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Sorcerer (1977)
One of my all-time favorites
This is another one of those films that tell an amazing story against a mesmerizing backdrop, and sublimely acted by all involved. A film you will never forget. Roy Scheider "We're gonna need a bigger boat", who unfortunately died too soon, is perfectly cast as the lead actor in this gripping story. It's a tale about a rag-tag band of misfits who hide out in the jungles of South America to escape their haunting past. As such, they are offered a way to a better future by taking on a dangerous assignment which will make them a lot of money fast, and thus a way out of the South American hell of poverty. What follows is a harrowing trip to the jungle in two old dilapidated trucks (of which one is named "sorcerer", hence the name of the film), while they encounter almost unsurmountable obstacles, one after another. This film will keep you riveted at the tip of your chair. A must for everyone who loves a good story and well acted movies.
Silent Running (1972)
One of the best Sci-fi movies I have ever seen
How do you rate a movie? For me, a very big part is whether the movie sticks with you or not. There are many movies I have seen that are so forgettable that when you see them again, it is almost like you never saw it before. Often these are films that were highly acclaimed by critics, might have won prizes and have high IMDB ratings. But forgettable nevertheless. Then there is movies that stick with you for the rest of your life. Silent Running is in the latter category. Very well acted, unbelievable special effects and decors especially when you consider the timeframe in which this movie was made. And with a message that resonates more than ever today. Bruce Dern has forever been one of my favorite actors after I saw this film many years ago. This movie is an absolute masterpiece. Right up there with films like "2001: A Space Odyssey". If you like Sci-Fi, but have never seen this film, this one is for you.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody (2023)
What the heck was THIS?
I've been watching the Star Trek franchise from the very beginning, albeit in reruns for the earlier ones. So I can honestly say I have seen them all. But THIS was by far the worst one. Completely preposterous. In all fairness, one always has to suspend one's believes somewhat with this show, I mean, FTL travel and a galaxy teaming with life - not likely. But sure, they are good SF concepts. I can live with that. But a singing and dancing crew because of some anomaly in space? And confessing their deepest secrets in the process? That is too much of a stretch for me. And every time a 'singing attack' occurred, a complete background orchestra sounded, coming out of nowhere.... Please. PLEASE.
Not only the Starfleet crew went into this nonsense, but also singing and dancing Klingons participated in the 'fun'... completely embarrassing. Also for the actors themself one would think.
It got so bad that I skipped all the singing on the DVR. Turns out there is not much left when you do that, it was 70% of this stuff. So to top it all off, that also made it into the shortest ST episode ever for me.
At one point my wife walked in the room and I had to hide it. She already is not a fan of Star Trek and thinks it is a silly show for kids, not for grown man. But had she seen THIS, Star Trek the Musical, I would have had to listen to her tearing into me for weeks to come...
To summarize: By far the worst ST episode ever. EVER. And probably a sign of a genre reaching it's demise. Or maybe Paramount can blame it on the writer's strike? That's the only valid excuse I can think of.
Garbage. Plain and simple.
Silo (2023)
Great series about a dystopian future, I loved it
This is definitely worth watching. The series captures the life in a dystopian society very well. The sets are amazing, down to the very realistic cracks and wear in the concrete structure. The acting is excellent, and "Silo" has an intriguing storyline.
However, it is not entirely original. It reminds me very much to THX1138, George Lucas' first film, which also tells the story of a post-apocalyptic and dystopian society, where people live underground under strict rules while being lied to about the outside world. Having said that, this is a good series worth watching. I give it an 8 out of 10.
The Orville: Domino (2022)
I can't believe it - Seth MacFarlane actually lets Star Trek eat dust!
I'm actually flabbergasted by The Orville. Seth MacFarlane has come up with a science fiction series that leaves the Star Trek franchise completely in the dust, and that includes the latest ones. Excellent writing; great acting and superb special effects. A series that started as a comedy and a spoof on the original Star Trek has matured into one of the best SF series ever.
Seth unleashes special effect scenes on us that you would expect only from big budget movies - how does he pull this off? Very impressive. I hope The Orville will keep trekking for many more seasons to come. Ten out of ten; no question.
Forever (2014)
I can NOT believe this was cancelled. What's wrong with ABC?
This is one of the best TV shows ever made. It was gripping, it was intelligent, and it was well acted - the lead actors had great chemistry. And let's be honest - a man who lives forever, we all fantasize about that concept at one point or another.
Science fiction about an immortal, that quickly goes in the direction of The Highlander. NOT so for this show. It was original and unique in its writing, a true masterpiece. I have watched the whole series twice, and enjoyed every second of it.
It is a mystery to me why poor TV shows like "The Equalizer" keeps being renewed, but this superb show was cancelled after one season. What's wrong with these network bosses? A true loss for network TV.
De Oost (2020)
The Dutch had their own Vietnam - as shown in this movie.
