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Reviews
Manhunt (2024)
Did they drop the ball on casting or what ???
I must agree with the fellow reviewers who have MAJOR problems with the casting. If you are familiar with this story , either by reading the book , or by various 10 star documentaries or dramas.,you just can't get by the casting. It's not fair to expect this series to have blockbuster Hollywood talent...but come on...casting comedy actors in pivotal roles ??? 40ish Hamish Linkleter playing Lincoln ? Matt Walsh from VEEP in a pivotal role as Dr. Mudd , and stunningly Patton Oswald who's greatest line from King of Queens was " MY TIVO THINKS I'M GAY !!" As Union spy Lafayette Baker. All we needed was Keenan Thompson as Fredrick Douglass and Kate McKinnon as Mary Todd Lincoln.
Even the excellent Tobias Menzies, would have been better cast as Lincoln as opposed to Stanton. Also the always sinister Josh Stewart would have been better in a conspirator role than the reporter/spy role given.
I still give it an above average grade because of the can't miss subject, adapted from the award winning book by James L. Swanson ....but man ,this could have been a home run !
Fair Play (2023)
Super Low ratings not deserved! However.....
Would probably have rated this a star lower, but the really low reviews are not deserved.
First of all the cast is great, starting with the young couple, Then the noxious Wall Street frat boys , and of course Eddie Marsan , who is always believable, especially here as the head honcho.
My major problem is the engagement angle, and the unrealistic parents , especially the voice acting before you actually meet them
It is was obvious that once she got the promotion, with the ensuing back and forth , this relationship was doomed. For some reason the screenwriters kept the engagement party arc , go on way too long . Giving the whole second half of the movie a dumb down of this now toxic couple . The actual engagement party with a beer bottle being smashed on potential grooms head, and then the ensuing rape of the bride to be. While the families are no where to be seen, is really far fetched. Plus after she gets a half a million dollar commission, she still returns to the crappy apartment, with a now dangerous sad sack , instead of checking into a nice hotel for a week or two
That being said , thanks to the cast, the movie is still kinda good.
The Outwaters (2022)
Could be worst movie I've ever seen
Okay .. I've seen some pretty bad movies. At least some of them have a somewhat redeeming quality...a great but washed up actor...unintentional comedy...a good idea depicted poorly. This is just a slog. If there were only low reviews I would have turned it off after about 40 minutes. The fact that ANYONE gave this abysmal excuse for a movie more than 3 stars is un fathomable. Where to start...well ,found footage flicks are hit or miss, but this is found terrible footage. The starts and stops ,the filming of nothing , the completely boring "backstory ". They are going to the middle of the desert to film a music video not for a few hours , but for a few days....whaaat ?.... They hear "terrifying noises" that sound like thunder....they see an abandoned axe....they call 9-1-1 and scream...they are not dead but just covered in blood...they use the same high pitched sound effect to signal unspeakable terror coming!!!! You never see anything because of the horrible starts and starts of the camera ..yet the main ? Character holds the camera still, as he dismembers his member..and disembowels himself ....stop right there gore fans, you don't actually see it . You just see feet and hear the dude recite the Lord's Prayer or just moan as he walks aimlessly around the desert. I guess you can add a star if you have some kind of bloody foot fetish. I kept waiting for SOME redeeming quality as I kept praying for the movie to end . I rewarded myself with a shot of bourbon and a salami and provolone sandwich for finishing this 4 hour "masterpiece ".....wait....what..you're kidding ....it was only like an hour and a half . Trust me it's that bad !
Speak No Evil (2022)
I want a Hollywood remake
This was a creepy and unsettling movie. Like most of the reviewers here have stated ,the parents passivity especially at the end , stripping down naked and being pelted with rocks. It was the last of several maddening scenarios. Let's say we keep the movie the same until Patrick gets out to pee . Suddenly Bjorn realizes he has his own car keys in his pocket.....just as Patrick starts to drive ....Bjorn slams the keys into his eyeball and starts screaming to his wife Louise what he knows....as Bjorn struggles to puncture Patrick's other eye..Karin (who looks a lot like a young Kristen Scott-Thomas) starts to try and help Patrick in the front seat ....then Agnes starts hitting her "don't hit my daddy " until Karin punches the young girl in the face .....this finally enrages Louise who then attacks with pent up rage...as Bjorn struggles with Patrick eventually popping his other eyeball out ...Louise dormant anger leads her to pummel Karin into submission finally killing her by stuffing Nimbus down her throat ... as Patrick jumps from car screaming Bjorn goes into trunk and gets tire iron and smashes Patrick's eyeball-less head until it's just mush...cut to final scene back at the villains house Bjorn , Louise, Agnes sitting on the back of an ambulance....as police come in and out of the house carrying evidence !
There I feel better Don't you ?
That Dirty Black Bag (2022)
Will there be a season 2 ? That makes all the difference in rating
Hey
I would actually rate this a solid 8 if I knew there was a season 2. Unusual story lines with unusual characters. Good scenery ,evil villains. Short but interesting ,twisted turns by Aidan Gillen and Travis Fimmel. Most all of actors are British or Italian yet still pull off excellent Wild West vibe. Speaking of Wild Wild West. Dominic Cooper as McCoy looks a lot like Ross Martin. Despite nearly all of the interesting characters meeting their doom , so many story arcs are left open by the end of season 1 ,that if there is no season 2 in works you will probably feel that this series kinda wasted your time .
The Alpines (2021)
Ridiculous premise, extra 2 stars for being unintentionally funny
First of all the fact that these 7 misfit toys call themselves "best friends" , when they can't be with each other for 2 minutes without fighting.
