mklarsen-51895's Reviews

Sisu (2022)

8/10

I passed it by and now I regret not watching it sooner...

4 May 2024

I saw this posted somewhere and thought it didn't look that good. It seemed like a B grade movie about a homeless guy and nazi's... So what Michael Madsen does these days... Then I accidentally ran into a review talking about it and how amazing it was. And it is.

Without getting too much into the guys background, the movie starts with a guy panning for gold while fighter planes stream across the sky above him towards what we quickly realise is the front not far from him. Then he discovers that he just found a monster amount of gold and cries and you are immediately engaged in his story. Then he gets it taken from him by Nazi's.... what follows is the most brutal movie about jungle warfare I have ever seen. All why he doesn't speak a word. It is well worth watching and has a LOT of those "I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!" moments and you will love it.

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Monkey Man (2024)

8/10

Engaging...

28 April 2024

I wasn't quite sure about this movie as I watched it... Indian movies are a bit hit and miss and this is definitely an Indian movie, high intensity scenes and lots of chaos. The more I watched it, the better it got and by the end I was actually glad I had watched it.

Just be aware, it is a bit of a slow burn as it is progressing but by the end it all makes sense and you understand most of what you see. All you really need to know is that the main character fights in an underground fight ring with a monkey mask, while his opponents wear other masks and basically it's rigged and he is supposed to go down and lose. That means he learns to take a hiding and survive. I won't get into what the real story behind it is but it's violent, engaging and makes perfect sense eventually. I can't say it changed my life but it is worth watching when you need something to disappear into for a few hours.

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No Hard Feelings (2023)

7/10

Enjoyable with suitable cringe

25 July 2023

I wasn't sure how this movie would play out. All I had really seen was the throat punch scene in the trailer that seemed interesting so I watched it curious how it would work. It's a basic Rom/Com with a thirty something woman hired to bring a naive geeky nineteen year old out of his shell.

You can't help pulling for Percy, you WANT him to get laid and find his inner confidence. The skinny dipping scene is both awkward and hilarious (plus you get some full frontal nudity) and the "kitty" punch is hilarious. His rendition of ManEater is simply brilliant and from being shy to straight out killing it in front of people he doesn't know shows you the hidden depths he has.

I would definitely recommend watching this. Maddie may be a simple cougar at times and reminiscent of the ManEater that Percy sings for but the Chinese Finger Trap scene near the end brings a whole bunch of things into focus for the characters and sets their futures into motion. COCAINE!!!

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The Flash (I) (2023)

8/10

Suprisingly good...

20 June 2023

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, Ezra Miller is a creepy potato these days and while I am glad that the movie was released, I am also glad they were no longer involved. As soon as we all saw Michael Keaton was back as Batman our interest was piqued again.

The Hospital baby scene is amusing but expected, Michael Keaton is both amusing as a homeless looking recluse but kick ass as Batman, Sasha Calle is great as Supergirl and Ezra manages to make two versions of themselves interesting and engaging. The vomit scene from being moved too fast is brilliant but overdone. The many Superman versions are a little overdone and Nicholas Cage has no place in the movie. Despite what others say, the ohmage to Christopher Reeve is pretty much a snippet of his movies and not CGI and the movie is surprising worth watching. Maybe not twice but it's worth a watch to add Barry Allen to the DC Universe properly. Sasha Calle however has definitely put her hand up for Kara to be added properly.

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65 (2023)

6/10

I wanted to like this...

10 April 2023

The movie had some potential... An astronaut goes on a two year mission so that his sick daughter can afford treatment. He crash lands on a planet seemingly going back in time to 65 million years ago and has to try and get rescued... Already the time thing started to lose sense. Adam Driver did well on many levels, the dinosaurs were engaging and scary, there was even a T-Rex who held a grudge. Clearly a comet was coming to wipe out the dinosaurs so you understood the urgency even if the idea of going forward in time makes no real sense.

But then suddenly the movie ended, you have no idea whether your conclusions on what happens after make sense and it just stops. I mean, I can draw conclusions on what happens with the girl but it really could have used a scene AFTER they returned even if it would have been reminiscent of Face Off.

