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michael-gernert
Reviews
American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules (2020)
Best movie of its kind
First up, I've seen every American Pie movie as well as the whole Eskimo Limon film series (Lemon Popsicle; Eis am Stiel) from the 80s. As one might surmise from the low ratings and bad reviews, fans of conservative apple pie couldn't handle this cherry of a teen sex comedy. There isn't a better movie in its genre and I loved everything about it. I'd even go as far and reserve it a top spot on the list of best romantic comedies.
Mulan (2020)
Some good acting, still worst Disney film
Disney must have known how this was going to play out, at least since the very much deserved backlash against the lead actress. The core acting itself is actually good for the most part, however, calling this film Mulan while neither staying true to the animated classic (which I haven't seen nor feel the need to) nor to any pre-Nationalist versions shows a blatant disregard for historical accuracy and signals a total submission to CCP censorship. All the more enjoyable it was to see that their pandering to China and the Wu Mao in particular didn't work out, hence the steep price you have to pay to see this film.
Rogue (2020)
Okay CGI, mediocre Megan but necessary film
Starting with the bad, Megan Fox doesn't seem to have trained or prepared all too much for this role for whatever reason. Though not an expert myself, I'm specifically criticising her combat portrayal as well as most of her dialogue delivery. What I loved was the survival theme and overall message as well as the intended and possibly unintended comic relief. CGI was clearly low-budget but it serves its purpose. Verdict: necessary message!
Tenet (2020)
Incredible concept
This is a masterpiece with intense but not too loud music. In response to some comments and critiques: Even as an English learner and while eating nachos socially distanced in a major theater I was able to follow the plot and concept without any problems. While some were quite obvious at a certain point, I still loved every twist and turn. Despite its runtime not a second felt wasted and it mostly cut right to the chase. Best action and most innovative storyline I've seen in a long time.
Little Birds (2020)
Short and spicy
I thoroughly enjoyed this short and spicy series. Everything about it feels grand, some might find it too cheesy and/or weird, shocking, whatever, and I'd understand. I don't know the original short stories but that might actually be helpful. Clearly, it's not everyone's cup of tea but the abysmal rating is completely undeserved.
The Man from Earth: Holocene (2017)
Genre amalgamation
I have to say I loved the original and found this movie to have some merit as well although there were some scenes were I just burst out laughing at the weird dialogue and choices made by the characters. The way some characters are dressed looks more like 2010-ish than 2016 but then again this was a quick and dirty somewhat low-budget production. The overall filming style reminds me of the TV series "Kyle XY" and the whole thing feels like a Netflix style amalgamation of genres to appease a broader audience. I still appreciated the movie and it very clumsily sets itself up as a pilot for a TV series which I'll most definitely watch. Someone get Bruno Heller on this!
Arctic (2018)
Captivating and intimate
Wonderfully minimalist, yet stunning cinematography and superb storytelling. Absolutely loved it. And for doing it in 19 days, I can understand why Mikkelsen called it the most difficult shoot of his career. The whole project feels very intimate and intense which makes it really special.