FishBibble Reviews

Lie to Me: Beat the Devil (2010) Season 2, Episode 11

Really great acting...

[9/10 · 21 May 2024]

Sometimes you just want a well written story, regardless if the actual base story itself has been done before, if it is done with enough originality and very good acting, it can turn into something much better than a story that went for a good sounding plot, etc, but at the sacrifice of things like character, etc. And this episodes absolutely nails the character acting, which to me is a big part of why I like the show, in addition to being usually interesting plots yes, and yes, Lie To Me usually has some pretty original ideas, and plots in their stories, and it is one of the reasons I liked the show. So this isn't going to win that many stars on plot, ie a serial killer playing a game of cat and mouse with our 'detective' or 'foremost authority on deception, and human behavior'.... And of course in the end, it has the completely cliche scene of the detective sitting opposite the killer, audience getting that final pay off, the 'final twist' we only learn at that time.

So you know pretty much how things will wrap up, saving last victim(or next), catching the killer, etc.

But the fact is, because it has some of the best acting in the entire series i have seen so far, it elevates the episode to one of my favorites, definitely for the entire show.

The scene where Ria Torres talks with the serial killers last victim who got away is just low key, amazing, one probably people won't even realize as they are watching, just how good, the actress who pays the victim is. As she descibes what he did it's so believable, she really is an amazing actress whoever she is. And completely captivating.

And then guy who plays the serial killer just looks the part, sad to say, almost feel sorry for the guy, cause he absolutely gives off those vibes just looking at him. So he nails that side as well, Tim Roth always is facinating to watch on screen, and along wtih the rest of the cast is great... again.

So yea, not the most original episode, but overall ends up being one of it's best because the character acting by everyone is so good... even the bit players, etc...

xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

I am ambarrassed to even admit I watched this entire movie...

[1/10 · 20 May 2024]

I think it was so bad, it was almost like the same attraction one has to watching a train wreck happen in real time... you just know there is going to be something worse happen the longer you watch...

Honestly there are a few reasons why more intelligent species out there in the universe have never made official first contact.

First of course there is the main reason, we are capable of unbelievable acts of cruetly to other animals as well as ourselves.... to the point that we are far far crueler then even the most violent of chimp species. The only difference is we are much more adapt at wrapping some 'justification' around our acts of violence and cruelity.

But there is of course a list of other reasons that maybe don't rank as high as the first, but one definitely has to be the amount of money and resources we as a species can spend on the dumbest of things... It's amazing we still can feed ourselves, idiocracy wasn't predicting the future, it was revealing what is happening right now, again just wrapped in 'narratives' that somehow push the dumbest of our species to get behind it. XXX: Return Of Xander Cage is a perfect illustration of this fault in our genes as a species. It's not even the fact that someone wrote a movie script this utterly devoid of intelligence, and yet so full of ego they are completely blind to how not a single thing in the entire movie obeys the laws of physics, human psychology, actual sniper skills and tactics, how no matter how good your math it is literally impossible to target a out of control satellite to land exactly on a target with a meter accuracy, I mean, i literally just list a books worth of things this movie gets so wrong it's hard not to laugh everytime a new disaster appears on the screen. But again, there are probably tens of thousands of such scripts written by ever alchohol fueled college trust fund kid, basically any guy with an ego that far exceeds his intelligence and designs on being the next great hollywood script writer. But what is utterly shocking as you watch this movie is the fact that they literlaly spent not a small fortune, but a seriously large fortune on making this utter garbage, to share with the entire world. I am not sure where the funding for this movie came from, if someone wanted to make this movie, and was rich enough, and/or connected enough with money to get it greeen lite, and then got Vin Diesel to sign on. Or if it was Vin himself who birthed this monstrosity of a.. I am not even sure you can classify it as a film, or a blockbuster, as i feel bad for all other films just for them being even as loosely associated as also being a film. This is literally peak idiocy, meets unlimited pockets to fund it... But again, i actually watched the entire thing, as I just was enthralled by how delusional this entire production was, and anyone even remotely at the helm. I won't blame the fx guys, or the lighting crew, the stunt crew, etc cause they actually spent money on real film production crews, etc. But whoever wrote this, who ever had a part in rewrites, whoever directed it, or produced it, or worse even, funded and green lite this script, I have no words but you, you are definitely one of the reasons intelligent life in the universe has zero interest in meeting a species, and exchanging 'culture, philosophy, art, etc' that could make a film like XXX: Return Of Xander Cage... if I was them my conclusions would definitely be they will wipe themselves out of existence in a few more centuries, so what is the point of even making first contact. There may be a few smart ones, Einstein, Nietzsche, Terence Tao, Edward Witten. Tim Berners-Lee, or almost anyone working at CERN doing real research, etc.

But how many humans know a single thing about what the current research being done at CERN is at this moment, or even ever, vs how many humans have seen multiple films in the XXX series of films... and that right there says it all... yep, sadly for the few intelligent people on earth, if they could have anything in life, would wish they were Xander Cage in real life. And that alone is reason enough to predict our species won't survive the first big existential crisis we will face....

Black '47 (2018)

Wow, hidden gem of a movie...

[9/10 · 2 December 2023]

There have been several big movies about Ireland and it's repression by England, but several felt too hollywood, to sanitized.

This movie i really appreciated seeing some honest depictions of what famine did to so many people, and the horror of it.... so often they are not willing to show the true result of famine, and this film did a good job showing women, children, and even men wasted away to almost nothing... showing the men as feeble as the old, etc was also good, highlighting the indiscriminate horror that was wide spread in Ireland during that era... and the indifference of the nobles to it.

I also really must say, Hugo's character was so well done, that i would love to see him in similar roles.... from the beard to the look, he felt like a man who had seen war, and it's abominations, what some men are capable of doing to other human beings, or even animals, etc... In fact i think probably the one criticism i have is that I kind of wanted to see the story continue, at least until the conclusion of the remaining characters... There is the possibility it would end immediately, but it could also have gone on for some time longer, with the history the remaining characters now have with each other... it would be easy to watch another hour of that play out...

I had no idea this movie existed until just recently, and when I first saw the trailer i thought it was a new film. So I was happy to learn it was available already to stream online, and it didn't disappoint...

