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YoungNightRider
Reviews
Stranger Things: Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer (2017)
Nothing happens after massive build up!!
This season was tough. So many things to get over. The first season was a classic. No issues. He second season starts to show cracks and then has some big missteps. For me the worst part was this episode!! The build up was increasing my heart beat, I was on the edge of my seat that like 20 or 30, looked like about 50 slimey/flower creatures would come through the house causing an amazing fight....aannnddd...
Biggest let down in an action scene ever....they could have used sound effects.....nooope....they could have shown L fighting more outside. They could have shot a HUGE action scene and closed the show in a classic way (they use so many fake tropes anyway) and ... L walks through the door...and her entrance wasn't even that great. Compared to past build ups theyve done it wasn't impressive...even when she entered the dance at the end it wasn't impressed...but why get our hopes up and build our hearts up for...no fighting to happen and for one creature to fly through the window? Never been so ghosted in a TV show...
Yes episode 7 sucked, I agree with most reviewers..fore the 80s punk scene here looked very, very poorly recreated UNLIKE the general 80s vibe and culture in the rest of the show...this should have felt more punk rock, instead it felt like a 2000's punk scene. The cinematography was very off. My GF said if they pulled out a cell phone it would have seemed normal..but I really hated the episode placement of this mostly because it was placed right before the finale episodes! Pulling me right out of the action...I was finally getting over some bad parts of the show and bam...now I have to get back into it on episode 8...now 8 had less affect. Very, annoying, sad, disappointing...THEN I GET EVEN MORE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE THE BUILD UP FOR ACTION WAS WORTHLESS AND IM NOT EVEN AN ACTION MOVIE KIND OD GUY.
Also I'm all for killing off characters but Bob gave the show some much needed lightness that the first season has, because the children felt so innocent, but the second season lacked. Killing off Bob was not helpful the show needs lightness.
Lastly the script has always felt a bit off...too copy and paste..too paralelle...I already have to get over that and how the show is a mash-up of Spielberg's best...but then I have to deal with all this previously mentioned crap. Oh and the UPSIDE DOWN SUCKED IN SE02. THE UPSIDE USED TO BE SOOO VAST, instead it looks like only tunnels now.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
I tried hard to love this but I don't watch Nickelodeon anymore.
3 ⭐ Nickelod--n show. If you were to take away the Tolkien name and the special effects this would be a 3 star show. Beyond rotten, unfortunately, fermented 🍏. I've been watching television for ages, so I don't appreciate my review being looked at as a review bomb btw, lol. I tried to lower my expectations and view this as a rad 80's show, kinda like something that would sit along side Stranger Things but as a fantasy, something like, a grander Neverending Story and tame Conan The Barbarian but when episode 3 came out I realized I was fooled. This now feels more like a Nickelod--n TV special and one that has a overly complicated storyline-which I wouldn't expect from Nickelod--n. So that's it. No need for further detail. Acting is teen style acting, action is just out of place and doesn't flow, at first I liked the Hobbits until they started singing a really cheesy chant....it feels like I'm watching a Broadway show, something I've never enjoyed but some singing would actually make this more enjoyable. The show doesn't know what it is or wants to be and that, I would say, is it's massive hurdle. It might be able to pull it together if it decides. Is it a fun 80's take like Dark Crystal, is it a Nickelodeon version of Tolkien, is it Game of Thrones wanna be, or is it Peter Jackson. Who are you Rings of Power?
Old (2021)
Aging was done well. Ending was biggest let down in some time..
When I go to see a Shamalayn film I go for the surprise endings! This was a huge let down. I want classic Shamalayn. I would have given this 8 stars of I wasn't so pissed off about the lame ending.
I used to love M Knight films! I love The village, Sixth Sense, Signs, I even enjoyed The Visit, and everything in The Unbreakable series (Glass etc), also really enjoyed Devil!
I was so excited after I started this film! It didn't suck! Shamalayn did a wonderful job staying away from CGI and trying to show age naturally and it worked wonderfully. I was excited for a classic Shamalayn ending and I seriously couldn't see it ahead of time!
The acting was fine, the cheesiness/comedy that he has been introducing (after he had kids?) Is still there but not annoying enough to ruin things, so I was pumped for a classic SURPRISE ENDING!
