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Extraction (2015)
Please Don't Waste Your Time
I can't begin to say how bad this movie is.
The bunch that made this crap also made others equally as bad if not worse. They seem to have found a formula where they hire a "used -to - be - big" name for a day and market the whole picture around that name.
The same group of no-talent hacks also gave us "Marauders" and "Heist".
The flavour of the day is Bruce Willis. Before that was Robert De Niro.
The remaining cast is fulled out with nobodies who couldn't act to save their lives and yet they are working on these horrible pictures that are then sent out for the unsuspecting public to watch and in effect support.
It really pisses me off to see movies this badly made getting made and taking production money that could have been used to actually make a good movie.
Inside Out (2015)
Pixar Has Another Home Run
I loved this movie and it is definitely not a kids movie. This one is aimed at Mom & Dad. Yes it is an animated film but that is what Pixar does best, or only. The peak into the human mind and seeing each emotion and watching as memories are created and stored is stellar screen writing. The emotions of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear are given life as real characters who steer the young girl Riley, who's life we follow from birth to age 13. It takes great imagination to write a story like this and I applaud Pixar for this one. The scene where the parents are trying to deal with a very sad, angry Riley and the look at what is going on the their heads is downright hilarious. The fathers emotions should dealing with the situation at hand but instead they are all watching imaginary hockey. Bravo Pixar.
Madam Secretary (2014)
Unbelievable
I see why this was made as shows like House of Cards are huge hits and the producers of Madam Secretary wanted to jump on that bandwagon. They should have done their homework and gotten writers who actually had an idea how the White House works or (and this is especially true) how to write believable dialogue. In the second episode the character of the university age daughter is introduced and she has a situation where she feels harassed at school due to her mother's job. So, she quits school because she wants to be a "team player" as she tells her father. Really? A "team player" actually is prepared to "Take one for the team" and sucks it up and does their job and does not run away from the situation. If the writers knew what the term Team Player meant, they would know that. But maybe they are just bad writers. The staff of the Secretary of State in this particular show are all twenty-somethings with the exception of Bebe Neuwirth's character. This is an obvious nod to the hoped for young 20 - 30 demographic but is another reason this show misses the mark. In no way are people of that age prepared to be in staff positions in the White House. Twenty-somethings are running for coffee of being tour guides in the White House, not in positions that affect policy. I managed to watch two episodes but it was mostly because of the lead actor, Tea Leoni. She has played some interesting characters so I thought I would give this a try. Instead I will just change channels or turn off the TV after I watch The Good Wife.
Over Her Dead Body (2008)
Seriously Bad Movie
I watched this stinker to see how the ghost was handled. The answer is very badly. Eva Longoria is a horrible actress and brings all her wooden skills to bear in this mess of a movie. The writing was terrible as was the direction. No surprise it was the same person doing both jobs badly. Lake Bell is not able to deliver a line with any kind of real emotion and this makes it painful to watch her act. I hope she had some success as a model as that is what she should be doing, not acting. This film left me feeling that the entire crew were all getting their 1st job in the business in this movie. It surprises me that Paul Rudd agreed to be in this. He must have been paying off a bet and didn't get to read the screenplay first. I watch a lot of movies and worked in the business for years so do have a good handle on what works and what doesn't. I can't say enough about how bad this is. Do not torture yourself with this nightmare.
Houdini: Part 2 (2014)
Very Poorly Done
I was hoping this would have been better but was sadly disappointed. The facts of Houdini's life were well represented but this so called movie was just a series of events strung together with little story to bring them life. Badly written. Badly directed and with some atrocious acting thrown in here and there. The fact that Houdini died due to a blow to the stomach is well known but the director and writer felt they had to remind us of this fact at least a dozen times with horrible effects of a fist to the abdomen and the internal muscles shown getting hit in slow motion. Come on...we get it..stop hitting us over the head with this image. It recalled an Oliver Stone picture and his annoying not at all subtle approach. There was no development of the characters or anything about who they are and why they are the way they are. The Houdini story could make a good movie but not with this director or writer having anything to do with it. Run.....don't walk away from this boring mess.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Nowhere Near The Coen's Best
I was very disappointed in this movie and I really wanted to like it as I am a fan of the Coen Brother's work. The character arc never occurred and I patiently waited for it to happen, but alas, nothing. There was no real character development and the film didn't go anywhere. Davis was in the same sad, loser position at the end as in the beginning. The usual cast of offbeat characters were here with John Goodman once again in a role that lets him bring out his weird side. Oscar Issac did a fine job and can sing but the music was not too my taste. Carey Mulligan got to play an angry women and pretty well stayed that way throughout the film. I don't see a great deal of growth in what the Coen's are doing now from their start and like the older stuff better as if was more offbeat and unusual. This was just boring. The cat was the best thing about this picture and I'm a dog person.
