One of the best movies I've ever seen as long as you keep it on fast forward.
Reviews
92 Reviews
Prospect
(2018)
Would have been great at 1hr running time
26 April 2021
A fine SF movie utterly crippled by the commercial need to hit a specific run time of 1hr 40 minutes. Because at LEAST 40 minutes of the movie is redundant, dull and does nothing to get to the meat of the plot -- which is excellent. Cut it down to one hour and you've got a classic.
The Irishman
(2019)
Seven, for the good times
2 December 2019
God, this guy knows how to set up a scene, how to use the actors, how to hang on to the dialog. But what he has forgotten is how to know when to say 'cut'. Visually, its fantastic. Not about the period pieces and all that but just the camerawork, the lighting, how the actors move through the scenes. But it was too much of every scene. Each could have been cut, make it tighter, less is more. I'm not gonna get into the performances, no problems there.
It was just too much of a self-congratulatory display. Seven is fair. My advice is to watch it in chunks. Step away, have a sandwich, do the dishes.. whatever. Come back to it fresh.
It was just too much of a self-congratulatory display. Seven is fair. My advice is to watch it in chunks. Step away, have a sandwich, do the dishes.. whatever. Come back to it fresh.
Enough already...
18 May 2019
The Mule
(2018)
Not pleasant, not unpleasant
11 April 2019
If ever there was a 'meh' movie, this is it. Not good, not bad. Not great, not lousy. No outstanding acting, no dogs. Viewers learn a little bit about the drug transportation trade. We learn that old trucks can have bad starters and old people gather together in groups to dance, sing and party down. Cops have agendas, drug lords have gold shotguns and Lincoln paid a lot to feature their truck in the film.
Aside from that you will not be surprised, enlightened, cheered up, depressed or any other meaningful emotion. Its like taking a xanax in a way.
Aside from that you will not be surprised, enlightened, cheered up, depressed or any other meaningful emotion. Its like taking a xanax in a way.
Stan & Ollie
(2018)
A Study in Friendship
6 April 2019
What a pleasant film to see. Beautifully acted by Coogan and Reilly. Pick any aspect of the movie and it shines a light on show business, what performance means to the performers, what life was like in a time where greatness was taken for granted. In case nobody has noticed, there are no performers like Laurel & Hardy anymore, no Chaplins, no Harold Lloyds, no Fatty Arbuckles. Maybe its because music halls and vaudeville passed from the scene, places where comedians could refine and perfect their acts night after night, year after year. A very poignant movie of performance, loyalty, friendship and honor.
Cowboys & Aliens
(2011)
Fun idea crippled by Craig and Ford
6 April 2019
Not exactly a new concept for a movie but it was fun and done with style. Unfortunately somebody decided they needed some Hollywood names as the male leads and chose Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Craig, facially immobilized as usual, carried himself with all the style of a parking meter thru the entire movie. Ford, reaching into his bag of Acting Tricks and Tips, chose Number Two - "Scowling Faces, Grimaces and Snarls".
Gotta have box-office stars I guess but next time when you've got a fun movie try to pick two that can act.
Gotta have box-office stars I guess but next time when you've got a fun movie try to pick two that can act.
The Wife
(I) (2017)
CAUTION: Adult themes and great acting but no guns!
4 April 2019
What a refreshing movie. Quality production all the way through. Great acting in adult situations without resorting to guns, stabbings, terrorists, politics, car chases, gangland, cops or lead actresses as street hookers.
Can you handle it?
Can you handle it?
The Vanishing
(II) (2018)
Do NOT see this movie on a first date..
25 March 2019
Loneliness. Weird interactions. Death. A lot of death. Well-filmed death, in full color, with grunts and moans of pain. Anger. Lots of it. Brutality. Not something you'd share on a first date with somebody special. Unless you want to make them think you're a psycho.
Great color though!
Great color though!
The Bay
(2019– )
Dull, unintelligible and stupid
23 March 2019
Well, the title pretty much nails it for me. Its dull. And then to make the dullness even more dull, I can't understand half of what the actors are saying. Half or more. And stupid. The initial contacts between the characters call for professionalism, not stupidity. All in all, there isn't much worth watching. Even if I could understand what they were saying.
Destroyer
(2018)
One-trick pony kind of a movie
12 February 2019
Nicole Kidman as you've never seen her before!!