It would be good to see more of Hugo and the main character in more roles i think, they both nailed it. Even the rest of the cast all portrayed what I felt like was some original characters. If you haven't seen it yet, i definitely suggest it. And the ending definitely doesn't disappoint...

Ahsoka: Part Four: Fallen Jedi (2023) Season 1, Episode 4

I really want to give this show a higher 9...

[7/10 · 8 September 2023]

But because of the Sabine Wren character, I just find so much of the moments nearly unbearable to watch.

While I think that Ahsoka is absolutely nailing it as her character, and the entire series is so worth watching just because of how good her acting is, and how interesting she is as a character.

But unfortunately they seem to want to give the 'character arc' to Sabine, but she has so far come across as someone I just would want nothing to do with in real life. At every moment she chooses 100% only for her own considerations, and wants. Not for a lifetime would she make a decision for other people other then herself, and people she probably cares about, but only because she is selfish that way as well.

She literally just started a war where how many millions will die, kids, babies, etc, all because she emotionally needs this other person. I'm sorry but to kill that many people because of your selfish actions proves you to be the opposite of a Jedi, and if anything the emperor had nothing on Sabine as far as untold destruction and death that she is willing to bring for her own selfish wants.. How can anyone think this is a salvageable place to start from as a character. I'm sorry but anyone who could look back Sabine's selfishness is likely a narcissist, or selfish themselves, and put no weight on the death of countless children for some childish emotional need. Meanwhile Ahsoka might have a small flaw in how she handles Sabine, but if anything her just forgiving Sabine's double cross to me would be the wrong thing to do,

I wanted to give this show a 9, and if Sabine character arc was not so flawed I would doing so. But because you have front and center in the show a character whose is willing to kill countless families for her own needs, sorry, I can't. Why are so many shows popping up with character with unbelievable narcissistic characters... thinking of shows like Captain Marvel, where you have a 'hero' who only thinks of themselves through the entire film... it's so not how that works.. And i can't help but think the same people who were involved in that first film, also relate to Sabine's character in Ahsoka.. completely delusional ideas of right and wrong... that all involve putting themselves above everyone else... I don't see how such characters ever get green lite..

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Honestly, this is a masterclass in story telling...

[9/10 · 29 March 2023]

(Aside you can skip to get to the movie review below, but just before I start, wanted to talk about some of the reviewers clear bias. It's clear that most of the reviews of 5/6 when they go on about how great everything is, 'except that they have this bothersome story line about people who seem to have issue with the needless destruction of an ecosystem, and how 'boring' that storyline is'. Meanwhile these same people clearly haven't seen enough story lines where an elite military force kick ass, several times in the same film, or a sports team that wasn't supposed to win, but because their coach somehow defies the odds they not only win, but create a sports dynasty, or another super hero marvel hero story, or a story about a country singer who is battling alcoholism, etc, etc. But god forbid they have another story where the environment is considered beautiful and worth saving against a group of people who are willing to do harm to the local indigenous people to make that happen. Instant 4-5 points off apparently in their opinion. They so can't stand that this is the message that they despite talking about how beautiful it is, how the action sequences are amazing, nope max rating like 5 and below, hmm wonder what their true issue was.

Luckily most reviews are not like this, and you can tell the few other reviews that are, cause they literally sound like they were written by the main antagonist in this film, and actually the last film as well. My suggestion is stay clear of those reviews unless of course your political views tend towards 3rd generation 'get some'. Enough said.)

Sry for the above, now that it's covered we can actually just review the film...,

Main review here:

Honestly, this is James Cameron, and he shows in this film that pedigree of a master craftsman at work, and what film making it is, truly if you let yourself trust and go with it. Yes, some of the dialogue isn't Cameron's best work, there are no absolutely masterclass in action dialogue like we got in Aliens, or T2, etc..But despite the criticism that much of the dialogue is 'basic', i mean it does happen to be coming from kids for like 85% of the film. It's definitely good enough for those who can let themselves suspend disbelief and take a 3 hours ride on another planet, with several creatures that absolutely at times are alive. I am namely thinking of one creature, that after you have watched the film you can probably guess. There are scenes with that interaction in the water between that animal, and one of the kids that absolutely made me feel I was there, on another planet, watching this interaction between a boy and another being, from both the performances, and the perfection of the fx, it really does nail that moment perfectly.

As a person who has been in the fx industry most of my life, I can say it's one of the best vfx sequences in a film ever done. What it takes to nail it as they did, will absolutely be missed by many people, because the moment is moving, people will not even notice that there is vfx taking up the entire frame. But for those in the industry, getting water and creature interaction, plus a human like main character talking, and interacting in a moving emotional sequence, again all with perfect lighting, atmospherics, reflections caustics, etc etc, all working absolutely flawlessly together at the same time, truly we are starting to pass real milestones with CG effects, now we just need to figure out how to get to that level of vfx consistently....

But I suppose that is something you could say with a good deal of certainty, that in any other parts of this film, if there is a moment where you lose yourself in the story, and the action, emotional scene, etc, you can pretty much be assured it was because the vfx were so good, they let you go there, with a completely fictional family/planet created from nothing...

It isn't Lawrence of Arabia, but it is a great piece of film making in the sense it's a ride on another world for 3hrs, with a family, that perhaps might not be as complex or have the same originality of dialogue some families might have, but it's definitely at a level enough to give each of the families members an very distinct personality, and as a whole it does feel like a real family, at least it did for me for most of the film.

For critic, perhaps there were a few moments where you know the outcome of some action and just want the movie to move a bit faster, but those are rare enough that it doesn't distract from the overall film.

Rick and Morty: Analyze Piss (2022) Season 6, Episode 8

Some heart...

[9/10 · 3 December 2022]

I love it when there is actually something said under all that constant need for originality... it's good being 'surprised' and the constant 'meta-ness' of the entire series is what makes it fun, but it can cross a point where that also fails to have meaning, and it becomes so self-referential that there actually isn't anything there, there...

But this episode i was actually a bit moved by the entire coverage of 'piss-man's' life, and that Rick actually did the 'right' thing and those are the moments that really define anti-hero type characters. Without those moments the character eventually becomes hard to root for. Now I am pulled back into the series again with this one episode, and back on the wanting to see some development of Rick...