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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

10/10

Legendary....

22 March 2023

Warning: Spoilers

We all walk into John Wick 4 with expectations of what we will see, standards we refuse to lower and excitement already creeping in. From the first second it engages you, no hesitation, no quarter. And it's only the beginning. I read somewhere that a reviewer had said that there wasn't a wasted moment in this film and I watched it questioning the validity. They weren't wrong. Each conversation has a purpose, each scene makes a point. From the gunfight samurai scene in Tokyo to the phosphorus gunfight shot from above in Paris, the action doesn't diminish. Normally a sequel is "lesser" but John Wick 4 simply builds onto the quadrilogy. It makes sense, it continues the story and the characters get all the more interesting.

I can tell you right now, if the phosphorus gunfight scene doesn't impress you (which it will), the Paris traffic carnage scene is brilliant. I can't say I have ever seen someone do full continuous 360 drifting in a muscle car either :D

I know Keanu said that Chad Stahelski and himself were taking a long break from the John Wick series but should we have seen the end, it ended on a note I feel we could live with. If they can find another story that will build onto the John Wick series then so be it but if not, I truly left the movie happy and felt it was done.

Don't leave until after the credits are done. Trust me, it's not finished.

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M3GAN (2022)

9/10

Chucky meets I Robot...

30 January 2023

You walk into this movie knowing what you're hoping to see... trust me, Chucky is not in M3GAN's league. You won't see Chucky dance down a hallway and then go on a rampage. She'll smile in your face and then rip your ears off. As she says 'What did you think was going to happen?' A free thinking, self learning, murder bot who's linked to just one person and will wreck anyone who hurts them or gets in her way... and then sings as only a psychopath could do. I don't know what the director was going for but a movie about a doll who goes on a rampage, steals a car and then goes mental is definitely worth watching.

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Glass Onion (2022)

8/10

The Murder Mystery King?

24 December 2022

This is one of those movies that you walk into watching because you have an expectation of what you will see. Normally however, sequels seldom reach near the quaility of the first one. This isn't one of those movies.

If you have seen the Benoit Blanc character in action before, you will know he's past the super sleuth characteristic and a self appointed master at solving Murder Mysteries. But as he says." I am not Batman. I can find you the truth, I can gather evidence, I can present it to the police and the courts, but that is where my jurisdiction ends."

Still, with that expectation of quality, it's hard to make sequels look goo.d This movie starts with the premise of story, quickly changes, takes a fast turn, then back to another facet of the story you expected to see.

I can honestly say I found it engaging, the characters include Benoit Blanc, contined to be engaging and got more complex as the story contined which is a mistake many movies make. They leave interesting people out as secondary characters where as anyone who has played the game Cluedo know, every character must be engaging, complex and have some idea of motive and means to have commited the crime in the game. I can honestly say this movie builds on the characters as it continues and ends in a way you probably didn't expect. It is definitely worth watching.

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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022 TV Special)

7/10

Everyone loves Bacon...

16 December 2022

While the short movie isn't the best I have ever seen, the search for the best Christmas present for Peter is pretty cool. Drax is great and actually smiles while drinking, Mantis is sweet and amusing (her big reveal is pretty great too but not that much of a shock) and we finally get to ask ourselves the question "Does Kevin Bacon call his nipples 'Bacon Bits'?" Even Groot chips in a little and he has no idea what the deal is. The Christmas song at the start is mildly funny too.

Overall, a great movie and worth watching. I can't say it's the best thing I have watched but I certainly didn't regret watching it and it fills the gap between now and their final movie.

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Fistful of Vengeance (2022)

6/10

A poor sequel

11 December 2022

I watched Wu Assassins and found the martial arts choreography to be excellent. The story made sense and even knowing it hadn't yet been renewed didn't temper my enjoyment. Sadly, I watched this movie afterwards when I found out it existed. I shouldn't have.

