Change Your Image
ultrevor
Reviews
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Everyone's a (bad) critic - this is an incredible movie
The men who stare at goats is a movie that I have come back to many times, to the point where I felt it was necessary that I write a review. The film and book cover a field of study that is so often overlooked and joked about: mind over matter, the power of the imagination - and ultimately - going on a journey to prove oneself. It is a deeply funny and satirical story within a story, within a story about the human condition, the military industrial complex, and white masculinity, that speaks to an era now past, when humanity's biggest concern was the war in Iraq, and the treatment of POW's. On a first watch, one might determine that the film does not have an explosive ending, without realizing, that's the entire point of the film. I don't want to give away too much other than to say, enjoy the journey. Enjoy the humor and satire. Enjoy this incredible cast, a cast so strong you rarely see a cast like it in movies today. The Men Who Stare At Goats is required viewing in my book, and I believe it will live on in film history as a prime example of people's feelings on Iraq, and the military industrial complex. In the meantime, I'll see you on the other side of that wall, recruit.
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Everyone Thinks They're a Critic, but they're not - Its a Great Movie
I think a mistake many of the negative reviews are making is that they are comparing this Poirot film to what has come before. People seem unable to separate themselves from the David Suchet Poirot, or the Sidney Lumet Poirot. When compared to previous iterations of Poirot, I agree, I think some interpretations are better than others. But we must remember that many of these adaptations are some of the greatest films of all time. Is "A Haunting in Venice" one of the greatest films of all time? No. But is this movie, a "good" movie? Absolutely. Is it even a "great" movie? Absolutely! This is a fantastic movie.
A Haunting in Venice, this latest edition of the new round of Poirot films is by far the best, better than Orient Express, better than Death on The Nile (which were also both great movies). A Haunting in Venice is simply a fantastic movie. Its everything you'd want from a Poirot murder-mystery film, and its everything you'd want from a film titled "A Haunting in Venice". Its got spooky vibes, compelling and mysterious plot twists, and plenty of jumps and surprises in store. Its a film that stays with you after you watch it, it is as haunting as the title would suggest.
The cinematography really stood out to me, I was deeply impressed by the camera work in this film, you see it, you feel it, you notice it because you're supposed to - it helps tell the story. Some people tend not to like more obvious camera work like what appears in this film, I say those people are boring. Some richly symbolic shots as well, a multitude of little moments of storytelling that viewers not paying close attention might miss. Keep a sharp eye on this film - missing a single second could lead you to the wrong conclusion. It was such a fun movie I fully intend on watching it a second time.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
Avatar Fans Should Really Give it a Try
I actually watched this show for laughs, expecting it to be bad. All I've heard online were negative things. And they were wrong! The special effects are incredible, the fight scenes are beautifully shot/choreographed, the dialogue is still fun & witty and bears a lot of similarity to the animated show in the best possible way, and the pacing varied in all the right ways - we hit the heavy moments and the fun moments and the sad moments beautifully. Avatar animation fans in particular will enjoy getting to see more of characters they didn't see interact as much in the animation, a number of interesting expansions to the lore that made sense to me. At the end of the day, you have to compare this new live-action series to one the greatest animated shows of all time...does it hold up? No, not even close, the animated avatar show is better. When the casting in the live-action lands, it really lands, and when it doesn't, it really hurts, and you feel it either way. The fire nation cast of characters in particular were pretty weak (excluding Zuko, his crew, and Commander Zhao, who had some absolute standout performances). The show also makes some pretty substantial rewrites to the original animation, likely to save on time and budget, and not all of the choices they made were great - King Bumi and Firelord Ozai in particular really fall flat - the casting for these roles was good! - The way they were written/directed/portrayed absolutely betrayed the purpose of their character in the narrative. The two weakest performances were that of Katara and General Iroh, Katara likely because of the writing/directing (its hard to get a great performance out of a child actor), and BOTH Iroh's performance and writing really falls flat. Aang and Sokka really carry this show on their backs currently. I'd like to see Katara be a little more outspoken and playful, she was the mature one of the group and in this version she comes off as timid, bashful, and unsure of herself, which feels like a character betrayal (I get it, you're trying to add "an arc", but she has a different arc in the animated show that was better). Overall the show is incredibly strong, I hope there is a season 2 (which is why they got a high rating, I want more of this, honestly season 1 as stands is more like a 6 or 7), and I hope they take some of the feedback from season 1 to make a better season 2.
