just ends with the note "Pietro became an engineer at Ferrari." It felt rushed, like the writers didn't know how to convey this in the actual movie. The same with the climactic car crash, the negotiations with Fiat to save the business, etc.
I honestly was surprised at how they left so much unresolved when the end credits started to roll.
Asteroid City (2023)
Barely watchable
I admit, I am not a huge Anderson fan. I generally like his world building and story telling, but there are very view of this movies I really like and would watch again.
This movie is just a jumble of ideas that don't seem to have a point. Ironically, I think that is the point of the movie, that these non sequiturs don't actually make sense. The movie even makes this point when the characters leave the movie and complain complain that doesn't understand the 'play.' In the end, the movie is about grief, and overcoming grief, but there is so much weirdness that Anderson has to resort to having characters literally talk to the camera to explain his own movie.
The movie is ultimately too much like an "arthouse" theater production to be an entertaining experience.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Worth a watch
I think the some of the reviews are being very harsh. This is a very fun movie... high art? Of course not. The best in the Marvel cannon, no. But, it is extremely watchable and fun. It is a comic book movie, don't expect too much.
Like a Boss (2020)
90 minutes of my life I won't get back
I like movies with strong women and "female empowerment." This movie WANTS to be that kind of movie. Instead, it is a filled with cliches, stereotypes, and lazy humor.
Whoever wrote this has no idea how businesses and work. No respect for their characters. And, the entire arc of the story builds to disappointing conclusion. Apart from a few clever lines, there is no reason to watch this movie.
Marry Me (2022)
EXACTLY what you expect it to be
Anyone who has ever seen a Rom-Com could have written this movie. Everything about it is predictable, expected, etc. There are literally zero surprises in the movie. My wife and I could usually guess the next line before the actors spoke them because it was so predictable.
That said, if you like Jenifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and "Notting Hill" you will be entertained by this movie. It delivers exactly what you'd expect, hitting all of the usual high and low notes, including the wacky best friend and the cute kids.
Frankly, "Notting Hill" is a far superior version of the same story, so, go watch that. But, there really isn't anything objectionable when it comes to "Marry Me."
Minx (2022)
While not perfect, it is a good show
While some individual episodes are only 'meh' as an entire show it is very good and very much worth a watch.
It is a great representation of the 1970's and the rise of feminism. It shows how political an issue it was that divided (and still divides) our country. The story is interesting and most of the characters, while over the top, still ring very true.
The 'meh' comes down to the main character. As a feminist and educated woman there are times when she seems too naive or slow to grasp the realities. Of course, part of the story is how she moves from idealism to a pragmatism, but the show spends a lot of time on her insecurities, and it sometimes goes on way too long (resulting in some early episodes being a little less interesting to watch).
Morbius (2022)
Watchable, but not a good movie
Unlike many people, I don't have a problem with the acting. The problem I think lies in the writing, and by extension, the directing.
One important aspect of a good movie is that the characters changes over the course of the movie. They learn something, or become a better (or worse) person through the events of the story. Consider Thor, he learns to take responsibility. Or, Iron Man, he comes to realize the harm his weapons cause and so becomes a hero to fight his former customers.
There is no such "lesson" learned in Morbius. The Morbius at the end of this move is the essentially same person as he was at the start. Yes, he has become a vampire, but his vampirism doesn't fundamentally change his character. The same is true of every character in the movie. There is one moment in the movie where he loses control, but for the rest of the movie the 'struggle' against the beast within is largely is only implied.
This would have been a MUCH better movie if the villain was the beast within, and if Morbius cannot at first resist his urges, and then the movie is him overcoming them and finding an outlet for them. Instead, they keep Morbius fundamentally "good" and introduce another villain for him to battle. The end result is ultimately unsatisfying.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Predicable, and not all that exciting in the end
This movie is another "lone officer protecting a witness from assassins" movie. There are a lot of better examples of that trope: "Witness", "3:10 to Yuma", "16 Blocks", even "Crocodile Dundee 2".
