packard8's Reviews

Condor's Nest (2023)

10/10

27 November 2023

Sets are great, costuming great, but what makes this movie so great is the lead performance by Jacob Keohane. We are gonna see more from this guy. What a great actor, he. He can say more with just his face than you can write in a page. Support cast was also excellent.

I read the other reviews criticizing plot coincidence and other script issues, all I can say is no more in this movie than any other movie, I mean c'mon...Marvel anyone? Plus I liked the script because it wasn't the typical three act Hollywood formula. I hate formula. I hate seeing the same movie again and again just with different sets. This is not the same movie as the rest of them.

Yeah,there's some problems, but what's a movie's real purpose, to entertain, right? Well I was entertained for 103 minutes. That's why I gave it a 10/10.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

9/10

Oh thank God I was so worried it would suck

22 July 2023

The old Indiana Jones is back! This movie somehow managed to recapture the once lost tongue in cheek, over the top fun of the original three movies. I went into the theater with massively lowered expectations after the last one but let's just pretend that one never existed. If so then we have a cohesive four movies with the same unique feel. There is a wonderful ridiculousness to the whole series and this movie continued that tradition. It felt like it was shot very similarly with the exception of some obvious CGI which sticks out in a series that is known for practical effects. And most importantly NO ALIENS!! I loved it and I've old enough to have seen the original in the theater!

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On the Air (2016)

10/10

Very well done and funny

7 July 2023

I recently saw this hard to find movie and I was honored. It's well shot and funny, I was glad I found it.some gems to be found in it, well acted and well shot. Funny moments, I liked it and loled a few times!!

This is good moviemaking with a good script and good actor interpretation. A great, well produced comedy with really good actors, it's a ball to watch and I hope for more!

Well my review needs to be longer but what else can I say? It entertained me for 90 minutes so what else do you need? I had fun for 90 minutes so it's a worthwhile amount t of time spent! You will have fun too if you can find the movie!!

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Apocalypto (2006)

10/10

Intense as heck, you can't look away

30 January 2023

Ok I know I'm late to the party (2023) but this movie is now streaming on Roku and Holy Crap. It is intense as heck, amazing camerawork and incredible acting makes this a riveting film that's totally new and different from anything I've seen before. This is expanding the boundaries of filmmaking while remaining fast paced and entertaining at the same time. Both my wife and I couldn't take our eyes off the TV, and the funny part is that even though the whole movie is spoken in Mayan, we didn't want to miss a word!

I do want to warn you that it is pretty brutal, but the violence is part of the story.

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Violent Night (2022)

7/10

David Harbor establishes himself as a leading man in film

4 December 2022

Warning: Spoilers

Ok, 7 of ten because there are several failings that keep this movie from being a perfect revenge/redemption film. I'll start with the cons, to get them out of the way because I really did like this movie.

Cons: 1. Innocent deaths. The bad guys, who are already implanted, start murdering staff, security, and even the nice front gate man. That's just not cool, these are innocents, and you are just supposed to shoot them in the leg and lock them in a room or something. No one wants to see the poor dude who is holding a tray with cookies on it take a bullet to the brain and bleed into a puddle on the floor. Not cool.

2. Not quite a funny as I had hoped. I was hoping for a few more lines like "season's beatings" but most of the comedy comes from the creative deaths and use of Christmas stuff to kill people, although I must admit it's morbidly hilarious.

3. A bit heavy on plot, but I say this about every comedy. But then again, was this a full comedy?

Pros:

1. David Harbor has "it" that makes you like him immediately. He's a leading man in film now.

2. Fan service: the Oscar the Grouch sketch featuring David Harbor on SNL was constantly commented on as "if this were a real movie, I would go to see it" well they made it! So go see it.

3. Creativity. The deaths of the bad guys were absolutely brilliant. Few died the same way (or, spoiler, by the same person) and it had just enough gore and blood to satisfy, and it's the bad guys so that never bothers me. Guess I'm judgemental like Santa. Clever use of many different weapons, a little Santa backstory, and some grit and determination saves the day! I was happy when more bad guys showed up in the film, knowing that we'd have some more gory revenge deaths.

4. Well acted by supporting cast. Every one of them. And Beverly D'Angelo still looks damn good.

5. It's good enough that I'm worried it will be a holiday classic... Understand, it is VIOLENT. I mean they warn you in the title, don't blame me if your kids get traumatized.

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The Inside Man (2019–2023)

10/10

I would watch this even if they didn't make me

2 May 2022

So believe it or not this is actually a IT training video series but it has the production values of a great TV show. Well developed characters, good plot, fun to watch. I would watch this even if they didn't make me.

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Dale Archdale (2020)

10/10

Lots of little gems

16 July 2020

Overall, needs polish, but there are some funny bits here. Like stuff that pops into your head the next day. I could watch this as a show.

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Galavant (2015–2016)

10/10

Nothing Like it on Television- Hilarious, Original and Brilliant

6 January 2016

There are not enough superlatives to describe Galavant. I applaud ABC for even giving it a try, as it is so unlike anything else on TV. Such quickly developed characters, likable or love-to-hateable, Galavant provides great character driven laughs as well as a coherent plot line that you actually care about. And the songs.. well let's just say that clever is not even the word, they are brilliant. I find myself wanting to bust out laughing but scared to for fear I will miss the next verse. Costumes are great and over the top as well as fantastic sets and locations. Overall, Galavant is wildly entertaining and light years above any other sitcom on TV.

