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Reviews
Black Water (2007)
disappointing
I wanted to like this movie but was ultimately disappointed. I get the whole not showing the creature makes it more scary thing. But even movies like Jaws do show the animal and very creatively establish its vicious qualities for the audience. The few times we see the croc in this movie I found it unconvincing and certainly not scary. I think we needed to see a vicious attack by the croc. Instead you see a character disappear into the water and then reemerge as a limp dummy in the jaws of the croc. It doesn't seem realistic. I also felt like the characters were not behaving in a logical manner. At one point the rope attached to the boat is snagged underwater and instead of the person on the boat reeling in the rope from her end to unsnag it, the guy in the tree gets her to abandon the boat and use the rope to guide her to the tree. Why would she need a rope to guide her to the tree? Its right there in front of her! If she's going to swim to the tree she should do it as quickly as possible, not feel around with a guide rope. Kind of a nitpick but it bothered me how non-creatively and illogically the characters behaved in trying to get out of their predicament. It was also obvious that the husband was going to die and that the gun would come into play later in the movie. The fact that they didn't go for the gun towards the beginning of the movie after the guide died was a missed opportunity. It might have also been nice to have some underwater camera work. I know its dark murky water and they purposefully used that idea to frighten us but that underwater mangrove environment could be very scary and effectively used by the cinematographer and with practical creature effects.
The Nice Guys (2016)
A confused comedy noir buddy cop film.
A movie-like thing masquerading as a period noir buddy cop comedy. I've read a number of reviews so far and one thing that almost everyone agrees on, even those who like the movie, is that the screenplay is a big hot mess. There is no momentum to the story, which is somehow both predictable and unfocused. As soon as Kim Bassinger's character shows up we know where this is all going but who cares anyway? The movie attempts to swerve towards the broadly comic and surreal but is not inspired enough to revel in its own fun and allow the audience to forgive the meandering and ultimately nonsensical plot for the window dressing that it is.
The characters lack sharp definition and development. Gosling and Crowe give whatever glimmer of hope there is to this movie but the material is not worthy. They may have been miscast but its almost impossible to tell due to the writing. Their characters are not very likable, consistent or distinguishable from each other(important with odd couple dynamics).
Supporting characters are not the fun colorful characters one would hope to have from such a movie. Gosling's daughter character is played by a talented young actress but unfortunately this is one of the worst elements of the movie. The child character who behaves like an adult is a cringe worthy staple of Hollywood and that is exactly what we get with in this movie. And why in a buddy cop movie are you focusing so much attention on buddy cop's 12 year old daughter? Why?? You could have a romantic interest or a fun villain but no, we get a third wheel Nancy Drew character.
From the beginning the daughter character is forced into the plot like this is a four quadrant family friendly comedy and I inwardly groaned as I realized that I was going to have to live with this decision by the screenwriters. This film has a rather bizarre obsession with children and even weaves in inappropriate porn jokes and adult situations with children in ways that I found off- putting, and I love South Park and edgy humor involving kids so that's saying something.
The movie is too scattershot and all over the place. Worst of all, its not very funny. There are maybe three moments in the movie that are chuckle worthy and they are featured in the trailer. The filmmaker has fun with the 1977 setting but this movie could have taken place in 2016 or 2026 or 2177, it doesn't matter.
Turbo Kid (2015)
A Turbo Kid in a post-apocalyptic wasteland makes a friend and battles a ruthless warlord.
Turbo Kid is a glorious, violent, warm-hearted, nostalgia-filled, post-apocalyptic, damn good time at the movies! I loved everything about it from the 1980s synthesizer soundtrack to the low budget, yet effective world building, to the simple yet poignant storyline. The acting from everyone is just right, especially from the actress who plays "Apple". Its also awesome to see Michael Ironside's villain go on a tear for old times sake. The action sequences are exciting and fun and funny in just the right way. Turbo Kid is also a nice coming of age story that reminds me of a certain straw haired farm boy from a galaxy far far away. The mixture of camp and sincere emotion is intoxicating. It helps you sync with the movie if you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s but I think its also fine for younger and older people with an open mind and a tolerance for schlocky violence.