Mustang92 Reviews

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Leave this Movie Behind

[2/10 · 21 December 2023]

Really. Leave this movie behind. Don't waste your time.

Pointless heap of trash. I guess a number of critics are raving about this movie, but that's only because there's some "meaningful" dialogue about life. But that "meaningful" dialogue is only masking a vapid, pointless, boring story. And that "meaningful" dialogue could fit on one side of a 3x5 notecard.

With this cast, you would think this would be a good movie. A powerful movie. Save your time. It's not. Don't say I didn't warn you, LOL.

And as others have pointed out here, the plot holes are numerous. For example, there is no way that ALL our satellites could be taken out by any adversary. Cannot happen. It's not like we only have a dozen satellites. The U. S. has over 3,000 in the sky. And the military ones are not going to be hackable.

Secondly, how is any "Noise" going to be able to be used against us? It would take an invading army with equipment -- and an invading army landing on our shores is entirely implausible. There can be no "Red Dawn." What a joke. Not even close to realistic. And there are more plot holes.

Too bad the writer/director of this movie couldn't write a better story with a better premise.

Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets (2022)

Horrible

[2/10 · 11 September 2023]

This was a really piss-poor documentary about the GameStop short squeeze. Actually, it was hardly about that; if one knows little about it, you won't learn about it here. This was mostly talking heads of various retail buyers -- most of whom were boring as heck.

Secondly, the timeline was horrible. There was a point when some pundit (or hedge fund person) said the stock was going to go to $20, but at this point, all we'd seen on screen was that it was rising from $15/$16/$17. We didn't know that when he said this, the stock was way above that. So the timeline of this film was crap, the editing sucked, and the directing was atrocious.

And what was with all the B-roll of stupid stuff, like an astronaut getting ready and then the rocket taking off? All this horrible footage to break up the talking heads footage? Was this everyone's first film?? Apparently NBC News produced this, but OMG! What a piece of crap.

Would have been nice to learn more about what only was brought up in the last 10 minutes, about how there may have been manipulation happening against the retail investors after some hedge funds lost big money. THAT is an important part of the story. Well, I guess there's a movie coming out on this shortly, so don't waste your time on this doc, check out the movie coming out soon, or read a book on this. Can't learn a thing from this lame film.

Beef (2023– )

Not as poignant or deep as you might expect

[5/10 · 4 July 2023]

The Good:

-- Actors are quite good.

-- Production Design quite good. Visually interesting until the last episode (which was super, super boring).

The Bad or Mediocre: -- The writing / storylines / sub-plots

Which is a shame.

The writing is meaningless for the most part. There's noting really "deep" here. Two people lose control in their cars, and it just spirals downward over the succeeding 5+ hours.

The most (maybe) poignant thing said in this whole series, is that "life fades," "everything fades." Wow. That's deep, LOL.

Also, the problem with the storylines / sub-plots, is that the writers wrote situations for heightened drama (which is okay), but these often were NOT in line with who the characters were. The characters' actions were not "motivated" based on who these characters were.

For example, late in the series, Isaac, who has just gotten released from jail again (and who hates jail, and is worried about being killed there by another ethnic group), immediately decides to commit kidnapping for ransom. This isn't even realistic for THIS character at this point. Someone who's a petty criminal and commits larceny, suddenly decides to commit kidnapping of a 5 year old kid after being released from jail literally hours ago? Not believable.

We call this "jumping the shark." Which happens multiple times in this Series. The writers/creators jump the shark at least a half dozen times. Ridiculous. It's lazy writing.

This would have been a much better series if the writing was better, AND meaningful. Not the lame dribble drabble of the last episode -- which SHOULD have been the most meaningful & important. Instead, the writers jump the shark again and have George shoot Danny. Why? To shock the audience. Not because it made sense and fit George's character. Incredibly lame.

The Forever Prisoner (2021)

Some Americans should be in Gitmo

[5/10 · 8 December 2021]

Not one of Alex Gibney's best documentaries. He really gets into the weeds on this one. While some of that may be necessary, given the subject matter, we're left at the end -- in essence -- with nothing much having changed. And NO ONE was ever held accountable. The bad guys -- besides Abu Zubaydah -- are several Americans, including former CIA Director George Tenet (he really is a piece of you-know-what and should be in prison himself), along with James Mitchell (a psychologist) and Jose Rodriguez (the former director of CIA's Counterterrorism Center). These men are pieces of you-know-what. They should ALL be in jail for their inhumanity, their violation of human rights, their implementation of torture techniques.

Sure, Alberto Gonzales (former Attorney General in Bush's cabinet) and John Yoo (another horrible attorney in Bush's White House) are to blame as well. Along with VP Dick Cheney, of course. But for James Mitchell and Jose Rodriguez to "carry the water" and implement the torture techniques against prisoners, when there was never any evidence that torture actually works to get prisoners to "talk"... they should be held accountable. And James Mitchell made $81 Million dollars from our Government for doing this! He laughed all the way to the bank. And at the end, he justifies it all with, "I believed I was working to save millions of American lives from the next, worse terrorist attack." Really, James?? You're a liar.

