betchaareoffendedeasily Reviews

Little Monsters (1989)

Pretty Misunderstood.

[26 December 2023]

This is a movie that is very reminiscent of folk tales. I would put this in the same category as "Prancer", which came out about the same time Movies starring children that explore some very dark themes and feature fairly realistic child-like reactions to what is around them. It's a great example of a realistic and flawed child eventually learning some real hard lessons and in the end making some very smart decisions through what they learned.

Old "children's stories" were quite harsh and graphic. Read the original Little Mermaid or Cinderella or Hansel and Gretal or Snow White, these are extraordinarily dark tales that were told to kids. This is not any different, it is quite dark. This is a good script, and I don't care how many people claim it's not. Even the "goofs" or plot holes stated here on IMDB really or not. Well, there are technical errors, but I do not mean those. This movie is treated, much like "North", as if they were the worst films ever made. Now, I'm a fan of "North" as well, but that movie is actually genuinely offensive at times, but also extremely misunderstood. It's a child's fantasy based on a child's view of the world. "Little Monsters" is actually quite a bit more adult. It has some very heavy themes. It is dark, violent at times, and even tense. It is also very fun, silly, and exciting. Watching this as a child was a fun experience, but watching it as an adult is so different. I watch it once every few years, and every time, I notice things I missed.

There are some things that do not age well, mainly some of the costumes and effects. Particularly, the reveal of "Boy" is creepy, until you realize it's a hand puppet. It's obvious the budget was lacking in terms of making believable costumes for all involved. Maurice looks amazing still to this day, his makeup is fantastic, and must have been a chore to have put on daily. Some of the monsters have decent costumes, some are just masks. I imagine most of the money went into building the monsters world itself, and it is fantastic. How can you say this is bad? Do you realize how much attention to detail this set has? How much time it must have taken? It's aged infinitely better than the best cgi backdrops ever will, it will always look good. Even if all they did was build stairs and string lights and use a wharehouse or a theater, this still took a lot of planning, a lot of thought. Despite the obvious udget constraints, they made it generally look good. The food digital effects that are used, such as sparkles, and disappearing into the floor still look good. Everything else is practical. Masks, makeup, hand puppets, real sets.

The acting is actually mostly spot on. Ben Savage tries not to smile in a few scenes when he should be serious, but he's still charming, it's cute. Fred Savage is really good here, he's confident, self-assured, and never misses a beat. This is a smart kid who doesn't tend to second guess himself, though he can be a little hot headed. This is a good character, he is actually very well-written, he has emotional highs and lows, he cares about people, he gets scared, but he's also willing to confront it, he uses foul language at times like young kids do, he can be rude, but he can also be highly thoughtful. I think those bagging on this film are not understanding what a well-written character this is.

This is a great script. It is exciting right out of the gate. It never really dies off, the script builds on itself. You have a kid who is adjusting to his new life in a new home and a new school. He butts heads with a jerk at school, but he isn't pushed around by him, they push each other. The girl he likes is a highly intelligent tomboy, he appreciates these qualities about her. He expresses them in an age appropriate way. There is so much going on here, I could write a dissertation. This is definitely.an examination of growing up, but.it also seems to follow the stages of grief, remember Brian got ripped away from the life he knew, there is indeed grief involved here from the beginning, but not only does he have that grief, but later on grief on multiple fronts within his family, I will not ruin that. He absolutely goes through Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance multiple times in the movie. The ending is completely about acceptance, in numerous regards I cannot go through without spoiling the film. Brian has to make several adult decisions in this film, and he actually makes some very good and very bad realistic decisions. He also does indeed pay for them. A lot of these choices can be comedic, but it doesn't actually take away from their gravity at all.

I get why people hate this film, it's easy to hate. It does have a rather annoying main character in Maurice, but even though he's very childish, as he says he's 11yrs, for 200yrs. He still very much has the mentality of a young boy, which even though Howie Mandell is very much not a child, he has the child like exuberance here to make the character work. The character frequently does and says gross things. There are jokes about piss, jokes about other bodily functions, hints at some sexual things. The interactions between the children feels fairly real, they use words that a not "child friendly", as did I at their age. Most kids do, we hear words, we repeat them, we say gross things make jokes about gross things all the time as kids. This movie gets this spot on. The children are resourceful and make the best use of what's around them that they can. One of my favorite parts is when Brian first meets Maurice and finds out his weakness is light, he refuses to go anywhere with him with a flashlight. He doesn't back down on it. He refuses to ack down later when faced with the disgustingly creepy and child-like "boy". He is a solid character.

I really do think this is a great movie all around, despite it's flaws, the script, the overall execution, the acting, the sets, makes it, in my opinion, one of the best children's films ever made; I'm serious. It isn't "squeaky clean", but it teaches some really good lessons. The ending is touching, and silly at the same time. It's just a fun movie that is serious at the same time. It is a cute fantasy about dealing with grief and learning to grow up.

The Shift (II) (2023)

Better Than the Traile Made It Seem.

[22 December 2023]

I saw the trailer for this and thought "that looks awful", and I really dislike "The Chosen", it is garbage and not at all good from a theological standpoint and does not represent the Bible well at all. I would never show it to a believer or non-believer. The Shift. Obviously has spiritual themes, but mostly it avoids the mistakes of the chosen by creating an interesting alternate reality premise and creating a world where the Bible is basically absent, actually it's a genius premise. It's fairly well-executed, and it is an interesting twist on old biblical themes and your typical dystopian world film. I have seen a lot of a big budget spiritual thrillers, such as "Legion" or "Book of Eli", which are complete trash.

Yes, this movie present alternate realities, and multiple universes, but at it's heart, it is a love story. A story about an enduring love that drives the main character, and yes faith. I felt it was maybe too subtle in it's references to Christ, they're there, but there is no gospel, at the same time, I'm okay with that. I'd rather them not have mangle the gospel and not have it in there only hint at it. I recently watched a movie that was destroyed by overly heavy handed gospel messages and bad theology, called "Red Letters". That movie had such a good idea that was destroyed with a heavy handed message. This movie tries to give you a message rooted in the Bible in science fiction/fantasy alternate reality, and I am willing to accept what it gives because unlike "The Chosen" it's not claiming it's the authentic Jesus. In fact, it's kind of the opposite, there is no Bible in this world so the one person who knows scripture can only tell others what he knows from his memories, so it can't be verbatim, kind of a convenient plot device, but it works.

I found the acting to e quite good, and the story to be very touching. I thought the world building was very well done. I liked the theme as well, which is really about perseverance amidst adversity, and sacrificial living, I would say this is a very good message, and a very needed one amidst the sewage that is modern Hollywood.

It's got it's flaws, it is definitely a tad confusing, and maybe a bit too convoluted for it's own good, and slightly on the long side, it mostly gels together by the end. The music was very well used, including a very apt use of the Jars of Clay song "Oh My God", I ever thought I'd hear that in a movie(although I have no respect for that band, they jumped the shark years ago on and left orthodox Christianity), and it works very very well. I think I can easily recommend this as a solid 7 to people who are just tired of the amoral trash coming out today.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Nowhere Near As Bad As People Say; An analysis.

