developmentczar Reviews

The Outfit (2022)

I've seen worse.

[5/10 · 9 April 2022]

The acting by the British character actors were good. The dialogue was a little silly and sounded like it fit more into the 1930s and 40s era rather than 1958. The idea that mobsters, and especially a mob boss, could be as dense as this movie portrayed them made it all seem incredibly implausible. All that aside, it was enjoyable watching the tailor, er, cutter, in all of his scenes except the final, wildly ridiculous one. At least this film didn't include a Marvel character, a violent Oscar punching thug, or a woke binary MeToo it/us/we creep.

All the Old Knives (2022)

What happened?

[3/10 · 8 April 2022]

Seriously, what happened to Chris Pine's face? It looks like he's been overdosing on Botox. His face looks so stretched, plasticky and strange that it's distracting to watch him on screen. This film has all the old cliches that you could ask for. Covers no new ground and the performances are average. I can't understand why the d0uches who greenlight films keep churning out the same derivative crap that nobody pays to see, they simply download the torrents for free and kill ninety minutes of their mostly useless life.

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Aaron Sorkin: Stop. Please just STOP!

[1/10 · 3 April 2022]

This film was neither funny, interesting, or factually correct. Sorkin is an intelligent man - a capable, albeit boring writer, and a filmmaker who must realize his time has come to retire. He tries to make a politcal statement with everything, and it's tiresome and banal. BtR has a great cast but the dialogue and characters are tedious. Kidman has been one of the finest actresses of the last generation, but she, like Renee Zellweger, with the help of Botox, have morphed into synthetic-looking replicas of their Madome Tussaud mold.

Dog (I) (2022)

The idea was okay, the execution was not.

[3/10 · 3 April 2022]

It's come down to this, has it? Hollysnooze has elevated an ex-Chippendales pretty boy to co-direct the new millenium's version of Lassie. This would've been far more entertaining had Tatum been wearing only a bow tie, cufflinks and a g-string while the pooch dry-humped him the entire road trip. The hoofer and the canine could've been sleeping under the stars together, howling at the moon, cuddling in the night chill, and made this film a romantic non-binary/cross species love story. Instead, the filmmakers barked up the wrong tree.

CODA (2021)

It's pretty hard not to like this movie.

[10/10 · 2 April 2022]

When I saw the title, I was estatic as I thought finally a film I can relate to. I'm a CODAWABS; child of dumb adults who are Biden supporters, so when I realized the film was about something else, I begrudgingly gave it a shot. I'm glad I did. Well written, directed and acted, plus a Joni Mitchell song. I laughed, cried, called an estranged son I hadn't spoken to in years - got into a little argument - but that's another story. I'm not surprised this won best pic. It should've won best actor instead of the violent thug who was chosen!

The Contractor (2022)

Chris Pine should stick to second banana roles.

[2/10 · 2 April 2022]

Pine is not a strong enough actor to carry a film. Yes, he played James Kirk on the Star Trek franchise, but in reality he was simply mimicking William Shatner's 'Kirk.' He fares so much better with smaller supporting roles like in Smokin' Aces. The Contractor was brutally predictable and cliche. If you have no life and have absolutely nothing to do for two hours, I still don't recommend watching this. I wish I had better news for you Trekkies.

After Yang (2021)

Uneventful and dull.

[2/10 · 29 March 2022]

I tried and tried and tried to get into this movie, but ended up cutting and running after an hour of rolling my eyes at its insipidly dull execution. Colin Farrell is generally good in most of his films, save Alexander, but he looked completely lost creatively in this. And the woke attempt at the PC all-inclusiveness with the tri-racial family was beyond nauseating. Cuckooada tried too hard with this.

Fresh (2022)

What man wouldn't want to eat Daisy Edgar-Jones?

[7/10 · 29 March 2022]

This was a decent entry into the horror genre. The script was good, direction was competent, acting was believable, and the tension was built for maximum effect. I thought the ending was too drawn out and hokey, but I'll take it considering how well the rest of the film worked. I will say that you can easily tell that the filmmaker was a woman by the way all the men were portrayed. Ms. Jones did a good job with this, and it's easy to see why her sushi would fetch top dollar.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

I really wanted to like this.

