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Andor (2022)
Hands down best Star Wars show!
I was a big fan of Rogue One's grittiness and more mature tone and I'm happy to say Andor has both and it makes me happy that we finally have a Star Wars show for actual people, not the Disney ideal customer profile.
The acting is great, the characters are built up properly and actually have depth. Kino Loy wirh 2 episodes is a more compelling character than any of the Disney trilogy characters. The cinematography is amazing, the CGI is on point - have you seen the Eye scene? Amazing! Oh, and Andor is proof you can have diversity without the mind numbing politics. It all just felt so natural and not forced.
Kudos to everyone involved in this show! Thank you for making something for the fans.
The Batman (2022)
A new Batman for a new age
I'll keep this review short and sweet.
Pattinson is my favorite Batman. While the Nolan Trilogy is amazing, I often felt like Batman was overshadowed by other characters. But this not the case here. The supporting cast is impeccable, yet this Batman shines because he has the gravitas of Bale and the physicality of Affleck, yet Pattinson doesn't over it and keeps it simple bringing a darker tone to his performance.
The cinematography is stunning. So many great shots. Colors and composition are just amazing. You can see the effort that was put into it. The score as well. Dark, somber, familiar yet refreshing.
To me, this is the closest live action adaptation I got that resembles the animated series which to me is the definitive representation of Batman.
Fatherhood (2021)
This movies has hearth and Kevin Hart has skills
I chose this movie at random one night not knowing it wasn't going to be a comedy.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Kevin Hart go beyond his usual role of comedy super-star and just be the human I know he is (I've read one of his books).
Solid performances and kudos to the young actress playing the daughter.
Army of the Dead (2021)
Army of the bad writers
My biggest gripe with this movie is that the trailer was big lie - all the great action sequences and chainsawing of zombies was condensed in a brief 5 minutes intro. I wanted to see that dude use his massive chainsaw, that's what I signed up for. I wanted to see more of zombie tiger, more of Bautista beating zombie.
My 2nd issue with this movie - Ella Purnell's character. I don't recall seeing Ella in other movies, but man... her character was so annoying and so overacted. I completely lost interest in the movie when she joined the crew. I was obvious what was about to happen. The whole father - daughter re-connecting plot was just thrown in. I would've liked to see more of the other characters and focus on the bad decisions some numb-minded brat made.
My 3rd issue - the plot with the missing ladies and the ending. How was I supposed to care about the those ladies? They didn't add anything. Was there supposed to be some emotional thing going on there with them taking a chance on the other side of the fence? I've only seen them for la 30 seconds and I'm supposed to care about the deep meta plot that completely overrides stakes of the movies in the end? Such a bad writing decision.
I did like the diverse personalities in the main line-up. I thought that had a lot of potential but I was left wanting more. I really enjoyed the interactions between the Dieter and the chainsaw guy. I wanted more of that. More action, more zombie fights. I wanted the dead to actually pose a threat.
The Good Place (2016)
I'm not crying, you're crying!
Just finished The Good Place. And - I gotta say - I really really enjoyed.
Why?
Well, The Good Place is quite light and easy to get into. There are plenty moments of depth and character development at the most unexpected of times.
The main characters are charming. All of them. They are fun and diverse in the best of ways. They represent many facets of our society and it's easy to resonate with their humanity.
The plot is quite interesting and while it nothing groundbreaking, the show creators really brought on a refreshing perspective on the subject of the afterlife.
Is it a perfect show?
No. Sometimes, you can tell things are just dragging along and some of the twist are forced and some things don't really add up. But does this matter? I say - no. It's fun, entertaining and full of heart. To be honest, I loved the heartwarming moments and the overall positive attitude the show focused on.
All in all, I deeply resonate with the message of the show - none of us are perfect, no matter the education or social status we have, but in spite of all the obstacles and unfortunate circumstance we have to face, most people strive and want to be better. I happen to believe that too.
The Devil All the Time (2020)
A great movie from Netflix!
I'm not a fan of Netflix originals, but this one definitely sits along Roma and Marriage Story as one of my favourites.
