NjFabiano Reviews

Constellation (2024)

Failed to capitalize on its potential.

[5/10 · 28 March 2024]

The series started out with a lot of promise.

Interesting plot. Good acting.

...but as it went on it just never developed into what I'd hoped.

Firstly it was just long, drawn out and boring.

This should've been a 2 hour movie, not a series. Felt like at least 3 of the episodes just repeated themselves over and over again.

Secondly there was just never a big reveal, or even a twist that felt like a playoff. Just felt like the whole explanation for the series was just lazy and underdeveloped.

Could've been good, just felt incredibly underwhelming from about episode 4 till the end.

I would not recommend it.

65 (2023)

Better than consensus would have you believe...

[7/10 · 12 July 2023]

I watch and rate a lot of movies, and I thought this was solid, as far as Sci-Fi movies go.

It's always seemed kind of odd/crazy to me that 'Jurassic Park' has had a monopoly on Dino-Movies for decades. It was nice to see another take.

The concept was pretty cool.

Of course there's some holes in the story, but that's why there's "Fi" after "Sci".

I'll never understand people who strongly criticize "unbelievable" plots. It's a movie! None of it's real!

Anyway- The acting of Driver and Greenblatt was VERY good. That little girl def has a future in Hollywood. Crazy there's only 4 ppl in entire cast, 2 for 95% of it.

Special effects were solid. Dinosaurs looked awesome.

My biggest complaint... like others, is the lack of Dino screen time. I understand not overloading it with action scenes, but they def could've shown sone more Dino "B-Roll" or something.

Other than that, I thought enjoyed it.

100% Worth the watch.

It's a shame it was a box office flop. Unfortunately that prob means we have to wait another 10/15 years before we get another big budget Dino movie. (Except for Jurassic park over and over again, of course)

Ted K (2021)

Director tries too hard to be introspective.

[5/10 · 11 July 2022]

Everyone knows the story, but with this movie, I found myself hitting the "fast forward 19 seconds" button quite a bit.

The random musical montages and nothingness happening were annoying.

It's hard to reinvent a true story that's been told a few times, but I felt this director tried way too hard to leave their mark.

I thought the actor that played Ted did a really good job. That was the only redeeming aspect of the movie.

I do think the fact that they didn't even show sone of the other characters other versions of this story have was lame. (Ie, the brother, the "girlfriend", etc...)

Also the way they showed where the bombs went to and how they explained was very underwhelming.

Overall this is far down the list of what I'd recommend to someone to watch if they wanted to learn about Ted K's story.

Spiderhead (2022)

Unique concepts and storyline. Better than people are saying.

[7/10 · 20 June 2022]

The movie is definitely worth watching.

It's always refreshing to see a movie that doesn't have the same stale storyline as a lot of them.

It's a genre bending idea.

I'm not sure if sone of the people leaving bad reviews expect every movie to change their life, or what, but this movie was good.

Hemsworth's performance was gold. Nice to see him expand into a completely different role.

Honestly I don't think Miles Teller is a great actor. He's alright. Not horrible, but if there was anything lacking in this movie, I'd say it was his performance. Maybe not his fault, I thought he was an odd choice in casting for that role, but he did what he does.

Again... Worth watching, for sure.

The Humans (2021)

After waiting the whole movie for it to turn, nothing happened.

[2/10 · 14 December 2021]

This movie is incredibly boring.

It's an average family, sitting in an apartment, talking about everyday things the entire movie.

I watched it, and waited the entire movie for something weird to happen, and it took all the way until the last 5 minutes of the movie for anything abnormal to happen, and even then it was basically nothing.

The description says "things go bump in the night" What a misleading description.

Leaves much to be desired. You could watch the first 10 minutes and it would feel the same as watching the whole movie.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Decent movie for kids. Stale storyline for adults.

[5/10 · 18 November 2021]

If The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean had a love child, it would be Jungle Cruise.

Same background set up, same character background, same story line

Kids will like it.

The special effects are cool in theory, they look over-the-top fake, but still okay.

One of those movies that are predictable, yet you still wanna see it come to fruition.

Wouldn't watch it again, but I'm not exactly the target audience. 5 out of 10.

The Mosquito Coast (2021–2023)

Wanted to like it, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

[6/10 · 13 June 2021]

I wanted to like this show so bad.

It had so much potential.

It starts out really good, but then plateaued hard.

Justin Theroux is great. The acting overall in the series is really good. I just feel there's BIG holes in the story that the writers could've done a better job with. It just feels like the writers think they are more clever than they really are.

To me, The fact that there's only 7 episodes is off, especially considering there's huge questions that still need to be answered. One more episode in there somewhere was probably needed.

It's been renewed for a 2nd season, so maybe those questions get answered, but I feel like I almost regret watching the series now until I'm able to find out the whole story.

I only gave it a 6 because the acting was great....if not fir that, the story would've got a 3 or 4 from me.

I See You (II) (2019)

The ending makes it worth it....

[7/10 · 15 April 2020]

A little slow moving, but generally I don't mind that. Good acting.

