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tomferlito
Reviews
Pandorum (2009)
Am I missing something?
Very confused by the bad reviews here. This movie is atmospheric, has a nice twist, great effects, and tells a good, original story. Considered in the landscape of 2023 dominated by boring remakes of films worse-imagined (not re-imagined), this one really stands out. Points were detracted here for sub-par dialogue and sometimes confusing etiology of plot points, but overall this movie had much more good than bad. In general I'm very confused as to why it was attacked from the start by critics. As someone who has avoided this movie since 2009 based off bad reviews, give it a shot and you will not be disappointed in fulfilling your sci-fi cravings.
How to with John Wilson (2020)
Unlike anything I've ever seen - empathy and curiosity required
The biggest compliment I can give to this show is that I have never once checked my phone during it. The storytelling is overall very intellectually funny and satisfying and fresh. The plot is always new and unexpected each episode and the range of emotions he manages to cover is truly incredible. Not just the range itself, but the speed with which he coaxes the viewer to switch emotions is genius. I've gone from laughing out loud to having a pit in my stomach as these real people describe real problems and real perspectives that I've never considered - or, contrarily, that I've lived myself and find deep connection with. In short, watch this show with the caveat that it requires an open mind, a curious soul, and an empathetic heart. If you go into it with those qualifications I guarantee you will love it as much as I do.
The Terror (2018)
2nd worst 2nd Season only after True Detective
The first season (9/10) is amazing. It's a slow burn but the character development and storyline are incredible. The way it immersed me in the historical period made it unique and intriguing even while the story built, and it kept me guessing throughout as to the outcome and what might come next.
Season 2 (2/10) on the other hand...a slow burn with no payoff and a very shallow storyline. It was all predictable and unimaginative with many parts that left me thinking to myself, "Really?" but not at all in a good way. The moral lessons were entirely too heavy-handed to the point of being unrealistic and, at times, even nauseating. Skip this season and you will not miss much, even if this continues to a third installment.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The people rating this 10 have to be trolls
I had been meaning to watch this since it came out and I finally did - I was very disappointed. Yes, there is some minor suspense in what is not shown, but the vast majority of the film is populated with mundane scenes. The main character is annoying and practically unbearable at times which further added to the hassle of sitting through to the end. There is also hardly anything to it beyond the description - you can safely skip this movie without missing anything. Maybe it was groundbreaking in its day but I have trouble believing that too. Please look elsewhere for your Halloween selection.
Dark (2017)
A beautiful story that makes you think long after it is over
Awesome show and incredibly unique. As a fan of all things metaphysics, I don't know if I've ever found a show like this before. The way it stays true to metaphysical principles and ideas results in a common metaphysical problem at times, though; namely, what's the point? I don't say that to suggest that the feeling was a flaw of the show, however, as that is the feeling I have whenever reading metaphysics texts in general, and its impressive that they were able to manifest such a strange feeling in the story (I've never seen it portrayed better). I only dock points here for how confusing it was to keep characters and names straight and I would highly recommend keeping some kind of list or taking screenshots to aid in your viewing. Otherwise it really is an excellent show with a beautiful, satisfying ending. Would highly recommend.
#Saraitda (2020)
#uneventful #unimaginative
This movie was fine, I guess, and the longer it sits with me the worse my perception of it. Typical zombie movie except with social media weirdly praised throughout (although the hashtag in the title should have deterred me from the start if we're being fair) and nauseating tropes followed unimaginatively. Maybe I am too old to feel a connection to this film (28 at the time of writing which is odd to utter the phrase "too old" before I'm even in my 30s but that's besides the point) but I expect more out of Korean films. Usually they have incredible character development and depth and tell stories that are rich and engaging on multiple levels. This was shallow and superficial and ultimately very lonely in the praised narcissism of it all. In short, you may want to consider the next streaming movie on your list instead of this one.
Edit: Just watched The Night Eats the World and had to downgrade this from 5 to 3. This movie is an exact replica but with worse writing/acting and hardly any new content considering it was made 2 years prior.
