Film Reviews - what have you seen lately, what did you think?
- Thread starter TLB
- Start date
- Aug 28, 2014
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Guardians 3. Definitely the weakest of the three. Unfortunately, I paid for it which a do not recommend. Very weak writing with comedic moments that don't hit the mark. The movie is mostly the backstory of Rocket and the other side characters which is okay but not why you watch a GoG movie. If this was the first movie there wouldn't have been a second movie. Watchable but misses the magic of the first two.
- Jan 6, 2015
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Ok, wife took the kids Friday afternoon to visit her brother, which means I'm binging again...buckle up.
Started off with a pair of Stephen King repeats:
Nothing really to add, fairly slow and plodding meh in terms of a ghost story. I will give a hsoutout to Thomas Jane in the lead for being the thin, weather, odd talking type I would expect from a 1922 Nebraska farmer. He did well with the role, but still not worth recommending/watching.
Still feels like I never completed the book, though I know I did. Felt like a partially first-watch because I'd forgotten so much (eclipse references-flashbacks I thought were from another film), and I had completely forgotten the midnight man. This watch, what stood out was how hot Carla Gugino is, not just for her age but in general. Wow. I recommended earlier that this was a decent watch, but rewatching her in a silk nightie fir the majority of the film definitely boosts my ...erm, recommendation. Also, watching is infinitely better than reading this one, as it clarifies the delusions she is having - the voices in her head throughout her ordeal.
Started off with a pair of Stephen King repeats:
Nothing really to add, fairly slow and plodding meh in terms of a ghost story. I will give a hsoutout to Thomas Jane in the lead for being the thin, weather, odd talking type I would expect from a 1922 Nebraska farmer. He did well with the role, but still not worth recommending/watching.
Still feels like I never completed the book, though I know I did. Felt like a partially first-watch because I'd forgotten so much (eclipse references-flashbacks I thought were from another film), and I had completely forgotten the midnight man. This watch, what stood out was how hot Carla Gugino is, not just for her age but in general. Wow. I recommended earlier that this was a decent watch, but rewatching her in a silk nightie fir the majority of the film definitely boosts my ...erm, recommendation. Also, watching is infinitely better than reading this one, as it clarifies the delusions she is having - the voices in her head throughout her ordeal.
- Jan 6, 2015
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Project Almanac (2015) <Netflix>
I thought this was a repaet, and may still be, but I didn't post about hit here yet, sooo....
IMDB: A group of teens discovers secret plans for a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
TLB: Start with a group of HS friends in 2014, protagonist is applying to MIT and his younger sister is using an old VCR camera of their dads to record all their activities. We learn dad died 10y ago, having to leave during his son's 7th bday. Kids watching video of the bday realize son is in the background at age 17...time travel! The find dad had a plan for a prototype, but being 10y more tech advanced and an MIT candidate among them they are able to build it and improve it. We mix a bit of the butterfly effects in their travels back, add in a hottie to the group for awkward romance, set some rules and break them, etc. Nothing earth shattering in terms of story or effects, but a decent run through. Ok to kill an hour or two, but I wouldn't cut out time for it specifically, there are other films that do it better. Biggest point is the Blair Witch filming - lot of shaky camera work, gets kinda annoying but yeah it is understandable (though why not use their smartphones more?!?!?)
Final: 5.5/10
I thought this was a repaet, and may still be, but I didn't post about hit here yet, sooo....
IMDB: A group of teens discovers secret plans for a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
TLB: Start with a group of HS friends in 2014, protagonist is applying to MIT and his younger sister is using an old VCR camera of their dads to record all their activities. We learn dad died 10y ago, having to leave during his son's 7th bday. Kids watching video of the bday realize son is in the background at age 17...time travel! The find dad had a plan for a prototype, but being 10y more tech advanced and an MIT candidate among them they are able to build it and improve it. We mix a bit of the butterfly effects in their travels back, add in a hottie to the group for awkward romance, set some rules and break them, etc. Nothing earth shattering in terms of story or effects, but a decent run through. Ok to kill an hour or two, but I wouldn't cut out time for it specifically, there are other films that do it better. Biggest point is the Blair Witch filming - lot of shaky camera work, gets kinda annoying but yeah it is understandable (though why not use their smartphones more?!?!?)
Final: 5.5/10
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,140
- 26,536
Double World (2020) <Netflix>
IMDB: Seeing the neighboring country become more and more powerful, a warlord organizes a competition to reveal the best warriors. A young man is eager to bring honour to his clan.
