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Reviews
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Chris Pratt phones it in, while the supporting cast does just enough to make it watchable... but only just
The writing is kinda bad-bad... the CGI and creature design stands out, but some of the fights are so long and convoluted they become boring. The time travel logic is lazy. Chris Pratt is kinda not good in this. Probably his worst performance to date. It's pretty clearly just a paycheck for him. That said, Yvonne Strahovski and Betty Gilpin deliver emotionally grounded performances while chugging through some pretty poor dialogue, which really is the test of an actor. Sam Richardson is funny. JK Simmons delivers a typical high quality performance. Edwin Hodges, Alexis Louder, and Jared Shaw create a badass team that you'd love to see in a better action movie. Mary Lynn Rajskub, Seychelle Gabriel, Jasmine Mathews, and Mike Mitchell are completely wasted. So much talent, but damn, it's just not good. The plot is really three separate segments stitched together without much care. It's really too bad. There is something in there, or at least in the grand concept. This film just never brought it out.
Alone Yet Not Alone (2013)
Not very good :/
This just wasn't a very good movie. I watched a screening copy (with a friend from an appropriate guild) on a whim, and being a bit of a history buff, some movies people find to slow I still like. This wasn't one of them. It claims to be based on a true story (which it may VERY LOOSELY be), but the historical inaccuracies were rampant in nearly every scene. I'm actually surprised it was shot in Williamsburg, VA, because they clearly didn't hire a knowledgeable technical adviser. It also portrayed the indigenous Americans with a pretty racist slant. Additionally, there were a number of quality issues with the film. There was inconsistent depth of field throughout the film, making it look like something shot on Best Buy camera with a stock zoom lens. The color was off from shot to shot. The audio didn't sound feature quality and seemed like they relied on the score to cover up audio imperfections. The acting was very poor (with the exception of Mama- Joanie Stewart was good). It was either no feeling or EVERY FEELING EVER ALL AT ONCE!!! The dialogue was poor and the sisters' bond to each other and god kind of felt like it was a given, with no motives or honesty, just blind faith because Daddy told them so. It's almost a jaded rip off of An American Tale, except without any of the adventure or feeling (or cute animated mice). I was able to make it all the way through, but was left feeling empty and bored, rather than inspired and uplifted. There may be an audience for it, but I'm not sure who. It's really just a poor presentation of lower budget filmmaking. 3/10
Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010)
Never Perfect, but always compelling
Two episodes into the first season, this series came up on my Netflix streaming recommendations. While certain elements of the pilot caught my attention, the production value looked a mess. Clearly, time and effort were spent on fight sequences, which captured the feel of a Frank Miller graphic novel. They were perfectly lit, perfectly paced and used the visual effects with style. Everything else in the pilot, however, suffered. The scenes in the country, clearly shot on green screen, lacked lighting consistent with the background. The sex scenes went beyond stylized into the realm of tacky. The dialog contained expletives place more for shock value than effectiveness.
I considered giving up on the series, but I'm glad I didn't. By the fourth episode, the production found its stride and began to exceed my expectations. No episode is without an awkward transition or unnatural conversation, but overall improvement makes these easy to ignore. The fights are compelling as always, but now the expletives in dialog are used in context and sex scenes serve purpose for the story, not just the taboo. While this production will never achieve the critical acclaim of HBO/BBC's ROME, it satisfies the more carnal desire for sex, scandal and violence.
Phoebe in Wonderland (2008)
Top notch film... nearly perfect, nearly profound, enchanting regardless
I had not seen, nor heard of this film prior to a recommendation from Netflix. As a fan of works that bridge reality and imagination, I had high hopes, and was not disappointed. The characters feel honest and accurate. The acting is solid across children and adults, leading and supporting roles. Fanning and Clarkson are particularly brilliant, while Ian Colletti is surprisingly strong in a challenging role for a young boy. The directing style and camera movement effectively conveys the roller coaster of emotions and perceptions young Phoebe has, without overpowering subtleties in the acting. The music is perfectly in sync, a rarity in independent films today. Most importantly, the heart of the story captured me immediately and completely.
There were, however, some flaws which keep this from achieving perfection. The first being Felicity Huffman's hair. It is clearly a wig and has an unnatural look about it. It looks like one used for the "cancer patient" on a medical drama. That should have been fixed.
