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johnott1864
Reviews
Hostiles (2017)
Too PC, not true to the times.
One hour and thirty-seven minutes in, I turned it off with no interest to see how it ended. I don't have much to say beyond what others have said already. Today's PC values inserted into another era, kind of a revisionist version of the times. It's Hollywood pushing their world view. Very one-sided.
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy replacement doesn't work.
It's like taking the Lord of the Rings trilogy and in the 3rd movie changing directors to Tim Burton and replacing Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen with Bruce Willis. ....it's too much of a change and dosn't work. Whereas Ron Perlman seemed a sympathetic and somewhat approachable character, David Harbour is a more sinister, cold and irredeemable version. Couldn't get past Harbour's grim appearance. He was an extremely ugly Hellboy.
Yi dai zong shi (2013)
Artsy and sentimental
Fight scenes kind of drag on with slow motion and dramatic music. Movements nicely choreographed but camera never stays in one spot for long which makes it difficult to watch. Each movement generates a different camera angle. Although most movies of this genre have a quasi love story running in the background this one is mainly in the foreground. Enjoyable, but could have been better.
Texas Rangers (2001)
Not watchable.
The problems encountered would have demanded Military intervention, but instead we have the Rangers. Not very believable plot points. Too predictable and "movie like". Not anywhere near the quality of Open Range or Lonesome dove. I stopped watching ten minutes in.
Radius (2017)
Intriguing, then "yawn" the end.
Interesting at first. Kept looking for a big reveal. Constantly questioning the characters actions and reasoning. Why did they do that, or why did they say that. Their actions at times didn't make any sense. The ending was weak, an easy way out and fell flat. Disappointing. Would not recommend.
End of a Gun (2016)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Seagal made some pretty good movies back in the day, but now he seems out of his element and past his prime. It reminds me of John Wayne playing Attila the Hun, no matter what he played he was always John Wayne. Seagal's style of "speak softly and carry a big stick" works in some venues but it has become his trademark and it's getting old. His constant whispering of dialogue seems so out of place with the gangsta slang he uses. He mumbles his words without any emotion whatsoever. I just don't believe the types of characters he portrays would be so soft spoken and philosophical. He really needs to find a script that is written just for him and his style of acting. The action, when available, are his typical Aikido moves. The script is sort of a rehash and compilation of other similar action movies. Nothing new or striking. It's a movie you could turn off halfway through and forget about.
Backcountry (2014)
Mediocre
I don't write many reviews but I've seen a lot of movies. The nine and ten star reviews listed here are way out of whack. They imply that this movie rates equal to or higher than classic motion picture masterpieces is insane. There were too many blurry out of focus camera shots and they were annoying to say the least, They added nothing in the way of suspense or drama and I saw no artistic merit in them (and I'm an artist). In a nut shell, you have these two knuckleheads out in the woods doing all the wrong things. An accident waiting to happen. No skill involved, it's just dumb luck that she survives at all. You keep waiting for the bear to pursue her in some kind of harrowing chase sequence, where the bear keeps coming and coming and keeps popping up at every turn, but it never happens. The bear is "around", kind of loitering, but doesn't seem hell bent on catching her. Will she kill or injure the bear with that flare she's been saving? No, she just lights it and walks around with it until it's all used up. Eventually she stumbles onto a canoe near the lake and she paddles to safety. Ho-hum.
Django Unchained (2012)
Less than expected.
The story and the acting were good but the implementation could have been better. The main character is nothing more than a black Clint Eastwood, so in that respect it's kind of a rip-off of his spaghetti westerns. The musical score is terrible. It doesn't come close to matching the era or the scenes themselves. Gunfights are very graphic and most will find them over the top. It's not something I'd put in my collection, neither is it something that is good for repeated viewing. Everyone seems to give it rave reviews but I think it's because they are just Tarantino movie fans and are letting his reputation feed into their opinion.