TLB: Of course I have to throw in some Asian kung fu theater somewhere this weekend. Watching in Mandarim, subs in English. I will say there is a LOT of conversation so it got a little annoying rather than just background noise. China is divided in half as nations,nunder a current 10y truce. South has 8 kingdoms, and the young king is attacked by assassins so his highest advisor "Grand Tutor" says we need to restart the challenges - each kingdom/clan sends 3 warriors and the best will become grand marshall to lead them to war against the North. We pick up 'bastard' (no idea who hisparents are) as our central character running around as a thief and nuisance in a mining clan, he partners with 'deserter' (lone survivor from great defeat at end of last war), and a clan officer to represent them at the challenges. Round 1 is in a bigger-than-the-collesuem setting and only the winning 3 teams advance (other survivors are branded ion the face as losers). Second challenge is stealing an egg from a great dragon-snake beast so only one team can win this challenge. The last challenge is that only one survivor can be field marshall, so they have to kill the other two team mates.
Story is of the key two (deserter & bastard) going thru challengs, as their third is killed as soon as they leave the village, getting taken by 40' giant black desert scorpions = CGI is top notch throughout. They need a third in order to compete, and while they get tricked into buying a slave (Northerner captured and cage fighting) this person is never considered, but instead a vagabond thief (no parents or history, or even a name as they named themself) becomes the third. We have character dynamics of bastard believing his mother destined him for greatness, seeking a mystical forest to understand who his dad may have been; while having a light romance wth thief who provides us the 'only looking forward, never back' perspective and optimism cherishing the here and now. Deserter is on a mission, not to become Field Marshall but to get close enough to Grand Tutor to kill him (dun-dun-DUN!!! He is a spy for the North and caused the war loss 10y ago, including the death of deserter's brother leading the south in that war). Slave, we discover, was a young daughter of the North's general, killed in that battle by Deserter's brother, and she wants to kill deserter in revenge. Slave-Deserter evolve over time, Bastard follows his path but it is left open at the end for a sequel), Thief plays her part well throughout and serves her purpose.
Bottom line is the story and characters are good - not too deep or too thin, CGI is probably the best out there. Action sequences are pretty good because of creativity with CGI - not any hand-to-hand, but creatures and weaponry fights. Hokey bit in second act with Bastard talking with Dragon-Snake, but whatever. Weaknesses....meh, not really, other than a lot of dialogue, but it is needed.
Final: 7.5/10 Like asian films, see this one.
IMDB: Seeing the neighboring country become more and more powerful, a warlord organizes a competition to reveal the best warriors. A young man is eager to bring honour to his clan.
TLB: Of course I have to throw in some Asian kung fu theater somewhere this weekend. Watching in Mandarim, subs in English. I will say there is a LOT of conversation so it got a little annoying rather than just background noise. China is divided in half as nations,nunder a current 10y truce. South has 8 kingdoms, and the young king is attacked by assassins so his highest advisor "Grand Tutor" says we need to restart the challenges - each kingdom/clan sends 3 warriors and the best will become grand marshall to lead them to war against the North. We pick up 'bastard' (no idea who hisparents are) as our central character running around as a thief and nuisance in a mining clan, he partners with 'deserter' (lone survivor from great defeat at end of last war), and a clan officer to represent them at the challenges. Round 1 is in a bigger-than-the-collesuem setting and only the winning 3 teams advance (other survivors are branded ion the face as losers). Second challenge is stealing an egg from a great dragon-snake beast so only one team can win this challenge. The last challenge is that only one survivor can be field marshall, so they have to kill the other two team mates.
Story is of the key two (deserter & bastard) going thru challengs, as their third is killed as soon as they leave the village, getting taken by 40' giant black desert scorpions = CGI is top notch throughout. They need a third in order to compete, and while they get tricked into buying a slave (Northerner captured and cage fighting) this person is never considered, but instead a vagabond thief (no parents or history, or even a name as they named themself) becomes the third. We have character dynamics of bastard believing his mother destined him for greatness, seeking a mystical forest to understand who his dad may have been; while having a light romance wth thief who provides us the 'only looking forward, never back' perspective and optimism cherishing the here and now. Deserter is on a mission, not to become Field Marshall but to get close enough to Grand Tutor to kill him (dun-dun-DUN!!! He is a spy for the North and caused the war loss 10y ago, including the death of deserter's brother leading the south in that war). Slave, we discover, was a young daughter of the North's general, killed in that battle by Deserter's brother, and she wants to kill deserter in revenge. Slave-Deserter evolve over time, Bastard follows his path but it is left open at the end for a sequel), Thief plays her part well throughout and serves her purpose.
