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Reviews
Barbarian (2022)
So poorly written, I gave up within minutes
Pop Quiz:
Q1. You or your young adult daughter shows up at a short term rental and find that the key is missing from the lock box. It is late, in a bad neighborhood and raining. Do you:
(a) stand on the porch in the dark and attempt to reach the rental company?
(b) get back in car, lock the doors and attempt to reach the rental company?
(c) get in your car, drive back to a safe and public location and attempt to call the rental company?
Q2. When a male stranger opens the door and tells you he also has rented the property, do you:
(a) Go in the house with him?
(b) Go in the house with him and agree to stay the night?
(c) Apologize for the confusion, get in your car and drive to a safe and public place while you sort the situation out?
Q3: If your first attempts to reach the rental company goes to voice mail and the first hotel you call is full, do you:
(a) say "oh well, I guess I will sleep in the house with a total stranger?
(b) drive to a safe and public place to try a few more hotels?
(c) get in your very own car that brought you hear and drive 15 minutes to a town with hotel vacancies?
If you can guess which answer the main character chooses each time, you can find another, better way to spend your time, such as cleaning the toilet or folding laundry.
Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Even with low expectations, it failed to meet them.
Given that I found the first installment passable for what it was, I was willing to give the sequel a shot. But even going into the movie with low expectations, it was impossible to watch.
Contrived and formulaic were expected, but the sheer laziness of the mind numbing dialogue was simply too much to handle, even if one could get past the obvious pandering to international markets.
Although I generally find Jason Stathan a mediocre actor in his best efforts, he was, surprisingly not the worst performer. Or at least, no so much so that he stood out poorly.
If you want a fun, no expectations shark-related disaster films, stick with the Sharknado franchise, the likes of which are far more watchable and enjoyable than this lazy attempt at a money-grab.
Dunkirk (2017)
Good overall, but underwhelming
I saw the movie in IMAX.
The genre earns this movie an extra star. Without the historical context, its a 7/10 movie.
The general consensus that the dialogue gets lost in the sound effects is correct. I don't mind loud movie sound effects when appropriate, but there was an almost continual low frequency drone throughout the movie, even when it wasn't clearly connected to engine noise, gun fire, etc. Strategic silence could have helped this movie. I believe an audio remix before release for home sales would help.
Acting was generally fair, but nothing special, overall. However, I did like Mark Rylance's performance.
Several scenes or events seemed less than historic and little more than obvious attempts at emotional triggers.
One very quick scene near the end appeared to be a special effects failure to me.
I do not expect to buy this movie, though I can see watching it again once it is widely available for streaming.