Note that some are gonna find all the swearing in this episode something they can't get past, I never really understood that, it's like of all the things to get offended by with Rick and Morty, the swearing, like really?? After all the total dismantling of religious icons, the nothing is sacred moments of even touchy subject, if swearing can offend you how the heck did you get through the entire show? Similarly, the entire point of piss-man was the lameness, that's the point, and like any good comedians, there is almost always a point after the 'lameness' where things can be funny again. And that's where they got to with the piss-man character. So while it felt at first a bit like a bad child fart joke turned up to 11, it actually again makes it that much more genius that they took it from there to where I as actually laughing and amused by the puns/jokes around piss-man... and still it fit with regards to the point the show was making about someone who might not live up to societies sense of 'cool' but doesn't meant there isn't a real 'person' behind it. Which i think people often forget with all the internet meming going on, etc, where real people are actually getting their lives ruined by meme's, embarrassing youtube videos, etc... I loved that they 'humanized' that idea in a cartoon, it was genuine good writing, and after being to the point in a couple of earlier episodes this season wondering if I was going to be into the show going forward, to now being 100% wanting to see the next stage of Rick development... Overall a good enough episode to make me back into the characters, and where the show might go with their development...

Message Man (2018)

Brilliant Action - Some Scenes Even Better Then John Wick Franchise

[7/10 · 6 May 2022]

The action is the thing in this movie, it is stunningly done, and rivals John Wick for that side of movie making. Whoever is the team responsible for that side of this film, they get an 11 overall.

However the story side has a great premise, retired hitman living retired sailing the ocean, been done, but still has lots of room for interesting scenarios. However, the main actor, as good an action star as he is, is terrible as conveying emotion. He looks totally ill at ease in almost any scenes. Many moments in the beginning with a good director/actor would have the character charming the audience with every interaction. Here he does that only by how military like his life is, but he doesn't charm as far as the interactions with the kid. The entire way the mother is concerned about the man with her son plays out all wrong. If she was concerned initially, after his reaction to not even looking at her would make any mother say no to their kid hanging around with a man who can't even look at her. He does not smile at all, and while that could be charming in someone like The Rock, etc, even funny, on him it just look psychotic.

Overall worth it just for the action sequences, and hand to hand originality. The knife sequences are brutal, but John Wick could take notes i think.

However it just ends there, the acting is just not there, so you can't really get into the story more then "he good, they bad" kind of thing.

Overall i was surprised at how good this was as an action movie, which is also the general sentiment in the comments...

Project 'Gemini' (2022)

Decent Special Effects Do Not A Movie Make

[2/10 · 2 March 2022]

Wow, the acting is just unbearable at times, the main character is honestly hard to take, just the whose kind of character. The plot is unbelievable cliche, every known sci-fi trope or cliche thrown into one movie, pointless dialogue that you feel like you have seen in a much better movie with much better acting... I feel almost like whoever did this thought they could just rip off every english sci-fi movie ever made, and just pass it off as fresh in another language.

I don't know how they got the money to make this, but if this is netflix they need to fire the producer to green-lite this project...

Below Zero (2021)

Honestly, it was good enough that at the end I was glad I watched it...

[7/10 · 12 February 2022]

There is some decent moments in the film that elevate it above much of the recent comparable genre faire.

It doesn't manage to keep a good pace throughout though, and unfortunately there were definitely times I lost interest. But then a scene will grab you, and the subtle nod to a story they don't bother to tell any deeper is actually kind of refreshing at times.

I think overall a solid outing, and if they had managed to pace it a little better it would be an excellent film.

Seeing as the dialogue is originally in another language it is always hard to tell how good it would be in it's native Spanish. But the english version on Netflix is decent enough that I would say they got away with it, actually that is an understatement.

Considering most times with english dubbing in films when done after the fact, the voices will never feel like they were actually from the same actors, nor will the dubbed voice track feel like it is in the right room/space/ambient noise, etc, and plus then the lips/tongue/mouth opening and closing never seem to match so it often will pull me out of the scenes.

However, here, they nailed it. I honestly have to say it might be the best english dubbing i have ever seen in a film.

Just the fact they have laid the voices in with the ambient sounds happening, plus when they are in the cells it feels like the voices are banging around a metal container, when surrounded by water it feels like they are again there, every space and ambient mix was masterfully done. Plus to top it all off they managed to pick english dialogue that if it didn't match the phonemes(lip shape, tongue position, etc) exactly, it at least began, paused, and ended with the same timing/beats, and such that most of the time they completely get away with it. Of course again not only do the voices sound like they are from those characters in the film, the emotions felt like they again were from that character. In fact so much so I have to wonder if they didn't hire some of the original actors to do the dubbing, it is hard to know for sure, but at least in a few cases the match is so perfect it seems like it would have had to have been. Either way, well done to netflix and the production sound crew.

Overall I can't give it about a 7, it suffers mostly from pacing and a bit too much 'mood' when they had something good going as far as say 'mist' around a lit up semi at night, they kind of pushed it a little bit over my tastes. The first one or two shots of it were great, then you suddenly feel like you are in a rave and the lasers are moments away from kicking in.

Worth the watch, and i did like the ending ultimately which is fare for many movies....

Attraction (2017)

Special Effects are very good, like a 8.5 out of 10, but some of the main characters are so stupid it is hard to watch...

[4/10 · 26 January 2022]

Julia is one of the main characters, and she could not be more annoying, more spoiled, more ignorant, more selfish in her actions.

That character alone ruins the movie for me. It is like being stuck in a room with an very annoying idiot for 2 hrs, no matter how good the effects, it gets old really quickly.

The film had so many great things going for it, visual effects are original and totally well done, setting is totally interesting with the military. And the access to equipment they had for the movie, in Moscow, which all makes for a very interesting setting, and setup to the film. And then along comes a idiot girl who is spoiled, thinks her looks make her ego some how excusable, they do not. She then immediately starts to blame everyone for everything except herself, expects everyone to do everything she wants, and when they don't she wants to kill them like the Aliens.

