Change Your Image
bensfiction
Reviews
Gray Matter (2023)
There's nothing to see here, folks
I don't know what sect of people seem to be in this crusade against the producers of PGL, but the final product only solidified for me how accurate the notes were for much needed story, emotional beats and cohesion.
Act I: a young girl has powers, so does her mom. We're not told the significance of these powers or how the powers themselves or the people that have them interplay with the world at large. Moreover, we really don't know that any world exists outside of maybe 8 people. The girl then maybe kills someone with her powers, maybe not, I don't know - this is yet another point the movie never elucidates.
Act II: The girl is taken by another person with power who runs a hospital for people with power or something. He might be installed, he might have created it in his own, I don't know -- this is yet another point the movie never elucidates. Then mom finds the girl through...not trusting her?
Act III: Girl apparently suddenly has control over powers for no discernible reason, I don't know - this is yet another point the movie never elucidates. Then....the end
The characters were wooden despite pretty decent acting. The character arc makes no sense, but it doesn't matter because we never care about the characters to begin with. Love or hate PGL, you gotta admit this is another awful attempt at filmmaking. I think the AD and cam ops for the feature have egg on their face for being mean to the cam crew of PGL... as Greenlight was the only interesting thing to come out of this highly forgettable mess.
Catching Faith (2015)
Weak Film
I'm not a Christian, but I can understand that a good part of this country is. I think that Christians, however, are doing themselves a disservice with this recent rash of films they've made. Hear me out on this. The filmmakers seem to have one thing in common: none of them have studied film.
The cinematography is flat, the editing is filled with jump cuts, and the dialogue seems contrived and unnatural.
It seems to me that if the filmmakers would put a little more time into their work they could actually pull off something pretty awesome and a little further reaching. Unfortunately, the films seem to be shot on a shoe-string budget with only the interest of the movie studios making money off of a certain demographic.
I'm OK if you're Christian, but you should still have discernibility in your tastes of film. These films are flimsy and don't hold.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Please, Mr. Kennedy
Right around the same time I started wearing Chuck Taylor's and aviators, I was having a nightly sexual tryst with my boss. While she claimed to love me, I fear her passion was unrequited, I only did it because I maintained the circular logic that the more I had sex with my boss the cooler I would become; but, she was from Wisconsin and made love like it. I remember one night, we just finished up and she had this knack for tying back her hair in bed to the point where it looked like she was giving herself a face-lift. She put on Snow Patrol and began bobbing her head like it was on a spring, slowly reminding me that we are all in a circuitous free fall around the drain's end... I said to her, "this isn't music." That's pretty much "Inside Llewyn Davis" in a nutshell.
Nazis at the Center of the Earth (2012)
Intentionally Bad...Hilarity!
Look, if you're looking for deep horror with some raw emotion... you're clearly on the wrong page. This film is not intended to be taken seriously (those of you who are have my sympathy.) It's meant merely as a form of B entertainment.
Here's the idea, a group of Nazi's discovered a place where they could stay hidden in Antarctica, now a group of scientists must fight their way out of this nazi cold hell in order to get back home! The script is beyond ridiculous (with the lovable Jake Busey delivering most of the trifling lines;) the practical effects aren't terrible for a b-movie, but the cgi is so laughable it's a little frightening (I'm talking to you robohitler!) All in all, if you're looking for a fun movie on a boring night, this is your movie, it's available in most redboxes and should be coming to Netflix by the end of summer.
Seven Pounds (2008)
Seven Pounds: All Shock, No Story
I planned on walking into Seven Pounds and seeing pretty much the same type of formula that I saw in "The Pursuit of Happiness" and... I pretty much got JUST that. Will Smith plays the same damaged type man who needs to make a change. This time, he plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who suddenly has the urge to help people. We find out why in fast glimpses from his past. For the first act, we find ourselves honestly curious as to the life of Ben Thomas, even ignoring the jumbled up to ridiculousness chronology of the spectacle. The second act is a terribly slow moving uninteresting tale of Ben Thomas falling in love with a heart patient, all the time cluing us into Ben Thomas' ultimate plan. By the time the third act crawls by and we find out what that plan is, we don't care. I think most people's positive reaction comes from the shock of the third act, which would not be as surprising if the second act wasn't as dull. Thematically speaking, the payoff is a personal redemption for Ben Thomas, which I've heard from a lot of people is considered "beautiful." I think it's pretty absurd. It's not that the movie was entirely dull, it's just that I haven't come to expect much more from Will Smith. Gladly Seven Pounds has taught me two things, avoid jellyfish and Will Smith films.