blaynebittner's Reviews

Tomb Raider (2018)

7/10

I enjoyed it as mind mush, a 6.0/10; It is a 7.0 because it is better for its target audience

5 June 2018

I am going to keep this short, as I feel the flaws have already been covered in other reviews. The majority of the people who enjoy this film the most likely would never write a review here. From what I can tell, the target audience is about 12 of all genders. Its intended to be an enjoyable teen adventure movie, as the games were first intended.

Unfortunately for the reputation of this movie and those who made it, the generation who enjoyed the game series grew up into adults. However, this particular movie did not make the jump. Call it a "Reverse South Park."

I honestly almost fell to sleep at a few parts. I did enjoy the acting of the ship Captain she works with. I see potential for him and some of the other actors. It stands alone well as a good teen/kids action movie, not quite G. Some of the actors like Daniel Wu. I would love to see Daniel Wu in more American films.

So as a 32 year old, its a 5 for me. However, I see the 7 in it for a younger audience. Enjoy if this appropriates you.

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The Mick (2017–2018)

10/10

An in-your-face style Noir Comedy with outrageously realistic character portraits.

10 January 2018

Those who know me in real life know that I rate hard. Its actually extremely rare that I take the time to even rate a movie or tv series if I do not like it. Looking at my ratings and reviews, you'll mostly see movies or shows that I enjoyed.

I actually quite liked Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but got sick of how Kaitlin Olson's character was endlessly the brunt of the joke. Eventually, it wore out. People don't want the same joke over and over.

Why this show is a 10 to me, and Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an 8, is that it breaks away from repetition. Each episode's plots are well developed and unique.

At first, I was worried that they were going to constantly make Alba the brunt of the joke. But instead, they continuously switch it up. The show only gets more funny the more you watch it.

One thing to keep in mind about this show is that it is fiction. While these are realistic portraits of human behavior, they are parodies of very nasty people. If that's something you cannot handle, then its probably not for you.

I would categorise this as an Aggressive Black Comedy. If you're easily offended, then I wouldn't recommend it.

It tends to be over-the-top at points despite realism. The reason I keep coming back to this point is that its not for everyone. People who don't share a vicious, fictitious dark sense of humor will not like this show.

All of the actors and actresses in the show are top knotch in the world of comedy. I always look forward to a new episode. I even recommended it to my parents, who got hook'd.

I don't have much else to say because I am choosing to keep this as a spoiler-less review.

I will end with: this is a show for adults. If you are a parent to an underage-er who is interested in watching the show, preview it for yourselves first and make a decision as parents/guardians. While there is no nudity, there is a lot of implications and even a little bit of fluids that may make parents uncomfortable.

The best way to enjoy this show is to not know what to expect. There's tons of unpredictable moments that are better not spoiled.

I make sure to catch every episode. Kaitlin Olson has become my favorite female comedian due to this show. I hope this review helps you make a decision on whether or not this show is worth your time.

Best Wishes.

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APB (2017)

8/10

A great Modern Day B-Action Sci-Fi with an A-List Crew - Unrealistic, but intended to entertain the audience for those who enjoy straight up action

7 February 2017

Warning: Spoilers

I am going to take an alternate approach to reviewing this show. First off, the 8/10 I gave it is personal opinion. I will start with the positives and negatives from the first episode. Then I will go into further detail. I will attempt to review it as close as I can without giving any spoilers. There are plenty of people who won't enjoy the show, but plenty who will.

Positives:

There is no mumbling in the show. Plenty of excellent movies/TV have a lot of lines that cause us to have to rewind to make out what is said, even turn on and off the subtitles option and still often not know what is said. The audio quality of the special effects is strong as is, especially for those who like a smooth dubstep/techno track that isn't over-done. I tend to usually not like this genre, but it fits well for the show. As well as the audio special effects being extraordinary, the show is very easy to understand every line spoken. I believe this is most definitely well edited.

The show doesn't take itself too seriously. Its a good show for those who want a feel good entertaining movie. With a good plot despite being far-fetched, it keeps the audience engaged. It is quite violent, but doesn't drag out gore scenes. It keeps a B-Action intensity with A-list acting and directing. There are plenty of intellectual realistic shows/movies these days. Sometimes people who enjoy action just want a fun show to watch at the end of the day. I would suggest being in the right mood for it.

The visual special Effects are top notch. For a fast-paced nature, its easy to follow because of an excellent camera crew and clear-cut a-list acting. The casting crew definitely did an excellent job all around. This helps immerse the audience.

The show does show consequences and makes a few solid points. There are plenty of American Billionares who are gifted at creating technology for the use of war. Why don't they chose to help the problems already existing in USA and work to create a safer USA. This show is clearly a fantasy approach to proposing the idea of having someone actually attempt to do that.

Negatives:

For those who want a realistic police show, this isn't one of them. Some may get a little fed up with this modern-day sci-fi because of it being so over-the-top with violence. Yes, its unrealistic in that form. One of the points debated is the use of taser-guns over pistols. The truth is that this form of policing actually does work. 97.8% of Calgary's police force has never had to draw their weapons, which has proved successful. The show sometimes is unrealistic with cops being overly-violent. Those who want a police show based on reality will be disappointed. Thus, this is a show better watched if you want an entertaining show that is not to be taken too seriously. Just because something is shown on fiction, doesn't mean anyone should actually do it.

