In the first 20 minutes this movie tries too hard (way too hard) to be cool and hip, feeling like a very sloppy copy of a Tarantino movie. Then it becomes quite interesting and pretty enjoyable. BUT, here the last 40 minutes or so come, completely ruining it all with the introduction of that moronic Billy Lee character and a huge stepping down in tone that makes the movie feel like a teenage flick. Unbearable. Other than the inherent stupidness of his character, I think Chris Hemsworth also was a huge miscast.
Reviews
19 Reviews
Victoria
(II) (2015)
An bundle of nonsense so huge no amount of suspension of disbelief could help.
2 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is hugely overrated, probably due to his "different" nature. I'm not saying it's utterly bad or I don't save anything from it, but let's put things in perspective here.
The story is just too stupid. I mean, one of the most moronic screenplays EVER. No suspension of disbelief can possibly mitigate this continuous flow of unbelievable nonsense, so unrealistic I wonder if the filmmakers were assuming the audience is stupid as f**k. I was literally thrown out of the movie every 2 minutes. Goddamn. No sane girl would do even one tenth of the things the main character did with/for 4 complete strangers in a foreign country. And I'm not talking about the second half of the movie, I'm talking about EVERYTHING, since the very beginning. I mean, right away she sees them attempting to steal a car, for f**k's sake!. But I don't want to go down to details: it would be a list of stupid things too long and too painful to compile.
The single long take, done like this, is totally an end by itself and serves absolutely no artistic or narrative purposes. All this effort is not worth, Not a tiny bit. But on the other hand, I think very few people would talk about this movie if the "oner" wasn't there. Aaaaaaand, Pro Tip: as a general rule, a long take is not so awesome when timing and actors' blocking are literally terrible, almost nonexistent. A proper long take IS NOT just rolling the camera for 2 hours and 18 minutes with actors improvising and mediocre framing. It is much, much more.
This is a movie very far from the usual Hollywood clichés and blah blah blah, that's right, I agree! But that's doesn't automatically make it a good movie or even a "gem". It's too bad because in some aspects it somehow manages to be decent and has a nice vibe, but the silliness is just too much to bear. The film has too many flaws and is ridden with countless moronic design & screenplay choices to be saved.
The story is just too stupid. I mean, one of the most moronic screenplays EVER. No suspension of disbelief can possibly mitigate this continuous flow of unbelievable nonsense, so unrealistic I wonder if the filmmakers were assuming the audience is stupid as f**k. I was literally thrown out of the movie every 2 minutes. Goddamn. No sane girl would do even one tenth of the things the main character did with/for 4 complete strangers in a foreign country. And I'm not talking about the second half of the movie, I'm talking about EVERYTHING, since the very beginning. I mean, right away she sees them attempting to steal a car, for f**k's sake!. But I don't want to go down to details: it would be a list of stupid things too long and too painful to compile.
The single long take, done like this, is totally an end by itself and serves absolutely no artistic or narrative purposes. All this effort is not worth, Not a tiny bit. But on the other hand, I think very few people would talk about this movie if the "oner" wasn't there. Aaaaaaand, Pro Tip: as a general rule, a long take is not so awesome when timing and actors' blocking are literally terrible, almost nonexistent. A proper long take IS NOT just rolling the camera for 2 hours and 18 minutes with actors improvising and mediocre framing. It is much, much more.
This is a movie very far from the usual Hollywood clichés and blah blah blah, that's right, I agree! But that's doesn't automatically make it a good movie or even a "gem". It's too bad because in some aspects it somehow manages to be decent and has a nice vibe, but the silliness is just too much to bear. The film has too many flaws and is ridden with countless moronic design & screenplay choices to be saved.
Locks
(2009)
Meh.
5 December 2015
I don't understand why suddenly everyone talks about this as a masterpiece, or says it's "wonderfully moving" or "thought provoking". My dear God. It's a short movie from a film school student who happened to become a successful Hollywood director. But that's not a valid reason to overrate this, that remains a mediocre work without any particular deep meaning or artistic value. The story is nice but very far from original. The cinematography is amateurish. I don't want to be that guy, I just hate when people ride the wave and overrate the s**t out of stuff. With 10 minutes on Google you can find shorts hundreds of times better than this one in every single aspect, but they're mostly unknown because the guys who made them didn't become famous. Period.
Some good, *A LOT* of bad
1 December 2015
The good: - Some unconventional and interesting cinematography made by Chung- hoon Chung with some departures from his usual style (I recognize in it a mixture of Wes Anderson and a bunch of other pretty known directors). Sometimes framing and camera movements are a bit an end in themselves but whatever. - Nice performances by some actors - Well... that's all.
