Change Your Image
dsmith1868-1
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The New Mutants (2020)
Maybe you need to rewatch!
So many complaints about this movie hinge on being an X-men movie or a superhero movie. Was it advertised as such? No. Now... were all these scathing reviews post Apocalypse or Dark Phoenix? This is actually my favorite "X-men" movie. The characters are right out of the comics. This is not a "superhero" film. This is not an "X-men" film. This is "New". Anyone saying this demeans the comics really hasn't watched ANY of the X-men films. They all do. The entire franchise is ripe with inconsistencies and a complete lack of regard to any kind of continuity or inspirations from the comics. Seriously... they aren't good. They're "ok" at times. Just plain bad at others. This film, I think, is better than ok. It attempts something "New" and takes it seriously. There are nods to the comics (just as many as the other films). Mr Sinister is lurking in the background. The demon bear is there. Great cast! Great direction. I loved the New Mutants comics... and I love this film. Sad to see so much hate spewed at it when most of the other X-men films are substantially worse. If you've avoided this one, give it a try. If you hated this one, maybe give it another try! If you actually enjoyed films like Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, you probably enjoyed Madam Web, Morbius and the Venom movies as well, move along. This one is not for you. It actually has some love for the characters.
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
This whole series is laughable
This is a joke, right? You really aren't supposed to take these things serious, right? Right? Hello? You do? How??? The very premise is so laughable in its execution. The aliens, hurt by noises (ha!) bust windows, knock over cars, trash buildings... making WAY more noise than the person they're chasing that knocked over a briefcase or something. It's a joke. All three films. The direction is great. The acting is great. The effects are great. But wow! The writing is absolute trash of the lowest degree. Cannot take it seriously at all. Break a twig and they'll knockjj no over buildings to get you. Lol!!!! Come on! When is the April Fools?
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
OK... better than it should be!
It's a good film... all things considered. The problem is that people are judging this movie not on what it had to follow... the previous film was horrible! If I produced themes and ideas that should not have been introduced. So... then you have to sequel it... well... this is what you get! The previous movie introduced cloning, a girl that was allowed to do something really stupid at the end, a character that has never been mentioned... it was bad! This film had to one... follow that and make up for the idiocy that it entailed... and be its own thing. It did that admirably! The old and new casts were on hand! They wrapped up storylines. There were some really good action scenes and beautiful scenery and dinosaurs. So... before you start casting stones, try to relate to the task they had.
A Quiet Place (2018)
This is a joke, right? A parody?
I often feel when I'm watching a Quirt Place movie that there's a joke here that most people aren't getting. This has to be a parody, right? A sendup of gimmick horror. The "initial" idea is pretty cool and opens it up to some great suspense se potential; which this film does great. This film is well acted, well shot... very well made in general... all, but the writing. Now, if this is supposed to be a parody... great! Then the writing is fine too. But seriously? The aliens who don't like noise... hear a twig snap... and then proceed to break through windows, throw cars... you know... make a lot of noise! The aliens in this and the follow up make so much noise trying to get the protagonists, it's just laughable and makes no sense... unless this is a parody and we're supposed to be laughing at it. Of course, I get a lot of sideways looks when I'm laughing at these things by people I. The theater that really think this is... good. These are the people that put no thought into anything they are watching. A lot can be said for just wanting to be entertained... I was entertained! It was a laugh riot... but was it intended? The third fil is set to open here soon, and the trailer looks like they've amped up the noise to an even bigger degree. Lots of breaking glass and smashing going on... because someone exhaled.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
Taking advantage of loopholes...
All these people did was take advantage (first) of the expired copyright of the AA Milne character. They bought some store halloween masks. They had decent equipment. They had "actors". They had a dream... and a nightmare for us. Not a good kind of nightmare that comes from watching a good horror film. The bad kind of nightmare from watching a totally incompetent filmmaker that had no good ideas of his own, other than taking advantage of being the first to exploit this now free to use character. Sadly, it made money and we're getting two more. This is the lowest of the low: the worst kind of filmmaking; not wanting or even caring about making something good... just wanting cash in and to make a quick buck. I have zero respect for people like that. They have no respect for you, the viewer and certainly no respect for the IP which they might as well have stolen. Please avoid this "movie" and anything that this guy does in the future or you will just get more of this tripe.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Where do they make the batteries?
Ok... I love POTA. All of it. I even have a soft spot for (some of) this one. The story and acting are fine. The effects are good. The ape makeup is amazingly good. So what's wrong? Well... I extrapolate from a single shot in the film: we see a little ape jamming on a Walkman and headphones. Ok... it's a funny little shot, but... consider all of the implications there! So... that Walkman had to be manufactured someplace. The music being played on it had to be recorded someplace. Performed. Batteries are needed for that Walkman too. Where are the batteries made? Is there a grocery store or something to get those batteries? The whole society is in caves. So... are we to believe that in those caves are the manufacturing facilities for the batteries and the Walkman? Are the recording facilities back there? Clothing factories? Gun shops? The mall? That simple shot of an ape boy listening to a Walkman just kills this movie for me. Again... the makeups are great!!!
