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Reviews
The Aeronauts (2019)
Dreadful waste of talent
Rarely do I rate films this low. Usually there are some redeeming qualities. Not this one. Overacted throughout out. And the factual gaps are unforgivable. There isn't enough oxygen for human life at 24,000 feet plus. And the costumes at the opening scenes are atrocious. Twits. Strongly recommend giving this one a pass.
The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
If you enjoy true horror, then this is for you
Too often, flics get a horror tag but don't deserve it. Case in point - the Twilight Saga and the Paranormal series of dreck. Emo nonsense and some mild scares.
This film embraces and delivers on the genre on the nose. Certainly helps that the base material is from a master of this type of story telling. Bit slow to start, but once it starts to roll, it is literally a train at full steam. And then you start to get some inkling that something else is going on. This is your hardcore horror. Strongly recommend it for those who love the genre (i.e. Hellraiser, TCM, Freddy, etc.) and enjoy the thrill ride these directors deliver.
The Naked and the Dead (1958)
The foundation for Platoon and Thin Red Line
What a gem of a war film. Not the heroic nonsense of many. More on the people trying to cope in a horrible situation. And their evolution during the journey the film brings to us. The subtle evil of the general versus the ambivalence of the sergeant. And the consequences of each. Film covers a lot of territory decades before we had Platoon and Deer Hunter. Don't expect a lot of action. It is more about how the events of war shape their path. Well worth the time.
Hellboy (2019)
Trading visuals for substance
I don't believe any film ever deserves a 1/10 rating. Given all the effort by so many people, there are always some redeeming qualities. A 1 rating is typically someone ranting rather than being fair because they were disappointed in some way.
Me, I rated this a 6 or 7/10 when assessed by itself. It was a reasonably entertaining romp. The downside was trading good story substance and characters for visuals/CGI. Nothing new on the story front - an ancient evil re-emerges and is eventually defeated, etc. And Ian McShane is always fun to watch. But you know it is average fair when you're not going to watch it again.
The rating drops to a 4-5 when you compare it to the Hellboy films from Del Toro. They were far more original, inventive and engaging. This one was a poor and distant second. If you're expecting something similar to del Toro's efforts, you will be sorely disappointed (and thus the hater 1/10 ratings).
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Wow. What is up with all the haters?
The last two X-Men flics were so predictable. Yeah, great CG, but the stories have been done before - time travel and a big villain. Nothing new there.
I think all the hate is because the main characters in the franchise were minor players this time round and were playing against character - Prof is paying for past sins and Magneto is trying to do the right thing. AND two main characters were killed off. Why is this a surprise? Didn't anybody see Endgame? Why does this surprise anyone? And, by the way, FINALLY! Makes it more real - that there are consequences.
Great performances from James M and Michael F playing conflicted characters. A watershed change in the franchise. And all well handled by a deft writer. Unfortunately he is going to be blamed for the poor box office performance. When it should be blamed on the fans who can't adapt and want the same boring fodder in every film, and vent by giving nasty and unjustly negative reviews.
I say way to go! Thank you for shaking things up a bit and having an ending That is bit less predictable with regards to who is still around. Maybe now they can have some more interesting stories around other characters.
Route 666 (2001)
What were you expecting?
Come on! A story about a haunted hwy headlining B movie actors from the 80s and 90s looking for a vehicle (like what Tremors did for K Bacon and F Ward). What were you expecting? Good acting? Amazing script? A rating of 4 is undeservedly low, nay, unfair. The one liners alone are worth it. It delivered what it was supposed to - cheesy horror delightfully over acted and a ridiculous ended. Some unexpected deaths just adds to the fun. Great fun. Ignore the 4 rating, get yourself a bowl of popcorn and "a drink" and have a chuckle.
Alien Nation (1988)
Horrible waste of time
Wow, what a waste of time, money and effort. Keep in mind Alien, Star Trek and Star Wars have come out in the nine years before this. With all the sci-fi themed movies coming out, you would have thought they would have developed a good story, with an emphasis on alien culture, differences in physiology, technology, etc.
No such luck. Might as well have been dudes from Latvia. And the buddy cop thing is awfully done and not believable. It's just a low budget TV film that got released to theatres due to an aging A list actor. And certainly not his best work - a very distant 100 compared to Thief.
