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Reviews
Turning Red (2022)
Mediocre
According to the makers we should watch & like it because it's mostly made by women, but that's not enough to save it. Neither is the self confessed self insertion by the Director. As a long time Pixar fan I hate to say it, but this is really several steps down from the usual standard. I wasn't really invested in the story nor the characters. Also, seems to me as if the coming of age theme has been explored so many times that is not refreshing or interesting. The voice acting was fine though, and the animation is as beautiful as you would expect from Pixar. It's fine for kids & casual watching, but Pixar fans will probably not love it.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Disappointing, frustrating & quite strange
Worst in the franchise. It's all about making the annoying female sidekick front and center at the expense of Indiana Jones. I guess we are supposed to dislike the female protagonist. It's the new normal from Disney and it's getting tiresome seeing the same over and over. The casting of Waller-Bridge also seems misplaced as there's no visible talent or charm. Judging from various websites The reception was quite good, but that didn't translate to box office sales, which is to say that real people would likely be disappointed, especially long-term fans. Sad since I liked all the other installments, including crystal skull.
Dune (2021)
Absolutely brilliant, almost perfect
I am a huge fan of the books that I know very well. Quite unusual in the way that it respects the source material. Nothing is dumbed down or over explained. Just one heck of a deep, multilayered complex story, but not hard to follow. Should satisfy book fans & casual viewers alike.
The casting and acting is near perfect and the visuals are stunning.
I have one criticism, the gender swapping of The established & beloved character of Dr. Kynes. There's plenty of wonderful strong female characters, so it appears unnecessary and illogical with such a drastic change, it makes me concerned about what they might do in future installments knowing that the fans are passionate about the characters that they know so well. Other than that the movie generally respects and reflects the source material and it's one of the best sci-fi movies i've seen.
Ronja Rövardotter (2024)
Dated & falls short of the original film
I'm a big fan of Astrid Lindgren, her book & the original film. Timeless classics, this is not, however. They clearly aimed to update it for the mythical modern audience, which intern removed all the charm and realism and made a believable setting difficult to achieve in this medieval inspired fantasy. The casting is fine, except for a few strange choices & the acting is generally OK, I presume the younger audience will be entertained just fine. I was glad to see that the budget was sufficient for some great CGI. I will not recommend this if you are a fan of The book or the film because of the potential for disappointment. For casual viewing & younger viewers it's OK at best.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Highly interesting and well-made despite visibly modest resources
Adding to a long-standing conspiracy theory with fascinating new testimonies. I thought it was extremely fascinating, and The documentary uncovers much more than previously publicly known about crime & conspiracies starting with the infamous Reagan administration. The documentation may be considered at times thin by some, but I thought it was convincing and it is supported by testimonies. Some may find the conclusion unsatisfactory with too much left hanging, but I understand the limitations and so it was easy to forgive. All in all, I highly recommend this, if you are into contemporary crime and conspiracies.
Barbie (2023)
Fun but shallow, dialogue is not well written
I can't add much more than has already been sit and written about this blockbuster, it's fun and pretty much what you would expect. Turn your brain off and enjoy a fun ride, my only major criticism is some badly written dialogue that seems weirdly out of place in such a high profile movie. Specifically, I mean the overuse of the unnecessary word "literally." That really yanked me out of the smooth ride in an otherwise well produced film where everything else is top-notch and the big budget shows. Apart from my previously mentioned criticism the dialogue is as funny as should be expected in a lighthearted fun film. In conclusion, I would recommend this as it is slightly above average, especially given its cultural significance as a phenomenon.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Disappointing, Full of clichés and predictable
This movie is a huge mess, it is visually good, not amazing, the story is predictable, and the characters are boring. The audio design is over complicated so that it doesn't sound real at all which spoils immersion, take the space animal in the beginning for instance, it doesn't sound like one animal, but 50 in a choir. Then there is a woman with a tiny frame who can over power men twice his size with ease and many other "huh?" Moments that yank you out of the immersion. So many clichés, that I am stunned. All in all, I can't really recommend this, even for fans of B movies. You will just feel like you have wasted your time.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht (2020)
Beautiful and entertaining
It's great, but it is slightly annoying to see such a vast contrast between all the quality and effort that we see and then the lazy trashy music, as if it is a floating ghetto or trailer park. Almost unbearable however the show is so great that it is worth the struggle. This is all about the cast and the guests and are fascinating to watch. I love that the guests are so vastly different and presents such an array of challenges and rewards for the crew. Such an interesting blend of personalities. The production values are high, and I highly recommend this for anyone who likes reality TV. If you can stand the "music," you won't be sorry.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)
Exceeding my expectations, seemingly no woke agendas
Writing and acting is top notch and I like the LA scenery lens choice giving it a characteristic visual style that is not annoying at all because it is sprinkled throughout separating the more intimate and action sequences. Not overdoing things is kind of rare these days so it is very much a relief. There's also enough depth to the characters and all the little stories to satisfy and make it believable. All in all exceeding my expectations, especially because I never get the sense of agendas being pushed which is close to unique these days. Yes, the cast is diverse and inclusive, the woke buzz words, but that's not misplaced given the modern North American setting.
Barbarians (2020)
Good season one horrific season two
Season one was OK. Especially the costume designs and the attention to details although the plot diverges a great deal from history, which is unnecessary and a shame. So many wasted opportunities, because real history is much more exciting and engaging than making something up from scratch. Season two is all about pushing identity politics thus ditching any historical accuracy, and yes, we do need some of that in order to create a believable setting. There's a reason why we don't see helicopters and cars in fiction set 2000 years ago. Same goes for shoehorned diversity and pushing other modern agendas so that we remain tied to the reality we could all use a break from.