[14 December 2023]

The opening music to this is perfect, the opening credits do well to set the tone, and the sounds of children at a now abandoned camp just set you off-kilter right away. I actually think modern film makers could learn a little bit just from this opening sequence, although most modern movies eschews opening credits, this film shows how well they can work in your favor when you do it right. Low-budget as this movie was, and some of it's effects show that, it was still far more competent than most modern movies, but as horror film, is it scary? No. It's really more of a strange mystery than a horror film, and it really helps if you go in blind, this review will have spoilers, i recommend you stop reading now if you have never scene it.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

I originally watch this 20yrs ago, which is crazy to say. I wanted to revisit it, honestly, because of the insane reinterpretations this film gets as transphobic or insensitive, neither of which is true. This story is a tragedy and very sad, something I will elaborate on this later. The pace is slow, but there is constantly something simmering under the surface, despite the normalcy of a lot of the scenes of kids goofing around or playing sports. Most of the effects are good, but yes, raspberries are used to look like a really bad bee sting, which is unintentionally funny, and I will give them points for creativity.

The opening sequence is kind of silly honestly. At the same time, it is well-done with fantastic music. Again it continues to give you this weird off-kilter tone in it's absurdity, it does well to hide what later happens in the film. Right up to Aunt Martha who is gross and creepy right off the bat. Angela seems off from the beginning as very uncomfortable, she seems like she is miserable and angry, about to snap. The reference to physicals, and how they were "unethically acquired", of course later comes into play.

I cannot praise the score enough, I never realized how good it was. The creepy old pedophile cook is introduced, as well as the young campers. The kids in this movie are actually kids, unlike the movies is is copying, such as "Friday the 13th" or "The Burning", but takes it in a much twisted direction. The girls are properly catty from the get-go. If you don't think girls are like this, you haven't forced to sleep in a room with girls that you do not know. The movie is populated with normal looking people. Fat children were rare back then, it was not common at all. You might get a mildly chubby kid, but that is about it. The kids and adults look pretty average for the time it was made some 40yrs ago, and I appreciate that.

Felissa Rose does a very good job and her eyes are highly expressive. The sequels with Pamela Springsteen are not nearly as well-done. Even though they are fun in their own ways. Given Felissa's largely silent performance; it can be very easy to dismiss he performance is wooden, which is actually not true in the slightest. She says a lot with her blank stare, she looks very sad at times without playing it up, and angry, again without overplaying it. When Angela finally speaks and smiles, it is such a sweet moment.

There are a lot of other silly and goofy hijinks going on in this film with teens doing what teens do, being jerks and being stupid. The language isn't polished, and it is pretty harsh to hear honestly, but it's part of the charm and it's something that is missing from a lot of films; authenticity. I know when I grew up, and still today, kids tend to have pretty foul moths, but I honestly think it was worse back then than it is now. We made all kinds of inappropriate jokes and use "bad" language all of the time. I can confirm that yes, guys still do the stupid shaving cream prank, things haven't change too much. Judy and Meg are perfect mean girls, in fact they are a lot more true to life than most of the other depictions I have seen on TV or in media, save maybe other older movies such as the original "Carrie".

Like a lot of the 1980's films, it indeed very homoerotic. There are a lot of shots of guys in short shorts, guys in crop tops, guy butts. This was not an unusual thing in the 1980's to see in movies, in fact it's a lot more uncommon now due to people being too sensitive and year of insane political correctness.

There are some really deep themes here actually involving trauma which are hinted at early on, but don't come into play until the last 30 minutes. We start to see disturbing memories emerge from Angela. These scenes, again, have great movie, they are well shot, and contain a really good usage of panning shots. They hint at very disturbing incidences and severe trauma.

I think people are wrong when they call this a poorly made film, they are absolutely wrong. This film is a study of how trauma can effect people, and I am serious. This movie is a tragedy at its core, and it is a very sad story, it starts with tragedy and ands with tragedy. In my opinion, every sequel cheapens this film. They are just garbage exploitation, this film, in my opinion is not truly exploitation because it actually handles its subject with sensitivity. It also handles the subject with an honesty that mainstream studios would not have used then, and no one would now either.

When I watched this 20yrs ago, even though now I see all of the clues it lays out, I did not guess the twist. I never saw it coming in a million years. Watching it now, it isn't obvious, but it is there if you really pay attention.

The build up to the conclusion is pretty good, and it is those quiet moments, the normal moments that just makes everything else better when it actually gets crazy. Crazy it does go indeed. Compare this to the lesser known "Cheer Camp", now that movie is absolute trash, entertaining as it may be, it's still trash. Seriously go watch it on youtube, you'll see, tell after watching this that this is just another bad slasher movie set at a camp, it isn't.

When we get the reveal, the usage of flashback is masterful, and it is never overused in the film, it is used just enough to build the story. When we see this reveal and we find out Angela is really a boy, we see it first in flashack, but everyone remembers the final reveal, which is full front nudity of a man(not Felissa Rose), she had no idea this was the end actually. She's talked about this in interviews. Her Aunt Martha literally forced her nephew you to be a girl, and when you combine it with the other flashbacks, Martha's husband left her, and Angela saw her father in bed with a man even if this was a woman it would be gross honestly, and then Angela(Peter) violates his sister. It also appears that the boating accident that killed his sister and his brother actually happened at the same lake, if you look and compare, they sure look the same.

This is why I believe Angela finally snaps, the combination of being attracted to someone he's afraid to show his real self to, the trauma he's endured, and being back where he father and sister died, is too much.

This is very heavy subject matter indeed. I would like to point to the MANY real life examples we have of this now, where mothers are actually forcing their sons to become daughters, look up the case of James Younger, it is sick and twisted. That is not a lone case either. This sadly, was a prophetic movie. And if you look up Walt Heyer's story, you'll see his grandma forced him to dress up in girls clothes all of the time. This had a huge impact on him later, and was not a good thing. These things have been going on a long time, and I think what makes some people mad is not that this movie has this exposing this horrifying occurrence because it does indeed happen.

This movie stands the test of time because it actually is mostly well-made, although it has it's goofy moments, Mel is a big over the top for instance, yet as a whole it holds together. The effects are decent, although as earlier stated, kind of silly at times The music is fantastic except maybe the closing theme, the cinematographer is truly exceptional, amazing flashback scenes(it's usage of a dark black backdrop for the memories is genius, giving them a dreamlike quality), the performances are mostly solid, the writing has fairly realistic dialog, even though the scenario is far-fetched, the motivations of the killer is solid and makes sense. It has one of the best twist in the history of cinema, largely because it does not pull punches, it goes straight for the jugular.

Well worth a watch if you are not highly sensitive, and can handle heavy subject matter that is dealt with in a very straightforward matter,

The Matrix (1999)

Yes, It's a Landmark Film.