All the behind the scenes fighting between the FBI and CIA... don't know that we needed all this in this doc. There's always infighting among major agencies.

Anyway, this film could have been streamlined. And all the quick cuts of redacted cables? They're so fast you can't read a lot of them while listening to the voice over, and ultimately, what's the point? Why do we even need to see these? Is there really nothing else that can be shown onscreen? This was all a bit too much.

Apartment 413 (2019)

Pointless Journey

[2/10 · 26 September 2021]

Sorry, indie filmmakers. Maybe start with a better script?

The setup is okay. But a guy losing his marbles has been done a million times (and brilliantly with "The Shining" 4 decades ago), so why tell THIS story? How is it different? What makes this story so special to tell?

And unlike "The Shining" which had a significant Supernatural component -- none of that is present here. Nothing supernatural, just a guy who's crazy to begin with (though we don't know that at the beginning), and proceeds to lose it more & more during the movie. Ho-hum.

And the big "twist" near the end, that his pregnant girlfriend doesn't even exist...? Yawn.

The only reason this gets more than one star, is because the actors were good. But there's no depth to this story, there's nothing "special" about this story. In short, it's entirely skippable.

3 Years in Pakistan: The Erik Aude Story (2018)

Not horrible, but questionable

[4/10 · 27 August 2021]

I have met Erik a few times at poker games. He used to run some games (poker tournaments) at his home. I don't know if this documentary is all accurate, or inflated for "dramatic" purposes. But I will say, some of the talking heads near the end who called him "honest"...?

Well... there were allegations by people I knew, honest people, who claimed Erik's poker games at his home were crooked. That shady and illegal manipulations happened. I never saw any of this myself, but I trusted the allegations these people made -- and they had never made these allegations about anyone else's poker games. So when I heard them, and spoke with several players, I made the decision to never play in any of Erik's games again. And I haven't.

Tenet (2020)

Dumbest Movie of the Year

[1/10 · 9 May 2021]

Want to see a crap movie? Here it is.

Here's all you need to know:

• Plot holes galore. Such as, the convention that you cannot meet yourself in time travel, or bad things happen (or you die)... that is what is said in the film. Yet when the lead character does "meet" himself, nothing happens. Or how about those oxygen masks? Where's the actual oxygen for these masks? They're not connected to anything, LOL.

• Storyline is convoluted as hell. Oh, so I'm supposed to watch this twice to "get" it? Hell no, that's BS.

• Even the convention of inversion (and inversion ordinance) or backwards action(s) isn't even realistic. It's like some stupid idea that a fifth-grader came up with, that makes no sense and has no possible "realism" in science fiction.

• 75% of the dialogue is unintelligible. Accident? Intentional? I don't know and I don't care. That's BS. Bad, horrible filmmaking. WTF has happened to Christopher Nolan? Has his ego grown so huge that he just doesn't give a crap about the audience anymore?

• Oh, and when the sound effects, score, etc rise in volume, and there's still dialogue? They raise the level of the dialogue too. Okay, I get why, but all the background sounds/effects/score/etc should not go SO loud that it drowns out the already-unintelligible dialogue. Ridiculous.

• Acting is pretty weak from the leads (except for the bad guy, Kenneth Branagh, and his wife). Especially John David Washington. Is he horrible? No. But he's mediocre.

• We don't care about any of these characters. Story is such that, despite all the exposition in this movie, we really don't care whether any of these people live or die -- or whether the world ends or not. That's an epic fail in storytelling.

• And speaking of exposition... WTF? Probably 80% of this movie is exposition. That's an epic fail. If you have to keep stopping the story to tell us and explain what is going on, then you've failed in the writing and making of the movie. Hey, I'm all for complicated movies that have time travel in them. "12 Monkeys" (the movie) is one of the best. But no one HAS to see that movie twice to understand WTF is going on. And that movie doesn't stop its story every 5 minutes to explain to us what is going on and what has to happen next.

Such a shame. Waste of a movie. This is not "The Prestige" or "The Dark Knight" or "Momento." So don't expect that if you take the plunge.

The Courier (2019)

"The Courier" delivers... a whole load of crap

[1/10 · 10 April 2021]

One of the worst movies, ever. Here's what you'll get a kick out of, if you watch it:

1) Plot Holes galore. No, not one. Not two. Many. You would have thought the writer of this trash just fell off the turnip truck in the Eastern Bloc. (Well... maybe he did. This was his first screenplay.)

2) The acting is atrocious. Not completely with everyone, but pretty much. The witness is horrible. Either he doesn't know how to act, or the idiot director doesn't know how to direct actors. (Yes, the director is an idiot to have directed this poorly.) Oh, and the leader of the hit team who's also an FBI agent? His acting is the worst I've seen in YEARS.

