aramo1 Reviews

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Liam kills some bad guys while sleep walking

[5/10 · 20 November 2023]

I don't begrudge Liam cashing in a, hopefully, fat cheque but it would be nice if he could throw a little umph into the role.

The plot is pretty thin and rather holey in places, I guess if you like the genre that's not a big deal but the killings themselves are rather unimaginative and the camera often pulls away from the money shot ;-) There's a subplot that takes a short scene in the middle of the movie where Dublin gets a mention that seems quite out of place with anything else going on and it's a crude way to motivate some plot twist justification later on. The writers really didn't try too hard with this and one eonders if ChatGPT might not spew out something more engaging and entertaining.

The movie is currently rated at 6.2 just crossing the 'worth watching if it's free' line. To be honest it barely merits a 'dreary time filler'. I like Liam and hasn't he done well for himself so I'll give this a bonus star and hope Liam movies on from this genre. 5*s.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

OK as kong as it's moving fast

[6/10 · 8 August 2023]

Getting time travel to seem half coherent is difficult and on that front the film is half decent. Trouble with it is more the stupid behaviour of the characters and the supposed governments sending troops (?) to fight in the war. Most of the stuff is fairly predictable ad long as you never underestimate the stupidity of the people in charge. Have a beer or two and this is worth a watch on a wet night.

The young daughter is pretty good during the family scenes and I think we'll see more of her in future movies, she is definitely one to watch.

In the end the time travel just unravels and no real attempt is made to explain how any of it worked.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Solid addition to franchise and fun too

[7/10 · 27 July 2023]

I'm not a huge fan of the MI franchise having only watched 2 of the movies on the silver screen but like most I'm tired of 'modern' movies. I recently watched Oblivion another good Cruise movie so my appetite was primed for more and MI.7a does not disappoint. OK a bit less if Pegg at the beginning would have been nice and a little more of Vince. The Entity is a timely antagonist very 2020s, some of the train stunts have been done before but the MI twists are novel and gripping :) what can anyone say ? It's very well made, the cast are sometimes beautiful and usually interesting can't wait for DR2.

Event Horizon (1997)

Horror (?) Overides. Sloppy sci-fi

[5/10 · 27 September 2022]

I had high expectations of this being both a Sam Neil and Mr. Fishbourne fan but almost from the beginner the poor attention to detail distracted be from the paper thin sci-fi. LF is almost a caricature of his Matrix character and Sam is a true ham.

One case in point as crew prepare for x50 G acceleration we can see loose plates on a table, space ships move like submarines in the upper atmosphere (not in orbit) a 2 character get explosively blown away from the ship (now in orbit!) And yet they don't. It's obvious things are going to happen because the director just wants it to be so and physics can be ignored as necessary. Watched on Netflix so at least I never bought a ticket to watch this drivel.

Jason Bourne (I) (2016)

5000 cuts and totally forgettable

[6/10 · 28 February 2022]

I watched this on Netflix in Feb 22 and was at least 30 minutes in before I thought to myself either the Bourne movies are totally interchangeable or I've seen this before. In fact I think both statements are true.

Far far to many quick edits and too many near static close-ups with ominous 'music'.

Two final observations Toomy Lee Jones looks too old to be alive and Damon could literally dial his 'performance' in at this stage.

Not worth the price if a rental but so so for Netflix.

Ad Astra (2019)

Very poor science with a fat dollop of psychobabble

[5/10 · 17 February 2022]

For such a notable cast this is a poorly constructed story. The science is groan worthy and must leave even those with a marginal grasp on technology scratching their heads. Without giving anything away why for example, is it necessary to repeat a live broadcast in real time, just record and rebroadcast the recording. And don't get me started on conservation of momentum, linear or angular.

I stuck it out to the predictable end but I should have switched movies after someone say you must go to mars .. to send a message !

The Wandering Earth (2019)

Action game special effects and no heart.

