Change Your Image
TheEmulator23
Reviews
Baker Boys: Inside the Surge (2010)
Interested in the Infantry? Not after this.
This was a terrific no holds barred look at the men in a particular company. There was truths from the men that are edited and removed from most other docs.
The thing that I did find sad is that it seemed like nothing is actually getting done. It's not the soldiers fault either. We are not engaged in combat like we were in WWII or even Vietnam for that matter. We're fighting a war it seems half-assedly. I applaud all the individuals including the reporters for giving us this info.
I would recommend every kid thinking about the military should watch and see that real life is not like "Modern Warfare." You don't get to re-spawn and try again.
The IT Crowd (2006)
One of the best casts & scripts I've seen.
Granted I'm just a bloody American, but I freiking love this show. The 3 & or 4 leads are what make this show. The scripts are funny as hell & the acting seems completely natural too. I loved the boss they had in the 1st year or two & was sad when he jumped out the window? but the guy that replaced him is brilliant too. I've never been to England or the U.K. whatever they prefer it to be called, but this is as good as the American version of "The Office." It's not quite up to par w/the English version of "The Office," but it's damn close. I keep hoping I'll see the stars of this show in other things & I'm glad to say I just saw the main dude now in "Bridesmaids" w/Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph, (she was the last person I thought would have a career after SNL but she was so good w/Jim Kransinski of the American "Office" in "Away We Go,"It's quite thrilling for her.) I just think if you enjoy any sort of Ricky Gervais' type comedy you'll enjoy this little known series too.
30 for 30 (2009)
For the most part a brilliant documentary series.
I liked just about all of them but the Marion Jones one. As a Former Track stud, the whole documentary made me sick. I lost so much respect for the once talented John Singleton because of the way this was told. She is the definition of a loser. I don't care that she was a good basketball player or not, she helped destroy what Track & Field should & could have been here in the United States. Everything she says is complete BS. I hope she's a pariah for the rest of her pathetic life. It would have been one thing if she had just lied a few times, but the fact she lied FOR YEARS & constantly would go in front of cameras & say she wasn't using performance enhancing drugs destroys any sort of credibility she might have had. She's as bad as anything Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Jason Giambi, & Sammy Sosa did. Track & Field seems to still be trying to find an audience & she's a HUGE part of the reason why.
On a happier note. I loved "The U, The 2 Escobars, Tim Richmond, Who Killed the USFL, & the Best that never was, the best. They were all pretty dang good documentaries & many of them could have been released theatrically they were that well done.
Videocracy (2009)
Wow what a messed up country.
This was absolutely eye-opening of what's important in Italy. I don't know much about Berlusconi (The Italian Prime Minister) but for him also to run 90% of the state run television doesn't seem like it should exist. What's worse than that is he is completely above the law as he has given himself immunity from any sort of criminal prosecution...ever! What's dumbfounding to me more than anything is that the way the TV shows & things are run is nothing more than a somewhat cleaned up version of the way the mafia is run. I thought Americans were obsessed w/celebrity, but my god the Italians have us completely beat by a mile. Anyway it's interesting and sad to see the way women are completely objectified & how such a huge percentage are trying to make it by their looks alone. I have never seen a western country that treats women & they allow themselves to be treated so poorly. It reminded me of The Ms. America Pageant times 1000. It was quite disgusting as far as the culture & what's important in life w/what's going on there. I've never been a fan of Women's Lib, but that country needs it so bad.
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011)
Terrible, but only for the sake of it.
This is one of those movies you know is going to be bad. What's frustrating is that just because you want to make a bad movie, doesn't mean it has to be done poorly. I guess what's so depressing is the woman that directed this also directed "Pet Semetary." I loved that flick w/ the creepy little kid & the scalpel! You've got to find it depressing when you're working w/has beens such as these two former teen idols. Even for a SyFy movie this movie stunk. It also seems they are trying to do a worse & worse job w/so-called special effects. I have a feeling it will just be claymation pretty soon. Heck it would probably be better too. If you enjoy laughing @ terrible movies then this is right up your alley, just realize nobody involved in this was actually trying.
Secretariat (2010)
How could this have gone wrong?
This is one of those movies that you really have to do a lot wrong in order for it to be lousy. This movie has all of those things wrong. The Script is full of absurd dialog & it turned good actors in to rotten ones. Everything that "Seabiscuit" was, this film was not. I couldn't believe how many good actors were involved in this film. Diane Lane was completely miscast & you don't believe for a second she actually has any idea about horses, even though the character grew up w/them. The only saving grace was James Cromwell in his small but pivotal role. If you want to see the way a Horse Racing film should be made don't see this. Save your money & your ears from the ridiculous cliché ridden lines this film spews out. Go see "Seabiscuit" if you want a truly great film.
