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Reviews
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Good, but too small a scope
I have already seen two movies of people playing cat and mouse with these creatures so I expected more world building and more of a pull back the curtain moment to give us the big picture of what is happening. I wanted the why, how and what our military tried to do to stop it...
... Instead I got another movie of literally cat and mouse with these creatures. No one so much as got off a shot. Let me see how hard it is or impossible it is to fight them. You had helicopters flying over head luring the monsters to follow, yet no one dropped one bomb or fired one missile or even so much as threw a rock at the creatures. Why?
They tried to teach us a little about them not being able to swim and a weird scene where we watch them eating what looked like eggs or rotting pumpkins, but it just came off as out of place and pointless due to the focus of the movie. Maybe there is a sequel already in the works, but I want a prequel. Give me day zero at the Pentagon.
Madame Web (2024)
A decent origin story.
This movie did not deserve the hate it got. It is an origin story for Madame Web, not the three spider women she spent the whole run time protecting. I guess people went in thinking they were going to watch Sidney Sweeney in spandex beating up a room full of thugs and lifting cars and were disappointed. What we got is a mystery thrill ride with a relentless villain versus regular people and one woman with precognitive abilities trying to figure things out. The character drama of the four being thrown together under unique and strange circumstances and coming together as a makeshift family IS the movie. It is not and never was going to be a 200M computer generated explosion fest for the eyes and ears, it is about the beginning of a family of super powered people before they get their powers.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Excellent take on the subject matter
I love the direction this show takes because it avoids the cartoon shoot em up style of the movie altogether. Instead we get real people with real issues in a mostly realistic setting that normal people can relate to. The leads have plenty of chemistry and we see how two strangers in an awkward situation eventually grow together and fall in love. The situations they find themselves in are over the top and fantastic but presented in such a way that it never feels faked or forced. It was entertaining from start to finish and I can't wait to see more.
The only negative I have is that maybe eight episodes weren't enough. I feel like they went from rookie agents to 007 level too quickly. Still, it was a great ride that leaves us hanging and hoping for a swift return.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
The journey was the story, the "end" is uninteresting.
I went into this knowing what a lot of people were complaining about and right away I knew they missed the point. This isn't Independence Day. This isn't Armageddon. These aren't the people who are going to save the world or be there at the end of it. This is the story of just some regular people who are lucky enough to get some idea of what happens while their world falls apart. That's the movie. That's the ride, that's the entertainment. If you're sitting there halfway watching, halfway paying attention playing with your phone waiting for the aliens to arrive and Ethan Hawke to jump in an F-22 modified with quantum tachyon bombs to win the day, the movie just isn't for you. You didn't watch it and you don't deserve to criticise it.
I get that you are perfectly within your rights not to like it, but if your sole problem is it "doesn't have an ending" you really didn't pay any attention to the movie at all. There was for sure an end. Our characters lives are over as they know it and their struggle is over. They all know SHTF and the only thing left to do is climb in a hole to hide. No more talk, no more exploring, no more wondering. They either get to the bunker that they now all know about that the little girl is already in or they don't. They either spend the rest of their lives underground or they don't. Either way the US is done and their story is over.
We were supposed to enjoy the mystery, the intrigue, the suspense, the fear, the character interaction up to that point. Not fast forward through it looking for a big CGI battle payoff at the end.
Silent House (2011)
Just too claustrophobic.
I wanted to like this one, and I even watched the original first so I was glad to see Hollywood take a crack at the concept with an American background, but it suffers the same issues the first one did. The one shot take is an impressive feat, but in the end it becomes a gimmick that just keeps you literally in the dark about what is going on. The narrative feeds you enough clues for you to realize you can't trust anyone we meet, but that's not quite enough to keep you focused enough to care what is happening because of the confusion. I mean, I like looking down Elizabeth Olsen's shirt as much as the next guy, but this feels like watching someone else play a third person survival horror video game with too tight a camera angle. The disorientation and the occasional vertigo and dizziness you get from trying to look somewhere the camera doesn't want you too isn't very welcome or satisfying. It's still worth a viewing for the unique concept and the convoluted narrative that isn't laid out simply.
One Piece (2023)
Perfect Casting, Superb Execution
I'll admit, I'm not the biggest One Piece fan. I have only seen a handful of episodes of the anime, but I know enough about the show to realize they could not have done any better picking the actors for these roles. Luffy is almost impossible because he is so grating and odd and awkward, but Inaki does his own rendition that translates perfectly. Emily and Mackenyu are perfect. Zoro's almost terminal indifference and aloofness is portrayed perfectly and Nami's guile and resilience really shine. Everybody else is great two, it's just that these three really stand out.