Oblivion (2013)
Could Be Much Better
If you have ever watched a sci-fi picture in the past 30 years you will recognize most the the clichés in this nag. The canyon chase scene was directly from the Death Star in Star Wars. When was that made???? 70's? The red lights on the drones were from Hal 2001 a Space Odyssey as was the name of the craft they were in. There were enough holes in the script that you could pilot a craft through them. And lets not talk about how terribly slow this picture moved. If we had to watch another New York flashback to hit us over the head with the relationship between Jack and Julia i was going to scream. Tom Cruise is a big enough name to be able to choose his vehicles but he did not choose wisely this time. Give this a miss.
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Poorly Developed and Written
Rachel Getting Married is supposed to be a story about a girl's challenge in dealing with the fact her family is moving on with their individual lives while she has to deal with sobriety after getting out of rehab. This happens just as her sister Rachel is getting married. Hence the title. This may have been an acting tour De force for a young Anne Hathaway but unfortunately it was with a poorly cooked script that has zero character development and does nothing to make us like the characters in it. Screen writing 101 tells that you must have the characters do or show something that makes us like them so we can get behind them and cheer for them as they grow throughout the story. If you miss this very important step, you have an audience that is disconnected and does not care about the characters. If the audience does not care, why are you making the movie?
Jonathan Demme obviously had a ton of favours to repay when he cast this nag as each scene is filled to overflowing with actors, and non-actors who are delivering lines that do nothing to move the story forward. The Wedding Rehearsal Dinner scene is painful to endure as actor after actor gets up to deliver another inane monologue that is useless. Demme repaid everyone of these non-actors with a part in this film to the detriment of the movie and at the expense of the audience. He also let the scenes run waaaaaaay too long and seemed to not know when to get out of each one. This is a huge mistake and something you expect from much less experienced directors.
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
A Good Start But Getting Predictable
My wife and I were excited to watch SOA at first and the writing was good with interesting stories and insights into a lifestyle most people do not know. This in itself is a good reason to watch. The show held our interest until it started to become predictable and stopped breaking new ground. What should be a final season has been watered down to stretch into two final seasons and it really shows. There is lots of filler in every episode that would not be there if Kurt Sutter, the creator, had let it finalize in one season. Greed rears it's ugly head once again. The sign of a great story is to watch as a character grows and changes as events occur to him/her and how said character deals with these changes different from what they would have when we first met them. These characters never change. Or at least, the majority don't. Sad really, as Sutter had something here but he watered it down and lost the edge.
Freaky Deaky (2012)
Holy Crap This is Bad
I once again must ask who I must speak to to get my latest wild imaginings put on film as this is a sure sign that they will make just about any piece of garbage into a film. Elmore Leonard (RIP) has some great works out there and some of the film adaptations of his work have been fine films. Unfortunately Freaky Deaky by Charles Matthau is not to be listed among that group. Christian Slater is a fine actor and brings something great to each role he plays as well as does Crispin Glover, who is the poster boy for edgy character. The biggest mistake the producers made in this film was casting Beanne Racano in a role. She brings new meaning to the term "wooden delivery". Wow, what a stick she is. This women should never be allowed near a script again.If she didn't look like she does and had to audition for the role based on talent, well...... I could not finish watching this film.