Bottom line is the story and characters are good - not too deep or too thin, CGI is probably the best out there. Action sequences are pretty good because of creativity with CGI - not any hand-to-hand, but creatures and weaponry fights. Hokey bit in second act with Bastard talking with Dragon-Snake, but whatever. Weaknesses....meh, not really, other than a lot of dialogue, but it is needed.
Final: 7.5/10 Like asian films, see this one.
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Eli (2019) <Netflix>
Looking for horror, got a weak imitation of The Omen.
IMDB: A boy receiving treatment for his auto-immune disorder discovers that the house he's living in isn't as safe as he thought.
TLB: First, we start off with bubble-boy 'Eli' and his folks driving cross country for a specialized treatment given everything else has failed. Mom is a hot Dana Plato if were still living. Dad has a voice and look of several known actors, but he isn't one of them...just a familiar mix. Boy actor is a nobody, but the main doctor of Dr. Horn (Lily Taylor) is familiar from many films. Last notable actor is 'Haley' (Sadie Sink) who you will recognize.
Doc is operating out of a 'clean house' allowing the boy to leave the suit, and treatment involves 3 phases, each progressively harder on the boy (injections causing him to overheat). Then, boy starts getting visited, a LOT, by ghosts of previous children who were treated by the doc = they aren't cured, they are eventually killed. Fuggit, Imma spoil this for ya'll because you SHOULD NOT SEE THIS. Dad is in with doc and staff who are actually all nuns of a secret order; injections are holy water trying to drive the literal hell out of these kids. Mom wanted a kid so bad she made a deal with the devil, so that is who the real dad is. Haley on the outside of the house is actually another half-sibling to Eli, just like the other kids = all spawns of Satan. There's a handful of questions this film presents and doesn't even pretend to address (Haley's presence being one of them), but I won't burden you with them.
Summary - weak story, weak acting, minimal special effects, nothing at all to redeem watching this.
Final: 2/10 Avoid.
Looking for horror, got a weak imitation of The Omen.
IMDB: A boy receiving treatment for his auto-immune disorder discovers that the house he's living in isn't as safe as he thought.
TLB: First, we start off with bubble-boy 'Eli' and his folks driving cross country for a specialized treatment given everything else has failed. Mom is a hot Dana Plato if were still living. Dad has a voice and look of several known actors, but he isn't one of them...just a familiar mix. Boy actor is a nobody, but the main doctor of Dr. Horn (Lily Taylor) is familiar from many films. Last notable actor is 'Haley' (Sadie Sink) who you will recognize.
Doc is operating out of a 'clean house' allowing the boy to leave the suit, and treatment involves 3 phases, each progressively harder on the boy (injections causing him to overheat). Then, boy starts getting visited, a LOT, by ghosts of previous children who were treated by the doc = they aren't cured, they are eventually killed. Fuggit, Imma spoil this for ya'll because you SHOULD NOT SEE THIS. Dad is in with doc and staff who are actually all nuns of a secret order; injections are holy water trying to drive the literal hell out of these kids. Mom wanted a kid so bad she made a deal with the devil, so that is who the real dad is. Haley on the outside of the house is actually another half-sibling to Eli, just like the other kids = all spawns of Satan. There's a handful of questions this film presents and doesn't even pretend to address (Haley's presence being one of them), but I won't burden you with them.
Summary - weak story, weak acting, minimal special effects, nothing at all to redeem watching this.
Final: 2/10 Avoid.
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Avengement (2019) <Netflix>
IMDB: After years of assaults on him in prison, convicted felon Cain Burgess escapes for avengement on those responsible.
TLB: A gangster betrayed by his brother seeks revenge.
I'm going to pause right here and talk a minute about Scott Adkins, who plays Cain Burgess, our protagonist in this film. He was also the lead in Accident Man and one of the action actors in Triple Threat that I've reviewed earlier in this thread. I believe he was a producer on this film, and see he was a co-writer on Accident Man. It has finally clicked for me what he is - a poor man's Jason Statham. The good looking, English accent guy who isn't to a level of A-list but is doing all he can at B-level. Not a knock on him, quite the contrary I think he is doing awesome maximizing his ceiling for success. But, yeah, now I can put my finger on what he is.