Though there are some good one liners, there isn't much of a break for the audience. Its action the entire way through with an entertaining plot, but there is no pauses where the show doesn't feel "not tense". The show has only aired one episode; I would suggest/hope for better comedic relief.

----------------------------------------------------

Those who enjoyed The Fast and Furious series, or The Chronicles of Riddick or iBoy or shows like it where it isn't realistic, but thoroughly entertaining will like it. Those expecting it to be bloody won't. Its more action than unnecessary gore. People expecting something like The Walking Dead or Hannibal as far as action goes will be quite disappointed. For me, I actually prefer shows that don't unnecessarily show gore/blood. I enjoy some shows that have it, but would prefer to do without.

Remember that we are watching an action-police show that is displaying good be-action fiction. When something is shown on TV, it isn't trying to tell us that we should go out and do it. The show can be quite therapeutic for those who just want good action. The show doesn't try to be more than a fantasy.

As far as the casting, its awesome to see Justin Kirk in a non-typecast role. The show brings in some lesser known actors/actresses who I would love to see more of. Natalie Martinez plays her role well. I have seen her in other shows, but haven't enjoyed her roles nearly as much as in this show. As far as the actors/actresses brought in who are brand new, the acting is great.

So for an entertaining buddy-cop action show on TV that is straight- forward fantasy action, this is top notch. Its unrealistically violent, but far from gross. Its not really any more violent than the Captain America movies or The Avengers. I'd say its worth a chance. I enjoyed the first episode start to finish.

Again, this review is intended to help you decide if the show is for you. Just don't walk into the show expecting it to be something its not.

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Good Behavior (2016–2017)

10/10

I am very much hoping this show gets renewed. Beyond superb film noir deserving of more seasons.

13 January 2017

I don't tend to review a show often. I figured I'd mention that I have noticed that since the season finale, the amount of people going back and watching through the season have increased. This is part a review but part of a suggestion to renew this show.

The entire premise is quite original. Yes, its based on a book. However, the acting and directing with plot twists that are completely unpredictable yet believable make this the best noir thriller out of any of the new shows I have seen in the past year.

Nothing was overdone in this show. While other shows done by HBO, Showtime and Startz push nudity and excess gore to steal fans... This show never had to and never will have to.

It stands out because it is equally intense as a thriller even in scenes where there is no direct violence.

When the protagonist and other characters feel scared, the audience feels it as well.

Unfortunately, too many people hadn't heard of the show. That is something that is easily changed. Through word of mouth and patience, this show will become a rating hound.

Even the most villainous characters in the show are relatable. I am one of those guys who tends to be able to predict most shows with plot twists. However, I was completely shocked at the direction the show went in a very good way. I felt on the edge of my seat. It was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller the entire way through the first season, which leaves me wanting more.

I would be happy to pay for the first season on DVD, but only if its renewed for more. I honestly would be upset and so would the fans. However, there would be a massive amount of people that would miss out on this hidden gem.

Now that more people are giving it a chance, people are loving it. This is what we would call a sleeper hit. I am not trying to be a dick, but the executives would be stupid to cancel a show like this. I could see it pulling in massive ratings very quickly as more people discover the show. The DVDs of the season will sell as people will love to hear the interviews from the cast, directors, film crew and producers.

This is a show that most definitely not only deserves more seasons, but needs them. Unfortunately, the season finale drew in just over 800k viewers. The reason this happened was because the show flew under the radar and remains somewhat undiscovered.

I am not sure where the direction of the show will go in after the first season. I admit I have not read the book(s). But I look forward to where it does go after season one and am begging for more.

I'm sure the fans feel the same. Currently, its still pending a renewal. Taking a risk on this one, I am confident will pay off.

I notice a plethora of people from all cultures enjoying this show after just watching the first episode post-season finale. I had 3 friends that said that after episode 3, they binge watched the entire season. Those are just 3 of my friends who picked up watching the show.

In this case, its worth it to enjoy more because there will be more than enough of an increase of fans with word of mouth and smart advertising.

Good luck to the crew. I hope to see you back for season 2 and more.

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The Hateful Eight (2015)

10/10

Different from the usual Quentin Tarintino film: While very brutal, makes great use of subtle figures of speech.

7 January 2016

This is my favorite Quentin Tarintino film since Pulp Fiction. Its quite violent and sadistic, but not without a point.

People ask why people are still going on about racism in movies and showing all of this; it is because all of this racism still goes on to this day even if its not as apparent in our individual community.

For some Quentin Tarintino fans, the movie may feel too slow especially for the first half. One thing Quentin Tarintino did in writing and directing this that I've rarely seen him do so well is make use of more subtle figures of speeches.

Though there were very graphic parts as with all of his films. There were also parts where he implied things instead of just showing them which I felt added to the intensity of the plot.

A lot of people used to Quentin Tarintino's previous films may find the slower parts of the movie a lot more boring. However, if you pay attention, the subtlety leading up to the heavy parts shown actually makes the movie.

Quentin Tarintino just takes a different approach than he usually does. While some people probably felt bored or walked away or snored, they should have paid attention. I think a lot of people bored by their first watch of this movie should give it a second watch.

Quentin Tarintino has never been the most subtle of directors. However, I am impressed by his use of juxtaposition and dramatic irony that I've never seen him personally use as well.