It's a tough movie with great actors who deliver. The movie does touch a lot of sensible topics so the performers really had room to flex their skills and it shoes. This is also why it might not be for everyone. But - I mean - there's so much shallow content out there, it's good to actually get something that really challenges you as a viewer.
Really great cinematography as well. A lot of cool shots with great composition and a set of recurring visual motifs - hint: keep an eye for whenever someone looks directly up at the sky through the trees.
I really enjoyed the structure of the story. Even though other movies use similar narrative structures - Magnolia, Cloud Atlas, Traffic - this one is particularly satisfying and cathartic. Also, while there's a narrator - the author of the source book himself, he has a great voice - there's almost no exposition. The ball's rolling from the first scenes.
My only minor complaint is that some of the accents are off putting. Clearly, some actors have more of a talent for them than others.
A great watch overall!
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Fun movie with a lot of unused potential
What I liked: the old timers really did a great job. Martin Lawrence seems is cool uncle you'd want to hang out with as often as possible.
What I disliked: the AMMO team. The whole Mexico thing with the witchcraft thing. Seriously. Wow. Who thought that would work? Also, the twist.
What I wanted: I really really hoped there would be a scene when Will and Martin get in the car and drive off into the sunset to do some cool stuff while Diddy's Bad Boy 4 Life song plays on the background. Bang. Roll credits.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
Underwhelming
Definitely not as good as the previous 2 entries. Parabellum has big pacing issues. It starts of great with great and dynamic fight choreography, but it slowly looses steam as the writers try to inject story where there shouldn't be any. Clearly, this series' main selling point was the simple cause and effect story driven by the amazing Keanu Reeves, the great supporting cast and the juicy action packed scenes.
Every new character seems out of place, boring, thin and pointless. Hale Berry? Really? Of all the amazing female actresses out there, they chose her? She clearly didn't have the mood or interest to act for this movies. Also, John apparently suffers from amnesia since he now, for some reason, wants back into the assassins' world? And the one supreme dude lives in the Morocco dessert? How? Why?
By the end, I just waited for the credits because I couldn't endure another brainless decision made by some key player who suddenly decided to switch 180 wihtout a clear motivation or end goal.
Eighth Grade (2018)
Good, not great.
It was a tough movie to watch, in the good sense. Some things it got right - the cringeworthy moments, overall anxiousness of the situations and the social media addiction. Other things were a bit hard to get past, but overall the message makes its way across easily.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Well, that was a pleasant surprise!
Context: I'm a big MCU fan, seen all the movies, deep into the story, constantly reading theories for fun and so on. Not into the whole right vs. left values debate that's going on in the US. I live in Romania and we have bigger, more basic issues, so yeah. I went into this movie knowing the harsh criticism being thrown at it and - frankly - totally put off by Brie Larson's performance in the trailers.
And you know what? I had a blast. I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun. It subverted my expectations. I agree - there are some plot points which don't make much sense and the beginning is a bit convoluted, but other than that, it was ok.
The supporting cast definitely added a lot, especially Fury, Maria Rambeau and the Skrull dudes. But you know who I liked the most? Yes, Captain Marvel herself. Many people say she's stiff or lacks expression, but so would I being as confused as she is so yeah, won't judge her for that. I think she's kind of a badass and I totally like that - especially when she goes binary.
What I didn't like was that the Kree characters were kind of underdeveloped and underused. I would've loved to see more from Ronan. So yeah, it is what it is.
Compared to other origin story movies, I'd say definitely better than Black Panther, Ant Man and maybe Dr. Strange. As personal impact, I'd say it's on par with the 1st Thor and Captain America, but under GotG and Ironman.
Go see it. It's worth it.
The Walking Dead: Omega (2019)
Dead but not walking.
I remember the days when I couldn't wait to watch another episode. Now... I'm tired of waiting for things to change. The mid-season finale gave me some hope and now, it's gone.
Magna's group... I don't even recall their names. They're too bland and make stupid choices. Just like Henry. Just like every other filler character that brings nothing to the table.
Doragon Bôru Sûpâ Burorî (2018)
Thank you for the fan service!
