anthony_ian Reviews

The Signal (2024)

Started Out Fascinating and Then... Ugh

[5/10 · 3 June 2024]

The first episode or so were gripping, especially the nail-biting scene where the capsule is in Earth re-entry where you're wondering "What is wrong with that woman?"

Which is sort of the intrigue initially: is there something wrong with her? Or has she really found an undetected signal or had some sort of contact with an alien race that has affected her? Or is she delusional/psychotic?

Then there's the whole subplot with the plane crash which was really eerie and compelling until...

Until like with so many plot lines in this show it went over a cliff, in this case with a ludicrous plot line where for a bit it appeared the wife had actually *caused* the plane crash and then... relatives of the victims descend upon the home or her husband and small child to threaten and menace them? Huh? What did they have to do with anything? This was the first indication the show wasn't going to hold up.

Sadly from there it devolves into a stock conspiracy theory tired thriller about how the evil government is... doing evil and the corporate sponsor (think of the John Hurt character in "Contact", but a woman) turns out to be not just evil but super evil and...

It doesn't get better. Good premise, lots of potential, but when even a car chase is thrown in... you've seen this all before. Sadly.

The Twilight Zone (2002–2003)

MIsses the Mark

[4/10 · 19 March 2023]

I didn't even realize that this reboot of the series existed--now I know why I never saw it back then.

First, the (little) good news: the one fun thing about this series is that it's a virtual parade of 90s TV and movies stars--some who were huge then, some who are huge now, some who were always big. That's fun.

Forrest Whitaker also does a good job of doing the Rod Serling role, with his own spin on it. The first episode was well-done and appropriately creepy, even if the plot line was something you've seen before.

Everything else, though, is off. Honestly, a lot of these feel exactly like X-Files one-off episodes, either from the filmed look of them to the fact that a) Mark Snow is doing the score and it sounds exactly like the X-Files or b) it's filmed primary in Northwest Canada, so there's usually a cloudy, gray backdrop.

What the show lacks is... tone. There's often nothing creepy or mysterious or paranormal-feeling to the episodes, which play out more as short stories about something that was different, but not exactly spooky.

Even the couple of episodes meant to be funny fall flat--unlike the classic X-Files episodes where they managed to blend surreal and comedy effortlessly.

I won't knock the CGI since it was only 2002 or before, but the show just looks like some early 2000s show that you forgot about--nothing special about the sets, cinematography or atmosphere. Episodes meant to show social commentary--like the one featuring a rapper--never quite land.

It's like somebody just remade the classic series thinking all it needed was a 2000s update with current guest stars and the rest will take care of itself. It doesn't. Just being honest.

Leviathan (1989)

God This is Bad

[3/10 · 18 March 2023]

Let me save you the trouble with no spoilers: this is essentially "Alien" underwater. That's it. A-list cast, but you've seen this all before, and better. In the movie "Alien". Or the original "The Thing".

"The Abyss" was bloated and sometimes preachy but FAR superior using the setting to generate suspense and tension

Watch Alien to see this done right or even the sequel Aliens. This is a bad knockoff, even with the good cast and impressive sets. In this movie they rip off both those movies shamelessly, as well as "The Thing". I'm surprised nobody yells out "Game over, man!! Game over!" It's that ridiculous.

Bodyguard (2018)

Unexpectedly Greatt

[9/10 · 5 February 2023]

I worried at first this would be another 24 or Jack Ryan clone. Nope. Plenty of excellent surprises, insane actions scenes and some great twists.

The opening scene itself was masterful as was the penultimate one. And then another huge twist at the end. Compelling and thoughtful and not all car chases and shootouts. Brilliant.

I was often surprised and definitely engaged the entire time even with the non-action scenes. The actors are superb, especially the ones whose characters are hiding their true motivations. Great shots of London too-not all the cliche locales. Feels like you're there. Bravo.

The Watcher (2022– )

Bailed Before the End

[4/10 · 16 October 2022]

It definitely started out well--a looming sense of dread and lots of creepy neighbors and of course the dreaded too-good-to-be-true house.

Plus, Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts as the leads--and look, there's Mia Farrow, looking like a character from an "American Gothic" painting! What could go wrong?

A lot, apparently. Even after some good jump scares, after episode two this series draaaaaaaags out. Lots of ludicrous plotlines drag out with lots (and lots) did I say lots of exposition monologues? The private detective who shows up seems to serve no purpose except to do long monologues and introduce red herrings.