3) No reality to the action sequences. First of all, when Kurylenko gets the crap beaten out of her regularly, there is NO way ANYONE could get back up. Yet she does, consistently. It's just not realistic. Massive guys kicking her butt, and her reactions show it. Yet she gets back up. Sorry. You want a woman heroine who kicks butt against the toughest dudes? There's a realistic limit to how many blows a person can even take. A recent movie that handled this well was "Anna." This movie is no "Anna." The director is an idiot.

4) No reality to anything. Not the action sequences, not where Kurylenko and the witness are supposedly trapped. Heck, even the bad guys' guns being biometric or "smart guns" is ludicrous. LUDICROUS. What group of bad guys or hit team would EVER use guns that no one else could fire but them?? Completely stupid and unrealistic. But the story is set up this way, so that Kurylenko can't use any of these. Beyond stupid.

Oh, but then near the end, she somehow finds a gun case just sitting there in the garage with a gun she can use against the sniper dude. What?? Really?? Just magically appears. Jesus, this was one steaming pile. Don't waste your time.

The Flight Attendant (2020–2022)

What's with the Writers ???

[4/10 · 5 January 2021]

The show is flawed. Nicely shot, but flawed. Here's the problems:

• Looks like each episode had a different writer. That's a problem, with a storyline that continues from one episode to the next. The result is that by Episode 5, it gets very repetitive. Cassie gets drunk each episode. Cassie makes a bad decision each episode. The "visions" she has with the dead guy stop adding anything new to the story, and begin to get boring and annoying.

I suppose if you have a really good head writer or story editor overseeing each show's script, perhaps that could solve the problem. But that person on this series has failed.

• Certainly by Episode 5, her constantly getting drunk or retreating to alcohol wears thin. Okay, she's an alcoholic, we get it for chrissakes.

• The subplot of the Megan character engaging in espionage for North Korea... really? WTF? It seems like a tacked on subplot, to get a semi-name actor to accept that role (instead of having an unknown actor for that role). It really makes no sense for this subplot to be in here, when it has nothing to do with anything else. Ridiculous.

• They use the "Deux ex machina" writing device in the last Episode, to save Cassie from her killer. I mean, how LAZY can we get here, folks? A fellow flight crew member, who's been a crew member from the beginning of the series, comes into the hotel room and shoots the killer -- because he's an undercover CIA agent. Who has nothing to do with the main plot. So why has he been in the story all along? Because he was tracking Megan and her espionage. BUT... Megan doesn't commit the espionage (of stealing documents and handing them off to foreign agent) until the middle of the series! So why would the undercover CIA agent be there tracking Megan before any espionage ever takes place? Ridiculous.

And of course, the hotel room door was locked so how did he get it? And how did he know Cassie was in danger, anyway? Could these writers get any lazier? That's the question I'd like answered.

• Character motivations don't track realistically. And as mentioned, Cassie making so many bad, stupid decisions...? One or two, okay. But each episode? C'mon. When your audience begins to think "she is really stupid," you lose your audience's support for the character. (And I would not be surprised if the audience numbers dropped with each successive episode.)

• Flashbacks of Cassie as a child, with her Dad sometimes, brother sometimes, etc... this all gets very repetitive too. They must have also used the same footage for some of this stuff, 3 and 4 times. My God, folks, we get it. Only need to see it once. Producers: Stop boring us!

Suffice it to say, if this gets a second season, I will NOT be watching. First few episodes were good and interesting, but it devolved from there.

Heaven's Gate (2020)

fascinating subject, but poorly done

[3/10 · 2 January 2021]

The "Heaven's Gate" Cult... a fascinating subject, that due to the filmmakers/creators, have turned this into one long bore fest.

First of all, 4 hours? It would have improved at least 50%, had they cut this thing in half. There is SO much extraneous time wasted on "talking heads" interviews of family members saying a whole lot of nothing. Sure, some is okay, gotta have that. But it's just too damn much. And even some of the ex-cult member footage, it felt like it was there because they needed 4 hours for CNN or HBO.

Speaking of ex-cult members, the one who's voice is messed up: sometimes they have subtitles for him, and sometimes they didn't. Why? WTF? He's difficult to understand, there should have been subtitles for this dude every time he speaks. This just shows a sloppiness to me on how this doc was made.

And what's with these looney animations that run through the series. I mean, they are weird. Out of place. They don't belong in a documentary like this. Who's "brilliant" idea was it to put this stuff in here? The director's? The producers'? Lame, lame, lame.

