Reviews

I always try to find little things I enjoy in movies, even if the plot doesn't make sense, if I had a little bit of fun for 2 hours or it wasn't completely boring, it was still worth my time.

But this one, this one, I watched it all hoping, hoping for something, I don't know a miracle. It's a total mess. Who makes these movies? The Last Jedi is 100 times better than this. And The Last Jedi was the moment when I stopped having any expectations for a good final movie, but I still had hope.

Zero 0 stars for this movie. This is such a big lack of respect for everyone. It's like the producers haven't even tried. I was intrigued by The Last Jedi twist, I didn't like it but it was something new... But this? This is where hope died.

Surprisingly at least we have The Mandalorian which captures the spirit of Star Wars quite well.

Too many characters...

To many plot points...

Story happens without any explanation. Is there a story anymore? Just characters added into the mix without resolving the previous character's story. Mindless death and slaughter. Ideas without any sense turned into philosophy.

No, this is not what Tokyo Ghoul is. And I've watched it until the end. In the final 2 episodes, there are some redeeming qualities, but why season 3 exists if it doesn't make any sense?

Another movie I rate based on the performance of the lead actor. Rami Malek was fantastic as Freddie Mercury, bringing his soul to life. But, we need to make one point clear, this is a fictional movie, not a documentary. And I do agree that Rami Malek is at times different than the way Freddie Mercury appeared to be. Needless to say, his performance is consistent and I understood the message of the movie, therefore I think everyone did a good interpretation of this story.

And then there are the songs. It was impossible to make a bad movie with these iconic songs in them. And I am not even a Queen's fan. I've just heard their songs while growing up and I didn't realize they had so many, so famous, so different songs.

My only problem with the movie is the start, I wanted to see Freddie's thinking and upbringing before he joined the band so quickly and become famous so quickly. The thing is maybe nobody knows and it's true to life, but I would have liked to see in this movie a smoother transition from nobody to world-famous.

Sure, I expected some comedy and full-blown action. But damn, the action was good. Of course, it's Michael Bay... the bad: weird editing, short glimpses of action interleaved one after the other, weird time-jumps. The story is simple so there's nothing to be confused about but it's still weird editing.

The good: explosions, car chases, gory deaths, technology, Ryan Reynolds.

I usually get bored at action movies because everything feels cliche but in this case, the action was enjoyable in itself and Ryan Reynolds screaming a bunch of crap did help to keep my attention on the screen.

Just don't expect an Oscar-worthy story and everything will be well.

I find zombie movies quite unsatisfying to watch, everyone knows nothing will change in the end and nobody wins. Except for zombies. But Zombieland was different. It was not about zombies. It was about wacky characters living their merry life in... well, Zombieland.

Zombieland Double Tap is more of the same, maybe not the same quality as the first movie, but enjoyable nonetheless. It was easy to recognize the characters from the first movie even after all these years (I didn't rewatch Zombieland) and had some fun with the crazy ideas exposed on screen.

Somehow, I even teared up a bit.

Kidding.

Honestly, the story is too simple for my taste with a lot of screen time relying on action choreography and beautiful cinematography. The dialogue is simple and straight to the point, the moments of silence long. It's like someone actually knew how to take advantage of the visual medium of cinema (only we're talking here about the small screen).

So I couldn't help but marvel at how well-put-together this show looks like.

Compared to any other series out there right now, this is completely different. Even sometimes boring (if I compare). But it works. It has the charms, the characters and the heart to carry the story forward, no matter how simple this story is.

And everything works.

Like the original Star Wars which took the hero journey and illustrated it without skipping any steps, this one is respecting the formula with great attention to detail at every step.

Never would I have thought I will appreciate a show only because of one actor but here I am. Henry Cavill is Geralt. While the acting in the first episode feels a bit wooden for all the characters, quickly the main character gains his status as the true Geralt.

As for the story, I am one of the people who enjoyed the non-linear structure but had issues with how butchered the short stories were in their episode-based implementation.

