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Reviews
Einstein and the Bomb (2024)
I'm a fan of the guy, so had to watch...
There are definitely much better documentaries out there on either Einstein or the bomb, but combining both is really not practical. Einstein's miracle year was in 1905, way before the A-bomb. He wrote his four papers. The first one gave him the Noble Prize and opened the door to Quantum Mechanics (QM). The forth gave us E=MC^2; at the time he had no idea where this would lead to. The problem with the documentary is that there is no Einstein and the Bomb; there's plenty of Einstein and QM (Photoelectric Effect), Einstein and LASER, Einstein and Gravity, Einstein and Differential Geometry. As for the bombs' development and use, there's Oppenheimer and the Bomb or Politicians, Their Decisions and the Bomb. Other than that, it's a good watch if you're a fan of the guy.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
I'm a Seinfeld Guy.....I couldn't get into Friends at All
I give it a 6.1, the average of:
-It is not boring and kept us engaged for the whole 2.3 hours, so entertainment gets a 7.2.
-With the A-list cast, the acting is a solid 7.5.
-The plot is exciting and creative. I give it a 7.0.
-Character development was slow but good, 7.0.
-One of the character is obsessed with Friends, for that it gets a 5.0.
-I felt it had a subtle Propaganda in it. I won't say the bais but it has to do with a 1 and a 6, so its message gets a midpoint of 3.5.
-The ending was so-so, almost like The Sopranos' ending. It gets a 5.5.
CONCLUSION: It is worth the watch with some popcorn.
Crímenes de familia (2020)
Yep, Glad My Wife and I Didn't Have Kids.....
A retired couple is dealing with two crimes 1) Their son is accused of domestic violence and rape. He appears to be a low life addict know it all constantly asking asking for money to "invest". The father gives up and lets the mother deal with the guy. I can relate to the father. One of my bro-in-law is a know it all con artist. I eventually cut ties and left my wife deal with her bro; she gave up too and cut ties as well. 2) Their live-in maid is accused of killing her unborn child in the couple's apartment. Nobody knew she was pregnant. There's a twist towards the end. It's common for middle class to have live-in maids in South America. As a preteen boy in SA, I remember hearing many stories and rumors from school friends, which helped me pick up the twist in the middle of the movie.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
The "Clueless" for Today's Gen.
It is not a guy's movie and the trailer shows Adam Sandler in perhaps his most lengthy and funniest appearance in the movie. Still, it was not bad at all. Louis CK had a great piece in one of his routine where he talked about the difference between boys and girls when resolving arguments. Boys hit each in the face and continue with their lives. Girls....well they stage a whole scenario in their heads to psychologically ruin the other girls' lives. This movie has some of that but with happy end. The movie also has a nice message about Faith. I see how this nation is losing Faith. It's nice some Hollywood people making it relevant.
The Time Capsule (2022)
Special Relativity...it's real.
I'm a sucker for any "time" related sci-fy, so the plot got hocked, it's 1 am so why not? A 17yo girl goes on a space flight leaving her 18yo boyfriend behind. These flights are not supposed to come back to Earth but hers does a few months later. Even though her time was only a few months, 20 years had passed in Earth due to Time Dilation given by Special Relativity. She's now 18yo while the ex-boyfriend is a married 38yo, creepy.
The movie was kinda of cute until their "drunken" scene by the lake; I would've edited it out and just have him explain why it can't workout. I'm GenX, can't imagine having a relationship with a millennial; just the political views would likely be vastly different. Still the movie was OK and maybe worth ~6.2 instead of 5.3.
Now the technical problem. The girl went out for the space trip for just a few months yet 20 years went by in Earth. The space ship had to travel at about 99.97% the speed of light for these #'s to work out. This speed is highly unlikely in the near future.
Schlafende Hunde (2023)
Good for a Boring Weekend
Nothing else to watch? Give this one a try. I stuck with it only because it's 6 episodes, otherwise, hu-hu. Like Bourne ID, it starts with the plot already happening and develops through the series by adding back-flash to the story. It is a German show so the acting is different and the English dubbing doesn't help, still, better than reading. And then you have the hypnotic eyes. I'm the typical guy that doesn't understand the obsession some women have on eyes until now. Jule is played by Luise Von Finckh who has incredible blue eyes; it's as if I got drunk and I see double vision of "The Blue Marble".
The Son (2022)
The Father is Much Much Better....
The Father had a unique format that I liked; it was from The Father's POV. The father suffered from dementia and the movie puts in his shoe. You feel the confusion the father is going thru. And a movie starting Anthony Hopkins is already a winner.
Unfortunately the 3 minutes Sir AH had in The Son did not help this movie. The Son is not unique and gets lost with movies touching the same subject, heck, I remember seeing this on 80's 21 Jump Street when I was a teenager myself. Even if Zeller would've kept the same format as The Father, still would've been a 6.0 movie.
The acting was good and a touching moment towards the end.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
"Take me to your leader..."