Given the subject matter, this could have been a really good doc. So either they didn't have enough home movie footage from the cult members, and other interesting behind-the-scenes footage, or, the filmmaker(s) don't know how to craft a good doc. This wasn't even half as good as "The Vow" (another doc series about another cult). What a shame.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

We needed Vampires or Zombies or Nudity

[3/10 · 26 December 2020]

Many flaws in this crappola movie, such as:

• A habitable Moon circling Jupiter with Colorado landscape AND air...!
• Some kind of unexplained Apocalypse on Earth (with radiation) that is/will affect the entire planet -- even the poles -- within days. Would never happen, not even with a WW3.
• George Clooney's character never gets hypothermia, even though a normal person would be dead after the first "incident."
• Clooney's character has cancer or some terminal disease -- and NEVER hallucinates except about an "imaginary" 6 year old girl. Huh?? (Which we later learn would be his daughter from the past -- who he's never even met. WTF?) How convenient that he only hallucinates about that.
• Since his 6 year old daughter isn't actually there, how'd the fire get started in the kitchen? Or who left the half-eaten bowl of cereal on the table? And what effing idiot wrote this effing script?
• The spacecraft goes off course early in the movie (just like the movie itself!), and is so off course, they have to map a new route to Earth. What a bunch of crap. This is 2049. Spacecraft in 2020 (heck, even in the last century) don't go off course this bad. They are always course-correcting, CONSTANTLY.
• But now because it's SO off course, they have to map a new route, and there's a section in our Solar System that hasn't been mapped so taking that route could be dangerous. WHAT? Our entire Solar System has been mapped. It was mapped 40+ years ago. Scientists know where all the astroid belts are, etc. And it's not 2020 anyway, it's 2049!
• When the Maya character gets a life-threatening injury, there is no doctor or medical expert among the crew of 5. WHAT? Give me a break. How ludicrous.

Now for some cliches:

• Of course, we have to have scenes where the space craft has trouble communicating with Earth. Check.
• And we have to have people from the spacecraft do a space walk, where one of more will be in danger of being killed while outside the craft. Check.
• And one of them will be killed, and it will be the character with the smallest role. Check. (As soon as the Maya character was told she'll be going out to help fix the damage from the meteor shower, I knew she'd be dying.)

One of the writers of this movie, was the writer of "The Revenant" -- another SnoreFest. Maybe someday he can learn how to write a script that can hold an audience's attention. Of all the Oscar Nominations "The Revenant" got, not one for the writing! The other writer of this lame movie, has apparently never written a script before. If only these 2 writers had added some Vampires or Zombies or something a little more engaging, I might have added an extra star or two. ;)

And why did George Clooney direct this? Why, George, why? Your best movie was your first, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." Everything since then you've directed has been mediocre. Has too much success blunted your creative edge in life? You need to pick better material, and/or better writers to improve the scripts you choose.

Murder on Middle Beach (2020)

TOO LONG

[3/10 · 13 December 2020]

This is not your typical HBO crime documentary, with a beginning, middle & end. This is more like a family documentary that you might see on basic cable, with some crime thrown in. And what took 4.5 hours to tell, could have EASILY been told in 2 hours or less.

Look, I don't want to begrudge the filmmaker his desire to tell his life's story, up to and through the murder of his mother. But 4.5 hours over 4 episodes...? I'm very surprised HBO didn't take a scalpel to this series in an editing suite. They should have.

So, if you want to watch it, here's what you can do (spoilers ahead):

• Episode 1: OK to watch. And this one is where the father is the suspect.
• Episode 2: Skip it or scan through it quickly. Slow pacing and repetitive. (This is one where another family member is suspect.) If you're tired, it may put you to sleep.
• Episode 3: Skip it or scan through it quickly. Slow pacing and repetitive. (This is one where a third family member is suspect.) If you're tired, it may put you to sleep.
• Episode 4: OK to watch. This runs 1.5 hours, but should have been cut down. We come back to the father being the predominant suspect, as one of the other two family suspects has what appears to be an airtight alibi.

Which leads me to this:

• There are so many interesting things (and leads) that could have been followed up on in this story - but are not. Such as, are there holes in the father's alibi, and the other family members' alibis? Not clear.
• When the police confide that their Number 1 suspect had their cell phone turned off for a 24 hour period when the murder took place, why is the following fact not addressed? A cell phone that is turned off will still ping cell towers, and provide GPS data. Does or doesn't this match the father's alibi? Or the other family members' alibis?
• When the filmmaker surmises that someone may have called his Mother to tell her of a change in time for the court hearing, 2PM instead of morning, WHY is this left unaddressed? And why not go back to the Mother's attorney and ask about this? Go have a meeting with the police again. In fact, why not feed a few details to the police, and see what they do with them? That might have made for some interesting footage for this doc.

Sadly, this show is simply too long, meanders too much, and the pacing is painfully slow. How many times does the camera have to hold on someone for pauses and "beats"? And if we're going to reach the end -- which is where we were at the very beginning -- then 4.5 hours is way too frickin' long. It just is. The filmmaker needs to learn how to tell a story more concisely. And while he might say, "Well, this isn't a traditional crime documentary. It's my journey of coming to terms with my Mother's murder, and a love letter to her"... then I would say, respectfully, your need for catharsis and closure is not OUR need.

