nickmorenz Reviews

Andor (2022– )

Restored my love of Star Wars

[10/10 · 6 October 2022]

God how i love this show. 5 episodes in and i'm so captivated. Beautiful music and scenery, great dialogue and characters, an intriguing story that leaves me always wanting more more more.

Yes it's slow. If you want flips and terrible shoot outs, watch Kenobi or Obi Wan. Andor is a show for adults. There is no silliness, no contrivances and no childishness. It's is serious and in depth and I absolutely love it. If they made ten seasons of this i'm in. Anyway, that's my take. If you want stupid action, don't watch this. It's slow but damn it's so well made. The world is so realistic. The sets are so lived-in. Please give it a try.

1883 (2021–2022)

Went from a 10 to a 6 unfortunately

[6/10 · 15 March 2022]

So i really really like this show from the beginning. It started off really good. IT felt authentic and as realistic as you could expect but from there the show deteriorated fast. Let me explain the biggest issues: Spoilers ahead 1. Elsa goes from likeable naive girl to badass cowgirl, hunter and gun fighter over one season. One shots Buffalo, bandits and bad guys, you know, like a normal 18 year old girl. She's a Mary SUe that's amazing at everything after one episode or so. She becomes tiresome and obnoxious over the season, arrogant and belittling to her mother. She's madly in love, then depressed, then banging a new guy 2 episodes later.

2. They rushed everything with this character. Her second love story should have been drawn out over a 2nd season and boy they missed out on so much potential drama with her and BF number 2. In the show they instantly fall in love, which makes no sense at all. Her character should have found this native American to be repulsive and scary only to find that over a few episodes he breaks down those prejudices and they grow to love on another. What's the show do? Make them fall in love in one episode, she literally throws herself at him, destroying all the potential build up to a solid love story. Does anyone including her father give a damn she's banging the unknown native guide who shows up? Nah, cause you know that just happened so much and they were real progressive back then. Like wtf? There should have been drama between her family and his to this inter-ethnic relationship, eventually being resolved when they saw the humanity in other's tribe, but no, they fall in love and that's that. And Jesus, Elsa literally kills 2 men with a bow and arrow in her stomach then gets on a horse the next day? Who is she? Rambo? Jesus!

3. ELsa's Monologues are atrocious, pretentious and absurd for an 18 year old. They happen 3-4 times an epidsode. The show focuses so much on Elsa we hardly know any of the 50-60 nameless Germans and Gypsies except for 3 who get hardly any time and they die like flies and their deaths mean nothing because we never knew them. Elsa is a drag on the show and it hurts the other intriguing characters

4. The main characters have plot armor ten inches thick. They can take on bandits outnumbered 2 to 1, no 3 to 1, no wait they kill 12 bandits, just the 3 of them in the last episode, barely taking a scratch. Everyone who gets a name lives except like 2 or 3 minor characters. I need to know the main characters aren't invincible and taking on bandits while outnumbered 4 to 1 and only getting scratched is absurd~! The attack in the finale leaves almost everyone dead except..... you guessed it, all the main characters.

I've got many more complaints but basically the show becomes a soap opera. Elsa is an amazing Mary Sue who learns Comanche in 2 days and can shoot men with an arrow in her stomach bc you know, she's a badass! It's stupid! I have no problem with strong female characters. The mom is great and realistic. Elsa is awful, how does no one else see this? I know most people don't care but i couldn't take it anymore. I gave it ten after first 2 episodes but can't go above a 6 for how far they've gone from the authentic feeling beginning. Hope you enjoy it but i couldn't.

See (2019–2022)

They're blind, well, but not really, you see...

[3/10 · 4 November 2019]

I rarely write reviews but Wow this show is stupid.

The first battle made no sense at all. They somehow know who's bad and who's good by.....well... they just know. Just like they know the baddies will go to this stupid rock wall they somehow built that's being held together by rope. Why didn't they just release the rock wall immediately, why wait till they took casualties? Again, makes no sense but as long as you don't care much for things like this, you may like. I personally can't get past it, it's just waaay too stupid.