Honestly why they choose to focus on her for 2 movies is beyond me. This has no chance of gaining any traction because of this fact. Really made a bad choice, and I cannot tell if it is because the directory is trying to get laid, but honestly what a way to ruin all that good work...

Underwater (2020)

The Sum of the Parts are less then the parts....

[6/10 · 9 January 2022]

Honestly Kristen is someone who I usually like in the roles she plays, but here her character doesn't suit the 'coder/mechanical engineer' personality. There is a certain set of core competencies for anyone who is say a mechanical engineer, and you can see it with the way they handle tools, or do certain physical tasks related to mechanics of force, etc. She clearly is not familiar with even a screw driver, at least it feels that way. Like she handles them as 'props' not as something the real character would be second nature with, etc. She feels like she is handling tools like a teenage boy making out for the first time, clearly no idea what they are doing, and it clearly isn't natural to them.

What that amounted to is this amazing set work, decent level of effects(bordering on amazing a few occasions even, though not consistently there but definitely well art directed), competent cinematography, did I mention great costume design with the suits, just a lot going for it, and even somewhat interesting unveiling of the foe they are facing, and for all this to start to buildup, cut to intimate moment with Kristen when we are suppose to get closer to her, feel what she is going through etc. And boom, it all falls apart. Suddenly I am back in Twilight and it is the awkward girl in the woods telling a Patterson "Don't leave", and somehow showing fear and desire, and uncertainty at the same time. But this is suppose to be a scene for instance where she gets her ---- together and gathers needed tools, plan to go kick some mechanics/coding ass to bring down this creature. So why do I am I thinking about Kirsten as an acress and isn't the same nervous tick she did when she was trying to act thirsty as a new vampire. It just all came across like a complete disjointed mess, and i had no idea what was suppose to be happening in her head. I wanted to like here, i am into the movie just before this, totally wanting to go for this ride, and like I said, boom, each time it is just Kristen Stewart on screen, the entire momentum, and any bonding with the characters is shattered, and it is extremely frustrating.

I think that summarizes how I feel about Underwater. Frustration.

This is actually the second time I have watched it fully, with another attempt to watch it having failed the second time I tried to watch it. Namely because of this frustration with knowing just how much they nailed, and therefore how close they were to making a truly awesome movie. But between the missing momentum both from Kristen Stewarts discrepancy between the character that was on the script, and the one she is portraying on screen, but not just because of that, but also because the script/movie seemed to not have very good action pacing, the unrolling of the mystery of the 'Ancient One' is not badly done, and seems to build to the conclusion with the wide shot of Cthulhu . But the action and reveal of character both are just not there, there is almost no character revealed in the first parts of the movie, at least nothing of any substance I could relate to. Just some dialogue about 'first thing he every said to me', which perhaps might be a case of just because the author actually had a moment like this in real life, doesn't make it one interesting, second, nor does it reveal character, and three, therefore doesn't fulfill the real role of dialogue in film, reveal character, and desire/want/motivation/foreshadow action/etc. So while the saving of the spider again is suppose to reveal character, the way it was done doesn't seem to warrant the insane screen time they took for it, especially since it has been done so often it is beyond cliche, it is almost artistic in how cliche it is now... Not what they were going for, so again, wasting all this amazing time we could be getting attached to an interesting and conflicted character. Look at 'Bud' in The Abyss, now that is instant bonding, relatable feelings, and no he didnt' need to 'save a spider' for use to think he is the 'good guy'. Character is truly revealed 'under pressure' not saving a spider that isn't even a threat, and frankly hardly is 'saved' as the creature is ultimately doomed in that sterile environment anyway. So the scene is pointless on so many levels, yet is pretty much the focus of how we are suppose to relate to the main character. It really was a bad choice....

Wrote a novel, but that is what happens when a movie frustrates you with 'what could have been'. I want to make clear, despite the backlash her and her co-stars got in many ways while climbing to fame in Twilgiht, despite not feeling her for this role, I am actually a pretty big fan of Kristen in Twilight, before that in Safe Room with Jody Foster, and her career as a whole, except for a few bad exceptions, cough 'Charlie's Angels'. Another role that, sorry, Kristen wasn't mean to play it seems. Competent killer only works when we believe she is acting weird because she is high on vampire strength, speed, vision, etc. A girl her size is not going to take down a adult man unless the moves are like top 100 in the world level of awesome, and that entire movie felt completely forced, and while I am for representation in film it still has to be a good film, can't just pretend that representation is there that somehow everyone now just has to overlook the glaring issues with the believability, clearly fumbled fight choreography, etc. Anyway, not the movie I am suppose to be reviewing, but it is related in that in both that movie and this one, it is pretty clear that Kristen is not good fit for these kinds of 'mechanical engineer' , 'military martial art killer', basically anything highly physical in nature, and/or with 'tools of the trade' which she clearly doesn't portray as being familiar with, and so the entire believability falls apart, even before she launches into portrayal of how a 'coder would think', or how an engineer would, etc. And none of that comes across as grounded in any reality. If she sticks to roles like alternative movies, roles where she is not portraying something she has never had any experience with physically, ie using tools, etc. Then she is going to nail it I would bet.

I wish I could say that the movie was better, but the frustration is there with a movie that sadly even it's art direction is hitting above the movie as a whole, visual effects, definitely set design, etc, all nailing it, and again all feel like they somehow deserve to be in a better movie...

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

If you are going to make Wheel Of Time then make Wheel Of Time, not some other trash...

[2/10 · 25 December 2021]

The best source material really any show could hope for, and what is the first thing they do, change it all, change the characters, the way they behave, then changed the settings which were so amazing in the books, changed the dialogue to the point that most people are bored silly. This is not Wheel Of Time.

Whoever wrote, and directed this I feel has just done a great disservice to the Books, and clearly wasn't a Wheel Of Time fan. If you are a fan you wouldn't feel the need to completely change it. Why get a person who hated the source material to write/direct it?

The only good news is, they messed it up so badly that there is plenty of room for someone to come in and do it correctly at some future date, as this will be completely unmemorable... I find every time i try to watch it within 5 mins I am simultaneously so bored, and frustrated that I just can't watch another min. I really want to like this, and I really wanted it to be good, but it just isn't. And there is some good talented actresses, and actors in it. So I blame the writing team and the director on this one...

