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ashrielpp
Reviews
YouthMin (2018)
Had a smile the whole time
This is such a stunningly accurate movie. I couldn't stop laughing. From the Ford transit van, to the wacky antics at camp and one-liners from the cast of characters that are perfect and would lend themselves to an actual Office-like series (how is this not a thing?), I pretty much couldn't divide my attention away from this film. The "kids" or teens were cast a bit old, but they definitely grow on you and if you've grown up in a Baptist or similar church in the 90s, this will no doubt resonate with you. Some of the humor is subtle and that makes it all the more funny to me, and some of it is downright unrealistic which also lends itself to this genre (don't think about how they got cameras up in these peoples' faces). I would absolutely watch this movie again, it was a hoot, and I think there is so much more content to be explored here.
Aunty Donna's Coffee Café (2023)
One of the funniest shows I've ever seen.
So, Aunty Donna's humor doesn't always "click" or get to me. In fact, a lot of the times when it comes to hit or miss on their YouTube, it's a miss, and I kind of roll off of it. This show, however, is firing on all cylinders, and is absolutely hilarious nearly 100% of the time. These guys have really hit their stride with this show and there is just so much going on, from gags, to celebrities, injokes and callbacks (though you may not know them), to just downright absurdity that you can't help but laugh out loud. The characters of Mark, Zach, and Broden (who in real life are almost always playing themselves) work so well off of one another you find yourself almost imagining being in each of their shoes for a day, and the script and editing is just so flawless in this brief series I was in stitches. No drugs required to enjoy - not even steroids!
The Last Kingdom: Episode #5.1 (2022)
Hard to get back into
A new season's first episode should be a grand welcome and big hurrah. This felt rather unpleasant for a few reasons: despite the apparent passage of what must have been at least 6+ years, the main cast was completely physically unchanged. A little makeup can go along way, but when you take some 8-year-old actors and swap them out for 15-year-olds and do nothing with the main cast at all, it's a little jarring, especially if you're binge watching. Not only that, their personalities haven't changed, such as poor old Aldhelm not getting his time as Jorah Mormont crushing on Aethelflaed. Oh well, another episode with no character development except for Finan laughing about Uhtred getting some ass.
Well, it's still a fun show, well-acted, choreographed and shot, but the lack of exposition two-dimensionality when it comes to the characters, especially in a final season opener like this, really leaves something to be desired. You'll notice I didn't even mention the opening with Brida and her seer kid who had the random guy commit no-question emotionless suicide in the volcano pit and apparently actually cause an awesome fateful sign to go into battle - yeehaw, actual death magic and gods and stuff. Yeah, I just don't know about this one - suspend your disbelief.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
They just had to make it about The Message
Some fun effects from an amateur crew, weak acting from some seasoned (and not) actors, and unfortunate Hollywood spin make this both an entertaining yet regrettably stupid film. It's comical - and not always intentionally so - but the goofy and dumb performances can't be carried by the special effects, and neither can the story, which doesn't quite stretch the imagination enough (which tops it off with "Asian grandpa must accept granddaughter is a lesbian"). Nice imagery and neat Matrix spin, but I'll pass on watching if this kept rolling past the credits.
Rock universe, piñata universe, drawing universe exist... where everything is lifelike. Lesbian granddaughter central plot point.... Yep, 4 stars.
Jigeum uri hakgyoneun (2022)
Top tier if it didn't overstay its welcome
From acting, to visual effects, this Korean zombie apocalypse has it all: A pandemic spreading from a central location, leading to military action and a whole cast of characters you never know will live or die. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, this show could be probably 50% shorter and be a 10/10! Without a doubt, it is at least a few episodes too long. I really don't know why they thought it needed to be extended so many more episodes than it needed to be - I can only imagine how much more this stretched the budget - but I was so tired by episode 9, yet still invested, that I felt obligated to finish the show. If the story had been condensed and all the fat cut, we'd be looking at something truly extraordinary, but alas, as entertaining as this show could be at times, it seriously dragged for all the others.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Effects from 20 years ago
Yikes! As a fan of the first film, I was excited for the next iteration. Let me start by saying, I think there are a few types of people who watch this: Fans of the comics, fans of the general film franchise, and people just wanting a blockbuster action flick or something to throw on, grab a snack, veg out and turn the brain off. This appeals to only one of those, I feel.
I liked the movie fine. I also kinda hated it. As far as movies go, yeah, it's three stars. Tom Hardy and a speck of unique acting prowess can't save this movie from the abysmal effects, tired comedy, and simply astoundingly bad writing. I'd argue Woody Harrelson was an odd casting choice for Carnage, and the other acting performances were pretty hit or miss as well. I'm no acting critic, but boy, this script and directing must have been unbearably painful to film.
I guess if you want a slapstick superhero, stick to Deadpool? Maybe if the writing had been better, and the effects even 10% believable, this would score higher - as it is, I could not stop focusing on how... just... bad the film looked. The more I thought about it, the worse the movie got. I've seen better independent student project effects than what were on display here.
So, if you hate thinking, you'll love this movie!