Also, somehow I liked the Yennefer version of this show though I had problems making sense of her story, some obvious plot holes arising from the new way the writers wanted to present the character.

But all in all, I would watch it again just for the performance of the main character. He talks like Geralt, moves like Geralt. There's nothing more I can ask from him. Maybe a better story with more moral conflicts?

You know how Crazy Rich Asian was the first Hollywood who featured an all Asian cast? Turned out I wouldn't recommend that movie to anyone.

But this one, this one has heart. Some moments are disconnected and the characters aren't all that likable, if one thinks a little about there are little brilliant moments scattered throughout this movie that makes everything feel genuine.

Plus Keanu Reeves playing a parody of himself, what's not to love here?

The best part about this movie is that it makes me want to reread the book where the monsters were scary and the characters were flawed but human.

In this movie, everyone acts the way we want them to act. Oh, scary scene, I should act scared. Oh, fighting scene, I should be brave. Oh, sad scene, I should cry.

It's cheesy, it's long, the jumps scares don't work at all... and yet, I gave it a pretty high score.

It's because I consider it an adventure movie that tries to amaze you with new CGI. Almost like a video game. I know I'm doing the movie a disservice but if I review it as a horror movie where character development is important, I'll probably give it a one.

It feels pretty epic, even though I rolled my eyes a couple of times.

So yeah, go watch it if you're bored.

This is probably the dumbest movie in the Fast and Furious franchise. And probably because it was not a fast and furious movie. Where are the races or the intelligent (kinda dumb to be honest but fun anyway) heists? Where are the crews? Where is the family thing?

This is just an over hyped action movie with the name of Fast and Furious.

And it was supposed to be funny, right? There's nothing but cliches lines and the Rock being the Rock and Statham being Statham. Definitely not worthy of the Fast and Furious name.

Hold right there. And drop all your superheroes preconceptions. This is not a summer dumb fun action super villain movie. It's something else.

A reinterpretation of Joker. And it's harrowing in its grittiness and potential. You will be there in the streets of Gotham, a Gotham that feels more real than any other fictional city on screen. Because little does it matter where the events happen on screen. This Joker can be anyone, anywhere.

A perfect score in movie means more than just a great story. For me it means the character, the performance, the build-up. And all of them are beautifully done. Especially the build-up. Maybe some will think it's too slow, but I was glued to the screen the whole time.

Of course, I still have some complaints, but most of them are because of my view on the Joker. As the classic Joker, I think Heath Ledger is still the best but he was helped by the script. The Joker's background should not be known, that's what makes the character so unpredictable.

But Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is the people's hero, a deranged hero for a deranged society.

The MIB movies become sillier and sillier with each iteration. Is this a bad thing? I don't know, because it works as a stupid movie.

I was pleasantly surprised that the last MIB movie had some soul and tried its best to give a new twist to an old format. On the other side, the characters are pretty awkward at times and the comedy is definitely forced. I see it's harder and harder for Hollywood writers to write comedy well, in any kind of genre. I wonder why is that?

I expected more from Chris Hemsworth but he is just he's normal self in this movie.

So, MIB, a pretty fun movie with lots of cliches.

Yes, I used cute to describe this movie. There is no sense of horror in this movie and maybe a little bit of strong grief at one of the death scenes. But that's it.

I don't mind that they changed the character's fate from the book. I honestly thought it would work better like this for the film version but the main sin of the movie is it just doesn't even try to make us connected to the characters.

And what's with the wife's backstory? Doesn't make any sense and it doesn't help with her character development at all. Waste of time, in my opinion.

The movie is thrilling enough to keep you watching until the end, but if you've read the book, you know how strong emotions this story should get from you. And there's none of that here.

The only thing I liked in this movie is how they tried to make it look like the last film in the series. Forever. And the beginning was promising.

But then...

And nothing makes sense anymore.

Story zero.

Character development? What, is this even a thing?

Acting skills? I know some of these actors can act but what is happening here? They don't even try. It feels like they just went with the first take.