More ludicrous plot details follow and five episodes in this thing still isn't close to resolved and... goodbye. What started out as something creepy (and with some VERY funny lines BTW) quickly devolves into almost camp, except without going full camp. It's tiring.

Not worth an investment of seven episodes.

The Resort (2022– )

Super Original and Somehow Funny Too

[8/10 · 18 August 2022]

It's hard to describe what this show is because I've never seen anything like it. Not surprising, because the Executive Producer behind it was the guy from "Mr. Robot". It's not like that show at all though, which had an almost drug-induced haze/look to it.

This is set at a resort around the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and the scenery is amazing. It starts out as almost an absurdist comedy (think "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") but then quickly spirals into a mystery over the disappearance of two young people, before a hurricane, allegedly at the hands of a powerful son of a rich family...

But then that changes. And there's then an apparent time-traveling aspect (almost like that season of "Lost"), a mural on a wall which seems to update itself and... you just have to watch.

BTW the music (songs) is great--I need to get this soundtrack--and the *score* is great too. Big moments are beautifully rendered by the score behind them. The cinematography is outstanding as are the tons of innovative camera angles. Hope it holds up (I'm 5 episodes in).

Licorice Pizza (2021)

A Must-See. Instantly Made my Top Three

[9/10 · 5 March 2022]

While more recent PTA films have been great but not exactly uplifting (nothing wrong with that), this is his most joyful film since Boogie Nights way back when. And funniest.

It's not exactly a super-structured, linear tale or rise/fall/redemption arc like Boogie Nights, but you won't forget it.

As a child in the 70s I don't think anybody's really caught the 70s vibe so effortlessly as he does here (even more so than "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" or "Dazed and Confused") and the 70s tunes he includes are none of any of the cliched ones dragged out when filmmakers need to remind you THIS IS IN THE 1970S. Especially the Doors tune which I won't spoil here.

And the comedic scenes? Just WAIT until Bradley Cooper shows up as well as--yes--Sean Penn's hilarious character and other weird ones like the ridiculous guy married to a Japanese woman who was actually based on a real-life person who really acted like that.

And for two people who've never acted before, you'd never know it watching Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Even Haim's real-life family is inis (including her father, to hilarious effect).

As always, the cinematography and camerawork are stunning and surreal. On top of all that, another A+ soundtrack from Johnny Greenwood. What a great time.

Dig Deeper - Das Verschwinden von Birgit Meier (2021)

It Sags in Places in Episode 3 but DAMN

[9/10 · 21 February 2022]

What starts out as a missing persons case but then appears to be a murder turns out to be something even worse. That's all I can say without spoilers.

Most fun I've had watching a limited series (only four episodes) in a long time. You'll definitely be thinking about it afterward.

Straight-up documentary--no narrator, host or silly music. But what a story. Beautifully filmed too.

Archive 81 (2022)

Good Stuff, NOT a "Found Footage" Cliched Horror Movie

[7/10 · 16 January 2022]

While found footage does figure prominently in the plot, it is only *part* of the plot thank God, because found footage was played out not long after "Blair Witch" came along and it became a formula for so many bad horror movies.

It's an interesting little horror mystery where some found footage--but not of the type you'd expect--figure prominently in solving the puzzle.

Good casting all around and some genuine creepiness and scares to be had. My only gripe is some poor quality CGI that appears in the penultimate episode and finale.

It's not a ripoff of "The Ring" either though the trailer may suggest it.

What got it an extra star from me was the ending, where a big twist occurs in the very last shot. No spoilers here, but didn't see it coming. Also special praise for the actress who plays Melody, who transitions from at first an idealistic, trusting college student to a hardened, vocal woman sounding the alarm--or is she just mentally disintegrating? You'll have to watch to know.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

It Has Its Moments, But Disappointing

[5/10 · 24 December 2021]

Somebody mentioned Cyrstal Skull here, which is interesting because like with ROTLA, it's the fourth installment in a franchise which is a fan favorite but, realistically, mostly because of the original movie in both cases, because the sequels were meh. For Matrix, Ep. 2 was just ok and Ep. 3 was awful. For ROTLA, Ep. 2 was awful and Ep. 3 was... just ok.

In both cases, you get the sense that a perfect movie that was meant to be standalone was dragged into sequels because of its success--and neither were meant to be multi-part franchises.

It's not as bad as Crystal Skull but it's not that great either--and all the more disappointing because they've had 20 years to rethink what ruined the sequels the first time around--and still don't get it. One word: ZIon.

