marky-29045 Reviews

The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023) Season 1, Episode 3

Dramatic shift in tone that needs a 2nd watch to appreciate

[6/10 · 31 January 2023]

Preface--I've not played the game. This story was beautiful and the love story was so sweet, but I felt like I was watching a different show that felt way longer than it should've. I know that I will probably like it more on the 2nd watch now that I know what to expect.

This wasn't a bad story by any means. I felt like I grew old with Frank and Bill, but if you sit down to watch a tv show about zombies and characters you've spent 3 hours with and it shifts suddenly to 2 characters who aren't particularly part of the main story and place them in a totally different genre, it feels like it drags everything down and slows the pace way down, killing the mood of what I've been watching.

Like I said, it deserves a rewatch to appreciate the story of two lovers finding their purpose in a world crashing around them, but my brain wasn't ready for such a dramatic shift from the 3 hours I watched before.

Is the story good? Yes. Was it necessary in THIS show? I'll find out as I go. Awesome performances by everyone!

Halloween Ends (2022)

Narrative Think-Piece (Laurie's Thesis)

[8/10 · 14 October 2022]

This isn't a bad film at all. It's a thinking-piece told through narration mostly. It's far removed from every Halloween film you've ever seen, and it does it's own thing. It's very grounded and will have its own audience. Will it be the majority of Halloween fans? Probably not, but I can't fault it for doing it's own thing.

Throw away any expectations, don't let the poster and trailer mislead you. This is 100% a think-piece.

The atmosphere is missing, the feel of Halloween is not there. There are some parts I liked, but overall it's a very slow moving narration that puts Michael in the backseat.

The Munsters (2022)

What a fun time! A GORGEOUS movie!

[9/10 · 28 September 2022]

Rob did it!! This is a fun movie in its own merits, and I'm so happy they did the characters their way. I REALLY enjoyed and appreciated this film! The sets and casting were PERFECT!! All the humor and fun jokes never made this movie drag at all. It's a spooky fun live action "cartoon", and definitely a recommend from me.

It's so clear that a lot of love and care for the source show went into this. As a 40-year old guy who fell in love with this show in my teens, it hit all the right notes for me. The mood, locations, and performances were great. Forget what the haters say, this had a lot of love and hard work poured into it, and I think everyone involved should be proud of this movie. Buying the Blu ray and can't wait to see the extras!

Them (2021– )

You had me at hello, then....

[5/10 · 24 April 2021]

First half > second half.

This starts out amazingly and really brings out a brand new kind of "uncomfortable" and realistic horror, making you wonder how people really were this ridiculous and cruel...then the second half drops a lot of what was set up to make the rising cake fall flat. No matter how much you try to put icing all over it and decorate the cake, it's still fallen flat. Blame the writers, not the actors. The actors were fantastic!

What the Health (2017)

Be safe, research your OWN facts

[3/10 · 9 March 2021]

Very eye-opening about the power of advertising and how powerful it stimulates, but this film is an irresponsible source of information. As ambitious as it is to bring thought-provoking ideas to scare/motivate you, there is little scientific evidence other than Dr Google and random facts based on little or no reference-citing and vegan propaganda.

A lot of this film borders on sheer absurdity and tin-foil conspiracies to force your hand in veganism promising that in two weeks, all your diseases will be gone, your medications can be tossed, you'll be bench-pressing 450+ pounds, and be a better surfer.

Furthermore, it tries to create a dark cloud of mistrust that your all of your doctors are ill-informed and only want to keep you sick so they can make more money off of you. While there are some that are indeed like this, this film groups them all together as one.

Also, the filmmaker makes embarrassing attempts to create "controversy " by calling entry-level employees and phone operators to ask why the research on the American websites conflicts with research found in European studies he's googled and why is thus being advertised. Of course they're not going to have an answer and will have to refer them to someone else! They're not trying to cover up anything, the filmmaker is just asking the wrong person and trying to pass it off as a "shocking cover-up" moment.

Bottom line, be safe, be smart, be aware of triggers and advertising, talk to your doctors, and if eating a plant-based diet sounds like it will work for you, please do it. You'll definitely be better off, but be sensible and level-headed. Don't base all your life-choices on this film.

In Extremis (2017)

Give this guy a budget to write SILENT HILL

[6/10 · 25 September 2020]

Although the buildup takes a while, the payoff is emotional and good. The writer/director is obviously a fan of SILENT HILL, as his movie combines elements of the first 3 Silent Hill games. Give this man a budget, a crew and additional writers, and let him write the next movie.

Scrawl (2015)

Pushing up Daisy

[5/10 · 3 December 2019]

This film is a well-intentioned horror movie that suffers from the budget not matching the ambition.

I am a big fan of Daisy Ridley, so like many, I wanted to see this. She does NOT disappoint in this movie. It's interesting seeing her playing a cold and merciless personification of evil, although it takes a good 30 of the 80 minutes before she appears.

I watched it out of curiosity, and I was satisfied mostly with what I was looking for-a good performance by Daisy Ridley playing an evil character. Maybe a second watch might be better, but there's so much choppy incoherence in this story.

At 1 hour and 19 minutes, it doesn't ask for much of your time.

There were some really good ideas here, but some of it seems to really get lost in the choppy editing and non-linear storytelling. If perhaps a more experienced crew behind the camera could've gotten involved, it would've saved this some narrative problems it really suffers from. Maybe this would've been better as a very memorable 45-minute episode of Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.

Did the actors do well? Absolutely! Casting was done quite well for this movie.

Can I recommend this? I'm split. If you're a horror fan and/or a Daisy Ridley fan, check it out. There's DEFINITELY something here for you. I'm glad I watched it!

If you're neither, then there's not much here to grab you and keep you invested.

Leaving Neverland (2019)

Absolute One-Sided Non-Factual Garbage

[1/10 · 10 March 2019]

Poor performances, VERY one-sided inconsistent "MyTruth" that doesn't hold any weight. This isn't a documentary. A documentary gathers multiple sources and weighs and seeks evidence. This accomplished none of it. Don't buy into this garbage. Not worth your time.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Mary Poppins...Not so Merry

[3/10 · 28 December 2018]

First of all, I applaud everyone who worked hard on this movie. A lot of work went in to this and that shows and praise needs to be given to them. The problem for me is the finished product.

This movie felt like a "Zack Snyder" vision of Mary Poppins. Everything was dark and gray, there was a distracting absence of color and fun, and the main plot was paper thin and lacked soul. As much as I love Emily Blunt in EVERYTHING I've seen her in, I felt like she missed the mark. She was very somber and full of herself, and overall, unnecessary to the story.

!SPOILER WARNING! In the original film, her purpose was clearly defined without exposition. In this movie, the ONLY thing she contributed to the story was Georgie and the kite. Other than that, she could've been completely written out and nothing would've changed. She was without purpose in her own movie. She was too snarky and full of herself to a point where she wasn't enjoyable to watch.

The soundtrack has 2 songs that are somewhat memorable, but other than that, the songs are very generic, forgettable, and not catchy at all. If you absolutely have to see this, see it at a bargain matinee. I'm not planning on watching this ever again unless I catch the final scene on YouTube months down the road after it's released.

Do yourself a favor-save your money and watch the original.