I didn't mind the costumes and the special effects though they suffer from the same problem as the previous 2 X-men movies, everything feels isolated from the world. It feels like everything happens in a studio. That's a feeling no movie should inspire.

It was actually very interesting to watch but don't expect much depth from the characters. On the other hand, because the cast was so big and the movie so short, there weren't any boring moments but in the end, the plot doesn't make much sense. Again, the beginning hints at something deeper and profound, but there wasn't any substance.

And yet, the art style was different, the characters were different than what I've come to expect from these superheroes. I know superheroes are old stuff from the 1960s or earlier but I wasn't alive back then and I'm only familiar with the new ones.

This is a joke of a movie. But so, so dumb in so many ways. I tend to agree with other reviewers, just let the monsters fight. I'll not talk about the human element which makes everything worse with its stupidity (and it was not even intentional, like a morality tale) but about the scientific explanation. I tend to suspend my disbelief at this kind of movies and I'm not so pretentious to point every science mistake but sometimes, sometimes, there is way too much stupid to comprehend. Easy fix: don't try to justify Godzilla with science. It just doesn't work.

And maybe I'll make a lot of fans angry but you know what movie was more entertaining for me? Godzilla from 1998. While that's also dumb entertainment, my suspension of disbelief worked there. Things seem more reasonable in that movie and I know you can't call that monster Godzilla, it's just an over-sized dinosaur. But somehow, I like it more than this King of Monsters.

An okay movie for lack of something else remotely similar.

I almost forgot. About the title of this review. Watch the movie if you want to want to know what I'm talking about.

It's almost on the same level with the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but with a more focused story on Superman, obviously. And there's no time to care for any characters. And the death of Superman is just so badly written. No, I don't buy this. There must be better animation than this.

So I loved the idea from the trailer. Here in the movie, not so much.

Instead of having a kid with superpowers like Superman, this kid acts like a possessed kid. And it's not fun. Because it turns the whole movie into a boring horror movie. Every cliche from horror movies is present here. And I only wanted to watch it because of the idea of Superman succumbing to the cruelty of humans.

As it is, the character development is lacking. The kid is totally evil, no redeeming qualities, no conflict, he just starts murdering everyone when he hits puberty.

If the review of my title gave you mixed messages, then the movie will give you plenty of those. But at its core, it's just goofy dark comedy. Don't take it seriously.

At the same time, it's an extremely unsatisfying experience. Frustrating in its lack of focus. The cinematography is beautiful at the beginning but turning into grade B movie very quickly. The acting is wooden yet at the same time believable. The story doesn't make sense yet you want to know what happens next (and like an unsatisfying experience, there is no climax or ending for that matter). The message, is there a message? I really hope the movie doesn't try to deliver any message because those girls are utterly and completely evil. There are no grey areas here.

If the ending was different I would probably have enjoyed this more.

It's a harrowing experience. And proof that video games are more than entertainment, more than hours upon hours of mindless gameplay.

From a replayability perspective, this game is short and nothing changes if you want to replay it. You just do it for the story. So I want to put this warning here about what this game is what is not. It got me thinking about gaming in general and why gaming is not only a way to waste to time but to experience something else the other medium are not as good for.

Back to the game. The mental struggle and the reality of Senua is superbly represented here. I've read people saying it doesn't make any sense and they were bored. And I think you have to start with the right expectations.

The graphics, the lighting especially, the sounds, the gameplay, all amazing.

The graphics and motion captures are the best at this moment in a game. It bring the character as close to you as possible, while avoiding the uncanny valley.

The sounds. I never thought I would say this about simple sounds in a game. They are such a big part of this experience. The game would not be the same without the auditory experience. The first hour of the game was full of atmosphere and extremely disturbing. I had to quit after one hour because the voices are so real and so exhaustive. I struggled with anxiety so I recognize the symptoms, though I didn't hear exactly voices, everyone is talking to the self more or less during the day. In extreme cases, it is very tiring. The game manages that in just one hour, while keeping the experience real, not annoying but draining.

