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jasonmbaumgartner
Reviews
Spaceman (2024)
A movie with a lot to offer when approached the right way
This isn't a typical Sandler movie. Adam Sandler shows that he's capable of much more depth outside of strictly comedy -- and it is great seeing Sandler stretch his acting chops to cover this genre.
Usually IMDB scores fall within 1 rating point of what I would rate the movie, but for this movie, the IMDB score is actually a lot lower than I would give it. It isn't a perfect movie and has its issues, but I would give it a solid 7.5 (rounding to 8).
This genre (scifi drama) is an interesting choice for Sandler. It challenges his ability to approach a dramatic role within the sci-fi realm. Sandler meets this challenge and creates a movie with a solid atmosphere -- one of loneliness, isolation, sadness, despair, etc.
Without giving away too much, I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the sci-fi genre. One of the minor flaws for this movie is the pacing. Sometimes is lags a bit, but when you reach the end, you can make a solid argument for the pace needing to be a bit slower in some areas.
Overall, the movie is not perfect and suffers from some minor issues. However, taken as a whole, the movie is a very solid attempt from Sandler. I was hesitant at first when I heard about the Sandler / Netflix relationship but obviously Sandler still has what it takes and it is encouraging to see Sandler move away from his typical style and try out a different role that obviously challenges his full range of acting abilities.
Airplane Mode (2019)
A lot of times people give movies 1 star because they want to make a statement. This movie actually deserves no stars.
This is, by and far, the worst movie I've ever seen. I don't even know where to start in reviewing this movie because this is more like a recorded fever dream than an actual movie. Have you ever been really sick and your temperature got really high and your dreams became to weird, that you would wake up physically more ill from the dream? Well this is that movie -- I actually feel myself getting physically ill from watching this. It is an absolutely horrible sensation -- I'm not making this stuff up. It made me vomit several hours later. There is something very wrong going on here. There are scenes that are just too disgusting to put into words so I won't describe them. To break down the major failings of this movie, here is a short list:
- There is no real plot to speak of at all except a bunch of influencers are trying to get to a convention in Australia
- There is zero character development. In fact, this may be one of the first movies I've ever seen where there is negative character development
- Many scenes were obviously somewhat amusing on paper but the end result on film was just bizarre interactions between people that made no real sense at all
- A lot of the humor was "lifted" from previous movies but even then, they couldn't render their own jokes in a way that would be considered funny
- Many of the "actors" are horrible "actors" -- just because someone has their own successful Youtube channel doesn't mean they can act.
I could go on and on but believe me when I say this -- this movie will bring anti-enjoyment to your life. Watch with caution.
Life After Death with Tyler Henry (2022)
This Netflix show highlights the predatorial practices of a narcissist who preys on the raw emotions of people who have lost loved ones and are looking for closure
Tyler Henry does not have any special clairvoyant skills. He's not communicating with the dead or seeing beyond the great wall of death. What Tyler is doing is an age old deceptive practice of expertly using cold reading skills to extract information from others that he is interacting with to get more knowledge of a deceased person. There are many different tactics available for cold reading including watching the body language of the person you are interacting with to get more specific information while proceeding down specific potential paths of inquiry to gain an overall picture of some person that has passed.
Frankly, the fact that Netflix has added more legitimacy to this age old tactic by giving Tyler his own series to deceive a larger audience is absolutely repugnant. I've never thought about cancelling my Netflix subscription in the past because Netflix added a specific series that was garbage, but this series is extremely deceitful and disingenuous to their viewers. Many people watching this series who are not familiar with cold reading may actually believe that Tyler has some type of paranormal ability. I will admit that certain moments are astounding in that they appear to be genuine. However, when you break down what he is doing by employing concepts of cold reading masterfully while also realizing that the show benefits from editing in post-production, the viewer is left with nothing more than theatrics from a charlatan who is well versed in his ability to use specific skills from cold reading,
There is nothing supernatural happening here and the series isn't even slightly entertaining when you realize this individual is a huge predatorial narcissist that uses their skills to profit from the raw emotions of others who have lost loved ones. It's sickening to watch and the series itself is a complete waste of time. It would be far more educational if Netflix created a series on cold reading and how it is done so that they could educate their viewing audience on these predatory practices from individuals who claim they can speak with the dead.
The Orville (2017)
Amazing show with a solid TNG feeling with a bit more humor injected into it
When "The Orville" first appeared, my expectations for the show were a bit low. I wasn't quite sure if the show would just be a poor parody of Star Trek or an honest attempt to recreate the atmosphere and feel of a true Star Trek series.
I was pleasantly surprised after watching a couple of episodes from Season 1. In fact, I was extremely impressed with the production quality of the series including the acting. This series is more of an episodic show where each episode usually is self-contained in that it is more like TNG than the new Star Trek series Discovery which is more of a soap opera series where each episode is a continuation of the overall plot from previous episodes.
Both formats have their pros and cons, but I always enjoyed the episodic nature of TNG where each episode was self-contained and had its own plot and resolution all within one or two episodes.
The Orville is refreshing, enlightening, both fun and funny at times (yet the humor does not detract from the overall plot), and just overall a really interesting show to watch. When compared to the previous Star Trek series, it feels most like TNG. Each episode has an overall main plot and typically one or two subplots. The first season spent a bit of time finding the right balance between true sci-fi and humor with some episodes suffering from a bit too much humor compared to the sci-fi aspects (although season one was still outstanding).
Season 2 improved the mixture of humor and seriousness and found a perfect balance between the two. It is interesting to note that the Orville as a show feels more like Star Trek than Discovery. Discovery isn't a bad show by any means, but the Orville just gives an overall more enjoyable viewing experience and some of the episodes are extremely well done -- with some episodes even approaching the majestic qualities of the best TNG episodes such as "The Inner Light."
Overall, the Orville is a fantastic sci-fi series that will really give viewers who enjoyed TNG a fresh injection of new and interesting plot lines.
I highly recommend this show for anyone who enjoyed TNG and hope that they continue making new seasons.