Back to Avengement, he is in pretty much ALL scenes. We start off as he visits his dying mum at hospital, and overpowers the guards with him to make his escape. He makes his way to a dive 'members only' pub where his brother's current gang frequents. We have an aged but once-was-maybe-atractive(?) barmaid, a half dozen low level thugs, and the gang lieutenant 'Hyde'. He holds them hostage and tells Hyde to phone his brother, Lincoln Burgess to come down. Lincoln arrives with a few extra thugs and is thrown into the group hug in the bar.
As Adkins is an action star, we spend time in the bar with a ton of flashbacks to how he got into prison, had a price on his head while in there because of his brother, and determined to toughen up not just for survival but to wreak revenge at some point = lot of prison fights (hand to hand, knives). Things in the bar melt down and Cain ends up in an all out brawl with the dozen or so in there. He kills Hyde (who helped brother Lincoln set him up), and is left solely with barmaid and brother at the end of the fight. Brother has the double barrel, points at Cain and pulls trigger but both shots are spent. We close with all things made right as possible with the gang's victims, Lincoln ruined as a gangster, and Cain slinking off to anonymity.
Takeaways - fight scenes are ok but perhaps a bit too many of them, story is ok (not to thin), overall about meh+ in general.
Final: 6.5/10 you can do better, and you can do worse.
IMDB: After years of assaults on him in prison, convicted felon Cain Burgess escapes for avengement on those responsible.
TLB: A gangster betrayed by his brother seeks revenge.
I'm going to pause right here and talk a minute about Scott Adkins, who plays Cain Burgess, our protagonist in this film. He was also the lead in Accident Man and one of the action actors in Triple Threat that I've reviewed earlier in this thread. I believe he was a producer on this film, and see he was a co-writer on Accident Man. It has finally clicked for me what he is - a poor man's Jason Statham. The good looking, English accent guy who isn't to a level of A-list but is doing all he can at B-level. Not a knock on him, quite the contrary I think he is doing awesome maximizing his ceiling for success. But, yeah, now I can put my finger on what he is.
Back to Avengement, he is in pretty much ALL scenes. We start off as he visits his dying mum at hospital, and overpowers the guards with him to make his escape. He makes his way to a dive 'members only' pub where his brother's current gang frequents. We have an aged but once-was-maybe-atractive(?) barmaid, a half dozen low level thugs, and the gang lieutenant 'Hyde'. He holds them hostage and tells Hyde to phone his brother, Lincoln Burgess to come down. Lincoln arrives with a few extra thugs and is thrown into the group hug in the bar.
As Adkins is an action star, we spend time in the bar with a ton of flashbacks to how he got into prison, had a price on his head while in there because of his brother, and determined to toughen up not just for survival but to wreak revenge at some point = lot of prison fights (hand to hand, knives). Things in the bar melt down and Cain ends up in an all out brawl with the dozen or so in there. He kills Hyde (who helped brother Lincoln set him up), and is left solely with barmaid and brother at the end of the fight. Brother has the double barrel, points at Cain and pulls trigger but both shots are spent. We close with all things made right as possible with the gang's victims, Lincoln ruined as a gangster, and Cain slinking off to anonymity.
Takeaways - fight scenes are ok but perhaps a bit too many of them, story is ok (not to thin), overall about meh+ in general.
Final: 6.5/10 you can do better, and you can do worse.
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Knock at the Cabin (2023) <Prime>
I needed something more current, so...
IMDB: While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
TLB: M. Night. Shyamalan as my opening comment - you can tell his attempt at suspense, and leveraging isolation of the characters against an impending doom situation. Also, I generally like David Bautista. Nobody else in the film of note. We know the plot (see above), but the armed strangers are four in number (4 Horsement, identified early then beat to obviousness in the closing dialogues). Interestingly, the four go to great lengths to explain this isn't their choice, that visions are guiding them to do what they must...but what they must do is an interesting twist on the situation. Opposite them is a family of three - Daddy Eric, Daddy Andrew, and little Wen. I don't see the two dads as an imposition of LBTGQI++ but more as a means to dodge the mother dynamic that would be present, and keep both parents 'equal' in the decision on who must die. As we progress, the family refuses to pick someone to die, our horsemen put on the tv to watch the devastation that brings = tidal waves, then virus, then planes crashing, etc. While this plays out, the dads are noting and discussing counter arguments such as the horsemen keep checking their watches like they know what will be broadcast and when, that one of the dad's believes he recognizes one of the horseman as someone who attacked him before as anti-gay. Dads are trying to determine how real this actually is, vs how crazy these folks are. Meanwhile the horsemen do what they must at each step of the way, making every effort to present themselves as sane, normal people, burdened with this exercise.
