lederman-michael Reviews

Lazareth (2024)

A waste of time and effort.

[4/10 · 19 May 2024]

In this movie writer Alex Tibaldi must have had M. Night Shyamalan's, "The Village", and. Coppola's, "The Beguiled" on repeat in the back of his mind.

Ashley Judd wasted her money and considerable talents on this film which never quite gets to the point of what's going on. Perhaps she thought it would be a hit since the two movies it is obviously based on did well. Or maybe she thought the very few sets needed would make for an interesting film. She was wrong.

While. Sarah Pidgeon and Katie Douglas put in excellent acting skills they were insufficient to keep this movie interesting. I hope this brings them new opportunities to have roles more worthy of their talents.

To be fair if you haven't seen either The Village or The Beguiled then you might enjoy this film for it's novelty. Otherwise stay clear.

Beef (2023– )

Listed as Comedy but no one told the writers

[2/10 · 20 June 2023]

I get that comedy is difficult and Ali Wong has surmounted that barrier many times, yet here there isn't a shred of humor to be found unless you enjoy the misery of others.

I was very disappointed in the storyline which in the hands of a better writer could have been funny. I"d suggest giving this a pass if you're looking for humor.

The cast was great as was the direction, it was simply an issue with the writers who leaned into the mental illness and greed of the characters but didn't give them an iota of grace and humor to even them out.

Netflix is churning out garbage in the hopes of attending a widely diverse subscription base but they're not seeing what they put on the service.

Homeward (II) (2020)

If you like good voice acting and don't care about animation this is a movie for you

[5/10 · 14 December 2020]

While I do think this was animated by people from the gaming industry who didn't understand it was a movie. The voice acting was great. The storyline is hackneyed and could have used a few rewrites. I think anyone under the age of eight would love it but let them watch alone so you don't have to suffer through it.

The Good Neighbor (2016)

Great Movie Showing James Caan is still A Great Actor.

[25 September 2016]

This was a great movie right up until the end where it seemed to lose itself. Parth thriller, part supernatural, mostly realistic. More a condemnation on today's youth and our justice system.

I suggest anyone looking for a movie with all the chills and thrills of a thriller along with some deeper psychological meaning this is the movie for you. Most impressive was James Caan who shows an inner strength while being either terrifyingly cruel or warm and sympathetic all at the same time.

The rest of the cast was excellent but then James Caan really was the focal point and his acting is every bit as powerful as anything hes done.

Young Ones (2014)

Outstanding

[18 September 2016]

I just watched this movie (yes a bit late to the game) and was amazed at the, well everything. It was a minimalist movie for the genre but did so much with what they had it seemed like a big budget film. The story is compelling and you actually come to feel emotions for the characters. The direction was outstanding with shots that brought you into the action while at the same time made you feel alone in the desert. Lastly the actors how this movie escaped the Academy is beyond me. Each one brought an element unique to their part of the story from Michael Shannon who was outstanding as the farmer who struggled to keep thing as sane as possible for his children and who hoped for better days with such devotion as to be palpable. To Nicholas Hoult who showed more range than any young actor has a right to. But the rest of the cast each added an element that together make this film amazing.