You'll have to pardon me if I'm being vague as I write my reviews spoiler-less. I'm not pretending to be a professional, but I like to say something if I believe my side has not been told.

This is a movie with layers of symbolism. Watching it a second and a third time, like Fight Club, you'll notice more and more interesting and subtle things about it.

While I am not going to get into exact details, this movie is not only ballsy because of its content, but because Quentin Tarintino and some of the actors in the film stepped out of their comfort zone and performed amazingly.

Quentin Tarintino should receive an Academy award for directing this film. I also believe that some of the actors at least deserve a nomination.

The cinematography was more simple at first glance than his usual film, but simplicity that was put to great use.

This movie still isn't a movie for the faint of heart. It talks about very tough issues that will offend a lot of people. The Hateful Eight is not only controversial in content, but in its unique delivery.

I'm going to rate this a 9.5/10 and vote a 10 rounded up. There are VERY few movies including his that I would rate this high.

People who are complaining about this movie that its too brutal should have watched Reservoir Dogs. To be honest, there wasn't a scene in this that compared to some scenes in Reservoir Dogs or some of his other films.

The point is that Quentin Tarintino made something completely new. Its not his usual film, and it shows a maturing and developing director. The Hateful Eight makes me look forward to more experiments by Quentin Tarintino as its obvious that he is not creative in just one way.

While the cast and director are obvious stars of the show. To someone who knows the industry a little bit (not a pro), I can also see that the co-directing is spot on. Its obvious that the director didn't slack and allow everything to be done in one shot.

People love the TV show Gotham, yet the script in that show pales in comparison to The Hateful Eight. Despite the swearing, its not much more offensive than the content in Gotham or especially HBO shows like True Blood and alike.

People seem to be judging this movie based on Quentin Tarintino's previous work. IF you go into watching this movie expecting his usual, don't. While he does stick to his roots, he does something new and great.

People are often thinking that he tried to make another Django, but this is not at all the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Its a movie meant for adults, not kids. There's other movies made for kids like Star Wars. Adults are allowed to have their movies too.

Watching the whole movie to the end and thinking hard about it, it makes some great points about politics, society and war. It may be hard to chew, but its real.

This is one of Quentin Tarintino's best. I hope others enjoy it and give it a real chance like I did. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. As an amateur writer at best, this is mine.

9-10/10: Rare Gem.

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Awaken (2015)

8/10

At first glance, a mediocre b movie. When examined, a potential future cult classic action survival thriller.

16 July 2015

The movie seems predictable. The predictable twists were taken out early in the movie to surprise us with the unpredictable twists. This makes the film more enjoyable as the plot unwinds further into the movie. There were some solid acting performances such as Darryl Hannah and Robert Davi.

After about half an hour in, we think we're still watching a b movie. Because of this intentional yet enjoyable section of the movie, we think we know how the movie will end. Some of the watchers of this movie may get frustrated because they wanted a different ending or wanted to see more skin.

As an adult viewer, I respect when movies are created with far less nudity. The movie is still a great action thriller without showing boobs, and I applaud that. Some men may not like it and rate it low for this reason.

The acting where needed from the cast was spot on. We got to know our characters and actually care about them before the killing starts. Each moment where someone we care about dies, it hurts. This brings the emotional element necessary in good thrillers to immerse us into the movie entirely.

The climax is later in the movie than most aggressive action thrillers, which makes this movie refreshing and different.

There has been a longstanding trend of overly happy every after endings, and while the ending isn't the most sad, its not typical and its a lot more realistic. I'm remaining vague and neutral to prevent spoiling the plot. What I am getting at here is that the ending and the second half of the movie venture far off stereotypical Hollywoood in a lot of the plot twists.

A great thing about this movie is we don't know if who we care about are going to die nor live, both antagonists and protagonists die in this movie. Rather than people walking away without a scratch from gun fights, they're getting torn apart.

In a lot of movies of this type, we feel distanced from the characters and are distracting by them overacting. However, we feel immersed into the film by the halfway through point whether we enjoy their individual performances or not.

A lot of the best movies being released in 2014 and 2015 have action scenes that are so long and repetitive that the action becomes boring. The action in this movie has quite a large variation. When one takes all parts of the movie into consideration, this movie deserves a lot higher than 4.5/10.

The action style early into the movie was a lot more simplistic. When Darryl Hannah's back story is told, we believe she can fight as well as she does. That's why being patient with the first 30 minutes of the movie is important to enjoy this film. The action is very smart in the way that it builds up to a thrilling conclusion we didn't expect because of how the movie's pace immerses us by the middle of the movie.

I will enjoy re-watching this with friends who share the taste of this movie with me. I may even buy a couple copies as birthday gifts for those who I know will like it. Not everyone will be happy with this movie. Some people will not enjoy this movie until they watch it a second time. This movie will grow on people who give it a chance.

Another positive subtle use of special effects was using colors to set the mood of the film, and help immerse us into the movie more as the movie continued.

At the end of the day, its an action movie that will never be nominated for Academy awards. Its more tailored to men's enjoyment more than women, but most girlfriends will prefer it over the action movies men usually make them watch.

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Kill Me Three Times (2014)

9/10

A surreal and somewhat brutal action/comedy that is for some but not for everyone. Read more.