The bad guys are beyond cliche. They talk like bad guys because....well... that's how bad guys are supposed to talk.

Dialogue was atrocious. Story, dumb dumb dumb.

I still don't understand how these people survive. WTF do they eat? Do they hunt? I get that their hearing is better but trying hunting in the dark, it's pretty damn hard. The world only works once you let go of any sense of realism. I can't hate on it, i just don't like it.

Watchmen (2019)

It's truly not that bad, nor is it good, but it's one episode

[5/10 · 25 October 2019]

I barely ever write reviews but must come to the defense of this show for some stupid arguments against it. I'm a fairly conservative libertarian and didn't think anything was really that political. It's an alternate reality of America, and like our America today, there are some bad people out there who want to hurt people and some of them tend to be white supremacists. Displaying white supremacists as bad is not a political agenda, it's a reality, and sometimes it's uncomfortable.

But guess what, there are good white people too! Watch for yourself

I personally hate identity politics and am very sensitive to when agendas are pushed and i'm really just not feeling it here. And the bad guys wearing rorschach masks really isn't a stretch since Rorshcach was kind of a Trumpian old school badass kind of guy so it makes sense they memorialize him.

The negatives: Weak leading actors thus far. Hoping more interesting heroes show up. Action piece was a bit poor. Not enough context as to what the state of the world is like, especially America to pull the pieces together into a coherent story.

The Positive: It's piqued my interest enough to watch next week. Some cool visuals styles. What will hopefully be a unique and interesting story.

Hustlers (2019)

Good movie if you can moralize their dispicable actions

[5/10 · 17 September 2019]

First and foremost, the movie is entertaining and well made but for those of us who look deeper and analyze what a movie is saying, it is quite awful and justifies terrible things. While people properly pointed this out in the upcoming Joker movie, i'm sure it will be overlooked in this movie because it's a diverse cast f females and not a white male. Rather than write my own crappy analysis, i found an article which i summarized which lays out my argument well.

You can enjoy 'Hustlers,' on its own terms. But to celebrate its heroines - based on real-life scammers who victimized people - as feminist role models is twisted and morally bankrupt.

There is supreme cynicism in the way the gang justifies each action by glibly comparing America to a one big strip club - in which everyone is out for themselves. Tell that to the building site worker finishing his 12-hour shift, the emergency department doctor, or the barmaid who doesn't triple swipe the customer's credit card.

Or the way the camera manipulatively exploits the strippers' children as a human shield for their immoral behavior. She just wanted a nanny for her straight-A student daughter! And the next scene wallows in naked materialism as its heroes gift each other Louboutins and chinchilla coats.

How it dehumanizes the men, who are victim-blamed as deserving marks for having the gall to go and ask for a private dance, or make a lewd comment, or just be rich (one assumes that the perpetrators did a thorough audit to find out whether they had gained the money through virtuous methods). And whose bodies, often helpless from the administered drugs, are used as comedy props with a delighted cruelty.

None of that is a deal-breaker - a film can have its viewpoint.

No, the real slap in the face is that we are told, both by producer Lopez, director Lorene Scafaria, and by dozens of fawning reviews and articles, that this film somehow represents a triumph of feminism, because these are "empowered" women who are "reversing the roles" and "taking control," that they are "Robin Hood thieves"sticking it to the man.

To me, gaining someone's trust, then forcing them to unknowingly ingest horse tranquilizer, mugging them, then dumping them semi-conscious, and blackmailing them if they later say they'll go to the police, is one of the scuzziest crimes. Not some fun caper.

Anyway, good movie with a terrible moralization of criminal activity. At least in Goodfellas no one pretended they were doing good work.

A Cure for Wellness (2016)

Horror fans should support this movie

[8/10 · 21 February 2017]

Went and saw the movie last night with the gf, enjoyed it very much. It's not great but it comes damn close to being so. The visuals are great, cinematography, acting, etc... It actually wasn't as dark and demented as i hoped it would be but it is definitely pretty dark.