[5 December 2023]

I saw in theaters in 1999, and it's impact cannot be understated. This movie has been extremely influential on so many levels. Red Pill is a huge part of our lexicon and many of the people using it don't likely know it's origin. Granted no one film will never have doctors, and that's fine if you don't personally like the matrix, but as far as sci-fi goes, I can't think of a better film honestly, and I've watched sci-fi films streaming back to the earliest films. This movie has been so incredibly influential, and I don't think it's influence can be underestimated. It's kind of like "Citizen Kane" in one regard, in the way that it has been so influential that it can seem derivative, but it's not. It created the trends in Sci-fi and action films for quite long time in multiple ways. From it's visual design, costumes, t's groundbreaking action sequences, and it's philosophical themes. Plus it's still so incredibly well made and the script is on the whole, so well-written it holds up nearly 25yrs.

Movies that were highly influential that don't hold up as well would be films such as "Toy Story" which has dated very poorly in terms of it's animation, the story is still solid and drop kicks the last to sequels into deep space, but it's animation is so dated it just does not have that awe factor in terms of the animation because it's novelty hinged on it being the first feature-length computer animated film. Movies like "Metropolis" are still influential at nearly 100yrs and yet it's extremely dated. On the other hand, Matrix had a very good story and effects and fight scenes that still hold up. Especially the first 30 minutes before the red pill moment are so exciting, but even once we get to the Zion, it is still very much

This film is still technically exceptional. The color scheme is very 1990's, yet it works to it's advantage here. The bold colors of the matrix compared to the drag grays and browns of Zion is a good contrast. The script is highly philosophical, and yet the Wachowski's smartly threw in tons of action and cool effects that still effect films today. Again I think it could be easy to dismiss this film, other than it is extremely well-made, simply because so many films took from it still to this day. Even though Keanu Reeves is not the worlds best actor, he is perfect for this role. I really cannot imagine someone better, his lack of expression actually works well here. Keanu is actually very capable of a larger range of expression, such is in the Bill & Ted films, but he just tends to be very stoic. It works here, and it also worked well in the John Wick films.

I can't explain how giddy I was watching this in theaters in 1999. I am not one to be over nostalgic, if I watch I movie I liked when I was younger and it sucks, I'll admit it. This is not one of them. I went to see this with my brother wjo was 25, I was 14, my mom approved, but the theater wouldn't let him take me to see it. My mom complained and they gave us free tickets so my mom took me to see it instead. I love it. It just was this amazing experience that even today when I re-watch it, I still get excited. The ecstatic feeling I get during the first part before neo takes the pill, to him learning how to navigate the matrix, his training. This is so exciting, and then the fight scenes and the culminating battles. It's just builds and builds, you get so absorbed in the film it's very much an experience.

I understand if you don't enjoy this kind of film, but can we admit the script is fantastic, the effects hold up, the costumes are amazing, the fight scenes exciting, and it's all together well-made movie even if you don't like it. No film is perfect, but this one and a handful throughout film history come close. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves sci Fi and action.

Red Letters (2019)

Not That Bad, Pretty Decent Low Budget Religious Thriller.

[29 November 2023]

I find it funny how people highly rate movies like "Nefarious" well, but if a movie attempts to give the real gospel, and not Catholic pablum, yeah, People obviously hate it, cause they hate God, we get it, you hate him. I'm not gonna pretend this is great, it ain't, but it's easily above average, though heavy handed. Is give it a solid 5.5, I thought for a very low budget film, the acting and production values were solid. The script was where things feel short, lately because it goes from being an intriguing mystery to be far too heavy handed.

Things stayed fairly light on religious front, in fact Mike was fairly subtle, until we get to the parts where Robin/Old Nick enter the picture. Suddenly things take an extreme turn into the heavy handed, and it really hurts the story, I actually thought this was a good solid story. The Good part of it is still good, and the ending was sad, but actually kind of disturbing honestly. I thought also the devil was too easily able to hurt those who were supposed to be really solid Christians, but I guess it was a bit of a parasite for the spiritual battle on earth, it's not that they were possessed or lost their souls or anything, but they weren't able to stop Satan here.

I really wished, even as a Christian some of the heavy handed spiritual and Bible talk was ruined down for the sake of further developing the characters and story, again, because I liked the story, and I felt it came at things from a different angle. Include the gospel by all means, and a few scriptures, but please please, focus on the characters and story more.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Very Good Character Study.

[25 November 2023]

I was blown away with how well this was done because the trailer made it look like garbage. I've read the original trilogy and seen the films, and I always hated Snow, who wouldn't. It's easy to hate Snow here, BUT Tom Blyth does a phenomenal job, this movie rises or falls on him and he carries it, if this isn't a star making turn for him, I dunno what would be. I despised Snow in the original trilogy, he's obviously only presented as the evil dictator he is, but he's very keen and intelligent, even though you hate him. Here, although I felt repulsion towards Snow at times, I was rooting for him to choose good, we know the inevitable end, but again Blyth does such a phenomenal job of conveying the characters inner dilemmas; we see the constant push and pull off his wanting to do good, but also his selfish ambition, and the desire to walk in his father's footsteps. He does have guilt, but not enough to turn him around, we see this many times as the movie goes on.

I felt the transition of him from morally specious to evil was mostly believable, again, because of Tom Blyth's powerhouse performance. I definitely had sympathy for him and I understood where he was coming from. I also felt the transition Snow made at the end felt a tad rushed, but this was a character on a knifes edge, teetering between what's right and selfish ambition. This is, for me a very welcome change in modern mainstream films. Instead of a boring action film, we get a philosophical character driven film, it's very refreshing, and I'm glad this was 160 minutes, not 2 movies, that would have bored People to tears.

The rest of the cast is decent, Viola Davis is horrifying, but she never overplays it, Jason Schwartzman does a solid job as Flickerman, Peter Dinklage is solid as always, however, Rachel Ziegler is not a very good actress, she has little emotional depth, but her singing, wow, I knew she had to have been trained, and I was right. I saw her in Westside Story, but she wasn't nearly as good there, in fact I left that movie halfway through because I was bored, I hated what they did to Maria, they ruined her character and the singing was mostly bland. She does a very good job here with the songs, her singing here, however, is some of the best singing I've heard in some time, I'm a little perplexed why she's not a singer after watching this. I suppose material is the issue, if you're not a songwriter, you have to find good material, which is tough.

I liked the story, though Id like to have seen a bit more of Tigris, she was a good character and she truly cared about her cousin and hated seeing what he was becoming. I enjoyed seeing the capital in it's early days before it became a complete hedonistic hellhole. I really liked the setting of the primitive games and how they initially treated tributes, it was interesting, and I liked seeing how Snow played a direct hand in what the hunger games later become. Those were the more exciting parts, once it got to the final part, Peacekeeping, it definitely slows down, but it still held my interest, and it took some surprising turns.

Overall, worthwhile if you have a good attention span and don't mind movies about evil people.

