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Reviews
Io, Leonardo (2019)
A few interesting moments, but an overall feeling of disappointment
First, the film is made with abundant digital effects, which for me is always a minus. There are some nice shots of nature, but these are momentary and one cannot enjoy them. The camera inevitably cuts to the next scene too quickly, as if in a rush, but the movie overall goes nowhere. Most of the film is set in a dark room where leonardo repeats certain phrases again and again. There is some suggestive male semi-nudity, and the only human relationships developed within the film are the weird and off putting relationships Leonardo has with his apprentices - young boys, who come to him prepubescent. By the end of the film, I was left with a disappointing aftertaste. It was as if my idea of Leonardo as a genius had collapsed. He was a genius, but one feels that his life was empty and wasted, and the things he lived for basically don't matter in the long run. He produced so few paintings that its almost ridiculous. I can't help but wonder what Leonardo did for 65 years, other than walk around his dark room repeating the same sentences over and over. Unfortunately, the film does not answer that question and does not inspire.
Chalard games goeng (2017)
Laugh out loud bad
I am surprised I didn't see negative reviews as the film is surprisingly bad. The storyline is like an Asian teenager's nightmare. You spend minutes of your life watching teens stressing out over multiple choice tests and filling in A B C D. This is maybe 15-20 minutes of the movie right there. Characters are one dimensional, the ending is stupid (granted I did not finish the movie but my wife told me how it ends)
There is a point at which what could have worked as a movie simply falls apart and never comes back together. It happens when Lynn flies to Australia to take an exam and the guy who welcomes her to the "test center" is a Russian with the most obvious Russian accent ever. He takes a rather prominent role from there on and its impossible to watch him without laughing. At this point the acting and the plot turn so bad that only The Room by Tommy Wasseu matches it.
Actual dialogue:
Russian Terminator: Are you OK?
Lynn: No I'm sick
Russian Terminator: Doesn't matter. You must come with me to the exam center.
Just two plot holes:
1) Lynn is a math genius who hardly speaks any English at all. How does she manage to even pass an English exam when she yells for the doors of the Australian Subway to open in Thailandese?
2) She charged 3000 baht per exam at the school which suddenly rises to 600 000 to pass the English University entrance test. That's 200 times higher.
3) Passing an entrance exam via cheating means absolutely nothing if you're going to fail University because you speak no English.
Los Enchiladas! (1999)
Basically unwatchable
I though maybe this was a case of a decent movie that didnt get the exposure it needed and never got popular. Nope... It's just badly done throughout. The acting (if it can be called that) ranges from "meh" to terrible. Really bad music. Bad dialog. Tried watching this three times and couldn't watch more than 15 minutes of it. Yes it is bad. Skip it you aren't missing anything
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
Impossible to watch low budget badly made nothing film
I'll be honest, I watched the few minutes as it opened, fastforwarded, watched a few scenes here and there. Nothing I saw merited more than 2 stars. Adam Sandler's constant cursing is not acting. The movie is obviosuly about nothing. It opens with him driving with his daughter, cursing and yelling, trying to find a parking spot. 5 minutes of my life wasted on watching him trying to park while shouting out obscenities, not funny, not interesting, no point whatsoever. It is a "talk" film where its all blah blah blah, but unlike Trip to Spain, the dialogue is badly written, boring, and redundant. Please dont compare this to a Woody Alan film. If you made a compilation of the worst scenes Woody made throughout his career it would still be 10 times better than this Netflix garbage
Dope (2015)
Great action comedy film. Original and intelligent.
I'm giving the movie a 10 to balance the ratings a little bit. Just to make a point, we had three movies to watch - "Matchstick Men", the new Mission Impossible, and Dope. All had roughly the same IMDb ratings at the time. Compared to the other two films this one is totally in another league. The acting was very good, the story is both engaging and believable. I loved the music, and the characters had me connect with them even though I'm not black. Best of all, the film is intelligent, which is rare nowadays. So many movies are just a waste of time because they keep using same old boring, empty, and useless regurgitated formula.
