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Joker (2019)
Overhyped trash that grossly misrepresents the mentally ill
Murder is not a good response to bullying. Murder is not a solution to wealth inequality. Are these truths not self evident to you as they are to me? Yet there are lots of people here saying they empathise with Joker? How? I couldn't get into this movie at all, because the main character's motivations are entire alien to me. I don't get him. I don't get this movie. I don't get how anybody can enjoy this movie.
This movie is depressing. The tone is dark, all of the characters are terrible people, and there is violence in every other scene from beginning to end for 2 hours. How does anybody get entertained by this?
Is it OK now to portray the mentally ill like this?! So if you take away their therapy and their pills, the mentally ill will just all turn into insane criminals full of hatred? This is gross misrepresentation. In 50 years time, we will look back on this misrepresentation of the mentally ill the same way we look at blackface minstrel shows about negroes today.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
Plot makes no sense. Alejandro's coolness was ruined
I don't know how much the people giving this movie 10/10 got paid. I don't ask for much, if the movie studio give me $50 I could give this movie 10/10 too. Unfortunately, I didn't get any money, so here is an honest review.
I loved the first movie. It was the most amazing action movie I have seen in recent years. The plot was smart and the delivery was perfect. The cool guys were cool and the bad guys were bad. Most importantly the tension between Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro representing different organizations playing by different rules but trying to achieve the same goal. That was what made the movie interesting and a cut above the hundred of garbage gun fighting action movies made every year.
This sequel did not need to be made. The plot line does not make sense. None of the characters act consistly with what they did in the first movie.
I give this 4/10, because some of the fight scenes were cinematic. If you switch off your brain, it's not entirely a bad movie. It's just another generic action flick.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I enjoyed it
It was a good star wars movie. The action sequences looked good, the acting was convincing. And although there were some cringe moment, it didn't ruin the overall feeling for me.
It's sad to see so many star wars fan boys over reacting with all these negative reviews. I dont think anything could have satisfied those types and frankly Disney is already listening to them too much.
I hope Disney will ignore all of the negativity and be more daring in their script writing. Look at Rogue One, the best star wars movie ever made. That had non of the original characters, but a great story.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
It's very good. Ignore all the triggered snowflakes protesting with 1star reviews
It's certainly among the best Sci-Fi series of the decade. The story is engaging. The characters are realistic. They have depth and much room for development. The protagonist's emotion vs logic is a classic question of nature vs nurture. The captain of Shenzhou is a believable good boss, with her adherence to rules and willingness to take responsibility and go above and beyond the call of duty. The captain of the Discovery is not a classic good guy, but you are suppose ask how far are you willing to go to get what you want? The shy girl is the ambitious geek type I can relate to the most. I'm rooting for her because she reminds me of myself. The Klingons are not portrayed as bad guys either. The themes of political manipulation, religious fanaticism and using war for unity and popularity, these are interesting. Just as we can look back today at the optimism in science in the 1970s in TOS, I'm sure many will look back on Discovery as a reflection of our time.
I'm very surprised by the number of 1 star reviews on here. I genuinely wonder if these are real people or Russian bots. Because all of them are repeating the same few phrases with slightly different wording. If you hate a show so much then surely you have some original things to say about it, right? If the best you can do is repeat "cast is bad, acting is bad, camera-work is bad, too much special effects, story is bad, my favorite director wasn't involved, it's dull/boring, then nitpick about some Star Trek continuity errors... ..." That's not a review, that's the kind of speech bot I ask my first year students to write as an assignment.
There are a few things I disliked about the show. There is no science in this show so far (ep1-3). I think they would do better to get an actual physicist and an actual biologist and give them actual influence on the script writing. Because so far this show is pure magic and zero science. I know Star Trek is very soft SciFi, but still I think it needs to be a little more grounded in science than this, otherwise it will turn into a magic fantasy. Also, this show didn't need the $8m/ep budget, they could have spent a lot less and showed it on cable/sky instead of locking it behind the CBS all access paywall in US and the Netflix paywall here in UK.
Overall Discovery is very good. Its faults are easy to look past, and I find it rather enjoyable to watch. So 8/10.
Death Note (2017)
Excellent movie, much better than the manga and anime
This movie deserves a sequel. It is a rare example of an anime adaptation done right. I think from the script and editing it is clear to see this was made as a labor of love. The acting is fantastic and the plot line is very tight, there isn't any spare lines nor spare scenes in this movie. It is a very lean 90 minutes with no fillers.
I have read the manga and watched the anime over 10 years ago. Trust me, this movie is much better than both the manga and the anime. I know there are a lot of very angry fans who don't like how it is unfaithful to the source material. There is also a lot of nerd rage by the keyboard lawyers who argue the story logic is full of holes when you consider the rules of the death note. They are missing the point. This movie is about the core concept of "what would you do if you were given the power of life and death?" in an American setting. It's no longer about the logic game of rules and deduction and out-smarting your opponent, which the original Japanese source material focused on.
