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Reviews
Bullet Train (2022)
Disappointing
Style over substance. Disappointing use of a solid cast and an interesting idea. Brad Pitt isn't given much to work with and only the Tangerine and Lemon characters are able to provide the movie with any spark. The surprise cameos really can't salvage the generic script.
Director David Leitch has a solid resume, going all the way back to the first John Wick movie and moving through Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Hobbs and Shaw.
Here the action seems tired and formulaic, empty and hollow. It's hard to care what happens to the characters when the film itself seems so indifferent.
Like most movies, editing could have tightened this up and made it better by shaving 15 minutes out of it. Not Lost City bad by any means, but nothing really memorable either.
The Terminal List (2022)
Great stuff: Chris Pratt continues to evolve
Chris Pratt like you've never seen him before. Powerful and impressive stuff from the entire cast.
The show is just the right length, story is very well done and it looks great. The actions sequences are top notch. Prime really went all out for this one.
Pratt is the star here, powering his way through the movie, a man on a mission. Think Lee Marvin in Point Blank, a man of singular purpose and vision.
He doesn't rely on his roguish charm like other roles he has played in the past like Peter Quill and Owen Grady.
This is Pratt's American Sniper moment. He's come a long way from sitcom tv. Much like Pratt's Jack Reece character; you wouldn't really recognize him like the man you thought you knew before.
The Lost City (2022)
Just Terrible
With the cast involved, this should have been much better. Instead you get this listless, lifeless mess.
I'm not sure if the badly written screenplay or poor direction are to blame. Every cliche you've seen in every rom-com is here.
There has to be talented writers and directors out there waiting for an opportunity. Give them this cast and this budget and you would likely end up with something better.
My wife fell asleep three times watching this and she picked it.
Army of the Dead (2021)
Deadly dull Zombie heist movie
How do you make a Zombie heist movie in Las Vegas dull and boring?
Every cliché from every Zombie movie and TV show you've ever seen is in here without the least bit of irony or homage to work that came before.
Zack Snyder is a talented guy, but increasingly his work seems to opt for style over substance. A flashy, good looking film trying to distract from the lack of a good plot, dialogue or character development.
The cast involved could have made this much better if they were given anything to work with. The actors try, but ultimately they are hindered by the stereotypes that they were conceived with.
Also, editing is another Snyder problem. Good lord, more is not necessarily better. 25-30 minutes of this could have been cut and probably made it better. There was no reason for this to be 2 1/2 hours.
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Disappointing across the board
Great cast given very little to work with. This could have had potential with the cast involved to be a good, campy "B" movie. Instead the lack of plot and decent dialogue is substituted with slo-mo action sequences that you've seen done before and better elsewhere.
Karen Gillan is a talented actor and I was looking forward to seeing this. Not sure why they didn't try to use her obvious talent in this movie.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Disappointing effort
Big fan of Taylor Sheridan as a writer and a director and the cast is great on paper. I was really looking forward to this but it feels unfinished and ultimately underwhelming.
Everything in Sheridan's "Wind River" that rings true seemingly rings hollow here.
Jolie, Bernthal and Hoult are largely wasted in their roles. There is very little character development and the story isn't strong enough to move things along.
The Little Things (2021)
Seven-type vibe to this
Interesting movie, definitely has a Seven-type vibe and style to it.
Set in the '90's, this movie focuses more on the detective work in finding a serial killer with limited resources and the ghosts that seemingly haunt the detectives at every turn.
Explaining the motives behind the killer or killings seems almost secondary. Washington, Malek and Leto are all in fine form here. Leto, in particular, is excellent in a understated way, playing his character as more benign evil than a criminal mastermind.
If there is a complaint with the movie, Leto is underused in the movie and especially the last third of the movie when this movie could have moved from solid to good.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Disappointing Mess
Really enjoyed the first WW, this one is a complete mess right from the start. First 20 minutes are spent with Diana as a child with no tie-in to the rest of the movie. It plays like left-over footage from the first WW. No reason for it.
After that they have WW playing the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, stopping crimes and swinging around on her lasso. It falls flat.
The movie was supposedly set in 1984, but makes almost no effort to embrace that time period. This movie could have been a lot of fun and really could have done a ton with Diana in the 80's. Why call the movie Wonder Woman 84 if you're not going to embrace it at all?
The special effect/CGI are wonky, not fluid or good-looking at all. As good as WW looked, this looks shabby.
The biggest culprit seems to be the terrible screenplay, killing the movie almost from the start. The 2.5 hour run time only makes matters worse. Editing people, editing. More is not better, especially in a bad movie with no real plot. This could have been a tolerable 1.5 hour movie.
Can't believe Patty Jenkins directed the first WW movie and then turned in this movie thinking it was ok.
Chris Pine coming back helps the movie but the premise in bringing Pine back is clumsy as best. His chemistry with Gal Gadot is good, allowing her to show some personality. Gadot is a talented actor, I'm unsure why they mute her personality so much in this movie.
