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Reviews
Ex Machina (2014)
Very well done.
The movie.. with its mysterious content at the start, grabs viewer quite suddenly, as it does the main character Caleb. Which is very nice, as it delivers a sort of similar experience to the viewer.
Not that much time is wasted at any point, it feels like it couldve been an hour longer and still not a dull movie by far. In my mind they even couldve well done with a sequel of epic proportions as u will see at the end..
The tempo is good, and even when ur mind or fellow movie watcher cant shut up to try and predict where this is going after 20min, it doesnt go where u think. Which is what a great movie should be like.. nice to watch, gets the viewer involved and excited, and then delivers a good ending with quite some questions (to ask ourselves..) along the way.
It gets a 9 for sure, the acting was great, the scenes were great, the emotions stirred up great, .. its actually a 10 ...but for me it loses a point because I felt they needed more time (..extra 30min..?) to really land the full experience.
Connections (1978)
Waw. A+++
Ok, next to 'The ascent of man', clearly one of the best documentaries on the evolution of mankind out there, if not the best actually. Haven't watched part 2 and 3 yet, but I will.
James Burke's way of presenting, with his bottomless dry British humor at display at full range, is just a joy to learn from. I love how his producer gave him free-play to make something of it, which is just.. fantastic. The vibe, the pace, the jabs at modern society, the questions he asks the individuals watching,... just a superb combination of everything historic, incredibly insightful, yea.. Ill most probably just watch it again when Im done with series 3.
Scarface (1983)
After rewatching...
Its been since my late teenage years that I've watched this, and remember I wasn't impressed back then.
But then I got hit in the face the other day by 'good movie listings', and Scarface was on every single one of them.
Thought I had missed important plot-points or so, sat down and re-watched it awaiting a revelation.
Alas, no. This movie can not be even close to the score it gets here. Straight out of the gates it goes from mediocre to cringe-worthy-tacky back to mediocre and back.
And they had 2hours and 50min to make something out of it. It feels like they tore up a book, burned half of it, threw in pages from a different book, glued it back together in the wrong order and threw Pacino in there.
Bad acting, bad plot, bad directing, bad ..just about everything, and yes , even for 80's standards. The soundtrack, the total lack of .. cinematography.. it feels like a junior college student made this with a budget of about 10grand.
I was going to give it a 5, but it was just so bad, .. that the way people 'proudly' wear t-shirts of it, or have framed posters of it in their living room as a sort of shrine, just devalued it more.
It can not be on the same list as 'Godfather', no.
Napoleon (2023)
It's a movie
To start this review, I KNOW its a movie, and meant for the purpose of entertainment only. Which is why Ive scored it a 6.
But since it is a movie about Napoleon, who most certainly wasnt a fictional character, with plenty of records about his life and battles.. this was a 4 at best.
I understand why French people were not too pleased, as the Napoleonic wars where mainly set off by Great Britain (then the most prosperous nation on earth) which was funding armies around Europe to go and attack France for them (rings a bell in modern day wars ..) in exchange for trade options. GB had much money to spend those days, and chose to invest it in keeping France from being a competitor on the international trade field (by building updated harbors and fleets) by bringing war to their borders. So to see the movie was made by the very nation who actually made the wars happen, makes it feel like a rewrite of history. Which... sits... sourly on certain stomachs which love facts about wars and history.
But we should be used to countries making wars also making heroic movies about them by now.. (..omg the perils of all those poor Us marines in afganistan fighting for 'freedom' and being ambushed by savages hu.. and then they literally left afganistan in ruins with no economy or balance or schools, let the taliban just take over and now most children there are fed by just medicating them to sleep with tranquilizers.. wheres that heroic movie Usa.. ?)
So yea.. take some salt with you to the cinema and enjoy the action scenes, but do not think it is based on historic facts. Napoleon mightve been a better 'solution' to Europe back then than what followed towards the mid-late 19th century.. but his idealism (promoting personal wealth and the rights to own land for the common folk, subtracting power from the church, and vastly upgraded education programs, which was ofcourse not something GB ever wanted its own population to demand.. ) got the better of him. (great BBC Docu about Napoleon btw..)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
A solid six. (2points wasted)
This.. movie had potential to live up to all any Indiana Jones fan wouldve expected actually. But just.. the effects like the car-chase and all are done so badly they are almost laughable, early 1960s sort of scenes, such such bad editing, bad camera angles on action shots... it really broke up and cheapened the movie up to a disturbing degree for me.