The Way Way Back (2013)
A Breath of Fresh Air
I really liked this movie even though it was aimed at a much younger audience then yours truly. It is a nice little slice of life and coming of age picture that many early teenagers can identify with. Duncan, the 14 year old main character, has to spend his summer at a beach community with his less then supportive mom and her not so nice boyfriend. It is the boyfriends' beach house and he has been going there for years so has a large group of folks for Duncan and his mom to get approved by. The teenage b*%ch girls on the beach are just the beginning for Duncan and he very soon finds he has no friends there, including his mom who does not want to loose her chance with the boyfriend so does not stick up for Duncan in any way. Duncan soon meets and is befriended by the staff at the water park and he soon works his days there without his mothers knowledge. The water park manager is an offbeat character who is the one supportive person in Duncan's life. Duncan soon learns to stand up for himself and has a blast along the way. Stand-outs in this movie are Steve Carell in his first role as a bad guy, Allison Janney as the man-chasing, heavy-drinking neighbour and Sam Rockwell as the water park manager. Liam James as Duncan is one to watch as this young man will go far.
Django Unchained (2012)
True Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is a long movie so be prepared. It is set during the slave period of the US south and there are very graffic depictions of the physical violence used during that time. Jamie Foxx does a fine job as Django, a slave required by a bounty hunter Dr King Shultz, played by Christoph Waltz, to identify brothers that are wanted for crimes. As Django and Shultz team up the movie unfolds with much violence and use of the "N" word. It reaches a point where Dr Shultz is killed and that is where the movie ends in my mind. Shultz was by far the most interesting character in the movie and after his death, I did not care anymore. Leonardo DiCaprio overplayed his role as he can easily do as a villainous slave and plantation owner. Actors Samuel Jackson and Don Johnson both were excellent in their respective roles but Christoph Waltz was the standout in this film and as mentioned, after his death, there is no movie anymore.
The Time Machine (2002)
Truly Awful
If I had a choice to give this a zero I would. It is so badly flawed I almost don't know where to start. It appears that someone thought it would be a good idea to have the Grandson of HG Wells direct this nag. He obviously has no idea how to direct. It is as bad a job as when Stephan King directed Maximum Overdrive and did not understand screen direction. Great writer...bad director. Same here. This movie was so disjointed and had so many story ideas running through it that you had to have a road map to find your way around. The original story line was lost along the way as the plot meandered seemingly aimlessly from one inane sequence to the next. So many holes.....and the audience is without shovels.
Public Enemies (2009)
What? What Did He Just Say?
I couldn't hear a damn word they actors said in this movie. This film had the worst sound I have yet to experience. The dialogue was very muddy as if the boom mike was wrapped in cotton wool. The background ambiance was overpowering to the point of annoying and the gun shots were deafening. Micheal Mann is not my style of director and I dislike his writing. So why do you ask , did I set through this movie? Johnny Depp is why. I find him fascinating to watch and love his acting and delivery. But even Johnny couldn't bring life to this script. A decided lack of character development and to many characters overwhelmed the screen many times so it was difficult to determine who was who in some cases. I will not recommend this film.
Magic Mike (2012)
The Only Magic here was a Disappearing Story
A every poor script, bad direction and wooden acting drove this Channing Tatum vehicle right over the cliff. There is too much time spent on the males dancer scenes and no time spent on a story or character development. Yes, Tatum started as a male stripper and this is nothing but a sad grab for movie-goers wallets by showing what that world is like. Who cares? Horrible dialogue and bad camera work were the least of this pictures problems. Oh, did I mention the sound was terrible as well but the abysmal soundtrack was at concert volume. I am not interested in watching male dancers but that is not the main reason I disliked this film. After it was established that they did different routines in their acts it was unnecessary to keep showing them doing that. Unless you are a hardcore Channing Tatum fan this is not worth the time spent to watch it. Even then...think about it before you do.
Killing Them Softly (2012)
A Disappointment
I was expectantly thrilled to see another Brad Pitt movie that had him playing an edgy character once again, as I feel he is very interesting to watch in these roles. This movie did give Brad an edginess but the script and direction were not half as good as Brad can be. I found the entire movie to be very wordy and the dialogue did not move the story along fast enough to justify all the talk, talk, talk. The title refers to the distance that Jackie says he like to kill from as any closer he gets too involved. Or some such drivel. Then when he gets around to doing it, his second gun shot is from close up. What was all the talk about distance and Killing Them Softly about? I lost interest halfway through this and started to fall asleep.. Not a good sign. Any movie that puts me to sleep is not holding my attention.