3 April 2015

First off, there are violent deaths in the movie. There is a lot of graphic violence, but it isn't overdone for the style of movie it is. When we see someone try to shoot for their head and miss, instead hitting the neck, it shows it as an example. The beautiful thing about this action comedy is that it takes influences from Quentin Tarantino and cult classics such as Ravenous when it comes to the brutality of the action. However, there are no torture scenes for the sake of torture. While the brutal action is not for some, it is equal in the level of gore to movies such as the Die Hard series or Lethal Weapon series. The movie is able to keep more of a comedic pace due to not having excess torture and alike scenes. But for us action fans, it doesn't shy away from the reality of getting shot.

I see this movie being reflected on more positively over the years. Its a movie that for the right person can be watched multiple times. I plan to re-watch it at least a few times myself.

People who would not like this but expect to would be people who didn't like Simon Pegg's earlier films such as Hot Fuzz. I enjoyed that myself, but a lot of people didn't.

The action is spread out among comedic moments that also take influence from movies such as Snatch. The movie, titled Kill Me Three Times, is not expected to be a movie where characters really die at a realistic pace. Its basically implying that someone in the movie (no spoilers) or some people in the movie just won't die despite realistically being killed off already. I'm refusing to say which character(s) because this keeps my review spoiler-less.

For fans of this type of action comedy, it is a 9/10. For the market that Kill Me Three Times tailors to, it couldn't have done a better job. That's why I am giving this movie a 9/10. Though it can't be expected to win Academy Awards, its an excellent b action/crime/comedy. I enjoyed it the first time around more than I enjoyed the first Fast and Furious at release.

I appreciate that its obvious that the cast had a lot of fun making this movie, while not failing to submerse the viewer in an enjoyable theatrical performance.

For those who would enjoy this style of film, you'll probably watch it a few times at the very least. While this movie may not be for loyal action movie fans, it is not intended to please everyone.

Enjoy if you can handle brutal action and have a dark sense of humor.

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Everly (2014)

8/10

For those who enjoyed the action style and humor from Scream, The Boondock Saints and Game of Thrones. Not for the faint of heart, perfect for the right person.

29 March 2015

Warning: Spoilers

To thoroughly enjoy this movie, suspend your disbelief. Anyone could argue schematics and science all day long and find hundreds of unrealistic points. On the other hand, the action is more realistic than the first Crank movie. The first Crank was still a good action movie, despite being a remake.

Salma Hayek delivers an excellent action heroine performance which is misunderstood. She is not cocky. There is a lot of mystery leading up to the scene we are thrown into. It opens with us in a state of fear, brought on more by the unknown. We hear violence in the intro (no spoilers) and can tell brutal things were done to Everly.

There are 3 specific scenes I did not enjoy that were too gory for me. As I refuse to spoil anything, I will leave them out. Due to personal taste of preferring to imply brutality than see it outright, I enjoyed the movie at a 5.0. Personal tastes aside, I rate the movie an 8.0 for a good gory action. There are a few torture scenes. This is not a movie to let anyone underage see.

There's a few things I respect about the movie that weren't mentioned repeatedly in other reviews. First off, most of the suspense and scare is of the presently unknown and of what might or could happen. Though there were 3 distinctly gory scenes that were too much for me, they did turn the camera away in an artistic way only to bring more tension and scares.

This movie is almost a Slasher/Horror/Action. There are no supernatural elements, yet the action is often superhuman in reality.

Let's stand back for a moment and examine a few accuracies that often aren't shown in Hollywood films. Its obvious going into the movie knowing that this character gets the **** kicked out of her and doesn't walk away scratch-less. There is a moment when a character had been dealing with a bullet wound. Though dealing with the pain for an extreme amount of time, she can still shoot straight. Though its not as easy to pull off what that character did with a bullet wound did, his/her body would have medically been in a state of shock, not completely restricting use but he/she can't feel that part of his/her body. It was also with the other arm that the person used weapons. As a person who had that part of my body in shock due to organ failure in his exact same spot that the person in the movie dealt with a bullet wound, I know I could have still shot a gun afterwords. People exaggerate and often lie about what being in a state of shock is actually like. The reality is that whole part of the body goes numb and the pain actually disappears completely for a lengthy amount of time. This being until the nerve reactivates or gets removed. The amount of time this person deals with this particular wound and still fights is actually realistic as far as being able to complete tasks. I had 16 hours of pain before my body went into shock while I was at the hospital. When fully examined, I was offered Morphine and the Pink Lady and an Iv and to be taken over night. I wasn't feeling any pain there any more so I chose to not take any of it and instead get healthy.

We watch our protagonist go react realistically to emotional/mental/physical pain while keeping our heroine from being one of those action heroines who get chased non stop by the cast of "The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight" (book was good, movie sucked).

People may mislabel this as a comedy/action when its not. The darkly comedic moments are awesome and were enjoyable even for a non-gore fan like me. What the humor does in these situations is to ease the tension of watching the movie. The jokes are all surprises and hilarious, which do fit under my category of humor. As an example without resorting to spoilers, there's a few scenes that are funny in the same way The Boondock Saints was and the underrated "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (Geena Davis / Samuel L. Jackson).

In the end, the important thing is to remember that this movie is to entertain us. It entertained even me despite it mostly not being in my taste. There were other actors who acted well in their roles, not just Salma Hayek. The special effects aren't overused, yet are still without fault. The people controlling the camera definitely knew what they were doing as the editing and framing of every shot in the movie are beyond excellence.