Candy Jar (2018)

Honestly this movie is as generic as you can get for a script.

[7/10 · 26 September 2021]

I don't really understand the incredible divide in reviews.

The negative seem to mostly fall into three groups.

• The first composed of people unable to handle any mention of political issues unless it is in agreement with their own position. It seems inevitable then that these reviewers will give a rating of 2 or less in 9 out of 10 movies they watch, as it kind a follows from regarding everything with such a zealots viewpoint.

• The next group seem not be able to get past the fact that speaking fast is apparently a strong/common strategy for this particular set of debating rules. I can understand that the whole premise seems completely flawed, as well as annoying in fact to watch, but isn't that. I believe, part of the entire point for one of the messages in the movie as well, so they are in fact on the same side as the director/writer anyway, and despite them somehow needing to make this point in a very clearly annoyed way, ultimately their low review comes from them not being able to separate being annoyed by these moments, from the overall movie kind of seems a we bit shallow way to judge a movie... makes me wonder if most of them even watched past those moments... basically got annoyed and decided to immediately come make a review...

• And then lastly people with legit issues with the entire film, and in fact i kind of agree with a lot of the points these reviewers are making. But before I get into it, in regards to the positive reviewers.. just for the sake of competition..

In regards to the positive reviews they seem entirely of two camps, people who are clearly not a true general public reviewer, are not general audience members, but instead part of the actual production, or sales department for the film. The entirety of the review reading like it is right off the back of the dvd jacket, or the write-up in Amazon again written by marketing for the movie. Rarely have I seem such blatant examples of this...

• Second group of positive reviews honestly come off a bit naïve, because if you honestly believe this movie is 'easily the best movie this entire year', or 'a 10 out of 10 movie', which is apparently perfection, and 'without flaws', i would normally chalk these up to the first case above, written by marketing, I mean 10 out of 10, really, but some of the writing is so earnest it might be real, which is frankly scarier.

Back to my own issues with this movie.

In all seriousness, the entire premise seems completely shallow, and the points they are trying to make come across as totally like a rich liberal view of what 'being poor' actually entails.

The points made, especially by the 'winning team' all feel entirely generic, not the kind of points people who actually live through in situation of poverty, etc, The message is suppose to through be these more personal points made to communicate/share emotion and have some impact on the listener, by sharing what it means personally to be in these situations that they are describing. So then you would think the two speeches from this team would be moments to dig deep and share very personal examples that they themselves went through leading up to the debate, or the night before, week of, ec. Instead we get clinical stats, mascaraing as 'heartfelt' points/stories. It is frankly like the author being so far removed from such issues can't actually put themselves truly into the shoes of kids who do. And i won't bother going into these issues because frankly they take time to cover with the respect they deserve, ie mental health being more common in families with economic stress like those that poverty bring, or dealing with divorce in the family with no money vs with money, etc. All the things that unless you take the time to cover in detail, or with a very clear example from the heart from the person who experienced them. But this film it seemed that was a big part of the film, those points, and yet they completely failed to deliver, not once but twice when they had what really was a perfect setup for it.

The entire range between the two main characters in regards to economics also comes across as skewed upwards, like they both seem pretty spoiled, and if all you need to do is concentrate on being good at debating, all the while you have access to the support either of these kids have then clearly you are already in the top 1%. Again a bit odd considering she seems to bring up there 'differences economically' a lot and so does the mom seem completely fixated on it. But in reality they both seem to have many of the same opportunities, etc.

I mean when you are starting with one family being friends with people like Obama and Oprah, then seriously, the fact that they seem to dress the same, have the same overall same social standing in speech, vocabulary, shows they are closer in status to the majority of Americans would be. And in fact even with the 'winners' at the end as well their speech speaks volumes to access to education, facilities, So some of the points definitely felt hollow to me, and I am not saying they have to be for the movie to work, there are other ways they likely could had played it, but the way they choose to definitely doesn't feel authentic to me, perhaps others may have felt different, but true disadvantaged kids have way more to deal with then this movies seems to be either aware of or for some reason capable of addressing in the story with any depth or heartfelt honesty behind it.

Add in some very cliche 'just have fun speeches', then the most original part follows of the show, which is a bit of a downer. So are you trying to break kids spirit, i mean why 'give up' to a team that isn't at all accomplishing the thing they are supposedly sacrificing talking quickly to achieve, ie emotional connection with the audience.

So then what is the point of the movie, it is not like there is a new message here, or one that hits hard enough to change minds, it really is only going to be a shrug for anyone who already believes these things already anyway, so the entire point of the message seems inconsequential, ie has zero consequence as the people who will nod in agreement(or apparently be moved to tears according to the 10 out of 10 reviews) already fell on that side of the issue before, and this isn't even going to strengthen that with some honest presentation of what it really is like for someone to deal with, so it feels like the entire disadvantagement for some people point they seem to be trying to include falls completely flat.

Add in some completely random death, which is perhaps one of the most honest feeling parts of the film, including their reaction to it, and the question of the entire point of closing yourself off in high-school to achieve these goals. I mean, but again, why, like what at they trying to tell the audience, that trying so hard for Harvard is pointless or that perhaps social interactions, ie like dating is more important for life long happiness, etc.

To tell the truth, it feels like someone who can see all the parts a movie like this needs to successfully. Ie In the telling of a story that also conveys some wisdom regarding life and the struggles around getting accepted into good universities. But then at each point they are suppose to 'fill in the blank' they don't have enough life experience to actually have any true emotion, or originality coming from honesty or humility around some of these situations for instance. Instead of heartfelt moments from the two 'disadvantaged' kids teaching the entire audience(in the movie and watching) about what is important(communication and integrity around what you are doing vs just going to for the points to win), yet the speech has no actual annecdotal stories as they describe in the actual movie that is should have. Or the 'parts' again where the story needs 'humor here', are filled with really unoriginal move quotes like 'Fight Club Rules', again in another movie with a teenage club in it. Again understanding what parts are needed for a good script/film of this type but ultimately being unable to deliver.

It had the outline to have some interesting moments, but I just do not think the writer/director had the life experience to make it work. Almost like someone who didn't experience high-school parties, dating, drinking, and all those experiences that give you social iq, enough to say tell a joke, or understand what comes off from the heart vs feels statistical etc...

