jonassladen Reviews

Buried in Barstow (2022 TV Movie)

Sure, I'd like to know what happened.

[6/10 · 5 May 2024]

Why does Joy's boyfriend, who needs to impress her mom so they can get money from her, talk to Hazel like crap?

When will loser Travis stop worming Joy to get her college money? Why doesn't Joy get another job if she's having such a hard time at the diner?

Why haven't the cops busted up all the teenagers' coke parties?

Why is there a total disconnect between Hazel and her daughter about Hazel's background? Joy is a big girl now and is gonna start figuring things out.

Why is Elliot, who was found guilty for drunk vehicular manslaughter, out of prison so soon without probation?

Why is Hazel hiding in plain sight two hours from the Strip?

When will Hazel start adding vegetarian and health food items to the menu?

Dark Harvest (2023)

Why is this town celebrating?

[6/10 · 22 February 2024]

How could all the townsfolk be celebrating when so many of their young people have been brutally killed? How could the town allow for boys to take up arms and kill each other? Not one hospital scene? How many folks had to go to the ER? How many people died out on the street? Who gets to clean up all the Gore? Why is everybody celebrating? How many parents lost their kids? How many houses were destroyed; and for what? Parents dancing when their sons are dead? Really?

Kinda good watch with a lot of good vibes in the beginning and nice reenactment of the 60's, cars, and clothes. But nothing made sense in this movie! What a terrible ridiculous ending.

Wolf (1994)

Great werewolf thriller with a contrived ending

[7/10 · 1 October 2023]

Have to say that I enjoyed the movie and feel that Jack Nicholson's portrayal of a man going through changes was brilliantly done. In fact his acting actually made for the success of the movie. You could absolutely sense his growing canine strength. My rating is high for all that.

But the movie's ending really missed the mark.

Detective Bridger would have never believed Stewart's details condemning Will without corroboration when they interviewed him at the station. And there's absolutely no way that the detective would have been stupid enough to believe Laura's alibi when the police arrived.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the use of DNA evidence in criminal investigations had started becoming standard and I'm sure as well that in 1994, call tracing and forensics were good enough to totally destroy her story.

The Wanderers (1979)

Free-wheeling stereotypes

[7/10 · 7 August 2023]

The classroom teacher, seemingly pretty cool, started with the equality statement from Abraham Lincoln (in actuality from Thomas Jefferson) which was noteworthy and powerful on its own.

However then the film engaged in some scenes apparently created strictly for show.

Asking the unruly mixed class to suggest defamatory slang names for the different cultural groups represented in the class, which he actually wrote on the blackboard, was unnecessary and derogatory, only adding to the uproar already existing among the students. These students, who were already pretty hostile and edging for fights, did not need the extra antagonization. When fighting broke out, the teacher had to get in the middle of it to try to dampen it down. You might say he initiated the eruptions and then had to deal with the outcomes he had created.

Interesting to see young newcomers in the cast like Jim Youngs (Footloose, Hotshot), Michael Wright (Oz, The Interpreter), and Toni Kalem (Another World, Sister Act).j.

Force Majeure (2014)

Tedious

[5/10 · 22 July 2023]

After watching this, I looked back and was surprised that this movie was only two hours. It felt more like 4-1/2. A series of incongruous scenes, some of which only mildly lent to the story, others added as bridges for time. Many dragged out for sheer tedium. For this movie, tedium was the point.

Why were they always locking themselves out of their apartment? What value add was the workman snooping around? Where were the ski support teams? For that matter, most of the time, where were all the other skiers whenever they were out on the slopes? And who is crazy enough to ski down a mountain when you can't see 5 feet in front of you?

Tomas had an much exaggerated breakdown and recovery. The episode where Ebba called out for Tomas to help her - was staged. Funny that in the end it was Ebba who rushed the front of the bus by herself and demanded to be let out.

Hidden (I) (2015)

Great thriller of a movie. Hard-to-explain events.