[4/10 · 21 May 2021]

I paused the movie at 45 minutes and feel no desire to press continue.

The back drop story is interesting, the planet earth must be moved to a nearby star to avoid being destroyed by an expanding sun. Unfortunately the details of the plot and the actions of the main characters are borderline incoherent.

I find it incredibly that this movie grossed over $680 million worldwide and picked up some decent awards and nominations (mostly for sound and effects).

At best this is a Saturday matinee movie with some interesting sci-fi themes and moderate special effects.

Aerials (2016)

Reviewing midmovie so might miss climax (unlikely)

[4/10 · 21 May 2021]

Far better than a 1.5* rating would suggest. Don't other reviews remember the relentless big budget drivel starring John Travolta ?

The movie is slow and repetitive, the dialogue is stilted and was probably written by someone with good English but who is not a native English speaker.

At 70 minutes into the film the husband reveals to his wife that the thing that scares him most is 'dreams'. Up to this point we've had no mention of dreams so it feels like a random thought that drifted through the writers mind rather than connected to the main plot (if there is one).

Oh wait here comes another alien .. yep a very blurred outline of a man that suddenly vanishes or according to one character becomes transparent. Wife is terrified husband is deadpan almost indifferent, pretty much the same as he has been through the movie.

OMG the lights are back on ..... If you want to know why you will have to watch the film. Not saying I recommend you do.

Flood (2007)

Is 4*s too much ?

[4/10 · 17 May 2021]

I liked Trainspotting so when I saw Bigsby was in this I said let's give it a whirl. Big mistake, second mistake was watching it sober. If you are capable of coherent thought your already too evolved for this movie. It beggars belief in most scenes. One of my favourites is when our hero Bigsby and the ex missus jump from a big safe platform on the Thames barrier into a raging torrent for safety ! Somehow the pair are later reunited clinging to the top of a mostly submerged street lamppost, so touching or it that so touched ?

A few whiskeys and totes might save this movie but I doubt it.

The Devil's Own (1997)

Pitt has some good moments but movie bores

[4/10 · 14 April 2021]

After watching about 80 minutes on Netflix I just gave up and deleted the download, I'd lost interest in who shot who next. Typical narrative, bad things happen to people who do bad things. Karma rules yawn.

Pitt does turn in a few strong scenes but not enough to raise this above 4*s.

One scene early in the movie dripped irony when Pitt approached New York for the first time.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

You want logic ? You want plot ?

[4/10 · 30 March 2021]

This should have been a cartoon (apologies to good cartoons everywhere) it certainly does deserve to be called a movie. The characters are caricatures of caricatures, the plot is totally at the mercy of the action requirements. A genius acts the fool one moment displays near invincibly on demand only to run in fear when some plot twist needs it to be so. Oh it's pointless even writing this. Long long time TOS NG and even Voyager fan this film doesn't deserve to be in the canon.

2036 Origin Unknown (2018)

Sackhoff earns her paycheck

[5/10 · 12 January 2021]

Sackhoff almost carries this befuddled mass of steaming fertilizer to the very end. The plot is incoherent and the gotcha barely raises an eyebrow. I've seen a few comments about the special effects and if the movie was made in the early 80s a few comments might have been justified. Speaking of effects from long long ago the film spends a great deal of time apeing 2001. I confess to having spent a lot of effort over many viewing getting to the heart of 2001, nothing I saw while watching 2036 suggesting it's worth even considering a second viewing. Watched on Netflix (Jan 2021) kinda sorry I bothered.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Laws of physics out, slop in.

[5/10 · 2 January 2021]

Like many I really wanted to enjoy this movie, a double whammy of Clooney (actor/director) what's not to like ? Well plot & physics make a convincing double whammy too and this movie is sadly lacking on both counts. We don't even get to see much of Clooney hidden as he is behind a huge ice covered mound of facial hair for much of the film. This is the first Clooney movie I'm sorry to have watched.