The acting is poor taste, somehow all the characters are masters of Kung Fu, the restraint from killing people has disappeared and the ending was both awful and negated the severity of the story's purpose. If you have never seen Wu Assassins, this movie would make no sense and would be relegated to a B grade movie... sadly, it's not even on par with a Bruce Willis or Steven Segal movie.

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Wednesday (2022– )

10/10

Woefully brilliant

27 November 2022

I walked into watching this thinking it was going to be great, bring back some much loved childhood memories and amaze me. Jenna Ortega managed to make Wednesday into a far more interesting character and her recital on the rooftop was brilliant not to mention the Nothing Else Matters overture at times.

Even if you have never watched the original material, anyone can pick this show up and have a woefully great time. Thing for example manages to amuse, entertain and leave questions "Where the hell is the rest of him?" not to mention "How do they get Thing to be alive?"

Well worth watching and I look forward to more.

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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

8/10

Should have watched Black Adam

19 November 2022

Warning: Spoilers

I only went to this with my son because Black Adam was sold out... while it was cook they introduced IronHeart, the movie lacked the excitement and punch the original did. There are a few moments worth laughing at, the "Ball headed demon" part for example, but overall it was relatively lackluster. The winged feet don't quite make sense either since everyone drank the same potion but only Namor has them and doesn't age.... It's okay as a middle movie to set up others but as a standalone movie it wouldn't be worth the effort. I saw nothing worth being excited about.

If you're looking for something to watch in between good Marvel movies then it's okay but I regret paying to see it.

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Bullet Train (2022)

9/10

Freaking brilliant

12 August 2022

A lot of movies seem really cool in the trailers and then suck a fat kumara when you watch it. This movie isn't one of those. With the massive amount of cameos, tangerine and lemon's insane stories about trains, samarai, assassins everywhere and a maddening story that ironically is both chaos as well as makes sense, this movie is an absolute must see.

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The Gray Man (2022)

9/10

Great but problematic

30 July 2022

To be honest, I really liked this movie. Chris Evans is a star in pretty much whatever he does and his grin is kind of hard not to mirror. Ryan Gosling is WAY more cut and muscular in this movie than Chris Evans and I really liked how they both managed to maintain dominance while also being emotional and engaging.

The only problem I had was the ending.... I am not in any way convinced that 6 was finished nor that his story has ended. But I definitely liked the character and the way it was portrayed and I certainly hope that it's not the last time I see him.

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

7/10

A true but fictional masterpiece

15 June 2022

I truly thought this would be a typical Nicholas Cage B grade movie but even he mentions it in the movie about himself. He plays himself as himself twice while at the same time playing a character pisstake of himself... It takes a little while for it to get really good but it's a slow burn and once you get to the end, you realise how it all fitted together and how good it really was.

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The Northman (2022)

6/10

What Did I Watch?

15 May 2022

I was excited to see this, my ancestors were Vikings and it looked great. Quite frankly it was a serious letdown, pretty much awful and I wasn't impressed at all. The howling scenes as well as the weak storyline made this less than a B Grade movie and if I had seen it at the cinema, I would have walked out and asked for a refund.

Truly terrible and I was severely disappointed and insulted. Alexander's brother Gustaf must be offended that he bastardised his Floki character and made Vikings look like rubbish.

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Morbius (2022)

7/10

Worth a watch but not an award...

14 May 2022

The movie itself is decent. Fantastic special effects, a great character and Jared Leto is far better at Morbius than he was allowed to be as Joker. The story however is a long buildup with a short conclusion and even then I am not convinced the movie ended with me satisfied. While I know that we will see Morbius again soon in other projects, as a character building origin story, I don't think this one quite hit the mark and won't be remembered well. Definitely worth watching but I am glad I didn't pay to see it.

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Uncharted (2022)

8/10

Pretty decent

24 April 2022

I had been looking forward to this for a while. At least we now know where Tom Holland got those Spiderman muscles from... It was a pretty great movie, two extra scenes at the end, one of which kind of changes the whole movie... Well worth watching and I look forward to the sequels if they happen.

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The Batman (2022)

9/10

The best version I have seen yet...