I'll leave it at that. Good story, keeps you questioning throughout while bonding with all characters.
Final: 8/10
I needed something more current, so...
IMDB: While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
TLB: M. Night. Shyamalan as my opening comment - you can tell his attempt at suspense, and leveraging isolation of the characters against an impending doom situation. Also, I generally like David Bautista. Nobody else in the film of note. We know the plot (see above), but the armed strangers are four in number (4 Horsement, identified early then beat to obviousness in the closing dialogues). Interestingly, the four go to great lengths to explain this isn't their choice, that visions are guiding them to do what they must...but what they must do is an interesting twist on the situation. Opposite them is a family of three - Daddy Eric, Daddy Andrew, and little Wen. I don't see the two dads as an imposition of LBTGQI++ but more as a means to dodge the mother dynamic that would be present, and keep both parents 'equal' in the decision on who must die. As we progress, the family refuses to pick someone to die, our horsemen put on the tv to watch the devastation that brings = tidal waves, then virus, then planes crashing, etc. While this plays out, the dads are noting and discussing counter arguments such as the horsemen keep checking their watches like they know what will be broadcast and when, that one of the dad's believes he recognizes one of the horseman as someone who attacked him before as anti-gay. Dads are trying to determine how real this actually is, vs how crazy these folks are. Meanwhile the horsemen do what they must at each step of the way, making every effort to present themselves as sane, normal people, burdened with this exercise.
I'll leave it at that. Good story, keeps you questioning throughout while bonding with all characters.
Final: 8/10
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Parallel (2018) <2018>
IMDB: A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a "multiverse", but soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side in order to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences.
TLB: Yes, more sci-fi and time travel. This one, however, revolves around four 20-somethings sharing a house struggling to make it in the world. The house was owned by an old recluse woman who disappeared - opening scenes show you what happened to her. Friends explore the attic and discover a mirror, which posesses the ability to travel to parallel dimensions, and time moves more slowly in those dimensions. Again - rules are set, and broken, as the group realizes each parallel has butterly effect differences, and they begin trying to bring those variances back to their home reality for personal gain. The artist (Leena) starts showing the art she stole from her alts, and they power hungry (Noel) leader steals ideas and inventions to bring back, while one team member (Devin) uses parallels to find his dad (suicide in his dimension, wants to get closure). Part of the rules is nobody goes alone, which of course power-hungry does, a lot. At one point Josh (weak marshmellow, crushing on the neighbor) ends up dying, and the team agrees to kidnap an alt Josh to here to keep things appearing normal (none of the alts are aware of the mirror, parallel dimensions, etc). That play adds a few more wrinkles as things start unravelling at the end.
Interesting take on the genre. Acting is acceptable, not stellar. You can see most plot twists coming.
Final: 7/10
IMDB: A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a "multiverse", but soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side in order to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences.
TLB: Yes, more sci-fi and time travel. This one, however, revolves around four 20-somethings sharing a house struggling to make it in the world. The house was owned by an old recluse woman who disappeared - opening scenes show you what happened to her. Friends explore the attic and discover a mirror, which posesses the ability to travel to parallel dimensions, and time moves more slowly in those dimensions. Again - rules are set, and broken, as the group realizes each parallel has butterly effect differences, and they begin trying to bring those variances back to their home reality for personal gain. The artist (Leena) starts showing the art she stole from her alts, and they power hungry (Noel) leader steals ideas and inventions to bring back, while one team member (Devin) uses parallels to find his dad (suicide in his dimension, wants to get closure). Part of the rules is nobody goes alone, which of course power-hungry does, a lot. At one point Josh (weak marshmellow, crushing on the neighbor) ends up dying, and the team agrees to kidnap an alt Josh to here to keep things appearing normal (none of the alts are aware of the mirror, parallel dimensions, etc). That play adds a few more wrinkles as things start unravelling at the end.
Interesting take on the genre. Acting is acceptable, not stellar. You can see most plot twists coming.
Final: 7/10
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Manchester by the Sea (2016) <Prime>
IMDB: A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
TLB: Watched awhile ago with the wife, but forgot to rate here. Quick reference by others already in this thread - Zambo says "worst movie ever", Gingerlover says "an ok drama...that goes slow". TLB and wife say "This sucks". Casey Affleck is Lee Chandler, the uncle taking care of a nephew he only has a sporadic history with, meanwhile he can't even take care of himself. Lee was an alcoholic, and we get flashbacks to him losing his wife and kid and blaming himself, mixed with flashbacks to time spent with his brother and nephew (nothing special), and scenes of Lee struggling as a superintendent fixing things in a bunch of apt buildings (no life, no income, nothing but miserable self flagellation-reflection). We have some current scenes of adjusting to caring for an older teen who wants independence, but really this entire film is just a huge depressing drag. At 2h+ long, you will ask yourself why didn't I stick myself in the eye and head to the ER?