And thats about the entire movie right there. Yes, Kidman looks very beat up, worn out, blown out and generally lousy. Her performance matches her appearance.. blown out, worn out, tired out etc. The film manages to hang together just long enough to confuse the viewer.
I didn't like it but if you're a Nicole Kidman fan and you want to see her as you've never seen her before (or again I hope), check it out.
And thats about the entire movie right there. Yes, Kidman looks very beat up, worn out, blown out and generally lousy. Her performance matches her appearance.. blown out, worn out, tired out etc. The film manages to hang together just long enough to confuse the viewer.
I didn't like it but if you're a Nicole Kidman fan and you want to see her as you've never seen her before (or again I hope), check it out.
Project Blue Book
(2019–2020)
More fiction than fact but still fun
7 February 2019
Considering the quality of most tv programs, I cut Project a lot of slack. And I'm not looking for a documentary here, just good entertainment. This show provides that.. well acted, nice scenery/locations, some intense drama. Its a good show. Just don't reach for the tin foil...
The Favourite
(2018)
Truth - I couldn't watch it all.
28 January 2019
I tried to sit through it but somewhere around 2/3 of the way into the movie I gave up. What did it? That crazy droning soundtrack overlay in some scenes. Who dreamed that up? It was like sitting in a dentists chair getting a root canal.
As for the movie itself, it was ok. Boring but ok. I would recommend turning the sound off and simply enjoying the splendor of how the aristos spent our money.
As for the movie itself, it was ok. Boring but ok. I would recommend turning the sound off and simply enjoying the splendor of how the aristos spent our money.
Vikings
(2013–2020)
Two Ratings - 8/10 for S01~03, 3/10 for S04~05
12 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Be thankful for what we got.. seasons 1 through 3. Fascinating program. The story of Ragnar, the acting of Travis Fimmel and the extraordinary detail made the first three seasons compelling. Tostig. My god, the guy had what less than twenty lines and stole the show. And then the bottom fell out of the show. Supporting characters were tasked with carrying the show and they weren't up to it. What was an epic story morphed into an epic cluster____ of pointless events, battles and internal squabbling to the point where I don't care who wins or loses anymore. And I"m sick of Lagertha and Boneless. Oddly enough, a secondary character, King Harald, had potential. Too bad he's sidelined as semi-comedic material. Excellent actor.
But give the show credit -- remember how great the first three seasons were.
But give the show credit -- remember how great the first three seasons were.
Venom
(2018)
At first I thought it was bad...
10 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I watched a long half hour of this while nothing much happened. I didn't even care what happened it was so boring. Then it got worse. A lot worse. The symbiote/parasite whatever started talking.
I told you. It got worse. And stayed that way until the end.
I told you. It got worse. And stayed that way until the end.
King Arthur
(2004)
Hire a better writer.
26 November 2018
This movie has a great look. Great costumes. Beautiful scenery. And a very dull lead actor in Clive Owen. Very dull. Who would follow this guy into battle?
And by the way, skimp on some of the location shots and hire a better writer to do a better job on the screenplay.
And by the way, skimp on some of the location shots and hire a better writer to do a better job on the screenplay.
Outlaw King
(2018)
Sad, confusing and rushed
15 November 2018
Chris PIne walks through this movie like he'd rather be waiting for a bus in a rainstorm in Mississippi. His acting ranges from slouched and sullen to sullen and slouched. The fact the lead actor doesn't seem to care about his performance, the story, the other actors or his posture ruins what might otherwise have been a mediocre movie. The rest of the film focused on the Scots rebellion is so pointless that it makes English King Edward look like Albert Schweitzer.
The Meg
(2018)
Needs more Meg & fewer redshirts
20 September 2018
It was ok. Not enough Meg screen time. His agent needs to work on this.
And the movie is relying on redshirts getting eaten alive as plot advancement. Better re-read The Old Man and the Sea before doing the inevitable Meg 2.
And the movie is relying on redshirts getting eaten alive as plot advancement. Better re-read The Old Man and the Sea before doing the inevitable Meg 2.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
(2018)
A disappointment compared to #1
15 September 2018
Not much to say but I was disappointed in the lack of a believable storyline. BDT was worth watching as was Brolin but the story was just all over the place. Individual segments/action scenes were interesting but were obviously structured to fill in the plot gaps.
Tell Your Friends