Piranha 3D (2010)
Mildly fun, took too long to get fun.
This was an OK film. I knew what I was in for, yet you go to see lots of Piranhas eat people & watch all the cool ways to kill them. Unfortunately they had to mess w/trying to have some semblance of a plot which was pointless. We didn't care about the boy not admitting he's in love w/the girl. WHO CARES? The 1st hour is basically a complete waste. However once you get over the boring 1st hour, the last 1/3 is pretty fun. I think they should have had more Kelly Brook of course & more Jerry O'Connell playing the complete douche-bag. He plays it well & seems to be having fun w/it too. The best thing is that although the film didn't too to well here in the states, it cost $24 mil only made $25. It made an extra $54 mil worldwide so it was quite a success. So now in the sequel maybe they will have learned to just really go for it in "Piranha 3DD." Here's hoping!
Tapped (2009)
A Scam on a global scale!
Now it's not that film is anything great it just presents a lot of facts that you would think most people would already know about. I have probably bought bottled water maybe a dozen times in my entire life. It was only when there was no other option to get any other sort of water or I needed a bottle to fill up w/ god forbid tap water! I cannot understand for the life of me why Bottled water is a business at all. It is after all nothing more than a giant scam. It simply amazes me that this is a $10 billion dollar or more industry. How is this possible? There is a great "Penn & Teller Bull-Sh*t" that proves just what a joke it really is. They test a bunch of people drinking bottled waters against regular ol' tap water & guess what 8/10 of them went for the tap water! The thing that will upset you the most is the way the "Nestle" company continued to bottle water in Maine, while they are in the middle of a drought! So basically these people all had to ration there water so that "Nestle" could continue to bottle their water. Now I understand to a certain extent the companies side too, because it's a huge boon to them considering they are upping the price by 9,999% so it's an obvious cash cow. Plus you have to imagine even if it is a joke people are buying it & it must help w/jobs & w/the local economy too. Overall it seems really stupid, but there are good arguments on both sides of the fence.
The King's Speech (2010)
3 Oscar acting Nominations for sure.
This is easily one of the best films of the year. Overall it has been a terrible year for movies besides a few exceptions. Granted I haven't seen some of the favorites such as "The Fighter," but overall people & the movie industry wonders why they were down in profits? It wasn't because we didn't have money (we had less last year!) it's because the selection for the most part stunk. I predict this film will get a minimum of 6-8 Oscar nominations this year. Colin Firth is about as close to a shoo-in bet for a nomination I'd bet on it if it was in Vegas. Perhaps he will win, but I'm not sure. Geoffrey Rush will get nominated, but I felt that he was in the movie too much to be stuck in the same category as Helena Bonham-Carter (who will also get a Nom.) for Supporting Actor. I usually don't notice musical scores as most of them are completely...well they're just there. I thought this score was excellent. I think it is a shoo-in for Best Picture & should get a Best Director & hopefully screenplay nod as well.
My only suggestion is that most kids under the age of 21 won't appreciate it & find it boring. That's fine but when you're tired of watching Garbage like the "Step Up" movies or have to watch stuff explode over and over & it is completely devoid of a plot, come back to this. You'll be glad you did, if not for Colin Firths' performance alone.
Circus (2010)
Once you get into it, you'll be hooked.
This is an excellent Documentary series following the "Big Apple Circus" & all the personalities that make a Circus. It's a bit slow the 1st couple hours as you get to know all of the people that make up the show. However once you starting learning about them, it's not the acts they do or the job they perform that makes it so interesting. You'll get to know the clown known as "Grandma" real name Barry Lubin, & some of the trials he has to go through. You also get to know the man that created the "Big Apple Circus" & get to see him as he slowly passes the torch of the show to others. I don't want to give anything away because it's an excellent journey that you don't want to end.
Supersize vs Superskinny (2008)
A quite brilliantly executed documentary show.
