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Next Goal Wins (2023)
Cheesy, expected, a caricature
This movie was so disappointing.
Poorly written and executed.
All plot points were expected, there was nothing original about it. The characters where stereotypes/caricatures of people - there was no depth there at all.
Everyone appeared just to provide the lead with a couple of lines of dialogue to respond to and aside from that, I didn't observe any character depth or honest relationship being built.
Dialogue was cheesy, shots were cheesy, it was directed in a way that took all the important beats out of the story, leaving us with pushed jokes, emotional moments that didn't go past surface level and revelations that felt more like a device to move the story forward.
This type of "adult coming of age" story of an underdog lifting another underdog up and finding themselves in the process has been told before in much more authentic and engaging ways.
I'm giving four stars for the American Samoan people and actors who truly had some wonderfully genuine moments in the movie. And for the traditional dances.
It's disappointing because it's inspired by true events and the overall message was meant to be positive. Perhaps the original story is inspiring but as far as this movie is conferned, it does not convince or charm.
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015)
Unoriginal story told in bad writing
For this type of movie to work, the single essential ingredient is good writing. This movie lacks that. It's simplistic, on the surface, and unoriginal in any way, shape or form.
It's such a straight forward attempt to recreate the magic of Before Sunrise/Sunset movies (in structure and content) that I would expect them to want to do better at it. There's no narrative drive here - the audience is simply "told" that these strangers spend an "unforgettable evening" and connected with each other, but in reality we see none of that actually take place.
The actors do a decent job being natural but there is no substance to this writing so the way the story moves foreard fees forced.
This feels like a student film experimenting with writing dialogue for the first time. It's an attempt to tell a story that's been told before but it fails to be original in the way it dies it, it fails to create relationships, depth and to be engaging in any way.
Tracker (2024)
Interesting premise but weak execution
Interesting premise but weak execution that makes it feel like anpretend crime show.
Classic prodecural structure that could work with better writing and casting. The dialogue is weak and stereotypical, goes against the visual vibe this show is going for.
Actions are often unjustified and unrealistic considering how "experienced" the lead character is supposed to be.
Casting and directing if actors is weak too. The lead actor is charming but doesn't convince as this character - not with dialogue or in action scenes. The rest of the cast also feels like caricatures rather than real people.
It all feels like a rehearsal of the scenes rather than the final product.
Alone Together (2022)
Very weak storytelling
Every element of this film was weak.
The dialogue is unnatural.
Actions are not justified - examples from the first 15 minutes:
1) her boyfriend TEXTS her last minute instead of calling to tell her that he won't come to the airbnb he booked for them because he's worried about his parents. How is that realistic?
2) a stranger, a man, is staying at her airbnb and she decides to argue with him in a remote area at night as he's getting beer out of his car and with her phone battery dead? I'm shocked a woman wrote this scene.
The acting, even in the simplest of moments, is unnatural (why does she have tears in her eyes AS she spots deer on the drive to the airbnb? One second she chats with the driver, next second we cut to some deer outside the window and immediately cut back to Katy Holmes with tears in her eyes)
The editing drags out every moment as if it's critical, thus, making every moment non-critical. I was looking forward to watching this but overall, the script and overall storytelling was weak.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
A compilation of unoriginal action scenes and bland characters that resemble nothing of the MI spirit.
Such an unexpected disappointment...I am a huge MI fan and admire Tom Cruise for the passion, dedication and incredible skill he brings to these movies. I don't know why so many things went wrong with this one.
The dialogue was bland, the action scenes unoriginal (****SPOILER ALERT** fighting on top of a moving train?!***) the humor was forced, the climactic moments deflated before they even begun die to the endless conversation scenes (***SPOILER ALERT** the meeting between the main chatacters and villain in the nightclub that hardly ever became a true fight***), the characters, especially the female ones, had weak story arcs - Ilsa is one of the strongest female characters we've seen but her presence in this story didn't do her justice.
Ethan Hunt could have been any generic agent on this mission - he brought none of his unique skills and wit to it.
Where did Hunt's obsession with Grace come from? Just because she's a skilled pick-pocketer he brought her on board and fought for her? This was a huge drive of the story but the character and story arc didn't justify it.
This movie lacked all the major elements that make Mission Impossible such a unique series: non-stop high stakes, strong team element, complex character dynamics, Ethan Hunt's wittiness and physical skill, innovative ways to pursue and complete an impossible mission while making all the unreal elements of it feel 100% realistic.
His "big stunt" wasn't nearly enough to save the rest of the compilation of unoriginal action scenes that this movie felt like. I'm not saying it's easy to create unique content in the 7th MI movie, but I feel like it didn't honor the previous installments.
I truly hope that Part II brings back MI's unique character and spirit.