When I grew up as a Dutch child in the late Sixties, we weren't taught about the Dutch atrocities committed in Dutch India (now Indonesia) right after WWII. I found all of that out much later, at the dawn of the Internet.
Willem Drees, considered the greatest post-war Prime-Minister who lead several successful cabinets right after WWII, wrote in his memoirs that the Dutch-India "police actions" (they did not call it "war") that he had ordered at the time, were by far his greatest mistake as a PM.
Over the years, the winds have changed in The Netherlands regarding this bleak moment in its history. Instead of hiding it, it is now actively researched by historians, and taught in history classes at elementary- and high school. As such, the ugly facts of this forgotten war are becoming more and more adamant. In that light you have to see this movie, a movie that would have been unthinkable to make even in the Eighties. The father of my brother-in-law fought in this war. He (the father) never spoke of it until a few months before his death. After his father's death, my brother-in-law told me the accounts. From that, it seems to me that this movie might even be too mild to history, so don't let anyone tell you that this is too harsh to those who were part of this.
Having said that, do not judge the soldiers too hard when watching this. As in any war, be it Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan or this one, it is the politicians who send these kids to these senseless wars that are to blame. They alone bear sole responsibility for the violence and atrocities. No one else. Think about that next time you are in the voting booth. The kids had no choice - they were drafted. "It ain't me - I'm no senator's son" also applies here.
The movie is well written and greatly acted by all involved. It has kept me riveted on the edge of my seat, something that is rare nowadays given all the pulp Hollywood is pouring out over us. I therefore give this movie a 9 out of 10. Very well done.
Queen Sugar (2016)
Worth watching, but predictable and stereotypical.
As a whole, I did like this show. But unfortunately, after a while it became predicable and stereotypical. And the hand of Oprah becomes too visible as the show progresses, clearly showing a desire to portray the plight of black people. No one will deny that black people face an uphill battle in this country, in their everyday life. But in this show, it all becomes too stereotypical. Blacks are shown as bitter and mainly in the victim role; whites are in the roles of nasty land owners, all out to short-change blacks. And of course, there is the quintessential racist cop. And then there is Nova in the role of the black Joan of Arc, also a predictable character. Some of the scenes I found outright disturbing. Such as the scene where Aunt Vi scolds Hollywood (her fiancée) for having invited a white colleague to her house to watch a sports game. Reverse racism, and not very believable in my opinion. Also, the character of Ralph Angel is not very believable. The guy seems to be his own worst enemy, and is in tears half the time we see him. And - is his child (Blue) really his child or not? A chewed-out theme of course - after that, I started to feel that I was watching an African-American soap. Which, of course, is exactly what it is. But a soap with a clear message from Oprah woven into the whole: Blacks have it hard in this country. Again, I definitely believe that there is a lot of truth in that statement. But this show is actually not helping the black cause in that respect. It shows black people as angry; vengeful, cunning, and even racist. Probably not the message Oprah wanted to get across, but it is there nevertheless.
But I have to be honest; this was made during a bad period in our history, the Trump years. So, I can understand why Oprah had the desire to push back against that with this TV show. That I can respect. I therefore still give a 7 out of 10.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
What was George Clooney thinking?
This movie is so bad, I was done with it half way into it. One wonders; what was Clooney thinking? Has he now reached the point where he is sacrificing the remainder of an otherwise great career just to rake in a few more dollars? Like Bruce Willis and Nicolas Cage have been doing? I would like to give George Clooney some well meant advice - quit while you are ahead. Because you do NOT want to be remembered for this kind of pulp.
About the movie itself? It is so bad, I am not going to dignify it with a review beyond what I just wrote. Done. Over and OUT.
Tenet (2020)
It is a complete mess. Where do the high reviews come from, one wonders?
In general, I love time travel science fiction. But this is by FAR the worst I have ever viewed in the genre. It is a complete mess. Dreamed up by writers who were obviously completely out of ideas. The acting is not bad, but when the script of a movie is so incredible silly, it is hard to appreciate the acting no matter how hard the actors try.
The FX also is cheap; filming a bunch of explosions and cars flipping over, and then running the playback equipment in reverse. Give me a break. I noticed it is getting harder and harder for movies to get good ratings nowadays (probably because viewers are getting spoiled watching longer-running series where the characters can be built up better) but why THIS idiotic movie suddenly got such a high review; it is a complete mystery to me. If you are a true lover of science fiction, do not waste your time on this. I just wasted 2 hours of my life that I will never get back; I do not want the same to happen to you.
Fargo: Storia Americana (2020)
Not the best season, but it was definitely worth watching
I found it very enjoyable. Not as good as season 2 and 3, but definitely a solid 7 stars - probably 7.5. The only thing that I found weird is that it has little to none to do with Fargo, the location. Sure, the evil nurse has a Minnesota accent, and at one point Chris Rock calls in reinforcements from Fargo (which does not really materialize), but that is about it. Did not know Chris Rock could act so well though. All in all definitely worth the watch, I liked it.