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pmaynard
Reviews
Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power (2021)
Things are not always as they appear
This is all about Southern justice and southern power. Alex Murdaugh is not alone when it comes to corruption here in the south. My question is why would any insurance payout check go to the lawyer? Don't think he is the only one that has done this either. This documentary is no better or worse but the opinions are projected as facts. Like the opioid use. We are all different when it comes to tolerance and yes he can ingest enough pills that would make another person overdose. And you would never know he had taken them. That is a fact. Also the justice system here is prejudice and discriminatory. This is a fact We are not all equal when it comes to being equal in the eyes of the law. It matters how much money you have ,the power you have, and who you know. I live in the lowcountry and it does matter. When laws can be ammended solely to protect those in power for their immoral and unethical behavior without any consequences, this is unacceptable. And I don't believe Alex killed his wife or son. This was about Paul and what I'd call a act of southern justice by those who knew he'd get off. This is what happens when our court system run by those with power will not do the right thing. I don't believe Mallorys family was involved nor her boyfriend but a group that gave the Murdaughs a swift sentence of southern justice. And then it gave those in power the opportunity to pin him to the wall for the embarrassing acts he did do., the accusations were just an added bonus. I am in no way siding with him but this was an opportunity to put Hampton County on the entertainment media map. Crime does pay and it oays well. And things are not always as they appear. Those films and thos documentary either censored or has no clue of the secrets that the law enforcement and South Carolina's legal systems power and corruption. Things are not always as they appear. I could write a book on it but I might have to pay the price. The documentary portrayed the Murdaughs as though they were the only and most powerful corrupt law firm family in the south. Ridiculous!
Left Behind (2014)
Nicolas Cage brings his a (amen)game as always
Nic Cage does this film remake justice and as usual another great performance by Mr Cage. This remake has the same backdrop as the first , the event of the Rapture. What happens when this occurs will depend on every human being on the planet. Those left behind will either embrace theBibles words and repent or they will analyze and theorize the event to death looking for answers which can only be found in the Bible. If God were to rate this film I believe He would give it 10 stars! After all it is all about Him and the amazing things He can and will do.
Great Job to all that made this film! Certainly worth watching!
The Lies We Tell But the Secrets We Keep: Part 1 (2011)
The title tells it all
I cannot believe that no one has reviewed this movie! This movie is aired on the Peacock channel which automatically played after another movie. Needless to say I was intrigued with the story line and the characters. This appears to be an indie with a soap opera quality film and I personally love indie films. This movie has sequels and I do plan on watching them to see what happens next. This is a movie that sets apart from all others and the story line and characters are unique. It is a black film that has gay women which in black family culture is tabu. Maybe I am wrong because I am white and I am straight but I live in South Carolina and here you do not se a lot of openly black gay women couples here. Regardless, I enjoyed the movie and I'm glad that some of the gruesome, violent scenes, where people get shot , were blacked out. Also the bedroom scenes showed no nudity which is a plus in my book. Imagination goes a long way and you just don't see that too much in Hollywood. Bravo!
Phantom (2013)
Could have been so much better
I don't understand why this very good story did not use the dialect suited with the men that it was actually about. Many actors have no problem in using either accents or the actual language to the character they are portraying. Its just a little confusing when they are speaking about Americans yet they are talking exactly like Americans.In fact before I watched I read the synopsis but after watching a few minutes I thought I missed something and reread the synopsis I then realized that this was what I was going to get. Its fine to see a spy or a character pretending to be from another country and using an accent to coincide with the character. But we have a sub full of Russian Naval comrads talking like they are Americans. Not sure why! To be different? Sometimes its ok to think outside the box, but not in this one ,especially if the producers were aiming for a box office hit! Its not ridiculous to expect in this day and age especially with all the talented people in the movie making business. The audience wants to see authentic films when it is about historical events. The submarine was a real Russian sub for goodness sakes, did they think that was enough realism? Other than that it was a good film. And btw, I know the cast could have pulled it off, using accents and even the russian language. I've seen actors that I never thought could actually sound authentic but they do! This is why I give it 5 stars. Had it been done authentically I would have given it a 10.
Midnight Special (2016)
Great fantasy movie with an award winning cast
Maybe im just partial to Joel Edgerton and certainly Micheal Shannon plays a big part in my rating and review but this was a different movie that made you ask alot of questions and mystery is the name of the game in this movie which i enjoyed watching very much. At the end when you get to see the alternate world was very much like dreams Ive had. It was really a wierd thing to see it on screen. But isnt that where writers get ideas sometimes? From dreams or their imagination? Movies don't always have to be black and white and this one is not and therefore it does make it special in my opinion. This was a very enjoyable film and the story line was definitely intriguing. It deserves a sequel to give more insight as to why and when this alternative world came about and why the boy was deemed so important to everyone. After all it was mentioned how important that the little boy was but not really as to why. There was a whole religious church revolved around him but all that happens is he crosses over and thats it. I want to see all the same actors do a sequel because it would not work without them and i believe the audience needs to know more. I We need to know before the journey the boys father and friend took him on and after his fabulous and screenworthy visual CGI disappearance. Midnight Special is Special, no doubt, but we need more!
Necro Files 3000 (2017)
And even with a budget of $1000.00?
You would think that they could have of used better dolls/puppets with budget of a 1000.00 bucks. I gave it 3 stars just for the effort of making a ridiculous film. Maybe this was the whole idea of it, to make a memorable bad movie with the worst taste in dolls as the characters. Even claw machines at Walmart would have better looking potential characters for this film! All I can say is this is a ridiculously awful film but once you start watching you want to see how much worse it can get. The stupidity of it draws you in, all the while you keep repeating "what"?