Not only is it not predictable, the writer/director go out of their way to specifically make you think even the most common "twists" were about to happen, but didn't. Something completely else did.

I was almost annoyed kid movie how it seemed repedatove for a bit, but after the ending...it makes a lot of sense why they did it that way.

Also the ending wraps up every story line in a nice bow.

Great concept. Good movie, a little drawn out, so it gets a 7, but I'd give it a 7.5 if I could...

Chris D'Elia: No Pain (2020 TV Special)

Not his best work, but worth watching..

[6/10 · 14 April 2020]

You can tell he worked hard on this. Maybe a little too hard, because it seemed a little too rehearsed. Obviously it IS rehearsed because that's how comedy works, but what separates the greats from the good is making it feel new and off the cuff, even when it's not.

It's not a Bad special, it's just....more of the same. Worth watching, but I found myself almost skipping through the end of his rants. I feel like you could plug any one of these jokes in his last two specials and you wouldn't know the difference.

His podcast is Hilarious, probably because it's just free styling, but this left something more to be desired.

Worth watching, but you'd be better off watching his podcast for more laughs...

Marc Maron: End Times Fun (2020 TV Special)

Best special to date

[9/10 · 12 March 2020]

Marc Maron at his best. Well done. The only thing that is completely irrelevant is that I wish he'd cut his hair so he doesn't look 70 years old. He's not an old guy, but any time I try to show people him...it's Hard to get people to watch an old guy let alone like an old guy.

Joker (I) (2019)

Overrated, but good.

[7/10 · 22 November 2019]

I'll start off by saying.... I get it.

I realize it's not supposed to be an "Action" movie or the typical comic book blah blah blah. That being said, I still anticipated a lot more chaos.

The last 30 min of the movie was great. Unfortunately the first 90 is....just okay. I found myself bored. Waiting for something to happen.

I feel like you understand everything you need to know about the characters in the first 20 min. Then it's an hour of mediocrity, then it finally gets good.

It was crafted very well, and the cinematography and acting were all top notch.

Hereditary (2018)

Slow moving, but the ending makes it all worth it.

[8/10 · 5 August 2019]

This movie is very good...bordering on great. The ending really ties everything together. The only thing holding it back from a 9 or 10 rating is that it's a 2 hour movie, that should've probably been 30 minutes shorter. A lot of down time, but the last 20 minutes are insane. If you find yourself almost giving up on it... don't. It's worth getting through.

After it ended, I pieced together about 95 percent of the story... if you don't figure it out for yourself, or really even if you think you do, it's worth reading an explanation article AFTERWARDS.

It's quite an intelligent story, and world the writer has created. It's a thinking movie, but also with almost a "slasher" feel.

The movie was critically acclaimed and loved by critics... but received mixed reviews by the general public. I know the directed has just released Midsommer with a similar feel to it, but I really hope at some point he puts out a sequel to this one. Or at the very least a movie within the sane world as this one, as he leaves the ending opened up to A LOT of possibilities.

Good Stuff.

Mother! (2017)

Must watch AT LEAST twice....so complex.

[8/10 · 3 August 2019]

This movie is outrageous in so many ways. It's definitely a little slow moving at first, and it can seem quite random at times, but when you see the larger picture...it all starts making sense... and it's quite genius.

Highly underrated, and unnoticed movie. I wish more people knew about it, so I could talk about it more.

I strongly recommend watching it first....then googling some plot explanations...then watching it again. Some of the plot twist will make so much more sense the second time through.

I'm not a big fan of spoilers in reviews, so I won't spoil it......but that being said, without a full spoiler, while watching the movie just think... Bible.

High Strung (1992)

Obscure and Underrated.

[8/10 · 30 July 2019]

This movie was pivotal in my youth. My best friend and I used to rent it from blockbuster regularly... when blockbuster was a thing. By regularly I mean like once a month.

Grated I was around 10 years old at the time, which made the movie way funnier than it actually is, but I watched it a feed years back and it's still good...for a 90s movie. Definitely ahead of its time in concept.

If you can find a VHS player, buy this movie...because you can't find it digitally or on DVD.

The 4400 (2004–2007)

Contrary to my rating, it's worth watching..

[6/10 · 23 July 2019]

To figure out my rating out of 10 on this show is difficult. I'd say 6.5 out of 10.

The concept of the show is very unique. On paper the show is incredible. I could easily see it as an X-men-type of movie franchise. I feel the only two downfalls are that it's so low budget, and it's TV-14.

Some of the actors in it are horrendous. It does have some good ones, and if it not for the concept of show being so good, the acting would've a deal breaker.

IMO For a show/movie to be less than rated R and still be worth watching is rare. Life is rated R, and therefore so should all entertainment...but I'm off track.

This show, if you don't like the first 3 episodes, you probably won't like the show...but with numerous season quite a lot happens along the way. Even with 6.5 out of 10, it's still worth watching if you can get over the budget restraints.

First Man (2018)

Good, not great.

[7/10 · 23 July 2019]

It was good, just not great.

As the title suggests it was more about the man, than the mission. Which is fine. That being said, I feel like they even showed more of the moon landing than I was expecting, which was nice.