Final 0.5/10
IMDB: A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
TLB: Watched awhile ago with the wife, but forgot to rate here. Quick reference by others already in this thread - Zambo says "worst movie ever", Gingerlover says "an ok drama...that goes slow". TLB and wife say "This sucks". Casey Affleck is Lee Chandler, the uncle taking care of a nephew he only has a sporadic history with, meanwhile he can't even take care of himself. Lee was an alcoholic, and we get flashbacks to him losing his wife and kid and blaming himself, mixed with flashbacks to time spent with his brother and nephew (nothing special), and scenes of Lee struggling as a superintendent fixing things in a bunch of apt buildings (no life, no income, nothing but miserable self flagellation-reflection). We have some current scenes of adjusting to caring for an older teen who wants independence, but really this entire film is just a huge depressing drag. At 2h+ long, you will ask yourself why didn't I stick myself in the eye and head to the ER?
Final 0.5/10
- Jul 23, 2014
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- Jan 6, 2015
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Oscar [Winner] (2017)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
But it’s like he is forced into community service for screwing someone’s dog
- Sep 20, 2014
- 3,926
- 4,676
Stumbled onto piles of woke disguised as something else this week.
Beanie Bubble (Apple TV) - Zack Galifinakis doing his best John Goodman and Elizabeth Banks star. Watched this movie because I thought it would be interesting learning a little about the craze that happened with Beanie Babies. However they decided to flub a lot of the back story trying to make an a*hole look even worse. Story focuses on 3 women from his life. One that was there at the beginning of the company, one that helped with revolutionizing marketing and one he was supposed to marry. Some of what happened was true, but in the fashion of making men look horrible and women as victims a lot of it was made up such as how much some of them even played a part in certain things. This is another one that suffers from trying to make a point out of a story that didn't have the example to begin with. A quick google search shows that a lot of what is claimed is not true. Basically they all get screwed over and it showing how evil the patriarchy is. When it actually focuses on the story its ok, but gets derailed by people claiming more than they actually did. 5/10
They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix) - Jamie Foxx & Finn from the new Star Wars movies. Basically a pimp, hooker and drug dealer stumble upon a secret lab under their town cloning the towns people after the drug dealer is killed and shows back up the next day. They then realize that the black people are being experimented on by the white people in the lab in order to breed assimilation among the AA community. Keifer Sutherland eventually shows up to play the evil white guy with the explanation for why they like them acting the way they do in their community in order to go unnoticed and the ultimate Uncle Tom shows up near the end further trying to explain why the white people are right. Got suckered into this by a funny preview, but plenty of evil white people cliche's. 4/10
Beanie Bubble (Apple TV) - Zack Galifinakis doing his best John Goodman and Elizabeth Banks star. Watched this movie because I thought it would be interesting learning a little about the craze that happened with Beanie Babies. However they decided to flub a lot of the back story trying to make an a*hole look even worse. Story focuses on 3 women from his life. One that was there at the beginning of the company, one that helped with revolutionizing marketing and one he was supposed to marry. Some of what happened was true, but in the fashion of making men look horrible and women as victims a lot of it was made up such as how much some of them even played a part in certain things. This is another one that suffers from trying to make a point out of a story that didn't have the example to begin with. A quick google search shows that a lot of what is claimed is not true. Basically they all get screwed over and it showing how evil the patriarchy is. When it actually focuses on the story its ok, but gets derailed by people claiming more than they actually did. 5/10
They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix) - Jamie Foxx & Finn from the new Star Wars movies. Basically a pimp, hooker and drug dealer stumble upon a secret lab under their town cloning the towns people after the drug dealer is killed and shows back up the next day. They then realize that the black people are being experimented on by the white people in the lab in order to breed assimilation among the AA community. Keifer Sutherland eventually shows up to play the evil white guy with the explanation for why they like them acting the way they do in their community in order to go unnoticed and the ultimate Uncle Tom shows up near the end further trying to explain why the white people are right. Got suckered into this by a funny preview, but plenty of evil white people cliche's. 4/10
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Thanks. Was eyeing this, but will skip.
