info-80807

IMDb member since April 2017
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    7 years

Reviews

Banshee
(2013)

'Skinamax' indeed!
This show has few culturally redeeming qualities: but it sure is fun to watch.

The plot is absurd, the violence and sex are excessive, and disbelief is completely suspended. But, I really enjoy it.

And, bear with me, there is some good acting. Sure, most of it is way way over the top. But there are some well done moments. Frankie Faison & Hoon Lee really shine. Even pretty boy Antony Starr gets some good lines.

I give a lot of credit to the show runners for putting - and keeping - this series together. If you like this, check out 'Warrior'.

Note: there are scenes that are a millimeter from soft-core porn. I'd caution against watching this on a fight, or near anyone for that matter :)

1883
(2021)

True Grit it ain't
Beautifully filmed, with some good acting...ruined by the narration of the young woman protagonist. She may be a good actor, but every time she opened her mouth I cringed. There's some meaty scenes with the grown up characters, but the girl's scenes were worse than Sophia Coppola in GF III. If you want to see tough women in the west, watch True Grit.

The Contractor
(2022)

How do you mess up a film with Pine & Foster?!?
Sadly, it's easy. Weak script & huge plot holes. These guys are usually so smooth, but they look so out of wack here. I would have gotten over that, if the plot had.made.any.sense. And to throw out a whole covid conspiracy in one line at the end was just and insult. Extra credit for having Keifer Sutherland look like Gregg Allman before rehab. Just a huge miss.

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks
(2022)

Really weak performance
Was he short of money? Coming out to RR looking pasty as hell, with crappy production values and very tired routines. This guy can be very insightful and funny. Here he was just trying to trigger the audience -without much effect. A few bits were brilliant, but if you have to shout and do funny voices to land a joke, maybe it's not a good joke. And if you have to say "I'm not ignorant" several times, are you feeling defensive? This just looked phoned in: Bill missed a couple cues, and several shots show people wandering around. Not a tight set.

Operation Mincemeat
(2021)

Fascinating real life story - turned into a soap opera
They somehow managed to make one of the war's great operations boring. Terrible dialog and useless sub plots drag this out way too long. At times this resembled a group of high schoolers trying to sort out their lives while planning a dance. And, all the cute nods to James Bond were annoying.

Dead Man's Shoes
(2004)

I'm ok with 'slow', but not with 'plodding'
This could have been an interesting character drama/revenge thriller. Instead, it was super slow, without any real tension. As in many movies these days, the killer seems to get around to wreak mayhem at will. Drop in a few words about 'he was a paratrooper', and that explains it?? Could have been better with some character background and/or tension, instead of quick - lame - violence.

Hyena Road
(2015)

Punches above it's weight
This was much better than expected. It is not a cheesy Afghan action movie, but a (fairly) serious character study of the effects of war on combatants and locals. It ain't Deer Hunter, but it's quite good.

The Guest
(2014)

Low rent Jason Bourne
What a waste. Terrible script, terrible acting, and actors in their 30s playing high schoolers. This is marketed as a thriller but it's not very thrilling and turns into a sub standard shoot 'em up.

The Batman
(2022)

There is a difference between slow and boring.
What was the point of this Nolan-Singer ripoff? There's nothing new, nothing special and....almost nothing to keep your interest. I could deal with dark & slow if there was some ....drama. But this movie just goes on and on without any reason or resolution. Not a whole lot happens in "The Lighthouse" but I was on the edge of my seat. This film just drags and drags - by the end - I just wanted it to be over. And - no spoilers - the ending was really stupid and senseless, even for a superhero film. Meh. What a waste.

The Last Son
(2021)

Weak film, cinematograpy adds a couple points
Terrible script, beautifully filmed. Amazing scenery and lighting. Very weird/cool soundtrack. But, it could have been so much better. The first 30 min is like a 'mumblecore' film, I had to use subtitles. It picks up a bit, but never really gets going. If you're bored, on a cold night, you could do worse than to watch this. But, I wouldn't go out of my way.