The Creator (2023)
Pretty, yes... but.. about it.
Edwards is pretty hit and miss with me. Love Godzilla... Monsters. I'd like to see his original cut of Rogue One to see if it was better. I was really looking forward to this film, but wow was I disappointed. I assume there are a number of filmmakers out there (Cameron, Spielberg, a dozen others) waiting for their royalty checks being that most every scene or idea is lifted from another (better) movie. Terminator and Aliens are big time influences. Such a waste of resources. Not one relationship in this film was believable and I had no feeling for any of them. If someone died... meant nothing. The main relationship between Washington and the "kid" is forced and just bad. We get an Aliens style power loader for a minute: why o traduce that if you aren't going to use it? None of the story made any sense with regard to them nuking or not nuking where they thought the creator was. It was all just ridiculous. Just pass. Yes the visuals were impressive for the money. But I'd rather sacrifice effects for a good story and competent acting.
Avengers: Infinity War Demastered (2019)
Maybe amusing to those that made this
I expect this is quite the party piece for those that actually made the (dare I say) "film". I'm sure they sit around every saturday night and laugh at how bad they each are on the screen. For others, a two plus hour endurance test of in originality and IP theft. Hide behind "parody" all you want, but I expect most will find more satisfaction out of the porn parody version than with this. I'm really not sure why IMDb persists in allowing the posting of blatant theft of copyrighted material by people that don't have enough creativity to do something original of their own. You have the time and "resources"... why not TRY to do something good? I hope the makers of this get sued and lose. Go watch the real version of this as it is truly a masterpiece.
Stardust (2020)
Do not support this type of endeavor
I do t care if the movie is good or not. It does not have the backing of anyone related to the great David Bowie. It does not have rights to any of his music. Why would anyone make this? How could anyone support it? Don't! An amazing Bowie biopic will be made and... here's the novel idea... have Bowie music in it. The man was the music and the music was the man. Removing the music is like removing the man. A similar Billy Joel "biopic" is now in the works too... without his music. Please stop! Do not watch this. Do not give them the clicks, rentals, purchases to support trash filmmaking. Please just listen to their albums instead. And in the case of Bowie... go watch Moonage Daydream. Done.
Velma (2023)
Misguided
Mindy Kaling is an amazing writer. Our family has enjoyed her projects over the years. Currently, we are loving Sex Lives of College Girls on Netflix. What we are NOT enjoying... is this show. There are ways to do nostalgia pieces, and this is not it. People love Scooby Doo and all of the associated characters. Were they fleshed out and realistic? No. And that would certainly be nice to see. The previous two live action movies were a lot of fun. This was not. In fact, what comes across to the viewer is a complete and utter disdain for the source material. Written to "shock" and be "edgy" without a regard for what nostalgia is or can be. What it has done, is angered most every fan of the franchise by not making their favorite characters "real", but making them despicable. Fans miss the innocence of the original IP. They miss the fun. They will NEVER miss this iteration which is perceived to be a spit in the face of all fans. Mindy Kaling was misguided in this endeavor. All she wanted to do was offend. Well... she did... a lot of people. I hope she recovers well. I'm sure she will. But I also hope that this bastardization of a beloved IP fades away and is forgotten by everyone.
Rogue One (2016)
#releasetheedwardscut
Ok. This is fine. It falls apart at the end where the most obvious amount of reshoots took place and it gets utterly predictable. In this day of #release everything, why not the Edwards Cut??? It's common knowledge, sadly, that his serious war film had to have most of it reshot to conform to Star Wars aesthetics, like Solo had to be reshot to be more serious. I want to see the movie for which I saw the trailers in the theater! Where is that movie? This is a rebellion, right? I rebel! The trailer was for a completely different movie than. One we got.
So... how about a #releasetheedwardscut campaign???
House of Hammer (2022)
50 Shades of Cancellation
So anyone that has shared private texts or fantasies with someone that they thought they trusted is fair game for cancellation and humiliation. This is bottom of the barrel. Armie was in text relationships outlining his bdsm fantasies and such. The women "liked" them. They went back repeated times. They never said "no". We've had a highly successful (doesn't mean good) film series that had women all over fantasizing about bdsm. None of the women said anything credible or provided evidence that Armie broke any laws. To all the critics of Armie, i truly hope that your private texts and photos are revealed online for all to ridicule. Sad society in which we live now. Truly. This doc is horribly one sided... and the one side represented is horribly lacking in any kind of substance. No laws were broken. Cancel culture at its worse.
First Man (2018)
No Flag. No watch. Period.
The planting of the American flag on the moon is simply one of the most iconic images in human history. No hyperbole. To not include it in this film is spitting on American accomplishment and the American viewer. No. Will never watch this and the filmmakers, cast and anyone involved from writing to editing should be ashamed to have even participated in this venture. Shame on you Ryan Gosling.