I know that my review is lengthy and vague. The reason for this is that I do not want to spoil this hidden gem for those who would enjoy it. This movie has a 5.0 on IMDb, but for the right person, its an 8 or more. I am of the prior, but respecting the style of movie it is for those who enjoy it, it is an 8/10 film.

Final Summary:

Personal taste on this movie: 5-6/10 Quality of the movie for who would enjoy it: 8 Gore at the level of Spartacus or Game of Thrones prevented me from enjoying it completely at an 8, no other reason. As an example, I would not re-watch The Punisher or Reservoir Dogs due to their 1 scene. I enjoy action movies, just with a lot toned down on the gore. The action in Everly is wicked and the humorous moments are hilarious and new. The nudity is only backsides, which may be responsible for some of the drop in rating (no boobs). I prefer and respect that.

Enjoy Everly if you like gritty, gory and suspenseful action thrill ride.

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Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

8/10

An Amazing expansion on a great classic Edward Allen Poe Short Story

5 December 2014

Kate Beckinsale performed quite well in her role of Eliza Graves. This movie proves to me that Hollywood is ready to make good movies out of classic authors. By classic, I mean pre-1970. This short story was written quite a long while before that. I didn't expect Kate Beckinsale to own her role so well.

Ben Kingsley was perfectly cast for the role of Silas Lamb. I believe that this could be even more of a breakthrough performance from Joe Gangemi than 21. He showed vast improvement in the quality of his acting AND broke typecast. I believe he went from being an average pretty boy actor to a man in this role. Seeing him in more non typecast roles will be exciting.

The person in charge of casting made excellent choices. I haven't seen better use of this style of cinematography since Pitch Black. In Pitch Black, they experimented with different colors, contrast and levels of brightness to set the tone. This movie took another step forward to make people feel more like they are in the characters' shoes.

Since this was a short story, we cannot expect it to be the exact same as the original. The organization of the film was excellent, and the directing is great.

However, I feel that the person who made this movie so great was Joe Gangemi. His screenplay brought Edgar Allen's Poe to life expanded to a movie.

I found that I actually enjoy re watching this one. Its rare that I re-watch horrors and thrillers, so that means a lot from me.

I see this movie as an 8/10. I'm generally quite harsh on any representation of Edgar Allen Poe's work as he is my favorite short story author.

No movies are perfect, and this show has 2 flaws that I noticed. I wasn't fond of David Thewlis' performance as I felt he overacted at points. Sophie Kennedy Clark disappointed me in her role. If they were better in my personal opinion, I'd rate this movie a 9-9.5/10.

Even so, I could see potential for a lot of other successful classic representations. I wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood brings us a good movie based on Robert A. Heinlein's "Tunney In The Sky". Most of the actors showed signs that they could play a lot more roles. The cast and crew could potentially make other movies in the science fiction genre, comedies, and even fantasy.

I would love to see some of the same people make "William Nelson" also by Edgar Allen Poe. This cast and crew could likely pull off a ton of Chameleon work.

The cast and crew proved to me that they don't stick within one genre and stay typecast. Most of them could make any style of movie good.

Here's two things I highly recommend while watching this movie: 1. Wait until it is night time. The show is better to watch in the dark due to lighting and sharp contrast.

2. Be one hundred percent sober. If you are stoned watching it, it may lead to a bad trip. Make sure your mind is in the right place before you handle watching this movie. I wouldn't recommend this movie at all to children due to content they are not ready for. Though there was no nudity nor extra gore that kids 14+ are used to these days, this is a movie meant for adults.

I hope this review helps people enjoy the movie and make sure they can handle it. ENJOY!

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Gotham (2014–2019)

7/10

A mediocre show now that has potential to be something good. Gotham needs improvement to succeed.

4 November 2014

The special effects in the show definitely are good. The cast and crew aimed at making the show dark, as were the last 3 Batman films. In some scenes, they succeeded. Their representation of The Penguin is a unique take and I am impressed with his performance. As the season has progressed, the story has improved. Telling everyone about the Penguin isn't a spoiler as a character has that nickname about 5-10 minutes into the first episode. I won't spoil what has happened to his character so far.

There are some actors in this show that seemed to be dragged down by poor directing. Part of the director's job is to shoot a scene over and over until the scene is right. Some scenes come across as well put together, but some scenes come across cheesy as heck. Its as if the director says "naw we don't need a second take, that's good enough." The public and audience of this show expect a great show. Some shows can get by and still be entertaining with a lot less re shoots. In the case of this show, they should be a lot more careful when considering if a shoot is finished. This makes the acting come across forced and rushed. In some shows that aren't intended to be taken seriously, it works. Shows like Gotham should take the directing and script approach to a show like Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.

Right now, I will rate the show 5/10. The one surprise performance that makes the show working is The Penguin. Gotham floats some original ideas, but they need to tighten up their act.

I've seen some of these actors in other shows such as Dexter pull off a decent or even outstanding performance. I can see that if the cast and crew take their time more and aim to be more concise in handling the script and directing style, this show could turn out to be an 8/10.

From what I've noticed, the show will likely be renewed for a season 2. That's more of a guess than anything else. However, if they don't fix a lot of things about the show, season 2 will be the last. It would most likely end on a cliffhanger in hopes of getting renewed.

