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Hickok (2017)
Weak portrayals abound....
While there are some decent performers here, for the most part this Western comes across as decidedly bland, scripted, and uninspired. Action and dramatic sequences are awkward, sluggish, or entirely matter of fact. Like these characters are abundantly aware they are in a movie trying to be a Western...finding it hard to pretend the cameras and microphones are not there. For this, Hickok is quickly tiresome...and seems far removed from any accuracy, folklore, historical, or other. The best westerns are gritty, this one takes the squeaky clean route as"modern" it would seem. It's simply not very well written and this is painfully apparent as it wears on. Failed attempts at generating tension make it tough to be engaged in this film. Any potential for acting is lost in a tar pit of weak dialog and scenes. The ending has to be one of the most obligatory and anticlimactic in Western film history. Forgettable enough to just skip it and pretend you watched it. Same end result.
Uncut Gems (2019)
A profoundly messy film...with rough diamond acting.
Technically speaking, 'Uncut Gems' is a rather exceptional original film about exceptionally annoying to highly stressful self induced situations thrown into a messy pile, then kicked over out of spite by friend and foe alike. I'm a fan of film productions that go against the grain and groundbreaking music/art/cinema in general. Making me pretty much this films target audience, this is not my first rodeo of broken eggs to make some sort of point omelet. Even if the point might be a bit obligatory as it is convoluted. Some of the best thought provoking films lack a token happy ending. This said, I fall a bit short of singing it's high praises, but I'm rating it a bit higher than my initial impressions simply because it deserves it. There were a few career defining performances riding along in this vehicle of depressingly applied strife gone all brands of wrong. A malfunctioning NYC themed carnival ride of a film likely to cause personal injury and/or nausea to those that regrettably climbed on board. The spa inspired new age-y chime-y synth musical score is one quaintly disquieting example, like much in this film, apparently designed to set the audience on edge, jab at them a bit as they flail and teeter, then give them a gentle shove off. With abundant illustrations of you did it to yourself, enjoy the last few seconds before the bomb drops, or when life hands you lemons, pee in the punch bowl? Not sure, but I'll try to paraphrase as this film does, we are all merely players, (we are also a bunch of pawns, psychopaths, and clowns respectively in it for a buck), and the world is a stage, (to jeer and throw bottles at each other as required). Things don't fit, they don't match, life sucks, then you die, existence is flawed and futile. Belligerent existential reality check successfully received in the shape of a movie. Got it. Already had it a while back, but appreciate the reminder. Adam Sandler is easily as good as any prior break out "serious" roles, as are the somewhat oddly assembled ensemble cast. Yet, while it certainly did make me think...something, I think. After 2 hours of various characters shouting hack philosophical variations on the theme of life being a a giant hassle amidst the failed hustle, often delivered with the finesse of an overflowing garbage can dumped on my head...my senses were admittedly relieved the yelling was finally over. Mission accomplished for the filmmakers I guess.
Burn Out (2017)
Burns out and fades away...
Burn Out burns itself out along with it's main character, a young aspiring motorcycle racer that falls in with a group of drug dealers to help his girlfriend, who is indebted to them. This well travelled plot follows along these lines rather predictably, basically finishing the sentence started above without much in the way of surprises. I noticed another review hear touting this as "the French Polar" It's not...Polar was a way better film in style, acting, and story...if you enjoyed this film to any degree, I highly recommend it. This movie is passable entertainment for bike and crime drama enthusiasts, also an extended commercial for Ipone French motor oil (which appears in almost every scene, hope they got some financial support for showing the name and logo 57 times), but not great. The most excitement is garnered through extended helmet cam shots that grow steadily more tiresome as they grow lengthy. At points so bland and predictable in story and dialogue, there seems little point to watching through to the end...which essentially fades out in a yawn most will see coming ten miles down the road.
Behind the Curve (2018)
Ends up supporting scientific "round earth theories" more than anything...