Most HBO docs are good, tight, interesting and watchable. I can guarantee you that if one were to look at the ratings or viewership of this series, they will show a shrinking audience for each successive episode.

8ight After (2020)

An entertaining watch

[8/10 · 11 December 2020]

I don't really understand the negative reviews. "8ight After" completely delivers on the trailer I saw. It doesn't try to be smarter or sassier than the audience. It's just a fun movie with a bunch of "jump" scares.

The movie is an interesting concept that uses non-traditional filmmaking, comprised of Security Camera footage combined with YouTube-style VLOG footage. "8ight After" is essentially a cross between "Modern Family" and "Paranormal Activity," that throws family drama + horror + supernatural + love into a kitchen blender and hits the "whip" button.

If you like the trailer, you'll probably enjoy the movie!

Mother! (2017)

Steaming Pile of...

[1/10 · 5 July 2020]

Don't waste your time. Really. Worst so-called horror movie of all time. And among the list of worst movies ever made.

Also, this is a perfect example of "masturbatory filmmaking." Clearly, the director Darren Aronofsky got off making this film. But he didn't make this for anyone but himself.

I had pretty much given up watching anything this director does. The only reason I decided to watch this, was because of the cast -- and some of this cast is careful in only choosing good material to be in. So I figured it had to be at least decent. WRONG. I don't know what happened, but these stars ALL chose wrong. Maybe it was a different script they signed on to do, and it changed drastically. Who knows. But it's a horrible, horrible movie -- and I hope I'm saving you 2 hours of your life!

Robert the Bruce (2019)

The most BORING FILM this year!

[2/10 · 7 June 2020]

Where do I start, Oh Lord?

124 interminable minutes of... nothing. Long sequences of irrelevant scenes that add nothing to the story or plot. What is the plot, you ask?

Is it about what the description says? ("The story of the nobleman-turned-outlaw hero who was crowned king of Scots in the 14th century.")

NO.

Is it about his losing the battle that puts him on the run, while a King? NO.

Is it about his comeback after this period of losses? NO.

Then what's it about?

Nothing. NOTHING. The movie starts after his loss in some battle, he sends his soldiers home, then wanders in the wild, is hunted by some who want to cash in on the reward for his head, then spends the rest of the film in the care of a family in the wild, nursing him back to health. Really. That's it. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

This does not make for a movie. Certainly not an interesting one. My apologies to the filmmakers, but... WTF were you thinking??

Then at the end of the film, he's reunited with soldiers that still love him, and we get an epilogue on the screen about how he eventually wins against the English. OMFG.

So there it is. I've told you the entire story. If you're an insomniac, then this is the ONLY thing this movie is good for. The only reason I give this 2 stars instead of 1, is because I'm a generous sort.

Healing River (2020)

A "Must-See" film

[9/10 · 24 May 2020]

"Healing River" is an excellent movie. Engaging and poignant, this movie tackles one of the deepest, most powerful tenets of Faith. And does it incredible well. Which I didn't expect, because I don't usually like faith-based type movies as they're usually preachy, or corny, or just plain lame with mediocre or bad acting. Not this one. Top-notch acting and great storyline that -- even with the serious subject matter -- was entertaining. In my view, a "must-see" movie.

7 Days in Entebbe (2018)

This movie is garbage

[2/10 · 2 March 2020]

WTF is it with putting a dance piece intercut with the climax of the movie...? WHO does this? The director of this movie clearly doesn't know what the heck he's doing. He totally ruins the entire climax of the movie.

The whole movie leads up to the raid & rescue, why destroy this? Is it to NOT show the Israelis as heroes here...? I guess so, but then don't make the movie!

Or maybe they ran out of funds to shoot the last act. Because there is basically no action here. A few scenes, very haphazardly shot. Just ridiculous. If this director wants to direct more movies, he needs to frickin' learn how to tell a story.

The other major problem, is the attempt to humanize the terrorists. This is despicable, frankly. We get to know and learn about the terrorists, but not one single Israeli hostage. NOT ONE. This is storytelling malpractice. The only person we get to learn a little about, is one of the French pilots. But NOT ONE Israeli hostage. Are you effing kidding me?? Skip this movie, and see the one from 40+ years ago.

Parasite (2019)

OVERRATED - OVERRATED - OVERRATED

[5/10 · 31 December 2019]

This movie is not a "masterpiece" by any means. And all the apparent hype it's getting? Why? Is it because this is a foreign film trying to be an "American film"? (That is, trying to be an American "genre" film?)

