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drjustino
Reviews
Past Lives (2023)
Really wanted to like it more, but when I think about what constitutes 10/10, this isn't it
**VERY MILD SPOILERS JUST TO DISCUSS OVERALL STRUCTURE**
This is a movie, and a review, that I somewhat struggled with. Knowing the basic premise, how it played out on the screen is just not how I thought it would go.
You probably know the overall plot -- Korean woman who emigrated to North America who later "reconnects" with her childhood "boyfriend" after many years. Sounds intriguing, right?
All movies are personal to at least some extent, and if people really liked this and feel like they had a deep connection to it, that is great.
I guess my overarching feeling about it, as it came to a close, was "that's it?" as in, I felt it was very short on substance.
The things I liked were seeing Greta Lee in a non-comedic role, she certainly is capable of a full range and that's great to see. I also liked the immigrant story, there should be so many more stories of that!
Where I think it fell flat was the overall structure -- the director (who I guess came from being a playwright, so it makes sense) chose to basically put it in 3 acts, at ages 12 / 24 / 36. While that sounds good in theory, there was absolutely no transition or exposition, so the change in age on the screen felt very jarring, like what the hell happened in those 12 years, each time? I felt this contributed to not having much empathy for the characters as we don't know how their lives changed / grew / what challenges arose, etc.
I also wished there would have been more details about family life... Especially after Greta Lee emigrated. How did her relationships change? It is assumed she was not close to her parents, and had resentment to at least her father, but why exactly?
Also one minor quibble -- this movie has more "long glances" than I think I've ever seen in a movie before. The first time or two were okay, but once we start getting in to the third, fourth, fifth, and so on, it just becomes distracting and makes it seem like it's just "filler," again, making me wish for more SUBSTANCE.
My other "hot take" is that rather than it being about "past lives," and a relationship that did not come to fruition, it really was more them clinging to the "idea" of each other, and I wish this were really explored more.
So, overall it left me a little disappointed. It's hard to view it as some masterpiece when I compare it to some of my favorite movies (Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once both come to mind, both movies that blew me away and had me in tears, which does not happen often with movies).
I guess I would give it 7.5/10... Certainly worth watching and not some B movie, but not something I would ever watch again.
Cobweb (2023)
Adequately creepy in the first 2/3 but then becomes too over the top
{Mild Spoilers to be able to discuss weaknesses}
Cobweb came out briefly in July 2023, incidentally the same weekend as Barbie and Oppenheimer, which in retrospect seems like a terrible producer decision. Had this movie come out in September or October, in the run up to Halloween, it might have been more successful. There was little to no marketing, as I understand it, due to the writers / actors strikes. I heard about it from a friend who saw it in the theater and overall liked it.
The premise starts out relatively strong; the lead character is a school-aged boy who comes across as a loner with a "vivid" imagination. The child actor incidentally also acted in The Voyage of the Demeter, which came out around the same time. He does a good job within the framework he is given, and it is at least refreshing to really frame the story largely from his perspective. The set up is relatively slow-burn, yet it keeps your attention, despite a few details that did not really make sense, for example it being a SUBSTITUTE teacher who takes an interest in him, and taking quite a few liberties in her involvement in his life. Her "visits" to the home are just not realistic, but I guess serve to show someone outside the family with an interest in his situation.
As the story progresses, the boy hears sounds from the walls, and eventually a girl's voice. He tells his parents but they tell him it's his imagination.
Eventually, it comes out that she's his older sister who the parents are keeping locked away, and she is able to become so sympathetic to him (is it mind control? Who knows, it's never made clear) that she gets him to suddenly face his bully at school which ends up with him being the aggressor in a devastating way for the bully which results in his immediate expulsion. It almost would have never gone down like that in reality; he might have been suspended, or at the very least transferred to some other program, but it was not believable at all to just suddenly be released to his parents, and there would have been social worker involvement. Instead, it just becomes the plot device to allow the parents to lock him in the basement.
From there it goes sideways fast--he poisons his parents (who die nearly instantly which is also not believable) and despite his mother not actually seen as being horrible to him, just stern and emotionally labile, he has no remorse for her and does not listen to her plea of "don't let her out." He does, and surprise, surprise, she's not the innocent girl he was led to believe she is. From this point on, the only redeeming action on the screen is when the bully (who should have been out of commission for months with his severe injury) comes to the house, supposedly on Halloween night, to "settle the score." This in and of itself is ridiculous, because what was their plan to deal with / get past his parents (who they don't know are already incapacitated)? They just let themselves in, and then crazy sister starts picking them off, which while satisfying, also isn't believable because she seemingly has superhuman strength, despite supposedly just being a malnourished freak child? How did she not claw herself out of the walls to begin with? Towards the end the teacher of course comes to save the boy and easily just hacks through the wall with an ax. She is able to save him, leaving the girl/creature behind, and then we are led to believe that either he is still in the house, or gets ADOPTED by the teacher, but either the sister/creature still has power over his thoughts, or is still around?