This documentary does not take long to get ridiculous, to the point it might have been better presented as a mockumentary...but only by a little. I'm not sure even Werner Herzog could make this funny or entertaining. The first thing he would have to do would be dump it's spokesman and not-girlfriend he always wanted but got rejected becasue he is clearly a clueless babbling dummy that pretends he does not still want to get with her because she is/was clearly way out of his league, politely settling into the friend zone for whatever silly support he can get. Even this brief boring "romantic side" to the story is entirely awkward to depressing. Should have been left out...
Raising astute luminous arguments such as "I can see Seattle skyline over there, but we are far away, if the earth were curved, we would not be able to see it!" You bet sailor, that has to be true! Clearly moronic, no basis in actual calculations of the mass and curvature of the earth remotely entering this goof ball's mind...just uninformed observation with zero understanding of the scale of the earth or frankly the scale of anything. Stating, "scientists just throw a bunch of math at us" Sure...they do math, calculate, and measure, down to the micrometer if possible, gather data, observe for years, toil over the figures to make them line up, or go back to the drawing board, they observe too, but do so with this wonderful idea of understanding the world rather than jumping to absurd conclusions that are easily and quickly proven false. They go to great lengths to prove, disprove, trial, error, start over, hundreds of them over hundreds of years, all independently observing, create difficult missions around the world or to space with as complex measuring devices as the era will allow, observe the sky and the other planets with all manner of technology and really math heavy stuff going on all around those observations...and have been doing so for thousands of years...But you looking over there and saying we should not see some buildings if the earth was round somehow usurps all that? The same people believe the sun is smaller than the earth because it looks sort of small and too bright to look at an really tell anyway. Dude leave the big thinking to the people with bigger (or just plain normal) intelligence. People that push these types of theories around seem much more interested in bumping Youtube subscribers up while hearing themselves talk about something they can sound informed about, living in denial becomes a pathos, sticking to your guns as tangible proof is presented to you is the stance of a weak mind seeking any attention it can get. Don't get me wrong, I love a good conspiracy, but most if not all the fun there is something being possibly valid...or even remotely plausible. Every single argument presented here is infantile and utterly clueless. They might as well be saying the sky is blue raspberry flavored during the day and licorice flavor at night....because of the colors. That is the extent of their flat earth theory. Sorry folks, like the other planets we can observe, the earth is round (actually more of an oblong shape very slightly due to the effects of inertia and gravity sorry too much math involved), nobody put props and big lights on stems and strings moving around up there to make it look that way to a flat earth. (an actual theory presented in this pile of dumbness)...might want to get over it and move on. Because beyond your equally dumb little audience, you look like an idiot. Because most people figured out when you never reach the edge...the earth is round. The fact these people can't except simple proven fact is a cry for moronic attention that never was answered. From a thinking persons perspective, this program is quite literally horrifying and vaguely nauseating, to think anyone would crusade or support this stupidity.
Malevolent (2018)
A decent start...
Malevolent manages to showcase some emergent acting chops, Florence Pugh as Angela deserves some mention, among the other leads who had moments This premise does hold some promise, to which it delivers...regrettably only in part. A group of burgeoning scam artist ghost hunters looking to cash in on removing spirits, unwittingly encounter the real thing. The least willing and unknowingly credible as a psychic participant discovers she is not so much of a faker after all. From there the plot thins a bit. Connect the dots suspense. The only problem here is there are only like...two dots. Maybe three. This seems mostly due to a stall in momentum right where it should ramp up. Sort of giving up on expanding on much in the way of developing intrigue, leaving the viewer resigned to, "ok, I guess that's it." And being right...that is it...a bit too early on. All in all it's a passable featherweight thriller, but not much more. Which the vaster audience will likely expect or at least hope for a bit more from this kind of title. Which, by the way, who came up with the cliche used up stock irrelevant title for this film? And the MaleVolent spelling...and is there a FeMaleVolent? Do Volents breed in a traditional fashion? These are all the questions I was left with on this film.
