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Reviews
Ripley (2024)
Interesting but stretches believability.
On the one hand we get someone who is so cunning and smart but then he and the other characters make stupid mistakes. Why would Dickie tell Tom he needs to leave when they're alone in the boat far from land? So, Dickie could be killed without Tom being seen as the murderer. And Tom moves a bloody body down the stairs with the head wound leaving blood all the way and is just lucky not to be seen? Why not wrap the head in a towel? And the police don't see Dickie's picture until the very end? How ridiculous is that?! I know it's critical that they don't but it stretches thin. I enjoyed seeing the Italian locales and hearing the language probably because I'm Italian and have visited Italy before.
The Zone of Interest (2023)
Intriguing...but so what?
There was no visible arc to the characters that I could see. I mean, I get it that these evil people tried to live a normal life amidst the unspeakable horrors just outside their walls. We get glimpses into how it impacted a young son and the grandmother but again, so what? This could be a 30 minute movie not a feature film. The commandant was eventually hanged for his crimes. I had to look that up. I'd have liked to have the filmmaker jump forward to the end where we could see the results of the impact on the characters who kept their heads in the ground. Nazis will forever be THE most vile and evil creatures to inhabit the planet so far and we must be forever vigilant against monsters such as this. I guess that's the message.
Oppenheimer (2023)
45 minutes too long
Obviously, this is a massive undertaking, not as much as building the bomb but to juggle all these characters and motivations and make it coherent is overwhelming. That said, this needed some serious, serious cutting. Nolan gives way too much time to the loss of Oppenheimer's security clearance at the end. It does not carry the same weight as the mental and emotional struggle to build the bomb. Nolan beats us senseless in the last third by having these long, boring sessions where Oppenheimer and his witness are verbally assaulted during his security hearing. Who cares? 226,000 people were killed by the bomb and the scenes afterwards have to do with his security clearance and accusations of communist sympathies? Yeah, ok, that's important to Oppenheimer but I was praying for it to end quickly. Nolan went off the rails at the end. That last third was just ok. Could have cut a lot of repetitive information that just doesn't mean squat.
Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
Special Effects - 8. Acting - 2
What a waste of time. Never seen any of the Fast & Furious franchise so thought I'd start with the one with the highest franchise rating. Not worth a nickel. Just melodramatic "burning" stares, terrible dialogue, ridiculous plot (strike that -- no plot) and way too long. The fact that they're up to F&F X is beyond me. Who is this for? 10 year old boys? It's beyond me. Let's see someone crack their car and have an amputated leg or scarred face or concussion. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's popcorn but it's not even interesting or dramatic. These actors should be embarrassed but I get it...money makes you do anything. Pitiful...
Air (2023)
Interesting but...
Don't understand the excitement for this movie. I never really felt that the stakes were high enough for the main characters. So they don't get it and go and get another job. Big deal. Everyone has to do that. There was just something personal missing for me in the arc and in the execution. Generally well acted but so are a lot of other pics and seems like they had to drag this out to make this a two hour movie. It was smart not to make MJ a character in the film because it's not about him but all in all it's not a movie I'd watch again for any nuance or insight or richness of characters. Not saying it's bad. Maybe that's why one of the ads for this say...One of the best movies of the year...SO FAR. Damning with faint praise.
The Fabelmans (2022)
Interesting but...
Were this movie not about Spielberg, it would not be made. There are some interesting scenes but overall there are few moments to make you want to watch this again. I think that's one measure of a great movie...do I want to watch this again? The answer is no. This movie spans such a long period of time and the high school climax where the "golden boy" is devastated when Spielberg elevates him like Leni Riefenstahl did in "Triumph of the Will" falls flat. How that could be a climax is beyond me. No "golden boy" high school guy is going to have that much self awareness and vulnerability to cry and be humbled like that. But Tony Kushner just had nothing else to work with and gave it his best shot.
Outlast (2023)
Unethical, greedy people
There is no champion here. The goal is to step on whomever you can to win. Turned it off when I realized this isn't about team work or individual achievement. This is just a show about selling your soul to come out on top no matter who gets crushed in the process. The fact that Jason Bateman is involved in this show is an embarrassment. Has he run out of TV and movie offers? Look in the mirror Jason and ask yourself how does this inform the viewer other than showing them how a group of misfit and unethical people will stab each other in the back but ultimately lose all respect for themselves and serve as a shining example of greed and disgusting humans.