If you are a big fan of the original manga/anime, then honestly this movie is not going to give you more of the same. To you I would recommend similar manga/anime such as Liar Game, Sanctuary, Kaiji, One Outs, etc. If you are new and haven't seen much of the original manga/anime, then don't listen to the angry fan-boys. They are wrong. Watch the movie and make up your own mind.
13 Reasons Why (2017)
Angsty teen drama with dull story
This show is a regular person's idea of what a suicide looks like based on some attention seeking teens crying about boyfriend issues. It trivializes the struggle of teens who really do feel suicidal. I am sickened by the author of the book and the producers of this show. This is exploitative voyeurism. Nothing more.
No one who suicides would go to such lengths to make and distribute those tape; and no one who would go to such lengths to make and distribute those tapes would suicide. 13 hours of dull bullshit about "this girl kissed a guy I like" or "Oh! I'm so mysterious I will speak for hours and say nothing of importance". That is not a suicide note. That is typical attention seeking behavior. When you are sure you are going to kill yourself, the last thing you would care about is what some random classmate thinks about you or anything else. Real suicide notes are short, to the point, and sometimes even humorous. Apologize to the people you love, some practical instructions about what to do after you die, and possibly a few witty sentences to get off your chest. That's that.
If you are one of these people who watched the show, then read this review and strongly disagree with me. Don't waste your time down voting this. Think about it, what the world really need is help lines for attention seekers who are not suicidal but do genuinely need someone to talk to nonetheless. Then the suicide help lines can be left to those who need it.
The Girl on the Train (2016)
Excellent story, brilliant acting
The acting performances by everyone in this movie was very good. In particular Emily Blunt. I would be surprised if she doesn't get an Oscar for this, she certainly deserves it.
The story is gripping and interesting. The pacing is a little off, but I think this was done on purpose to give the viewer a better understanding of what it would be like to view the events from the main character's point of view.
It's not possible to not compare this movie with a certain other movie. I shall not mention what that other movie is, because just knowing that could be a huge spoiler. Let me just say that both movies were very very good, and I am surprised one of them has IMDb score of over 7.5 while the other one is 1-2 points lower. I think this is probably due to sexism. The only people who hate a bitch more than men are women.
God's Not Dead (2014)
This is why you shouldn't send your kid to a bad university
This movie is about a college professor asking his entire class to write "God is dead" on a piece of paper, then getting into a 3x20mins debate on the existence of God with one of the students who refuses.
This is very unrealistic because real universities have real things to teach, even in philosophy class. Things like Boolean algebra, history of ethics, theory of knowledge, etc, etc. These classes are really hard, they require a lot of reading and thinking and logical reasoning. So the three words "God is dead" may seem to make sense to the common person, but in the context of philosophy you have to construct a formal framework on what is and what is not "God", what is the difference between "is" and "is not" and if something "is" then is it possible for something else to "become" that thing, and what is the nature of "dead" i.e. what can be "dead" and what can not be "dead". That's about 16 lectures worth of material right there, and we haven't even began exploring the meaning of the question yet. So the scenario as portrayed in the movie where the lecturer can causally take so much out of everyone's time to talk about such an ill defined proposition just doesn't happen. Unless if you sent your kid to one of those scam colleges who are more interested in making money than offering an education.
There are good things about this movies though. There is no sex and violence, unlike literally every other movie out there. So that is commendable, there need to be more movies like this which try to appeal to an intelligent adult audience and not include obligatory sex scenes and violent scenes of people getting shot with blood splattered everywhere. So it was a pleasant viewing experience though I disagree with the message of the movie.
Would I recommend you to see this movie?
Yes, if you are a fundamentalist Christian living in small town USA and you feel you are somehow ridiculed and persecuted by atheists who want you to stop believing in God, then you will definitely love this movie.
No, if you are not a fundamentalist but you are an ethical person living by moral principles, such as: churches shouldn't make money by giving false hope to people with terminal illness, no one should be abused at home because of their beliefs, all people should be tolerant of others, etc, then you will be offended by this movie, so I would recommend you go and watch something else.
Funny Games (2007)
Very boring. Too few games and none of them are violent
This movie is about two young men invading the home of a family of three and forcing them to do things. However the criminals spend most of the movie doing really boring things like cooking and watching TV and the family spend all of the movie crying without any torture at all. This is just boring.
Why have a kid in the movie? It would be much better if they shoot the kid first so the rest of the movie can be an 18. And why not have any good games? When people watch a movie called "funny games" they expect there to be funny games. Games involving torture and violence like "Saw", rape and various ways of raping with different objects, etc. There really is more fun they could be having in this situation, where is their creativity?