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After Earth (2013)

8/10

Wrongfully used as a punching bag-not bad at all

20 October 2014

People love to hate this film. I think they see it as a vanity project for the Smiths, and maybe they are right, but as far as entertainment value goes, it is high on the list. I took my 14 year old son to this movie for his birthday. It was a great experience for both of us. There is plenty of action, and I liked the fact that they have attempted to interpret the future carefully- for example, the accents are a real possibility as accents change over time, so they were not distracting as some have suggested. The danger feels real, and I thought the acting was certainly passable. It was not a formularic script either, there was some variation in the plot line that helped keep it interesting. My son and I bonded well over this film, and it has helped foster an interest for him in sci-fi. That alone makes me owe the producers a thank you.

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Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

1/10

So boring I wanted to cry- a character study with no sympathetic characters

19 October 2014

When I found this tape in my collection, I was astounded that I had missed it when it came out. The cast list reads like a who's who of awesome actors, suited perfectly for a gangster movie. And Sergio Leone directing! Wow! I read several reviews comparing this movie to the Godfather and Goodfellas, and was over the moon to see it. I set my machine up, got ready and sat down. An hour and a half later (I fast forwarded through so much of it) I was dulled to the point of near madness. The cinematography was great, and brilliantly imaged, but literally nothing of importance happened in this entire movie. The characters were unsympathetic with back stories of little to no relevance or interest. The plot dragged on ad nauseum, padded by long close ups of "dramatic" faces staring contemplatively as if they knew something we didn't. Oh they did, and that was that you should go to bed early and skip this one entirely. The few action scenes were few and far between, and the interminable dialog and love interest offal seemed to drag forever. Maybe I missed something, because I had to fast forward through a lot of this movie, something I rarely do, but I just couldn't stand it after the overwhelming pretentiousness of each character's chatter. Worst of all, nothing happened of interest. Nothing. It was as if the movie were made for the sole purpose of getting Oscar attention, without any nod to entertainment value. If you make a period gangster film, make it better than a History Channel documentary. the only redeeming quality of this film was the cinematography and the old cars. Instead, just watch Godfather and then go to a car show.

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Saturday Night Live: Dabney Coleman/The Cars (1987)

Season 13, Episode 3

10/10

One of the Top Ten SNL's of all time

25 September 2014

Oh Dabney- how great thou art! You come out and the monologue falls flat. No audience response. Nothing. Then you proceed to make one of the best SNL's of all time. The sketch after this one are representative of the best of comedy writing, and in Dabney's able hands, we have an SNL that I still think about from time to time to this very day. The campfire sketch, the school naming project, the blind guy (fav) and of course the marriage counselor- brilliant in every sense of the word. Along with one of the best SNL ensembles ever assembled, and you have comedy gold. Top ten of all time, as funny today as when I first saw it at 12 years old.

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Saturday Night Live: Tony Danza/John Hiatt (1989)

Season 14, Episode 11

10/10

Perhaps Top Ten SNL of all time

25 September 2014

I saw this episode live when I was a kid. I thought it was the height of perfection in comedy. I still believe it to be one of the best SNL's of all time. The writing was insanely good. The obvious standout is Da War of Da Woilds, but look deeper, What are you looking at (brilliantly clever), carbon paper, The lookout guys, I mean it is just a great example of comedic writing and performance, and innocent enough by todays standards (though the f-word is hinted at in the Woilds sketch). Tony Danza's personality came out in the monologue, he seems like a super nice and humble guy and really got the audience on his side right from the beginning. Along with one of the best SNL cast's ever assembled, together they made comedy history, at least in the eyes of this now grown up 12 year old kid.

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The Giver (2014)

10/10

Fantastic and Faithful Adaptation

18 August 2014

I have seen reviews comparing the Giver (unfavorably) to other teen dystopian movies like Divergent and Hunger Games. That's actually a compliment, the Giver is not more of the same stuff, The critics seemingly can't accept that people are smart enough to get the point of Lois Lowry's book, and that people aren't smart enough to enjoy, much less understand, a character study and a societal study. Mindless action, needless violence, and transforming robots are all absent here. I have a feeling though, that people are smarter than they think. The book has been popular for at least 30 years, why would people balk at the movie adaptation? The Giver is a project that has been in the back of every movie maker's mind for years, now it's here. Go see it and judge for yourself.

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The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

1/10

Ruins the term "Psycological Thriller"

29 August 2011

When a movie is grossly low on plot, a tactic is to develop sympathetic characters, backstories, etc. to enhance the interest of the film. This film is horrifically low on plot, and they decide to bore you to death clumsily trying to develop a love story between two unlikable characters with totally superfluous supporting cast. I hated everyone in this film on a deeply personal level. They made me want to eliminate them all myself, from the lame friendship between Depp and his co-astronaut and his pukey wife, to the pukey sister of the equally pukey and whiney Theron. I am actually getting upset just writing this review. The other reason the producers of this turkey owe me 2 hours of my life back plus an apology is that on the box it is dubbed a "psychological thriller". Sounds good, right? No, it is not, as I don't consider a psychological thriller a movie where you simply wait around for something to happen and nothing ever does until the last 2 minutes of the film. If that is the case then sitting at my desk in my office all day is a "psycological thriller"-mind numbingly dull and maddening. You guys involved in this movie are jerks for foisting this turd upon an innocent public.

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Dolores Claiborne (1995)

10/10

Best Acting in Recent Memory, Possibly Ever

11 August 2011

As far as the subject matter is concerned, it is very adult and I would not recommend allowing children to see it. Cinematography is excellent, but the reason every adult person should see this movie is the acting. Rarely can you assemble a cast so varied, but so capable. Every principal actor gave a riveting performance. Kathy Bates has to stand out as over and above, but every actor in this was able to convey a persona carefully cultivated but completely natural. Compelling dramatic scenes, and the little dark comedy that occurred was also skillfully performed. Heck even the background actors were great. This is also a movie crafted as a whole, rather than various scenes thrown together, like a Merchant Ivory film in that respect. Rarely can a mature audience be treated to a show of talent like this.

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