pseawrig Reviews

The Defeated (2020)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 14 April 2024]

This series had a great premise, Berlin building back a de-Nazified police force just after WWII, when the city was split into four sectors. I was completely pulled in by its first two episodes. Then, the show began to decline, episode by episode, becoming ever less plausible and ever more hackneyed. It even got gross-out gory to the point where I alarmingly found myself feeling bad for the story's Nazi war criminals, who were being gruesomely tortured in long, drawn out sequences. By episode five, the plot stopped making much sense, every major character had become unappealing, the lead actor's affected New York accent was wearing thin, and I sadly found myself hate-watching the show just to see how it ended. And the ending turned out to be little more than a set up for season 2. Which never materialized. I think I know why.

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Deep

[9/10 · 23 February 2024]

All of Us Strangers is hard to nail down. I'm not even sure what exactly happened in the movie. Even so, I really liked it and recommend it to anyone who likes serious movies.

Be warned: this is an art movie, not a plot-driven movie. If you don't like movies that leave a lot of questions unanswered, you probably won't like this film.

Plus, it's a love story, which means that it's sad.

The performances really drive this movie. If lesser actors had been cast, I'm not sure if the story would have felt so powerful. And, primarily, this is a movie about feelings. How we are buffeted by them, how we try to manage them, and how we generally fail to do so. This is a very emotional film.

A few times I became impatient watching this movie, but just a few times. I mostly found it riveting. And moving. And I can't stop thinking about it.

Detective Forst (2024– )

Strains Credulity

[4/10 · 12 February 2024]

This show seemed promising at the start with its amazing mountain scenery and mysterious atmosphere, but then its story didn't make much sense. For instance, there's a series of murders where victims are posed provocatively, but the strange posing of the victims is never interpreted or justified. One corpse has even been beheaded. And then that's it. The beheading is never explained, and the head never shows up. Nobody even seems to be looking for it.

There are some sloppy characterizations too. For example, our hero gets spells where he must immediately gobble several pills, like in those old movies and TV shows where an elderly man is having a heart attack and must immediately swallow nitroglycerin tablets. The plot later explains that this is due to his having bipolar disorder. I am not a medical expert. Nor do I have bipolar disorder. But I am pretty sure that this is not how bipolar disorder works.

When the murderer is finally revealed, their motive is shaky at best. As far as I could tell, it had something to do with the Nazi occupation, which, you know, has taken place 80 years before our story is taking place. That seemed unlikely. Then there's a questionable twist that has something to do with a child left behind in an orphanage. Then there's- no exaggeration- a ten minute fight scene between two dudes in a single room of a decrepit building, which is mind-numbingly dull. And then, just when you think the show is somehow over, there's a final plot twist, which is so totally ridiculous and gratuitous that it feels tacked on just for the sake of adding one more twist, plot logic be damned.

There are some really good Polish TV shows on Netflix right now, such as The Woods or 1983. Detective Forst is not one of them.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

It just stops . . .

[5/10 · 20 December 2023]

This Netflix movie has some strong scenes with impressive visuals and stand out dialogue. Also, imo, the three adult performances were strong. The younger cast was, you know, OK. Still, the number of plot holes in this movie is overwhelming. What did that lady on the side of the road want? Who's been sleeping in the shed? Why are the deer forming aggressive herds? Why did the apparently neurodivergent daughter take off on a bike ride by herself? I suppose that you can imagine answers to these questions (and more), but the movie doesn't provide them. Then there's the matter of the third act. Where is it? Now that the two families have gotten to know each other and the events that have thrown them together have come into focus, what will happen? We'll never know. It's as if the movie. Just. Stops.

The Apology (II) (2022)

Amazing Performances

[7/10 · 16 December 2023]

There's a lot to recommend this film. The plot is taut, if familiar, the writing is thoughtful, if theatrical, and the mood is carefully developed throughout. Still, the performances of Roache, Gunn, and Garafalo are what sell it. Imo, Linus Roache is always added value, so that was no surprise. I haven't seen Gunn in a whole lot since Breaking Bad, except that Ok-but-not-so-great American version of Broadchurch. She's powerful here playing a wronged, angry, hurt character with a lot of unattractive emotional baggage. It's also a treat to see Garafalo onscreen in a dramatic role again after her years fighting the culture wars on radio and popping up just here and there in her friends' comedies. Overall, I'd say that The Apology is a solid entry in the bad-memories-for-Christmas subgenre.

Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)

You already know the twist

[3/10 · 18 December 2022]

This has got to be the least surprising movie of the year. Is it a spoiler to say that this movie wears its twist on its sleeve? I figured it out from just the trailer. Even though I guessed the twist, that doesn't mean that the twist makes a whole lot of sense. It leads the audience to imagine that a lot of devious, not-very-believable stuff has somehow transpired offscreen. It had to happen off screen because it's too hard to picture how it could have happened at all. This movie is stylistically reminiscent of Mad Men, but it doesn't seem anywhere near as smart as that TV show was. Instead, from my perspective, it's predictable, half-baked, and not very good. Harry Styles has little stage presence, maybe because he's not crooning, and Chris Pine does better, but not well enough to save the proceedings. Imo, Ms. Pugh decided well when she decided not to do any press for this one.

Elvis (2022)

Kitschy, but Better than Average Luhrmann

[7/10 · 10 September 2022]

This was a pretty watchable movie as long as you go into it realizing that it's going to be super kitschy. Some might call it camp, but imo it's kitsch because the movie wants us to take its operatic sweep seriously and seems mostly unaware of its over-the-top ridiculousness. That said, its over-the-top ridiculousness is kinda fun.

I almost didn't watch this one, because the poster made it look like Baz Luhrmann at his anti-realistic worst, with Elvis looking absurdly androgynous, as if he were Bowie or Annie Lenox. This does continue in the movie, but only in the hair and makeup. Austin Butler plays Elvis as alternately coy and playful, veritably pushing through his mannered appearance to register a powerful portrait of a real, fully imagined character. Too bad that Luhrmann seems not to recognize what's strongest in Butler's take on Elvis and instead seems stuck on presenting Elvis as oh-so-pretty. Ironically, he allows Butler's performance fully to shine through only during the movie's final moments, when Elvis has grown paunchy and haggard. Only then does Luhrmann stop trying to hammer home Elvis's prettyness and let his other, more interesting qualities rise to the forefront.

As has apparently become Luhrmann's cinematic signature, there are a few jarring anachronisms in the movie in the form of modern day pop songs that seem to be commenting on the movie's action. They do so in a notably ham fisted way, which really pulled me out of the story. But, there are not all that many of them, and, unlike in Luhrmann's Gatsby, they do not drag on and on. Instead, when we're not hearing Presley (or Butler) sing, we are usually hearing and seeing the Black Blues, early Country, and very early Rock 'n Roll musicians who influenced Elvis and provide a good context for understanding his music. Also, when Butler talks and sings as Elvis, he really sounds like Elvis. Too bad Luhrmann insists on making him look like Johnny Depp as Cry-Baby.

It's kitschy. It's sappy. It's arguably too infatuated with Elvis's beauty. Still, the film's mostly a fun ride once you realize it's not so much a portrait of Elvis as a long, fetishized gawk at his splashy career and all the cultural myths that spilled out of it.

The Most Dangerous Animal of All (2020)

Mean

[1/10 · 16 August 2022]

I can't fully explain how nasty and mean-spirited this show is without giving spoilers. All I can say is that unless you are entertained by watching a person get built up only to be publicly humiliated, you too will despise this show. Do not waste your time watching it. Shame on the filmmakers for making this disappointing show and for being so mean and cruel to their subject!

Alligator II: The Mutation (1991)

Steve Railsback

[4/10 · 10 June 2022]

You know how Maniac Cop 2 was somehow even better than Maniac Cop? Well, this movie's not like that. Alligator II: The Mutation is far inferior to its predecessor. Its plot is confused and nonsensical, its kills are few and far between, and even when the eponymous gator does show up, he's mostly in the shadows, doing little damage and producing almost zero gore. The only reason this movie's not getting a one star rating is Steve Railsback. Imo, any time he appears in a movie, his mere presence elevates the film by at least three stars.