[6/10 · 2 July 2023]

At least half the movie was spent mollifying the kid. Nobody wants to be entertained for so much time baby-talking to a child. After one or two scenes, I think we can get the message.

It seems logical that a lot of other people would have known about the bomb shelter at the school, and may have tried to go there as well as this family.

Hard to understand how a rat could eat through metal cans. And destroy only the peaches!

Seems that moving around the periscope might have been noticed as well. And, when the Mom and kid were out there, it was close enough to the hatch that the Breathers would have heard them right away.

The first thing that Ray should have done after missing the rat with his knife, would have been to pick up the lantern and avoid the fire in the first place.

After the fire was out and they discovered ashes above, they might've still been best off staying inside the shelter. It's not even clear what they got done when they went above ground.

Apparently this virus gives those affected superhuman strength? And the ability to live for a good while after being shot numerous times with military weapons in the chest?

Tokyo! (2008)

I hated it

[3/10 · 30 June 2023]

I couldn't wait for it to end. Especially the second episode which was disgusting. I appreciate aesthetics, but there would have had to be some value in this depraved story. I didn't make it to the third episode although I will try to come back to finish the movie someday after I've recovered somewhat from the disgust and offense of the second episode.

The first episode was OK, although it dragged. Not too bad of a twist at the end as the character found value to her hopeless life. Although, it could've gotten to its finish sooner. It feels that this film could have been slightly better had it been shot in a shorter time. My apologies to those who found entertainment and value in this endeavor.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

It's a fantasy, but why come off looking like a fairy tale?

[5/10 · 25 June 2023]

Everyone has already commented on the film's depiction of man's cruelty, its repetition, its length, and the way it incredulously drifted from important points.

I'll mention that even though the Reef Navi had taught themselves extended breathing techniques (although non-Reef Jake only some training while Quaritch, little to none), they can't stay underwater for tens of minutes, pass out, and not take water into their lungs. Add to this that Jake was not born a Navi and Quaritch has been converted to one for only a very short time. (On a side note we wonder if Quaritch, who despises Navis, wouldn't still come to appreciate the power and majesty of being one and secondly, how easily could he actually change back to his human form afterwards?).

Yet, both Jake and Quaritch were underwater for extreme lengths of time. In both cases they were retrieved and survived without any long-term health issues or brain dysfunction. It is a fantasy - but it stretches unreal limits of imagination.

Obsession (2023)

Why would anyone misuse the word "woke" to characterize the review of Obsession?

[5/10 · 15 April 2023]

As for the story, we can imagine what happens to a middle-aged man when a beautiful, younger woman comes onto him. In truth, even with a wonderful family, sensual, giving wife, and brilliant career, not many men can resist the tug of such temptation.

The story becomes more and more revolved around William and Anna. Ingrid (Indira Varma) plays a subsidiary role due to William's loss of notice of anything outside of Anna. Even a father's cherished sacrosanct father-daughter relationship falls to nothing. And the love for his intricately involved son - lost because nothing in William's life mattered except his obsession. This obsession, too intense to even describe, such as the scene with the pillow, was exceptionally overblown for any sane person. And his chasing after Anna even when she was on holiday with Jay?

It was obvious he would inevitably shatter his son's life. Unfortunately, it took an even worse turn than anyone would have imagined with the tragic incident early on in the final episode.

From that point, the episode felt purely anticlimactic, and we knew that at least two things would continue without change: 1)William's lack of regard for his family and daughter with the continuation of his unabated obsession for Anna. (Mind you that he is yet to face a debilitatingly financial divorce and familial expulsion.) 2)Anna's continuance of denial and repetitive behavior.

The Last of Us: Look for the Light (2023) Season 1, Episode 9

Phenomenal but what an ending.

[8/10 · 14 March 2023]

Upon seeing the full season of The Last of Us, I'm with the side that would have let the doctors find the cure. I didn't play the game but took the show on its own merit. Minions may disagree, and being fully aware that they followed the original closely, still can't shake a feeling of betrayal. Somehow this was not working out for anyone's benefit, except maybe for Joel's.