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Beauty is in the Nuance and Self-Reflection
As the film was winding down I was planning on giving a 7 or 8 out of 10. It was good, with great acting and directing and an intriguing story, but it was also a very slow burn at times. Even after seeing the ending I was left with the same feeling - good but best-movie-of-all-time good? As I let the film sit with me for a while, though, I began to see how deep it was, the beauty in the nuance and what it says about the human condition. I know that's vague for anyone trying to decide if they should watch this, but for the sake of skipping spoilers I can't say much else to that point. The movie felt real through and through, though - which can be hard to say these days about a lot of films - and keeping it in the context of being produced in the 1940s it's pretty amazing that the production quality and realism still hold true to this day. After reflecting on all of this, I was left having to change my score to 10/10. I'll be thinking about this movie for quite some time and can easily see how it changed the course of film in Hollywood. Forget that it was made in 1941 when choosing what to watch. If you want to think deeply and reflect about Charles Foster Kane and yourself, this is the film for you.
Le chalet (2017)
6 episodes packed with questions and suspense
I was skeptical upon reading the premise that this show could accomplish a solid story with all questions answered (and without the ending being obvious) in 6 short episodes. However, they really delivered on this one. While keeping the characters straight was difficult at times, not a minute of the show was wasted and after the ending I immediately wanted to retrace my steps and see for myself all the hints that were dropped along the way. Without giving anything away, although I had guessed who was behind the happenings in Valmoline by the end of Episode 3, I was still surprised at completion of the show. First, there were so many counter arguments to my guess that I could never be quite sure that I was right anyway, and second even though I had actually guessed right I was way off in the subtleties of the reveal. In short this was masterfully done and I would highly recommend. I only give a 9 instead of a 10 because of a few things that were not well explained or answered (likely that a more careful viewer would have picked up on them the first time though anyway).
Mohawk (2017)
Believe the bad reviews. For your own sake. Please.
I was skeptical of the bad audience reviews on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes with critic scores of 70 and 84% respectively at the time of writing. How could there be such a disparity? Surely the experts must know best? Upon finishing the movie, though, I honestly don't know how a "critic" could look in the mirror and say with a straight face that this movie was well done. The only merit to the film is that the plot is, in principle, unique. In execution it is cliche and heavy handed at best. Not even mentioning the historical inaccuracy, it felt more like a high school production than professionally made. The cinematography was amateurish, the acting was ridiculous for lack of a better word, characters appeared out of nowhere, and it had me checking how much time was left 15 min after pressing play (and every 5 min thereafter). My main gripe, though, were the emotions. They often made no sense, were over exaggerated, and/or were entirely contradictory. At one turn a character would express respect for human life, for example, and at the next (literally the very next moment) they would be rejoicing in that same human's death. What? I rarely ever write a poor review (the only other one I've written was following the Game of Thrones finale) but I legitimately scoffed to myself during this film and felt obligated to tell others to believe the bad reviews. For your own sake. Please.
Scream (1996)
Actually lived up to the hype
I was skeptical of this movie from the start but it seriously lived up to the hype - especially how it continues to poke fun at the horror genre to this day. It's meta in its commentary on horror tropes, and proves its criticism of the genre to be true by doing the exact opposite of what is expected. It walks the line between predictable and new, generalized and unique. I wish I had seen it in it's time but it still provides a reference for good horror even now.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Do you like dry humor?
This movie is absolutely hilarious if you enjoy dry, intellectual humor that sometimes takes a moment to sink in. The comedy is not upfront, but is often derived from the situations the characters find themselves in, or even the response of auxiliary characters to the main characters' actions (like all Wes Anderson movies). Also like all Wes Anderson movies the characters' words are blunt, but the overall meaning of the film is abstract with room for individual viewers to experience it as they will. If new to Wes Anderson films, I would recommend The Life Aquatic or Moonrise Kingdom to get acquainted with the style before The Darjeeling Limited. Points were only detracted here, in my opinion, for lack of development of certain scenes and an overall limited plot (albeit expanded by the ample opportunities for extrapolations on the part of the viewer). In short, I would highly recommend - especially for anyone who already knows they love Wes Anderson films.
Game of Thrones (2011)
The final 2 seasons disqualify the show.
That's all you need to know. They said the review was too short but there is nothing else to say really. They blew it.