Dune (2021)

Drab, Dreary, and Dull

[3/10 · 23 October 2021]

Imo, watching this movie was a chore. It moves very slowly and methodically, as if it were completing a necessary but unloved task. And almost all of its performances are rigid and muted, as if the actors were putting on an elaborate pageant instead of enacting a drama. Nobody in this film appears to be inhabiting a fully fleshed out character. Instead, the actors move around like game pieces, delivering lines by speaking into the ether.

A multitude of reviewers have described this movie as visually stunning. I do not know what they are they seeing. I see a dull looking movie- all grays and beiges. Besides the drab color scheme, the shots are generally static and the sets look nearly empty. If anything, this movie looks flat, the very antithesis of stunning.

Its story is also leaden. We have a limp hero, who expresses little if any will, as if he's just along for the ride. As played by the languid Timothée Chalemet, he appears to have only two expressions: blank and mildly engaged. I cannot remember a lead actor who expressed less interiority in a movie, except maybe Ryan Gosling in Villeneuve's similarly plodding Blade Runner 2049. Gosling's character at least had a reason to be empty: he was an android. Chalemet's character is rumored to be charismatic, at least according to the plot.

David Lynch's previous movie version of Dune was admittedly jumbled and confusing, so much so that he briefly disowned it. Still, despite its flaws, Lynch's Dune never felt catatonic. Villeneuve's does. I'll take Lynch's flawed version over this one any day. At least Lynch's crazed mess felt deeply alive. Villeneuve's feels dead.

Into the Grizzly Maze (2015)

For Billy Bob Thornton Completists Only

[3/10 · 22 October 2021]

Once you've seen the title of this film and met the brothers Beckett and Rowan (played respectively by Thomas Jane and James Marsden) you pretty much know what's going to happen from beginning to end. The story's not Godawful, but it's not all that enthralling either. Then, into the film walks Douglass, played by Billy Bob Thornton, and suddenly the movie becomes that much more interesting. He's a quirky character, and he seems to throw everything into a different light. Then, the minute he leaves the screen, we're back to plodding along a familiar movie about nature's revenge, environmentalists vs exploiters, etc. It's truly uncanny how Thornton kicks the film up several notches every time he enters a scene.

Btw, I am a big Thomas Jane fan, but Jane gets boxed into his poorly written role. He's the kind of actor who needs good material to show off his talents. Meanwhile, Billy Bob Thornton is apparently the kind of actor who can find value in a barely sketched out role, such as that of Douglass, and translate this value into quality screen time. I'm going to remember him in this movie- and the bear as well- but imagine that I'll probably forget everything else. It's kind of amazing to see what Thornton does with what could so easily have been a throwaway role. The movie may be worth watching just for that. It is probably not worth watching for much else.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Unsettling. . . not in a good way

[6/10 · 20 October 2021]

This movie is extremely unsettling.

Part of the reason is because its premise is so upsetting. The movie tells the story of a hateful woman (Rosamund Pike) who works with an unethical doctor, a willfully stupid family court judge, and a cruelly unethical senior living center to strip solitary senior citizens of their wealth, their freedom, and arguably their lives. I had never heard about this kind of grift before. It is scary and very real: state and local family courts throughout the US will sometimes appoint legal care guardians to care for elderly people, often against their wishes and against the wishes of their families. These court ordered "guardians" will then get rotten doctors to declare their wards unfit, so that the legal guardians can send them to corrupt overpriced nursing homes, while they of course get kickbacks. The guardians sell off their homes and assets to pay for the nursing homes and to pay themselves exorbitant hourly fees for giving such care. If you don't believe me, Google "legal care guardian."

Sounds like a great topic for a social problem film or maybe even a horror movie. But, that's not what this movie is. Instead, it's mostly a caper movie, which tells the story from the point-of-view of the rotten woman who makes her fortune by cruelly abusing vulnerable old people. She's in a romantic relationship with an equally rotten woman (Eiza González) who helps her bilk senior citizens, and at times the movie seems to want us to care about their love story. That struck me as odd since these women are such disgusting examples of humanity. In fact, the move goes to great lengths to try to get us to root for its soulless main character by putting her in dire situations like needing to escape from a rapidly sinking car. It even frequently seems to celebrate her chutzpah, which imo is just sick. I mean she wantonly abuses the elderly for profit. What kind of chutzpah do you need to abuse the enfeebled!