[3/10 · 2 March 2022]

Look at the cast. Look at the director. Look at the WRITER! What could possibly go wrong? Everything! The minimalist sets, shooting in black & white, and the Fritz Langesque framing didn't work IMO. Coen was going for 'less is more,' but it felt overly pretentious. I would say this; Macbeth is not going to resonate with people getting introduced to the works of Shakespeare. And to state the obvious; this was not Billy's fault, though he's likely rolling over in his grave. Any way you look at it, this version of Macbeth was a tragedy!

No Exit (I) (2022)

No Point

[1/10 · 28 February 2022]

The Allstate Insurance pitchman should stick to hawking policies, and not get sucked into poorly scripted and predictable B movies. This was just plain awful. Can't blame the actors although the performances were weak. Even the direction is not the problem. The writing is abysmal. The story is plausible but one we've seen a billion times. It's the dialogue that makes it so unbearable that you actually root for every single character to meet an immediate death so you can watch lovely snowfall for 90 minutes.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Death on the Tube

[4/10 · 25 February 2022]

If Ms. Christie were alive, she'd probably try murdering Branagh on the Underground for turning her work into glib, politically correct rubbish. Kenny believes he's the modern day Olivier. Even worse, he's convinced he's Hitchcock, to boot. I fear as he ages deeper into irrelevancy, he will swear that he can run circles around Shakespeare. Anyhoo, learned through DOTN that twerking began in the 1930s. Fascinating! It was a missed opportunity not to have made this with an all-black disabled cast. Think of the possibilities...

The Desperate Hour (2021)

A terrific workout video!

[3/10 · 25 February 2022]

Trust me, I've tried them all: Billy Blanks, Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Turbo Jam, heck I even turned to Susan Powter. Nothing worked...until I found Lakewood starring Naomi Watts. Who knew, right? Just watching Naomi jogging for sixty minutes and huffing, puffing, and sweating nearly made me lose two pounds. And then I tried emulating her because after all, a good workout video isn't effective unless you can follow along. I'm thrilled she has gotten into the health fitness game and is selfless enough to want to help others.

Clean (IV) (2021)

Adrien Brody should fire his agent.

[2/10 · 21 February 2022]

Oscar-winner Adrien Brody has now been relegated to crappy B movies that are lamely written, poorly produced, and as predictable as a Disney cartoon. Mr. Brody is in very good company though; Cuba Gooding Jr., Nic Cage, and Jan Michael Vincent. Congrats, Adrien, to making some of the worst career decisions one could make. Maybe Lew Wasserman will rise up and rep you. Couldn't do any worse than your current one.

The Humans (2021)

A very pregnant Amy Schumer threw me off.

[1/10 · 20 February 2022]

I have seen the play and really liked it. I was looking forward to the filmed version. Unfortunately, this was a huge letdown. For one, why was Amy Schumer's character 7-8 months pregnant? It made no sense and there were no references to it at all. It was baffeling and distracting. Richard Jenkins was good as usual, but the rest of the cast were so-so. Some plays should never be adapted for the screen; this was one of them.

Licorice Pizza (2021)

A meandering mess of meaningless musings.

[3/10 · 20 February 2022]

Insipidly dull. I loved Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love. This reminded me of Phantom Thread insofar as it is near impossible to sit through without wanting to check your inbox or peruse TMZ to see which rapper got arrested for sexual assault or hitting a comedian. Hoffman's son does okay as a novice, but everyone else was mediocre. The soundtrack was good, however this was a seriously flawed film that will only be appreciated by a bunch of film industry cretins. Normal people won't waste their time on this.

Sundown (I) (2021)

We have entered a new dawn of filmmaking...

[1/10 · 17 February 2022]

...and it's boring as hell. Get used to it. Nearly every film, certainly every American film, over the last decade has been a mindless exercise in pointless, derivative snore-telling. The days of cinematic risk taking, ballsy directors, and studios not giving a flying pc eff about woke crybabies trying to cancel the only talent on the planet is over. The future is bleak. It leaves only two real options; find an OnlyFans T&A lifeline, or picket to demand yevraH s'nietsnieW release from the Big House to start entertaining the troops again.

Gold (I) (2022)

Middle of the road entertainment.

[5/10 · 13 February 2022]

This had potential and succeeded in many ways, but ultimately the ending felt rushed, forced and predictable. Efron does a commendable job in this given that many of his scenes are of him alone reacting to things happening around him. It was never clear why an American was in Australia trying to reach some post-apocalyptic outpost, but in the end it didn't matter. Seeing Zac's dry, crusty, peeling lips were enough to rate this 5/10.