The next being slips in pace. 95% of the film is at Phoebe's pace. She is our hero, she moves the story. That works great. In the few scenes between just Pullman and Huffman, however, the pace slows, creating an awkward hiccup. Minor changes, maybe just in editing, could have solved this.
Finally, and most detrimental, is the "official" diagnosis of Phoebe's condition. The whole film shows her spirit and imagination pitted against her struggles with an affliction. That makes her this special individual, someone we care about. The conclusion, however, gives her this label, a diagnosis. What she has doesn't matter. How she deals with it does. Barnz should have taken a note from Tim Burton's "Big Fish." Burton didn't conclude the journey by forcing Edward Bloom to see the world as everyone else did. His son Will, instead, finally views the world through Edward's eyes. Barnz concluded Phoebe's journey with a simple diagnosis, rather than a profound revelation. Unfortunately, Phoebe's revelation is what I really wanted.
While not perfect, it still remains captivating, moving and enchanting. This story, under the direction of Tim Burton, Spike Jonez or Barry Sonnenfeld (see Pushing Daisies), may have been perfected. Under Bo Welch or Chris Weitz, it could have been forgettable. While Barnz lacks experience, the story is close to his heart, and that's what shines through. It's not perfect, but it's pretty close.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Poor execution plagues this film
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, appears to have a strong backbone... the script is written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and is directed by Rob Cohen of XXX and The Fast & the Furious fame. While this movie does have some moments of genius, where Cohen's directing prowess is truly visible, ultimately it fails. Additionally, once Gough and Millar completed the script they were no longer a part of the creative process, and pressure on Cohen to make the film a pseudo-family movie lead to the downfall of what had been a strong action comedy script. My hope is that Gough and Millar can get behind another TV series, as that is what they excel at. Also, I have no doubt that Cohen will find a more mature project, better suited for his directing style.
Predator Island (2005)
Not Bad for a first
While the special effects are less than special and the dialogue leaves a bit to be desired, it was the first film from TRIPEG studios in connecticut, and it did manage to gain enough support/ momentum to be carried in 9,000 blockbuster locations. The newest film from the same studio is due out next year as one of 4 direct to video releases. So enough about that. three key points: 1. Everyone has to start somewhere - and this is better than the crappy stundent films i've had to sit through 2. It's decent mindless entertainment and only 72 minutes - Remember Alexander was over 2hrs 3. It's independent, outside Hollywood and it still made it onto your local blockbuster's shelf, so give it some credit.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Micheal Moore is a Good Story teller, not a documentarian
Micheal Moore is a great story teller. Has been since TV Nation. The problem is, the movies he makes are not documentaries. Their have been more people saying he misquoted, embellished, and flat out lied about what they said. Even to point where he would ask a person questions and edit their answers to fit what he wanted them to say. Some of the answers in Bowling for Columbine are to questions never included in the movie. And for the record, I don't like George Bush. After Fahrenheit 911, however, I've found that Micheal Moore has little more credibility than the dirty politicians he both supports and condemns. This is not a documentary, it is a political propaganda piece, and should be treated that way. I support Disney for not dirting its hands with this.
Don't vote for president in 2004. Then maybe both parties will realize what jack___es they have selected as Candidates.
Final Stab (2001)
Best DVD money can buy.....If you only have $2
Final Stab was a delightfully pathetic movie. It reminded me of the videos made in my high school film class. That aside, it had potential. The slasher idea, while about as used a week old kitty litter, still has potential to produce "that movie"....another scream (the original). If this script was tossed to John Sayles for a couple weeks it could have been worked into a good piece of work. The potential lied mostly in the fact that it was a murder mystery party, so the victims walked right into there deaths, not expecting anything but a rubber knife and fake blood. The part that killed it was, by far, the writing. Even without changing a thing about story, good writing could have made it more bearable. My friend commented that he thought it was bad acting, but I felt the actors did quite well stumbling over all that awkward dialogue. The villianous sister, played by Erinn Carter is a quite talented actress. She movied onto the Sitcom/improv show "On the spot" with Tim Conway. There she does an excellent job in flexing her comedic muscles. One last comment on the film, while the ending was semi-predictable, I was pleased how it was incorporated. It was the ending that a good slasher filck should have had.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
More blood, more excitement, bigger cliffhanger
Wow...I was amazed at the special effects (namely Golem), captivated by the story..(to lazy to read the books), and astonished by the great acting (Elijah Wood...who knew?). All I can say is.....it's better than sex.