This is a show I completely stumbled on by accident. It basically has 2 people 1 too skinny & 1 too fat & they switch diets for 5 days. They seem to live together get to know each other & make the meals they usually eat & serve it to each other. That is only part of the show. They also follow a group of Anorexic's going through therapy. We get to learn about them a little bit more every week which is very informational & entertaining. It's all about the extremely deep issues of their problems w/food. I've learned that Anorexia is so much more complicated then just not eating. It's deep emotional issues that have found a form in controlling their food intake so that they can feel they have control of something. I am currently watching Season 3 & this year has a journalist named Anna Richardson trying to get her body in shape by any means necessary. She is not only a excellent journalist, she's also quite funny & has no shame which really makes you gravitate towards what she's doing from week to week as well. She really let's you in on all the things she's unhappy about w/her body. She has no qualms about showing you what she can't stand about her almost 40 year old body. The truth is she really is an attractive woman that just wants to look younger. Even if you aren't interested in this sort of program, you will still be entertained by the excellent stories presented in each program.
No Ordinary Family: Pilot (2010)
A solid beginning, w/lots of places to go.
I saw this online w/ABC's free preview of this, the Pilot episode. I enjoyed it quite a bit & I think it is a shoo in for a season 2 renewal. It was clever, the cast was great, & all the powers while not new, were used well. It is nice to finally see Julie Benz getting the recognition she deserves since she was on "Angel" as the Vampire who created him. She was good on "Dexter" but she really only had a supporting role that didn't seem to get to do much. Granted I haven't seen S4 yet, but the 1st 3 years she wasn't used much. I thought everything was done pretty well except for a few of the effects, which I'm sure will get better as the series (hopefully) does well. I hope people tune in to the series. Cheers.
Ultraviolet (1998)
Very interesting, but leaves you pretty irked.
It's very enjoyable although starts a little slow. It's mostly frustrating because there was so much more story than just 6 episodes that were made. It so obviously needed a least another 2 years to sort of wrap something up. It leaves you wanting more but at the same time upset because you get into it & it completely leaves you hanging in every respect. Idris Elba is good as always & I liked the other leads too. It was nice to see a young Stephen Moyer("True Blood") play a vampire. This is one of those shows that I would like to recommend, but at the same time I wouldn't because of the complete lack of any sort of above mentioned conclusion.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Fun Parts, but in the top 250 of all time C'mon.
I enjoyed parts of the film including my favorite sequence shot First Person Shooter style. That was cool filmmaking & wish it would have been done a little longer. Some of the acting was just plain bad too. The lead kid, was really not lead material whatsoever. I realize an 11 year old girl can be trained to be pretty emotionless if she is raised in such a way. ***SPOILER*** However after she loses her dad, her pretty much lack of any sort of sadness is kind of pushing it. After all she's still a kid who only has her father. ***END SPOILER*** As many have already said the star of the movie is the girl Chloe Moretz as 'Hit Girl'. She is a superstar in the making as long as she matures well & picks the right roles ("Let Me In" is a step in the right direction!) & doesn't go the Lindsay Lohan route. We all thought Dakota Fanning would still be something today, but she has landed into more supporting roles & dare I say it, not as good an actress as when she was younger. One of the best things of the movie is that despite the budget only being $30 million it looks like it cost double or triple that. Why can't we have some of those sorts of people that can keep the costs down, working for the gov't, so we can get out of this Trillion dollar debt. That's right Gov't service isn't nearly as fun & doesn't pay as well. It's a good film, but to be rated above "The Princess Bride" is quite simply insulting. Now I know nothing of the comic I purely judge a film on what makes a good film, a good script, acting, character interactions, directing, so on and so forth. This is not an 8 or even a 7, more like a 6.5.
A Sound of Thunder (2005)
Watched again, remember why it was so bad.
I think is the most expensive movie (besides "Pluto Nash") to ever be released. If I remember right it cost $80 million. It had been finished for years, and kept being pushed back & back until people like Edward Burns had at least a couple movies released before this was. I think another record it broke was the most theaters while averaging some amazingly bad average. It's opening weekend was less than a $1 million opening! Anyway it is a terrible movie. Edward Burns must have gotten a decent paycheck to be a part of this travesty of a film. I liked the "Braveheart" gal in this, but she was way too good to be a part of this. If you love the short, don't watch this at all.
The Road (2009)
Absolutely beautiful cinematography.
I didn't love this film, but it sure as heck deserved more Box Office than the $8 million it did in North America. What I loved more than anything was how absolutely beautiful it was to watch. The dark Palette that is the film really added to a pretty decent story. Viggo Mortensen (as always) helped elevate an OK film to a little better than OK. I'm always saddened when a quality film does such little Box Office, when such other garbage like the "Step-Up" movies & "You Got Served" just to name a couple examples, does 5-10 times that number. I thought the little kid did a pretty good job as well. What this reminded my somewhat of was the plot of the mediocre at best "The Book of Eli." Although this had less than a third of the budget of "Eli," this was the better looking film. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic type movies, then you are sure to enjoy this film. If that is not your cup of tea, you'll probably still enjoy it, but maybe not quite as much.