AND POOF¡!$$$++++ INSERT emoji here________
The ending sucked. It was long, drawn out, confusing. My GF thought it was too fast. The worse part is that M Knight Shamalayn had such a perfect chance to shine and he didn't take it!! The cop! He should have had the cop and the couple dash in and crash the party! The cop! I forgot about the cop! Undercover cop! That's all I needed a huge surprise I forgot about...instead it was some washy, camera spinning, dream like ending, where I couldn't see peoples faces enough. Huge let down. When I go to see Shamalayn it's for a SURPRISE ENDING. NOT FOR GRACEFUL action shooting or portraits. I go for surprise endings. To all the weirdos who think that his surprises are over done...he's only done it in a couple films. Definitely not enough. That's what I expect. Stop trying to please those losers Shamalayn and make your old style again. Please.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Even my GF thought the old ones were better...
Why the jokes? Is this Last Jedi? Even my GF was turned off by the horrible attempt at adding comedy. I'm almost 40 she's about 30yrs. One glance at TNG or the original she could tell it was far more serious and therefore enjoyable, she said the old ones had charm. Bad comedy, or any comedy pulls you right out of the show and that's the case with Strange New Worlds.
Lastly, the first Number One was just plane distracting. The show was moving along enjoyably and I actually don't mind Reva in Kenobi but this Number One was like what most think Reva is to me, she was down right annoying, had God syndrome from minute one, always put witted SPOCK! Lol. This is intentional religious, sjw, activist, sell out, writing. Thankfully the talk w the captain and some more owning up to her horrible personality saved Number Ones character for me.
The preaching about vaccines, about WW3, flashing January 6th,was just lame. My GF even said out loud how cheesy it was and she is on the left!! Kick politics out of movies. Your throwing money down the drain.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Tried to REWATCH for the 5th time.
I've tried to rewatch this for like the fifth time. It's a solid flick I would expect so much more effort from Disney. I think a lot of the problems are Disney's fault and not JJ Abrams from what I've read. I would have loved it to be longer like JJ planned because it already moves fast as it is . What bothered me the most when we watching was the dialogue it just seems so childish and so plain and so simple as if someone made it just for children and there was so much announcing the first scene with kylo could have been so much better if there was so much less said. Saying, "kill them" all the time and announcing it out loud something they do in Kenobi as well. Just feels fake and artificial. No crazy mass murderer even thousands of years into the future would announce things so boringly, so plainly, it's like the opposite of Reva lol. We just need a middle ground to keep things just ok people!. Kylo has very little character or personality but his dialogue is the worst. If you watch lots of serial killer shows or just any shows about a murderer they're either really silent, or really loud or really weird and it's like all he says is.... "kill them". Should have said nothing. It would have been much more realistic and felt much more scary I mean this is the first time meeting Kylo right? Kylo was awesome but the dialogue made him cheap and boring instantly despite how cool he was. It's as if you take a badass villain, the roughest villain you can think of , looks awesome, does awesome things, then when he talks he's like the LEVEL OF A THIRD GRADER? CAN WE AT LEAST MAKE KYLO TALK LIKE A 14YR OLD? HIS DIALOGUE doesn't work. The old man, lor van Tikka, also ruined it for me there's nothing worse than somebody with a heavy foreign accent trying to act and just saying all the wrong things and just PUSHING you out of the film mentally and reminding you that this is just a film I mean in the first scene? It's almost as bad as the 4 characters in ROGUE ONE. It just sucks you right out. I like the actor but his voice and the things he says are just bad again the interest should have had so much less dialogue. The next scenes with Rey are like that...and they are wonderful. You watch her slowly unfold. It's amazing. That's how this first scene should have been- less talking and more destruction so we can interpret it how we want. I've seen many amazing films that have very little talking that are just kind of laying the groundwork for everything. And though I love dialogue I'm a talker myself it just does not work in this first scene and really pulls me out of the movie and really makes me kind of laugh at Kylo when I definitely feel that this could have been the opposite I could have looked at him as a total badass.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Very disappointed. Almost makes the mark but misses.
The normal scenes were about a 7/10 McGregor does ok as he's getting older himself but he's fine. The inquisitors are also ok. Kinda fun looking, very sci Fi but on the edge of cheesy and not cheesy. I'll take it about an 8/10. The scenes with Leia and her Father etc are about a 5/10. The acting is bad all around, the cinematography is on the B movie side; from the inside of the city, to the outside and its just so bright..I dunno. Just feels weird.
Dune (2021)
If it were only a TV series...
If Dune was a binge TV show I would give it 8/10.
Dune was enjoyable. I was hooked. There was no hateful activism written into the script and these days that's about all you can ask for.
