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sakiververis
Reviews
Unfrosted (2024)
Better than strudel
If you like Jerry's comedy you will like this movie. It was a fun ride all the way through. A comedy about cereal, what's a better Seinfeld premise than that? There were so many cameos and known actors playing the roles that when it came time to see the president, my wife and I paused the movie to guess who it would be. We knew the president would be Kennedy, and there were several SNL cast members, so my guess was for Colin Jost, who would have been fun to see, but they actually made a pick who was a better obvious choice.
Given how many known people were in this movie, there were a few people I was expecting to see that weren't there. Only bringing it up to add to the intrigue, but I'll say one. Barack Obama.
Overall, a great comedy that's packed with great comedians and actors. All of whom were funny. I will definitely watch it again in the near future.
Batman Ninja: Made in Japan (2018)
Visions before visions
The mouse recently did this with Star Wars, I was surprised DC did this 2 years earlier. I thought it was fun. The art is good, action is good, voice acting is good. Frankly, I could watch a whole season of this story.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
Soul and charm
The casting on this show alone makes it one of the most watchable things I've seen in the last 5 years. The story telling is solid. My only critique is that I just saw that they didn't pick it up for a second season, which is such a bad call. My brothers and I grew up watching the original series. As fans, we have all found our way to this version and enjoy it as true to the characters and the vibe of the original. I was excited to see where they would go with this cast, and these characters who have been with me for a long time. I am a fan of this version, hats off to the ones who made it happen. But haters got to hate, they cannot help themselves. It is their nature.
Search Party (2016)
It's like if modern family had a love child with seinfeld and gave the baby up for adoption
Except not really. This show is my new favorite thing. I caught a glimpse of another review that was negative. Something about the show being confusing, which is understandable if you're only use to seeing family sit-coms. This show asks you to think just a little bit.
The millennial main characters can seem alien if you are use to more traditional stories, but the basic premise is pretty straight forward. Young woman struggles to find the meaning of life, especially her own life. Wannabe intellectuals surround her in her quest, but everyone is pretty much going through a similar struggle because they are in the same point in their own lives.
The tempo is great. It doesn't spoon feed the audience. It's the right balance of silly and funny.
That's My Boy (2012)
Classic Sandler
For those of us who grew up on Sandler, listened to the comedy tapes, watched Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore at least once month, respected Big Daddy, loved Little Nicky and weren't afraid to admit it--we will always love Sandler. The more mass market stuff gets a lot of hate, and I'll admit I'm not into them for the most part, although (let's be honest) his romcoms are the best in the biz.
But this movie is not a mass market movie. It is crass, its main character is mostly despicable, it threads a tough needle through some very taboo subject matter like statutory rape, incest, and stolen valor. Yet somehow Sandler rises to the challenge of poking fun at this material and makes his character, Donnie Berger, an all around endearing person.
Sandberg clearly understands Sandler's sense of humor and plays the perfect straight man to Sandler's over the top Mass hole character. As a person who grew up in the Boston suburbs, Sandler does an amazing job capturing the stereotypical Boston alpha male. He hams it way up, but he's consistent and it works.
My only regret is coming late to the party. I wish I had seen this sooner. Like other classic Sandler movies, TmB has high re-watch value. I'm looking forward to watching again and again and again.
Ballers (2015)
It's not actually a spoiler if nothing happens
This strong ensemble cast suffers from a whitewashed plot line. I can only assume the producers are wary of offending the NFL, but it's like they cut away right when something crazy should happen.
For instance in the last episode, one of the main characters is interviewing with the Nola Saints. He gets to the Big Easy, and spoiler alert, falls asleep in his hotel room. Crazy right. Same episode, a football player wants to buy shitty property and Dwayne Johnson convinces him he shouldn't. Sorry, should have said spoiler alert before revealing that big plot twist.
The players on any given Sunday, or The replacements seem way more real. This feels like it has potential, but backs way off when it comes to controversy. It makes the Miami high-life look like a PBS kids show...with a spackling of F-bombs and a naked girl now and again. Edgy stuff...
Stranger Things (2016)
Chills
Only two episodes in and it's very apparent that a lot of love went into this show. The casting is blowing me away. The sets are incredible. Just awesomesauce everywhere.
They have teens doing at least half of the acting and they come across as so authentic.
Winona Ryder is the most recognizable face in Stranger and she is completely immersed in her role. Zero ego, she shines as a single 80s mom in an impossible situation. He emotional performance makes the story come alive.
There is a nearly perfect blend of drama, horror, sci-fi, and all balanced by a fun sense of humor. The 80's nostalgia is strong. I hope they borrow a page from American Horror Story and come with different themes for many seasons to come.
Childhood's End (2015)
All is well that ends well
And this didn't end well. Even though the book ended in the same way, the book ending was more poetic and led to bigger questions of God and the meaning of life.
In fairness however, this miniseries was very well cast. The acting was excellent. The special effects were excellent. The writing and story telling was very good.
However, this story is near and dear to so many lovers of sci-fi because of the impression it left on us. Childhoods End, in its book form, is a story about humanity and the meaning of life. The book's end was a Matrix moment, where human potential was limitless and beautiful. God was real but far beyond any concept derived by established religions. I've debated with people for hours at a time about these concepts which were inspired by the story.
This miniseries pulled some punches that made some of these bigger ideas fall flat. For one, in the original story, the overlords give people technology to look into the past and see actual historical events as they really occurred. This was a big part of the story because it pulled up the curtains on a lot of religious, and other, misplaced convictions. Then, again in the original story, the overlords wait 100 years before they reveal themselves, rather than 15. This was a critical mistake in the miniseries, the short amount of time everything takes place makes earth's destruction tragic.
I watched the miniseries with my wife, who'd never read the book, she enjoyed the whole thing but the end was so depressing that she got angry at me for making her watch it.
Audiences only want stories without hope in their Drama or horror. Sci-fi without horror, has an expectation of hope. The Childhoods End miniseries missed that. Instead we were left with very well done up demon aliens, who weren't actually demons, but helped blow up earth because...that's what they do. Lame.
Enterprise (2001)
So good
I'm no trekkie...at least I wasn't, but this show is so good. Since it's been on netflix I've been going through it at a pretty good clip. But the story lines are both engrossing and entertaining. The cast has regular standout performances and handle the inevitable cheese with poise. They also balanced the characters really well and improved on the classic Star Trek formula.
I started with season two on a whim and now about a third of the through season 3 I'm hooked. It's a shame it was cancelled but it had a really good run. Great sets, special effects range from amazing to bearable but the story and acting more than make up for any production defects--and those really are minimal. My only complaint is the title sequence; the way it was edited matches the theme for the show but the song is sounds like it would be more at home on some preteen melodrama and that's the only reason it didn't get a 9.
See ya later space cowboys
Everything Must Go (2010)
Great acting, good production
If you ever wanted to see Will Ferrell reprise his role as Mugato then this is the movie for you! ...Nah, just kidding. This is the most straight role I've seen WF in, but it was still funny, kind of in the same way as those short youtube videos he did with the little girl playing the landlord, except way more dry. My only complaint is that it would have been fun to see more Glenn Howerton, who had a couple great scenes, and for all the artistic merit the anticlimactic ending may have had it would have been way more satisfying- -from an entertainment perspective--to see an ultimate redemption; I'm a closet escapist and yes I know it's what makes movies soulless but it also makes them rewatchable.