One of the big issues with this movie is that Angelina Jolie is completely miscast as a fire jumper AND her character (as she plays her) just isn't very interesting. A 'theme' of the movie is that she is suffering from PTSD and that she is fighting her own demons while fighting the assassins. However, I never really could buy her in that roll. It would have been a better movie if is had focused on the local sheriff and his wife, who were two much more interesting characters. The movie also has a lot of loose ends and unbelievably lucky events that give it an overall slipshod feeling.
I am giving it 5 stars on the strength of some good acting and dialog by some of the secondary players. The assassins in particular were well done (menacing... while still human).
I don't think this movie would appeal to either Jolie fans nor fans of the action/adventure genre.
Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (2013)
Swedish Forrest Gump
The movie is good and there are some really funny moments. Like Forrest Gump, the main character is a somewhat dim-witted guy who travels through life successfully and interacting with history and historical figures. Luck aways breaks his way and he is always in the right place at the right time.
The movie blends his life story (orphaned, sent to a mental institute, demolitions expert, the Manhattan project, and the Cold War) with a modern day story about him and his friends being chased by mobsters. In every step, he is oblivious to the seriousness events around him and he just goes through life.
However, I did find it started to drag down and that the main character just isn't all that like-able. Unlike Gump (of the movie) where you want him to succeed because he is essentially a good person, the main character in this movie is narcissistic and his dim-wittedness is not charming. In the end, I lost interest and only finished it because I'd already committed over a hour to the movie (the ending helped redeem things).
If you like quirky, character driven, foreign films, it is worth watching.
Parker (2013)
It's okay. It could have been great, but it is only okay.
I watched this movie and was entertained. However, in general, it is ultimately just a vehicle for Statham to play his usual super cool, super competent, anti-hero. If you've see any of his movies you've see this one. Unlike some of his other movies, this one doesn't quite deliver. Statham seemed to be largely going through the motions and the rest of what should have been a great cast were largely just propping up his character. Ultimately, it was a waste of good talent. I am somewhat surprised that Lopez, Chiklis, Nolte, and others were willing to be part of a movie where their characters were so underutilized.
I quickly recognized this was more or less a remake of the Mel Gibson movie Payback, which I remember as being much, much better.
Kim's Convenience (2016)
Started strong... about 12 episodes in it starts to fade
I really enjoyed this show at first, enough to recommend it to a friend. The characters were funny, the stories generally entertaining. Etc.
But, as the series continues it started to feel like the writers got lazy... making characters make dumb decisions or being just plain annoying. For example, in one episode, Janet wins $500 on a lottery ticket and is told it is against the law for claim the ticket as an employee of the store. Everyone she asks to turn in the ticket for her freaks out about getting into trouble and she likewise acts like an idiot when she tries to turn it in herself. In the same episode her mother wears an expensive coat that doesn't belong to her and it gets ruined, prompting them to try and hide the damage through stupid tricks. This represented a clear trend in the writing on the show and the episode was so annoying, predictable, and cliched that I turned off the show and likely won't watch it any more. It is really a shame, it was fun, light hearted entertainment (good for when you're stuck at home).
Outside the Wire (2021)
Started strong, but in the end it is just okay
While not an entirely original premise (there is a very good French TV show called "Almost Human" a few years ago about a cop with a robot partner that explored similar concepts) the main idea of the movie had real promise. It was also interesting that they made the android character much smarter and 'human' than we usually see in these sorts of stories, there are no scenes where the android misunderstands human interactions, if anything, the AI is better able to read human motivations and behaviors than the human characters.
However, the movie fizzles as it goes on. It is hard to know how it really goes wrong. The big reveal is interesting. The characters learn and change over the course of the movie. The setting is interesting. There aren't many 'stupid decisions' by characters (I hate movies that make smart characters suddenly stupid to move the story on). But, in the end, our impression was "meh... it was okay.'
The Etruscan Smile (2018)
A really good movie, especially if you are older or have older parents
I love Scotland and my wife and I have both lost parents in the last few years, so based on the blurb this looked like was something we could relate to, and we were both pleasantly surprised how much we liked it. I enjoyed the message. I enjoyed the acting and the story. I enjoyed the characters and the dialog. I enjoyed everything about it.