THE GOOD:

• The actors are good.
• Some good cinematography. Definitely some cool scenes, like the flooding late in the film.
• The twist near the middle of the film is a good twist. However, it's like 50 minutes in, and it's too late. The film is semi-boring up to that point.

THE BAD:

• We've all seen those less-than-stellar films, where the criminals make one stupid horrible decision after another. Not the comedies where it's supposed to be funny or dumb, but the serious films. And you sit there thinking, "Man, these criminals are effing morons, it's just NOT believable. You've seen those, right? Well, this is one of those.

I could suspend my disbelief over one bad decision, even two. But every single one? It's just not believable, because the criminals are good at pulling off their cons and getting all employed by the wealthy family. But once they're all in and making buck... then they all become stupid? Doesn't work.

The bad decisions start when the wealthy family goes camping, and the criminals decide to hang out, get drunk and make a mess in the wealthy family's living room. Even one of them foreshadows the wealthy family coming home unexpectedly by mentioning it as a "what if." Next bad decision is they let in the former housekeeper who shows up unexpectedly. Really??

Then the next bad decision is how they handle the housekeeper and her husband. Once the criminals are being held hostage by the threat of disclosure, why wouldn't even just one of them think of trying to negotiate something? Oh, sure, one of them eventually does, but like 30 minutes later when it's too late.

The film feels too slow until we get to the twist in the story. Twist should really have happened within maybe first 30 minutes. Not halfway through the movie. And then, when it does happen, we're down the road of the criminal family making multiple bad decisions.

Minor point, but the housekeeper's husband who's been living under the house for something like 4 years, looked too healthy. Someone living in cave-like conditions for 4 years with no sun, is not going to look healthy.

All in all, not the worst film I've ever seen, but NOT deserving of the high praise and ratings it's getting here. And not deserving of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Sorry.

Stadium Anthems (2018)

A Satire for the Ages

[10/10 · 18 December 2019]

Entertaining film, that will bring to viewers' minds, "This is Spinal Tap." But it's not a remake of that film at all! While "Spinal Tap" was a mockumentary of a rock band, "Stadium Anthems" is a mockumentary of the music business, as we follow one particular music label dealing with their potential demise-amidst the changing industry. And while there are plenty of inside jokes, one doesn't have to be a musician or label dude to enjoy this spoof.

Of particular note are some of the actresses-who we do get to hear sing late in the film-who, surprise, we find out in the credits they are or were musicians. Also, the cinematography is quite good as well, which is often lacking in independent films. Kudos to the team behind this, in making this look good.

All in all, an enjoyable comedy of the music business with good actors and good production value. Imbibe on your favorite beverage or take a few hits and enjoy the ride!

The Mule (2018)

STOP DIRECTING

[3/10 · 19 August 2019]

Okay, so this may not be "nice," but Clint Eastwood hasn't made a great or really good movie since 2004. That's right, 2004. "Million Dollar Baby." That's 15 years. I think it's time for him to call it quits as a Director.

Every movie since 2004 has been mediocre. He's lost it, lost the "edge," lost something. All his movies now are like the old Movies of the Week that we used to have on television. Those were mediocre, placid, but with just enough pulse to sell detergent. That's what Eastwood's movies are like these days.

They certainly didn't spare any expense on cast in this one. Bradley Cooper cannot be cheap... did he do this as a favor or something? It's a nothing, secondary role. Laurence Fishburne? Entirely wasted in a perfunctory role any B-actor could have done.

Here are the problems with "The Mule":

1) The script effing sucks. Superficial, not developed, plot holes galore, and subplots that are irrelevant and/or make no sense. Here's a short example of some:

• The leader of the cartel wants to meet the mule so he flies him in to his compound in Mexico. (Really? What major cartel boss gives a crap about meeting an elderly mule? BS.)
• The leader of the cartel is killed halfway in the film by mutinous crew who are worried about the boss slipping. (Really? We never saw the boss slipping or making mistakes.) And when the leader is killed, no one around objects. Seriously...??
• The new leaders of the cartel are mean, angry and threatening, and the mule has to "be on time" or else. (WTF? When was this ever a problem during the film? He's their prize mule, why all the sudden concern and need to threaten the guy? Completely illogical.)
• The majority of the conversations Eastwood has with family members are forced, contrived, not believable. It's as if these were written by someone who's never had a family or understands relationships. The writer is not a great writer, just look at his past credits.

2) The acting is mediocre. This is not the actors' fault. These are good actors. It's the fault of the director who doesn't know WTF he wants out of these actors' performances. And this shows. I would bet major bucks that Eastwood gave very little direction -- if any -- to any of the stars. Big mistake.

3) This film doesn't know what it wants to be. A thriller? A drama? An action-adventure? A docu-drama? Eastwood should have made up his mind and stuck with it. This film is all over the place, is not consistent, and turns into some weird drama late in the film with his ex-wife dying. And then, after being caught by the Feds, he pleads guilty and goes to prison. The End.