I'm not expecting grade-A CGI shots... but cmon..
Its almost like the first hour of the movie is good and then they ran out of patience.
So thats one point lost.
The second point lost is the sheer and utter bad acting from Phoebe, which when u start noticing how bad she is... (not to mention Teddy..) ..a voice starts screaming in my head 'why on earth was she cast for this!'. She has no charisma with just as much acting talent as any average human being... there is zero chemistry between the two main roles. Why did they not cast a better lead for her role is beyond me... what a waste of a budget there.
I was so pleased to see the one true female side-kick, Marion, even if just for a few seconds.
Which is a shame because the story was actually better than the previous attempt, and brings back a lot more lost ark vibes and easy viewing. The momentum is fine. The script is fine. All the worldly adventures fine. Classic villains. All fall in line with the original Indiana stuff.. couldve been an 8.
Alas.
Still (2023)
Thanks
Well what can one say about such a courageous movie, in which his every touch is his own.
I learned so much about him in general.. his career he really deserved every bit of it.
He always felt like a super descent guy, watching all his movies growing up as a kid. A very feel-good kinda actor.
Someone who's ego rarely seemed to get in front of him.
Further my grandfather died of Parkingson.. well, he met his end because of it. It goes so quick suddenly, and clings on to a person and thats it. The movements.. the facial expressions.. the kindness all so frozen up.. touches base quite hard.
Its so lovely he is fighting and still joking about, being true to himself. Genuine.
To me personally, a very touching film.
Please watch. As I know his main idea was spreading awareness and helping
It must take massive will-power to keep going, ..one thing i know the disease cant do is kill that spark deep inside to tell a joke , and to enjoy seeing people smile.
One of the most sad moments, last moments I can remember of my grandpa is him wanting to tell a joke around the xmas dinner table.. and not being able to really finish it.
And even when we laughed at what we knew was supposed to be a joke, he knew it wasnt funny, that the punchline was missing, the look in his eyes was heartbreaking..
Corner Office (2022)
In its own little room
This gave me a bit of an Office Space vibe, and a bit of a Wes Anderson narration-type vibe perhaps.
A 6 is too low a rating, perhaps 8 is slightly too much, so lets say 7.6.
A nice way to spend a rainy day for sure, its nothing masterclass though also not lacking anything.
Being able to figure out some things as the movie progresses helps, having worked such jobs perhaps helps.
Ive read people assume it involved autism and were somewhat annoyed when it didn't project those one or two types of autism they are mildly familiar with. Autism has many faces, many traps, and many ways of camouflaging itself, just to name three.
Its such a modern form of laziness to think every autistic person will either like trains or math and gets hysterical when a routine is changed.
Short attention spans these days lead to very compact nuggets of information advertised as oceans of knowledge, which will very likely be a problem for this current swipe-generation onward as children with adult bodies keep having more children. But I digress..
To me there were parts which reminded me of autism, sure, not to spoil anything, I would have reached a different analysis.
It feels more like an etch of how so many people must feel these days.
It speaks to all those who get gripped by the main character. Enjoy the movie.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
hmmmmm
Well... straight out of the gate it missed a huge opportunity to set a better movie.
And that is giving a better look as how people survived judgement day. It wouldve been so much easier and prettier to pick up where they left off in T3. And then they still had the chance to skip a few ten odd years.
The movie starts and takes you straight into the midst of the action, which is not bad, but the execution of it (as complex as it seems) is shallow.
This already put people in a state of 'dont really care'.
In the first half hour they cram in too much useless info, the actors look shiny and healthy flowing hair (really? Post-nuclear war..? Where do they get the conditioner). HOW did they survive a nuclear wasteland, besides being relentlessly chased by machines.. was for me a crucial place to start.
