jjk488-1 Reviews

Ferrari (2023)

A good example of how not to make a movie on Ferrari

[4/10 · 25 May 2024]

It feels like they went out of their way to make this movie as slow and boring as possible, especially given it's subject matter. The pacing just felt way off the entire time, having these long scenes that just seemed to drag on forever focused on drama, with the action being far too brief. I think they did a pretty good job of trying to display Enzo's personality, but there was just too much in the way of what felt like filler drama. Worst thing is how it's naturally an exciting and interesting subject matter focused on a historic and exciting sporting event, but you hardly get to enjoy it between all the drama that just felt unnecessary and didn't do much for me. When I compare this to something like Ford vs Ferrari, it's like that's a movie that I could watch over and over again, while with this it's a one n done.

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Great acting, terrible writing.

[4/10 · 7 March 2024]

This is probably one of the best acted and worst written movies I have seen. No doubt Harvey Keitel's performance is top notch, he did about as good as anyone could have with what he had to work with. The entire movie just lacks any real depth though, and any attempts it has at portraying depth feels misguided at best. It's got one of the worst endings I have seen in a movie, honestly watching this thing, it's like it keeps trying to build up only for there to be no payoff, just disappointment. It's dark and gritty, all about portraying the dark side of law enforcement and the big city. I guess that's the one thing it succeeded at.

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (2020)

The first half was good, but then it leans too hard on the artists issues

[4/10 · 7 October 2023]

I enjoyed the first half, maybe even first 3/4'th of this the most. It really did a good job of touching on the background of John K, his influences, how the show got started, and the creative talent that helped make the show what it was. That's all good, but then as it gets to the downfall of the show, I think it learned too heavily into being focused on John K's personal issues, from the sympathetic standpoint of people who more or less bult themselves up off the allegations they raised against him. Now I don't want to take sides, but it seems obvious how some people who led to his downfall had something to gain from the controversy and attention they pursued. Especially the corporate executive who basically tried to stake claim to the shows creation, when it's obvious how she was just someone sitting on an executive board approving this and that.

In the end I guess it presents a good picture on why the show ultimately fell apart in the end, but I don't think what I got out of it was what they intended for me to get out of it. Based off everything they presented going over the show's creation, it's clear where the real talent was and why nobody else managed to accomplish anything meaningful after. It's basically a presentation on how success can affect people, making some people think they're greater than they are, or corrupting people who were truly great.

Young Guns (1988)

The people rating this highly must be crazy

[3/10 · 24 January 2023]

I think this is a perfect example of a movie that has aged very poorly. I'm sure if you were it's target audience around the time it was released you might have enjoyed it a lot more, but as for me this just came off as a really goofy movie with some really cheesy acting loaded with what would have been contemporary music and effects for a late 80's movie. The end result just feels like one of the worst examples of a 80's era butchering of a classic genre. I mean they managed to make some good westerns back then, don't get me wrong, but this isn't one of them. I think the whole "brat pack" 80's celebrity connection must have a lot to do with why it's got a cult fanbase.

The Simpsons: Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson (2012) Season 23, Episode 10

I hate it when good cartoons cram their creators political ideals down your throat

[2/10 · 4 April 2012]

The Simpsons has always been a great cartoon, and there is a reason why I have watched it for all these years. While there has always been some underlying political idealism in the show, it was usually very subtle, usually in the form of Lisa saying something very liberal. I can deal with that even if I disagree since the show can usually be pretty objective, however this episode simply crossed the line. It honestly felt like something you would see on the Family Guy with it's offensive "republicans are bad people, democrats are holier than thou" mentality.

That is honestly why I lost interest in Family Guy because it became some outlet for the creators political idealism, and I don't like it when people try to prescribe political ideals and cram them down my throat, overgeneralizing politics in general to present a favorable outlook for their chosen side. So that is why I am rating this a 2 star since in my honest opinion it felt like borderline propaganda, which is something I have always taken offense to. I gave it a bonus star for the funny parts, but honestly, the Simpsons need to stop cramming politics down your throat, it destroys every good cartoon.