Talk about a whimper of an ending! This is almost as bad as the ending to the horrible movie "Under the Silver Lake."

Clint Eastwood has lost it. Sorry folks. He should just stick to acting in these twilight years, and be happy with a number of great films he used to make. I'm done. I have no interest in watching any new Eastwood-directed movie again.

Russian Doll (2019–2022)

DISAPPOINTING in the end

[5/10 · 4 March 2019]

Okay you starved for interesting/insightful/entertainment audience... who is rating this TV Series highly? WTF?

1) Sure, this show starts out interesting, has a great premise even if stolen from "Groundhog Day." But "interesting" for 8 episodes doesn't cut it. Too many other things out there vying for my time. If there is a 2nd season, I'm not watching it.

2) This show doesn't go anywhere. NOWHERE. It keeps you thinking it's going somewhere, but the clues the 2 main characters are trying to solve to get out of the dying loop? The clues themselves are not that interesting, nor is the solving of them. It's like the creators/writers had a few good ideas, but the execution and progression is "meh."

3) About halfway through the series, the man who's going through the same thing crosses paths with Natasha Lyonne. This was a great plot point/twist. But the progression of his storyline, along with hers, was still "meh." And then later in the series, they now introduce sci-fi elements (along the lines of something Kubrick-ish from "The Shining," even with One-Point Perspective camera moves). Well, if this is an homage to Kubrick at this point, fine. But then frickin' execute like Kubrick in terms of STORY.

4) Is this a comedy? No, not really. Is this a sci-fi? Barely. So what the heck is this story? I don't think the creators ever figured that out. Even from a "logical" storytelling sense, you are telling me that they got caught up in this "Groundhog Day" loop of constantly dying, because Natasha Lyonne had to keep the other guy from jumping off the roof and killing himself? Someone she didn't even know, and had no connection or "karma" with? Seriously??

And that the guy had to keep Natasha Lyonne from getting run over by a car (and presumably not screwing the guy she was going to have sex with)? Again, someone he didn't even know and had no connection with?

Oh. My. God. How lame is that?

What a waste of an opportunity for this to be a truly GOOD Sci-Fi show. I mean, the resolution in the last episode is shockingly lame.

Why the hell can't Netflix exercise any "story control" over all these name-talent people they make deals with to produce their shows? Even just a little...?

For years, the quality of Television has gone up with all the networks/cablers and now streamers creating content. But the level and quality of the content is beginning to decrease with this apparent "race" to make the most content. And where it suffers most is in story, unfortunately.

Killing Eve (2018–2022)

This Crashed & Burned...!

[5/10 · 30 May 2018]

I'll get right to the points:

1) Series started out good, and interesting. With promise.

2) But halfway through, it starts to fall apart. (The writers' fault? The head writer's fault? A poorly conceived "show bible"? A decision to just wing it after the first 4 episodes?)

3) Why should we care about any of these characters? We don't. That's one problem. If Villanelle killed Eve (which of course won't happen), I wouldn't care, wouldn't feel sad. And if Eve killed Villanelle, same. Wouldn't care.

4) Sandra Oh is a good actress, but I hate her character. Her character is too weak. And, she's an MI5 agent for chrissakes. So I don't buy her characterization. Maybe she's just miscast here.

5) Sandra Oh's motivations change, depending upon what the writers want her to do. She wants revenge for her partner being killed, but meh, next episode, she doesn't even remember that. WTF? This happens a LOT in the remaining episodes. And then, in the season finale, despite having a gun on Villanelle several times at different points, she never shoots her. She's "conflicted" or she just doesn't have the courage. OH, but wait! At the very end, she is able to push a knife into Villanelle up close & personal. Bullcrap. Someone who cannot shoot another human, CANNOT knife them offensively. Ever. Psychology 101. Or Criminology 101. Epic fail by the writers.

6) Too many character motivation issues for much of the cast. For example, Sandra and Kenny discover Carolyn in prison interrogation room with Villanelle (in video footage), in season finale, but then they NEVER ask her what the heck that was about. And why she was there. HUH? Oh, okay, they must be saving that for Season 2. Pulllease.

7) Last half of the season just fell apart, because essentially this series is built on a "house of cards" premise / storyline, that doesn't really hold up to any scrutiny. So now that Eve and Villanelle have "met" and had an initial confrontation, we're supposed to be excited with anticipation to who are The 12? And the raison d'etre for The 12? And what The 12 are trying to accomplish? Frankly, I don't give a crap.

8) If you had just been knifed and were able to pick up your gun and shoot at Eve, who's now taken refuge around the corner of a refrigerator, are you telling me you wouldn't take 10 extra steps to just shoot her, before leaving for wherever Villanelle went? Of course you would. But we're supposed to believe that despite Villanelle firing the gun at Eve, she opted to leave the apartment, leaving Eve alive. A psychopath that feels nothing for anyone, is going to leave Eve alive? Makes NO sense, except to continue this "cat & mouse" game into Season 2. What horrible writing for the second half of this Season. I won't be watching it further.