The House of the Devil (2009)
Walk from here to there: the movie!
Truly abysmal. If you want to watch a girl walk around for a while, this movie is for you. Dull. Talentless writing with a third person perspective change that occurs out of nowhere. Truly talentless wroter/director.
The Innkeepers (2011)
Go back to writing class!
One of the worst written films this side of "Us". All setup. Absolutely no payoff. It just ends. Like they ran out of money or something. Truly talentless director. His best film, he took his name off of it. So, truly moronic too. I'm usually not this harsh but it seems like you have to really try to make a movie this bad, or as bad as house of the devil. Like... he's saying "F you" to the audience and just taking the money and running. Horrid. You've been warned. Total waste of time.
Nope (2022)
Not as good as Get Out; Million times better than Us
Thankfully this is not a movie that wants to be important and ends up a laughable mess of an incompetent film. This was so much better than US in every way imaginable (Other than Peele's talent for making a competent actress turn in a laughable and annoying performance). There were some nice ideas. Some setups and payoffs. It was an OK ninety minute movie... that lasted two and a half painful hours. Seriously... just go in an hour late and you'll be fine. There is not enough story or entertainment value to support it's running time. Not a spoiler, but there is an "Akira" moment that is so ludicrous and laughable. I have no idea what Peele is thinking when he does this crap. He's not. He says... this will be cool whether it makes a lick of sense or not!
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Great performances!
Great performances! Story? Character arcs? Basic storytelling structure? No. Go to enjoy the acting. You get great acting. You get great... acting. Well... that's what you get. Typical of PTA, there is no story. There are no character arcs. There is great acting.
Phantom Thread (2017)
Engaging performances...
Engaging performances... and absolutely nothing else. Story? Ending? Go to watch the stellar performances and characters. Don't expect any story or ending. It just... stops. If you enjoy being the frustrated movie watcher... this film is for you. If you like to be teased with no "happy ending" or ending at all... this is your film. It's PTA for sure.
Halo (2022)
Way Better than it should be!
Compelling story. Mostly great acting. Great effects and action. Sadly the most recent episode that I watched all centered around the girl character that really is the least interesting part of the show. The Master Chief character is great, as is Cortana. Looking forward to how it all goes.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
I guess credit Shirley Jackson for Character Names
That's about it. The other dozen writers just used names and made up their own story. This should not be called Haunting of Hill House. Should be called Haunting of Some House. Dark, gloomy and depressing. Nothing to do with the original story. It was "ok". Just wish it was called something else.
Fringe (2008)
One of the best Sci-Fi Shows that ever was
One of the best written and plotted shows that ever was. Truly a classic that gets better upon each viewing. While much of first season may "seem" episodic and disconnected, it continues to pay off season after season, to where you know it was all by design. Wow! Seriously. Watch.
Cabin Fever (2002)
Awful characters!
I listened to the commentary track when the DVD came out. Eli Roth was saying the exact same things as I would with regard to Italian horror and love of movies. That infuriated me. How could someone as close to my way of thinking as possible... make THIS??? It looks good. It's gory. There's nudity. What I like! But every single character is a piece of dirt. There is only one redeemable character and she gets locked in a shed (of course given time, she probably would have been a piece of s#1t too. I had absolutely no care in the world for any of these scumbag characters. You HAVE to have an audience identifiable character in your story! There is none. UNLESS... you too are a scumbag human being. If so, this is your movie!
The Green Inferno (2013)
It's ok.
The love of the Italian Cannibal films is there. The blood is there. Some nice writing and storytelling provide a serviceable plot for this type of film. But little straps covering native nipples? OMG, this takes you immediately out of any involvement with the film. It's comical and goes against everything that the genre was about. Sad, as I was really looking forward to this at the time. I may watch if it's on cable. It is not, however, on the shelf next to Cannibal Holocaust or Ferox... or even Terror. Lol.
Podly: The Peacemaker Podcast (2022)
Wow! Just wow!
I made it maybe one minute into this thing. That was all I needed. I was excited to see James Gunn and all, but it simply wasn't worth the headache of having to endure the hosts of this thing. Wow! I don't know who this thing is targeting, but it isn't me. I assume ADHD pre-teens. The second the girl started talking... click! No. Just, no.
Hulk (2003)
Awful Comic-book film; Awful film!
Made by someone that is a talented filmmaker but no clear understanding of what a comic book is or how they read. High reviews here are from Ang Lee apologists that will rank anything he does high. This is not how to critique movies. Sometimes even great filmmakers create bad films. This is that time. He was a total mismatch for the subject matter. It's ok. That doesn't mean he's a bad filmmaker. He's not. He just wasn't meant for this. Hulk poodles are not art. They aren't good here. They're just dumb. Bad story is just that; a bad story. The final act takes place in such complete and utter darkness you just have to imagine what's happening. This is not art. It's just bad. And that's ok. Just rate it what it deserves and not because you like the filmmaker. Be honest with yourself and with others.