Another Time (2018)

Good Little Time Travel Film

[17 November 2023]

I really liked this movie, my husband and I watched it broken up over 3nights because we didn't have time, but I kept on thinking about it. I've watched tons of time travel films, and for me, this is a pretty good one. I think the characters, despite what other have said, were pretty well-drawn. At least the 2 leads. Some of the dialog was a tad unnatural at times, but I also chlk some of it up to the actors. The acting isn't gonna win awards, it's pretty descent. Especially James Kyson, he was just hilarious every scene he was in, total scene stealer.

I liked that the lead character was already fascinated with science, it was something he originally wanted to do, but ended up somewhere else in life. He ends up connecting with a coworker who is engaged who basically tells him he needs to do what he really wants to do, and her zeal for life kind of makes him rethink things, for most people that doesn't involve time travel, but for him he decides its a path worth exploring. I again really liked that this character had a background in science, and he watched science videos all of the time. He was constantly watching things about time travel. So in that regard I found it a lot more believable. We don't know what his exact skill levels were, but he seemed to have a high aptitude for math, and that plays an important role in the movie.

I do think this was a well-thought out film about the choices we make in life and where they can take us. It is a fun movie, but it is definitely philosophical as all time travel movies are, and I was a little bit surprised at the end, I generally thought it was a good ending, but it definitely leaves us with a few questions, but I can't reveal them without spoilers, so I won't.

I think it works pretty well as a time travel movie and a romance, and for me, it's one of the better of these kinds of movies I've seen. I also recommend "Making Time" if you like this movie.

Soylent Green (1973)

A Great Movie Still.

[17 November 2023]

This is an iconic film that has worked it's way into popular culture. You probably already know the end, but I won't ruin it here anyway. 50yrs in and this is still an important film.

I find it weird how people assume it's depiction of "furniture" aka prostitutes in the film itself are mysogo istic, and here's why. 1. It's never payed positively, this is a dystopia, why would you think it covers the abuse of women? It's trying to expose woman as being merely sex objects. 2. There is a massive outrage against anyone who condemns prostitutes, so why would you be against these women's chosen vocation? They get the best of life because of being prostitutes. If being a prostitute is so great, why be so negative when largely this a realistic portrayal? These women offer a service and get a higher lifestyle than almost ordinary people, according to the film. These women are clearly empowered, but it comes at a price.

What is so neat about this film is that it shows how even in 1973, they were pushing the overpopulation and global warming garbage. Weird, it still hasn't happened. How many dates are we past now?

I love Charleton Heston's commitment to the t role, I doubt he agreed with the overall message, but he was an actor. Something modern actors should learn from. It's a job. You're acting, you don't have to agree with what your character believes or the movie.

This movie makes a very disturbing change from the book, and it's highly intriguing. I say that because it involves older people. It's sad, because honestly we often view older people as parasitic, but this film pisses the idea that the stories they tell about the past is indeed valuable.

This movie is indeed a spectacular. You'll either love it or hate it, the acting is good, keep when it was made in mind, yes that matters. The set designs, the griminess, the costumes, it's all very well done. The ending is not so exaggerated as it seemed as a child, because if I found out what he found out, is be way more hysterical than he was.

This is a good movie, it can be cheesy, but it's well thought out, and superbly executed. It is definitely one of the best sci-fi films of the 1970's, even if you don't like it or agree with it.

The Shallows (2016)

Bored.

[9 November 2023]

Theirs nothing wrong with the cinematography or sound, those aspects care good, I'm not crucifying those. The acting by Blake Lively is very good, and without bher there is no way this film would work at all, she literally carries it all by herself. She does a good job, and I respect her acting abilities here. Still, I just want a fan, I can see why some might enjoy this, but I found it pretty tedious, and honestly It is simply the films premise in and of itself.

I don't mind far-fetched movies, but this was played 100% straight, it has no campy humor and no tongue in cheek, at all. Given that, I'm supposed to take this seriously, how can I? The entirely plot person is farcical, not only that, this is a short film at Best, it is stretched and stretched, it goes nowhere, and why would this spark keep coming back? Truly, sharks don't behave like this. They typically bite and leave, do I'm having a rough time buying this one right off the bat.

This is supposed to be some kind of deep reflection, as the lead character is dealing with the death of a parent, but honest, I'm not buying it. My husband didn't want to keep watching it, and honestly, I didn't either, but I just hoped it would get better, it didn't. I felt no tension, I want scared, I didn't feel anything honestly, I didn't necessarily care about our characters fate.

The Flash (I) (2023)

Actually Thought-Provoking.

[9 November 2023]

Yes, this is a summer action film, but the story is actually kind of deep. It revolves around a question I've often posed to myself and others, "What would I be like if I didn't go through the struggles I did?" This movie gives an answer. I always figured, you know, I've been through some horrible stuff, but I have an idea of what I might have become without those experiences, and I don't like it. Pain and suffering gives us a perspective that helps us see our circumstances with more brevity, unless we let that pain destroy and consume us. Yes, that is what this film is really about, I found myself very happy while watching this that a mainstream action film dared to explore such themes.

It is a fun movie, I have seen it twice and I enjoyed it equally both times. It was unfairly panned, the fact is, people or rather critics are fatigued by comic book movies, and I don't blame them. I won't watch anything put out by Disney/Marvel, so that leaves me with DC, and overall, I think their movies are far better because they are by and large fun movies. When I go to see a superhero film, I want a fun film. I was never a huge fan of the "Dark Knight" and I enjoy "Batman & Robin", so that should tell you something. I think comic book films are best when they understand how silly they are. The Flash does.

The acting is by and large good, the script is still kind of by the numbers, but again explores some pretty deep themes which really sets it apart. It was extremely fun seeing Michael Keaton back, he is my favorite Batman, and personally, I just want a new Batman movie with him, don't care how old he is. I enjoyed the other surprises, that I won't ruin. I loved the running jokes revolving around pop culture, those were a lot of fun. Again it's just a fun movie with some deeper themes underlying it that it knows how to explore. I don't think the CGI was bad, I've seen worse in Marvel movies. So....

Overall, if you like your comic book movies fun, but with a bit of pathos, you will enjoy The Flash.

Sound of Freedom (2023)

Very Important Movie

[7 November 2023]

"Sound of Freedom" is well-made, well-acted, well-directed, photographed, etc. Technically, it is very well made and the script and pacing are pretty good. It may run a little long, but I never felt it's run time. I was constantly tense and anxious until it ended. I was crying within minutes of it starting. I knew exactly what was happening to the children in the beginning and I began to weep. If you think this stuff isn't happening in America, wake up, it does. I lived close to one of the most busy pets in the US, it was well known that humans were commonly trafficked through there, no one does anything about it. There are a lot of film on this issue, but few have been released to theaters because for some reason, Hollywood is loathe to cover this topic, gee I wonder why?

