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Tethered (2022)
Well made but the story is lacking
This movie had good acting and was interesting visually but the story had holes in it. To be frank, it seemed like a short story that became a feature length film, because there wasn't much to watch and what was there was psychological. I found myself unable to envision the space where the story took place; for example, why was his rope long enough to reach the stream, but so short that it stopped him at the forest edge too? Also, how was Hank hunting on what seemed to be private land but showed no indication that such a thing would be a problem? Though I won't spoil the ending, it made no sense to me.
Electric Shades of Grey (2001)
Should have stayed "lost"
There are myriad hippie zeitgeist films from the late '60s and early '70s that vary widely in quality and originality. This is one of the worst. The star actor has no charisma, the nonlinear storytelling is not effective, the moral commentary is trite, the scenes about racial justice seem randomly inserted, the female love interest is underdeveloped (considering the protagonist is a priest), and it's not even a road movie-- it's a driving-around movie.
Freeland (2020)
Unique premise, good movie . . . but the ending.
As a person who has gotten bored with love stories, family dramas, and hero-action films, I'm always looking for good movies that aren't any of those. And this was one. An aging hippie who has grown pot for more than thirty years is edged out of the business when the trade is legalized. The acting was good, the story was believable and interesting . . . But the ending- there basically wasn't one. It's like they didn't know what do next, so they gave up and rolled the credits.
The Thing with Two Heads (1972)
Awesome premise, but a terrible movie . . .
This being the early '70s, I kept waiting for something quirky and original to happen, but there was hardly even a story here. This premise reminded me a little bit of "Watermelon Man," where a bigot has to face his own racism, but it was like they only had the exposition, transplant, escape, and chase figured out. The rest was devoid of substance or ingenuity.
Meek's Cutoff (2010)
Lots going for it, but no narrative arc and extremely boring
I like an existential western, one that relies more on being thoughtful than on wild action, and that's why I watched this movie. I'll say this for it: it has good acting, a believable concept, and tension based on real conflict. But it also has no narrative arc and is extremely boring. I was bored at ten minutes, at a half-hour, at the midpoint, and at the end. Slow pacing and long camera shots are OK, but not when that's all there is for an hour and a half, without rising action or any notions of conflict resolution.
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)
Just plain awful
What's sad is: Karen Black and Pat Morita can do good work. They didn't here. What's also sad is: the cannibalism food product motif had already been done ten years earlier in "Motel Hell," which was weirder and much more original. And the supposedly sultry sex scenes at the end are freakin' awful. I was young in the '90s and remember this style of cinematography, and I'm glad it was only a fad. Put simply: even if you like cheesy horror movies, don't waste your time.
Willard (1971)
Front heavy and takes too long to develop
I watched this after watching Bruce Davidson in the film adaptation of "The Strawberry Statement." Davidson plays a good lovable loser or likable everyman character. In this film, that character goes horribly wrong. I felt like this movie took too long to develop into a crescendo, it took too long for the main character to shift. We have to watch this guy get abused and abused and abused . . . Then the change and resolution come quickly. I will say: the final scenes made my skin crawl.
The Pit (1981)
Low budget, very '80s, and familiar plot lines
This movie is: "The Bad Seed" meets "Humanoids from the Deep." The first three-quarters of it is about a weird kid who nobody likes and who resorts to killing the people who abuse him. During the last quarter of the movie, he basically disappears, and the story shifts to the creatures who've escaped. I watched this because one review said it should be a cult classic. I don't know about that . . . "The Pit" is not bad in a good way.
Hausu (1977)
One of the weirdest I've ever seen.
This was one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. It began like one of those 1970s after-school specials that used to come on TV (but Japanese, not American), silly and naive almost to the point of ridiculous. Then, about a third of the way, it began to depart from that and got weird in subtle ways. And it rode that slow train down the path to ultra-weird for the remaining hour. I don't know what this director was thinking, whether the movie was intentionally shot this way or if it was just low budget, or what. By the end, the cat's portrait was a blood-spewing monster, the girls' teacher had turned into a pile of bananas in a dune buggy, and the future stepmom came to be victimized by the girl who left to visit her aunt. Don't me to explain why, because I can't.
Frances Ferguson (2019)
Pretentious and dull
The makers of this movie seem to have watched Napoleon Dynamite and Juno too many times, then wrote a script, then added a narrator to it since the in-screen action told almost no story. I wanted this movie to be funny or charming or something, but it wasn't any of those things.
Finding 'Ohana (2021)
Weak at best
This movie is only like "Goonies" to the extent that some kids need to find a treasure to stop an eviction. The main difference between the two films, other than a few decades, is that "Goonies" had personality, and this film doesn't.
The Editor (2014)
Interesting film, in a way
For about the first hour, I enjoyed the kitschy bad acting and stylized way of presenting the story, but it got stale and the last half-hour took some effort to stick with it.
Population 436 (2006)
Unoriginal and predictable.
Twenty minutes into the movie I could have told you how it ended. This really wasn't a horror movie either, more of a thriller or suspense. It was dystopian combination of "Two Thousand Maniacs" meets "Children of the Corn." I don't know why I didn't think of this BEFORE I turned it on, but how good could a movie be if it's hero is a census taker?
Eaten Alive (1976)
In the running for worst movie ever
I wish I could say anything positive about this movie but I can't. I like quirky movies about the South and turned this one on for that reason, but bad acting, cheap sets, and a weak story all add up to bad. This movie is pretty pitiful, even for grind house.
The Irishman (2019)
As good as you'd expect but... the end.
The Irishman is as good as you'd think it would be, with a compelling story, good acting, interesting cinematography. But the last thirty minutes just drags unnecessarily. The movie could have ended much sooner than it does and been a better story.
Il plenilunio delle vergini (1973)
A pretty good cheesy horror movie
It's a European horror movie from the '70s and has what you'd expect it would: a fairly predictable premise that alters the standard scenario a bit, slow pacing that adds to the tension, creepy supporting characters, and some vague reason for adding sexual content. This movie is not very interesting except as an example of a period piece that is heavily stylized.
The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)
Cool in spots but inconsistent and anticlimactic
Some parts of this movie had beautiful cinematography but too much of it dragged along with mundane scenes and banter that were supposed to be exciting, I think. It is so hard to capture the energy of Beat literature and this portrayal of Neal Cassady didn't. In the end, the story just petered out and dropped off. But it wasn't a bad movie.
Silence (2016)
Good movie but too long
This movie has a unique and compelling story, strong acting, and constant tension, but it is about 30-45 minutes too long to have the anticlimactic ending that it does. Some of the torture scenes could have been cut, because the point had been made and the effect had been achieved.
Redneck Zombies (1989)
Hilariously bad!
Normally, amateurish acting, shoddy camera work, and low-quality special effects would be a bad thing, but that's WHY you would watch this movie. It's a healthy mix of gory horror film and Generation X cynical humor. It's Night of the Living Dead, if it were set in the daytime and made by twenty-somethings with no money.
Pitching Love and Catching Faith (2015)
One of the worst movies I've ever seen
My daughter turned this on and I watched it with her. Notwithstanding the inconsistent characterization, the absence of clarity and the fact that baseball had almost nothing to do with the story, the story is about as deep as a mud puddle. The acting is terrible, too.