Jockeys (2009)
Quite enjoyable show.
I have never really been a fan of horse racing as it helps to grow up near one. The closes to me was the Belmont stakes a good 3 hours from where I grew up. If I had been around one, I'm sure I'd be a big fan as I enjoy Mammals racing w/their legs. When I say mammals I mean that I don't enjoy watching cars go in circles, bike racing, or anything where you need a machine. What I enjoy most about the show is the great cast of characters involved. As much as I enjoy watching the people it would be nice to focus a little bit more on the horses. Granted the show is called "Jockeys" so obviously that's what they focus on. Now if I had to watch this week to week on TV, I probably would skip it. Thanks to Netflix, I've been able to watch the two seasons pretty much nonstop thanks to the Instant Streaming feature. If you are a fan of horse racing or are just tired of of all the trash reality shows (I'm looking @ you "Big Brother" & "The Bachelor & ette series!") give this a try. It's nice to see some shows that don't have almost every single thing be staged, because let's face it, it's was mildly entertaining when "Survivor" came out 10 years ago, but now it's just lame.
The A-Team (2010)
Don't over think it & it's pretty fun.
Now this isn't a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not bad either. Some of the sequences are completely ridiculous. However they are ridiculous in that good sort of way. I enjoyed Sharlto Copley the most as Murdock the most. I felt that everyone knew what kind of film they were in except for Liam Neeson. He seemed to take it all way to seriously. I haven't seen the show in quite a long time, but I remember George Peppard as the perfect Hannibal. It seemed no matter who replaced him, even an Oscar nominated actor like Neeson could replace him. He owned that role. Neeson did the best he could w/what he was given, but he was the weakest link. The whole point of Jessica Biel's character seemed to be tacked on which wasn't her fault, but the scripts. I enjoyed it, but it's not really something you need to see more than once. If you enjoyed the TV series, (unless you're a real "A-Team" Purist) you'll enjoy the film enough.
The Last Airbender (2010)
Really terrible.
What happened to M Night? This is an absolutely terrible film. Even the Dreadful "Happening" was better than this. This is full of some of the worst writing & acting that you can imagine. 3D did not make this better in the least, in fact it was so obvious it was tacked on after-wards it detracts from an already bad film. I didn't love "The Sixth Sense" but it was pretty good compared to this absolute rubbish. What happened to the guy who made the excellent "Signs?" If there was any film that needed some sort of NAME actor involved this was surely it. The lead actor kid was such a bad actor it was hilarious! I haven't seen any of the cartoons this is based on so I don't have that bias towards this film at all. Unlike most who learned who Dev Patel was by the completely overrated "Slumdog Millionaire," if this was the first thing he had ever done he would never work again. I know the kid can act from his excellent turn in the fantastic BBC show "Skins," so I don't think it's fair to judge him in this turd-fest. The script is so bad & full of cliché's that someone of Tom Hanks of caliber of acting could not save this. This is so terrible & from what I've heard it rips apart the cartoon & everything that people loved about it. The lead actor kid is so obviously not an actor it's painfully obvious & embarrassing. As far as the 3D is concerned, it is god-awful & it is obvious. Usually I would recommend this to die hard's but I think even they will hate it. I didn't hate it, but it was pretty close. Quite possibly the worst movie I've seen this year by a mile.
River Monsters (2009)
Quite enjoyable w/a great host.
This show is for all of us fisherman out there. We would all love to catch at least one of these monsters in our lives. Besides all the great fish, it's really Jeremy Wade the Biologist/Fisherman/Host that makes it the most entertaining. I hope this show goes on for a long time as it's always interesting to hear all of the stories of these monster fish & how in some cases they've killed or maimed people. The only thing that makes me sad is it seems most of the big fish aren't here in U.S. (Bummer) Although he only covers the freshwater fish right now, I can just imagine how big the fish can be when (hopefully) he switches to the monster fish in the ocean. That can be another series in itself which would again be entertaining as long as Jeremy Wade is the host. I enjoy showing people the fish he catches. My favorite fish so far he has caught has been the huge Aripima he caught out of the Amazon & the other fish w/the huge teeth The Goliath Tiger Fish. The Teeth look like they were tacked on because it doesn't look like it belongs here in this time, but more in the Jurassic era. If you have a chance to look those fish up, you will be quite impressed w/these fish. If you enjoy fishing even a little bit, or just like seeming huge fish you will enjoy this show.