The only person in the world that Joel cares about besides Ellie is Tommy, to the point where he would just kill anybody else regardless of whether or not they need to be killed. We know this.

He gives up the world for his newfound relationship with Ellie - which is not what she wanted to do under those terms. He decides he's not going to allow the doctors to save the world. We do not know for sure that Ellie would die from this surgery. But regardless, he decides that he will kill them all, take Ellie, and go back to his brother's impoundment where he supposes they will live out their lives. Selfish? And does Joel think that he could really stop that virus from getting into his brother's camp? What if the virus gets in? And it likely could any number of ways. Once it gets into the camp, there's no getting rid of it and Joel's own little world will fall apart.

Maybe he'll get his wish and it'll wind up being just he and Ellie for the rest of their lives in a dead world.

The Last of Us: Endure and Survive (2023) Season 1, Episode 5

Great storyline and personality development. Terrifying attack scenes.

[8/10 · 20 February 2023]

The episode was really engaging and terrifying at many points.

Ellie cannot be infected, true. However, during the mass attack by all the infected, she could have been bitten, mauled, or even killed by the sheer number of the attackers and their mass havoc.

When it comes to the infected, they can really run and jump. During the entire attack by the infected ghouls, it was really incredible how the raiders were severely attacked and killed while the protagonists were only yards away and escaped with only one of them getting bitten. Even Kathleen was pounced on while just in front of them.

Also, incredibly, before, and after the attack, it was as if they were able to take unworried and noisy breaks.

Sanctuary (2008–2011)

"Sanctuary for All" (pilot episodes one and two)

[5/10 · 9 January 2023]

"Sanctuary for All" (pilot episodes one and two) is a made for TV fantasy with heavy green screen layering. These first two episodes seem corny, dated, but most likely that was true even when this aired in 2008.

The series begins with hyped up action scenes which continue throughout the story. Incidental characters get killed while primary characters get injured.

We meet a detective who has made a mark for himself by reading people's perceptions and going against the common frame of mind when he has to. Seems very good at seeing the truth and seeing through lies. He's got intuition about a case and is puzzled by it. Then, upon meeting Helen Magnus who offers him information, he completely does a mindflip and turns off to that information. He is aching to discover more about the situation and working to figure it out yet walks away from her when she offers just the info he needs. Any detective would listen to what she has to say before making any assumptions. Turning away from a potential source who might help him with his investigation goes against any detective's training and experience.

Even after being taken into Helen's confidence and is starting to learn about the mysteries in her mansion, he still keeps turning away as if suddenly this detective has no interest in clues or odd details. (In the second episode they try to justify this by the fact that he has dreamed since he was a child that a monster killed his mother. That is tragic; but not buying their explanation for his lack of interest and fear of learning.)

When Helen had said that she would find the boy that he is looking for that same evening, he had walked away uninterested even when he puts together the fact that she was the one who ran him over when he was chasing that very boy. Surely he would follow her to see if her claims were true.

There is a story at work here but unfortunately the characters and action scenes are not relatable. Reviews describe the Sanctuary series getting better as time goes on but these first two episodes are purely standard fare.

The Minions of Midas (2020)

Entertaining with fantasized overtones

[8/10 · 5 January 2023]

Although entertaining and gripping with the unfolding of each episode, there is a certain 'fantasization' to the film which creates assumptions throughout the series. In this alternate reality with both daily uprisings and with stylistically imposed bribes that threaten and carry out anonymous assassinations played by a lawless syndicate more concerned with an almost game-like agenda, you need to rationalize that Victor's killing of a random jogger is enough for the Minions to be appeased and later, as the story ends, to actually invite him to join their conspiracy in lieu of usurping 5 million euros from him on a regular basis.

Blood Sisters (2022)

Interesting Nigerian thriller

[8/10 · 23 December 2022]

The series as a whole, rather entertaining.