There are a couple of sequences in the film that go for a dark humor approach. This might have worked well if the movie had sustained this tone throughout and sweetened it with an ending that somehow set things aright. That's how dark comedies work. The dark humor of Heathers works because in the end Veronica sees where she has gone wrong, achieves true contrition, and makes a valiant effort to undo the horrible events that she has put into motion. The dark humor of Fargo works because, in the end, justice prevails. This movie metes out justice of a sort, but not in any satisfying way.

In the end, I'm not sure what to make of this movie. It made me aware of an important real world injustice, which is important work for a movie to do. But then again, its flippant tone arguably minimizes this injustice by glamorizing the movie's villain and forgetting its victim (which seems doubly wrong since this means forgetting the amazing Dianne Wiest). In fact, the cruel grift at the center of the story ends up getting replaced by a very stupid Russian mob subplot. All in all, I'd say that this movie has gravitas, mostly due to its subject matter and several great performances (Pike, Wiest, Chris Messina, and Nicholas Logan). It's worth watching. But, be prepared to end up feeling queasy and unsatisfied . . . A lot.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

More is Less

[5/10 · 15 September 2021]

This movie is full of plot. Tons of plot. Everything explained. Each dot connected. Like a diagram of a sequel fully fleshed out. If this description appeals to you, you're probably going to like this movie.

But, if you're looking to re-experience the uncanny eeriness of The Shining, you probably will not. Not only is this movie not sublime: it's not even scary. A hippy woman in yoga pants and a kooky hat just ain't spooky. Then, there's the uncomfortable spectacle of watching current actors playing previous actors playing iconic characters.

Ewen McGregor, Cliff Curtis, and Zahn McLarnon give stand out performances. Also, the movie is painstakingly produced. But imo its just another unsolicited sequel, reboot, copy, imitation, whatever we're now calling our obsession with redoing or adding onto what has already been done well enough before.

The Head (2020– )

Head Hurts

[4/10 · 2 August 2021]

This limited series is a mostly unpleasant slog. It tries to be a psychological thriller and imo fails miserably at it. For one thing, it's much too long with too few surprises. For another, it's pretty sappy and melodramatic. If this same premise had been treated like a slasher, with crazy onscreen kills, a more detached tone, and faster pacing, I might've liked it. Instead it takes itself very seriously, even though the primary wrong that drives its story is outlandish and doesn't really warrant the level of revenge it inspires. I'm used to killers going to ridiculous lengths to kill for looney reasons- it's the premise of most Giallos and slashers- but I'm not used to the movie or miniseries expecting me to seriously identify with these crazy motivations. There's also a good bit of heavy-handed moralizing throughout the script. If I wanna hear a lecture, I'll post something questionable on social media. Not looking for that kind of thing from a limited miniseries.

Hostiles (2017)

Overburdened

[6/10 · 8 July 2021]

This movie looks great and plays pretty much like an old timely Western. And, as others have noted, it's unusually intense and violent while doing so. I'm fine with that. Still, imo the movie has too many characters and tries to pack too many events into its story of a calvary captain tasked with bringing a Cheyenne Indian Chief from New Mexico to Montana. Some have complained that the film does not develop its Native American characters, and there's some truth to this . . . Probably because the movie moves through so many characters. Only three get much attention: the captain, the chief, and a white woman who has survived an Apache raid. That's fine, but even these three don't get enough development because there are so many other characters to account for. For instance, the chief is traveling with his daughter, his son, his son's wife, and his grandson. We have to learn a little something about each of them. Meanwhile, the captain leads a group of soldiers that grows and shrinks so much that I stopped bothering to learn their names. And then this combined group of travelers- the Native Americans, the calvary men, and the white survivor woman- encounter four varieties of deadly enemy. It's too much for one movie and the story just kind of collapses under its own weight. It seems to me that if the chief had been traveling with just his daughter and grandson and the calvary captain had been traveling with just a couple of soldiers, the movie could have accommodated its core story better and I might've felt more connected to its characters and story.