This review is for the first episode, still have to see the rest. To start a pilot with a first contact mission, clips from the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and a quote from said classic, definitely got my attention.
First contact and time travel are my favorite sci-fi movies/shows. The pilot is about a mission to investigate a first contact that might've gone wrong with Captain Pike on the helms.
The bridge looks good, trying to merge the old looking instrumentation of the original and ST:TNG's LCARS; I wrote an app for work that resembles LCARS (nerdy).
I didn't see wokeness, and politics was just the typical sci-fi (futuristic WW3 and destruction of civilization). I hope this continues on.....
Missing (2023)
Gen Z Movie, but Watchable for Gen X.
As a Gen X, it took me about 20min to get used to the format (all on PC or mobile devices screens); at least I was able to get used to the format (unlike The Blair Witch Project).
Past this first 20min, the plot gets good and suspenseful. There were many twists and turns to keep you guessing. I can't stand when a film portraits people from other countries but when you hear the actor's accent, you can hear the actor is not from that country at all. Here they did use the proper Colombian accent (which I'm very familiar with).
Nothing especial towards the end, the last 15 minutes dragged a little, they could've shaved off 15 minutes at the editing room.
It felt more like a 6.5 rating (currently 7.1).
On a Wing and a Prayer (2023)
Good Family Movie but Technically Inaccurate.
As a hobbyist pilot, if there's an airplane movie, I'm watching it:
Positives: 1) Good family movie that is not afraid to use faith. 2) it's got cute Heather Graham who did not sell herself to the monster Harvey Weinstein. 3) Heather praying the Lord's Prayer (I'm not religious, but the way this nation is heading to, I'm becoming more of faith).
Negatives: 1) Lacking serious aviation technical advice. Vertical speed indicator's showing a gradual descend, yet the altimeter is climbing like a rocket, and many others. 2) Like some have mentioned, annoying kids.
I do fly many Angel Flights in South FL, hopefully I'll hear Doug over the radio one day.
Destination Moon (1950)
It's No "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951's, of course)
I consider 1951's TDtESS to be the greatest SciFy of the 50's (Not the remake with annoying little Smith, there's someone the dad should slap).
This movie tries to be more educational than anything else e.g. The Woody movie clip to the investors and the Doc explaining things to Joe during the trip. I do get annoyed when a supposed scientist confuses speed with acceleration and vice versa. The Doc tells Joe that at free fall everything falls at the same speed; wrong, at the same acceleration (in a vacuum).
I do like the idea of private companies and investors for space travel; even in the 50's huh?
Gifted (2017)
A 7yo Girl Solving Partial Differential Equations??
Math is a skill, and like any skill, it requires time and experience to master it; so a 7yo solving partial diff eqs is too far fetched. Other than that, very good family movie with great acting.
It also touches the subject of what to do with little geniuses. The answer came near the end "Einstein rode a bicycle". At 5yo, Einstein was mystified by a compass, at 16 he wondered how light looks like if you chase it at speed C, and at 26 he published his 3 papers; 1 gave him the Nobel Prize, the other 2 put him in the dictionary. He had plenty of time to grow, so parents, take it easy.
Lastly, NEVER send a beloved pet to the pound, it's just evil.
Three Pines (2022)
Soooo...what's the murder rate in Three Pine?
Horrible murder rate in the town, good show, great acting.
A decent and trustworthy inspector and his team is solving murders in a small town. Besides solving current murders, he's also investigating a years long mystery of two missing persons. The inspector is battling with his own past, suffering from anxiety and lack of sleep. I have been able to guess whodunnit on some of them, so it's somewhat predictable.
I do like shows depicting sincere law enforcement (Colombo, Dirty Harry, The Sinner, etc) who battle their own dirty cops. It gives me a sight of hope of whistleblowers within a politicized agency in real life.
That '90s Show (2023)
8 stars for the original Stars, 2 for the new cast. Average=5 Stars.
That 70's Show is up there with Cheers, Seinfeld and the likes. This show is down there with Save by the Bell (except when the original casts are on). The new kids are boring and can not yet relate to any of them. I can relate to Fez. I came to the US (NYC) at about the same age as Fez. I'm actually from the same country as Fez. I remember a simpler life in...wooOOOoossh... with those beautiful hills and landscape; the nearest international airport was 300Km away and hence not as noisy as it is here. I digress; this show will not make it. BTW, I can't help but feel sorry for Red; when is it going to end?
The Book of Eli (2010)
"In the beginning....." Well the end was also very good
Just the title tells you the Book that Eli is protecting; the twist is the way the book was printed, why it was printed this way, and the alternative way it was stored.
Many negative reviews call this film propaganda. I'm not a very religious man. In my youth I studied Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, etc. I strongly believe in Big Bang, Microwave Background Radiation (creation of light) and slow evolution of creation. However, this doesn't negate the need for Faith.