I have seen this twice, the first time was a wild ride, and I was white-knuckled the entire time, it was tense. The second time I didn't feel nearly as tense. This is a tough movie to watch, but everyone should. It makes me sick when people try to disparge this film with all kinds of lies, whether it be Caviezel, the dirctor(with a false lie of kidnapping, no he didn't fyi), and Ballard himself. Even if all the nasty things they say are true, this would still not invalidate this film. It is a very well-made piece of film that deserves the praise it has. It's a wild emotional ride because seeing children in these circumstances should make you ill, but it is never exploitative, it handles this topic very well.

A lot of people don't realize slavery is still alive and real, they think because it's illegal here in the states that it isn't around. Nonsense. I have personally known someone who was sex trafficked, through definitely not to the extent these children were, she wasn't the only one in the house trafficked, and she later found out they were underage, and that man also did things with little kids. He was caught and sentenced, but not enough are. I know of other cases where sex trafficking was going on, and that man was eventually arrested for something else, I don't know if he ever was caught specifically for that. A friend of mine was instrumental in turning him in, but the others involved likely for away. This is an issue I've been aware and attempted to make others aware of for years, movies such as "Gardens of the Night", unsuccessfully tried to bring the issue to the surface.

I don't care how you feel about can actors personal politics, or even the guy it's based on. The message this movie conveys and the truth it does convey is invaluable. I hope it inspires People to get involved in anyway they can and fight this REAL injustice. Why do you think you see those signs in public bathrooms that say "do you feel like you're being forced to do things you don't want to? Are you afraid? Call this #." If People cared about slavery, they would drop the 150yr grudge on people who are long dead and fight for those who are still enslaved, put your money where your mouth is and stop being selfish. That nonsense is a distraction to keep us from ending the real slavery that still exist.

Static (I) (2012)

Actually Really Clever.

[7 November 2023]

I'd call this a solid thriller/mystery, not horror. Is it the most original movie in the world? No, but I did think the ending was well-executed. Even though there are movies with a similar theme, the way this one was done made it a little different. The movie has a good internal consistency, and script is better than most films of it's kind. The acting was pretty solid, not incredible, but decent. Sarah Paxton definitely did the best job here, her little monologue at the end was really good, it was a little heartbreaking.

You can tell from the beginning that things are wrong, the movie has an overall off kilter feel, I feel this feeling could have been enhanced by some dutch Angeles and a strong use of panning shots, I don't think the cinematographer had those type of skills sadly.

I really liked the overall thrust of the script, again not very original for the most part, but there was a nice little twist at the end that makes it a bit different than other films of this kind. I think it is more clever than some on here give it credit for. It has a pretty good usage of tight angles, the film feels fairly claustrophobic, you feel, as previously stated, a bit of your footing from the get go, even though you might easily guess where this is headed. It has good tension, and a good build up to the finale. I felt the ending to be very satisfying.

I do wish the script was a little stronger in terms of characterization of the 2 leads, and stronger acting to give the characters more subtext, theirs so much going on here but the 2 leads actors didn't have the skills to brings the script to its full potential. This is a movie about regret and grief at it's core, and in that regard, I wish I felt the pain a little more than I did.

If you like home invasion films, you could do worse, just understand, at it's core this is a drama about the grief of losing a child.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Very Unique

[7 November 2023]

This is a biopic of sorts, but damn is it not like any biopic you've seen. Good or bad does not apply to this movie, why? It's a technical marvel on every conceivable level. I think some of People will love and some will be bored, I won't lie, about 1.5hrs in(not sure I didn't look at time), I got bogged down in the dialog and wanted it to end. I felt so overwhelmed, but shortly after I was able to get ack into the movie. Honestly, can we please bring intermissions back like they had for long movies up to the 1960's? Still, despite my being a bid overwhelmed and bored in the middle section, this is a breath of fresh air in a wasteland of superhero films and poorly made, quick cash grab movies; this movie and Christopher Nolan are beacons of hope and a reminder that some people still care about making good films and raising the bar. It's not perfect, and it's ambitions are high, but it mostly succeeds, compare this to other recently released films, how can you say it is not very well-made, even if you hate it? The acting is great across the board, especially Cillian Murphy, Robert, Downey Jr, and Emily Blunt.

I don't think it matters how much you know about this film going in, though I always recommend going in blind. This movie is very unique on so many levels. I have personally watched over 10,000 movies, I think at this point, I know a bit. I watch all kinds of movies, read my reviews. I don't care if it cost $5 or $500,000,000, who cares??? If it's entertaining. Given that, this is a movie that uses it's budget well at 100,000,000. The usage of film, as opposed to digital does indeed make it look etter, and gives it an old school feel. While Barbie isn't remotely the same movie, it cost $100,000,000 as well, and was released around the same time, they couldn't be more far apart. Barbie was filled with marxist and feminist nonsense, Oppenheimer indeed had communism in it, but it presented it in a pretty matter of fact way honestly. I was impressed. I am by no means a communist, but it seemed to just be presenting what was going on. As opposed to Barbie which used idiotic Marxist and pop communist ideologies and slogans. I've seen both movies, Barbie may have been made for the same $$$, but Oppenheimer is truly a movie that will stand the rest of time, Barbie will not agree well, at all.

I had some complaints about Oppenheimer, but they are, in my opinion, miniscule. Compare this to Nolan's other films, hell even Interstellar, this is so much better than Interstellar, it makes that movie look like garbage. In terms of complaints, one of them is Matt Damon's performance as a colonel 2 star general, he's too relaxed in his facial expressions. Having spent a lot of time around military people and officers, I can say that longtime military people's eyebrows almost never move, especially high ranking officers, their faces tend to be fairly expressionless. Dane Dehan actually did a phenomenal job of this, he was perfect as a colonel, not at all wooden, though some may see it that way, he actually got the accurate facial expressions and mannerisms of a high ranking officer perfect, he was fantastic. Matt Damon is not a bad actor, and some of his scenes were good, but overall, I was not convinced of him being a colonel or above. Another thing I noticed, in a scene where flags were being waved, those flags were definitely not period accurate, nor were some of the clothes, and I only mention this because this film is so good on the details, to slack on those 2 details, though most people will never notice them, I am something of an expert in vintage stuff. In terms of cinematography, I didn't always understand some of the choices, such as the usage of black and white, it seemed weird, and didn't click why it was used until a day after the movie. I though it was related to timeline, like older events were in black and white, no that is not it at all, by the end of the film it becomes apparent black and white scenes are from someone else' perspective. . This film is not present sequentially, and this also adds to some disorientation and feelings of being overwhelmed, which made me feel like I was bored, but I really wasn't just overwhelmed. It's an interesting choice, which I think in the end does work, so it's not actually a complaint.