Recall that in the first movie we never went to Zion--it was just talked about. Most of the movie was up top or in simulations of the Matrix. There were scenes down below in the ship, but just the right amount. In Eps 2 and 3 we spent way too much time in Zion, and it crushed the momentum. People in Star Wars castoff costumes rambling on endlessly about God knows what was not the wit we loved about Ep. 1. Nor was there action happening.

That said, here's the good and the bad: GOOD -Keanu and Carrie Ann are great; they step right back into these roles without missing a beat. Keanu brings a palpable sadness to Neo that's new.

-NPH is great and so is Jonathan Groff--they clearly dig into their roles here.

-The opening scenes when Neo (Thomas) appears are fun--there's a palpable sense of some impending, inevitable event coming and they tease it perfectly.

-The Matrix is *in color* this time! Not the green-tinted one we remember from before. It's jarring, but cool.

-There's some laughs in this movie, which were completely absent from Eps 2 and 3.

-The "White Rabbit" sequence (yes they actually use it in the film, not just the trailer) is probably the coolest montage in the movie.

THE BAD -ZIon. Sure enough, once the film detours to ZIon/down under/whatever Zion is called now it's a momentum killer. Inexplicably, the Jada Pinkett Smith character is brought back--she's in the new Zion--and for some reason she's aged radically while Neo and Trinity look like, well, Keanu and Carrie Ann 20 years later (they put extensive makeup on JPS). Every time they cut to this story line I was looking at my watch, just like in Eps 2 and 3. Zion is NOT. INTERESTING. And the least of the reasons we liked The Matrix.

-The movie is almost a remake of the original, most notably in the opening scene, which is virtually a shot-by-shot recreation of the original's opening. Why?

-The fight scenes are way too long (which started in Ep 2) and rely on the same moves/camera tricks/staging from 20 years ago, when this was brand new. Some of the fight choreography in fact is directly stolen from Ep 1. Again: why?

-They literally--I'm not kidding--deploy the meta concept of "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" here, but with a twist. Whether or not that works is up to you.

-Continuing the plundering of Ep 1, they even put in the RATM final song as the closer here again. While that was THE perfect song to end Ep 1, here it's a bad cover version which has nowhere near the impact. Again: why? There's been no great song in the past 20 years that could have closed this?

Is it worth seeing? Sure. Will you watch it again? Probably not. There was an opportunity here to rethink or add to everything that made Ep 1 great, but it was missed. The idea that Neo & Trinity formed a bond that survives any/every iteration of the Matrix was intriguing and the most interesting part of this good-looking mess.

McCartney 3,2,1 (2021)

A Total Musician Geek-Out Session

[9/10 · 17 July 2021]

Even if you know most the stories behind the iconic Beatles songs, there's still plenty new to learn here about how they were constructed or key mistakes/happy accidents that became epic moments in Beatles history.

(Just wait until you hear how "Come Together" was originally intended).

This certainly isn't a "Beatles documentary" that goes in chronological order and reminisces about their greatest hits. It jumps from era to era, song to song--even including McCartney solo stuff and Wings.

But boy, there's some really cool stuff in here--they have the original masters (!!!) from Abbey Road and Rubin is constantly pulling tracks in and out to illustrate what McCartney's talking about. It's like a better-produced, more free-form take on the show "Classic Albums".

But it also focuses on the musical ideas/techniques (and the mistakes) rather than simply the composition (as "Classic Albums" does).

It probably wouldn't be of much interest to non-musicians or non-music geeks, but for those who are, it's a must-watch.

It should be noted there's not much gossip here about the Beatles' personal lives or drama behind the scenes--it's very focused on the music.

The Investigator: A British Crime Story (2016–2018)

Oh, Wear to Begin with This Waste of Time

[1/10 · 15 July 2021]

Who doesn't love an unsolved mystery? And that's the premise here: that a cold case will be solved by an intrepid ex-cop who, years later, with his crack squad of two female employees will finally figure out what REALLY happened.

That's the hook, right? Pretty much every streaming documentary on crime runs with that, or just retells the story when we know what happened because it's horrible still, or... they call the show Unsolved Mysteries because we still don't know (note: the new version of USM is quite good actually).

OK, so you've sat through episodes one and two, waiting for the payoff in the finale. GUESS WHAT? There IS no payoff. He doesn't solve anything. He doesn't really uncover anything new and even worse the starts throwing out dramatic new theories of the case (cue dramatic, cliched music) where even the viewer is asking "Um, where did you come up with that?"

But nope, there is no dramatic, climactic reveal at the end where we find out what *really* happened.