Hangman (II) (2017)

Awesomely Stupid

[2/10 · 15 April 2021]

This movie is a disaster . . . But these reviews are a hoot! It might be worth watching the movie just so you can fully enjoy the comments by IMDb reviewers who rightly take this film to task. I can't add much to the existing complaints except to say that I was baffled by the time being projected on buildings and roads as the cops would pull up to the most recent murders. I get that the filmmakers wanted to communicate what time it was, but why not use captions? I mean, the people in the movie weren't supposed to be able to see these projections, were they? Also, I was very confused when the captain in the wheel chair showed up alive after I could've sworn she'd been hanged from her hospital window. Guess that was some other lady who just looked like her. Doesn't really matter- this movie is a total half-@ssed jumble. At least it gave me quite a few hearty unintended laughs.

Almost Famous (2000)

A Masterwork

[9/10 · 2 April 2021]

This movie perfectly captures the freewheeling ambience of the early seventies, with a tinge of sadness for how that laid-back world has all but disappeared. At the same time, it has the charm and focus of a Classical Hollywood movie. The story, which is based on Crowes's real life experience, centers on a fifteen year old boy, who lands an opportunity to be a rock journalist. We see the early seventies world of rock bands, roadies, and groupies through his eyes- first with wonder and excitement, then with disappointment as he watches people he admires treat each other badly, and finally with love as he learns to accept these people on their own terms. It's amazing how much life Crowe packs into this story. There are so many characters, yet they all feel intensely real. And the tone of this movie is pitch perfect. We are always one step back from what is going on, which is just the right distance to feel what is happening in the lives of characters who so freely show their emotions. I briefly fell in love with at least six of these characters, including a band follower played by Faruza Balk, who couldn't have had more than five minutes of screen time. That's what expert writing and masterful direction can do.

Nomadland (2020)

Maudlin . . . at Times Trying

[4/10 · 1 April 2021]

This movie is being hailed for its verisimilitude. Can't deny that it's realistic. And gritty. And, at times, Nomadland is genuinely thoughtful. But, imo it is more often maudlin. Fern's hometown has shut down along with its gypsum plant, so now Fern, an older widow, lives in a van and travels the US taking seasonal jobs in the American West and North Country. She poops in a plastic bucket. On screen. In stereo. She meets other people who live in vans. Some have abandoned their pets. Nobody else adopts their pets. Some are dying of cancer. Some have planned their suicides. Some have lost loved ones to suicide. Others have different deep regrets. A handsome, older man, who is also a nomad, inexplicably falls for Fern, but when he wants to settle down, she is wary of forfeiting her lonely freedom. Seriously, this movie comes very close to being a parody of a downbeat slice of life movie. It's just too much. Also, I found myself wondering if Frances McDormand was planning to keep playing the hollowed out lady from Three Billboards for the rest of her career. Fern is just like that character, minus the animating lust for revenge. She even dresses like her and kind of has the same haircut. Hmmm. In its defense, this movie occasionally offers glimpses of beauty courtesy of America's National Park System. It is also much too dull to offend any viewers. Prosaic, dreary, and inoffensive- maybe the perfect movie for our current era. It has been nominated for six Oscars.

Warlock (1989)

The Performances!

[8/10 · 22 March 2021]

Just rewatched this movie, which has recently gotten a new high definition transfer. The story is imaginative, fast paced, and suspenseful- a truly fun viewing experience. It also has some great dialogue and several amazing set pieces, particularly those set in a Puritan era holding tower, a Mennonite farm, a rural train yard, and an old Boston cemetery. What really makes this film stand out, however, are the performances. Lori Singer is quite good, but Julian Sands as the eponymous Warlock and Richard E. Grant as the Scottish witch hunter are absolutely compelling. Their powerful interpretations of what could easily have been stock characters is off the charts. Imo, they raise an already good horror/action/adventure to a great horror/action/adventure. It's a real testament to how talented actors can push a film to the next level. 100% recommended!

Pretend It's a City (2021)

Fran Lebowitz is Still a Hoot

[8/10 · 14 January 2021]

If you've read Fran Lebowitz's clever essays from back when she used to write (i.e., before she succumbed to what has to be the world's longest case of writer's block) and you enjoy her sarcastic wit, you will no doubt enjoy this show. It is pretty much episode after episode of her riffing on various topics. I loved it! She is such a careful and original thinker with a razor sharp wit. Her style of humor, which stops just short of insult comedy, is pretty much what she's been doing since the seventies, but strangely, it suddenly feels very timely here.