Keeping in mind that there are a lot of newbies in both the cast and crew, let's try to keep an open mind. The show does show improvements as it goes along, but its far from where it needs to be.

Knowing that Batman is very popular right now and the DC Universe due to excellent Batman games and a well put together alternate take on the Batman Franchise brings us the possibility that people will be more patient with this show.

I'm writing this review now after watching 6 episodes. Next season, I may write another. I am giving the show a chance because I can see that the cast and crew are putting in efforts to improve.

I'll end with this. Everyone has to start somewhere in acting. Some shows have a really bad first season, but turn out to be amazing franchises after they find what works for them. I'm going to give it a chance and see how season 2 impresses me. I want to see this show succeed, and it very well may.

----------------------- update edited review

Since this review, I continued giving the show a chance. I am changing my rating of the show from 5/10 to 7/10. To add to what I said earlier, the directing/cinematography/acting drastically improved as the series continued. I am going to continue watching season 2 when its released. If they continue with improving in the aspects they needed to, I'll delete this review and create a new one. I'm impressed with how much the show improved as the actors got more familiar with their roles. It seems like the director started taking his time more to get more re-shoots, and its paid off.

Good job to the cast and crew of Gotham from saving me as a customer from not watching it. Now I enjoy the show and look forward to season 2. The improvements did not go unnoticed :)

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Rough Play (2013)

7/10

Extremely hard to watch, but has a few points to make

11 August 2014

Going into watching this movie, I didn't quite know what to expect from it. I rate it a 7 out of 10 myself because it is a decent work of fiction that does bring up important points in society that are very hard to talk about. As a whole, most people will either hate this movie or love it. I won't watch it again as I didn't personally enjoy it, but a lot of people will. I believe it is important to rate the movie unbiased.

The gore was quite tolerable in this movie, but the characters weren't. The point of the movie is to seriously satire the Korean Film movie industry. Some themes in the movie were too much for me to enjoy. I prefer to make my IMDb reviews with spoilers, so this will be hard to review.

Without giving away the movie itself, I will say that the sex in the movie was too insane for me to enjoy. There are certain subjects that may offend people who are easily offended by sexual subjects. That definitely means this movie isn't for anyone. I would never let an underage person watch it, for example.

The movie follows an actor who plays an actor trying to get famous. Most people will likely hate the character, even the fans of this movie. The reason I say that is because of how horrible of a person he is through most of the movie. He does some things in his acting career that are obviously immoral and beyond Godless. These things that he does and others do around him are naturally unacceptable by anyone's morals.

The protagonist of book or movie does not have to be a good nor likable person. This is a movie more about the villain. It displays this fictitious young man's movie acting career and the people around him and their careers. There are a lot of things, even if one enjoys the movie, that one should never do. We get to see the worst of human nature from this protagonist.

The antagonist in the movie is a lot more vague than most people understand. He's self destructive so he even antagonizes himself during the movie. The main character is delusional and psychotic. We'd like to think that everyone is good and everyone does good things and they don't. The antagonist is not only everyone who gets in the way of him trying to live happily ever after in a delusional state, its also his own mistakes in a way. There is definitely some uniqueness to this film, but it makes the movie too confusing for most audiences.

The entire movie is extremely dark. The interviews with the cast and crew suggest that the humor in the movie was not completely intentional. I wouldn't call this a dark comedy, but it has its moments despite the intent.

The intent is to show how rough the entertainment can be, how some people are in the industry and explore that atmosphere. Since the movie focuses on a villain as a protagonist, most people will not accept this movie as actual art. I, however not personally liking it, do.

If you like an extremely obtuse and dark movie with lots of graphic nudity and themes, then this movie is for you. I'm male, I'm not saying I don't enjoy nudity, just that the entire approach was too much for me. While I won't watch this again, a lot of people will re-watch it.

Overall, I give the movie a seven out of ten. The reasons are simple; the entire ending and idea is extremely controversial, yet it happens and not enough movies nor shows admit what goes on behind closed doors. A lot of people may rate from 1-9 or even 10, but as someone who studies works of fiction, I see it as just a B+ film. If I was going on personal opinion and taste, I'd rate it a 3. That being said, I was impressed with the film overall as I wasn't expecting much. I know people who I will recommend it to, and I won't recommend it to most of my friends and acquaintances.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying this movie if you can handle the content and get the idea of it. I just don't like it.

Happy movie hunting.

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Contraband (2012)

8/10

Unfortunately, the circumstances are more realistic than one would think

9 May 2014

As a writer myself, who has done a lot of research, I found this movie quite interesting. It was a decent action movie with somewhat of a cliché start to it. The worst thing about the whole movie is not the movie itself, but the fact that this scenario could actually happen to a person (referring to Mark Wahlberg's character). Overall, this movie was entertaining start to finish. There were some things in the movie I didn't predict, which is unusual for me. I wouldn't say its the best movie I've seen, but its for sure worth a watch. I rate it a solid 8/10 as an action/heist movie. Part of why I rate it higher than a 6 or a 7 is because the action sequences weren't very unrealistic. I found it easy to see where the protagonist was coming from and the way he went about taking down the "bad guys" wasn't ridiculous. That's how someone in that situation actually could and would handle the matters.