This is a weighty dialogue driven film, it presents heavy ideas, and it doesn't treat the audience like it's stupid, unlike Barbie, people who enjoyed Barbie, probably won't like this. Theirs no platitudes, and each person here who has any reasonable amount of screen time isn't "good" or "bad" they just are, I did not think Oppenheimer here was presented as flawless, in fact I felt he was displayed to be a very flawed man who made some awful choices and sometimes treated others like garbage, in other words human. To think that films such as "Parasite" has even remotely the same rating is absurd, this movie is technically far beyond it on every level, every technical aspect is exceptional. The script is very complex, and the movie isn't totally linear, the cinematography is awesome, with fantastic pages of closeups, and zooms, the freaking of each shot is well thought In terms of cinematography, I didn't always understand some of the choices, such as the usage of black and white, it seemed weird, and didn't click why it was used until a day after the movie. The sound design, well, it's pretty insane, IMAX is the best way to see this. It's got a stellar sound design. The acting is amazing across the board. What makes it great isn't when people like Robert Downey Jr get histrionic, no it's the subtle body language, and theirs much of that here. This is what differentiates between a good and great actor. If you can use realistic body language, that's impressive. The makeup is fantastic, the aging effects, the transition of David Krumholtz which was crazy and I couldn't tell he wasn't that fat honestly.

Much of this, people will not notice. I don't say this to be condescending, it means the movie did a great job. As I said it has flaws, but the good hear so arrival outweighs the bad I don't find it worth mentioning. I never say that. Read my other reviews, I nitpick to hell and back.

If you don't have patience, and you don't like to this, avoid this and watch Barbie instead. This movie tackles many tough subjects, especially tournament corruption, the ethics of modern warfare, personal ethics, science and it's practical usages, infidelity, but it rarely presents these in a heavy handed way, it's just a part of the story. If you like being entertained, while still thinking, this is the movie for you.

Heart of Midnight (1988)

Enjoyed It More the Second Time.

[27 October 2023]

I probably watched this about 8yrs ago. I didn't like it much, but I didn't forget it either. This is a pretty odd film, it doesn't give to many clear answers, and honestly by the end it leaves you with many questions. Jennifer Jason Lee is a stellar actress and she definitely carries the film. We know that she inherited a bought club from her uncle and that she is very traumatized, why doesn't become clear till the end, however, she is trapped in this movie and honestly she doesn't even fight it, she just kind of lets it happen, by Steve Buscemi no less!!! Her actions definitely indicate previous trauma.

The crew who works on the building is pretty hapless, they seem like the worst, and I hate this weird it's overused, misogynistic construction workers in the world. There are no positive decisions of men here and I would daresay it borders on misandry. However, one can also call into question how much of this is accurate, why? This movie is from what would be called an unreliable narrator, we don't ever know how much of what she sees is real honestly. Or if any of it is, it never truly answers those questions by the end, so at the end of the day this film is definitely more style than substance, and portrays victims with ptsd as unreliable barriers, both make and female, as there is definitely a male victim here as well.

About halfway through the movie you start to wonder if any of the events, even if they're not happening to the main character, are happening at all, or if some people even exist. Again, we never get those answers, so yes, it is completely open ended and open to interpretation.

If that doesn't bug you, check it out. I found it to be an interesting tomorrow of sexual trauma and ptsd.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Solid Movie, Even if You read the Book.

[20 October 2023]

I think I'd have enjoyed this more if I did not know the source material, however, unlike many others, I loved the remixed ending. I thought the ending improves upon the book for a few reasons I cannot state without spoilers, but after you watch this, go to good reads and read reviews of people who don't like the book, you'll see it's mostly because of the ending. I would agree, the ending in the book is lazy and makes the main characters, honestly, into pretty awful people. It felt like "Cabin in the Woods", without the satire essentially.

I am unsure why this got an R rating, it is actually very tame, thematically it is dark, but overall, it is very tame. "Old" is actually substantially more graphic, deals with very dark themes, and yet it is PG-13. Kind of weird.

The opening camera work is beautiful, it sets a very good tone right from the get go. I watch a lot of movies, and the direction here and the cinematography is superb, it is refreshing among a sea of poorly made ig budget films. It is sad that once it is inside the cabin, of course the cinematography is quite limited in scope they do the best they can in the confined space. I do absolutely agree with most people that the pacing here is bad, this is a big problem. You can set things in a cabin as a single location and it works "Misery" is a prime example, but where this film falls a little short is it lacks tension at time due to uneven pacing. The flashbacks kill a lot of the momentum in the story, I understand why their there, but they definitely take us out of the tense setting, and it is not a benefit. Not at all.

Overall, I think it is a pretty good thriller with themes that are important involving sacrifice, family bonds, and love. It is talky so it requires a lot of patience, this movie is not for the impatient, but if you've seen any M Night Shamalayan flms, that is nothing new. His films are always very dialog heavy.

The Principle (2014)

Why Not Actually Watch This & Listen to What's in It?

[28 September 2023]

Real question. The detractors on here seem to not have watched this, or watched it hell bent on hating it with a closed mind. Here's the crazy thing, people like this hurl insults at Christians such as "Yeah well you say God in the gaps", "Yeah well, you believe in fairytales", and the always awesome "How's skydaddy working for you?" Why are Christians called narrow minded when these fools wont even entertain an alternate idea? Who is really narrow-minded here?

Whether or not these scientist or Kate Mulgrew were not told exactly what this film was about is up for debate, but having Mulgrew's voice is nice. I have a hard time believing she couldn't tell this film had a bend towards geocentrism, as I'm listening to her talk, the words she says, very obviously implying that geocentrism could be a viable idea, not that it is, but that it should be given space within science. I just have to wonder if she was being intentionally ignoring it so she could claim ignorance, who knows? Either way, her presence is welcome.

I came at this very skeptically, I am pretty neutral on the heleocentrism vs geocentrism debate, and btw geocentrism, does not, per say, mean flat earth. Nor does it even say this in the movie, though I would agree it is somewhat implied. I have studied and looked at both models, and even the Hollow earth idea. What I have noticed, is that as it talks about later in the documentary about the idea of multiverses to explain why we are heliocentric, is definitely not less insane than the idea that the sun and planets revolve around us and God created us. I have indeed studied a good bit of cosmology, and yes, these are real ideas. The ideas posed by these scientist are not misrepresented. In fact, this movie gives most of it's run time to the heliocentrist view and lets these scientist spin their ideas out about different questions about our universe.

Watching and listening to these scientists own words all at once, many of whom I've listened to independent of this, made me realize how they not only know nothing, but admit it. Almost all of them refuse to explore ideas that may come close to contradicting their beliefs. As the movie progressed their ideas get whackier and whackier, and these so-called "experts" appear to know very little about how the universe works. So when people claim "Listen to the science!" Okay, I'm listening, and it doesn't sound good, and again this is just as true if you listen to these people outside of this film. Especially when you hear a good 10 of them echo the same silly ideas in this movie, you realize this kind of intellectual dishonesty is endemic within science.

The one scientist who has sense is the scientist who looked into cosmic radiation and found the so-called "Axis of evil". He is open to different ideas, which is how science should be! It was refreshing amongst the never-ending nihilism. Every other scientist echos the same "We're here for nothing, we came from nothing." Some of the scientist claim we are special, one because we are apparently made from particles of many stars and each of us is unique.... Okay, how is this less strange than the idea of a God creating us? The idea that we are simply flying through space on the ball, for no reason, is actually pretty depressing, that there is no afterlife, and this is it? Again, completely hopeless and nihilistic.