Swear to God this is like the crime version of "Bar Rescue"--where the investigators were failing until the slick expert shows up to show them where they're doing wrong and then solves the problem (case) for them. The staging and music and cliches are all there--they just don't have the obligatory screaming matches.

This screams out for a parody on SNL or similar show, because it almost is one . Don't waste your time.

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

What a Disappointment

[3/10 · 14 July 2021]

I checked it out since it's been trending on Netflix and haven't seen a good slasher movie in forever. The first 10 minutes or so start out well, with a very "Scream"-like situation--in fact, TOO "Scream"-like be the killer's getup is almost identical to the killers in "Scream".

The murder is scary--although the killer is easily guessable from just minutes ago and from there it.... goes over a cliff.

Now we're introduced to our characters: loud, shrill, completely overcooked alleged high school kids in the 90s (which we're made to understand because a 90s song plays every 10 seconds) who seem to have exactly zero redeeming features.

Every line is delivered with 100% sass and sarcasm and one of the male characters you're literally begging for him to get killed so you don't have to listen to him anymore.

The storyline has promise--an evil that recycles itself through the town every few years resulting in carnage, but... *it doesn't matter*. You won't care. The overacting will make you stop caring. It's as if all of these actors watched the entire "Scream" series and thought all those roles were underplayed.

So yeah there's a lot of "Scream" ripoff here as well as some "Halloween" and name any other infamous 80s/90s slasher flick. Also even some "Stranger Things", albeit older kids, in that apparently only the kids can figure out what's really going on while the adults--including the cops--are clueless dolts.

Not worth it. Didn't even finish it. Watch "It Follows" if you want a teen scary movie done right.

WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)

Brilliant. Yet Another Disaster Many Should Have Seen Coming

[10/10 · 30 May 2021]

If you liked docs like "Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room" or the Fyre Festival doc (particularly the Hulu one) you're going to love this.

Early on in the movie you can just *sense* that something is amiss, which is hilariously said out loud to an employee by a security guard at one of their retreats. Or maybe it's the Billy McFarland-like public persona that Adam Neumann eerily possesses. Like with Fyre Festival, Neumann sold his idea as much, if not more as a *lifestyle* to both the public and employees (who, like the innocent, well-meaning people at Fyre, get completely screwed in the end).

The difference being that WeWork actually had a viable product that was very successful until they wildly over-expanded. There's even a bizarre celebrity wingman who acts as Neumann's public wingman much like Ja Rule with McFarland.

Even creepier is how Neumann's wife slowly begins to worm her way into the company management, in very "Spinal Tap"-ish style.

It's basically a disaster movie in the classic sense, where company supposedly providing utopia to clients and employees seems to have no limit for growth and success until the long-ticking time bomb goes off (much like Enron).

And like with Enron, at first the business media just ate write out of Neumann's hand, as he appeared on many networks pegged as a genius who had basically created the next Uber, or AirBnB. Which he kind of did, until... I won't spoil exactly what happened.

Another disaster where you wonder why nobody saw this coming. And like it always does, yeah: some did.

American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (2017)

What a Surprise

[10/10 · 18 May 2021]

I literally threw this on to have on in the background while typing and ended up watching the entire thing.

It's about way, way more than just Hefner or Playboy. It's also a fascinating snapshot into American culture in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

It's also a cautionary tale of what happens when brands completely overextend themselves.

Worth it just for all the vintage footage and pictures. A time capsule.

Salt (2010)

This Is Basically Bourne Identity Re-imagined for a Woman

[3/10 · 11 May 2021]

Basically this is one long chase movie with just about every spy/action thriller cliche you can imagine packaged in, including a bit "twist" at the end that is kind of ridiculous.

Lots of loud music, choreographed fights and Jolie strangely looking unconvincing during the action scenes (I thought she looked very comfortable in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith").

I can suspend disbelief given the right vehicle, but there were too many eye-rolling moments throughout this.

Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police (2012)

A Must-View for Police Fans

[10/10 · 18 April 2021]

Great, professionally shot documentary detailing the Police from start to finish from Andy's perspective--narrated by him.

Some classic footage (even some that I've never seen) that details also how The Police came to an end, mostly because it was a matter of time before Sting went solo.

Bonus: the score is often Andy (I'm assuming) playing solo guitar versions of some Police songs.