Flammen & Citronen (2008)
Enjoyable Little known WWII history.
I seek out everything WWII based & this was no exception. I'd been wanting to see this as soon as I heard about it. I especially wanted to see it because it has Mads Mikkelsen in it who most know from his turn as the bad guy in the Bond film "Casino Royale" but actually showed his acting ability in the little seen but excellent "After the Wedding." This overall although not a great film, still has quite a bit of charm & the story keeps you engaged as well. It seems many forget about Holland or the Netherlands (whatever you want to call it) & it's role during the War. It's films like this that help refresh peoples memories & it it doesn't hurt when it's done well too. If you enjoy WWII films then this is another that should be seen as it's a solid entry in the genre.
A Serious Man (2009)
It's either hit or miss w/the Coen Bros...MISS.
The Coen brothers are the most hit & miss writer/directors I know of in all of the world. It seems nobody puts out more really good films along with really terrible films at the same time. I never understood what was so great about "Fargo" except for a couple of scenes it is completely forgettable. This film is completely forgettable in every single way. It's a film you keep waiting for the plot to come yet never shows up! The acting was good & that's about it. It is one of the most pointless boring films I've seen this year & I've easily seen 500 films this year. Thanks Netflix streaming. I would be surprised if even the hardcore Coen fans can find much of anything to be enjoyed. I thought "No Country for Old Men" was excellent although I didn't think it was perfect like so many others did. However I thought "The Ladykillers" was absolutely terrible as was "Intolerable Cruelty." On the other hand they made "The Big Lewbowski" which I will be forever grateful to them for. The also made "Blood Simple" which was terrible. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground with them, their films are either really good "O Brother where art Thou," or Bad "Burn after Reading." This film is a huge pointless, boring, sleep inducing mess. ONLY WATCH If you are a die hard Coen fan, just don't expect a Lebowski.
Pleasantville (1998)
Absolutely heartwarming w/amazing performances.
This movie I haven't seen in years & yet I often think about it. It was one of those films you were sad to see end. Beyond just the excellent & original story is all of the brilliant performances by all. In a cast that was excellent all around including Tobey McGuire & Reese Witherspoon before either of them were big stars I have to give special props to Jeff Daniels & Joan Allen. I have yet to meet anyone that doesn't think this is an extremely good film. The way all of the characters interact is what makes this such a special film. I honestly don't know how this didn't make at least twice as much money as it did, because it's that original. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor & watch it & I dare you not to be impressed. I would especially recommend this to fans of 1950's & 60's shows such as "The Andy Griffith Show" & "The Dick Van Dyke show. Have fun & be prepared to be very impressed w/the originality & the tremendous performances by the huge & fabulous cast.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Not Bad, but not good either, it's just missing something.
This was extremely mediocre in the biggest way a film can be. The story. It's barely there at all. Everything about the film was top notch, the acting the special effects, the set pieces etc. However it just goes to show that unless you have a good story & a good script, there is something missing. You never get invested in the story even for a second. That was what made the first film what it was, a really fun & engaging storyline. This had absolutely none of that whatsoever. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't good. The word of mouth on this will spread (badly) & I would be shocked if this makes as much as the first film which relied on the excellent word of mouth to make it such a successful & very well reviewed film. It seemed like they really should have made the script the most important part of the film. Mickey Rourke did the best he was given, but he just wasn't an interesting/scary bad guy at all. Especially comparing to Jeff Bridges of the first film. I wish people would stop comparing this so much to the first film & stop rating it so high based on that film. If you hadn't seen the first, it doesn't hold up well as a standalone film. In fact if this was the first "Iron Man" It would be doubtful we would have seen a second film. On a good note Robert Downey Jr. is good to an extent, but they should have let his own personality shine through even more as he is the reason people love the character. Unless you're a die hard "Iron Man" fan you will find little to want to watch this more than once.
The Collector (2009)
A pointless plot less mess.
Quite simply this blows. There is basically extremely violence w/out any sort of point. Don't get me wrong I can appreciate good violence when it has something to do w/the story. This just shows violence to show violence. There is absolutely no point to all of this violence. Worse than that is the fact that there isn't any semblance of a comprehensible story either. There seems to be random characters popping up but for absolutely no reason! The first half hour is an absolute waste of time. There are plot-holes (for whatever plot there is) that are hilariously bad also. What is most amazing is that somehow this garbage was released theatrically too! Skip this at all costs.