Armageddon Time (2022)
Didn't stick the landing
I enjoyed it until the end. The writer didn't stick the landing. Everything up to the last 30 min was engaging and the actor who played Paul was outstanding in his emotional connection with the camera and audience but the writer failed to make the ending as powerful as it needed to be as a coming of age film. The mom should have been more present in Act 3 as well. And his passion for drawing disappeared in Act 3. I think he could have signed that drawing in the school display window and maybe reconnected to that by drawing. I'm not sure but he didn't have any appreciation for what his father did at the end either. Act 3 needs a rewrite.
Tár (2022)
30 minutes in...and looking at my clock
When a writer tries to make every sentence profoundly insightful, nothing is insightful. The very nature of music with variations and harmonies and fortissimo and pianissimo is lost on this writer. (Even that sentence reminds me of this writer's pontificating). Cate is powerful and dynamic but after 30 minutes in...I'm extremely bored. As Cool Hand Luke said: "Stop beating it in the ground!" I'll try to watch more at another time because the critics scores are quite high. This may be due to the wasteland of horror and superhero and mindless comedies that litter the streaming channels. And this movie is over two hours. Good grief.
Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022)
Like Cool Hand Luke said: "Stop beating it in the ground"
Well written but good grief, enough already. If this had been cut in half or at least by a third, I would have enjoyed it more. What we see are, for the most part, is a wealthy guy struggling with divorce. The narrator is too much in love with her narration and beats the message over and over and over. We get it already. Less can be more it doesn't take all these episodes to tell us, each of us, what we already know. The author is insightful but enough. It becomes preachy at the end as if this is "the" insight and answer to all who struggle with marriage and divorce and to do it with the main character who is wealthy just seems to miss the mark for me. Poor little rich guy who struggles with divorce.
Glass Onion (2022)
Yakety yak...what crap this is.
A lot of talking and explaining and hypothesizing but it was all boring to me. I think an interesting twist would be for the sister to have been the one who was killed and Andi was still alive seeking revenge. The ending was totally phoned in. Rian wrote himself into a corner and couldn't get out so the elaborate burn it to the ground stunt seemed completely lame to me. It's like the classic "all of sudden gun shots rang out and everyone died" ending of the past. Daniel Craig wasn't used effectively. How in the world can this get a high metacritic score?! If they make another one, Rian needs to hire a much better writer rather than trying to write it himself. Disappointed and a total waste of a stellar cast.
Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me? (2022)
First draft
Good grief that's hard to watch. He thinks that making faces, bold gestures, talking like a working class Italian immigrant is funny. The bits have no arc. There's a beginning and then he flatlines. The most forgettable stories with no insight. His observational skills are puny compared to Seinfeld. Someone close to him needs to tell him, don't do that again. I kept thinking of Steve Martin talking to John Candy in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles":
"And by the way, you know, when, when you're telling these little stories, here's a good idea. Have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!"
Stutz (2022)
Noble effort
I didn't get hooked until about 10 minutes into the documentary. In some respects the emotional vulnerability of Jonah strives for the same vulnerability that Emma Thompson achieved in her movie "Good Luck to you, Leo Grande". I would say that Emma's was more difficult but that doesn't diminish the achievement or benefit that someone can realize after watching this documentary. I know Jonah said he didn't want it to be about him -- and I agree -- but in order to explain the how the tools work, you have to demonstrate them. I particularly loved the use of the cards, rough as they were, to remind you of the tools at your disposal. I especially enjoyed the concept of a "life force pyramid," which has three levels: their relationship with their physical body, their relationship with people, and their relationship with themselves. That sums it up perfectly. And his recommendation to journal, in whatever way that suits you, is one of the most underrated but most beneficial tools we have. Congrats, Jonah. Well done!
Verdens verste menneske (2021)
Strong start...then fades
I enjoyed the beginning and the buildup of character but then it just seemed random as we followed along behind her self discovery, interactions with others and eventual acceptance of who she is...which is a person alone who ultimately observes others at a distance and is unable or unwilling to commit to any relationship. The character has a strong desire to be with others and yet a stronger desire to be apart from others, perhaps like her father - the person she despises without telling him so. Ultimately for me, it's unsatisfying and I don't think the character, years from now, will be happy but will experience a deep regret...not that everyone has to get married or has to have children...but the last frames of the film seem to foreshadow isolation to me and not happiness.
Family Dinner (2021)
Could this be more boring?