The bad: - Most of gags and jokes are just meh. - Some of the gags and jokes are not just meh: they're so bad it's embarrassing to watch. - In fact, I think about a joke out of 10 in the movie is actually decent. - A bit juvenile, and this is meant in the worst possible way - The plot is so predictable it's painful. Yes, it will develop and it will end just like you expect it to do after 10 minutes of watching. - In the economy of the movie, Earl could've never existed and it would've been exactly the same. A useless, insignificant character who for some reason is in the title. - At the 30 minutes mark the movie already began to bore me, and it bored me from that point till the end. - The delivery of any emotional content fails miserably. Everything is so fake, shallow, badly written, badly directed. It's not actors' fault. This, with the exception of something towards the end, where they got it easy...
Inconceivably overrated piece of sh*t of a movie that saves itself from total failure only thanks to some good cinematography. It is actually one of the worst movies I've watched in 2015, and believe me, I watched plenty. 4/10.
The bad: - Most of gags and jokes are just meh. - Some of the gags and jokes are not just meh: they're so bad it's embarrassing to watch. - In fact, I think about a joke out of 10 in the movie is actually decent. - A bit juvenile, and this is meant in the worst possible way - The plot is so predictable it's painful. Yes, it will develop and it will end just like you expect it to do after 10 minutes of watching. - In the economy of the movie, Earl could've never existed and it would've been exactly the same. A useless, insignificant character who for some reason is in the title. - At the 30 minutes mark the movie already began to bore me, and it bored me from that point till the end. - The delivery of any emotional content fails miserably. Everything is so fake, shallow, badly written, badly directed. It's not actors' fault. This, with the exception of something towards the end, where they got it easy...
Inconceivably overrated piece of sh*t of a movie that saves itself from total failure only thanks to some good cinematography. It is actually one of the worst movies I've watched in 2015, and believe me, I watched plenty. 4/10.
Jinkusu!!!
(2013)
Extremely juvenile movie, not suited for adults.
23 October 2015
Very juvenile movie, even silly at times. It's clearly aimed for teenage audience and absolutely not suited for more mature people. I had big hopes because Naoto Kumazawa directed Rainbow Song, that also is about a love story between two teenagers, but it's narrated in a totally different, more clever, more mature, more efficient way, and has a bunch of memorable scenes too. Jinx!!!, on the other hand, is just a silly little comedy/romance with some bits of drama here and there, childish dialogs, not so awesome acting and totally uninspired directing. I can't believe the 7.4 rating on IMDb.
Just avoid this one if you're older than 18, and even if you're a teenager, please consider watching better movies, just like the aforementioned Rainbow Song. 5/10.
Just avoid this one if you're older than 18, and even if you're a teenager, please consider watching better movies, just like the aforementioned Rainbow Song. 5/10.
Breathe
(2014)
A big, pleasant surprise
21 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This one was a big surprise for me. It It made me feel every single emotion it wanted to make the viewer feel. And, believe me, I'm not a 18 years old girl. So that's even more impressive.
Very well acted, only a couple of directing flaws here and there but generally good. Great character psychology: I bet the Sarah character is very strictly based on an actual person. The only thing I am a bit perplexed about is the ending: it's not bad per se (actually I liked it), but it gives such a sudden leap towards heavy, HEAVY drama that is a bit hard to digest.
In the end, great, underrated movie. 8/10 I'll surely look forward to see any new Melanie Laurent work in the future. That girl has it all.
Very well acted, only a couple of directing flaws here and there but generally good. Great character psychology: I bet the Sarah character is very strictly based on an actual person. The only thing I am a bit perplexed about is the ending: it's not bad per se (actually I liked it), but it gives such a sudden leap towards heavy, HEAVY drama that is a bit hard to digest.
In the end, great, underrated movie. 8/10 I'll surely look forward to see any new Melanie Laurent work in the future. That girl has it all.
The Petrified Forest
(1973)
Some good stuff, some pretty bad stuff too.
16 October 2015
I don't know. Meh directing, barely decent acting, plenty of stupid dialogs, some hastily done scenes that immediately get to the point without any building up whatsoever, some situations that you can see coming from a mile away.
So, many aspects of this movie disappointed me, but it still has some kind of strange charm and a nice atmosphere. Good cinematography, too.
Too bad that's not enough to call this a memorable movie. In the end I'd say a 64% , I've kinda enjoyed watching it but I think there are hundreds of Japanese movies that deserve your precious time way more than this one.
So, many aspects of this movie disappointed me, but it still has some kind of strange charm and a nice atmosphere. Good cinematography, too.