If you're not a hardcore fan this may not interest you but if you are, it's gold.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)

This Is About Way, Way More Than Just a Disappearance Mystery & A Lot of You Are Missing the Point

[10/10 · 11 February 2021]

What starts out as a gripping disappearance mystery of a young woman explodes into a completely damning look at, among other things:

-Homelessness -How Internet mobs even if they mean well ("sleuthers") can ruin innocent people's lives -Mental health -How destructive baseless conspiracy theories are, especially when they spread online

It's rare that a documentary can make you think about so many things at once, but this one did.

SPOILER ALERT STOP READING NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS

The great irony of this is the person who was arguably the biggest victim in this story was the one that the online mob accused of being her killer.

As for the whole "OMG! This sucked because of these vapid internet sleuthers and I'm so angry!" That was the POINT of the movie--or one of them. You SHOULD be angry. That an entire community sprung up online to weave conspiracy theories and accuse the hotel, cops and the coroner of a coverup when the truth turned out to be just sad and tragic. And in doing so they destroyed the life of a guy by botching a fact that any cop would have figured out first: he wasn't *even in this country* when she died.

So as much it was about her and went from mystery to tragedy, it was just about how dangerous and reckless the internet is because there are no rules. I was rolling my eyes from the beginning with these "sleuthers" (basically influencers who fancy themselves crime-solving geniuses) and by the end they came off looking like clowns if not downright creepy, especially one in particular. THAT WAS THE POINT.

What you should also be angry about is the state of homelessness in this country, where in a country with our wealth we can have entire subsections of cities like LA's skid row with people living like that, in the street. And huge chunk of them are there because they don't have mental health care. And if you think homeless people with mental problems somehow brought it upon themselves, then you seem to have forgotten that mental illness is what killed Elisa--and she HAD access to health care.

So yes, be mad. You're supposed to be. This certainly is marketed as a crime story/mystery--but they are really commenting on a ton of things here. Listen to them.

David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)

Concert Films LITERALLY Do Not Get Any Better Than This

[10/10 · 26 November 2020]

I gave this my first-ever 10-star IMDB review, it was that good. I was smiling endlessly and even clapped after some songs. It's that good. If you thought "Stop Making Sense" was a film pinnacle Byrne would never top--he did. It's that good.

Caveat: if you don't like Talking Heads or Byrne solo, this probably won't change your mind. Or maybe it will.

The whole concept of making the musicians mobile (all of them can move around, none of them are seated, and they take their instruments with them) opens up endless possibilities visually and Byrne captures endless ones.

The band is just insanely good-every song has a furious percussive backbeat which makes this all work, most notably on "Once in a LIfetime". Yes, there are PLENTY of Talking Heads songs here to keep fans happy.

But pretty much everything works, the spoken parts (which are few) are funny and/or thoughtful and the staging/lighting is striking. Spike Lee, who directed, does a great job of not overdoing it with fancy angles or flashy edits, so he gets mad props here too. And the sound mix is AWESOME, one of the best I've ever heard for a concert film.

Everything about this is great. Best thing I've seen from Broadway since Hamilton. But it really *is* more of a concert than a musical.

The Big Short (2015)

My Lord This Movie Is Genius

[9/10 · 22 November 2020]

What starts out appearing as what's going to be a wacky comedy about the 2008 meltdown--think like a 2008 "Wolf of Wall St."--doesn't waste any time turning into a thrilling suspense story as a small group of men (in unrelated events) slowly begin to understand that an unthinkable economic meltdown is coming and nobody realizes it.

Or, those that do are hiding it.

Yeah, there's a ton of laughs--mostly from Ryan Gosling's character--but it really is a serious drama the more it unfolds. Steve Carell is the standout in the cast whose character originally appears to be neurotic comic relief but quickly becomes the guy who figures out the entire house of cards.

It's also a perfect explainer for what happened in 2008--no, it's not as "complicated" as some would have people believe. Even better, there's some great stunt cameos (I won't spoil who they are) that show up to explain--to the camera--what things like CDOs are.

The ending is especially heavy as you realize that more than a few people warned about this but they were ignored. It didn't have to happen.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Amazing, and Shockingly Timely

[9/10 · 1 November 2020]

What a great, great cast. Great writing, great editing and of course great dialogue being Aaron Sorkin.

I should also point out how FUNNY it is in the first half, with some classic Sorkin sarcastic dialogue and jokes happening. It's almost more of a comedy.

But then things get more real as it goes deeper into the material and it's still just as great. The editing is fantastic in this movie.

Also, lots of great cameos in this which I won't spoil.

A most pleasant surprise. I though it would a pretty dry docu-drama--but not at all.