Dune wavers back and forth on a high peak of its own, high quality, tipping point. Unsure of being a masterpiece or not, it's easy to lean one way or the other. It sits on the top of a pyramid. For the viewer it's a challenge to decide if this was a success more than any movie released in a long time, just watch reviews on You2ube. Most critics on You2ube give it an 8 with MUCH hesitation. Angry Joe, at first gave Dune a 7 after processing for a long time but unfortunately changed his mind to an 8. Psychology shows us he should have gone with a 7. That was his SKILLED answer!! He caved from fear and peer pressure of sorts. That's my opinion. Sorry, Joe, love ya.
When keeping a sequel in mind, after watching this, it's a safe bet to lean towards the positive. I just can't do that. A sequel almost didn't happen and these days it could be cancelled. I was annoyed constantly while watching but went home from the theater (rip) happy. Dune consisted of endless borderline flaws. I half cringed through the entire space opera. I was unsure until the end. The final scene was by far the worst part of the film and that's why I just can't give it an 8 (please rewatch this horrible final scene). The fighting scenes were not great. There are ways to make this count especially for a climax. I hate to say it because I love the idea of Dune, but lightsabers are more enjoyable and so are skilled martial artists. This was neither. It's the least that we could expect against such a slightly well executed, yet visually pretentious, masterpiece.
Dissecting the beast;
(-1*) The acting...almost convincing. It's not much better than Star Wars , which many compare this to. If you think about it this does seem like a more disturbing Star Wars film. For fresh actors over the course of the pandemic they did phenomenal work but still flaws.
(-1*) The cinematography...almost perfect. Too dim at times (to be fair probably looks great in an LED, this was a wise move). I was confused by which is what, by who is who, during battles.
(-1*) The script ... almost great but I WAS lost about what soldiers were which and I was constantly waiting for them to explain the interesting Dune universe etc.
(-2*) Respect to source material... from what I've seen on You2ube and heard over the years this does not spend a single moment explaining anything that actually makes Dune, Dune yet it's there...
(-1*) There is a scene that never happens!! You will wait and wait and wait for it and it never happens. Since this is spoiler free I won't mention. Disappointed in the end. Many other reviewers agree.
(-2*) The music/mixing. Tiitilating in the ears but overwhelming overtime. The score has the Hanson effect combined with Phillip Glass. Were more than two melodies used over three hours? Everything is mixed poorly. Honestly I'm a musician and I like Hanz Zimmer BUT I wanted to run from the theater because I was so annoyed with the music!! Not making this up!
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Loved this film.
I love courtroom dramas. My fav goes back to Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case. Had I know that's what this was I would have watched it way sooner.
I thought this was a stunning watch most because the story of the protestors was so passionate but also because the tinge of comedy or lightness from Abbey and his friend helped make legal things tolerable.
Great film. No complaints except for Sasha's accent in the beg but later on it was perfect. In a way he performed well from start to finish. I've moved around a lot and I have a strange accent too. It's confusing even for me!! Because Sasha isa comedian it's easy to get over the accent confusion quickly and it just works for his character, Abbey.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
I really enjoyed this I don't need blockbusters anymore and never really did...
George Clooney's acting was not perfect but it was good enough for this style flick. The young actress who played Iris did an equally fulfilling job and so did Felicity Jones. The script was exactly what I wanted in this style movie. The writing was solid. It was exactly what I was looking for something mysterious with a twist. I don't want to think too hard and try this out like a puzzle. If I did I wouldn't be kicking back and watching a movie on Netflix. Overall this is exactly what I was looking for in the genre. So many times I look for this type of movie and I can't quite find something that's solid. Last sci-fi movie I watched was the new Ghost In The Shell which royally sucked. The Midnight Sky has a slight indie vibe and that's really what I loved about it. It didn't take itself too seriously. It was just a solid film and this style never gets old for me. I would love to see a sequel or prequel. Nice work George!
Rogue One (2016)
Should be titled Star Wars: A study in bad acting.
This could have been the Star Wars to really lay the foundation for The Deathstar and really make the dark side believable and it almost does...but more than half of the actors are just utterly horrible. I really really really wanted to like this. I watched it again and again but the acting is just B movie level at the end of the day. It's just sad.
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Bad from the start because of bad casting.
Scarlett is solid but everyone else I mean I guess they're solid too BUT it feels fake and forced. One guy speaks Japanese, and other British accent, another British but trying to hide it...another is a stereotypical black guy (why not cast a black person as a scientist rather than a player?).
Than it gets worst. Their accents and languages just don't flow or feel natural. It's more forced than any movie I've seen in a long time. I wish it was just all Japanese actors or all British it just feels all over the place and no one feels like they belong....nothing flows dialogue wise.