Upgrade (2018)
Its like Artificial Intelligence meets Robocop meets Matrix meets Fast and Furious
This movie has it all, It has remnant reminders of many of our favorite movies and the lead Character, Logan Marshall Green, is from my hometown, Charleston S.C. ,which makes me like this film even more. I think Logan does well in futuristic movies , just like in the movie "Prometheus" as Charlie Holloway and I hope to see him in more films like this one and "Prometheus". I won't give any spoilers ,so ,my advice to all you readers and seekers of great films is to watch this one and see for yourself and if you liked all the movies I named in my title that I mentioned, you won't be disappointed in "The Upgrade". So , sit down, lie down and make yourself at home with a big bowl of popcorn, and enjoy! BTW, There is one more film that this movie reminded me of, can you guess which one?
P.S. I have to ask all IMDB members to please be kind when reviewing films here on IMDB, Whether or not a film is up to your standards you have to realize that it takes a lot of people to bring a film to life and sometimes a lot of money and there are better ways to review a film then with outright cruelty and hateful words. So be careful on how you choose your words and lets encourage and not discourage the people who bring us entertainment.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
And the Oscar goes to......
Well, Mel has done it again by using his talent to captivate us, the audience, with another great movie that will go down in history alongside the man, Desmond Doss, to which this story is about.This is based on the heartfelt true story of a man whose belief in God, along with his convictions, determination & courage, took his place in a war without ever picking up a gun.Before he ever set foot on the enemies soil he was facing a battle against the military for refusing to pick up a gun. But Against all odds, Prvt Doss, as a medic for the US Army, did serve his country. He did it honorably, earning the respect and gratitude from his superiors and the men he served along with and did it without the use of firearms.
With God by his side, a Bible in his pocket and his loving wife waiting at home, he not only evaded the enemy in difficult terrain, called Hakuso Ridge, he saved many US soldiers lives including a couple of Japanese soldiers. earning him the congressional medal of honor.
The Four (2012)
Kinda good ...kinda bad
This is a biblical story of sorts where the four horsemen (demons)try to inherit hell on earth through taking over the bodies of humans every so many years but unless they obtain a scroll and amulant from which the Miller family line has separated and tried to hide to keep our world safe they (the demons) will not be able to achieve their goals. I personally would have respected the movie makers (as far as the good vs evil story line) more in spite of the cheesy effects had the biker chick not felt the need to flash her boobs at the end after the credits rolled like she was at biker week. We already knew she had a great rack, totally unnecessary!
Stitch (2013)
Not your average horror film!
I am going to go out on a limb and give this film 4 1/2 *'s for originality and the story line. Yes, there are what some would call "cheesy" special effects but I believe they were done on purpose having nothing to do with budget. Most of the movie the characters are in a dream state and if you have ever had a dream the effects are cheesy, aren't they?! Anyway, in this film it is the story that is important here not the special effects. And nor does this movie have big stars,although Edward Furlong was well know from the Terminator movie, they are just actors that have all brought something to the table here.I personally liked the film. I also liked the music. It is a film that has to be watched in its entirety or you may miss something!.
Blackout (2013)
The little movie that could
This film is a tough one to review, the story/plot was good but the main character and a couple of other actors in this movie were just not believable in their emotions and the characters they played.This movie read as though everybody were just running their lines at a rehearsal.Also the background music overpowered the dialog which can be very annoying. With that said, I believe that everyone in this film has the potential to do better with time. Take Liam Neeson,his acting went from bad to superb.You have to give credit where credit is due and they deserve some credit for trying. Who knows what the future will hold for these upcoming stars!
Coffin (2011)
magic trick?
The movie was OK not the best movie I have ever seen but it does have what one would expect in a thriller. Unless you have not already seen this movie do not read any further!!(SPOILER)Anyway, in the scene where "Trick" and Jack are in the bar, Trick walks out after getting a call and Jack goes to the bar and asks a guy, who has a bottle of pills and is sitting next to another bar patron, if he can have some (the camera is looking out from behind the bar where a bar tender would stand),the patron asks jack to buy him a drink , when Jack takes the bottle and starts to walk away the scene is now facing towards the bar(outside of the bar) and the other patron is gone!The guy tells him the drink is for a couple of pills not the whole bottle ,Then the scene then goes back from behind the bar and the other bar patron is back! My husband tried to say it was the angle but the two patrons were sitting to close, anyone else notice this?
Battleship (2012)
Battleship Rocks the boat!
I think it is amazing that a movie was made from that well known game that many of us has played, Battleship! I think that everyone has the right to their own opinion and unfortunately many did not like this film. I enjoyed it on many different levels. First It has a great cast of Characters. Second, Aliens have landed (and they were the believable type) and third, Military ships and Veterans are just cool. My father served in the Navy for 20 years and if he were alive today he would have enjoyed this movie. We go to the movies to be entertained and sometimes we may even learn something. All I can say is that it does not matter what anyone else thinks, we have to decide on our own. This movie was cleverly written based on a board game and I believe it is worth watching.
Paranormal Entity (2009)
Something wrong with this picture?
My review is for those who have already seen this but for those who haven't, don't bother. Here goes......(spoiler) Okay we all know its just a movie but come on! Where are these peoples things? No clothes in a young girls closet, no personal things around the house? Every movie has props, but not this one. What were they thinking? It would have been more believable if they had taken the time to set the scene. I'm sorry but even a low budget film would have had background scene props.This is one movie that is not bad because of the actors. Otherwise, I would given it a 7-8 if they had only take care of the simple task of setting the stage.