While the odd non-stop action flick that push the boundaries of reality are great now and then, its nice to see a solid action flick that doesn't seem so superhuman.

I hope this review is helpful.

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Wrong Cops (2013)

9/10

A Potential Cult Classic with Great Black Humor

12 April 2014

I like to avoid spoilers in my reviews. This movie is very short, but you'll remember every moment of it. The music is extremely obscure, but draws you in and makes the movie by the end.

It was great to see that the cast and crew didn't take themselves too seriously when making this film. Its not meant to be completely realistic, nor run for Academy Awards.

If you are offended by extreme sexual jokes, and people treating each other horrifically in bizarre social environments, then this movie is not for you.

The film starts off awkward, which sets the pace of the entire movie. The acting is not the most amazing, but its hilarious.

I've watched this movie at least 10 times since I got a copy of it. I've re-watched it with friends who share the same type of humor.

There is a gore scene that's quite disturbing, yet darkly hilarious. I mention that as a warning for people who couldn't stomach it, its quite psychotic. I won't ruin it for people who want to enjoy it.

This movie is best watched knowing almost nothing about it before you see it. Its best for when you don't have time for the usual 1hr45-2hr run time movies that are the norm these days. Wrong Cops is a movie you should also be in the mood for the first time you see it.

There's a lot of people who will hate this movie. Every joke is pure black humor. It seems to take influence from Reno 911 and Super Troopers. It is, however, much less slapstick.

This is the best review I can do without giving away anything, or spoiling anything. I rate it a 9/10 for the category of Black Humor Cult Classics. While its not old yet, people may still enjoy this 20 years from now.

The storyline is very unpredictable. A lot of the characters are unlikeable as people, but enjoyable to observe.

Although being unrealistic at various points, there are a lot of scenes that hit a little "too close to home" for people who have had a rough past. To enjoy this movie, separate yourself from the situations completely and thank heavens you don't live in the same neighborhood as these people.

Please remember that a protagonist doesn't have to be a good person. There are plenty of books and movies where the lead characters are straight up villains. The entire movie is quite amoral, which helps make this a unique little film. Its original, memorable, and not for everyone.

I hope this helps you decide if this is the movie for you tonight.

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Scary Movie 2 (2001)

2/10

Worst of the Scary Movies, almost ruined the franchise

12 April 2014

There are a couple laughs in the movie, so I won't rate it a 1/10. There are two memorable scenes in the entire movie for me. I went to see this with my best friend when it released in theater's. There were 2 other people in the theater.

What really makes this movie so bad is the awkward scenes that draw on way too long. The movie had potential with the comically spooky plot, but the script, directing and casting ruined it.

The only two actors/actresses that make this spoof movie funny in a couple parts are Marlon Wayans and Anna Faris. Marlon Wayans is responsible for one of the most memorable scenes in spoof movies, which I won't ruin for those who haven't seen it. Anna Faris does the best she can with the script she's been given, it would have been much worth with someone else cast in her place.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an Anna Faris fan, but this movie almost killed the franchise for me.

Some of what was supposed to be funny, instead made me completely uncomfortable as with anyone else I watched it with.

I rate this a 2/10 because of two funny scenes that prevented the movie from being completely boring and not watchable. Scary Movie 3 saves the franchise from extinction in my opinion. The first Scary Movie was quite good for its time in my opinion as well.

I hated Scary Movie 4, but Scary Movie 5 was a a lot more funny as a spoof movie than I expected.

Please remember that the Scary Movie series is a collection of spoofs, not parodies. Movies like this are designed to be completely unrealistic. Spoofs are comedic copies of other movies.

Scary Movie 2 almost has nothing to do with the rest of the series, so I'd suggest skipping it in the series entirely. Scary Movie 4 also has nothing to do with Scary Movie 5, but its a lot more watchable at a 5/10 in my opinion, so the choice is yours.

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The Factory (V) (2012)

6/10

Flawed, predictable, disturbing, yet enjoyable

12 April 2014

I've read better serial killer novels and seen better movies than this. I am, however, a Jennifer Carpenter and John Cusack fan. That being said, I was surprised to see Mae Whitman in the movie. She has improved in acting since the show Weeds. Jennifer Carpenter seemed to play a role she was already comfortable with. John Cusack acted well as almost always.

Dallas Roberts was great in his role, which surprised me. I hope to see more of Mae Whitman and Dallas Roberts in the future. The movie is worth seeing just because of the unexpected quality of acting of those two. If you aren't a big John Cusack fan, you probably won't enjoy it anyway.

The film has a lot less plot holes than people say it does, but still has a fair number of them. Some of the plot holes that people think they noticed in previous reviews were explained with foreshadowing. Paying attention to foreshadowing in this movie made me predict almost everything in the entire movie.

The movie is quite gory, but not nearly as gross as movies like hostile nor Saw, which I turned off. This movie, I rate a 6. Why do I rate it a six out of ten? I would have preferred them to replace some scenes with plot development. They also could have shortened the movie with getting rid of some completely unnecessary and dull scenes.

I was a bit disappointed in Jennifer Carpenter's performance because I want to see her get into a role she hasn't done before. I think she could do a lot better than this, and her typecast is holding her back.

Despite most of the movie being predictable with obvious foreshadowing, there were a few things I didn't expect to happen. I won't ruin the movie by telling you what they were. However, its worth a watch if you enjoy serial killer movies/novels.