Then just the range of errors, details which shouldve been pointed out on the set. An hour into the movie one finds him or herself still trying to come to grips with what the h-ll is going on.... for example... they make a campfire in the middle of heatseeking-madmax territory, and cuddle and relax...? Nope.
They really seem to have cheapened out on acting-roles that really mattered.. which is a shame. That together with all the 'what?'s one exclaims during the movie..
The only reason this gets a 6 is because an action movie, at best. In the line of terminator movie T1, T2, T3.. is just doesnt work.
The Good Place (2016)
Its.... mediocre
The concept of The good place seemed fair enough to write a series on.. but like sooo many overly financed series out there they shouldve bundled all their good ideas into 2 seasons and end it.
This above says nothing about how cringe-worthy most of the acting is from all the leads. Many times I felt Ted Danson and 'Shawn' were the only two really holding up their roles and driving some sense into the serie. Ted really being the only reason I kept watching perhaps, and even his script was verging on being too cheesy.
For all the other 4 lead characters most episodes are copy-paste when it comes to output and energy, to the point where they all get very uninteresting.
I have been watching it purely because its light enough to have some dinner to, and it hasnt made me skip an episode out of frustration. It was a toss between a 5 stars or 6 stars. Just because of the ethics they 'try' to involve in the series and its not all without thought.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Where to begin
In Bruges was a lot, a lot , a lot , a lot better. Its not the same movie, and I shouldnt expect anything like it to be the same movie, but blssdy hell.. if you can get passed the first 30min of Banshees you are well on your way to seeing the entire thing, out of pure endurance, to in the end just curse out loud you didnt stop before the 30min mark.
Where did they ever think this was good. And subtle is good for me, but not even that. It was just.... the two actors seemed to align in In Bruges , but here... felt like it was directed by the wrong person maybe. Just did not create anything inside with what my eyes and ears could pick up.
Better Off Ted (2009)
Good. Very good.
I remember stumbling upon this, and putting on an episode with an 'ah what the heck' vibe, and ending the first episode with 'ok lets watch them all'.
Its a nice humorous mirror they hold up to the commerce above us, all the makers of the things we like and buy. The cast is very adapt and keeps every episode feeling fresh and lively.
One thinks it will get a tad boring after a few, but they somehow keep things interesting with innovations and a fair amount of pace. There are sort of in-depth visions on life, either to ignore or take to heart, though narrated from only one side, it doesnt feel like a one-person view at all.
All quite cleverly done.
Futurama (1999)
Ah Futurama..
What can I say about this show... It truly helped shaped part of me as a then 17 year old, which was back then .. a bit of a mind-blast of comedy with all that real-world darkness somehow sewn through it all, in the future, in a world which somehow made gone with all the mistakes of Earth's past, yet somehow gloried them and often made them slighlty worse.
The characters are just tops. There are many animation series out there, about ten of them I like a lot, but none will ever be as grand as Futurama, to me the very soul of animations of its kind, and many till this day 'use' or 'borrow' small parts of it due to its timelessness.
It is one of the few series I rewatch at least once every two years, and chuckle all the way at how smart it is.. how accurate it still is.. how it brings joy to a rainy day just like two decades ago.
The movies of course much advised to watch too.
Party Down (2009)
Great to watch.
Really nothing bad to say about this series. Every episode, though usually fixed at a certain house or garden, keeps throwing up original events.
Especially for those who have worked these sort of jobs while waiting for other things to work out for you, its double the fun.
The entire cast is up for it, nobody seems to be wrong for his or her roll. The script flies off the tongues and into your ears, up to your brain and a general smile is to be had while watching.
New season starting soon and I can not wait to see what they will be up to.
Barely a moment is usually wasted to present a full pallet of all things comedy.
The Orville (2017)
Watchable.. just not what I expected.
Now before I say anything, I have to say I wanted to rate this an 8.
But how the episodes progressed was not a hit to me.
I feel the series starts off with a lot more wit and energy than it had towards the last episodes, which I watched with ... some disappointment.
I am not expecting Seth to make 'only' Family guy/American dad type comedy material at all, this couldve been a full-on scifi drama for all I cared, but its almost like the script fails to turn it on towards the end.
I understand he wanted to make it progressively less of a 'comedy', but then I realized the bits of comedy were for me all which were keeping the series on its feet.
