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No Time to Die (2021)
WTF Barbara Broccoli???
I really wanted to like this movie. Craig is a good Bond and the other movies in his series were very good. But in the end I HATED it because you simply can't kill James Bond. I don't care what emotional strings you are planning to pull. It's wrong - and it goes against the entire idea of the franchise. Frankly. I am shocked that Barbara Broccoli allowed it and I would think her father is rolling over in his grave. It would have been perfectly in line for Bond to have to sacrifice ever seeing his daughter and Madeline again, but no. They had to make the wrong choice. I am saddened and frankly surprised at the lack of outrage from fans about this. (or maybe I am just not looking in the right place). Bot every hero, as flawed as they may be, needs to die at some point, and until this mistake of a movie, that was always the something the Bond franchise did right. What a shame.
Seaspiracy (2021)
DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM
The people who made this film - specifically Kip Anderson is an unethical filmmaker who fakes "conspiracies" to get people to watch animal rights films disguised as environmental films. I have no problem with honest environmental films - in fact my profession is advocating for environmental justice, but I have FIRSTHAND experience that this filmmaker is not to be trusted. His other films have contained the same M. O. - invest a conspiracy that people who are working for environmental protection are "hiding the truth" that the *only* way to make real change is to be vegan. That is false. And yes, it is a great way to help the environment, but it is not the only way. This for Anderson is a religion and he is scamming people into believing it. There are great honest films about these issues. I implore everyone NOT to support this type of filmmaking by watching this film. Just google "Cowspiracy debunked" or "Vegan response to What the Health" to get the details about the lies in his other films.
The Little Things (2021)
so unsatisfying
I wanted to like this movie and I love Denzel.... but yeah it sucked. If you told me I would be sitting through a murder mystery that never reveals who the killer is there's no way I would watch this. Waste of my time.
The Assistant (2019)
I will never again watch a film like this without checking IMDB reviews first.
Wow. Absolutely nothing happens in this film. It is a complete boring waste of time. At one point I thought we were going to be forced to watch a frozen dinner heat up in the microwave for a full 3 minutes. I can't say the acting was good because they barely had anything to do. I so wish I could get that hour and a half of my life back!
The Hustle (2019)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels so much better.
I didn't know this was a remake until I started watching (was apparent right away). Just weak all around and the original is so much better. Too bad.
The Green Inferno (2013)
"The Green Inferno" – Even Worse Than We Anticipated
This is a review from the human rights and environmental NGO, Amazon Watch:
Publicity for "The Green Inferno," the latest film by "torture porn" film director Eli Roth, left our team at Amazon Watch in disbelief that anyone thought making a film based around the retrograde stereotype of the savage cannibal indigenous tribe was an acceptable idea in 2015. The premise was so racist that within Amazon Watch, we debated whether to denounce, deride, or simply ignore the film.
Eli Roth helped make the decision for us. In an exchange on Instagram with an incensed activist, he defended the film in part by claiming that "Amazon Watch saw the film and loved it!" Extraordinarily, his response was effective in momentarily defusing outrage about the film.
In fact, Roth was either lying or simply misinformed – at that point we had definitely not seen the film. We were, however, able to put together an exhaustive plot summary based on reviews, YouTube clips, and conversations with people who had seen advanced screenings. In the end, this summary did accurately represent most of the elements of the film. Based on that analysis, our esteem of "The Green Inferno" was indeed that it was offensive and racist.
In addition to issuing our own initial statement against the film, we supported statements made by indigenous activists both in Peru and here in North America.
Still, doubts persisted about the veracity of our critique given we hadn't seen the film. So last night we went and sat through it. And now, on the occasion of its national release, we can definitively say "The Green Inferno" is indeed racist, just plain absurd, and frankly not particularly scary.
What are our key take-aways from "The Green Inferno"?
The inherent racism of an Amazonian cannibal movie is on full display. A false stereotype of the animalistic and brutal indigenous savage is a central conceit of the film. Other than the fake name of the tribe, no indigenous person has a name, nor says anything intelligible, nor is otherwise humanized – the one exception being the young girl who miraculously transcends her people's mob mentality and liberates Justine. The experience of the white people, who have names and motivations – as shallow as they might be – is entirely central to the plot. The degree to which the film evokes any emotional response, it's supposed to be some kind of horror at harm befalling the gringos. In dialogue between the activists, there are various references to "what they are doing to us." This is a classic example of othering.
Roth's portrayal of activism is absurd and cartoonish. Ostensibly, the film's social subtext is a critique of "slactivism," inspired by what Roth apparently observed around phenomenon like Occupy Wall Street and Kony 2012. But, as numerous reviewers have noted, "slactivists" wouldn't travel to Peru and carry out a direct action in the middle of the rainforest. The extreme naivete or venality of members of this group reaches caricature proportions. In all, it's not a serious social commentary, between being incoherent and hyperbolic. Unfortunately, this makes it all the more pointless, because there are cogent critiques to be made of well-meaning but clueless activists who ultimately do more harm than good, protected by their privilege from paying any consequences – like Roth himself..
There are some real-life issues illustrated in the film, but to such exaggeration that any prospective value in raising awareness about the Amazon is completely lost. Yes, there are gas and other extractive projects in the Amazon menacing indigenous peoples within their own territories today. But the lethal threat is generally not armed mercenaries that will shoot indigenous natives, instead risks posed by foreign disease or adverse health effects from pollution are far more likely to have an impact. Yes, Amazonian indigenous peoples tend to resist unwanted incursions into their territories, but they don't systematically mutilate and murder the invaders. In the overwhelming preponderance of cases, indigenous peoples defend themselves through nonviolent and often sophisticated means using lawsuits, protests, and their own media campaigns.
A little over a month ago, Roth claimed that he "made "The Green Inferno" to spark discussion and bring awareness to the devastation these tribes face at the hands of corporations." The belated expression of attempted social relevance smacks of opportunism, especially coming on the heels of several strong criticisms from indigenous peoples themselves. Beyond the collaboration with Mongabay, the practical utility of which remains to be seen, how is the film actively "sparking discussion"? We've only seen a slick online marketing campaign, and have to assume those comments were a disingenuous tactic therein.
Having now sat through the film, we continue to support the concern that "The Green Inferno" – assuming the publicity and film itself are widely seen – could cause far more harm than good. It contributes to a generalized public perception of Amazonian indigenous tribes as primitive and savage, in the absence of countervailing information within the collective consciousness. In Peru, that perception would reinforce existing prejudices against indigenous peoples, potentially enabling the government's current push to carry out controlled contact with isolated tribes such as the Mashco Piro. This new policy is extremely controversial and has been strongly condemned by indigenous people's organizations as a dangerous precedent. "The Green Inferno" didn't create that problem, but could potentially exacerbate it.
One saving grace might be that the inescapably ridiculous nature of the film ultimately condemns it to a marginal audience, as buzz generated by the publicity campaign is rapidly eclipsed by negative word-of-mouth from viewers.
Our prediction? "The Green Inferno" will bomb at the box office and the rumored sequel, "Beyond The Green Inferno," will be shelved indefinitely.