This movie is like a pizza with anchovies scattered on it. You can take a couple of good bites but then you hit a bitter anchovy. (Or perhaps there are slightly more anchovies than good bites.) The basic plot has lots of problems. E.g. where does this disease come from? Why does the dumb dude just leave that sick guy in the woods? Does a cabin really get water straight from a stream, without any filtration? And the characters do dumb thing of course. And some things are just predictable (such as the ending with the one guy who survived but then met his fate as he was celebrating). But the weird humor throughout is just enough to save the movie from going straight into the campfire. The movie is really schizophrenic in this regard; at times it purports to be a real horror movie, and at others it makes a mockery of itself. E.g. early scene where the clerk asks the guy why he would steal a candy bar, and he answers "nougat"; that's funny. And the scene with the rifle in the store is funny; very long gap between set-up and delivery of that joke. You don't really want to see this movie; but if it's the only thing on at 2:00 a.m. and you can't sleep, then this will do.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Welcome to Marwen
(2018)
Better than the reviews
3 January 2019
This is an interesting and well-done movie that is worth seeing. I think it is under-rated. If you want to see Steve Carell in a comedy, then this is not your movie. If you want to see a movie about TBI (traumatic brain injury), then this is not for you. If you want to see a documentary about the true story, then don't go. If you are repulsed by gender-identity issues, then stay home. But if you want to see a moderately entertaining movie, loosely based on a real story, with good acting, that shows the pain of human existence and has an uplifting message, then this movie is for you.
I personally did not care as much for the fantasy sequences, but they were OK. I found the movie to move at a good pace, contrary to many people who have said it's slow. Based on some limited research, the film seems to have done a pretty good job of sticking with the true story; in my view, better than 85% of the movies that are based on true stories.
I personally did not care as much for the fantasy sequences, but they were OK. I found the movie to move at a good pace, contrary to many people who have said it's slow. Based on some limited research, the film seems to have done a pretty good job of sticking with the true story; in my view, better than 85% of the movies that are based on true stories.
Drag Me to Hell
(2009)
IMDB rating too high.... Not the worst movie tho.
4 February 2018
This movie is predictable and full of cliches and is somewhat repetitive of other horror (spooky) films. It is watchable, however. Many scenes are simply jump scares, and others are just gross to get an effect (bugs, vomit). This is sort of like a Twilight Zone plot with an overlay of demons and flies. The glowing reviews here are real suspicious. Funny how many of them note the director's prior works -- does not seem like a typical review.
The Florida Project
(2017)
Very realistic
16 January 2018
I find this movie very difficult to evaluate. There is not too much of plot. It's more like a picture of the inner city. It just shows how life is for many people, adults and children. I can't think of another movie that depicts childhood so accurately. The dialogue between the children and their actions are very realistic. Some of it might be a bit over the top (children being a little too bratty), but most of it is fairly accurate. The scene toward the end with the child crying is amazing; I wonder if they told that kid that her dog died or something to get that reaction from her. This movie shows how people's lives can just spiral downward bit by bit. Acting by all is great. If you want an arc in a movie or some major uplifting feel-good movie, then this is not for you. If you want a few laughs and an interesting, realistic movie with good acting, then this is for you.
Operation Dunkirk
(2017 Video)
Definitely under-rated, deserves at least a 2/10
16 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
OK - I saw this because I was confused about the two Dunkirks.. my bad.. Anyway, I didn't think it deserved a 1.7 (current rating), and so I wanted to bump that up a little with a vote of 2/10. Other comments here are accurate, regarding historical inaccuracies, poor acting (e.g. dying scenes). I would add to that some weak accents. My biggest problems were just really stupid things by the protagonists. E.g. one dude who just walked outside right in front of the oncoming Germans, knowing that they were in the area and would be coming for him; that would have been a good time to sneak out the back surreptitiously. And the band of soldiers who told the Germans that they would not surrender, rather than just either (a) shooting the heck out of those Germans (having the slight element of surprise plus a good vantage point) or (b) running out the back door -- but no, that would make too much sense; better to tell the Germans that you're not giving up and then wait for them to shoot at you (and yes -- one of the good guys gets shot..). And somehow in the end the allied planes up in the air can discern the good guys from the bad guys on the ground and they manage to shoot only the bad guys. (And I'll add the radio communications that are easily intercepted by the enemy, that give away the whole plan..) It's not asking too much to expect a moderately plausible plot...