I would not recommend this picture other then as a cure for insomnia.
Deadfall (2012)
Dead Director and Script
While I did feel this had a good story to tell and interesting perspective, it missed the mark. The characters were not developed enough for us to care about them. A huge mistake that many screenwriters make. Let us like or hate the characters but tell us something about them. The director or script had the characters do and say things that the character would not do or say in that particular scene. When Liza and Jay are in the pub after the roads get closed, she goes out to his truck and immediately goes into his pack to get his address from letters there. How did she know these were there or that there was a pack in the first place? No shot of the pack was shown to the audience to establish this fact. Is she clairvoyant? Then the little girl in the cabin scene with Addison when he kills the stepfather and saves the mother and kids, says something that appeared to be out of left field and once again, made no sense. This went on and on during the movie. Liza and Jay are just getting to know each other in the truck and the pub when all or a sudden he is dancing with her and falling in love. Not in real life anyway. I can understand that a guy just out of prison would want to sleep with the girl as soon as possible but next morning when he see's her about to get into the semi truck of another guy, he runs out half naked to stop her and pledges his affection. Once again, Really, makes no sense for his character. He would have pulled on his clothes and driven away happy to had had the night he had.
The set decoration was an issue as well to me. Having been a Set Decorator in movies I pay attention to this stuff. In the motel attached to the little backwoods pub there are stylish grey sheets on the bed. Are you kidding? What backwoods motel owner is going to splash out on expensive sheets for the rental rooms when cheap white will suffice. The pub also had a stage area for bands and during the day scene there was instruments on stage as if there was a band there. Really? During the day when the roads have been closed due to the storm, a band is going to be working there? No band was established or heard, and no pub owner is going to buy instruments on spec just in case someone with a musical bent just happens by. This kind of mistake just takes away from the story for me and I miss what's going on as I am now annoyed at the Director or Decorator for these glaring errors.
There was a missing scene at the end of the movie that was required to wrap thing up. The movie ended without doing this wrap up and we are left to ask what happened. Did Hanna become an FBI agent or stay in Minnesota as a County Sheriff. A final hospital scene where her father, Sheriff Becker thanks her and says she will make a great FBI Agent would go a long way to finishing things up.
All in all it was not a bad movie and not a complete waste of time but it could have been a great movie if more time was spent on development and attention to detail.
One other thing that confuses me is the listing of actors credits on IMDb. Why was Kate Mara listed waaaay down in amongst the one-line cast when she was so much more then a single line actor in this picture?
Drive (2011)
Should be Drivel
I get it that Ryan Gosling is trying to shed his past acting jobs and move into meatier roles. Anything is better then the start as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. He was outstanding in The Notebook but once again, not a film guys admit to watching, or heaven forbid, liking. So it makes sense he see him in a film like Drive where he gets to play a brooding intense character. Unfortunately what he was playing appeared to be more of a character that was not sure when to speak or what to say. The long non-dialogue scenes where a waste of time and did nothing to enhance this film other then make you wonder when it was going to end. The violence when it occurred was ala Sam Peckinpah but not anywhere as well done. This story could have moved along much faster. The title Drive mistakenly led me to believe it was about driving, or vehicles, race cars or anything like that. It was not about any of those things. It was about 1 hour and 50 minutes of drivel. To bad Ryan...try again.
Hanna (2011)
Hanna not worth the time.
First thing first...Joe Wright needs to learn what screen direction is....wholly crap but it was annoying to watch the scene with the two girls in the tent both facing the same direction and in the same position. A 1st year film student learns screen direction the first day in class...where was Wright that day? This film had such potential but did not come close to fulfilling it's objective. The acting was fine but the story, camera work and lack of plot lines lost me not far into the film. Sad really...it could have gone somewhere. Why all the spinning camera shots...it was distracting and did not add to the film in any way. Oh...and I hated the music.
