Change Your Image
joshua-cagney
Reviews
Mercy (2023)
Voight and Meyers ... how bad could it be?
Well ... pretty horrific. I kept thinking, then stating out loud, "Man - this guy won an academy award." The truth is that the story might have been pretty good with a decent script and character development. But the truth is that none of this is done. From the opening five minutes where an FBI prisoner transport is taken out by a couple of gangsters the story goes awry. One previous rater pointed out how idiotic the rooftop running scene is, but the lead actress is rather stunning, so that was perhaps one of the highlights of the film.
Lastly, as a veteran I always draw umbrage when film makers don't do any research at all. There's no such thing as a Gold Medal for Bravery - much less someone who's won three of them. AND. Any soldier - female or otherwise - who had collected the level of experiences that she apparently had would have taken a career to do so - not a captain, as they made her. AND she went to med school after all of that? This woman is my hero. Is she single?
The Pyramid (2014)
Reviews matter
I promise that from this moment forward I will pay closer attention to the reviews, and when people state clearly how bad a movie is, I'll heed their advice. I can't say that there's any redeeming quality of this picture other than the fact that it's short. For that reason, I'll give it three stars.
The fact is that the acting is poor the plot contains enough holes to serve as cheesecloth, and the special effects belong in 1985. I'm all for low budget films, but there needs to be enough plot development and storyline to be able to carry a person's interest. Certainly, horror movies should maintain enough suspense and attention to be able to survive for 80 minutes. But the fact that I could get up to go to the bathroom twice, without feeling any desire to pause the movie, tells me all I need to know.
Shot Caller (2017)
Accurate portrayal of prison life and criminogenics
I'm summarily surprised by the users who've referred to the ridiculous nature of a DWI manslaughter inmate ending up in a maximum security institution; where do we think one goes after a manslaughter conviction? It's completely accurate. We'll not dwell on how I know this, but this classification is the norm in most states.
The depiction of prison life, segregation, victimization, and corruption was perfectly accurate, though a bit dramatized. The acting was surprisingly good, in my opinion. The only thing lacking was a bit more character development. There was a lot of story to tell in a relatively short time span, so perhaps some patience is warranted.
An excellent story. Well acted and written. As someone else suggested the score could have been better and not quite as dark. But the direction had shades of Michael Mann, and it worked well. It's hard to imagine anyone being disappointed with this film. It's a sleeper.