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Reviews
The Batman (2022)
Finally.
I was not impressed by the trailers, so my expectations were low. But I thought it was fantastic. Yes; it's very long. But there is not a dull moment in the whole three-hour runtime. Every scene contains something with intrigue and entertainment value that moves the story forward, presented in a gorgeous gothic noir style that we never get to see anymore; the best example of which is The Crow. All the angry complaints seem to be from people who wanted a slick action movie, and got a film instead.
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Superior to the first.
I'm baffled by all the reviews claiming it's inferior to the first or that it's a rehash of it. I disagree with the prior group; the latter are straight up lying.
What I enjoyed most about the first was spending an hour or two messaging back and forth with my friend about everything we thought was stupid about it. There's not a government scientist in a bunker somewhere who thought to use sound as a weapon against a creature that's highly sensitive to it and listens with its whole face?
This one was more of the gritty apocalyptic monster bash I appreciate, rather than an endless succession of character decisions that were so stupid it was difficult to empathize with them. For the most part, I found it pretty enjoyable. But I'm docking it a few stars for the anticlimactic climax that should've been the beginning of a resolution, instead of the end of the story. They're probably saving the good stuff for a third installment, but this one needed at least a sample of it.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
I really didn't expect to hate this.
I usually enjoy James Gunn's films, and I thought this would be great, but I couldn't even finish it. I made it about 75% of the way.
It's just not fun. It's extremely violent, and almost all of the violence is played for laughs, which makes it downright insulting when we're suddenly expected to take one of the countless deaths seriously and be moved by it. Our would-be heroes, who are of course villains, sometimes murder actual heroes, and I guess we're still supposed to root for them. There's no one here to care about, which is good, because anyone you like is probably going to die horribly for a gag.
Look, when you put Idris Elba in your movie and he doesn't come across as cool, you're doing something wrong.
Free Guy (2021)
I didn't expect to love it.
I chose this rating partly to compensate somewhat for the racist reviewer who downrated the film for an offhanded remark about white privilege, which is very real, and his denial is proof.
But I loved this film. It was surprisingly engaging, and often quite moving. It has the feel of a classic.
Jigeum uri hakgyoneun (2022)
Unwatchable.
Central to the plot is a horrific theme of constant and brutal bullying, which is not only disturbing, miserable and frustrating to watch, but is the least creative subplot conceivable for a high school drama. I can't imagine how anyone could muscle through a viewing of the whole season, but I intend to spare myself the pain of a second episode.
Why Are You Like This (2018)
Co-Created by a Muslim
I would just like to point out to all the people ranting about representation that one of the three creators of the show is a Muslim. It's not an agenda, and it's certainly not Netflix's agenda, because they had nothing to do with the concept or the writing. One Muslim character is not intended to represent the entire religion any more than the mostly Christian cast of virtually every Western show is intended to represent Christianity. And if you think this characterization defames Muslims in the eyes of the western world, you're wrong. It humanizes them. And that's what crushes stereotypes. Muslims are individuals; are they not?
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Nothing about this holds up.
If you're thinking of revisiting this film in the 21st century, I strongly advise against it. The story is weaker than you remember, and the effects and production are worse than you can imagine.
IO (2019)
A Very Enjoyable Understated Drama
This was a very interesting and beautifully-shot film, with intelligent dialogue and an extremely sympathetic lead actress.
Movies are permitted to be slow-paced, and many of the best are. It's not legitimate to dogmatically condemn a film for being slow, as if that's an objectively unacceptable approach to filmmaking. If you found this movie dull, that says something about your personal preferences, but nothing about the quality of the production. I was engrossed from beginning to end.