People saying its torture porn aren't completely incorrect. There were a couple scenes that went too far in my opinion, but it wasn't nearly as gross as I suspected based on reviews.

The movie is somewhat forgettable, but worth watching once when in the mood for a half decent serial killer movie. The movie had a lot more potential in theory, but lacked in application. Its not terrible, but its not great neither.

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In the Blood (I) (2014)

7/10

Entertaining Straight Up Action Flick with Influences from Taken

12 April 2014

As far as the movie Taken, I would rate a 9. I would rate this movie a 7. The reason i compare these two is because of the premise of the movie.

Despite the lead role being played by an actress who is still learning to act, the movie is entertaining with some unexpected twists.

Remember that the lead actress is an actual female MMA Champion. She's well fit for a role like this, but not quite ready for Academy Awards. She's somewhat like a very attractive female version of Arnold Schwarzennager. Arnold wasn't the greatest actor when he first started acting. He was a Body Builder who played flat characters and over time became a much better actor. Most of his early success was due to his accent and one liners. If you notice, his acting has much improved in his role in "The Escape Plan". Who doesn't remember some famous Arnie quotes? I hated the movie Haywire, and even turned it off early on. I was hesitant to watch this movie due to bad reviews and worrying about how bad the acting would be.

I'd say that this movie is a good B movie. A lot of what makes the movie is how believable the main actress is at actually being able to kill someone. The rest of the cast surrounding her make it much more watchable. This is a movie where its best to shut off your brain, and enjoy some interesting and compelling action sequences.

While the movie is definitely far from reality, it was never supposed to be realistic. The movie lacks comedic relief, which drags it down a bit, but you feel drawn in and forget about your day's worries when watching it.

The point of a movie is to entertain. Did this movie entertain me? Absolutely. I wasn't bored at any point in watching the movie, I would watch it again with a friend when I'm in the mood.

While the movie is quite predictable, there are some scenes I didn't expect. I wouldn't take an under-ager to see this movie, nor a hot date, but you can enjoy this movie with people who enjoy action flicks.

The movie is not nearly as bad as the rating it received. The movie isn't one of my top 50, but it is for sure worth a watch or two.

If you plan to watch this movie, please do yourself a favor and shut off your brain and enjoy it for what it is.

While the main actress is far from the best actress, she has improved somewhat since her role in Haywire. She has potential to become a better actress.

There are definitely some disturbing scenes. If you don't like extremely violent and dark action movies, this movie is not for you.

If it wasn't for being able to enjoy this movie because of the reasons I listed, I would rate it a 4/10. The unique action scenes and interesting characters make up for the mediocre acting. The movie ends well, but I won't ruin the ending for anyone.

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The Hunger Games (2012)

7/10

A decent adaptation of a teen fiction novel to movie

12 April 2014

When I first picked up a copy of The Hunger Games to read, Mockingjay had yet to be released. There wasn't as huge of hype about the movie at the time. What made me interesting in reading the novel was Stephen king's review of it.

I picked up the novel and had a lot of trouble putting it down. I figured, "this would make a good movie". A month or two later, the announcement was made that the series would become a movie.

Not nearly as many people spend time reading these days, at least in Alberta. The book wasn't extremely long. Adults seem more used to easier reads. I read this book in two sittings because I forced myself to take a break half an hour into the first sitting due to work. I read the entire rest of the book on a weekend evening in about 5 hours, which is still somewhat slow in my opinion.

The book series is written with the intention of showing how horrible war actually is. Its designed for teens to enjoy. There's a lot that a teen can legally read which they cannot actually see in a motion picture.

I believe it was a good decision to make this fit for pg-13. The movie wouldn't have been so successful as an R rated movie. It wasn't necessary to make into an R rated movie. The book didn't have curses, nor sex scenes, so why go that far if it wasn't there in the first place? The book takes a lot of influence from an Asian gem, which we all know. I do not believe at all that it is a replica. Its quite similar, but follows its own storyline.

I'm not going to ruin anything in what happens in the movie or book, so pardon me for being vague.

I rate this movie a 7/10 because of the camera work. If it wasn't for the shaky camera, I'd rate it a 9/10.

Movies have never and will never be exactly the same as the books. While this isn't a perfect adaptation, its worth watching and enjoying throughout. There were some poor casting choices in my opinion, but the lead role was exactly how I pictured her, same with Peeta. I believe they were a little off on how they presented Gale's character, but this is the movie and not the book.

The sequel, Catching Fire, is a much better adaptation in my opinion. I believe there is a lot of potential in making two movies out of Mockingjay.

The book is entirely in first person point of view, while the movie shows other character's points of view. Mockingjay is a lot more complex with a lot more room to extend the length. It makes sense to me to make the third book into two movies because it would be hard to follow and miss too much of the book being in one movie made for teens and older.

The Hunger Games movie itself I enjoyed once through. I was not interested in re-watching after I saw it in theaters. However, I could take a younger nephew or niece to enjoy this movie.

Action movies have become a lot darker in modern times. People always enjoy violence on the screen, especially men and children. Its nice to have a movie like this where we can include a younger audience.

There's a ton of haters on the movie, but it does not deserve any rating below 6. Enjoy it for what it is, and rent or buy it for your kids.

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