The first one was better in my opinion. I heard someone say part 2 was "Lawrence of Arabia" without the depth and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Incredible but disappointed by some of the lack of depth and pacing of character development. Parts of the second and third act feel rushed when they didn't need to be. Especially considering the parts from the book they cut out. I'm good with how they constructed that narratively but then they should have made up for it by making the parts they kept feel more authetic. Anyway still an overall great job of adapting incredibly challenging source material so hats off to the director for pulling it off.
Reviews
30 Reviews
Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
A few cool things, mostly lazy retread
10 September 2022
This movie could have been so much better. It was a great potential concept for a theme to play with. But it just never made much effort in developing the details of the story so they would be meaningful in any way. Instead it just comes off as a rushed and cheap story with plot devices so convenient you can't help but roll your eyes. It wasn't terrible but definitely a misfire and a wasted opportunity. It feels like this could be the last Thor although the ending and character leave plenty of room for adventures to continue. But I feel like the second half of phase 4 has just been really weak. I don't see there being another Thor movie anytime soon considering the plans marvel has unveiled. Unless it's one of the unnamed titles they have planned.
West Side Story
(2021)
Not a huge musical fan, but really enjoyed WSS
30 December 2021
This movie is really really well made. A little long, but for all the production value that went into it, it's completely worth it. A message that is just as relevant as today. All the acting, dancing, costumes, and overall production value are all absolutely top notch.
Don't Look Up
(2021)
Great premise, but execution was pretty lame
28 December 2021
This movie was a great creative idea but I feel like this director was just introduced to the human race. Like none of this is that shocking or that far from current reality. If you've studied world history or basic human psychology, humanity's self destructive flaws are well documented. I don't this is going to have any impact on anything. People need to start reading and educating themselves about the world around them tajts the only reason politicians get away with this stuff.
The Matrix Resurrections
(I) (2021)
Best parts were in the trailer. Wow it's bad.
23 December 2021
This movie obviously only served the purpose of Lana Wachowski indulging in ridiculous story telling and as a cash grab from a once popular franchise. There's parts of this movie that makes absolutely no sense and other parts that are absolutely cringe worthy. Surprised this actually got made. And the plot of the movie is just all over the place and really doesn't establish anything different.
The Master
(2012)
Love PTA normally but this movie is just boring
30 November 2021
Boring and weird. It's got great acting, cinematography, production, etc. But I just don't get the point of the story I guess. Is this some weird commentary on Scientology or something? Or just the gullibility of people? Left very unfulfilled.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
Well crafted movie stained by fan service
21 November 2021
I was absolutely loving this movie for about 80% of the movie. The ending was ok, but just so over done with the nostalgia, tributes, and fan service.
The nostalgia and fan service for the majority of the movie was pretty well done. The ending was just yuck.
The nostalgia and fan service for the majority of the movie was pretty well done. The ending was just yuck.
Lots to love, but feeling very formula
13 November 2021
There are so many cool things about this movie, but they forgot to flesh out the characters a little bit. In particularly how Shang Chi even uses or gets his power. All of it very convenient and feels kinda manufactured for the purpose of having cool fights and special effects. Those however I will say are exceptional. And for and origin story it turned out pretty cool how they layered in the character development through out. Loved seeing something culturally and visually different. This was WAY better than Eternals.
Eternals
(2021)
Just a stupid movie all together
12 November 2021
So many contradictions and stupid attempts at being profound. Just dumb rehashed super hero garbage. Feels washed and recycled. Like a super hero movie from the mid 90s. The casting, dialogue, and humor were good. The plot and theme made absolutely no sense.
Eternals
(2021)
Meh. Marvel is getting washed.
12 November 2021
This movie has so many silly contradictions in it's commentary and beats you over the head with the tired trope about the duality of human beings. The heroes are generic and forgettable. This whole thing just feels super forced by Marvel/Disney. And the plot is so convoluted and half the movie is spent explaining a bunch of it. Lastly it's pretty boring.
Spectre
(I) (2015)
Very stylish, but disappointing
10 November 2021
Coming off Skyfall and getting Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig back again, maybe I had too high of expectations.
From a style standpoint it doesn't get more Bond than this movie. The plot is simple and easy to follow, but almost too easy. To the point where parts of it seem so thrown together it's actually quite comical. The action is still pretty damn good as in the overall filmmaking.
They probably should have took their time with this one but I'm sure the studio wanted to rush something out.
From a style standpoint it doesn't get more Bond than this movie. The plot is simple and easy to follow, but almost too easy. To the point where parts of it seem so thrown together it's actually quite comical. The action is still pretty damn good as in the overall filmmaking.
They probably should have took their time with this one but I'm sure the studio wanted to rush something out.
No Time to Die
(2021)
No perfect, but good send off
6 November 2021
Overall this was a really good movie. The action and suspense are superb. The plot is mysterious and eventually unfolds nicely, but it's a bit hard to follow. The acting is a bit corny in a few parts. Would have liked Ana De Armas to be in it more. My biggest complaint is Rami Malek's bad guy. Half the time you can't even understand what he's saying and he just drones on like a zombie.
Dune
(2021)
Good, but not as amazing as I'd hoped
23 October 2021
To be fair, even in two parts, and book like Dune is very difficult to adapt. Overall though, it's a very faithful adaptation in regards to all the major plot points, themes, nuances and most scenes from the book. My main complaint in this regard is that there is so much narrative ground to cover, the grandiosity or depth of the Atradies/Harkonen fued never fully has a chance to materialize. So it's harder to find yourself invested in or caring about Paul or his family because things move so fast. And certain scenes just don't have the emotional gravity that you would think they would based on their weight in the book. Also Denis Villeneuve style is great at times. Can be very sleek for sci-fi. But sometimes it's very muted and boring. Almost sterile. I'm hoping part two really brings it all together.
Mare of Easttown
(2021)
Amazing, just slightly flawed
3 October 2021
Overall I thought this show was amazing in how it blended a true detective kind of crime story but dealt with some serious complex issues around identity and parenting and mental health. Very impressive. However they really didn't clarify how everything come together at the end. I still had a bunch of head scratching questions about the murder that didn't make sense to me.
Tenet
(2020)
Nolan is just a little too ambitious
15 January 2021
This movie was amazing cinematically and is one of the most ambitious ideas for a movie that I've ever seen. However, Nolan just doesn't pull off the execution well enough to keep you interested let alone following along.
Mank
(2020)
Ambitious but flawed
13 December 2020
The cinematic elements here are fantastic, but it's hard to follow. The dialogue is poetic and smooth but hard to understand what is really being said. At the end of the day I think this is more of a love letter to the Hollywood screen play writer by using the mystique of what consider to be the greatest movie ever made as the storytelling vehicle.
The worst Star wars movie ever made. Garbage.
18 November 2020
If I could give this a negative # rating I would. One of the clearest examples of a studio putting the desires of an angry internet mob ahead of a good story, continuity, and making something that even if divisive will stand the test of time. Episode 9 will always be considered a joke. A rushed out, poorly written, mess. Although 7 and 8 were flawed is some ways I was still pretty happy with them. I could have lived with episode 8. But TROS just ruined the trilogy. Especially for a Saga ending note it was just awful. Unoriginal, lazy, predictable, cliche, and drowned in fan service. Also, totally rushed by Disney. They should never how bowed to the fan outrage after TLJ and stayed the course on an original and fresh direction for the franchise. But even though they did, you can tell they rushed it. The story is so clunky and never feels fully formed. I can't look back on the sequel trilogy with anything but regret that they got this final installment so terribly wrong.
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