I know the director (apparently a French director that wanted to branch out in to a U. S.-funded project) wanted to keep things ambiguous on purpose, but the problem is that it is ambiguous where it should not have been (is she human? Is she a ghost? Is she supernatural? What ACTUALLY happened with supposed death of a neighborhood girl? How did no one else ever know of her for years, e.g. A hospital? How was she actually fed and cared for in her younger years?), and NOT ambiguous where it should have been (revealing her in various ways, especially a quick shot of the face).
So, while this was far from even the top 10 horror movies I've seen, it wasn't an unredeemable viewing experience overall. It just kind of makes you wish the script went through more revisions.
I've come to realize that IMDB "majority opinion" generally serves me well in predicting how I will feel about a movie, especially when filtering to U. S. based reviews (there are a lot of cultural aspects in U. S.-funded movies that tend to be lost on international audiences, often leading to slightly more critical or overly-positive reviews from an international audience, versus U. S. audiences). I agree with majority opinion and give Cobweb a 6/10. It's not the worst horror movie out there but fair from the best.
Some positives:
-child actor overall does a good job
-Lizzy Caplan and Anthony Starr as the parents overall have solid performances, although a little uneven from each (perhaps more a problem with the script)
-unique enough premise, especially the first half to two thirds of the movie
-filmed in Bulgaria for an overall good atmosphere
-a few good scares, although could have been better
Negatives:
-way too many plot holes that could have been at least in part addressed to make it more effective overall
-definite tone change about 2/3 in that really detracts from the movie overall
-script really needed a lot of polishing.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Don't underestimate the power of Asian women!
{Mild Spoilers below, just to mention a few never-seen-that-ever-and-never-thought-I-would moments}
Finally got around to seeing this after my sister told me about it Christmas 2022 and then it swept the Oscars (well-deserved and glad The Academy was able to see the power of this film, sometimes they struggle with inventive movies), and I'm glad I waited until the right time.
There are 3,000+ user reviews for this film, making it easily among the most-reviewed movies I've ever seen on IMDb. This movie is genre-busting and an absolute trip, so you have to be READY for it. Don't see it when you're sad or tired or angry, but see it when you can have an open mind ("open your mind to it," like they say in the movie). Even with that, obviously it can't appeal to everyone, but it's encouraging to see that the vast majority of people really are moved by it and appreciate it.
Yes, in the first 10 minutes, it's about Yeoh's character "trying to get her taxes done" (that line gets fed to the streaming providers synopses) but that's the base level.
It's about family relationships, particularly mother-daughter (I am not Asian but it's well-known that Asian mothers and their daughters can have "unique" relationships), but also father-daughter, and husband -wife and wife-wife and girlfriend-girlfriend (you'll get that later).
It's about seeing everything as fatalistic/that nothing matters, and then the ramifications of that being you let that overtake you and keep you from your potential. It's about recognizing that we can matter to each other in our chaotic universe and to not let sight of that, but to let it strengthen us. It's about realizing there is chaos, but that to be kind through the chaos can help make sense of it.
For most, this movie can make you laugh hysterically at the absolute absurdity on the screen (easily the most bizarrely creative movie I've ever seen, in a good way) but then as it comes to resolution with the two strong forces in the universe (Yeoh's character and her daughter), as she chooses to not let her go, and with that acceptance and not rejection (like her father let her go when she was with Ke Huy Quan's character, young and in love), you can become tearful. I surprised myself by reacting that way--i haven't cried at a movie since Moonlight, if I remember correctly.
And... where else will you see supersize-suction-cup dildos, a Pomeranian, a fanny pack, and so much more, used as weapons??!! Where else will you see a buttplug-shaped employee of the year award that needs to BE a buttplug to access the multiverse and the other versions of you that give you extra abilities? Where else will you see Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh dancing and canoodling with hot dog fingers? In what other movie will a spinning everything bagel be the place to avoid bringing upon the multiverse into nothingness? Yep, it's all here, and it all absolutely is mind-blowing.
There are four main actors/actresses, with Yeoh as lead, Ke Huy Quan (who others have said was the kid in Temple of Doom) likely next in screentime/story, then Stephanie Hsu, and then Jamie Lee Curtis. They all won respective actress/actor Oscar awards with the exception of Hsu (who was nominated), and personally I thought she had a slight edge over Curtis but she was amazing too. I hope Hsu gets her recognition eventually, they just went with the more experienced actress in this case. Also extremely impressive was James Hong, a true legend who was 93(!) when this came out! Also Oscars for best picture, original screenplay, best director(s), and film editing, all extremely well-deserved. Not often in Oscar World when there is a sweep like that, so glad they got it right.