The show is pretty to look at, the sets are very nice and nothing looks cheap at all which is why it has me worried because Netflix will cancel it in a hurry unless a billion people watch it. I hope it gets another season. At least two more. I need to see what they do next because they have done a beautiful job so far.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Fresh, witty, fun
Finally a show from Marvel that doesn't take itself too seriously and has some fun along the way. We get action, we get Easter eggs, we get surprise cameos and we get the expected She-Hulk vibe with snappy dialogue and 4th wall breaking. My only complaints are the show is too short, Jameel Jamil is criminally under utilized and we needed one more big action sequence or, at least the last episode we need to see the changes and not jusy be told what happened.
The show deserves a 7.5 out of 10 but I give it a 10 due to the ridiculous amount of lame reviews bombing from people who don't know the source material, don't know what true humor is, can't appreciate great acting and are just plain bigoted and misogynistic.
She Hulk makes a few changes and does things a little differently, but that's expected for her to fit in with the MCU. It isn't a line by line re-enactment of a 40 year old comic book, nor should it be. What we do get is something that's here and now which is exactly what the character is supposed to be as she offers a slice of life as a powered person in "our" world.
I truly hope they do another season. There's so many possibilities and so many themes to explore that just don't fit in other shows.
Voces (2020)
Competent, compelling but lost me in act 2.
This is a by the numbers horror movie, which is fine... it's like a good comfort food dish, but... after a while things start to fall apart and tired old cliches and tropes come in to play for the finale.
As soon as the wife came home, it lost me. Important discussions between characters that naturally needed to happen just didn't happen. People split up for no reason other than just the plot demands someone be alone for something bad to happen. And, of course it does in the worst way. On top of all that, we're supposed to accept people losing their most basic fight or flight instinct and reflexes.
I watched it until the end, so it gets a 5 plus 1 more for the decent acting, cinematography and overall production value.
Wonder Woman (2011)
Powergirl maybe, but not Wonder Woman
I watched this and found myself moderately entertained but thinking that this just wasn't the Wonder Woman I knew. It's not a origin story, so no real mention of the island of Themyscira other than it being used as the name of her company. No lasso of truth because she beats and tortures people to get the information she wants and a lot of thr show is based around her dealing with her billion dollar company and the laws associated with it. In short, this would have been better as a Powergirl series. Just give her amnesia so we don't have to worry about where are or how she came to be here right off and make it an alternate dimension where no other DC heroes exist, but give her the drive to build a big corporation and have her crime fighting be a bit brutish and brash because she doesn't have Wonder Woman's grace or skill... just raw power.
Wonder woman wouldn't care about wealth. WW (not Injustice) wouldn't kill or torture or need to with the lasso of truth. WW has a grace and flair of a princess from another land and wouldn't talk or behave quite like this character does. Powergirl though? Yeah. The whole scene about the action figure's boobs and the outfit would have played better with her and the whole boob window thing in her costume.
But whatever... it never happened so, neither character has the series either one of them deserve. WW is on the big screen and Supergirl got her show, so I guess the chances of a PG show are pretty slim.
Fire Country (2022)
Too much melodrama
I was excited for the previews. I thought this was going to be a gritty high stakes drama. It tries to include those elements but the subplot of the black sheep returns home is not as interesting to me. The fact that it involves every character in some way makes things a bit too soapy and campy at times. For instance, when the love interest just happens to be a swim instructor where the crew of our hero shows up, I rolled my eyes. The show has to have everyone involved in the same place so the underlying drama of the dead sister can be advanced and in our face almost all the time. I would be fine with putting that aside for at least... part of the show and let's get to know some of the other inmates and just... fight fires. I'm not bought in to caring about the character background stuff.
The Rookie: Feds (2022)
By the Numbers...and Letters
This is a typical crime show that features a diverse crew overcoming the odds and differences to crack the case in the time allowed by one episode. We've seen this done and this one brings not much new to the table despite the idea that these are last chance agents being paired with outside the box newbies that have to earn their keep every step they take. That part becomes tiresome, because either the FBI accepts them and respects them or they don't. They can't just keep going to the well of about to be shut down to brining in kingpins off the top ten most wanted list.
So yeah, but the numbers. Niecy proves herself and that her intuition and people skills are something the FBI needs, but... all of it is overshadowed by her very chesty outfits that showcase her bosom. Whether or not FBI protocols would allow her to dress the way she does is one thing, it is obvious the show wants us to look at her cleavage. That may or may not work for the audience this show is going for.
Overall. I want to get to know them more. I want to see how the subplots play out. I like the idea of a strong black woman leading a show. So I hope it lasts.
The Defenders (2017)
Should have been called, "The Hand."
Or better yet, this just should have been a feature length film instead of a series, because they were not able to write 8 episodes worth of compelling story involving all of these characters.
