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1917 (2019)
"One-Take" Wonder
I have always been a fan of "one-take" scenes ever since I watched the opening scene of The Reverent, so I was really looking for an entire move done in "one-take". It starts off slow & methodically and eventually builds in tension & action until the climax near the end of the film. I wasn't overly impressed with the acting, but the film does a good job of showing the horrors of trench warfare; and I must admit that some scenes were a bit over-the-top, although I guess it was based on a true story. The opening of The Reverent is still far superior for this kind of film style, but 1917 is definitely worth the watch.
Joker (2019)
Not a SuperVillain Film
While this definitely does not classify as an action flick pitting good vs. bad, it does provide a very detailed character study of one of the most prestigious supervillains in history. Not only does it give motivation for the Joker's need for evil & chaos, it also provides a nice tie-in with the Batman mythos that I was not expecting. Indeed, along with Batman Begins, this can be considered as an alternate prequel to the seminal super-hero flick The Dark Knight. And although Joaquin Phoenix plays the role of the Joker adequately well, Heath Ledger still owns the part imo.
American Made (2017)
Entertaining Action-Comedy
Not expecting an action-comedy when viewing a film about drug smuggling for cartels along with CIA involvement, but it does work on many levels. The chemistry between Cruise and the actor who plays his CIA liaison is great, as is Cruise's interactions with the various cartel members. Cruise's relationship with his wife is somewhat unique and not exactly the typical marital relationship, which is somewhat refreshing: he is a dedicated family man but "leaps before he looks, which gets him into a lot of trouble. "The filming style is along the lines of a '80s TV cop show like Miami Vice, which I think is the look they were going for (although not as sleek). The film fizzles out mid-way through but I can't say anything really bad about it, although it doesn't really stand out that much either.
Annihilation (2018)
Original and Thought-Provoking
Finally a movie along the lines of Cloud Atlas that makes you think outside the box! Not only does this film have amazing cinematography (more surrealism than realism), it has a plot goes beyond the everyday boundaries of science fiction. We are brought into dream-like world that does not care for the organisms that inhabit it, but just exists -- it can be considered as much of a waking daydream as a nightmare. And just like its big brother Cloud Atlas, I feel that Annihilation does not get the credit it deserves, but should be analyzed in film school as a ground-breaking instalment in its genre. The only reason I don't give it a 9 is because of the drawn out back-story between the main protagonists, which seems a little forced at times and doesn't add as much to the story (unless there's a sequel).
A Quiet Place (2018)
Promising Premise but Poor Execution
I was going to rate this a 6, but after watching the final scene I had to drop it down to a 5. It had promise in the beginning, but the choices of the characters are so stupid and the way they combat the monsters so unbelievable (even within the context of the story). I'm a huge fan of Emily Blunt who seems to be the only actor worth watching here, as the other actors can barely keep the poor script above water.
A Teacher (2020)
A Failure
This show is filled with privileged characters who do stupid things and have no redeeming qualities. Even though each episode is less than 30 minutes in length, they seem overly drawn out and unnecessary (filled with frat parties, gratuitous sex scenes and character self-reflection). There is no real reason given for the strong "love" connection between the protagonists, and it feels like an immature infatuation more than anything else.
Next (2020)
AI for Dummies
This show seems to be written from the perspective of what a 10-year old would think about AI. But then the show veers off to some kind of Central American cartel situation with one of the characters. Also the ex-CEO main character is just plan annoying and you don't necessarily want him to beat the rogue AI.
Monsterland (2020)
Hit & Miss
This anthology series is hit & miss, with some episodes being quite enthralling but the majority being non-sensical. The plot is built up through every episode but quite often you are left questioning "wtf did I just watch?", since there is no real conclusion to the story. The acting overall is quite good with some recurring characters between episodes, and I will say that the final episode of season 1 left me a little choked up.
Tell Me a Story (2018)
Not an Anthology
This is not an anthology series and has very little to do with any fairy tales, even superficially. However the character development is quite good with a nice interleaving of the various plots that does not seem forced. The acting is also commendable with some quality actors from various media that are recognizable but cannot quite be placed.
Interrogation (2020)
Hooks you from the Beginning
I'm not usually a fan of true crime drama, but this series hooks you in from the beginning. From the start it keeps viewers guessing as to whom the true criminal is, from the main protagonist to his friend to the detective who put him in prison. The characters are well-developed and, although the timeline jumps between decades, it is well-executed and makes sense with the overall plot.
War of the Worlds (2019)
Tension with no Payoff
This series is tense for the sake of being tense, with no payoff to the tension.
For an alien species to travel light years to invade Earth, their foot soldiers are really clumsy and lack any shooting range to subdue the remaining population.
The characters are difficult to like, and I often find myself rooting for the invading species rather than the humans.
Bulletproof (2018)
Bad Boys UK
Starts off as a typical buddy cop show, but gets surprisingly serious and deep a few episodes into the first season. There are some good action scenes and the chemistry between the two leads is endearing. The dialogue is laughable at times, but it's what I initially expected from this show. Looking forward to watching season 2!
Evil Dead (2013)
Not a Comedy-Horror
Being a fan of the original Evil Dead movies, I was expecting a comedy-horror film but unfortunately found this to be more of slasher-horror film (the slashers being the protagonists possessed by demons). While there are nods to some of the more memorable scenes from the original, they are much more gory and dark. Also the main protagonist lacks any sort of appeal as the Ash character, which is one of the main reasons why the original movies were so fun (Bruce Campbell's facial expressions alone are worth watching). It ended up being an ok horror film, but does not hold a candle to the originals.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
Entertaining Dark Fairy Tale
Did not expect such a fun dark movie with backstory, that fits in with the original fairy tale. It starts off with a bang and a nod to the origin story of the siblings, which made me revisit the fairy tale (and re-watch the intro after the movie). Not only does it explain why the siblings' parents abandoned them in the woods, but it also explains their subsequent rationale for becoming witch hunters and Gretel's immunity to dark witches' magical powers. It is packed with action scenes that may not make sense, but are fun. I only wish that Famke Jaansen's character wasn't so one-dimensional, as there was potential to expand on her motivations.
Raised by Wolves (2020)
Confusing but aesthetically pleasing
I must say that this show is confusing to the point of being obfuscating (like Inception and Tenet?) I'm not a fan of "pure" science fiction, in which they remove all of the humanity, and this show seems to be trending in that direction (the androids seems to be more human than the humans). There was also very little plot or character development, so viewers are forced to fill in the blanks in many areas...
Brave New World (2020)
Best show of 2020
This is my favourite show of 2020 so far, with superb acting and plotlines. And there are stark juxtapositions to the geo-political climate of the current world order. There are many on here who say that the show does not follow the book, but I say -- who cares? The main precepts of Aldous Huxley's classic novel are present, so I think that the producers have license to stray from the source materials.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020)
Intriguing First Season
First episode was quite intriguing, with superb character and plot development (and a potential conflict arising between some of the protagonists) -- looking forward to how the show unfolds after this promising start, and I hope I don't have to write after a few season "what happened to this show?".
Update:
After watching the entire first season, I would rate this the best Walking Dead series taken as a whole. It reinserts the human element to the drama, much like the first four seasons of TWD did. And unlike other Walking Dead series, this one takes into account sympathy for the "empties" and does not just treat them as scores for kills.