On a personal note, this movie can be inspiring. I, like perhaps some, have absolutely felt in a rut for a while. I've been getting sucked into the abyss of "nothing matters, why try." I'm instead left with a sense of hope and acceptance, that I want to recognize the good I have in life and just be open to the world around me. Oh no, it got to me again, tearing up again...
The Creator (2023)
While "inspired" from works that came before it, different enough to be very compelling
I've largely given up on critics these days, as have a vast majority of people, likely because they seemingly want to dissect a movie from top to bottom and make sweeping judgments. This tends to push them to view works so clinically, that we get reactions like many reviewers. Maybe it's a matter of people only wanting action without depth, or depth that becomes too esoteric, but they can't wrap their heads about something that could be both, and then react negatively. I, for one, like many people, prefer "shades of grey," as that is actually more compelling.
As some have said, "did we watch the same movie?" If you aren't the type that likes Sci-Fi, then DON'T WATCH THIS OR OTHER SIMILAR MOVIES AND THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT IT.
Some criticisms I've read from noted critics:
-"short on substance" due to too much borrowing from other works
-becomes "superficial" and does not deliver an "emotional wallop" because the characters and their connections are not fleshed out enough
-the film "forces a father-daughter bond that's rushed and unearned"
-Washington's performance "doesn't convince us of his evolution"
-the film has "convoluted logic," whatever the hell that is supposed to mean
-it's insulting to writers and actors due to their concerns of AI in their respective fields
To rebut these points:
1) yes there is a lot of inspiration from other works (or people like to say "derivative" these days), but all art imitates that which came before to some extent, but in this case, there was nothing I felt was "copied," just INSPIRED. Yes, we've seen the "important child on a journey with a father figure" plenty of times (Terminator 2, The Last of Us, The Golden Child, etc.), but this is different enough (e.g. It's a girl android that is learning)
2) lack of character development? Quite the contrary, there is enough backstory and ongoing development that it DID feel like this got the balance right
3) forces an "unearned" father-daughter bond -- again, quite the contrary as this takes time to develop (the first 45 minutes or so of them together he views her much differently, but this semi-slowly starts to change as the movie progresses)
4) While Washington is a "nepo baby," his performance was well-done and his character DID show much depth and evolution
5) "convoluted logic" - I can't rebut these broadly vague types of statements from critics when they don't provide examples
6) The comparison to AI tools in Hollywood feels weird here because that is using generative text tools to speed up creative writing (which I, like most, am not a fan of, since current AI writing is generally pretty clunky, and that detracts from actual human creative writing), which is COMPLETELY different to how AI is portrayed in the film
In summary, I give the film 8.5/10 (but rounding up to 9).
Now, it's not a 10/10 to me, that is very difficult to achieve (I do think Everything Everywhere All At Once deserves 10/10).
Some areas of weakness in my mind is the story would have been added by a little more background into the geopolitics, e.g. How did the sides get drawn? What was the other side's response to the U. S.'s reaction? If the other side claimed it was not their fault, why was this not explained more? The U. S. also comes across poorly to some degree, as an "aggressor," and some have made comparisons to the Vietnam War, so if you are the type that "reads in" to movies and injects your own politics, then it might not be one for you.
I think the visuals were AWESOME, some the of best in modern cinema. The budget was supposedly only $80 million and yet with using more creative techniques they made it work. They also filmed mostly on location in Thailand, from what I read.
It's also fun to see Allison Janney in a role as a military leader?! Never thought I would see that, but it actually worked!
Marriage of Inconvenience (2023)
Fun for a quick binge
This series seems to have been "review bombed," as there are multiple low ratings without a review, perhaps because it is involving same-sex relationships and people still can't handle that today.
The series was surprising in that the two main characters actually seemed to interact well together and there were actually a lot of laughs and also more poignant moments, which is remarkable since it's only about 6 episodes of ~20 minutes each.
Basically, two gay men are put into witness protection, one from a stalker, and the other the reason is not necessarily clear (only alluded that he was involved in selling drugs for someone). They have to "fake" the relationship to the neighbors, etc.
If you want something funny that involves same sex relationships/characters, this fits the bill!
Blockers (2018)
Your mileage may vary but I only chuckled one time and it was not from any of the main characters
Obviously humor is an individual concept but I was surprised how NOT funny this movie was to me, especially since I generally find even the raunchy ones that get trashed by critics to be at least mostly funny or with some redeeming quality, for example, every Melissa McCarthy comedy.