The Florida Project (2017)

HOLY MOLY -- What a horrible horrible movie!

[1/10 · 25 May 2018]

No story, no plot, no nothing. So how was this idea born and funded? Here's my educated (but speculative) guess:

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

Sean Baker is at a meeting with investors, sitting at the head of a long conference table, various investors sitting on each side.

Baker: "I have this incredible idea for a movie. It's like, no one has ever done this before!"

Investor #1: "Cool."

Baker: "So I'm going to cast a bunch of cute little kids, and it'll be a story of a transient motel where they live, and what happens each day."

Investors nod their head in agreement.

Investor #2: "And so what happens?"

Baker: "Nothing. It'll be a slice of life about these kids, and one of their moms. And here's the kicker: All improv, no script!"

Investor #1: "No script...!?"

Baker: "No script! You see, it's innovative, we'll follow the kids around while they play and get into trouble."

Investor #3: "But how is this going to be interesting?"

Baker: "We'll get a movie star with gravitas to play the motel manager -- it'll be the bomb! Plus, no one has ever done this before, it'll be so original the CRITICS WILL LOVE IT. See, the critics LOVE anything they haven't seen before. That's how they tick!"

Investor #1: "Hmmm..."

Baker: "Also, nobody does improv movies, this also makes it original, and magic happens when anything can happen!"

Investor #4: "Aren't most movies that are made without a script, failures? I think Mike Leigh has only had one major success with an improvised movie."

Baker: "Well, I might quibble with that evaluation... however, I'm a talented director and I can make this work. I know how to make this work where others don't!"

Investor #1: (Unconvinced) Well, who are you thinking for the movie star?

Baker: "Daniel Day-Lewis."

Investors react vocally with ooohs and aaahs.

Investor #2: "I understand he doesn't work a lot and is extremely picky about the material he chooses. What if you can't get him?"

Baker: "Well, someone like Willem Dafoe would be good too."

Investor #4: "Okay, well if you can get either of those two actors, I'm in."

Investor #3: "Me too. I'll take a chance."

Baker: "You won't regret it. It's gonna be HUGE. People love watching little kids. It's like cat videos on the internet, they can't get enough of 'em!!

Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel (2016)

Fun & Campy

[7/10 · 24 May 2018]

Grab a couple beers, sit back and laugh. Campy as all heck and a good time. Fun to see the various cameos of people you will recognize. Eric Roberts is hilarious... not what you see him normally do! Worth a watch.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Call Me Horrible, Boring & Lame

[1/10 · 19 January 2018]

Oh my effing God. This is, along with "Mudbound," one of the worst movies of the year. THE WORST.

Here's some highlights of the problems:

1) While this film takes place in Italy, Oliver (an American) is committing Statutory Rape by having sex with Elio. Why does no one in any of these reviews have a problem with this?? The kid is 17 years old. He's not an adult, he's not fully mature (obviously). It's like James Ivory (the writer) and Luca Guadagnino (the director) just had to make some soft core porn -- without the nudity. This is self-indulgent filmmaking at its best.

2) Story / Plot: There is NONE. Forget it, don't bother looking. The kid develops a thing for Oliver, they have some sex, Oliver goes back to America, the kid pines. The End. Need a sleep aid? Put this snoozer on. Zzzzzz.

3) Cinematography: Way, way too many shots that just go on forever, with nothing happening. For example, the scene where the kid plays with the peach? As soon as he digs a finger into the core, we know he's going to screw the peach. But we have to watch him mess with the peach and then eat a bit of it, and mess with it some more, for what, 4 minutes? And then he finally masturbates with it. Jesus. That scene could have been 1 - 2 minutes, NOT 5 minutes!

4) Relationship: Sorry, I just didn't buy the relationship between Elio and Oliver. I blame the writing mostly for this. Ivory's script is a piece of sheet. Horribly written, and the directing is horrible too. The actors had no chance of saving this movie. Plus, the director did not direct the kid well. His performance was not strong -- despite the praise some are heaping on him.

5) The parents: Nowhere in this movie was there any indication whatsoever that the father knew what was going on. Out of nowhere, at the very end, the father has "words of wisdom" for his son, and says "What you had with him I've never come close to having." WTF? Seriously? How would he know? And how would he know this was better than the relationship he has had with his own wife? This is like the Deus Ex Machina that comes in at the end to wrap things up & put a ribbon on the story. Pulllleease.

And of course, if the father knew this much older man was having sex with his 17 year old son... why would he condone this? I'll tell you why. Because James Ivory wrote it this way and Luca Guadagnino shot it this way, regardless of reality. They're being self-indulgent and who gives a damn about story logic?

I reiterate: One of the worst movies of the year. Don't waste your time.