Ozark (2017–2022)

Unbelievably unbelievable...and stupid.

[1/10 · 13 February 2022]

Season 1 was actually terrific despite obvious plausibility issues with every character. Season 2 was good, but you could start to sense the show veering off the tracks. Marty and Wendy Byrde act about as realistic as Borat in Taxi Driver. Season 3 finally showed its hand, and storylines became absolutely ludicrous. Season 4 exposes all the flaws of trying to make ordinary people so unbelievably unbelievable that you kick yourself for becoming invested in the show in the first place. Let me save you some pain; watch season 1, skip 2, 3 and 4.

House of Gucci (2021)

Lady Gaga is not an actress.

[3/10 · 13 February 2022]

I am reviewing the first 20 minutes of this borefest because I literally couldn't take watching another second of it. Gaga is a good singer but horrible actress, especially when asked to play with an Italian accent. It was unbearable. Adam Driver, normally a very reliable actor, was cartoonish with his accent and poorly-acted naivety. And if you can get past Jeremy Irons' twelve-follicle mustache and wait for his bafoonish accent, you deserve a reward. Jared Leto and Al Pacino might've fared better, but I couldn't hold out long enough to judge.

Kimi (2022)

Soderbergh used to be a reliable watch.

[1/10 · 13 February 2022]

This film is an absolute embarrassment. I believe a filmmaking law should be enacted; anyone over the age of 50 should not be allowed to direct any longer. Old people directors lose their ability as they age. Here's looking at you Scorcese, Zemeckis, Coens, Spielberg, Scott, Eastwood, Verhoven et al. Please just stop. Kimi is a convuluted mess that takes forever to get going and never draws the viewer in to the story. It's because you have old people trying to make sense of today's youth and modern technology. It doesn't work. Depends does!

After Life (2019–2022)

What the hell happened to the writing in Season 3?

[7/10 · 24 January 2022]

It breaks my heart to have to write this after so enjoying seasons 1 & 2. Seriously, this could have been one of the best series in TV history. Couldn't wait for season 3. Then...boom. I got through the first few episodes and just like that, it was obvious; the writing had become stagnant, the characters stale and static, and Our Town UK boring as hell. Not one of the characters evolved. Just another season of Ricky moping around with an occassional dumb laugh does not a TV series make. This show is dead to me! Cheers.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

A woman's place is in the home?

[3/10 · 24 January 2022]

Don't bet on it. This film depicts excatly what is wrong with most children in today's world; their mother! Feminist crybabies who want to have kids on their own terms while still selfish enough to believe that their offspring can flourish into productive adults without good old fashion nurturing and guidance. Olivia Coleman is one of the best actresses working (UK's version of Meryl Streep), but her character in this is so evil that she makes Ted Bundy look like Mandela. The ending was absurd and totally unrealistic. Back to secretarial work, Maggie.

Mass (2021)

American children are the cruelist animal.

[9/10 · 1 January 2022]

There were 29 school shootings in America in 2021. Most of the psycho perps had been bullied. This film deals with the aftermath of a school shooting. The performances here are Oscar-worthy, but the material doesn't begin to address what can be done to prevent these events. It did make clear that America's youth are a troubled species -- weened on ultra-violent video games depicting murder as sport, raised without morals, and devoid of benevolence. Unfortunately, 75% of America's youth today are like spoiled food; rotten and useless.

Red Rocket (2021)

Magic pedo on the wall, who's the creepiest one of all?

[1/10 · 31 December 2021]

What was Sean Baker thinking? This has got to be one of the worst efforts following an acclaimed and inventive film like The Florida Project. I wonder if working with young kids has skewed his morality...and talent. The acting and dialogue in this was insufferable. After all the #MeToo crap that has been shoved down the public's throat the last five years, why would you make a film about a grown man grooming an underage girl and, who greenlit this garbage?

C'mon C'mon (2021)

It doesn't get any more boring than this.

[1/10 · 31 December 2021]

This should have been edited down into a two minute short film; the opening credits and the end credits. Everything in between was painfully boring to sit through. In all transparency, folks, I slept through eighty percent of it. The dialogue was so horribly banal I felt like I was being strangled by verbosity. I wanted to scream and probably could have without retribution since my newborn and I were the only two suckers in the audience. C'mon, is this the best you can do?