Too bad that's not enough to call this a memorable movie. In the end I'd say a 64% , I've kinda enjoyed watching it but I think there are hundreds of Japanese movies that deserve your precious time way more than this one.
Fed Up
(2014)
Exceptional, unbiased information value.
5 April 2015
I've been interested in nutrition for the past 15 years and I've never seen a mainstream documentary so much explanatory and spot- on.This documentary should be regarded as an invaluable informative masterpiece]. Every overweight person should erect statues in their living rooms in the likeness of the producers, writers and director of this movie and bow to them every morning.
I can't possibly understand how anyone could have something bad to say about this movie. This person is either painfully ignorant or has some interest in promoting misinformation. No other option. There are tons of scientific evidence backing up what's narrated in the movie, you just have to stick your nose out of the massive misinformation you're buried under.
I give this movie a 10 stars rating due to its outstanding unbiased information value. Everyone should tell anyone he/she knows to watch this film.
I can't possibly understand how anyone could have something bad to say about this movie. This person is either painfully ignorant or has some interest in promoting misinformation. No other option. There are tons of scientific evidence backing up what's narrated in the movie, you just have to stick your nose out of the massive misinformation you're buried under.
I give this movie a 10 stars rating due to its outstanding unbiased information value. Everyone should tell anyone he/she knows to watch this film.
Whiplash
(2014)
One flaw: overly dramatic
9 January 2015
I had high hopes for this one, but they were not fully met. Aside from the great acting, I found the movie overly dramatic. I completely understand the general idea of drama and intensity that drives this movie, and I find it true and applicable to various aspects of life. I also agree with the concept of being ultra- demanding with students if the goal is to form a master musician, one who "would never be discouraged". But still, saying this movie is "overly dramatic" would be an understatement.
It's dramatic to a point that it's often annoying and occasionally beyond what is believable. The teacher himself was great but went too many times over the top. The director should have managed better these "peaks": with less over-the-top-peaks the movie would have had a smoother, more believable narration, and those very peaks would have had even more impact.
I also don't like the idea of "success" continuously pictured here: it's like having success in life is only about how famous and established in your work you are. What a load of effin bullshit. I still give this film a very good rating of 7,5/10 because of acting and some cinematography, good twists towards the ending, and for the core of the story too. AND the great final drum solo. But I was hoping for more. Or maybe it's correct to say I was hoping for less.
It's dramatic to a point that it's often annoying and occasionally beyond what is believable. The teacher himself was great but went too many times over the top. The director should have managed better these "peaks": with less over-the-top-peaks the movie would have had a smoother, more believable narration, and those very peaks would have had even more impact.
I also don't like the idea of "success" continuously pictured here: it's like having success in life is only about how famous and established in your work you are. What a load of effin bullshit. I still give this film a very good rating of 7,5/10 because of acting and some cinematography, good twists towards the ending, and for the core of the story too. AND the great final drum solo. But I was hoping for more. Or maybe it's correct to say I was hoping for less.
Nothing to write home about
5 January 2015
This is a pretty little movie about Italian mafia made by Palermo's own Pif, famous Italian TV personality who grew up experiencing most of the events dramatized in the film. The story is nice and makes fun of the mafia while avoiding to minimize the huge problem it was and it is even today. Too bad the good aspects end here. The main problem here are the actors: almost every actor in the movie performed poorly, and I guess most of them aren't actors at all. This could be good if the "non- actors" would have had smaller or easier parts, but as it is, it doesn't work at all. Sorry to say the biggest letdown were the kids. There is a constant amateur vibe and continuous poor delivery of performances. The directing is better but still quite mediocre, and do very little to compensate the dreadful actors.
April Story
(1998)
Little gem
30 December 2014
This movie felt like something unfinished. It surely deserved to be developed into something bigger. But what's there is fascinating, sweet, and somewhat unique. The way it portrays the first days of college for a girl who's alone in a big unknown city, with unfriendly and opportunist people, is just awesome. I really felt sorry for this cheerful, shy and friendly girl who couldn't manage to get a decent social relationship in this new environment. The lead actress was really good and always had that "sweet and awkward" aura that's just perfect for the character. Some great scenes in this movie, but who's familiar with the work of Shunji Iwai shouldn't be surprised about that: this guy can pull off memorable stuff.
The Great Beauty
(2013)
Mediocre movie
13 August 2014
I'm Italian and I'm actually embarrassed about this movie having won an Oscar. I wonder how it could have happened. I could name at least 100 foreign language movies more deserving than this one. Sorrentino still gives me the impression of someone who wants to make art at any cost, but doesn't have any art in him.