I enjoyed this a lot! The thing that I liked the most was the choreography of the fight scenes. Amazing! I really felt like being there with them the whole time. The animation is gorgeous most of the time, except some moments when the CGI looks a bit blocky, videogame-ish, but it moves fast so you won't notice it very often.
Another strong point was how they managed to rewrite Broly's story and fit it in the greater Dragonball universe. I think they did a good job at explaining most of the changes added to the characters. A lot of great cameos. The new characters were also enjoyable and the creatures from Broly's planet were really interesting, especially his giat pet.
Satisfying climax. Of course, Gocku and Vegeta fighting together is always a pleasure to witness and the fan service is strong with this one. Also, Broly's transformation is just violent.
I didn't like some of the design changes for the main cast. Sometimes it felt a bit weird watching someone's who's supposed to be Vegeta not being very Vegeta-like. But it's ok. The animation is more fluent and so they probably had to adapt. Also, it felt like there were no real stakes. I mean, after seeing Goku use UI in the series it's hard to bring some guy and make him instantly more powerful, but again, that's just how Dragonball is.
Great movie! Thank you to all involved in making it!
Peaky Blinders (2013)
A hidden gem - worth your time
I never heard people talking about Peaky Blinders as they do about other, lower quality, over-hyped productions. And maybe that's what made it even more enjoyable.
I started watching it because it was recommended by Netflix and I felt like having some background noise while doing boring tasks. The only thing I knew about Peaky Blinders prior to this was that Tom Hardy had some role in it.
Wow.
The fast-paced action, simple and satisfying narrative and the impeccable dialogue got me hooked. The cast offers a raw and gritty performance - top notch acting. Amazing decors and cinematography.
Besides the technical side, the characters really got to me. I often found myself rooting for Tommy and his gang members while also feeling angry at them for the injustices they put normal, hard-working people through. While definitely exaggerated, I found most of the characters entertaining and interesting to observe. The only one which I could not stand though was Grace. Glad she didn't stick around too much.
Anyway, definitely worth watching.
Roma (2018)
I get it.
I get why the numerous nominations and I get why some people were disappointed by the lack of storytelling.
First things first - the cinematography is stellar and poetic. You could pause the movie every 5 seconds and get a stunning photograph. The long takes simply got me.
Secondly - yes, there is no epic story here. And you know what? That's exactly how things are in life. This is what this movie is all about - the silent drama of the boring lives we, normal people, go through as we sit on time's sidelines. In the grand schemes of things, we don't matter. Just as Cleo's drama doesn't matter to anyone except her. She's all alone with her struggles, just as we all are.
Bronson (2008)
Tom Hardy pulled through, Bronson did not.
I didn't know what to expect going into this movie to be honest, but I enjoyed most of Hardy's movies and since it was sitting for so long on my list, I gave it a shot.
I'll say this, Hardy did a great job and gave a stelar performance - both during the intermissions and through the actual story bits. His manic twitches and violent outbursts really fleshed out an extravagant and bourgeois "fight till I can't stand" inmate.
Still, as a whole, I did not enjoy the movie all that much. At times it felt just like a collection of random scenes glued together only by Bronson's presence and not much else. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but some scenes simply outshine everything else. For example, the last act with the art tutor - that's definitely the cherry on top of the cake - has a completely different tone. The movie gives off a general feel of inconsistency.
Oh well, it was interesting but I probably won't watch it again.
American Horror Story: The End (2018)
Damn. What a waste of time.
Given the exposition with the whole missile attack thing and the nuclear fallout I was quite excited and was looking forward to see what the episode has to offer.
Nothing - this is what happened after the first 15 minutes. It seems to me that AHS is not a show that cares about plot anymore but rather invests all its energy in trying to be inclusive and diverse - which is great when it actually makes sense.
The Coco character is just awful.
Westworld: Kiksuya (2018)
Amazing.
After the "Riddle of the Sphinx" episode, I thought that peak Westworld was reached and - in my case - this was true. Then came this episode. At first it seemed to be a filler episode and I started to get frustrated. Man, was I wrong. Ake's journey - while heartbreaking and traumatizing - revealed what the awakening process really feels like. Just amazing. And the acting. Just great. Thank you for the episode.