There is so little insight or revelation or anything beneficial from these episodes. It's just watching Andrew Zimmern slog around the family while they make some family recipes. Everything he tastes that they make is "wonderful". I seriously doubt that. It just makes the show so unbelievable. I'm sure some things are great, some are just "ok" and some are "bad"...but to say it's all "excellent" is just so unbelievable. And what insight or perspective does he bring to the episodes? Zip. I watched two episodes and they were so forgettable and lacking any real magic or emotion. It's just the same old boring format for each episode. Blah, blah, blah...
Dog (2022)
Boring, simplistic, bland
Without Channing, this movie wouldn't be made because the script is so paper thin and superficial. Other movies where the hero talks to an object like Tom Hanks talking to Wilson in "Cast Away" or Nicholson writing to a pen pal in "About Schmidt" were much better. This is a "one note" movie and it's like a child sitting at the piano and plunking his finger down on the same key, over and over. There are no memorable scenes. Completely forgettable. Channing must just need a paycheck. His movie with Sandra Bullock was disposable too. If he wants to be a notable actor, someone else needs to choose his movies.
The Rehearsal (2022)
Interesting start and then...
Creepy show. Messes with very young actors' sense of self. First episode is good and gives you some hopeful anticipation that future participants will emotionally grow and have a cathartic experience. This says it's a comedy and documentary. It's a train wreck. Nathan's initial appeal diminishes with each episode until I find that he's lost more than he gained. And so do we. I hope there's not a season 2. If there is, I won't be watching. A good idea that failed to maintain the same level of interest on the remaining episodes. Amazed to see positive reviews for a disappointing series on HBO. This is an experiment that needs to be dissected and discarded.
MeatEater (2012)
Honest, likable, informative
Steve is a very down to earth guy. Kind, skilled and a good writer. He needs to think about where to take the show next if he wants to grow and maintain his audience. Think about how Jerry Seinfeld brings in guests for Comedians in Cars getting Coffee. We learn about the people and see them perform (even though it looks like casual conversation, they are performing). If Steve could have more guests and more exciting recipes and a broader array of guests of various ages, ethnicity and cultures that might inject some new life into the show. There may be other models for this as well. But it's repetitive, understandably but that doesn't mean he can't add some excitement.
Uncharted (2022)
Blew it: there's no sequel planned. That says it all.
Bad writing. Bad casting. Tom Holland is too small and too baby faced to play Drake. Wahlberg isn't remotely close to Sully and not old enough. There's no chemistry and no depth or breadth of characters. It's completely forgettable. The action is so sophomoric that it's embarrassing. Total waste of money. The screenwriter should be ashamed.
The Gray Man (2022)
Plot holes and mediocre
When the baddest guy (Chris Evans) is shot in the butt with a tranquilizer so that the hero can get away, you know the story will be mediocre. Takes no risks. Characters are two dimensional. What a waste of good actors. Mediocre screenplay. What a disappointment.
C'mon C'mon (2021)
Missed opportunity
This needed a clear outer motivation / inner motivation for the hero. The potential was there but it barely had any rising action at all. There were some insightful moments but in terms of an arc, it's sorely lacking.
Black Bear (2020)
Good premise...but
Odd at first but then takes shape as a writer working on a movie and she plays out two versions. The first version was more interesting to me. The second was just thrashing about. They say a writer starts out wanting to teach something to the audience but then the writer learns something deeper at the end. I don't think that happened here. I think this needed another rewrite.
The Lost City (2022)
Pitiful script
Waste of talent and money. I don't blame Sandra Bullock for taking a break after this. This is so paper thin. The only potentially interesting person was Brad Pitt but he was killed off early. There is just so little to like here. I guess everyone needed a pay check. Completely predictable and forgettable. I'd write more but I've already erased it from my brain.
Night Sky (2022)
I think I like it but...stretches suspension of disbelief too much.
Good acting but sometimes the writer stretches the suspension of disbelief. These characters make choices that suit the forward momentum but don't always seem logical for what a rational person would do. For example, the police officer creates a file on Jude and just gives it to the Sissy Spacek character?! "You hold on to that file and don't lose it". WTF? Maybe if she was a retired detective or policewoman but that's just absurd. It broke reality.
Father of the Bride (2022)
Meh. Zzzz
There are few laughs in the first 50 minutes. The mom and dad are getting a divorce but that is so muted and plays like like two people disagreeing over wheat toast versus white toast. The families of both young people are wealthy. Ok, one is very wealthy but that's hardly a gripping source of conflict. And then they try to make the wedding venue a big source of conflict - yawn. And sometimes they'll all break into speaking Spanish as if that's going to add the necessary riches or depth this remake needs. It doesn't. I can't watch anymore. Don't waste your time. A horrible use of Andy Garcia's acting talent.