13 April 2022

I really wasn't sure whether Robert Pattinson could pull this off. He managed to merge Bruce Wayne as a shy and reclusive haunted man with the epitome of Vengeance so well that I wasn't shocked when Riddler pointed out that Bruce Wayne was the mask, not the other way around.

The '68 Charger is by far the most interesting version of the Batmobile so far. Half Mad Max, half iconic Batmobile from Michael Keaton's days, it's just a beast.

The Bat and Cat relationship was well done, Zoe Kravitz sold Catwoman incredibly well with the exception of her Covid style face covering. Selina was always Bruce's go to partner and their dynamic has always been interesting. Introducing her familial structure to the story not only gave her character weight but was a hat tip to the canon character storyline and well done.

The only real complaint I found was that most interesting villain scene was The Joker's and it was removed from the film and posted online by the director. Now there is someone's story I would have preferred to see and not have it alluded to as happening in the first year of the Caped Crusaders journey. I REALLY hope that he is in the next one. And there will be a next one with Pattinson, of that I am sure.

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Moon Knight (2022)

9/10

Far better than expected and well worth watching.

8 April 2022

We're only two episodes in and it's brilliant. The only problem I have found is that they are pretending Steven Grant is the ORIGINAL persona as opposed to an adopted one while Marc Spector is the actual persona... technically he has four, including the billionaire who funds their superhero antics. The theatrics are great, the acting by Oscar Isaac is superb, Khonshu is not only done well but pretty comedic. While I know that his character isn't going to be used in the Avengers, it is worth noting that his immortality while being Knoshu's avatar meant that he defeated ALL of the Avengers at one stage... It is a pleasure to watch this.

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Resident Alien (2021– )

9/10

Wickedly good...

20 January 2022

It's hard to pick good shows these days, many start well and drag on while others pick up slowly. This isn't either of those shows. I can say whole heartedly, this show is brilliant. With the one child who can see through his glamour and their impending battles of words (and occasional attempts at murder), the hilarious attempts at intimacy and the quest to find who the foot belongs to, this show will keep you on your toes. I recommend binge watching the entire first season because one episode will not be enough to satiate you, you will want more immediately :D.

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The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

7/10

Not sure what I watched....

5 January 2022

First of all, they should have left the series finished. I don't know what I watched but it wasn't Morpheus, Neo or even Trinity... Smith makes no real sense, the new Architect/Oracle/Analyst has no real influence aside from explaining why it took sixty years to restart the Matrix properly... And the ending refers back to The Matrix series and points out what we always knew about the pair, ironically highlighted by the Analyst in his explanation, he just underplays it.

One one hand, the movie made some sense, on the other hand it was rubbish and ruined the whole series.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

7/10

Best and worst of them all...

31 December 2021

I really wanted to like this movie, on the surface it has a plethora of characters, many backstories and the potential for a great movie. It just never got off the ground, a butt Tom Holland futilely trying to hide the fact he has been exposed with a curtain is about as funny as it got. Matt Murdoch's addition goes nowhere and after the movie's both meaningful and lackluster ending, I was left wondering whether it was simply a way of adding to the Loki/Doctor Strange sequel coming up soon or whether it really had any point at all.... A least we know Wong is in charge these days :D.

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Sicario (2015)

6/10

Really wanted to like this...

15 December 2021

The movie started off rough and brutal... Sadly, that is about the extent and high point of Emily Blunt's character and she gets progressively crappier as the movie continues. The story itself is good but is let down by her characters constant weakness and inability to be a Wolf. Benicico Del Toro is great as his character, Josh Brolin excels at his, Emily Blunt did what she could with the role but it quite frankly detracted from the story. I wanted to see a badass and got someone afraid of her shadow.

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No Time to Die (2021)

8/10

A fitting ending for a legendary character

16 November 2021

A great and fitting end to Daniel Craig's Bond. I can't decide whether I liked it or not, the villain sucked but at least he made sense on some levels. For the second time, Bond retires and I don't expect to see any more Bond movies. I still say Sean Connery was the best Bond but I don't think it could have ended any better.

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