What I most appreciate is that the characters felt real and make real decisions. They felt like real people. The only exceptions are Emily, the wife/daughter-in-law character, and Frank, Emily's father, who are somewhat one-dimensional stereotypes, thankfully, they only feature as minor figures in the story. The rest of the character were great and the growing relationship between the main character and his infant grandson is a delight to watch.
Does the movie cover new ground? No, it is a story about a man dying and his reconciling with that and his children (you get that from the blurb). Are the characters something we've seen before? Yes, this sort of 'wise outsider' who speaks his mind regardless of other's feelings is hardly new. Is the movie predictable? Yes, you know exactly where every relationship is going to go and how it is going to end. Still, it is worth a watch, especially if you are, like me, dealing with older parents and strained family relationships.
The Croods: A New Age (2020)
A really fun follow up to the original
I didn't go into this movie with a lot of expectations. Most sequels are pale imitations of the original, especially 'family' movies. This was a very pleasant surprise. The characters were all true to their originals. The story was engaging, though admittedly not tremendously original. Performances were good. Animation was on level with the original. Many parts were laugh out loud funny.
If you enjoyed the original Croods movie, then I think you will find a lot of enjoy here has well.
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020)
Bad movie saved by Kurt Russel's Santa
The first Christmas Chronicle movie was a very well done story about saving a family. It includes a great Santa/Elvis song in the middle and one of the best Santas in a long time (Kurt Russel). They story was fun, the characters interesting.
This movie is a bad movie and it's only saving grace is that Russel reprises his roll as Santa. The premise of someone trying to steal Christmas from Santa is just boring and overdone, or done much better in other movies. This movie is on par with "Santa Clause 3", which had more or less the same plot. Even the musical number in the middle of the movie was a flop. Watch it, your kids might like it, but it is a poor companion to the original.
The Trouble with Maggie Cole (2020)
Has its moments, but not great
The show falls into the realm of a "dramady", it has a few (not always) funny moments and a many (not always effective) dramatic moments. The best part is the relationships between the main characters, and as a show about relationships, it does well. But, most of the story is only okay.
I have two big complaints, first the main character is just not likeable. If I hadnt been encouraged to continue watching by my wife (who would rate this show much higher) I would have stopped watching half way through the first episode for that reason alone. Second, the stories are all sewn up a little too neatly. Even the "big" reveals generally end up being not all that interesting and people are too quick to forgive and forget.
If you can make it through the first two episodes you likely will finished all six.
Mulan (2020)
Disney does a Kung fu action movie
There are a lot of comparisons to the animated Disney classic. Ignore those. This is not Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. This movie is its own retelling of the same source material. It has more in common with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon than it does with the 1998 Disney Mulan. If you are a fan of kung fu movies AND Disney movies, then there is a lot to like here. Don't get hung up on how it is different.
The $30 price tag is a little high. However, if you watch it with friends and family it is still cheaper than 4 or 5 movie tickets.
Les Misérables (2018)
Excellent in every way
This version follows the original source material extremely closely.
Well acted. The leads do and exceptional job playing their characters.
Well produced. There are a few cut corners (the "Paris mob" at one point is about 15 people, which is a little sketchy). But, in general, you are pulled into the world of 19th century Paris. The production pulls no punches in telling the story, nothing is romanticized, e.g. the life of a prisoner and Fantine's descent into prostitution are played in full view.
It is a commitment... 6 episodes. And, at times, it can start to feel a little long. However, when the last episode ends you wish there were six more.
Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
As a sequel, this movie as a lot of fun (as a stand alone movie... its only okay)
So many sequels and reboots from old 80s and 90s classics lose flavor of the original in an effort "update" or broaden the appeal of the property. "Bill and Ted Face the Music" resists that effort, it is entirely honest to the original source material. The characters are 100% the same guys, idiot savants who make poor decisions and bumble through life, yet nevertheless succeed. If you love the original movies, then there is a lot to love here as well. Enough references to the old movies and enough new to keep you interested.