John Wick: Chapter 2
(2017)
Ruined by unrealistic fight (gun) scenes
7 August 2017
The movie is certainly fast-paced with lots of action. But the movie completely lost me when John Wick just kept shooting the bad guys at will. The bad guys could not aim, and moreover they just sort of moved like zombies, allowing Wick to easily shoot, punch, stab, kick them one-by-one. All they had to do was to attack Wick simultaneously, or to simply lay in wait (rather than wobbling out in front of Wick in slow-motion saying "please shoot me in the head"). This was taken to the extreme in this movie. And then there is the fact that Wick is unfazed by a stab-wound, getting hit by a car etc. He does not even take time to heal before moving onto the next killing spree. Movies don't have to match the real world -- but they should have some vague similarity to it.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
(2002)
Doesn't quite hit the mark
23 July 2017
I think this movie is poor, but not as bad as many of the reviews. (I am also surprised at the high number of people who praise this movie.) I find it difficult to say where this went wrong. The best I can figure is that it is stuck between a sci-fi movie and a comedy, and in doing so it fails at both. The comedy is not strong enough to support the movie. And the sci-fi is likewise not strong enough to keep the viewer's attention. Many people praise the sci-fi aspect of the movie, but part of the problem is that the attempts at comedy tend to detract from creating a true sci-fi tenor. For example, Quaid's performance is decent as a comedic part, but he is just goofy and so it's difficult to take the plot or the movie seriously. By comparison, Total Recall has some comedic parts, but they are effective and brief enough to not affect the sci-fi tenor. On the other hand, something like Spaceballs (or Dark Star) doesn't take itself too seriously and works as a comedy. Perhaps another matter is that we have high expectations for Eddie Murphy, and thus we are more critical of his work. Also, perhaps we have seen and heard his mannerisms so many times that the humor has worn off (e.g. Eddie's classic laugh).
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
(2010)
Too long, too many tangents
7 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I don't usually write reviews. In fact I don't think I've ever written one. My basic comments are similar to others I've seen here. The basic story of this cave art (assuming everything to be legitimate) is very interesting. But to most of us, this is probably a 5-10 minute story. The images are immediately stunning; but unless you are fascinated by the minutiae of artwork, it can't justify 60+ minutes. There are only so many times I can see the same horses, rhinos and lions etc. Then to boot, they tried to add some "filler" (e.g. interviews of people outside the cave), but the filler is very tangential and of borderline value. E.g. one guy who looks for caves by sniffing the air; with no suggestion that this actually works. And a former circus-worker theorizing about ancient art (based on a very loosely-relevant story about Australian art). And a guy explaining hunting with the atlatl (without using the term), with no real connection to the cave. I would have been interested in e.g. the actual finding of the cave itself (e.g. an interview of the persons who found it, or original accounts); or e.g. a scientific discussion of how we know that this is legitimate and not a hoax (aside from one very brief comment about some sort of growth over the art supposedly proving that it's real). Or heck, even of how they built that walkway in the cave without disturbing the surrounding floor. And there's not even any discussion of the absence of people (predominately) from the artwork. So it seems like there is other "filler" that might have worked (i.e. relevant and interesting filler). Nuff said I guess.
The Pledge
(2011)
Don't watch unless you want a numbing patriotic message
2 December 2015
I am first embarrassed to say that I sort of saw this by mistake when I intended to watch another movie called The Pledge (Jack Nicholson). I got too far into this before I realized that I had made a mistake. But since my foot was half-way in this mess, I decided to commit myself to the end just in case some miracle happened at the third turn. Anyway, the miracle did not come. If you want patriotic pablum, then this is for you. It contains highly simplistic messages, weak dialog and weak delivery (which is done with poor acoustics). It is what it is. If you want to pop this in on the Fourth of July and grill up some dogs, then more power to you.
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