Horror fans should go see this film because if it bombs then studios will not want to make more movies like it. Again, it isn't great but i felt i definitely got my money's worth and recommend others to go see it so that we can get more like it. Perhaps the next attempt at something this ambitious will be amazing.

I'll just say the last 1/3 is why i didn't give it a higher rating.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

Boring and mediocre at best

[5/10 · 20 October 2016]

Sorry but I wish someone had written the review I'm about to write before i went. This movie is not a terrible piece of garbage, but it is boring, not very creepy, not very frightening and barely has much tension. It is PG-13 and don't expect much gore. Being PG-13 is no excuse for not building tension, not playing with the viewers minds and simply not being creative.

Expect to wait about 45 minutes before anything creepy even really happens and then even when it does, barely flinching. A few jump scares happen but they're expected every time and have little effect. Then expect the story to fall apart quickly and the ending to be stupid. All of this would be fine if the ending were terrifying but it's mediocre, cliché and worst of all, boring. I was deeply disappointed. Wait till you can watch it on Netflix, don't waste 20$ like me and my gf did. As avid fans of horror, this one is a rental, and only after most other good horror movies are rented out (Don't Breathe, Lights Out, New Blair Witch)

Blair Witch (2016)

Hated Original, Loved This Version

[9/10 · 23 September 2016]

I've never written a review on IMDb before so it says something that I am for this movie b/c i've seen lots of negative reviews. First off, I can't guarantee you'll like it, duh. Like the original, it's all subjective. Some people like to pick this movie apart. I personally hated the original because it was hard to watch and boring. This one is more "Hollywood" in that there's better cameras and actors and more visuals. I loved it. It was far from perfect but I got such a feeling of anxiety and unease unlike any movie has done to me. That's no B.S. I almost walked out at one scene b/c it was giving me such unease but I'm glad i didn't. I've never wanted a movie to end so that my brain could stop watching the honorific scenario I was presented. The last thirty minutes, in my opinion, are absolutely hellish. If you love horror you may hate it, but you also may love it. I give it a 9 b/c no movie has made me so uncomfortable. My girlfriend thought Don't Breath was more horrific so it depends on what you personally find hellish. Give it a shot if you like horror.

Internet Famous (2016)

It's funny

[7/10 · 30 June 2016]

Yes, it's stupid. Yes, it's only going to appeal to some people, but yes, it is funny. If you don't see the humor in something that mocks the internet culture of stupid videos and narcissistic morons, then you won't like it. I thought it was well made and had enough heart to keep you invested in the characters.

The writing jokes are often subtle but good. It is much better than most "parody" movies because it counts on intelligent humor over stupid gags and physical comedy. In other words, the jokes aren't spelled out for you. You either get why it's funny or you don't and if you do, you'll like it.

Chi-Raq (2015)

Movie Misses the Biggest Point

[6/10 · 3 January 2016]

While the movie touches on many problems that Chicago faces, in my opinion it misses the most important one: THE WAR on DRUGS. You can blame gun shows, the NRA, lack of education, etc, all you want, but the fact of the matter is and will remain that the violence isn't because of guns...the huge incarceration rate is not because of guns...it all stems back to the war on drugs. Guns don't kill people, violent gangs do and they do it because of the money associated with the black market drug trade.

Violence, gangs and turf wars are the direct result of the drug trade. Drug dealers rule the streets because the economic opportunities are terrible in the inner-city and because so much can be made from the drug trade. Poor youth see more opportunity in that criminal world than in going to school.

So will eliminating the war on drugs solve the problem? Probably not, but it would be a big step and do a lot to take the power away from the gangs and it would keep the police from arresting black males in epidemic rates.

I could go on and on about how terrible the War on Drugs is for the black community but this is simply a review and I wanted to convey my disappointment that this is not brought up as a substantial issue.