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Reviews
Giant Little Ones (2018)
Vague at all angles
This coming of age movie follows a clumsy and fairly simplistic plot. The acting can be inconsistent at times but works overall with standout performances from the trans friend and the gay dad.
After finishing it, I can't help but think that this is supposed to be a "gay movie" but made as inoffensively as possible for heterosexual audiences. I'm not sure what else explains the intent.
There are no actual gay relationships portrayed on screen. And I don't mean graphic stuff. A bit of a head-scratcher, particularly since the central relationship conflict is never resolved. Is the other kid closeted? The filmmakers decided to completely ignore the topic after spending a lot of time wallowing in it.
Not terrible but not worth a watch.
The Big Brunch (2022)
Oof, needs work
I love Dan's work, but is he hosting (cheerleading) or judging competitors? Doing both doesn't work.
These judges are seriously struggling. It's always tough, especially for new shows, for the judges to deliver on likability and credibility. For unknown judges, negativity, random comments about their personal preference, and unhelpful feedback derail both the vibe of the show and make it clear that they are not playing to the viewer.
Everyone's obviously self producing their lines, and much is cringeworthy, but what little we see of the competitors is interesting and real. There's also strange editing with a ton of silence.
Will revise after more episodes are released.
The set does look expensive though.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Everything we needed all at once
I think this is the most accessible bonkers film I've ever seen. There is such a profound and irreverent art that anyone, even if you're not a film person, can grok at an existential level. The themes throughout drip with sincerity while staying utterly enjoyable. I am so glad someone paid for this masterwork to be made.
Dead Asleep (2021)
Tacky and incomplete telling of a unusual crime
I watch a lot of interview documentaries, and unfortunately, this one disappoints, mainly because of how little information the viewer is given throughout.
At all turns in the story, major gaps in context seem to be purposeful on the part of the filmmaker, but they don't advance any dramatic purpose. You only learn, for example, that the perpetrator (in addition to binge drinking) was also struggling with drug addiction about halfway through the runtime. There is no elaboration on what kinds of drugs, post arrest toxicology, or any other hard contextual facts. Perhaps in trying for a reasonable runtime, the editor butchered many of the structural details of the case that were no doubt somewhere in the source interviews.
In terms of justice served, it may be that the prosecutors over charged and the jury opted to role play as forensic academics in conceding a verdict. The question only obliquely raised by the film is an important one: what interest does severe punishment serve if culpability is as foggy as motive for a horrific act? No sentence will bring back the victim.
The subject matter itself is frustrating of course, since intent for this kind of killing is ultimately unknowable. But this film's garish stylistic choices, like ridiculous video effects and sound design, frustrate further.
Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022)
What happened
Standup with a laugh track? I've never seen such a sad use of fake laughter for something conventionally performed before a live crowd. I'm not sure what happened to a guy who built a career on being genuinely funny.
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star (2019)
Scrap the judges and try again
I could critique some of the production choices with elimination structure and decisions, but the showstopping issue is much more obvious:
the judges just aren't qualified.
Any top of craft competition show needs judges who work well on camera, have insightful things to say, and above all be truly impressive in their ability and accomplishments. Val and Dom simply are not. And unfortunately it kills the series.
Nailed It! (2018)
Pure joy
This show is proof that uncomplicated tv can be silly and clever. Competition can be kind while still celebrating... gaps... in talent. The personalities of Nicole and Jacques are perfectly complementary to each other, and I am elated each time a new set of episodes drops.
Hwes?
Baking Impossible (2021)
Low production values and bad judges
Poor editing choices make the pacing weird, and combined with so many competitors, none are able to shine. Half of the competitors' build and competition is omitted at random. And for their part, the three judges are way out of their depth with poorly-delivered *super* cringey lines.
Unfortunately, and especially for such an established reality genre, there nothing well made about this-even the episode thumbnails spoil the show.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
Ok boomer, superhero edition
Obnoxious line production, sketch comedy superhero costumes, obnoxiously verité camerawork, and glue on beards would hugely distract from the story, if there was one worth telling. The plot lines unfortunately are as dramatically set up as they are painfully hackneyed, predictable, and not compelling.
The overproduced action scenes are indistinguishable from a satirical Super Bowl ad. They makes you yell "come on" at your tv, but in retrospect, it's funny enough to make it a positive aspect.
It's not a bad show if you are looking for a mindless binge watch, but don't expect to relate to the main characters or their condescending older generation.
The Possession (2012)
Just didn't work
Ultimately, this didn't work. The Possession was just not scary, well-made, or novel.
And that's unfortunate since the backstory and central conceit had SO much potential.
The primary issue is that the whole film seems hellbent on emulating the style of a late 80s/early 90s drama horror. The scenes vacillate between plodding filler dialogue and loud and violent paranormal moments-violent enough to make it funny.
The plot and acting quality were dead weight but rather than living up to the genre norm, it's goofy like a Hallmark movie. The sound design honestly seemed half-finished with cheesy soaring orchestra clipped between scenes. Overall, it's a bummer that the execution screwed up a high-potential concept.
Hagazussa (2017)
Skip the pretentious reviews
This "horror" movie is a feature length mood establishing shot. There is no plot to speak of. The monotonous sound produces no gravity or seriousness.
A small number of characters are barely introduced. The vast majority of the runtime has no dialogue OR events unfolding. About 3 things happen, with some attempt at gritty gore. But compared with anything in the horror genre, nothing is novel or shocking. Overall, it's what you might expect from an art school student with a trust fund.
Planet of the Humans (2019)
Not even wrong
In engineering, you might call this narrative "not even wrong". That's because this film misunderstands relative impact, scale, and the entire past decade of renewable energy progress. And honestly a lot more.
But even most of the details in this contrarian fever dream are actually flat out wrong. Absurdly, it spends time making false claims about return on energy (comparing carbon impacts between burning fossil fuels vs different alternatives)--like the mathematical analysis of this is NOT new or controversial. These dudes are either intentionally lying or incredibly stupid. To the point of not being able to comprehend introductory wikipedia articles.
Building a better future requires continuing to do the work--like this filmmaker clearly did not.
If you're interested in this stuff, please, research on your own and learn about the solutions this film doesn't cover. In 5 minutes, you'll have learned more, and it'll actually be true.
Looking at all this together, the filmmaker's motives seem indistinguishable from those of a climate change denier. Harmful and lazy.
Everything is not equally bad. Don't be a sucker.