The actors/actresses come across, in my view, a bit generic.. it doesnt feel like any of them can convince me they are the roll they have been appointed.. lacking depth in writing perhaps..? Not well directed perhaps.. I cant help but getting a bit of a clumsy vibe.
There were episodes I really enjoyed, but they got less and less frequent as it progressed. I kept thinking, 'oh that was just a dip next one is going to be better', but I couldnt help but losing interest, regardless of my respect for Seth's work.
Maybe he darted for too serious too fast not knowing his cast was unable to carry the load..
Resident Alien (2021)
Very easy to watch.
Knowing it was 'based' on a comic book, I was going in with so-so hopes for this being a series to watch till the end.
But, they took a nice route. Didnt fill it to the brim with gorgeous actresses to fill the void of those not into a story in a quiet town of regular folks, and they pulled it off with a few quirky maneuvers.
I wasn't stunned by any of the personas, but all together they seem to make for a very watchable series, with adequate morals tied to loose ends.
Having enjoyed 'Con man', this was right up Tudyk's alley. His wit lies natural in his roll in Resident Alien and the scifi on the side makes for some surprising events and twists.
Silicon Valley (2014)
Stunning.
Silicon Valley is so stupidly well done.. I had no choice but to rate it as high.
With the 'King of the hill' writers at the helm, I had a hunch it would be worth watching, but I had no idea I was going to be in awe by good this was to watch.
All the characters, all the scenes, all the observations made in society and projected into the series, the inside look into the world of tech and all its faces, all the b2b-talk, the way they make you love and despise some characters at the same time, so much of it is just sublime.
A Mike Judge-style cynical comedy with just so many applicable real-life events, at its best. One does not want it to end... but sadly all good songs must.
Barry (2018)
Thoroughly entertaining.
With Bill Hader going all out in this series, one does not need to think twice if its worth a watch.
The series flashes with its momentum, leaving viewers wanting more during dips or cliffhanger episode endings.
With 5 main actors they pull off a sort of .. action/drama, with some form of comedy at the bottom of all of it as a hard base. From dark and cynical to loose giggles.
Def in the top 5 series Ive been able to watch last years with an entire range of sensations.
A tiny bit of Barry's persona gets a bit predictable at a certain point but they shift the story-line in time.
Well cast, well performed, tense at times and quite blissful during others.
For those not convinced, go on and take a gamble.
Avenue 5 (2020)
Well-made scifi comedy.
Having watched every episode so far I can not say there is a moment where I was doubting the series. It cleverly holds its momentum throughout the episodes, with small good roles on the side supporting the main crew of actors.
All the main roles are filled by a fitting actor/actress and the writers did a great job keeping the story rolling from comedy to slight drama to good overall adventure.
Even some rolls which at first feel out of place quickly redeem themselves an episode later or so.
I'd say its a very balanced series, a sure shot if you like the first episode, with no lack of originality to its script, with a good budget to make it all work as a modern scifi-comedy.
Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (2020)
Horrible casting.
First episodes start off ok... but, that all goes down the drain quite swiftly when you notice how bad all the female actresses are. Bad at comedy every single one of them. Which is a shame as there are plenty who couldve pulled these rolls.
The lesbian scenes are cringe-worthy like badly rehearsed disney for teens. The only episodes which were of some value start to finish were the backstories on CW and the couple who rented the building before MQ-team.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Its always sunny, thinking this would be at least entertaining... its a quite big no for me. How some give it a 9... or how its overall score is 7.8... beyond me.
Poppy Lee is barely watchable. Iam Grimm is just .. a husk proving he's a one dimension actor only capable of 'Mac'. Well the list of bad acting is too long really. The only two who fill their role are Brad and CW, yet they are usually left with no support to turn a scene into silver, let alone gold.
But mainly, this was just horribly cast and waver thin dialogues mostly. The story idea couldve reached, there was clearly enough budget, if 90% of the actors werent so g_ddamn incompetent.
This was perhaps a failed attempt to venture where the Silicon valley serie had gone and wildly succeeded in every facet, and where Mythic quest fell flat on its face, yet 3 seasons in somehow...?