Overall, this is a very even-handed documentary, it presents questions, some answers, and at the end, leaves the question open. It does not actually give definitive answer. Those claiming it is propaganda for God are exposing their own prejudices and biases. While it presents those ideas, it doesn't say its true, actually. It merely shows there are many holes in the current theories, and it proposes what may or may not be an answer. If that bugs you, you might want to do some self-examination as to why.

Care Bears (1985)

Much Darker Than the Nelvana Series.

[24 September 2023]

Doctor Cold heart makes children angry and sad and the care bears have to fight him to restore happiness to children. This was the original series, but eventually Nelvana got the rights and continued this series with several changes. There was no Doctor Cold heart. When I was about 9, I was used to the Nelvana Series, I went with my brother to the video store and we rented a car bears VHS, turns out it was DIC Care bears, it was so tonally different I didn't know if I liked it. It feels so much darker than the Nelvana Series, these days it is very hard to find the old DIC episodes, if you are able to get your hands on the original 11 DIC episodes, do. They've never been released, but they were released to VHS years ago. Just so you can see how typically different the two series were. I hope someday there is a rerelease.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Great Costumes & Settings.

[21 September 2023]

I am a history buff when it comes to Marie Antionette, and in fact her story is extraordinarily relevant to today and how lying and manipulative the press can be. I love the setting and the costumes, those are fantastic, but Coppola takes too many liberties and modernizes it and makes her story a fantasy, there is just so much here that did not or likely did not happen. I guarantee you that Marie was not just like a modern teenage girl going clothes shopping, but that's kind of what this film turns her into, and it's weird to say the least. It is well-directed and photographed, but for me, that's about it. The music is really jarring and annoying, and just follows the trend set y "A Knights Tale", only that film was just a silly movie, and it was not about a historical figure, but a fictional one. Some of what's in this film is quite true, but much is not I will never understand, why when reality is so entertaining, we think we must change it? Makes no sense honestly.

So much we think we know about her is false, and I really despise several things they do with her moral character in this film because if you know anything about her she was considered a woman of good character and pure. Yes, the Louise and her had a hard time consummating their marriage, but once they figured it out, they had many children. There were many rumors around this woman and her character, she was indeed a very opulent sort and she did revel in her wealth with extravagant clothes, but she was not heartless woman either.

At the end of the day, if this interest you in Marie, please do your own research, her life was very interesting, and no she did not say "Let them eat cake", as we often say she did, it was quite taken out of context by the press, imagine that. Look into the affair of the necklace, and what led up to the French revolution, it's very interesting, to which this movie was not care to explore.

Pulse (2001)

Highly Philosophical & Ahead of Its Time.

[15 September 2023]

The remake of this film is, in my opinion, the worst Japanese American remake of a horror film. It takes a thought provoking plot, with a slow-moving philosophical pace, and makes it nothing but a silly illogical kind of mystery movie, it cannot be taken seriously. The original "Kairo" on the other hand has a unique depressing, ominous, and foreboding atmosphere. It also had a pretty unique story for l it's time, and explored many existential themes, theirs still really nothing like it. Essentially straddling the line between loneliness, depression, and death. This is more than just your average how horror, and it's got a lot on its mind.

This movie foresaw the disconnect of the social media age, and the intense loneliness a lot of people, especially teenagers feel. This isn't a spoiler, but the movie is about the isolation we feel in life, particularly in regards to the Internet and technology. The way People it's with each other, it's like theirs almost an extreme disinterest, People talk to either, but are they really taking to each other? People see others doing really weird things like covering their doorways in red tape, but they don't seem alarmed or interested as to why. When People do react to things strange to them, they view it with an almost childlike naive curiosity and react in a childlike way, almost like poking a cobra because they thinks it's funny. This is such a fantastic analogy of how people view things through screens, we see it, but it's not real too us, and we have no real connection to it, it's just there.

In the 2020's, it is easy to take for granted that in 2001 this was a pretty forward thinking concept, again this was made before most people were on computers or before social media even existed. It definitely predicted the disconnect created by social media, and the ever prevent loneliness of those who interct through a screen rather than through real face to face interactions. I have watched this movie 3x's, the first was 2009, and it's still extremely effective on the 3rd watch 14yrs later. If you're expecting a really scary movie, you might be disappointment, it isn't. It is a creep fest that may or may not get under your skin, but the film is belied by a deep sense of the foreboding that never leaves and you never feel safe. This film is filled with philosophical musings such as "death is eternal loneliness". It's not an optimistic film. It is bleak from beginning to end, and it never be let's up. It's extremely depressing. This is something that will stick with some people. I often think about it. The dead leaving a stain essentially, it's very unique, one thing that did carry over to the remake that was good. This is an underrated film, it predates the film version of ringu, and honestly "Kairo" is a superior film in every possible way. This is a phenomenal movie, but it is not for the impatient, and it's easy to see went so many find it boring.

I recommend this film to patient folk that enjoy slow burn films.

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

Not A lot Like Fear Street

[1 September 2023]

I seem to be one of the few who read these books. I read nearly every fear street novel ever nearly every goosebump book. I have several problems with this first movie, first of, yes it beats you over the head with the characters sexual orientation. I'm gonna tell you, this was NOT thing in the books, so right of the bat I was irritated. This is not only a central point in this movie, but the 3rd as well, when it focuses less on that and more on the actual story is pretty good, but again, it is laden down by politics and moral grandstanding.

I found the story in all 3 of these movies to be bogged down and boring in large chucks, but the best by far was part 2, that one actually b felt true to the books! This first entry doesn't actually attempt a 1990's setting. It just blasted 1990's alt rock. In 1994 flannel was big, baggy jeans, but also vests, shoulder pads, and hair was still huge. Just not as permed. Guys typically had haircuts like Ryder Strong. I often find period films of the 19980's & 1990's are like this, play some music from the time and that's it. The clothes are lazy, the language doesn't fit the era, and the way kids behaved is not realistic to that time. Lol at "My So-called Life", that's literally from 1994, they could have watched that and got a pretty good idea of how kids acted and dressed. But no they didn't.

It is fairly gory, but it lacks real character development for how long it is. Basically, you have the typically tortured lesbian plotline, and I guess that's character depth? I didn't really like any of the characters and I couldn't keep their names straight, I still don't remember the main 2 girls names and I watched all 3 movies. Probably if you're gonna just watch one, part 2 is the one to watch. It's pretty period accurate in a lot of regards, theirs real effort given to the costumes, hair, and language. The female leads in part 2 are good and both are very little because their not reduced to stereotypes and they actually behave more like real people.

