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mandoj54
https://letterboxd.com/mandoj54/
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There Comes a Knocking (2019)
Shoot. Edit. Repeat.
If you're taking time out of your day to scroll to the reviews section, chances are you are a Film Riot fan like myself. This man puts out great quality videos aimed to solely help filmmakers of all skill levels for FREE on their YouTube channel. This short has gorgeous camera movement.
I mean, take pity on this short, there is no underdogs here, there's big time equipment being used, men and women with high skill level, and they all have eyes set on them to deliver. But do they?
No, like Ballistic, it falls short.
It's wise to mention this a condensed version of a feature film they are aiming to make, rather get funds for. That's a great idea and it has worked for many projects in the past, I just think this project was too weak. It without a doubt reminded me of the Black Mirror episode Be Right Back (who did it unimaginably better, though also flawed). So to me then just translates to a been there done that scenario.
Let's get into the main piece of this short, the door. Our female lead loses a weird looking key down the bottom of this mysterious awesome looking door from inside her home while she's setting it up and is somehow unable to walk outside through another structure opening to retrieve it. (If this makes no sense, it's because it doesn't.) But don't dwell on it too much because the key reappears magically. Not to spoil anything, but the ending was cringe-worthy, anticlimactic, and obvious just like that god-awful hilarious title name. I wish these talented people the best of the best, they deserve big budget projects, I just hope this isn't one of them. I encourage new viewers to still watch this and all other works by this team including Justin Robinson's Guest of Honor which I am a big fan of. Shoot. Edit. Repeat. is their motto. Just gotta keep trying, with heads up.
Seinto Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (2019)
A childhood ripped apart
It is not an exaggeration saying this is the worst show I've watched all year, probably the last 5 years. You could tell in the first seconds. Yes I grew up on Saint Seiya, the old-school animations are unbeatable that is why Hayao Miyasaki still delivers the best animations, that is why Season 1 of One Punch Man delivers. This is a stupidly six-episode exploitation from Netflix. 3DCG is the new way of making cheap, easy, and quick mediocrity. No one cared to even polish the ghetto looks; the story is complete rubbish. So it's the same story we've seen a thousand times, a person betrays and tries to steal the armor and out heroes face him. The twist here is that our protagonists are fighting black ops men with assault rifles set in modern day, big WTF! It is a lazy charade by the writers who didn't want to put in time and research on old Greek and even Roman mythology and history. It is feeding off our childhood and wanting to attract modern kids who will drool over anything proclaiming to be "new".
Gosh darn-it I honestly feel sick to my stomach and hope there's no follow-up season.
The Twilight Zone: The Comedian (2019)
Comedian actors.
I just hope they bring bigger misery than this. It feels like Jordan Peele's friends reached out to him insisting that they'd be part of the show. Like the nice guy he is, he gave them all a chance.
Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
They haunt the weak
John Constantine. His demons attack him like miniature goblins seeking harm. He alone crushes them into exploding little droplets of blood. All except one. One that'll multiply to many, but in the meantime just one. It is alone as he is. Follow along little fellow keep him company. Slaying demons who devour souls for fun is a burden full life. Lonely.
The Haunting of Hill House: The Bent-Neck Lady (2018)
I'm still shaking.
Give it, it's chance and you'll be grateful you did.
Other than that no comment.
Street Fighter: The New Challengers (2011)
A bit dose of Wonky Visuals w/ a spectrum of fighters
The first featured still framed images with dialogue. This sequel features the same comic style but now the characters walk a little, fight with more movement, and most importantly the mouths move. Just like the first you'll either get used to it or be done with it after a while but this is more watchable. Even though this "movie/video" is more watchable than the first, this one doesn't have those beautiful images that the first one had. The moments are a bit less exciting. But where it shines is the story with lots and lots of familiar faces being showcased. From the boxer Balrog to the movie star Fei Long to Cammy. Check this one out and decide for yourself theres some good frames.
Street Fighter: Round One - Fight! (2009)
A Collection of Still Frames
As the title mentions this "movie/video" is a collection of decent made images with dubbed voices. If you don't mind that there is few to no motion (ranging from mouth to walking or even the fighting) then this might be a nice catch for the beloved characters. It's like hearing a comic without having anything to read. After a while you'll either get used to it or done with it. All your favorite characters are here from Dan to Bison to Akuma, all following their usual roles and personas.
If you can stand 1 hour of hearing a comic styled video with some good images and some good voice actors then watch this, me on the other hand I was split right down the middle, not what I expected.
La 4ª Compañía (2016)
An understandable idea BUT a very passive script
Netflix has been steadily releasing original films that are intriguing to say the least. I completely disagree with Steven Spielberg that Netflix shouldn't be allowed to win an Oscar. He just needs to put in more effort because some these new and hungry directors are making better films than him.
That being said this is no Academy Award contender but it is shot, acted, color graded, and conveyed pretty well. It is in Spanish, it is based on a true story, it is about corruption in a prison, but what it isn't, is most valuable in deciding whether to watch or not.
THIS IS NOT!!!:
Blood In, Blood Out
Any version of The Longest Yard
A movie about football(it barely even shows 5 minutes top of gameplay)
A well scripted film
A film about one single idea or one single goal or one single enthusiastic protagonist
This IS:
a film to watch if you love foreign films and Netflix originals
interested in prison stories
A movie with a cringe-worthy 20 minute ending
Camouflage (2016)
Camouflages itself as the worst short of the year
Right to the point. Amateur and dislikable actors. A camera movement that is frustrating at best. Fights on YouTube of teenagers are more exciting. They weren't even connecting! Sell me something believable! My money is time and I just wasted 8 minutes on you.
-Armando Jimenez
I'm Beautiful (2015)
Simply put awful
This short film succeeds in showing how wealthy and spoiled teenagers try to make their lives hell. Could it be that beauty is not the problem but could it be giving your daughter thousands of dollars to get plastic surgery. No talent here. The voice-over is terrible. But what puzzles me is my constant bashing of this short, maybe it's the short film telling me that I'm Beautiful...still awful though.