- Aug 28, 2014
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I think it works because unlike other Weird AL TV/Movies it has good actors. Harry Potter played Weird Al better than Weird Al. Also, the writing just seemed better. And the film is aware of what it is. You do need to at least somewhat enjoy Weird Al humor to enjoy the movie I think. A million cameos, too.
- Jul 23, 2014
- 11,865
- 27,025
I’d like to hang out with Al - he’s always struck me as someone who’s both down to earth and hilarious
- Feb 15, 2016
- 6,069
- 11,302
Went to see Oppenheimer today. Aside from the artistic license and gratuitous sex scenes (really, neither advanced the plot), it was a pretty good movie. Of course the moral implications of letting the nuclear Genie out of the bottle are from the perspective of 70 years away from project. But the names and chronology are pretty spot on. New Mexico is more desolate than depicted and the rain storm is overdone. J. Robert had demons. He wouldn't have if he could have used his gadget on the Nazis.
- Jun 19, 2014
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Founding Member
- Sep 20, 2014
- 3,926
- 4,676
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mutant Mayham) - Where to start on this one. Took my ten year old to this last week. Like the Mario this is another one of those things we have bonded over since he was probably 4 or 5. He prefers the 2012 show, which is actually pretty good, but also watches the show from when we were kids. He also loves all the old arcade games and will spend hours just playing those either by himself or when I can play them with him. Seth Rogan wrote this one so I already had some concern it was going to go off the rails. Luckily they have established their own multi-verse decades ago so I can just remind myself it's a new dimension for a new generation.
This ones starts out showing a new origin if you will. The villain is new and was a creation of Baxter Stockman, along with a bunch of other familiar mutants. They essentially have been in hiding and are now trying to create something sinister. The turtles have lived a sheltered life with Splinter and when they finally get some freedom decide to save the day in hopes of making the world like them. Their is also TCRI involved and if you are familiar with the comics or other shows you have an idea of who they really are when it's finally revealed. They are trying to get all of them back, good and bad to study. Thats pretty much the plot. The main story they are trying to tell is the hope to fit in. The pacing and runtime were right on time as well.
My kids enjoyed this more than me, but I'll say what I do and don't like. I did like this iteration of the turtles. They younger voice cast, some who haven't hit puberty yet, fit the age range they were going for. The plot itself and how it is slow playing some of the reveals is nice as well. They have more movies and a show tied in coming so they have plenty of time. They cram a lot of characters in here, but bring some nice casting for the most part. There is no end credit scene, but the mid credit scene is a few minutes long and sets up some plot for where they are going and makes a few reveils.
That being said this one isn't for me, it's for my kids. I could not stand most of the character designs and while it's nice to see some of the characters on screen it did struggle to make them all meaningful. I mean you have 12-15 characters you are trying to give time to. The animation style is not my favorite either. Seth Rogan once again makes sure his side character is really loud. I absoultly can't stand him. The biggest gripe is the portrayal of Splinter. Just a person hating, Dorito eating rat. No real wisdom from him at all. April is just flat out annoying regardless of race. The movie didn't get to political which is a surprise considering who wrote it, but I have a feeling it will be tied to political movements as a symbol at some point due to the creator and the story of wanting to fit it/be accepted. You already can't criticise it online much without being told you are racist, even without bringing up how annoying April is, so it's coming which is a shame. I just hope they let it be what it is. My grade 5/10, my sons grade 7/10.
Jesus Revolution (Netflix) - Kelsey Grammer stars. Had no idea it was based on a true story when we started watching. In the 60s the hippie craze is taking over and straight laced preacher Grammer doesn't understand them. Is introduced to a street preaching hippie by his daughter and begins to realize that he has become the snobby Christian that discriminates. Soon a movement starts and they begin to bring in many lost souls converting them to Christianity instead of drugs. A bulk of the story focuses on a young man named Greg who is a lost soul, but quickly realizes he has a much greater calling. A few side stories with the hippie preacher getting out of hand and the relationship Greg is in. But its a pretty simple story and actually pretty good with a good message. My wife thought it dragged some, but the story in a way hit home a little for me. 6/10
The way the story hit home with me is how my youth pastor was treated. Before they essentially were forced to not allow him to come on campus he would visit all the local schools during lunch to talk with everyone from our youth group and even was the assistant coach for some of the sports. The church was small at the time, but he had a knack for finding the kids that needed to try it out the most. Not pushy or anything, but would convince them to go. Our youth group had everything from jocks to goths in it. Eventually as the church grew they decided they didn't want certain types of kids in the youth group associating with their children and let him go. I have not been back there since and I know many others my age that left as well. Been over 20 years.
