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After Earth (2013)
Dull and dreary
This is too boring, tedious and contrived for words. The only redeeming quality is decent photography.
Overlord (2018)
This is a zombie film, but Nazis are to blame
What do you get when a zombie filmmaker with an obsession for WWII runs out of zombie ideas? "Overlord."
There's good acting and decent photography, but the story is cartoonish. The soldiers act as if no one will hear them or see them, ever, even though they are surrounded by Nazis who know they are there and are looking for them. There are more plot holes than bullet holes, and there are a lot of bullet holes.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Excellent cinematography
It was a very good documentary. Cinematography was often excellent. The director is clearly depressive, and was seeking to cure himself of his own depressiveness. His biggest clue was that through his experience with the octopus in the kelp forest he learned to feel that he belonged, and was not just a visitor. Evidently he was feeling quite isolated and alone in society, "just a visitor," before he started this documentary. Some of his narrating is a little sappy, but overall well worth the watch. He captured some amazing footage of octopus behavior.
Fatal Affair (2020)
It's a cheap movie without a story
It's almost a non-movie. Cliched from start to finish. A predictable story that's been done often and better. Watch it on fast forward if you must, the dialog doesn't add anything.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Charlize Theron whispers through the entire film
Apparently the director doesn't want the audience to hear any of Theron's lines so she whispers everything. And we're supposed to believe that this 97lb actress can dominate
a series of monster villains because she yelps like a nine year old playing at her first karate class when she punches. Maybe it could have been a good story, but the directing, casting, and heavy bow to feminism pushes the audience away. Pathetic pandering to pop culture.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Obvious Political Propaganda
It has its moments, but the director crippled the film. This movie is riddled with cliches and political propaganda. There is no balance and it shows. The writer and director's urgent obsession with BLM and anti Trump rhetoric destroys the decent acting and what might have been a truly interesting film and character exploration. But no. Even the music is almost religious in it's attempt to emphasize the US Left politics. It's so cheesy at times that it's nauseating.
A huge missed opportunity. The director had an opportunity to explore the complexity of America's present moment, but chose to stick with cheap political shots. The film was cheapened by the director's political obsession.
I took stars off for the propaganda and cheesy parts.
La trinchera infinita (2019)
Excellent psychological analysis
The film deals with multiple issues including the psychological effects of isolation, the relationship consequences, trauma of rape, and childhood problems as a result of parental illness. I was initially put off by the length of the film, but it needed this length in order to fully develop the themes. This is one of the few long films that I've seen in which the length of the film was justified.
Tallulah (2016)
In a word: Yawn.
Predictable sentimental crap. Yawn, then watch on fast forward. Nothing happens. Read some PC nonsense for 35 seconds then imagine it stretched into a feature film in which you can predict every scene. Finishes with some contrived teary-eyed stuff and then a melancholy acceptance... Badly blah blah. Then watch something worthwhile to forget the crap you just sat through.
Damascus Cover (2017)
Bad writing made worse by bad acting
The lead actor was ok, but the supporting woman was awful. The writers used too many cliches --- gag-worthy cliches.
The story could have worked well, but the cliches and acting push the viewer away, and the writers didn't do justice to the story line.
Cinematography is good, but the music is lame and uninspiring. Better music selections might have helped mask some of the other deficiencies in the film.
Earthquake Bird (2019)
Watch it on fast forward
Even on fast forward this movie is slow and dreary and dull. If it was reduced to 25 minutes it might be more interesting but it would probably still be slow. At an hour and 45 minutes it's torture
Rattlesnake (2019)
Acting ok, Writing bad
The story is stupid. The woman's role is not believable. The story drags on seemingly forever. The bad guy is a cardboard cutout of a character, so cliched that we need a new word to describe it. The long scenes seem designed to turn this from a short film into a feature length. The story is too thin, don't know how it got past an editor. Your time is better spent on Twitter
Kidnapping Stella (2019)
Yawn, yawn, ultra-convenient boring turns of fate, yawn
Filled with contrived turns designed to draw out a boring unconvincing story to a full 1.5 hours, including a dreary predictable ending.
They didn't even bother with a voice actor for the father.
The acting wasn't terrible, but the story just isn't believable. The actors had nothing to work with.
Blooper: his handcuffs switch hands in one cut.
Bokeh (2017)
This is a non-movie. Nothing happens and then she dies
The only possible reason to make this movie is it was cheap to make. Nothing happens. Long, drawn-out, boring repetitive scenes. If it was condensed into a 3 minute short it would still be slow and boring.
The Shallows (2016)
My GF insisted we watch it until the end
Where to start, besides incredibly stupid, which is probably enough. This is a steel-eating shark with an appetite and stomach to eat two people and keep on hunting. It always knows where she is, and it ignores the giant dead whale in order to hunt the brave smart actress. She sets the ocean on fire with a flare that couldn't light a cigarette, and the ocean buoy cooperates with the director by obediently laying on its side so that she can impale the vengeful shark on its anchor.
Do yourself a favor and write your own movie. I guarantee it will be better than this.
Gerald's Game (2017)
Another "woman innocent victim, man evil villain movie"
Very slow and ponderous. Lots of cliches, especially the ending. If "women as victims of evil men" is your thing, you may like it. As a psychological exploration of trauma, it is simplistic and unsatisfying.
I Am Mother (2019)
Watch this, if you are bored and stoned and there's really nothing else to do
You could probably watch this film on fast forward and not miss a thing. A whale could swim through the plot holes. The believability of the premise is near zero. It is slow, tedious and predictable. But it gets some good reviews because it has a politically correct all female cast. If you are a PC NPC, who wants to display your wokeness you might like it. The cinematography is good, as is the acting, but the story is badly written and done better elsewhere, many times.
The Jungle Book (1967)
First Class Family Entertainment
The Jungle Book is the first movie that I saw in a theater.
I was seven in 1967 and I can still remember being totally captivated by the movie and leaving the theater as if returning from another world.
I later watched it several times with my own son starting when he was five years old. I enjoyed it as much as he did, and there is a lot to enjoy about this movie. The story is engaging, the animation is impressive, the music is great, and the characters are charming.
This is unquestionably a classic film that has and will endure. It is excellent entertainment for the whole family; worth watching over and over with your children and grand children.
Children of Men (2006)
Disappointing
After all the glowing reviews on this site I expected a passable movie, but the plot is about as believable as "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes."
There are interesting bits scattered through the movie; Michael Caine was very effective as a charming eccentric. There are also a couple of good musical selections, as others have mentioned, even a bit of old and odd King Crimson, but they were cut off abruptly in every case, leaving me quite dissatisfied. It would have been nice to hear more of the Ruby Tuesday number for instance.
The film is watchable and mildly entertaining at times, but not worth the $5 rental fee. If you are invited to watch it with friends, bring your laptop and you could get some email done during the dull, dreary, meaningless parts.