A few inexplicably senseless circumstances. We can surmise there's leftover blood and/or dna in the hotel room that the police would have found early on. What about the bad doctor starting to harvest Sarah's organs before he had secured Kemi against fighting him? There are others but the story mostly flowed well and it was also enjoyable to get a sense of Nigerian culture. There is a message gleaned from the series. Sometimes we are figuratively blind or we refuse to see the bad (or the good) in people that we are close to. When the truth comes out, suddenly it is glaringly obvious.

Men & Chicken (2015)

Quite Odd

[6/10 · 30 October 2022]

The 80's gave us the offbeat sitcom, Newhart, a fan favorite, starring Bob Newhart and Mary Frann. The series, Newhart, showcased a number of oddball characters, though probably the oddest being three brothers who made some early appearances and later became regulars working the neighboring cafe.

The brothers, Larry, Darryl, and Darryl, initially ran the company "Anything for a Buck". They would take on questionable unsavory jobs that no one else would even consider doing.

Larry, the one who spoke, always began with "Hi! I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and that's my other brother Darryl". If you've seen it, you know. They.. were odd.

The brothers in Men & Chicken however take their strange raunchiness totally to another level.

Devil in Ohio: The Dawning (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Impossible ending

[5/10 · 19 September 2022]

Would Suzanne really give up her family to help Mae? Even without knowing all the details provided at the end by Detective Lopez? Even considering the fact that she felt the need to give Mae a hand after her own troubled childhood? From the beginning it was obvious that Mae was a difficult problem, always continually working contrary to the best of the family. Peter knew it, most others knew it, the viewers knew it. It's even very likely that not only did Mae stage the flower swap at the contest but she would have somehow not gone through with her sacrifice.

And what about Suzanne's girls? Wouldn't they be a little bit disturbed missing their mom? Also why has Suzanne not talked to her girls, don't they have phones? The story didn't say anything about a court order keeping her away from her family.

There's more. What phenomenal detective work by Lopez? He's good but all of the incredible conclusions that he worked out were a bit too tight as he called Suzanne - just as they were sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

Loud

[5/10 · 30 June 2022]

Great theme. Loved the setting for this genre. Great effects and super werewolf, what we saw of him.

Hard to get through all the yelling. And at times the only thing louder was the soundtrack. Tough to listen to Auld Lang Syne at ~100 decibels. Was hoping the main character would calm down at some point but he kept losing his temper, yelling, and blaming everybody for anything and everything. Every lead character's got history and problems; but bringing down the tone a bit along with a slightly less offensive main character would've made something decent here. The angst and anxiety were overly overdone. Felt the stress rolling out from the movie into the viewing and I can imagine to the cast as well as they were filming. Julia and the saged town sheriff played by Robert Forster brought some sanity to the mayhem. The new sheriff position rightly belongs to Julia.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Sci-fi effects

[6/10 · 28 June 2022]

Hard to believe that even in 2092 everybody in the world would have become immortal, even those living in isolated or indigenous communities, those existing as technophobes, or those that just didn't agree; far-fetched. It's kind of an all or nothing philosophy. Must say, too, it felt that some ideas were taken from 2001: A Space Odyssey or from The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

The movie was in the genre of a relatively early sci-fi/fantasy able to work extensively with imagery and changes in scenery, kind of like a 60's-70's film with 2000's cinematography. It feels like its creation worked for the effect rather than for the story. Mr. Nobody had effect, some of it rather grand, but still just spinning mind notes, and not the greatest story.

Outer Range (2022– )

The first couple episodes, literally everything was shrouded in black

[7/10 · 17 April 2022]

Hard to reason why the direction would try to obscure scenes by having everything cast in the dark. Unfortunately, in the movie Dune, they were able to fake action scenes by hiding in murky shadows. Those fight scenes were mostly hiding bad acting. Outer Range wasn't so flaky but the initial eye strain was annoying.