I still can't believe not just 1, but a few people gave this movie a 10 out of 10, apparently this is a masterpiece and I am just missing it entirely...

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Honestly if you don't get this movie....

[9/10 · 6 August 2021]

Then you have me totally curious more about what makes you tick than this movie.

This movie isn't the best thing ever, it doesn't lets say rewrite the entire horror genre, like something like Cabin In The Woods did for instance. But it was more along the lines of Ginger Snaps, a portrayal of females that doesn't play into society stereo types.

That honestly has caused a lot of the reason many people who 'just don't get it' as well. Many of the people who disliked Ginger Snaps honestly seem incapable of liking a movie where the main female protagonists don't play into their fantasies. As soon as they step out of fulfilling that for them, they 'can't get into it', and so to each their own, but they are missing out in my opinion.

And yet many other people assume that Megan Fox is going to portray some cookie cutter 'hot girl' trope, but when it doesn't happen they 'don't get it'. Once again, almost in a mirror sort of way, Jennifer doesn't live up to the fantasy of what a 'hot girl' should be, but because they got ready to hate her in that role, and it doesn't happen they are a good way through the movie anticipating a completely different movie, and now 'don't get it'. Because they were so lost in expecting Megan to be that 'hot girl' they want to hate, and because she plays on that trope herself, often subtle to the point that i think some people don't get the camp, so they end up missing that tone, which is an important part of getting the entire movie, in relation to the main protagonist who is going through that herself.,

I can't be sure though, but many progressive people have hated Megan Fox, unfairly, ever since the placed her in a box of things and people to hate, and when she doesn't act as they once again 'expect', then they 'don't get it'. Their ego being tied into hating 'the hot girl' stereotype, which they have once again mistaken forced Megan Fox to be in their own minds. The usual, 'she didn't have to act like that in Transformers' not considering that they themselves would have taken up the exact same role is someone in Hollywood had offered it to them when they were 17. So it is a bit of sour-grapes over Megan Fox, despite Megan having taken a full on assault by the press when she came out essentially for the #metoo movement before it was 'cool' to do so. So she has been taken flake because she was in fact ahead of the curve. Beautiful and ahead of the curve naturally has some women feeling competitive. (A stereotype, like all stereotypes, with some sadly truth behind it too often). Actually showing she was actually long for the #metoo movement even before they were. Megan gets hate from both sides unfortunately, and neither is deserved.

I think she is a force to be reckoned with. Though her latest movie, 'In The Switch Grass' seemed like some weird attempt to by pass 'Hollywood' machine altogether, understandable given Megan Fox's history of abuse from that machine. But unfortunately it ended up only showing why the machine exists, producing movies with not much semblance of consistency. 'In The Switch Grass' unfortunately has nothing holding it all together, no likeable or relatable characters because of the way they entire movie was directed, and the material feels entirely unoriginal, and without any depth at all. Perhaps the book has some lyricism that made it work, that was not successfully carried onto the film. But that movie is an example of a film where i totally get people saying 'I don't get it'. Including Megan's role, might have a point.

But this film, she is at her best i think. A total force to be reckoned with the entire movie, exactly what her character is suppose to be.

I also think people don't like this because it isn't on the nose horror like so much out there, where the entire point is the killing, here in Jennifer's Body the point of the movie is the situations the main characters find themselves in, until the end where she has a meaningful transformation into frankly a similar badass to that of Jennifer. That entire relationship is mirroring that of many girls, the one hot friend, etc and perhaps many guys don't get that, but i think as a guy it plays well and even i can see what the main character is going through, and her motivations, even including her attitude change at the end. By which point she has totally stopped caring what people think at all... it isn't Shawshank Redemption, or have the philosophical depth of something like 'Fight Club', or 'Inception' etc, it is a very straight forward movie with a tone that feels very fresh compared to most movies.

I would say the best comparison for me would be 'A Werewolf In London'. It doesn't have a similar attraction like the 'first big werewolf vfx transformation' that helped make that movie, but it does have some similar story telling elements that weave an interesting movie with an original tone. A personal decent into the world of the supernatural that leaves the protagonist completely changed by the end, and partially adapted to the insane things their character is dragged through. If you only care about gore, this isn't the movie for you. It doesn't try to out gore other movies, similar to Ginger Snaps the gore fits the situation in the movie, and sells the emotional moments for the main protagonist(s). Ie the kitchen scene after her original reresection. We can almost see what it would be like to be in that situation with a friend, except instead of helping a friend who is sick from drinking way too much, she is undead and throwing up a giant pool of blood all over your kitchen floor.,..

Till Death (I) (2021)

As Usual - Proof Megan was always more than she was painted as...

[8/10 · 4 July 2021]

I have to say that I did not like Megan Fox when I first saw her, I thought she was pretty, but not earth shattering as some seem to see. So when everyone went off on her looks in Transformers, I had nothing really to judge her by, except this sex symbol she was being pushed as, as as her character was written with nothing else, it was hard not to give her not another thought. But when she came out against being sexualized i thought maybe there was at least a bit more going on, but man did Hollywood went after her she was destroyed by a press that 10 years later would have praised her, but at that time, she was too far ahead of the curve and instead she was cruxified by some of the same people who pretend to have always been on the side of the #metoo movement.

Then she did Jennifer's Body and I realized this girl has a damn lot more going on then she was allowed to show under the direction of shallow directors like Michael Bay. Since then I think she has still struggled having had her name basically black listed, and now people won't question why, it just remains that way, and hollywood rarely takes a second chance on a star. They did for Robert Downey Jr, and that helped build the biggest ip franchise ever. And I think if a director was smart they would realize just how good an actress Megan Fox actually is, and what is capable of.

Besides which, wow, I have to also say the Cinematography on this movie, hitting well well above it's pay grade. From the opening show with the color only on the one street, what a beautiful take on a very otherwise boring and overdone shot now. To the rest of the color and lighting, all very well done. I just didn't come into this moving expecting to be surprised by the cinematography, but there you have it, dark movie, but beautiful cinematography...