Don't waste your time with this garbage. Get TOR, go on the dark net, and watch red room instead.
Eden Lake (2008)
It is only scary because you believe it could really happen
This film is about a middle class couple from the city who owns a four wheel drive Land Rover and diving gear complete with oxygen tank going on holiday to a part of the country with a beautify lake and failed economy. Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could lock up these unruly hooligan kids in prisons so the rest of us can enjoy the view?
How scary you think this movie is largely depend on your perception of the gangs of hoodies hanging around the streets terrorizing the estates. If you think they are just harmless kids and you grew up in that environment too, then you are better off watching something else. If you think they are hooligans without morals, then you will be absolutely terrified by this movie.
The Phenom (2016)
The baseball version of "Good Will Hunting"
It's a movie about a kid who loved playing baseball. He worked really hard everyday to get better and better at the game, then suddenly one day he discovers he is better than everybody else. So, what now?
Everybody expects something of him. His team expects him to throw 100mph fastballs into the strike zone game after game. His coach expects him to stay out of trouble. His teacher expects him finish school. His dad expects him to not get lazy and waste his talent. His girlfriend expects him to be just a normal guy who she can talk to and relate to and be best friends with. And his shrink expects him to accept his talent.
Would I recommend you to watch this movie?
Yes. Although most of us can't throw 100mph fastballs, but if you can just suspend belief for a moment and put yourself into his shoes, you will find a very well written story about a working class kid working hard and making a success of himself.
No. If you go into this thinking "he's making $$$ millions, what's he got to complain about?" or "he's naturally talented, why everybody want to drag him down?" Then you are better off watching something else.
Eye in the Sky (2015)
Excellent political comedy
There is a lot of realism and satire in this movie: The politicians who are suppose to make the decisions passing the ball to each other because nobody wants to take the blame.
The political aids who are suppose to contribute different opinions giving one dimensional arguments fueled only by personal emotions.
The military commanders who are suppose to get things done being frustrated at every step by red tape.
The specialists who are suppose to give impartial analysis being pressured by their boss to spin reports.
The operatives on the ground being controlled like drones and risking their lives for missions they have no input in.
And of course the very real consequences for very real people's lives on the ground being decided by committee over video phone conference on the other side of world.
So would I recommend you or anyone to see this movie? Let me show you a quote from the movie: "The legal argument is that we could wait, but we need not wait. And the military argument is that we should not wait. It's my recommendation that we should not delay in proceeding with this mission." Did you understand what he is trying to do here? Would you enjoy watching a movie where a bunch of people talk like this for the entire movie and not much else happens? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you will love this movie, otherwise you are better off seeing something else.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Is this a gender thing?
Took my girlfriend to see this movie, although neither of us has heard of the book or the film before. I saw a lot of merchandise in shops, and searched up the trailer, so I knew the main character is a tough and pretty girl and there is probably romance too. Sounds like the sort of thing she'd enjoy.
I thought this was a mostly boring movie and I just didn't understand a lot of the stuff having not read the book. What are they doing?! Why are they doing any of this?! Why does any of this matter?! It feels like a very cheap American imitation of "Battle Royale" made for cash.
However, my girlfriend liked it. She identified with the main character, laughed at the funny moments, jumped at the scary moments, and thought they did a good job with the costumes. She felt this was much better than BR and similar movies, because there is much less graphical violence, and a smaller caste of characters so they were characterized better.
So, is this a gender thing? Maybe I'm just not their target audience... ...
Hotaru no haka (1988)
From the Chinese perspective... ...
This is a very good film, because the characters are so human. Unlike most Communist / American war films where the protagonist is a saint, in this film you get the feeling each character is a real person rather than some stereotype. All of the characters are imperfect, and make mistakes, and do bad things. The love portrayed in this film is just so real, I think any human being can relate to it.
I was trying really hard to hold my tears back all the way through the film, especially in the playground scene. But when Seita brought the water melon back, and it became so obvious what was about to happen, my tears just came streaming down. Despite knowing right at the start of the film they were going to die, it's just... ... The humanity of it all.
As for the Chinese perspective, I think it is obvious that after 60 years of falsifying history in both China and Japan, we have a very different understanding of the war. Japan still holds the view "We did nothing wrong during the war", and likes to portray the war as inevitable. While China holds very strong views about Japanese war crimes and atrocities. This is very much underlying the huge defence budget increases in both countries since the 1980s, and that's likely to lead to the next war... ... Which is why I like this film so much, because it is films like this that makes you remember, it does not matter whether you are Chinese, Japanese, or American, if you are human, then you need to eat, you need to drink, and you are flesh and blood. At the end of the day, we are all the same, so why spend all that money on trying to kill each other?
I hope to see more films like this, from RoC (Taiwan), PRC (China), Korea, America, as well as Japan. And I hope such films can be distributed freely in all of our/their formal enemy countries.