I think this movie doesn't have a cohesive narration: for its whole entirety (more or less) it looks like a bunch of single scenes stitched together. I see no point in the storytelling, no true meaning, just an empty, pretentious, unoriginal tale. The vast majority of dialog lines are just poor,or acted in an almost amateur way. The cast is brutally inhomogeneous,and mixes very good actors (Toni Servillo, Isabella Ferrari) with very bad actors. Furthermore, I don't even like many technical aspects, like camera movements, editing and a lot of other stuff. And let's not forget the blatant, squalid product placement, done in the worst possible way.
La Grande Bellezza is a poor film from any point of view: artistic, narrative, technical. Just... wow! I never was a big fan of Sorrentino, but I think this is one of his worst movies, hands down.
I think this movie doesn't have a cohesive narration: for its whole entirety (more or less) it looks like a bunch of single scenes stitched together. I see no point in the storytelling, no true meaning, just an empty, pretentious, unoriginal tale. The vast majority of dialog lines are just poor,or acted in an almost amateur way. The cast is brutally inhomogeneous,and mixes very good actors (Toni Servillo, Isabella Ferrari) with very bad actors. Furthermore, I don't even like many technical aspects, like camera movements, editing and a lot of other stuff. And let's not forget the blatant, squalid product placement, done in the worst possible way.
La Grande Bellezza is a poor film from any point of view: artistic, narrative, technical. Just... wow! I never was a big fan of Sorrentino, but I think this is one of his worst movies, hands down.
Cursed
(2005)
Yet another useless pseudo-horror teen B-movie. Is that enough?
27 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Even now I can't realize if that thing I saw was a movie or a never aired Smallville episode: Smallville's bald bad guy was there, but he had all the hair; Superman never appeared... I'm confused. The truth is this is a B-Movie with incredibly silly plot, bad special effects, trite "scary" scenes. The highest moment was when the werewolf pointed its middle finger to the girl... oh my god that's pure crap. There is not a single thing unexpected, all goes on straight, strongly predictable and, often, even boring. I think it's time for Wes Craven to get a job. Absolutely awful, don't waste your money on it like I did.
Tintorera: Killer Shark
(1977)
Almost a must-see...OK I'm a liar
16 February 2005
Let me get this straight: it's an awful movie. But imagine this: you are on vacation in Mexico, exactly in the places where the film was shot, and one evening it happens that on a local TV "Tintorera" is aired. It suddenly becomes a must-see. Even now I can't believe how much I laughed: incredibly plain and stupid plot, bad acting, poor dialogs, male nude scenes while the only good thing about in the film was the beauty of the actresses, shocking pointless ending...this movie got it all! As if it wasn't enough, it also showed me how the Mexican coast was before the wild tourism colonization: a real natural paradise that no longer exists (or at least changed too much). A punch on the chin.
Pure crap but, unintentionally, really comical. 5 out of 10 only for the laughter
Pure crap but, unintentionally, really comical. 5 out of 10 only for the laughter
New Fist of the North Star
(2003–2004)
The third chapter that should have never been made
20 January 2004
I'm a huge fan of Hokuto no Ken series since the early 80s and I was very disappointed when I saw this "Shin hokuto no ken". Everything seems made to be a mere marketing operation. The 3D scenes don't always match correctly with 2D, the animation is not so good, the plot is a bit boring and the new voice of Kenshiro is much worse than the original one by Akira Kamiya. And, the last but not the least, what's that horrible part of a samurai armor in Kenshiro's right shoulder? That's crap I say!
Signs
(2002)
After Unbreakable, another sad, poor little film
20 October 2002
Clownish film about UFOs, with the most unlikely stuff happening, like aliens that can travel between galaxies but can't bash through a nailed door, or a farmer that doesn't have a shotgun or ANY other weapon in his lonely home among the fields...I think that I won't spend money no more for a film by M. Night Shaymalan. Disgust-o-rama
People I Know
(2002)
THE WORST MOVIE E V E R
6 October 2002
Please let me say that it's the WORST MOVIE IN HISTORY......stop. I dont want to talk more about this awful thing. Many people in the cinema fell asleep, other went away before the show ended...now i know that I'll never watch a movie worse than this....it's impossible. poor Pacino :(
Rocky
(1976)
A must-see, must-have, a cult....one of the best films ever!
29 June 2001
This is the first (and the best) chapter of one of the most famous saga ever. The story of an unknown boxer that have the chance of his life challenging the world heavyweight champion. A story of hope, of dreams that come true, where the life suddenly changes form a day to another. From the misery of Philadelphia suburbs to the fame and the glory.
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