However, without the references to the originals this isn't a great movie. The story and characters are relatively hollow and thin. The dialog isn't all that memorable.
If you love the original, watch the movie and enjoy returning to those characters. If you aren't familiar with or a particular fan of Bill and Ted... then perhaps take a pass. My 8 star review is because I am a huge fan of the original.
Beecham House (2019)
A very pretty soap opera
If you enjoy English period dramas, you will like this series. The plot lines are predictable (I had guessed the "big secret" by the end of the first episode) and sensationalist (sex, murder, treason. Etc.). The sets, costumes, and historical context are fun to look at. The acting is about on par with most similar shows. The characters are one dimensional, each fulfilling their role in the narrative and not much more. If you like the genre, it will hold you attention and entertain you.
Hollywood (2020)
Not sure what it wants to be...
I got into the series based on the first few episodes. It presented a gritty reality of Hollywood where high powered executives and the famous exploited those desperate for a taste of the fame of Hollywood mixed with tongue in cheek silliness (such as a male prostitution ring run out of a gas station with the name "The Golden Tip"). Add to all of that the favoritism inherent in the studio system and the racism, sexism, and homophobia of the 1950s. It would have been a great series if it had stuck to those themes and allowed it all to end naturally.
Then came the last couple of episodes where all of that great character and story building was thrown away. Hated adversaries suddenly reconcile without significant motivation. Inconvenient story lines ended or troublesome characters disappeared without significant consequence. New, significant characters suddenly appear out of nowhere. And, an ending that almost more unsatisfying than the ending of "Game of Thrones."
At one point, one character is told he is an idiot for wanting to end the picture within a picture with a "huge Ester Williams swimming musical number." That is more or less what this movie does, it ends with a big happy ending that is every bit as idiotic as they predicted.
Belgravia (2020)
Good, but don't expect "Downton Abbey"
I generally enjoy period pieces and found this good enough to watch the entire series. If there is another season and I not sure I would bother.
The first episode is very good, but in the end the story just follows all of the standard beats of a typical soap opera and is very predictable. Also, many of the characters are relatively one-dimensional (with a few exceptions) and just are not all that interesting to watch. The show mostly consists of people talking in drawing rooms over tea and at dinner parties (I once read a guide to Script Writing that called script writer who relied too heavily on scenes involving eating "lazy"). In the end, it just wasn't all the interesting.
Give it a watch if you like the genre, but if you are looking for "Pride and Prejudice", "Upstairs/Downstairs", or "Downton Abbey" you may be disappointed. If you are not already a fan of period drama, you won't find anything new here.
War of the Worlds (2019)
The slow pace might turn off some, but this captures the feel of the original
First, this is NOT the original, or even a modernized version of the original (like the Tom Cruise movie from a few years ago). This is a complete reimagining that captures with the tone of the original. The original was based around idea of a arrogant and over confident humanity suddenly facing an enemy who was both much more powerful and more cruel.
What really impressed me the most about this series is that it pulls no punches. And, unlike many American productions where there are certain accepted rules about killing children, killing main characters, etc. In this version, people die. Children die. Main characters to die. Their deaths are, they would be in real life, shocking and random.
The only significant complaint I have is that the aliens we see throughout - drone like creatures - are a little underwhelming. They look like mechanical dogs, and at one point, are stopped by a barricaded hospital door. It would seem to me they would be easy to avoid.
The Way Back (2020)
Well acted, but predictable
The dialog, acting, the characters, production value, etc. of this movie were excellent. It is a very honest representation of a man suffering with grief and alcoholism.
However, it suffers from being a retread of many other similar movies. You can trace the story arc easily and predict what will happen throughout. You also shouldn't go into this movie thinking it is a 'sports' movie, while basketball coaching serves as a vehicle of redemption, you could have written the same movie about someone taking a job teaching a class or working with special needs kids.
Finally, be warned that this is a very 'heavy' movie. There are a few lighter scenes, but >80% of the movie is dramatic and played for an emotional punch.
Worth a watch for Affeck's performance.