Tracker (2001–2002)

Wow this Starman Wanna Be Is Truly Bad Even For This Production

[1/10 · 3 July 2021]

This production house produced some horrible tv in the late 90's, early 2000's, living off successes like Highlander the tv Series, they turned out one bad scripts and bad camera work, after another.

But this one was truly terrible. Seems like Adrial Paul thought he could act as good as Jeff Bridges who made the part seem lovable and cute, where as Adrial comes across as creepy and more creepy... yea, not surpised this one didn't have the success of their highlander serious previously...

Top Gunner (2020)

Asylum, honestly how far have they fallen... From Black Hawk Down to this...

[1/10 · 1 July 2021]

Clearly either Asylum lucked out big time with Back Hawk Down, or they have made seriously bad choices since then...

Either way, I guess the money probably was better producing really cheap productions and lots of it..

Cosmic Sin (2021)

Ok, it is not that we have one bad movie, but 3 or 4... what is going on here?

[1/10 · 4 March 2021]

Please tell me how Edward Drake gets someone like Bruce Willis for not one incredible bad movie, not two incredible bad movies, but 3, and counting..

Breach, Cosmic Sin, Apex, and likely more we don't know about. Someone has money to play with, and Bruce is taking it gladly no matter the hit to his reputation at this point I guess... three incredible bad sci-fi movies. No doubt the cg is decent, but the story and directing is so awful, that you have to think there is more to this picture then meets the eye..

What is the thing that is missing from this picture, how much did Bruce make on this little deal...

...

Gut Hack (2017)

Good Start... Hopefully more will follow...

[6 January 2021]

I give credit to the film makers for making a doc on such a taboo subject. I think there are clearly problems as far as how much you can take from this test scientifically, but regardless i do believe there already is some work done that hopefully will increase. Because if it can be proven that this is a technique with great results, hopefully it will over come the cringe factor that some people might have when they initially hear what it entails. It has clear scientific merit, and there is no doubt that if the initial studies are backed up with more studies that show the same success as those did, then videos like this that take this out of the shadows and into the light so to speak, are going to be more and more important. As if this can save lives, and/or improve the state of many people's lives, then it needs to happen more, and sadly right now it is not a very common thing, despite it already showing success in many scientific studies, that are more rigorous of course then this video. Which is another point, I hope people don't assume that there is not already scientific peer reviewed research on this already as well. As people might assume by the tone that there is 'little' scientific merit to the procedure, when in fact it makes a great deal of sense based on what we know of the gut flora etc...

The 2nd (2020)

Phillipe is only as good as the script and director he is working with...

[2/10 · 15 September 2020]

I am giving this 2 stars only because I can't give anything Ryan Phillipe is in less than that... but really there is so many awful things in this film that it slides between barely watchable to totally unwatchable most of the way through.

Here is what i think happened. Hollywood producers who more often then not are terribly shallow, and unoriginal see that John Wick is a huge success. John Wick's 'formula' in these Hollywood producers's eyes being....

* bank-able star, able to pull off action movies * a script that is really 90% about the action, and bad a--ery of the main character * mix in a great 2nd camera/stunt coordinator action director - make him the director to focus on action for 90% of the film. * add in a reason to kill many tough bad-guys - killed his dog

The issue is that the didn't pay Ryan Phillipe to train to be an extreme bad --- for months ahead of time. They clearly don't get that not all stunt coordinates/2nd camera guys are capable of directing. They don't have any idea why John Wick is a good script and this one is completely unoriginal. Ryan Phillpe's can't turn bad dialogue into gold, perhaps if one scene is not great in an otherwise brilliantly written film then a good actor can carry that one scene, or two, but when the entire film is garbage, garbage in and garbage out even with the best actors.

Finally the cinematography is like it was shot on an iphone 3. What the heck is with the soap opera effect doubled down.

Clearly this is what happens when people with no talent, and no ability to understand the different between good dialogue and terrible dialogue, between good cinematography and one of the worst films for cinematography i have seen in a very long time, and as any good film making knows, your good guy is only as great as his enemy. If the enemy is a wimp it makes the hero seem weak as well. If the antagonist is the most bad --- opponent ever, and the hero beats him up, it is now interesting.

Could go on for a long time all the faults in this movie, but clearly i have already wasted to much time on it already. Only watch this movie if you are interested in film studies and are looking at films that are big time failures...

Burning (2018)

Big Hunger vs Little Hunger

[10/10 · 17 August 2020]

The people who disliked this film are not the seekers about life, I doubt the 'little hunger' ties them to this movie like 'big hunger' people are haunted by this movie. The thing about the author, Haruki Murakami, he is a master writer. A true writer in the same vein as Faulkner, or Ford, but if you are without that big hole inside you searching for the deep currents in life, then this movie, like his novels will seem simple, and uneventful. There is nothing in this his novels that is without purpose, and even his seemingly messiness to the structure of his novels is with purpose, driving towards those deeper ideas of what it means to be human, all the weird and lonely ways we exist as humans. If football and 6-packs are enough for you, this is not your movie. If you have deep moments of pause, reflection, or emotions so deep you cannot understand where they well up from, or you have ever felt deep yearning past all understanding of it's source, then this movie will talk to you. Anyone who criticizes the writer it totally oblivious, it is like you are giving writing advice to William Faulkner or Ernest Hemingway. He is so widely read, in all languages, won so many literary accolades, as his words transcend language, so if his writing is not for you that is 100% cool. He isn't for everyone, just like William Faulkner, Ford, or Tolstoy is not for everyone, but at least educate yourself on who you are talking about before you dive into critiquing his works. Seriously, if some Japanese person was trying to say how he would write better, and improve a Hemingway novel, then it would come across as ignorant and arrogant. Critiquing Haruki Murakami's writing is without a doubt on that same level....

Radioflash (2019)

I think the best thing going for this is the Cinematography.. and sometimes the acting..

[2/10 · 22 February 2020]

What is unbearable, is the script. The script reads like a person who can in fact read what an EMP is, but is incapable of understanding exactly what it really means.

At first I thought the script was going for a style over substance cyberpunk-ish vibe, then everything she opened her mouth on something it made me realize, nope, they just have no clue at all about technology. or science.