The movie has great fight scenes and quotes. I love near the end when Eli was dictating and the camera closeup to his face. Also, the importance of mass printing, after all, it is considered the most important invention in history.
The Father (2020)
Tried to explain to my wife w/o avail.
My wife's a huge fan of Sir AH. She's also huge on father/daughter relationship and she thought the film would make her cry. However, she has a linear timeline mentality and doesn't understand movies on time travel, Pulp Fiction and such. I had to explain several times this film is based on Anthony's POV and the director wants you to experience what it is like to suffer from dementia. Needless to say, her expectations were too high. I did like the different POV.
Runway 34 (2022)
Did I watch the same movie as the reviewers?
Really don't understand all the good reviews. The visual effects are terrible.
Realism is very important to me, specifically in aviation movies. As a current hobbyist pilot who flew for a regional for a couple of years, I have to watch any aviation movie I see in the guide. This movie lacks so much technical realism:
1) The "bank angle" alarm is goin off, but yet all the attitude indicators show straight and level.
2) The power levers are pushed forward, but engine instruments show decrease in power.
3) What's with the technique of flying with closed eyes during a purposely induced stall?
I couldn't finish it, I rather play Sully or 7500; they're way more realistic.
Nadie Sabe Que Estoy Aquí (2020)
Direct Evidence that Slow Films can be Excellent.
This is not a movie, it's a film. It is slow, but this film will not work otherwise. Slow films rely heavily on the performance of the actors, and every actor in this film performed admirably. The song is memorable and will stay in your head "Nobody Knows I'm hereeeeee yeah yeah".....
Personally, if I were in Memo's shoes, I'd be happy taking 40% of revenues and let Angelo deal with the fame, interviews and promotions; but that's just me, I like staying low in the radar.
Cold Blood Legacy (2019)
UHH Reno, Reno, Reno....you were the only Professional.
I'm sure most people watched this movie for the same reason I did. Léon taught us the last weapon you'd learn is the knife. I gave it 4 stars only because it gave me hope that maybe Leon survived the explosion and was going to teach me more....but this was no Leon. I can't believe we went from Beethoven to Schoenberg.
Intrusion (2021)
OK for a lazy evening. Definitely no twists.
It's OK for whenever you don't read subtitles on an international film or don't feel like watching a film based in a true story. However, don't look for twists here; whatever you think it's going to happen, it will. My wife got the broken pipes and I got the location way before it was supposed to be a twist.
The Marksman (2021)
I think the the low ratings is due to "wokeism".
The movie was good for a lazy popcorn evening. My wife and I watch LN's movies after Taken. We name his movies after Taken e.g. Nonstop=Taken in a Plane, Taken in the Subway and this one would be Taken on the Border. I think this movie was rated low b/c of his comments in 2019. I don't want to belong to this new ideology, so I rated 10 just to increase the average; it should be ~6.3.
I know soon someone will delete my review.
Flight World War II (2015)
I guess I love Airplanes and Time Travel so much......
....that I watched the whole thing.
I'll start with the bad. I like realism, like "7500" where they used an actual 319 cockpit with very realistic "cold start", briefing and callouts. Or like "The Odyssey of Flight 33" SciFi who at least used realistic terms like VOR, LORAN, ground speed, true airspeed and VFR. This movie has NOTHING of that. I don't know what kind of instrument panel that was, but it was no B757. The radar system totally inaccurate for an airliner. So an 1 on technical production.
The acting wasn't bad for a B movie; a 5.5 here.
The plot and ending is what I liked the most. Of course, time travel is not realistic but nonetheless very intriguing. Love the plot of an airliner traveling in time and that last passenger at the end was a nice twist; a 6.5 here.
So an average of 4.3.
Lykke-Per (2018)
Intrigued by the plot and location, but.....
...it's too long.
I'm fascinated by the late 19th and early 20th century. There was an explosion of discoveries during this time. Copenhagen was the birth city for Quantum Mechanics and the location of a mysterious meeting of two great minds during WW2, so I had to watch this film.
The main character reminded of real life engineer and inventor Nicola Tesla. Tesla was a brilliant man with a large ego and a womanizer who also died alone and broke; I wonder if the author was somewhat influenced by Tesla's life.
Kalavryta 1943 (2021)
How can someone love life when there's no childhood in it?
People are rough with the reviews. Yes there was some poor acting in the Present Time (except for Sydow), but the acting from the WW2 era was very good. The story was very good and educational.
Shtisel (2013)
It's Not Dreck....
A lot of subtitle reading but worth it. It's nice to see people half around the world and ultra-orthodox go through the same Dreck I go thru. I googled for info on a season 4; there's nothing official yet. I read an American remake of Shtisel will show "a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story about an ultra-progressive, over-achieving secular eighteen-year-old young woman on the verge of personal freedom, and the strictly observant Orthodox young man to whom she is powerfully drawn - so powerfully that she is willing to uproot her entire life to be with him." I say this remake will be Dreck.