I just don't have much positive to say, it's annoying and it's supposed to be good because it ignores the time it's set in and pushes an agenda instead. Sloppy execution, lazy writing. Watch if you must, but part 2 is so much better.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

Not At All Bad

[1 September 2023]

In the summer of 2021 people were still letting the government control their lives, and they're trying to do it again. Don't let them. This movie was a lot of fun and during a dark time and coming out of the mass riots of 2020 and the absolute government tyranny, this felt like a breath of fresh air. No LeBron can't act, he sucks. This movie doesn't come close to the original's satirical whackiness, but it's still a ton of fun.

I thought it was very entertaining, and I really enjoyed it a lot, the low rating is insane, it is easily a 6.0, minus Lebron's wooden acting. Wooh boy, his acting is truly awful. I'm trying to decide if it's better or worse than Shaq??? Michael Jordan actually did pretty good in the original, it helped that that movie was very much a satire and Michael was in on the joke. This movie is not playing the same angle, it's a much more straight-forward family movie and comedy then an absurd, self-aware satire, which the first one is. There is nothing wrong just being a good family movie, and that's what this is.

The toons are great though, and the story is good enough, with the son trying to come into his own and start to figure out what he wants in life. It has a good message overall, even though sometimes the son is brat and makes stupid choices, things of course Pan out in the end.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Very Good Sequel

[1 September 2023]

First of, the this can be cheesy as times, and it feels like there are a few obvious plotholes. Second, the ending was pretty daring, in a way, more shocking than the ending of the first movie. This is a series that took a lot of risks. I know the background of these films, making the first movie was a massive risk, but it was a huge cultural phenomenon. The makeup in these movies was so groundbreaking, it cannot be overstated how important these films were in advancing visual effects makeup and prosthetics. I recently watched the 2012 Planet of the Apes, and story wise, these films are superior and, in my opinion, the effects hold up better. The CGI in the 2012 version has not held up well. It's entertaining, but honestly it feels so much more surface level than these old films, it lacks the deep philosophical themes and became more of a popcorn action flick.

Charlton Heron is definitely woefully absent, he definitely boosted the first film, he is a much better actor than James Franciscus, who is kind of a Heston lookalike without the acting chops. He's just okay, more eye candy than anything. It's nice to see Nova again, and Linda Harrison does a fine job again. Most People will enjoy the eye candy, her outfit seems a bit more revealing than the first film.... All the Apes are well played again and believable.

On the whole, while I believe the way the plot progressed from the first film was slightly unbelievable and there are several big plot holes, somehow despite this, at the end, it still gels together and is entertaining. This wasn't written by Rod Sterling, and it shows, the writing is nowhere near the same level, the dialog is pretty bad, and again there are many things that don't make sense. Still, the themes of abuse of animals is there, but it is definitely on the backburner in order to push an anti-war message this time around.

The sets, makeup, costumes, everything is so well done, though many of the background cast members have masks rather than full blown prosthetics in order to save money. There is some really good makeup effects here, it's impressive what they've done. Of course theirs a deeper story here and it's not just surface level, there is a good cautionary tale here, and the pieces of the story are all there, the writers did not have the skills to pull off a great script, wonderful concept, mediocre writing, yet with all the other aspects of the film being so good, it ends up a good movie, but it cannot hope to match the quality of the first.

The Sleep Experiment (2022)

Very Entertaining

[2 August 2023]

This is more of a thriller/Suspense film than anything bit certainly could have become a horror film, but it stops short of it. I know nothing of the real experiments this is based on, but I found out it is based on real-life experiments. It seems more interested in philosophy than suspense though. There is a lot of "Why did this experience happen?" As opposed to what happened. This will certainly frustrate some viewers because the best parts certainly are showing the experiment themselves and those scenes are very tense. Rather than just getting the patients perspective we hear the experimenters perspective in retrospect. This will definitely frustrate some viewers, but I honestly don't understand the low ratings.

The writing is pretty decent, it's well-acted, filmed, and directed. Some of the editing makes it slightly jarring, but on the whole it still works. I came in with no expectations, maybe this helped? I really would have liked more insight into the patients, and a little more on specifically how each character does because we just don't get much information. However, on the whole it was well-done, despite it's flaws, is probably give it a 6.5, it could have been great, but it's still quite good.

Gardens of the Night (2008)

Very Depressing, Needs Better Characters.

[10 July 2023]

I watched this about 4yrs ago, after watching the "Sound of Freedom", it came to my mind again. This is not as good as "Sound of Freedom", it treads a lot of the same ground, and it seems to expose Child Sex Trafficking, which I commend, but it fails for a few reasons. Probably, unlike in "Sound of Freedom" where we have a central character who we can root for, which has a clear story arch, this film does not and it suffers for it. Now of course "Sound of Freedom" is based on Tim Ballard so it automatically has that going for it. Here we are given a group of miserable and horrible people with little story.

Despite the horrible events in this film, I was not crying like I was during "Sound of Freedom". I was uncomfortable and it made me very sad, but not in the same way. I didn't leave this movie grieved by what's going on in America and around the world as I should. It doesn't require manipulation to make you understand what a problem human trafficking and child trafficking is.

This movie is commendable for not shutting away from the harsh reality of this and attempting to expose it, but it does fall short despite being well-filmed decently accented, especially by Tom Arnold of all people. I wish I could recommend it more, but the last half is particularly meandering, if we had more attatching to the children in the movie the second half would be more compelling, but it just feels disjointed and disinterested. I suppose in a way that's by design because they live a transient life, just trying to get by. But having some hope in the movie would help, Peele like a dose of hope with their tragedy.

Well-filmed, well-made, but the accepted lacks the punch it should have. It is filmed rarely given the subject matter, but I'm saying it lacks the emotional punch and connection. This is why "Sound of Freedom" hits harder, it has that emotional punch and connection with the characters from the first frame. I hope we see more movies on this topic exposing the horrors, not by showing the acts, but by showing how they do it and the processes.

Child Sex Trafficking is a traffic reality that's being ignored because of those pushing the Marxist agenda.

Attack on Titan (2013–2023)

So amazing.....

[26 June 2023]

I'm in the minority here and that's fine. Interesting concept, but ridiculously drawn out and repetitive disjointed story. Horrible editing, okay animation, but honestly it really isn't that good. Nowhere near as violent as people claimed, it just isn't very graphic, it's pretty tame if you compare it to virtually any violent OVA from the 1990s. This is just not as good as I heard, the story isn't very intelligent, really fantastic concept poorly executed, and the characters are boring and cookie cutter. I was expecting much better animation from what people described, the action scenes have way too many cuts. The dubbing is especially awful, I would not watch this with dubs, it is done of the worst I've ever heard and I have watched a lot of anime and foreign films.

Overrated, but this not even close to the pinnacle of anime. If it's your thing, fine, that's totally okay The fact that this has 9 2 and the original Evangelion has 8.5 should tell you something. I guess if all your used to is Naruto and One Piece this might seem mind blowing, but it's basically a rehash of Eva without the Mechas and the deep psychological bent. It attempts to springboard off of the hyper violent legacies of series such as Bezerk and fails. If you want truly disturbing, check out Junji Ito.

It just is not what it is pumped up to be, it's mediocre at best.