I just felt as much as it was, and should've centered around Armstrong, it was just lacking character development for the other characters. Specifically the other astronauts. It made it seem like Neil barely knew them. Or at least had very little interest in anything or anyone but himself.

Hey..maybe that was the case. Maybe it was more accurate than it seemed. I just find it very hard to believe he's take on those type of missions with people that wouldn't be considered more than acquaintances.

Still worth watching. Very good acting. 7 out of 10.

I Am Mother (2019)

Well written. Worth Watching.

[7/10 · 10 July 2019]

Interesting Concept.

I'm a dystopian/apocalypse/end of the world movie junkie, and this one holds its own.

Completely new idea compared to most. Without spoiling....its a plausible future.

It's unfortunate that it was low budget and not widely recognized because it opens a world up that would be awesome to develop into sequels.

It's a hard 8 out of 10. I hope to see more from the writer/director.

Enemy (2013)

Refreshingly different idea. OKAY execution..

[6/10 · 9 July 2019]

The movie is good. A little slow going, but clearly on purpose. It's not supposed to be an action packed flick.

The idea is very different than most. Makes you think. Very Artistic. Jake Gyllenhaal continues to be one of the more underrated actors of his generation. His performance is great.

The story line may leave something to be diaries, but it's worth the watch. The sepia-color tone of the movie is annoying. Again, done on purpose, but I think it takes away from it.

It's a 6.5 out of 10 for me. Worth watching, but don't expect to be blown away.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Very good. Not great, but better than expected...

[8/10 · 2 June 2019]

I went into the movie with low expectations. You could tell from the trailer the plot was going to jump around, which it did.

It was VERY Tarantino-esq. the multiple timelines, a big "reveal" that never gets revealed. Violence, etc..

I'm not always a fan of multiple timelines, but I feel this director did it well. Most of the sub-plots were lengthy enough where it didn't feel out of place. The acting was very good. Jeff bridges is classically great. Jon Hamm is very good (wish he had more screen time throughout), and Hemsworth played his part perfectly. The characters were all very believable.

SOMETHING was missing from it that could've really pulled the movie up. I'm not sure exactly what it was. Still a solid 7/7.5, it was just lacking a LITTLE bit. Possibly the ladies in the movie. I didn't really care for Cynthia Erick as the female lead. Or Dakota Johnson for that matter. They didn't do a BAD job, but I feel the casting could've been better for those two.

All-in-all: Worth the watch FOR SURE. Exceeded my expectations, and it's a fun movie.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Average.

[6/10 · 7 May 2019]

Acting was good. I think Zach Efron played Bundy very well. The problem is they skip all the interesting parts of his life/story.

After watching the Ted Bundy Tapes earlier this year, this just seemed like a watered down version of that. I was just bored. I feel like they wasted what could've been a great performance with poor writing/directing.

The Captive (I) (2014)

Better than most reviews suggest...

[7/10 · 5 May 2019]

I thought it was a very good movie. Not Great, but very good.

It was a little longer than it needed to be, and the flashbacks were a little confusing to begin with...but once you figured out the time line, I thought it was a good story. A few things I may have done differently, but....Worth watching for sure.

Ryan Reynolds performance was top notch. One of those movies that went under the radar, but really shows the dramatic actor he can be. Really believable character...

Glass (2019)

Better than people say....

[8/10 · 29 April 2019]

I think for some reason, people think it's cool to talk shit about M Night. Idk why. He takes risks. He's obviously made a good amount of "direct to DVD" movies, but people don't give him enough credit. Glass is very good. Different. Could there have been more "action"? Sure, but it's not that type of movie. The fact that he's literally created his own comic book universe is awesome. Sam Jackson is perfect in it. I hope, contrary to what it sounds like, he keeps developing movies in that universe. Not enough writers do that imo.

Us (II) (2019)

Good, not great. Expectations were too high...

[7/10 · 28 March 2019]

I think after how phenomenal GET OUT was, my/our expectations were too high for US to live up to them.

It was good, but unlike how GET OUT was a new take on horror films, I feel US was just a regular one. There is a twist at the end, however imo, it was predictable and not that crazy.

The acting was incredible. NO complaints there. It was quite entertaining because of how good the actors were. It just wasn't really that "creepy". Also, even after reading cast and crew interviews, and watching YouTube videos...I feel there was a lot of things in the movie that could/should have had more meaning than they did.

Travelers (2016–2018)

Not what you think it is.

[10/10 · 19 December 2018]

The best way to summarize it in one sentence is... It's a time traveling show that takes place only in the present. Pretty incredible concept.



The casting and acting are perfect. The characters are so believable in each role. They do an incredible job of character development for each one. It really gets you hooked on your favorite ones.

They live doing "cliff hangers"- which are not my favorite things, but hey...that's TV.

It's a perfect show to binge. it was next to impossible not to, always wanna know what's next.

It's sad that season 3 was the last one. The people involved in the show have been pretty clear that it's done... That being said, if it HAS to end, the last episode is the best way they could've done it. I will definitely hope for a reboot one day in the distant...present ;-)