Lovely Molly (2011)
A haunting and mostly overlooked film
Lovely Molly is very jagged pill to swallow and it's also a bit of a mess. Still, this is a unique original work in several ways that make this approach seem intentional. It does not lead you along an easy to follow path, it leaves you lost in the woods, with terrifying random breadcrumbs scattered about in strange order to make you more lost. Basically there is no way out alive here, the end is nigh and the dread builds chaotically and frantically (a little too much so as to be considered earned in the plot perhaps). However, the lighting, atmosphere, sound, dreadfully whispered messages all serve to create a very creepy space indeed if you let the film take hold despite it's flaws. Gretchen Lodge is breakout fantastic here and carries the film entirely as intended. Struck me as sort of an updated Rosemary's Baby, minus infernal conception and with a more emotionally raw and overtly distraught performance. Going from somewhat fragile to corrupted, to possessed, capturing an unstable decent into madness perfectly. It's that old "is it supernatural or psychological routine" returning, with drug addiction mixed in for good measure. "He's here! He's right there!" Her now dead father was obsessed with the occult, the symbol of this obsession was apparently horses, he was also darkly obsessed with his lovely daughter Molly in a decidedly abusive, unhealthy, and terrible way. His obsession lead him presumably to a uh...spiritually bad place. He appears to call to Molly from the dark beyond, manifests himself in her mind and in the real world, drives her to do equally and exceedingly terrible things. Essentially continuing to ruin and possess her as he did in life. Is it all in her mind, does she unfortunately have more in common with dear old dad that perceived? Did that early ruination take hold, driven by madness and addiction to do equally terrible things? Is this sloppy story writing or is it crafted for effect? These are all questions presented. There are clues to a couple answers...they are just thrown all over the place, some are absent, and those that lay scattered are rather hard to follow anyway. But if you are up to the task of filling in a few blanks and overlooking the messes in the corners, it's a heck of a scary ride.
Prometheus (2012)
Oh the holes...
Although I own this film, have watched it several times and quite enjoy it overall...there are many glaring plot holes that make the film monumentally less than it could be. I understand sticking with a general theme, to satisfy fans, in the tradition of "give them what they want! Yep, get that. But...did this reboot have to have the fumbling bumbling "oh dam we got ourselves into one heck of a jam as intended and made it worse" so obligatory, blatant, and just plain silly in it's portrayal? Are we the fans of the Alien series, this dumb? This willing to overlook so much? The producers seem to think so. I suppose I am that dumb, just to see another Alien series movie, I will put aside any notion of intelligence. So, this is to be a scientific mission of discovery, privately funded. Wondrous and glorious...let's go. I presume we are leaving any actual scientists at home then? I give the chosen "experts" this amount of sway. These scientists are allowed to be goofballs...they were hired guns (so to speak, even though guns were frowned upon in the investigation of an alien race that could be entirely hostile). So on we go...doo dee doo, just walk right into the alien base and take our helmets off, they are friendly, there are no contagions to worry about or possibly infect and kill our new friends either. That would be yucky. Wee! It's fun time! They are our dear old mummy and daddums! Sure. As it goes, two members of the team get lost in this friendly genetic reunion horseshoe shaped vessel. Seems like it would be rather easy to find the way out...But, I'm dumb, I'm not an expert, so...sure. Anyway, although the team on the ship can see odd blips of alien life, they can't see the lost humans in spacesuits that have clear radio coms, life support monitors (when convenient to the plot) on the incredibly detailed map created by the scanner "pups" sent throughout (a big point was made in showing the capabilities of these scanners, really neat stuff). All the special effects dedicated to their astounding remote scanning abilities, yet they are apparently utterly, totally, useless in locating two lost humans or helping them find their way out. Massive. Glaring. Hole. Now, we have the goofball xenobiologist, who sees what any person in the known universe would see as a very likely dangerous and threatening alien serpent...as a cuddly little bunny and "she's beautiful!" He wants to snuggle up with it at first sight! I won't spoil the result as if it won't be incredibly obvious on first view what will happen. Just totally inane, and to be frank totally condescending to push this on what will largely be a fairly evolved audience in this genre. There's more, but hey, like I said, I'm a fan. I'll live through bad acting, huge plot holes, all that. Just keeping making the dam movies...I'll still go. I'm dumb like that.