Dopesick
(2021)

Powerful, informative...and a bit soapy
This is an important story to tell, and the series tells it very well. The acting and parts of the script are very strong. But, I felt at times that it got a little too "Lifetime Channel" for my taste. There were a few too many digressions into romantic & personal lives that slowed the story down. But, it's necessary viewing for anyone who ever has to visit a doctor.

Green Street
(2005)

Interesting story. Completely miscast
Elijah Wood just sucks all the air and energy out of this film. Forget that he's an odd choice for thug. He bleating and screeching ruin almost every scene. Hunnman salvages the flim - almost.

Clean
(2021)

Unoriginal and unexciting
I wanted to like this, but couldn't. It was a mash up every loner/revenge Film of the past few years. It could have been so much better. Brody phones it in for this orange copy of 'Nobody'. At this rate, 10 percent of the population must be retired killers trying to lead quiet lives.

Hap and Leonard
(2016)

Mighty swing...for a ground ball
This was a missed opportunity. Great actors, great plot and (half of) a good script, it could have been so much better. Seasons 2 & 3 are ok, but season 1 was a dude. Not only were there maudlin (unnecessary) flashbacks, but they let one character - who is supposed to be a blathering ass - keep blathering way too long. I hope they bring this show back - with tighter writing.

The Protégé
(2021)

Worse than i expected
Weak plot, pallid acting & terrible action - and really cheesy production design: The sets and action are second rate. Keaton and Jackson must have been really bored to agree to this.

Tangerine
(2015)

Unique and challenging
By accident, I watched Tangerine and Red Rocket (same Director) back to back: I enjoyed them both. This film is by turns hilarious and tragic, an opera about a day in the life of hustlers. There is rarely an honest word spoken, but somehow the characters are very real. There is sexual content that some might find disturbing, but: that's life.

Finch
(2021)

Zzzzzz
If you took The Martian, I am Legend and The Road....and drained all of the drama and excitement out of them - you'd have Finch. There was a time - maybe 50 years ago - when the 'post apocalyptic man on his own' could have been an interesting character study. Finch has nothing new, and nothing engaging.

Sh'at Neila
(2020)

How did this go wrong?
A real live tragedy, reduced to a convoluted soap opera. There are some interesting characters/plots in the beginning, but it just turns into a mess of yelling and tangents. By the last couple episodes, I was skipping ahead as themes were rehashed again and again. And, with all that, they leave several threads hanging in the end. And, while i realize this was a horrifying time for Israel, I could have done without several propaganda speeches.

Black Space
(2020)

Take on a tough subject becomes convoluted
I would have hoped a drama about a school shooting would be tighter. This series has some good moments but really goes all over the place, with unrealistic 'twists' and plot points. When it was finished I was tired of it, but not satisfied. Question (not a spoiler): can someone with one eye become a active duty cop in Israel?

Tom yum goong
(2005)

Disappointing
Was really looking forward to this: Tony Jaa and same director as One Bak. But this was really poorly made. The action sequences were poorly edited and made no darn sense. Jaa is electric, and I suppose it's worth a watch, but I'm not sure what they were doing with this film.

Gwoemul
(2006)

Disappointing.
I love the director, and the stars. But: this just didn't work for me. It was too slow to be an action/horror film, and too weird to be a family drama. I'm all for chasing monsters through sewers (hey, it could happen!), but too many plot points fell apart, and at some key moments, they went for schtick to smooth over a rough patch. Compared to the razor sharp Parasite or Memories of a Murder, this films falls way short.

The Tax Collector
(2020)

Disapointing
It seems David Ayer either hits home runs: Fury/End of Watch or strikes out: Sabotage/Tax Collector. This was just not a good movie. The plot and script were far weaker than in Ayer's other films. Even for a 'lazy day nothing to do action film', this just didn't interest me. Check out the director's Harsh Times: it's a lot more interesting.

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