Hidden Strike (Netflix) - John Cena & Jackie Chan. This movie is bad. Has a few funny moments and a few good action scenes, but is a true low budget Netflix movie. I feel like this was a Chinese movie that they inserted a few English speaking people in and the dub is horrible for some actors. Special effects are also not Hollywood so once again I do believe this was foreign made. Story is that Cena is a former mercenary trying to help a struggling village. His brother comes to him with a score to help earn the money needed to fix the towns water issues. They hit a group carrying a scientist with some codes they need and Chan is the guy who goes looking for them. They both reconcile and team up to take down the bad guy. 3/10
This ones starts out showing a new origin if you will. The villain is new and was a creation of Baxter Stockman, along with a bunch of other familiar mutants. They essentially have been in hiding and are now trying to create something sinister. The turtles have lived a sheltered life with Splinter and when they finally get some freedom decide to save the day in hopes of making the world like them. Their is also TCRI involved and if you are familiar with the comics or other shows you have an idea of who they really are when it's finally revealed. They are trying to get all of them back, good and bad to study. Thats pretty much the plot. The main story they are trying to tell is the hope to fit in. The pacing and runtime were right on time as well.
My kids enjoyed this more than me, but I'll say what I do and don't like. I did like this iteration of the turtles. They younger voice cast, some who haven't hit puberty yet, fit the age range they were going for. The plot itself and how it is slow playing some of the reveals is nice as well. They have more movies and a show tied in coming so they have plenty of time. They cram a lot of characters in here, but bring some nice casting for the most part. There is no end credit scene, but the mid credit scene is a few minutes long and sets up some plot for where they are going and makes a few reveils.
That being said this one isn't for me, it's for my kids. I could not stand most of the character designs and while it's nice to see some of the characters on screen it did struggle to make them all meaningful. I mean you have 12-15 characters you are trying to give time to. The animation style is not my favorite either. Seth Rogan once again makes sure his side character is really loud. I absoultly can't stand him. The biggest gripe is the portrayal of Splinter. Just a person hating, Dorito eating rat. No real wisdom from him at all. April is just flat out annoying regardless of race. The movie didn't get to political which is a surprise considering who wrote it, but I have a feeling it will be tied to political movements as a symbol at some point due to the creator and the story of wanting to fit it/be accepted. You already can't criticise it online much without being told you are racist, even without bringing up how annoying April is, so it's coming which is a shame. I just hope they let it be what it is. My grade 5/10, my sons grade 7/10.
Jesus Revolution (Netflix) - Kelsey Grammer stars. Had no idea it was based on a true story when we started watching. In the 60s the hippie craze is taking over and straight laced preacher Grammer doesn't understand them. Is introduced to a street preaching hippie by his daughter and begins to realize that he has become the snobby Christian that discriminates. Soon a movement starts and they begin to bring in many lost souls converting them to Christianity instead of drugs. A bulk of the story focuses on a young man named Greg who is a lost soul, but quickly realizes he has a much greater calling. A few side stories with the hippie preacher getting out of hand and the relationship Greg is in. But its a pretty simple story and actually pretty good with a good message. My wife thought it dragged some, but the story in a way hit home a little for me. 6/10
The way the story hit home with me is how my youth pastor was treated. Before they essentially were forced to not allow him to come on campus he would visit all the local schools during lunch to talk with everyone from our youth group and even was the assistant coach for some of the sports. The church was small at the time, but he had a knack for finding the kids that needed to try it out the most. Not pushy or anything, but would convince them to go. Our youth group had everything from jocks to goths in it. Eventually as the church grew they decided they didn't want certain types of kids in the youth group associating with their children and let him go. I have not been back there since and I know many others my age that left as well. Been over 20 years.
Hidden Strike (Netflix) - John Cena & Jackie Chan. This movie is bad. Has a few funny moments and a few good action scenes, but is a true low budget Netflix movie. I feel like this was a Chinese movie that they inserted a few English speaking people in and the dub is horrible for some actors. Special effects are also not Hollywood so once again I do believe this was foreign made. Story is that Cena is a former mercenary trying to help a struggling village. His brother comes to him with a score to help earn the money needed to fix the towns water issues. They hit a group carrying a scientist with some codes they need and Chan is the guy who goes looking for them. They both reconcile and team up to take down the bad guy. 3/10