The series did get better. The storyline was a bit unusual, a rather unique kind of sci-fi. Imogen Poots' character was distant and not to be trusted. Will Patton's character was thoroughly unlikable. Shaun Silos' character was conceited, preppy; his singing kinda made you want to climb the walls. Lil Taylor's character was difficult as always.

Paterson (2016)

It just goes on

[8/10 · 3 April 2022]

The movie runs a repeating pattern with the same incidents that change from day to day. Luckily Paterson's life experiences pull him through. His military history has left him complacent yet competent. It's just kind of like anything could've happened and the movie would've been the same.

Blinded by the Lights (2018)

The city of Warsaw seen in its worst light

[7/10 · 18 March 2022]

We know today that Poland has good people who have stepped up in the worst of times.

Blinded by the Lights presents with the starkest of contrasts. Witness the cruel, merciless image of a morally decayed, decadent Warsaw. Although a fan of Eastern European crime dramas, and having seen only two episodes of BBTL, I'll say that the series gives us a deeply disturbing and ugly picture of the Polish capital. A dark, dark portrayal of the underbelly of a world-class city in permanent morass. Perhaps the Polish nation cannot escape the shadow of a heartless, corrupt past under Soviet domination. We are treated to a cast of largely misdirected, disturbed, angry characters. Unforgivably, the show perpetually gives us violence, it seems, for the sake of violence. Watching the full series might lead the viewer to grow accustomed to its ugly volume of brutality. Thus it joins a growing cadre of shows losing impact by promoting violence at the expense of the storyline.

As for the somber main character, we're not sure where he's going as he drifts from scene to scene, stoic, seemingly immune to the violence around him, disturbed by a misbegotten past, selling coke to friends, criminals, or dignitaries while dispassionately supporting sadistic thugs in his close association.

Aranyélet (2015–2018)

You should expect some semblance of reality

[8/10 · 23 February 2022]

Watched the entertaining season one. How Attila and Mark got out of their caper, the timing of what they did, when the cops arrived, and the framing of the two thugs was just too incredulous. And never minding that Budapest is a city of 1.75 million. All that action and gunfire at a garage with no-one hearing or witnessing?

Also it was a bit daft that Oszi knowingly left to go into trafficked prostitution.

I would say that Janka's portrayal of a high-maintenance mid-40's woman was pretty spot on.

The Wandering Earth (2019)

Couldn't we just watch Ishtar or Men Who Stare at Goats

[3/10 · 16 January 2022]

Checked the critics' reviews and the first three seemed to love it, starting with the Roger Ebert site being "giddy" over it and "marveling at how good it is" with 3-1/2 out of 4 stars.

So, could you just forget the impossible quasi-science and try to get into it by digging it as a sci-fi disaster catastrophe with rather good special effects?

Well, the script is god-awful and the actors naïve and goofy. We've seen this before - absurd blown-up performer overreactions. Another so-called action movie fit for the bin.

Whatever Happened to Detective Adam Sera? (2015)

What was the point?

[5/10 · 13 January 2022]

What can you say about the gawky acting and blurry photography, the piercing audio, the exaggerated characters? It was kind of an irritating 12 minutes.

Most Dangerous Game (2020–2023)

A format built for commercials

[6/10 · 2 January 2022]

Although the situations were ridiculous, for sheer entertainment not to be taken seriously, the movie and acting were okay.

You could run thru a long list of impossibilities and lucky breaks for: the main character, the egotistical stupidity of the hunters, and the bravado of the hunt organizer.

And even though the Tiro Fund has an efficient cleaner, the hunters (as well as the hunted) leave trails miles long. Their organization would have been busted ages ago.

As for the controversy over the Quibi format and breaking a movie into multiple quick chunks (at least when played on Roku and similar channels), they do it to intersperse 45 seconds of commercials every 8 to 10 minutes between episodes. Hulu and others practically do the same thing, but even worse, by breaking up movies or episodes every 10 to 15 minutes with a full two minutes of untimely commercials that destroy continuity.