Pedro Pascal is a below-average villain and Kristen Wiig is wasted in her role until she turns into an extra from Cats at the end.
Seems like a wasted effort and I hope if they do a WW3, they make sure they have a good, energetic script.
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Mob-lite
Looking at the cast, pedigree and story being based on George Higgins' Cogan's Trade, this should have been an easy home run.
Instead, the sum is much weaker than the parts involved. Brad Pitt is up to the task, but the director's slow pacing, weak dialogue and fixation on uninteresting character backgrounds (Mendelsohn and Gandolfini especially), really kill the movie.
This should have been a good movie.
Search Party (2014)
Truly terrible movie
Just terrible, one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Feel sorry for Alison Brie and Lance Reddick, good actors in other projects.
Deputy (2020)
1 star reviews with an agenda
I decided to read a few reviews before checking out the show. I was surprised to read so many 1 star reviews.
Even more surprised that most of the reviews read very similar to each other.
Obviously the shows politics may have offended certain people into writing negative reviews. I'm concerned that it feels like a very vocal minority.
The show itself? It's ok. Dorff is up for the task. He's good, the writing has been inconsistent so far. The gimmick of his promotion into a very political job with no concern about keeping it has potential.
Politically, I appreciate the fact they are addressing the complicated job of being In law enforcement in this day and age.
Aquaman (2018)
Too Much CGI
Jason Mamoa is good in this. He's brings a very Thor-like vibe to the role and movie. He's the best selling point I can make for this.
The cast in general is solid, albeit with some odd choices, most noticeably with Patrick Wilson playing Mamoa's younger brother. Wilson is a good actor but maybe mid-cast in his role.
The biggest problem with this movie is that it's 30 minutes too long and the CGI is overwhelming. Completely overwhelming. The CGI is used in lieu of plot, writing, directing and emotion. Whatever movie was in the screenplay it's completely buried by director James Wan with CGI.
Less is more with CGI. This ends up feeling like an expensive video game.
Designated Survivor: #truthorconsequences (2019)
A fitting end
Not a perfect episode by any means, but it does allow the Tom Kirkman character and his Presidency to come full circle.
The stark contrast from Kirkman's political naïveté in Season 1 to the more complicated politician he's turned into by the end of a season 3 is in full display in the last few episodes of this season.
Sutherland gives a nuanced performance as Kirkman and his evolution through the life of the show.
Edge of Darkness (2010)
Good workman-like thriller
I like the revenge thriller genre and I think Gibson does a good job with this. He plays his character in a believable manner, becoming slightly unhinged as the movie goes on. He looks like a Dad who lost his daughter and pushes himself physically to the point of no return. This movie does a good job of toning down the action, so when it does occur, it really sticks out. The scenes with Gibson/Winstone were well done, with Winstone's character being very interesting. The cast is well rounded and good. Nothing earth shattering happens during the movie, but it is a decent story, well told. The movie doesn't cop-out at the end, edging towards the darkness in the title.
Stargate (1994)
Holds up well
Rewatched this movie recently with my son and it held up surprisingly well given the advancement of special effects from 1994. Story is good, they don't dumb it down too much, they make most of the characters have some intelligence which helps keep the movie moving. Cast is really solid, Spader does a good job back when he played a lot of characters like this. Kurt Russell isn't given much to do but he is solid in his role. Supporting cast is very solid. Jaye Davidson still is an odd choice as RA, but it kind of works. Today they would have cast the Rock or someone for that role. Direction is solid, nothing spectacular. Musical score sounds like the Indiana Jones movies. Special effects are somewhat dated, but not terrible, still better than most of the CGI garbage that you see now.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Good not Great
Pretty solid effort, but 15 minutes or so too long. It seems everyone is reluctant to edit movies anymore. This movie could have cut some unnecessary parts and made it a tighter movie and still had character development. Chemistry is definitely there between Downey Jr and Jude Law. I actually thought they could have played to this a bit more. Cast overall is solid, but Rachel McAdams is somewhat wasted in her role. Solid directing from Guy Ritchie, he plays it straight for the most part but brings his little direction touches. I like his look to London, it suits the film well. Thought the story could have been a bit better and I think the subject matter could have been a bit darker or creepier.
The A-Team (2010)
No Chemistry at all
Has any recent release had less chemistry between its stars than this A-Team movie? Seriously there is zero chemistry between these guys. If you are making this movie, chemistry has to be the #1 consideration. The A-Team TV show was almost all chemistry between the 4 stars. I think casting Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson could have been a good decision, but everyone else seemed forced into a role they weren't really well suited for. Action sequences are good. Writing seems kind of lazy. The director seems to be making a career of these hollow movies. And who decided to make this movies so serious? The TV show fully understood its niche and never took itself too seriously. This movie tries to have some important themes to cover its lack of plot.