I wouldn't classify this as a drama, although it has elements of that. It's more of an action comedy that moves at a good pace and keeps the viewer surprised and engaged. There is always a plot twist when you don't expect it, and overall it's a fun ride that makes you think.
Little Boy (2015)
Excellent actors, story, and message.. best film of 2015?
I watched the movie without any expectations and was very pleasantly surprised from the first scene. It is beautifully shot, all of the actors are top notch, the story is really good, very believable, unpredictable, nothing like 99% of movies out there. No profanity or graphic violence, no sexual messages, just the reality of life...
It moved me back to the 1940's, and gave me a deeper understanding of American culture during that time. By the end, me and my wife were moved to tears... There were a couple of moments that were difficult or impossible to not respond to.
I thought Kingsmen may have been the best film I saw this year, but Little Boy probably beats it, although they are totally different genres. I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoys real films, and anyone who is tired of shallow Hollywood garbage. Great picture all the way through.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
A movie without any story or meaning
This movie looks obviously expensive and has some interesting special effects and choice of music but it is completely unrealistic, has absolutely no meaningful story, over the top romantic (yet you do not feel any depth to the characters, don't identify with them, and therefore feel nothing) and dragged out, especially in the second half. This movie is the film equivalent of those 99 cent novels you read on a train and throw away as soon as you're done. It's just a way to waste a few hours of your time. Why anyone would make such a film is beyond me, but then again, maybe this is the average of what Hollywood is able to offer us today.
Le huitième jour (1996)
20 out of 10
I watches this movie not expecting much. Actually I thought that it would be depressing, maybe boring, maybe both. But from the first minute it's really good and keeps it up throughout. You feel a real empathy with the characters, the acting is excellent, the story is excellent as well. I think it is more of an experience than a movie, it really feels like you have lived something unique and became a little bit more human and aware of the beauty and fragility of life by the end. As a criticism, there were a few moments when it seemed overly optimistic to the point of being a little bit unrealistic, but this did not ruin the film for me. I think it's one of the most positive movies I have ever seen, very funny and deep at the same time. I don't remember what part I started crying on, but I was laughing so hard that I ended up crying, and then I cried because it was sad... A genuine emotional reaction. i think this is my new favorite movie and i will recommend it to everyone.
The Loneliest Planet (2011)
Waste of time
The first 20 minutes, we gave this movie a chance, then I started fast forwarding.. By 50 minutes, it was clear we didn't miss anything... continue fast forwarding. Throughout the film there are maybe 3 5 minute scenes which basically ARE the movie. The rest is just people walking, eating, talking about nothing, sleeping, making out, etc. The two hour film could have been condensed into a nice 25 minute movie, but as it is, I found it incomprehensible and senseless.
Also the girl is not very attractive. It's hard to write 10 lines of text about this movie. I will just say that the scenery is nice, but gets repetitive, and basically is at times little different from just looking at still photos. I also found the film quite predictable, in terms of what might happen and even how it's filmed. Basically its rather shallow and unsatisfying, kind of like chewing gum rather than eating something real.
A Haunted House (2013)
Garbage
It starts off alright but slowly gets more and more messed up. In the end, you feel like you are wasting your precious life and giving your mind and your soul over to the devil because this is what the movie is really about. It's hard to write ten lines of text about it. All I can say is that it makes light of the paranormal and the demonic, exposing people to these things as if they are supposed to somehow be funny. The movie is not really funny, there are a few moments here and there but its not worth wasting your time on this. Actually made me lose respect for Marlon Wayans because he is a talented actor but it feels like he's selling his soul here like some sort of a cheap hooker.. Definitely not worth watching
This Is the End (2013)
Funnies movie I have seen in years
This movie kept me and my girlfriend laughing so much throughout that our throats were hurting in the end.. It was inappropriate in many parts, but somehow even the parts that were grotesque were still funny. I found the film very fresh, very real, even though it was over the top, and the religious themes were very cool and accurate, even though presented tongue in cheek.. Basically, just a really funny movie, at the same time over the top and realistic, presenting truth in a way that is disguised and not obvious, while awakening the kid inside.. I wasn't high when I watched it but still laughed non stop. It's 85% funny and then has some unexpected serious scenes