The cinematography is pretty good for the budget, at least I am assuming a low budget. Either way, it is nice to look at, nothing ground breaking, but solid sci-fi blue/orange thing that generally works well.

Some of the acting is actually decent, again for the budget of the film. But not much to go on in the script.

But yea, technology wise, the author is a bit of a hack...

About Sunny (2011)

Confused by the reviews here...

[9/10 · 6 October 2019]

It seems some people are rating the movie based on what they think of the mother. And in doing so completely miss the point of the film.

Clearly it is a film that doesn't use the usual music, or other goto's to make the mother seen 'romanticized' etc, purposely drawing light to the cold stark problems with the situations the kid is put through, and yet people upon seeing that the child is put into bad situation time and time again, and as a result they rate the movie poorly.

Poverty is about the lack of choice, poverty is about not having had role models in their lives to show them what good choices look like, poverty is about lack of education to help figure out better decisions, it is about never had opportunities to again gain a practical perspective, and poverty is often about mental health issues, about cooping mechanisms that seem to solve an immediate issue, but cause more problems long term, and poverty is about being looked upon with distaste, and judgement from people who care more about punishment than helping people. The people rating this film poorly because they dislike the mother or the situation for the child are completely missing the entire point of the film which is to draw awareness to the way that these situations often unravel in real life, this film does a great job portraying the complications, and the frustrations around these issues. And it clearly once again showed that people would rather punish the parent and the child along with them, then help them out of the situation, feeling somehow that 'they would get one over on them' if they didnt' suffer because of the parents choices. The parent was making horrible decisions, but she clearly loved her child, and by the attitude of anger and distaste for the mother, the child will often get sent from a mother who clearly is above all else, deeply protective and loving of her child, and then these same people criticizing the film will not bat an eyelash as CPS comes in and the child ends up in an abusive household for the child, recreating now an even worse perpetual cycle of poverty and now abuse. The end determination of what should happen in these situations, is instead of the state spending money to give to a foster family, they should determine that if there is no sign of physical abuse, and it is clear the mother for instance is deeply protective and wants the best for their kid, the solution at worst is find a way to help the mother get on her feet again, as long as they are not drug addicts, that is the best possible outcome. Enough with the judgements on the parent(s) that end up screwing a kid for life. Stop judging, that doesnt' help solve the issue, and start figuring out how to make that kids life better, and if the mother gets to make bad decisions and still end up being able to provide shelter and food for her kid, honestly, the world is better off for it. Tired of the hate, and anger, that ends up just making the kids in these situations live horrendous lives, and the people forcing that to happen pretend it is the parents fault entirely, when they are supporting a state that is pushing the foster home above a loving but flawed parent.

Manhunter (1986)

You had to see it when it first came out... To fully appreciate it.

[10/10 · 6 October 2019]

Mann is a brilliant writer/director, and unfortunately he was a little to head of his time on this film.

I was a teenager when this movie was originally released, and it seriously disturbed me as a kid. Seeing a serial killer in a movie was rare enough in the mid-eighties, but to show the thoughts of a serial killer basically, putting the audience in the frame of mind was just so far from anything else at the time. So watching it was disturbing, which I think for people who missed this, they had that experience with Silence Of The Lambs. So that is the division of the reviews I see here. If you saw this when it original came out then it almost certainly left a big impact, and likely you realize how important and groundbreaking this film was. Which is exactly what reviews seem to say if they like the film. If you saw it years after first seeing Silence Of The Lambs, the impact, for many reasons, cinematography was based on a much lower budget, production levels in general were lower, and seeing it after seeing all the films that ere inspired by it, loses that sense of originality and that is going to decrease your experience of the film. But as many have said, this film, being first in many ways deserves the same level of acclaim that has gone on to Silence Of The Lambs. It had only a small box office unfortunately. I think as the studio was actually scared of pushing it at the time, it was so different than anything they had seen the time, and the subject was so dark. If they had I think it would have been hugely well received.

Overall because of budget, and having this movie as a template, Silence Of The Lambs is a superior film, but that is because the director had this movie to understand how to make a movie of this genre, and Michael Mann was basically creating it with his film. And some have said Tom Noonan was better than Anthony Hopkins, but I actually think they are equal, and i give props for Demme and Hopkins not going for the same feel as Noonan's a and Mann's portrayal, so bravo to both as they are the two most important films in the genre in my opinion.

Do i recommend seeing it now, if you haven't seen it yet, then yes, but only if you keep in mind that you are seeing a movie that has been copied many times since, if anything at all feels cliche, trust me, it was as far from it when it first came out. And so that is hard to do, but if you can do that, you likely will start to get how important a film this was.

Beats (I) (2019)

Some brave ideas mixed with some cliche moments...

[7/10 · 22 June 2019]

I think the people judging the film based on whether the music is perfect is pretty unrealistic. There are only a few musicians who can create brilliant music on command, which is why 8 Mile was so exceptional. But to rate this movie like it was trash only because the music doesn't equal that, is a little unrealistic. You don't have to reach that level still tell a story that is at least interesting. The things they got right I feel are not shying away with making the main character have a pretty stigmatized condition. Mental illness, depression, panic attacks, or even more severe condiations, are pretty harshly looked down on still. So to not shy away from even making the main character look 'weak' in the eyes of a good many people, is a good thing. It takes a chance, and made the main character interesting enough to carry me through the rest of the story. That and there was decent enough acting to carry the scenes, even when there really wasn't much there. I think overall it had enough to want me to see it to the end, and the theme wasn't all over the place like I find so much writing that is by people who just try to impress each scene, rather than actually write a real story with themes, and character arcs. Unfortunately the actors were not given enough meet to last a full length movie. It would have been perfect for a tv series pilot or something, cut down to 60 mins and it would have been way tighter. Or they could have done more work to flesh out the sub themes which were a little too cliche, an not much to hold those side stories together for the viewer.

So while I can't say it was a solid 7, the fact that I got attached to the main character who didn't himself feel cliche is a win in any story. So that bumps it up for me.

Could have been way better with a tighter script.

Yea, the music could be better, but the idea in the movie were not bad for beginning musical artists, so people have to let go of expecting every single movie about music to reach the level of 8 Mile. Though I do recommend Sing Street as a much better overall movie with really good music as well.