Then they find they might be pawns in an evil plot, but then they lounge around the house. Even when the "storm" breaks ,the two best buds try to drive to town, get a coincidental flat tire, beat the crap out of each other, then go back to house.
The sweet husband who just wants to have a baby with his wife, kills her after finding out she's taking birth control pills and has a lesbian lover ! The dope fiend has his drugs stolen, spends the night having a mental and physical withdrawal breakdown then gets up in the morning and has pancakes . The "loose girl" bunks with the" fragile guy" then he professes his love . She is almost won over until she sees his attempted suicide scars then accuses him of trying to win her sympathy.....whaaaaaat. Every character pairs off at some point and incredible stupidity ensues ! The grumpy a-hole guy ,who just wants to hold a human heart as he is part of a transplant team. Well his hand was broken and crushed , but that doesn't stop him from pummeling..with his fists..the dope fiend into unconsciousness
Then after a "shocking "murder -suicide ,the hot criminal defense attorney who graduated 4th in her class at Yale law school, tells the quivering basket case survivors that" no police" or they'll all be in jail. Even though none of the remaining 4 did any mayhem ! Then she goes CSI because all they have to do is clean up the blood ! Good news she has rubber gloves in her car
Nothing about the 3 dead bodies
Then the incredible plot twist at the very end It might have all been a dream BRILLIANT !
Hard to say who does worst acting...Andy...Gil...or Zach. My suggestion is get yourself some edibles, put this movie on...then wait for the hijinx to start. A quality unintentional comedy !!
Encounter (2021)
Waaaaaaaaah!!!! Crybaby sci-fi fans bring rating down
Ok,I get it . You were expecting to see aliens ,time travel, and maybe even someone with SUPERPOWERS!!!
Instead you got stuck watching this, even if it was only for a half hour . This is mis categorized as Sci-fi. This made you so angry you gave it 1 or 2 stars. You fixed 'em alright !!
This movie is NOT a 2 or 3 star garbage flick. I toyed with giving it a 10 just to overcompensate, but went with a well worth it 8.
Riz Ahmed is a force to be reckoned with...Octavia Spencer always solid...Rory Cochrane and the two child actors are fantastic. The story is a familiar one, concerning mental health, PTSD, and the struggles of some combat veterans. The fantastic acting by all involved ,and sincere storyline make this movie a good, if heartbreaking watch.
My biggest pet peeve...why give a movie a bad review just because it wasn't what you expected ? People who review a series after watching 20 minutes of first episode . People who throw in the towel on a movie like Encounter, then write a review asking for their 45 minutes back...drives me nuts. Ya know like the folks who give a book review at Amazon and give 1 star because the mailman left it on porch and the box was wet !
Waaaaaahhhh!
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Ignore the negative reviews
I don't think folks should review movies that they don't like going in. I mean if you're going to just say "dark and depressing " well I guess you don't like DEER HUNTER , WINTERS BONE, RUST AND BONE hey maybe even GODFATHER 2.
This is a character driven movie with GREAT ,I mean GREAT acting by all involved......Most of the main actors play good yet tortured souls. Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana and Willem Dafoe. All of them at the top of their craft. Then add a fantastic, sinister performance by Woody Harrelson...plus the bleak but compelling Western Pennsylvania landscape, it adds up to a movie that is anything slow and meandering
In my case, it is one of those movies that I own, yet anytime I run into it while searching channels, I stop searching and watch it from wherever I picked it up. I couldn't recommend it any higher !!
American Rust (2021)
Will there be a season 2 ? The major question
Yes , it's depressing. Yes ,it's set in rust belt Pennsylvania. Yes, you will see the opioid crisis in full effect Yes, the actors are top shelf. Yes, the story lines are kinda interesting.
If you have not started watching it.....my suggestion is DO NOT, unless they commit to season two. If they do not , as they left just about every arc in the story unfinished, spend your time doing something productive....like rearranging your sock drawer or alphabetizing your cat/dog food cans. Don't watch this potential train to nowhere !
If I knew there was more coming I'd probably give it a 7...If season 1 is it...it's at best a 3.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
Ridiculously bad compared to 1 & 2
This says it all...
"MY LUCKY COAT. I gotta get MY LUCKY COAT "
Survive the Night (2020)
Actually a laugh fest
Unintentionally funny hostage flick, implausible scenarios, ridiculous acting, dead guy blinking , gaffes, wooden dialogue ,and The great Bruce Willis with his sleepwalking performance ,makes Nicholas Cage in MANDY seem like Daniel Day Lewis
Hagazussa (2017)
Egg head paradise
Good lord ! Some of the gems from the ridiculously positive reviews of this absolute SNOOZE-FEST
"To all those people who gave this film low scores ............I cannot agree with your lack of maturity"
".....if you wish to understand and absorb.....you need to change your viewpoint and leave the 21st century behind you"
"This is not a film for those who wish to be entertained IN THE COMMON SENSE"
" seems to me that this is actually about THE syphillis outbreak of the 15th century"
"You will be thankful for the advancement and solid walls and modernity around you"
First of all , I loved the VVitch and every other movie it is positively compared to. DO NOT let the fact that these people who are proclaiming this slog as a masterpiece, also mention WickerMan ,Antichrist, Blackcoats Daughter, and the VVitch. It is not like any of those films ,actually it is not like any film that's worth watching. This is a slow road to nothing. I guess I should have rigged up someway to watch in the deep Adirondacks ,during the dead of winter, with no food or shelter so I could be mature enough to watch this visually, stunningly ,stupendously incredible ,masterwork of what is beyond filmmaking
I can only hope that director/writer Lukas Feigelfeld will use his heavenly talent to remake some "Los Angeles trash" so-called movies like The Godfather, Unforgiven, Saving Private Ryan and Ernest goes to camp.