But it gets even worse...they ruin the famous intro scene. It's completely different. In APany trailer reviews we saw direct scene from the original so that made fans excited..BUT WITH THE MOST FAMOUS SCENE THEY REWRITE IT ENTIRELY and it's just not as strong. Adding the shoot out action doesn't match the intense sniper scene of the originals opening scene.
Then gets even worse and we're still talking about casting...Majors sidekick doesn't have cybernetic enhancements like in the original. Hahahah. There are special effects literally everywhere..but her sidekick who barley talks (unlike in the originals) doesn't even have his eye enhancements.
That's all I need to know. You could write a magazine about how horrible this is. I was really hoping this would be BETTER than the original but it's much much worse.
Go watch the Blade Runner remake. That's an 8 star movie!!!
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Enjoyable yet major flaws!! (I have an antidote!)
I enjoyed ST Discovery at FIRST. Then I got sucked into The Walking Dead and other shows and never went back. I'm here, writing my this, because of all The Super Bowl ads. Here it goes;
1. Well first off I wasn't completely sold on the lead actor. She is convincing but sometimes wayyyy too over the top and I mean come on...this is Star Trek. It's not a space drama. There isn't a lot of super emotional acting. I always noticed this about Star Trek. It's why people like it. I wasn't blown away by Jean Luc either but he also didn't annoy me. He did his job and was able to propel the storyline with some toughness. Star Trek always had a lighter side, in a way, it was easy to watch like a comedy. Her acting her is just too much. It's above average but it's not Star Trek acting.
2. The storyline was solid at first but I started to get lost as the show went on. Rewinding constantly annoyed me and if I'm correct, there were very few recaps at the beginning of each episode. This could just be a symptom ofy losing interest but I tried extra hard to follow the story than just gave up and tried to push through even though I was lost because it was too much work to go back. This lead to my loss of interest.
3. It's really a 7.5 that's really what this show feels like. It's on par with the Dr. Who w Matt Smith which is awesome but so confusing sometimes I can't give it any higher of a rating. So STD is solid but there has to be some adjustments. Why? This is Star Trek that's why. One of the best sci-fi shows of all time and the creators first job is to respect that. The bar is higher now than in the past. The Mandalorian proved that it's possible to keep the bar high even though times are changing and that there are no modern excuses.
That being said I have a bad taste in my mouth when I watch ST Discovery. Many of my friends and family hate it and I can easily see why...this really isn't a Star Trek show. There is too much drama and the writing is always about an evil villain. People loved TNG because it was about a TEAM WORKING TOGETHER. That can't be emphasized enough. The enemy was rarely a supervillain and the plot had a sense of a slow indie movie more than that of a Marvel Comics movie!! Get it!! Not everything should be like the annoying MCU!! God help us!!! Star Strek and Star Wars are NOT MARVEL!! Anyway, my antidote is as follows. All that producers of Star Trek need to do is make Star Trek DARKER. That's it. They always make it kinda too happy and make the new characters too nice. When I mean DARKER, I mean more suspenseful a la Hitchcock. Seriously. All the great Star Treks had a Hitchockian edge. The originals came out closer to that era after all! To support my point I must say I noticed ally Star Trek loving friends that can't stand Discovery also seem to love Breaking Bad for example. Breaking Bad is not a Marvel movie. Get it? The great Treks are more like Breaking Bad or a Hitchcock movie than they are ike Marvel. Hitchcock with aliens on a spaceship. That's the solution.
Moonbase 8 (2020)
Would like to see a black comedian added to the cast or main storyline.
So many comedies are raunchy but Moonbase 8 is right up there with The Office and Sienfeld. Is Moonbase 8 that good? Of course not but it's above average and I would recommend it to friends and family. I hope that new seasons are released so we can watch M8 for years to come.
I enjoyed each of the three comedians. The trio of comedy blended together gives it some unique and consistent qualities. It's more funny and has a more flexible story than; Space Force, Avenue 12, and The Orville even though they are solid shows. For example, Space Force had some nice supportive comedians but they didn't do anything funny in their roles. Moonbase 8 delivers.
I wish I could give it one more star but I really can't because I feel like it needs at least one or two more supporting roles and/or another comedian. I would love to see a black comedian for many reasons. I think that diversifying the cast will make it more fun and to add to possibly expand upon the styles of comedy making it more complex and may be more progressive in it's approach. Now I will say they bring in a new character or two almost every episode and that's what gets it by.