Dimension 20 (2018)
An Outstanding D&D Improv Comedy/Adventure Show
There are few shows more perfect than Dimension 20. If you DON'T like "theater of the mind" shows, this is not for you - this is a live-play D&D series, D&D is a tabletop roleplaying game and so you're essentially watching a group of people playing a board game - in the case of Dimension 20, the "board game" is a multi-hour long epic of fantasy and adventure, played by a group of hilarious College Humor comedians/improv artists that keep things witty, fun, and funny. So be warned! There's no animation, there's not scripted scenes - its all happening "live" (its improv! An improv board game!). The selling points: Incredibly unique use of visual aids and game maps that surpass any other D&D show you've ever seen (eat your heart out Critical Role), the shortened episodes keep the pacing fast (D&D sessions are normally 4 hours, whereas Dimension 20 runs a very reasonable 2 hours most of the time), Brennan's incredibly powerful ability to keep a story moving at lightning speed in a way that feels accessible/easy to understand/fun, and the guest stars that come in are the glue that hold the thing together (players tend to rotate by season or Dimension 20 universe - there are several diff universes). Tl;dr Its all very funny and entertaining and its like watching a group of people act out a storybook but the storybook is improv'ed and exciting and awesome. RPG lovers, Fantasty/Adventure lovers, Scifi lovers, Bookworms, Nerds, and Nerds alike - this show is the one for you.
Static Codes (2023)
An Imperfect but Truly Original Film That I Loved And Would Recommend To Family/Friends
With Hollywood constantly recycling concepts and releasing the same superhero movie every year, I'm desperate for indie/original films to watch that are actually good. I'm really glad I found this movie. Static Codes is a delightful little sci-fi with a lot of heart. It follows a man 15 years after a traumatic event - he claims his wife was abducted by aliens, and he's miserably alone and wanting to die. Its a really outstanding piece of acting by Shane Woodson, the lead of the film (who made me cry A LOT), and while there are some scenes that feel a little out of place, or slow, particularly when the feds enter the story, the film as a whole is a really unique take that I haven't seen anything like before, and the family dynamic between the daughter and Shane's dad character (and that adorable dog) carry the film. Its something I'd absolutely recommend to friends and family who are looking for a unique film with a truly original story and great dramatic acting. Also the adorable dog named Buster 100% steals the show, its honestly worth seeing just for that fkin cute as heck doggo who's such a good lil sleepy boi.
Death on the Nile (2022)
No idea why people don't like this - It's great
This is an outstanding film, I can't understand why people don't like it. I googled why...it seems as though many of the actors in the movie have been "cancelled" or have political issues. Anyone providing a negative review for that reason is clearly more of an activist than a good film reviewer. While the addition of anachronistic 50s rhythm/blues pop music score in an earlier period piece (set in earlier time period) is quite odd, the film is otherwise very enjoyable. If you like whodunnits, murder mystery, and historic period pieces that take their time to tell a compelling story, this one is a no brainer. An absolute delight. If you're a "woke" millennial/gen z that can only stand to watch sub-60 second videos, this brilliant movie is not for you.
Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material (2021)
Just shock value humor
Some parts of it are funny, it's worth a few laughs. But mostly it's the shotgun "if I make fun of every minority and white people it's okay" style of humor, saying inappropriate things for shock value. Plus the gratuitous use of the laugh track really gives away how not funny this routine is (audience hardly laughs if you pay attention - mostly laugh track).
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
Honk if you love rock operas (stay awhile anyway if you don't)
This movie was my introduction to Tenacious D, the dynamic duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gas. It would not be until several years later that I would learn there was an HBO series that also featured both of them. In this movie, there's music, there's rock n roll guitar solos, there's adventure, there's comedy. There is almost no part of this movie I don't love. I say ALMOST because towards the late-middle of the film, there's a section that really makes no sense, and detracts from the many storyline. My other challenge with the film was it's a FEEL GOOD film! But there are a few sad moments in it toward the latter-half. However, on the whole, it is my hope that this movie withstands the tests of time. It's truly one of the greatest comedy films ever made - if you like stupid dude-bro humor, or stoner humor, or classic good old rock-n-roll, I really can't recommend this film enough.
Seaspiracy (2021)
A misleading movie made by an agitant amateur with a pre-written hypothesis
The makers of this documentary, their heart is in the right place. Who doesn't want to save the fish (other than fishermen)? Who doesn't want to save the oceans? But the statistics throughout this film are given without sources. Several simple google searches show many of the statistics presented in this film to be entirely incorrect. In science when we have a hypothesis, we test to see what aspects of it are correct vs incorrect. These amateur filmmakers certainly uncover some unknown secrets about our oceans and our fishing practices without doubt, but they sensationalize the details and harass random people, grasping desperately at straws (some of them valid) to prove a thesis they had written before the film started, with no desire to keep an open mind or fight against their pre-written opinions. A cringe-film meant to inspire that does the exact opposite, it makes me resent the filmmakers for being so careless and so cruel to nearly everyone they encounter in the film. An abusive misuse of documentary film-making power at its finest. I feel sorry for anyone who buys into this garbage.