This is a public service announcement. Danger. Danger! You will experience boredom and a severe waste of time if you watch this dreck.
La nuit a dévoré le monde (2018)
Critical flaw
Overall, not a bad flic. It covered a lot of survival aspects that other films of this genre have overlooked. But it's critical flaw is that the zombies don't rot after the food supply has dried up. Over the 40-50+ days duration of the film, their connective tissue would have deteriorated and they'd've ended up immobile - either by rotting as they're dead or lack of sustenance. If you take the film as a recollection/documentation of events and not some dream, then he should have been able to just walk out at the end unharassed and build a new world.
Mind you, this is also a major flaw of other zombie flics with long time spans after the infection event, like Day Of The Dead and Land of the Dead, maybe even the Dawn of the Dead reboot.
Mary's Kitchen Crush (2019)
Too forced
The program is so scripted, it feels forced and unoriginal. A dialogue and sentimentality my grandparents would go for. Ugh.
Welcome to Marwen (2018)
Wonderful tale of recovery and strength
Yet another example of people and reviewers get their expectations built up by ads and clips and then trashing a great film because it didn't meet them. This was Always about relating how a man recovered from a horrible beating based upon lifestyle. And, in my humble opinion, they delivered a great and unique character-based film with an interesting way of how to manifest evil on the screen. Thoroughly recommend it if you liked the great films like "Harvey".
And, please everyone - review films on their own merit. Stop trashing them because the didn't meet your expectations. Review it based on what it accomplishes. Was it a good story? Did it have interesting characters? Was it well filmed and edited? Was it entertaining? If yes, then applaud the effort, because people invested their lives in bringing it to the world. This one deserved more.
The Fall (2013)
Great tale of evil
Really good yarn of finding and the means of dealing with people who do evil things. Jamie Dornan does a brilliant job and is consistent in portraying his character through 17 episodes. And Gillian A does a good job as a determined cop. Bit slow in parts compared to US-produced crime series, but the twists in the storyline keep you enthralled. Endings of series 2 and 3 are unexpected and jaw-dropping. And the editing with the switches between the characters and locations is well done. And the pace makes the series more realistic. The breathy delivery of lines by Gillian A and Jamie R in spots is a bit annoying some times - getting lessons from the Kiefer Sutherland school of acting. Strongly recommended.
True Detective: The Great War and Modern Memory (2019)
What a waste of time
Season 1 - great detective story with the emphasis on solving a mystery. Season 2 - I thought it was better than the first. Good yarn about evil and it's consequences. Season 3 - let's talk about our relationships and, oh, maybe throw in a small mystery to follow just as an afterthought. And the multiple time periods are just dissatisfying and jerks the story around too much and too often. And then they top it off with a truly horrible and ridiculous ending. Don't waste your time! Save yourself six hours and watch the first episode and the last. What a truly disappointing season. WAY too much drama and for no discernible reason. IF there is a season four, they'll have to do something truly amazing to get people to come back. This season may very well have killed the franchise. Dreck!
Lifeforce (1985)
Love the Bs
Love B movies that have unpredictable twists and turns. Great fun for those who love the genre!!!
Reindeer Games (2000)
Grand fun
One of the Great Christmas movies, in the Die Hard tradition.
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (2018)
Awesome
What an awesome and amazing game! Massive open world with no end of exploring and interactions. Great game design and attention to detail. And when you set game difficulty to hard they deliver. And the mercs are a great challenge and very rewarding when defeated. Now one of my favs. Strongly recommended.
Red Dead Redemption II (2018)
Soooo boring
Sooo bored! Just a grind. And even with fast travel from the camp, still spending way too much time going from A to B (even if some engaging things occur during the trip). Just way too much administration. I game for entertainment, not a to-do list for trophies. Going to Assassin's Creed Odyssey or Far Cry 4.
Found Witcher 3 to be a much more rewarding game, with a better balance between game progression and time spent on managing/administering the character/protagonist. In comparison, RDR2 time investment on character administration tasks is excessive and distracts from enjoying the game itself, the environment, etc. Got more enjoyment out of Assassin's Creed Odyssey in the first three hours than I got out of 15 on RDR2. If you love completionism, RDR2 is a great game. If you're trying to get a break from the grind, there are other options.