Change Your Image
barrybush
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Wow!
I really have no idea what happened in this movie. It's a story with no beginning and no ending. It's all middle. Joaquin Phoenix gives a stellar pre-Joker PTSD performance. His ability to manage psychosis shines throughout this film. I don't recommend this movie to anyone looking for a plot or answers. This is a performative art film that is very well compared to Taxi Driver. I don't know if the protagonist is our hero or not. He is just dealing with the cards that have been dealt to him. I can't say enough about Joaquin's acting in this movie. There are very few people who could command this type of emotional character.
If you are interested in a dark story, watch this film. This is not a rom-com.
Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)
Well told story that you've heard before
The review form asked if there are spoilers in this review. There cannot be any spoilers, because you've heard the story before. It's sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll in the 1970s. You know exactly what happens. The show does not require your full attention, because it has been told before. However, you will be entertained. The acting and music are great. Every character has a story arc and you care about most of them. The emotional aspects of the storytelling keep you engaged and coming back for more. It is very well done. Just don't expect any surprises or a new take on the rise of rock band in the 70s.
The I-Land (2019)
Different, yes. Good, no
This show was captivating and entertaining enough for me to watch all 7 episodes, but it was poorly done. I thought it was one of those pandemic shows that had to be put together quickly for a very demanding population, but it's from 2019. Sets were made from scraps found at the Lost trash bin, acting was sub-par (to be nice), and the script was written by the high school drama club. I don't regret watching it, but there is much better television out there.
Frozen (2010)
Need to suspend the disbelief
There is a great idea behind this movie, but there are so many logical holes in it. You must suspend your disbelief to enjoy this movie. There are too many impossible scenarios where the writers didn't think hard enough about how to resolve some scenarios.
However, my teenage daughter loved this movie and she never sits though an entire 90 minute movie with us. So, 10 stars from the teenage girl. 5 stars from the jaded adult
Meari to majo no hana (2017)
Not Miyazaki
The animation and the story resemble the best of Studio Ghibli. Howevet, this does not even come close to the creativity or story line of the weakest Miyazaki films. This was entertaining for the kids, but not inspiring.
10th & Wolf (2006)
It's a sham
It was a mediocre movie with a good cast and lots of clichés. Plot was nice, but predictable and unoriginal. Val Kilmer and Dennis Hopper were simply there for BIG NAME billing and a waste of time. It was also funny to see Tommy Lee in a cameo. James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, and Brad Renfro were all excellent and were believable. I don't know, but I think Rocco was played by The Tony Luke, Jr. His roast pork sandwiches are fantastic.
My main problem with the movie is that it was not filmed at 10th & Wolf. I grew up in Philadelphia and it looks nothing like the scenes in the movie. Well, maybe they got a few street shots. There were too many bridges, streets too wide and too clean, and the properties were too wide to name a few examples. Even the scenes on 9th street (outside the butcher shop scenes) were not filmed on the market that I know. It was not just a mediocre movie, but it was a sham.
Manderlay (2005)
The Continuation
Before I begin, I would like to note that Lars Von Trier is one of my favorite writer/directors in the history of movies. Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, and Dogville are wonderful movies. Each one is unique in film style and the stories have a gripping downward spiral. Lars Von Trier knows how to make actors seem like people. The people in his films are not actors, but they are real people living real lives. He even made Bjork seem believable.
Now, Manderlay picks up the moment Dogville ends, with different people playing the same characters. It is also the same kind of studio set as Dogville. This time, however, Lars uses his space a little better. Bryce Dallas Howard, unfortunately, plays Grace in this film, and she seems to be reading her lines and "acting." It is difficult to remove the fact that she is the stand-in for Nicole Kidman who chose not to play this role again.
The story line is not as gripping as Von Trier's other films. I watched this movie, it held my interest, and it had some nice twists, so I gave it a *7*. But, Lars Von Trier disappointed me. I want to think about his movies afterward. I want to feel what the characters feel. I want to cry as Dancer in the Dark and Breaking the Waves warranted. Manderlay is just a good exercise in film...an exercise that has been done before.