The concept of this movie seems solid, three parents of three teenage girls that met the first day of school and became friends, who "band together" to attempt to stop the daughters from losing their respective virginities on prom night. Seems like could make for a lot of laughs, right? Wrong (at least to me). I think the problem with the movie is the script, it is wasted on the three main parent characters (Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz), who generally have been funny in other comedies (e.g. 40 Year Old Virgin, Trainwreck, Neighbors, etc.). The writing is just not funny or believable in the slightest. The parents act clueless, like they have no idea what emojis mean? Even my 75 year old parents know what they mean. It goes for gags and shock value (beer chugging through your as*? Other parents' sexcapades? Cars standing on edge and exploding?) and they don't work. The only slightly redeeming moments are when the parents try to connect to the girls, like when the one girl comes out as lesbian to Ike Barinholtz' character, but again the writing is so poor it does not come across as a believable moment and it becomes more about how happy he heard the news before his ex did, and he never even tells her he accepts her she loves her? I had this movie saved forever and now after finally watching I will be happy to delete it. This is a perfect example of how so many "professional" reviewers don't know jack. Don't believe me? CinemaScore audience polling is a good indicator of actual good movies -- generally good movies get A-, A, or A+, and less-good movies get Bs and lower. For example, this movie got a B, as did Marvel's Eternals, which is the lowest-rated Marvel movie in the franchise, and has a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
I don't understand why people here are rating it 10/10!
WARNING: CONTAINS A FEW spoilers
Let me start by saying I am a primo Trek fan. I've seen every episode of every series, I actually cried when the last Generation and DS9 episodes aired.
Everyone who knows Trek knows that in the Original movies the odd numbered ones sucked, with V being the worst, followed by I, and then III (which I thought was OK, just hokey). In the Next Gen movies, First Contact was definitely the best, and you could place the other two in whatever order you want.
I hadn't seen this movie in the theater because it wasn't a time when I was with other Trek fans, and there were so many other big movies out at the same time. Eventually so much time had passed, and I had heard it was not great. Boy was it ever!
I blame the very poor script, (by John Logan and Brent Spiner) and a director (Stuart Baird) who had NEVER SEEN any of the Next Gen before, how ridiculous is that?!
There are so many holes it's just not even funny.
Here are just a few:
* they get a "signal" of positron emissions from a planet, which means it's another Data. Now I can't remember from the show, but I don't think that had ever been able to detect it from a planet to a ship. They never explain any of this, finding pieces of an old Data prototype on some planet, other than it was to lure the Enterprise close to Shinzon. How did he get the prototype? Why was it in pieces? Why did they use a dune buggy that was really like 350 year old technology? Why did they not care about the Advanced Directive about not interfering with a pre- warp civilization, who then randomly shoots at them, like Mad Max?!
*Of course it's no big deal to just download Data's brain into his suddenly-not-in pieces prototype, who magically is working instantly.
*The Romulan Senate has like no security (even though they are suspicious people) and one leaves behind a "bomb" device that goes unnoticed until it's too late. The downfall of the Klingon Empire in VII was miles ahead.
*They leave the shields down when dealing with Picard's clone who obviously is up to no good, so he can be kidnapped.
*They don't explain how Data swaps for B-4 on the Scimitar, or how the enemy didn't know, or differentiate between the two, or anticipate the swap.
*The Remans, who are light- sensitive, beam aboard, yet they don't brighten the lights.
*The fight sequences are actually very slow... Why didn't the far more powerful Scimitar just keep firing? The pacing was terrible.
*The Enterprise rams the Scimitar at a painfully slow pace, and yet they can't react, even though it has shields, it just kind of half- buckles into it. Both ships still maintain their integrity, and the Scimitar's weapon isn't disabled, and of course takes minutes to charge up.
*Because the transporters are down Data launches himself into space, and yeah that works. Please.
*Picard doesn't act like typical Picard and doesn't shoot his clone, but then they can get into a convenient knife battle, and then of course hesitates and doesn't want to finish him off.
*Data then just blows the weapon up with a simple phaser blast with two seconds to spare (Data doesn't act like Data and hesitates too), and the whole ship is instantly pulverized by a phaser into a weapon that before was shown drying out flesh, but yeah okay who needs consistency?
So they kill Data off but somehow this is okay because his memory is in the prototype, no big deal.
Overall, the directing and the writing were terrible. I think this movie is now the second worst in the franchise after the original #5.
I wonder what Gene Roddenberry would think, he'd probably hate it on almost every level.
So there you have it, from a true Trekkie (yes I've gone to conventions and I've won trivia contests).