The Super (2017)

For Val Kilmer Completists Only

[3/10 · 16 December 2020]

I'm giving this movie a 3 only for Val Kilmer. As always, he's fascinating. Also, good for him for (mostly) recovering his voice and for recovering his boyish figure. He's in top form here!

The rest of this film, however, is a hard zero. It meanders aimlessly for over an hour and then packs a bunch of implausible and nonsensical exposition in the last 20 minutes. Through the magic of bad dubbing, we learn of many a dark deed and evil motivation, none of which are remotely believable. Read the 1 and 2 star reviews for details on how crummy this movie gets. The last five minutes are especially mind-blowingly asinine!

Apostle (2018)

Who is this movie for?

[4/10 · 26 September 2020]

This movie seems to have an identity crisis. On the one hand, it wants to be mythic and literate, like The Wicker Man or Pan's Labyrinth. On the other hand, it's super gorey, like Hostel or Saw. I can't imagine who thought the audiences for these two types of movies overlapped much. Then, there's a half-baked love story tacked on too.

I suppose the movie's got good production values. Still, the script is a mess, full of implausible coincidences and a lotta melodrama, which strikes me as pretty out of place in a would-be splatter flick. Not sure who's looking for a movie that makes you imagine what life would be like in a 19th century religious cult and makes you wanna puke too, but if this sounds good to you, then go for it

Fright Night (2011)

Sorta joyless

[5/10 · 8 August 2020]

Thought this remake was visually striking and action packed, but also sorta flat and lacking a sense of fun. Instead of charismatic horror host Peter Vincent, we get miserable magician Peter Vincent. Instead of enthralling and dangerous Jerry Dandridge, we get muscle bound, murderous Jerry. Instead of the excitingly strange Evil Ed, we get Ed the jilted sad sack. Even Amy seems drained of personality- in the original she was quirky and conflicted; here she's a stock character, "the cool girlfriend." Anton Yelchin and Toni Collette both turn in excellent performances, but imo their vibrancy doesn't compensate for an arguably lackluster script.

Evil Dead (2013)

Too soapy for me

[5/10 · 27 July 2020]

The horror part of this movie is OK. After all, it worked great in the original.

There is something else afoot in this movie though, a very melodramatic tale of a dysfunctional family, complete with a mom who went mad and a sister trying to kick drugs and a weak-willed brother who abandoned his sister to be raised by the mad mother. He abandoned his friends too after college because he no doubt has trouble committing. Yuck! It was like watching some CW nighttime soap, but with a whole lotta gore. The gore was the good part.

Why are so many bigger budget horrors-- this was @$20 million- filled with leaden miserable characters like this? I don't like them, and I don't get it. In the original movie, the characters seemed relatively fun loving. Not sad and sour like in this one and not dude bros or party hounds, but, you know, people you might want to get to know. People who seem even keeled and who give thought to their actions. Not only do these characters start off awfully morose, but several of them make eye-rollingly stupid judgement calls once the evil dead arrive. Yes, this kinda thing happens in horror movies, but I would argue only in bad ones.

Btw, the ending of this movie doesn't make sense. The evil dead possess human bodies. That is how they wreak their havoc. So how could a character end up in a physical fight to the death with another manifestation of their own body? Cuz the screenwriter just gave up on the premise is how.

On a positive note, the gore was good and plentiful. Also, there were a few genuinely suspenseful moments. Plus, I thought Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric was good (once he was relieved of the burden of delivering the story's exposition). I was kinda rooting for him . . . even if the screenwriters maybe weren't.

Yummy (2019)

Is there still life left in the undead?

[3/10 · 12 July 2020]

When I sat down to watch this movie, I thought that surely by now the zombie cycle has completely played out. There can't be even the faintest possibility that a zombie movie will do anything new. After all, every possible zombie manifestation, zombie situation, and zombie kill has been thoroughly explored, repeated, and exhausted. Even, I thought to myself, every ounce of zombie related black humor has been squeezed from the genre, so that there is absolutely nothing left to be done with it.

After watching this movie, I now know that I was right.