I See You (II) (2019)

Not Great, But Solid

[6/10 · 31 October 2020]

It starts out great, with an opening plot about young boys being abducted and killed which is reminiscent of "The Outsider" on HBO. There's also an unrevealed back story that Helen Hunt's character had done something to damage their small family which was creating unbearable tension in the household.

The house itself is also sort of a character, with a lot of very Kubrick-esque shots of it's sometimes ominous-looking rooms. So far so good. Then some weird things start happening and you begin to wonder if the house is, yes, haunted.

Then it detours into a found-footage second act which at first seems to disrupt the entire flow (it is indeed too long for what it's needed to do) but eventually appears to establish a new villain that would explain a subsequent murder that occurs onscreen and the highly improbable coverup that occurs.

It's here when the film then pulls a neat reversal of perspective where you get to rewatch much of what just happened from a different character's perspective, which reveals a huge plot point.

It gets an above-average rating for this cool twist and the ultimate reveal of who the villain was, along with the reveal of somebody you thought was a villain but was in fact a victim. The third act salvaged what appeared to be at first a weird insertion of found-footage into act II.

So, worth seeing, if not a horror classic. Stay for the ending though. If you bail midway (as I contemplated doing), you'll miss what redeemed the film.

Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine (2020 TV Special)

Needs a Lot of Work

[4/10 · 30 October 2020]

I like Sarah Cooper and she's clearly a natural on-camera even when not lip-synching, but this was messy as hell.

It's too broad. Too much eyes-wide-open, loud, LOOK WE'RE DOING PARODY! bits with little subtlety or nuanced delivery. Cooper's far too intelligent to be doing slapstick-ish bits. Same or all the cameos which are pretty much wasted on unsubtle, also loud bits. When even a sketch with Jon Hamm doesn't land, you know something's off.

And while her lip-synching made her famous, that's quickly wearing thin.

There WAS one great sketch though: the parking lot magician. I won't spoil it, but I was literally crying while watching it. It was funny, relatively subtle, her delivery was perfect, the bit was very timely being COVID-related... whoever came up with this should be head writer.

So hopefully it gets better as it goes on.

Tenet (2020)

Mind-Blowing But Yeah, It'll Take More Than One Viewing

[8/10 · 2 September 2020]

Just saw it at IMAX. If YOU CAN SEE AT ON IMAX, DO IT.

Some of the scenes--even static ones--are simply breathtaking on the huge IMAX screen in a way that wouldn't I think translate to a smaller screen.

Anyway, this is most definitely a Nolan movie--the cinematography is top-notch as always and the whole thing has a moody, weird, altered state reality vibe that's most reminiscent of "Inception". The time and science angle is more reminiscent of "Interstellar".

And boy oh boy does this movie start with a bang. I don't think it's even 30 second in before all hell breaks loose.

That said, while the action sequences are insane and the backwards-moving scenes are something you've never seen before, it's almost a Bond film in that the heroes are trying to stop the Russian bad guy from unleashing a doomsday device. That's really the gist of it.

The backwards/forwards thing sometimes makes sense, but often times I got lost and decided just to roll with it, to "feel" it was one character says. I'm guessing the more views, the more this movie will make sense and those are the *best* kind of movies. I can say, having seen it just hours ago, that you can't stop thinking about it.

Minuses: like every Nolan film, it's 30 minutes too long. The final battle scene is often confusing and chaotic--and long. Not quite as tight and easy-to-follow as the end of Inception. There's a lot of monologues that could have been trimmed. It can get extremely complicated (kind of like Interstellar did if you don't know anything about relative time). If you know the TV show "Dark" it can get that complex.

But oh, how it looks. Again, see it on IMAX if you can.

Ad Astra (2019)

I Have No Idea Where the Bad Reviews Are Coming From

[9/10 · 16 June 2020]

So apparently people are upset that this wasn't an action flick a la "Armageddon" or "Independence Day" and not geared to ADD-afflicted viewers.

You can go with that, or you can enjoy what I think is the best scifi movie since "Interstellar" which actually had a lot less fat than that one. Yes, it's a slow burn but damn what a burn it is. It felt almost like a space version of "Apocalypse Now"--a very similar feeling of dread as the journey to "search and destroy" moves farther and farther into darkness.

And the action pieces when they happen are pretty mind-blowing, especially the totally shocking one during a failed rescue mission.

Pitt is 100% on here and nicely understated and he essentially carries the entire movie--co-stars have very little screen time with him. If you like stuff like 2001 you'll enjoy this. The visuals are also amazing.