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Reviews
The Rhythm Section (2020)
A real journey.
I love how gritty this movie is. The story arc, the Rocky training sequence, the messy assassinations and car chases....a lot more realistic then the typical femme fatale movie and the acting is pretty superb throughout, with an excellent plot twist at the end...reminded me a bit of La Femme Nikita...the french version. Definitely a recommend and I'm surprised it's rated so low.
The Witcher (2019)
Good show, but it's no GOT.
I haven't read the books, so I"m coming from that perspective without the background a book can give you. So far the series is good....definitely entertaining...Cavill as Geralt of Rivia was a solid casting choice...and Anya Chalotra is excellent as the witch Yennifer, at least in the beginning....the story is so so....not very clear and only semi-mythic....it doesn't have the epicness of GOT....and barely enough meat on the bones in terms of background for the characters, world building, and coherency behind the magic theory. I've got the feeling if I read the books things would make more sense. I will definitely continue to watch the series though and look forward to the next season.
Knives Out (2019)
Great Mystery.
Excellent movie....very entertaining...excellent casting and a nice twist at the end.
The Witcher (2019)
Good show, but it's no GOT.
I haven't read the books, so I"m coming from that perspective without the background a book can give you. So far the series is good....definitely entertaining...Cavill as Geralt of Rivia was a solid casting choice...and Anya Chalotra is excellent as the witch Yennifer, at least in the beginning....the story is so so....not very clear and only semi-mythic....it doesn't have the epicness of GOT....and barely enough meat on the bones in terms of background for the characters, world building, and coherency behind the magic theory. I've got the feeling if I read the books things would make more sense. I will definitely continue to watch the series though and look forward to the next season.
Freeway (1996)
One of my favorite films of all time.
An absolutely brilliant film in so many different respects. At it's most basic it's a modern take on Robin Hood, but it can be enjoyed on many different levels. There are several just plain brilliant performances. This is first film that I watched Reece Witherspoon in that really showed me her depth and stretched her ability as an actress, and she was only 18 years old! She's strong, powerful, empathetic and like-able as the wayward teen looking for her grandmother. Keifer Sutherland also has a strong role, with some of my other favorite performances being from Britany Murphy as a completely transformed and nearly unrecognizable pyromaniac lesbian delinquent. Another great performance is Michael T. Weiss (from the TV series Pretender) as a complete crack-head, and Brook Shields as the wife of Keifer Sutherland's character. This is not a film for children, despite it being based on a children's tale, but if you approach it with an open mind I think you'll really enjoy it.
The Breed (2001)
Exceptionally original.
I have to start out by saying I really enjoyed this film. It's remarkably original in it's treatment of vampires and is almost a mystery film noir. It's really quite impressive considering the budget. Some of Adrian Paul, Bai Ling, and Woodbine's finest work and they really carry the film. Adrian Paul plays a more stern aloof, yet compassionate vampire cop that has elements of his Highlander TV series role......a smooth badass with a lot of style. For Woodbine this is my favorite role of his since "Freeway". He's solid and you just have to love that gravelly voice. As for Bai Ling...I think this was her best role since "The Crow"....she's cast perfectly as a beautiful, tragic, yet sexy vampire who you can really empathize with. I was just so impressed with the production given the budget. Approach the film with an open mind and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Colombiana (2011)
Sexy, brown, ninja chick.
This was a thoroughly entertaining movie. Action packed as you would expect anything written by Luc Besson to be. I am also now officially in love with Zoe Soldana...loved her in "The Loser's" and didn't realize it, but she's also the way gorgeous Uhura in the new Star Trek movies, and it's just so cool that she got her own movie. She's able to pull off these tough, vulnerable roles perfectly, not too mention I think she's drop dead gorgeous. The athleticism she displays in this movie is just amazing and there's not one false note. She makes it all look easy. The story is somewhat simplistic...and it would have been nice to get some added character background of her as a child....after all she did grow up the child of a Columbian enforcer and on the streets of what I assume was Bogota, but we don't really get a sense of how or why she was so badass even at a young age. As cliché'd as it is, they should have show some of her training, and the depths she was willing to go to get her revenge. My hope is for a sequel that will delve into some of these depths and deepen our understanding of the character. They could have also made the bad guy a little bit badder...maybe given him some sort of signature quirk to set him apart from your average run of the mill drug lord..after all, the greater the bad guy, the greater the hero is for overcoming them.
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012)
Definitely direct to video, but there are some saving graces....
My rating is somewhat generous, but mostly because of my love of two things, Thailand, and beautiful women fighting. Those are pretty much the highlights of the film. The film plods along until about 1/2 way through when the undead warriors are woken. Visually they are the most interesting part of the film. The special effects for them are more then adequate, although they could have given Bautiste a better calling card...well any calling card really, since I saw them more as Mortal Kombat type figure's with cool finishing moves. For me the saving grace of the film is the battle scene between the princess and the undead Japanese warrioress...or perhaps she's a ninja. I'm not quite sure, but she looks badass with her two fighting blades and long flowing white hair, not to mention the sexy fighting leathers. Same goes for the princess who is also a true beauty. Most of the fight scenes aren't particularly choreographed well, but this scene was actually quite excellent. The fighting is believable, and the lines...what I like to think of as those photographic moments you'd see in a comic book panel are all there. If you love Thailand you'll also enjoy this film because it's obviously filmed there, from the people, to the jungle, to the elephants, and the ancient temples.