The gameplay. The claustrophobia of fights, And how hard is to fight more than one opponent. And at the same time, it's fun. You can sense the force that goes into each blow, the struggle to stay alive with every breath. The fight is simple but it feels right.

There are puzzles here that make sense, not in your world, but in Senua's world. These are not puzzles just to proceed further, they are puzzles that delve into Senua's mind and after a while, you'll try to think logically about them. And that is amazing, because really they should not make sense. It made you feel Senua's reality is real. And it is. That's the whole point of the game.

Also, beautiful story, not only about mental illness, but about grief, love, stigma (more damaging than the simple mental illness), death, self-love, and how hard is to fight with your own mind. As hard as fighting dozens of murderous vikings and barely surviving.

"The hardest battles are fought in the mind."

You grow plants bigger than the stratosphere. Fun!

Bear with me. First I have to warn you. The first 2 seasons are terrible. Terrible.

The first few episodes brilliant, the way the plague is spreading, the science of vampires, the stupidity of humans, brilliant for 2 episodes. But then the show turns into... I don't even know what to call it... There is no purpose and the whole show feels like it's dragging out for no reasons, plot holes after plot holes and from a satire of human stupidity it turns into nonsensical decisions. It's really bad.

And then the show embraces its goofiness while making the seasons shorter and more focused. Also, Quinlan (the half-vampire) appears. Finally some good acting. There are still plot holes all the way to the end, but the show finds its spirit and it doesn't stumble from episode to episode. Better acting and more focused storytelling helps in masking its stupid decision. And I have to say it's gripping and more than once it made me yell "Whaaat?!" which is good in my book as I stopped to take this show too seriously. It feels like a comedy at times (yet I'd wish I feel bad for all the terrible things people go through, for God's sake they make parallels to the concentrations camps and still I find it funny).

Apart from that in the last 2 seasons, there are some chilling scenes and Quinlan is a real breath of fresh air to the show. Badass, sarcastic and misanthropic with a heart, what's not to like?

It's one of the rare shows that gets better after a few seasons, which is unfortunate because the first season makes or breaks a series.

As always I try to review the game for the story and artistic merit. And as always, gameplay gets in the way.

The story is pretty interesting if you can get over the first half of Dracula obeying Zobek's commands and crawling through same old science facilities like a rat (oh, wait, actually he is a rat for a portion of the game). The science facility sections are boring and uninspiring and it's too bad they decided to put these at the beginning. It almost made me drop the game.

Soon enough, you switch scenery and the story picks up pace, although it's still a little goofy, all around. I'm not saying it's bad, just leave your logic behind, things go here by the Castlevania lore.

Now, the castle part is really well done, both in execution and in concept. It's where the story goes a little abstract (and I like that) and the scenery is simply gorgeous from time to time. Perfect Gothic atmosphere.

Backtracking in the city is a little confusing (read as a lot) but everything about the city is not my favorite. Surprisingly, in this game, you don't spend a lot of time fighting weaker hordes of enemies and it feels like you're going from boss fight to boss fight. Sure it keeps things interesting but it's missing something. That I'm so powerful feeling from time to time when you're forced to fight lots of stupid minions. Is it just me, then?

Sometimes I wonder why the producers like to needlessly extend the life of a series and I never get the right answer.

So, the first and second seasons are brilliant. Smart science-fiction which gets the science right (actually, so right that it's exactly what's used now in genetics). But being smart is not enough sometimes. And here comes the lead actress. If I have to watch this show, I'd watch it only for her. She's amazing and carrying so many roles at the same time is mind-blowing. I think she's the only reason I watched until the very end.

It's intriguing, smart, funny and believable.

And then there's the downhill. The last 3 seasons. They are not so bad but the flow is out of place, the plot doesn't make sense even though the science is still right, characters die and then they reappear, basically, it's a mess. Interestingly enough, character development carries all the way through season 5, with some memorable scenes here and there.

And the ending is fitting. The final villain was a total let-down, sure, but they got the after the fight ending right, with all the cares and joys of daily life.