There was too much bickering, no real focus and no real sense of urgency from the bad guys to be stopped, because all we know is they are bad and want NYC and the iron Fist.
Without any real buy in, I could still be entertained by seeing great superhero action, right? Wrong.
Regular street hoods get punched by the likes of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage and somehow not only live or not suffer severe trauma, but on several occasions get back up and keep fighting. Maybe even land a counter or two and knock them down. Also, Electra, whom I thought was just a normal human... peak human sure, but human still... knocks Luke Cage out. I don't care if she's the Black Sky now. She should not be able to do that.
Besides that, most of the fight scenes are dark and disjointed so you can barely tell what is happening anyway. DD and Fist should have cool martial arts, choreographed fights, no doubt. JJ and LC should just be knocking fools out. No finesse, no fancy technique, just straight jabs with skulls being cracked and backs broken... but nope.
Okay, so if great action is out too, what's left? Not much because the suspense and drama totally depends on people not answering questions, not explaining anything, and simply being too whiny and too self centered to share ideas and coordinate with each other.
Luke is just too street and too Harlem to understand the plight of a white rich kid. Jessica is just too angry and too jaded to have any time to hear anybody out... even though they won't talk anyway. Fist is just too full of himself and his mission to accept any help. DDevil is too traumatized about being a hero and his girlfriend being resurrected to be bothered either.
There's very little growth as a team because they are almost always off doing their own thing until the last episode, although they did make me hungry for Chinese food when the first go to their "hideout."
If this show had focused on the Hand instead, it might have been more interesting. The guy who always spoke Japanese, the old lady with the Jedi Force power... I wanted to know more about them. Also I wanted to know why Sigourney Weaver was the leader. What made her such a bad ass? Her potential, I think was wasted because she just came off as another Hogarth at first but didn't amount to enough later despite all the interesting set pieces around her.
If we had spent more time from the Hand's point of view, we could have avoided all the lame quips, arguing, Jessica's need to have a snappy 1-liner for every scene, and Fist's whiny antics. Plus, didn't this take place after the 1st Avnegers movie? Why did it take so long for people who lived through that, who have powers themselves have such a hard time believing that something like the Hand could exist? Why couldn't they talk to the police about it? We all just witnessed an alien invasion. Super-powered people live among us. Yet, a cult like mob that wants immortality is just too far? Sigh.
Skylines (2020)
Good, needed closure
As disjointed as this movie series is between the first and 2nd installments, I was very excited to see that a third movie had been made. This brings a reasonable, fitting and satisfying end to the series and still maybe leaves open the possibility of a fourth.
I enjoyed the fact that there is better continuity from the last movie and am okay with them skipping ahead of what would have probably been too expensive a plot to portray. The acting was fine, there were a few genuinely funny moments and the crew seemed like they got along and gelled well. I watched it through to the end and was very invested to see how it would turn out which says a lot no matter what the budget or who gets top billing.
Await Further Instructions (2018)
An intriguing setup falls flat at the end.
There was a decent premise here: a dysfunctional family brought together for the holidays endures a terrifying situation brought about by some unknown antagonist. We can see how this family is in such bad shape that things could have gone bad without the evil that befalls them due to their relationships and the stress of family get togethers. But ultimately, this okay premise falls apart at the end.
What basically amounts to miles and miles of sentient coax cable has decided it wants the human race to do more than just watch TV but rather control our every action through fear and hate. It turns everyone against each other which brings the family's homicidal tendencies to the surface. If they could have taken more time to show the gradual degradation of the people trapped then I would have liked it more. Instead the pacing is pushed forward by 2 or 3 of the characters that have no morals, no love for their family and are down right homicidal, psychopathic maniacs. We get down to the end and realize everyone everywhere was doomed to begin with and there was never any hope.
This movie had me hooked but by the time the third act starts it becomes cheesy and campy ruining the suspense and mystery established.
Beyond Skyline (2017)
Much more satisfying than first movie
I get what they were trying to do with the first movie, but it wasn't a complete story. It should have been condensed down to being the first half hour of this movie.
This movie does a better job of creating real tension and drama and establishing the rules of this story, but then it breaks away towards the end because no one is affected by the blue light anymore and suddenly people can fight toe to toe with the aliens in their battle suits and win. The sense of hopelessness against an unbeatable and overwhelming foe is lost.
Even still, the leads are very good and the whole thing is entertaining from beginning to end, you just have to avoid picking it apart when it starts to trip over the rules it laid down in the first film and the beginning of this one.
Having the "answer" coming from an unlikely group of people as opposed to the American Government was a nice touch, but it also brings up some of the flaws I mentioned earlier. Still worth checking out.