SO incredibly boring with lame dialogue, super-predictable plot, and a boring ending. If you need help getting to sleep, this is the perfect war movie for you. I'm baffled since it seems to get other good reviews.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Mostly Music
4 December 2021
I love "The Chosen" series and wanted to support it by seeing "Christmas with the Chosen" in theaters. I knew there would be special music in addition to the story itself, but hadn't realized the story would only be about 25% of the viewing experience. CCM isn't really my cup of tea, and all the zoomed-in facial emoting didn't help. (The Bonner family, however, was wonderful, as were the children's choir pieces). I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from supporting a good cause or from sending a message to theaters that there is a market for good-quality Christian films like "The Chosen"... but just recognize that most of this film is not actually "The Chosen."
The Rookie
(2018– )
Started out so good....then got preachy
16 July 2021
I am a little way into season 3 of "The Rookie." Today I clicked over to IMDb, wondering whether other people also started out really enjoying the series then became frustrated by the increasing preachy-ness. Yep.
The show had so much going for it. Engaging characters, great action, just the right amount of humor, interesting and often unpredictable plots (both within an episode and multi-episode story arcs)...All that in addition to wrestling with complex issues faced by cops and society as a whole. That's great. That aspect gives the show heart and makes it more interesting.
But then season 3 came. The writers got lazy, handing us lame dialogue, cardboard characters, and woke ideology served straight up. Remember, Rookie team, that most people watch a TV show to be entertained. If I want moralizing and preaching, I'll go to church or watch a Greta Thunberg clip.
Please, get back to the season 1 vibe!
The show had so much going for it. Engaging characters, great action, just the right amount of humor, interesting and often unpredictable plots (both within an episode and multi-episode story arcs)...All that in addition to wrestling with complex issues faced by cops and society as a whole. That's great. That aspect gives the show heart and makes it more interesting.
But then season 3 came. The writers got lazy, handing us lame dialogue, cardboard characters, and woke ideology served straight up. Remember, Rookie team, that most people watch a TV show to be entertained. If I want moralizing and preaching, I'll go to church or watch a Greta Thunberg clip.
Please, get back to the season 1 vibe!
A Quiet Place Part II
(2020)
Jump scare fun, but hardly "nerve-shredding"
29 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Lots of nail-biting fun, but doesn't live up to the first one. There were also a few "uh, why didn't they just (fill in the blank)" moments. For example:
Spoilers
-Why didn't they relocate near the roaring waterfall we saw in the first movie so they could relax and make a little noise? And have water...and catch fish?
-When making the trek back to town to get medicine or supplies, why don't they pick up a pair of shoes? Or at least some socks? Or just a fresh pair of bandages to replace the tattered messes they have wrapped around their feet?
-The creatures are powerful, dangerous, and angry, but they aren't exactly geniuses. Instead of broadcasting a cryptic message by way of a single song repeated endlessly, why not record and broadcast over and over the message: "ATTENTION: the creatures can't swim! Come join us on South Island!" (or whatever it's called).
Anyway...good acting, interesting story, appropriate mood music, and plenty of jump scare fun. Just don't think too hard about it.
Spoilers
-Why didn't they relocate near the roaring waterfall we saw in the first movie so they could relax and make a little noise? And have water...and catch fish?
-When making the trek back to town to get medicine or supplies, why don't they pick up a pair of shoes? Or at least some socks? Or just a fresh pair of bandages to replace the tattered messes they have wrapped around their feet?
-The creatures are powerful, dangerous, and angry, but they aren't exactly geniuses. Instead of broadcasting a cryptic message by way of a single song repeated endlessly, why not record and broadcast over and over the message: "ATTENTION: the creatures can't swim! Come join us on South Island!" (or whatever it's called).
Anyway...good acting, interesting story, appropriate mood music, and plenty of jump scare fun. Just don't think too hard about it.
Tenet
(2020)
Sound and Fury
1 September 2020
I love Inception and Interstellar, and I really wanted to love this Nolan film. Alas, I give it a solid "meh." There were some fun and interesting moments, to be sure, but the longer the movie went on, the more confusing it became with no real payoff, no resolution, no character development, no heart. It felt a bit like watching someone work on a math problem for 2 hours and 46 minutes--and never getting the answer.
I went from trying to understand what was happening, to being frustrated that I didn't understand, to no longer caring that I didn't understand. And, by the way, not only did I not understand what was happening in terms of trying to comprehend the plot, but half the time I couldn't understand the dialogue (and I'm not talking about the backward speech). I kept wishing there were subtitles.
Acting was fine, though it often felt a little wooden and I didn't connect with any of the characters. Branagh was the most interesting in an evil, creepy way. But many of his lines (that weren't screamed) were delivered in a mumbled, monotone half-whisper that was difficult to understand. Guess I'll find out what everybody was saying in a few months when I can stream it with subtitles.
Music: I miss Hans Zimmer, whose music is interesting in its own right as it helps build tension within the film. This score was not especially memorable. Seems like Nolan tried to make up for lack of plot and character development by making the sound track louder.
Another Inception this is not. Nolan is no idiot, but Tenet certainly appears to be full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
I went from trying to understand what was happening, to being frustrated that I didn't understand, to no longer caring that I didn't understand. And, by the way, not only did I not understand what was happening in terms of trying to comprehend the plot, but half the time I couldn't understand the dialogue (and I'm not talking about the backward speech). I kept wishing there were subtitles.
Acting was fine, though it often felt a little wooden and I didn't connect with any of the characters. Branagh was the most interesting in an evil, creepy way. But many of his lines (that weren't screamed) were delivered in a mumbled, monotone half-whisper that was difficult to understand. Guess I'll find out what everybody was saying in a few months when I can stream it with subtitles.
Music: I miss Hans Zimmer, whose music is interesting in its own right as it helps build tension within the film. This score was not especially memorable. Seems like Nolan tried to make up for lack of plot and character development by making the sound track louder.
Another Inception this is not. Nolan is no idiot, but Tenet certainly appears to be full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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