Combat Hospital (2011)
Combat Hospital needs TLC
I watched the first 4 episodes of Combat Hospital and was underwhelmed with this new show. There appears to be very little character development done and only one storyline per episode. The writing is poor at best. Thanks to Canadian content laws we will see lots of this show as there does not appear to be other Canadian made shows to replace it....yet. There are some interesting characters in the show but the lead actress Michelle Borth is not lead material. She does not have what it takes to carry this show. Elias Koteas is a fine actor and does a great job of portraying Col Xavier Marks. Writer Gub Neal has done some fine writing in the past but the episodes he wrote for this show are lacking.
I would have a hard time recommending this show to anyone.
Genova (2008)
So Slow It Almost Stops
I worked with Michael Winterbottom once on The Claim and did not like his directing style but I was crew, not talent so he had no impact on my job. However, I have watched a few of his films since then, and his style did not get any better from the other side of the lens. This film was very slow paced and I did not feel drawn into the story by the story , if you get my drift. The talent did a fine job with the script but it was a lacklustre script and a boring storyline. The film was called A Summer In Genoa when it came out on rental and was rented as it had Colin Firth in it, always a fine actor and well worth watching.
I will careful check future films for Winterbottoms name and avoid them at all cost.
Tommy (1975)
Absolute Crap
Tommy, as an album from The Who, written by Pete Townsend is an great piece of work. Tommy, the movie directed by Ken Russell, is crap. The only relation between the two is the soundtrack, and even that has been ruined as the cast does the singing. Oh my God, had anyone told Oliver Reed that he couldn't sing, or Keith Moon (may they both rest in peace)? Russell has taken a series of shots and strung them together to fill time as the soundtrack runs. I know that the dressed in black, self important film students will be up in arms about these statements and artistic licence and all that but, having worked in the business for 16 years I know crap when I work on it, or see it. I have had more then one argument with DOP's and directors about artistic license. It still must work. The shots have to work and make sense once cut with the soundtrack as this is after all, a business and all business has to make money. Yes, I'm sure this film made money but only due to it's low budget and the popularity of The Who's music at the time. Lets see it made today and see if it makes a dime, or if a studio would be silly enough to back it. Not a chance. I love movies, and I love seeing great works shot in film, it is still be only medium that gives back the that richness. But sometimes you have to realize that a badly made movie is just that, badly made. Sure the musical was a hit on stage as well but what else has Pete Townsend done lately other then rehash his old stuff. We all have to make a living. Go out and buy the album (CD) of Tommy by the Who, put it on the stereo and turn it up loud. Sit back and listen to it as it was meant to be heard. This will not disappoint you. The movie on the other hand.......
Sleuth (2007)
Game, Set & Match.........Sleuth 1972
I loved the original book and the 1972 movie so I was eagerly awaiting the new Sleuth to see what Branagh would bring to the screen. From the outset, the Set Design was a miss as I can't imagine a mystery writer living in a cold, stark concrete and steel mausoleum. Writers do research, they read books, lots of books, and not all are available via the internet, no matter what techies would have you think. Andrew Wyke would have a huge library available to himself within easy reach. The only books on that set were supposedly written by Wyke himself.
The camera direction was not comfortable to watch as it was inferred we were watching things unfold through the security camera's. An interesting idea until some of camera's appeared to be tracking the subjects. Good trick, but only if the subjects are wearing tracking devises. They weren't. I have a hard time watching images that only show part of the subject as was the case at the start. It makes me pay attention to the camera and not the story. This is a trick of music video directors when they don't have much of a story to tell but still have to fill the time allotted. Branagh had a great story to tell, just not much of a script.
Micheal Caine is a fine actor but when held up to Sir Laurence Olivier's Andrew Wyke, he is left lacking. Jude Law does a fine job with the character he was given but he still didn't outdo Caines original. The entire film was not long enough to give any good character development nor was there good use of the grounds as in the 72' version.
If you have never seen the 1972 Sleuth, you may be excused for really enjoying this copy, but if you have seen the older one you will not be able to watch this without making comparisons.