Spy Game (2001)

Actors look good .. Hollywood history

[6/10 · 18 October 2020]

Nice chance to see Redford in action but most of the time the story is like butter stretched too thin. The thought that US could fly over mainland China like it was Cambodia in the 70s must have seemed preposterous even in 2001. Redford fans will probably enjoy, anyone else not so much.

Tenet (2020)

Terrible audio, vomit inducing visuals.

[5/10 · 5 October 2020]

I just watched Tenet at the local Odeon omniplex, it was the last viewing on their biggest screen and as all cinemas nationwide will be closed from tomorrow due to a covid level 3 lockdown I was really looking forward to seeing Nolan's latest creation today. I was also the only person in the auditorium so I got the best seat. For 10 minutes I struggled to understand any of the dialogue. The music was far too loud and bass heavy, speech was muddled. I complained to the staff who apologized and offered a refund saying the audio was poor but that was the way the film was released to them. I could switch to another screening but the audio would be the same. Knowing the covid lockdown was due to kick in I decided to soldier on hoping for a small improvement (audio was ok during quieter scenes). This was a mistake. About an hour into the movie the 'direction' changes and I immediately started to feel physically unsettled. A few movies have this affect on me (Captain Phillips, Rush) a form of VIMS for those of you who susceptible to it. I struggled on to the bitter end but my ability to focus on the plot was severely compromised. I suspect I would really enjoy the movie if I was able to understand more than 60% of the dialogue and didn't have to fight a strong urge to vomit.

Life (I) (2017)

NASA scientists are sooo dumb

[5/10 · 14 September 2020]

International team of scientists aboard the ISS do everything in their power to make one dumb move after another. If you do enjoy this movie on first viewing don't ever consider watching it again as it will not reward a second viewing.

Munich (2005)

Boring and not credible

[6/10 · 4 January 2020]

I've no political skin in the actual events that took place in 1972 I simply want to watch a decent story told by a master story teller. After 20 minutes I was a little bored after 40 minutes my frustration grew as unlikely event was piled on unlikely event. Sometimes out motley crew are inept gun slingers sometimes bungling bombers and on one occasion they are part of a crack commando unit. It is very difficult to believe this movie is actually based on real work events and I suspect a good many real events have been omitted to paint our heros in a favourable light.

41 (I) (2012)

Worth watching currently on Amazon prime

[6/10 · 10 November 2019]

Mostly well acted low budget sort of sci- fi flick. Keep me hooked up to the final ten minutes and even then I was happy to watch thru to the not so bitter end.

Mile 22 (2018)

Convoluted unengaging ultimately boring

[5/10 · 27 September 2018]

Even during the moderately engaging opening scene plot cracks were visible. What was that amber fluid about ? Some lethal self destruct system we assume, and one that takes several minutes to do anything. The whole movie was like that. A long time to get nowhere. Despite the on screen mayhem I couldn't help glancing at my watch several times. I watched Black47 immediately after this one so the evening wasn't wasted.

Conviction (II) (2010)

More self serving than drama

[6/10 · 20 October 2013]

Usually I find myself agreeing with the general sway of view reviews here on IMDb but not in this case. This is all the more unusual as I am a fan of Law and Order type movies and (like most of the free world) left of center on the America penal system. Story line points aside Swank and Rockwell are very good and play off each other wonderfully in this film. So why am I not raving about this movie? Well for a start it makes an obvious effort to 'tell the facts' even if that kills momentum, it places the history it wants to record ahead of the drama. There are a few times during the movie when I found myself asking 'why did they bother telling me that?' when it was obvious the film makers wanted me to know something that had little to do with the story being told at that particular moment on screen. Later when reading around the story online the reasons became clearer. I do not know how much of the real story was lost in translation to screen play and I do not know how much was altered to suit individual family members. I do know that if you ignore the 'based on a true story' and simply view this as entertainment giving it 6 out of 10 is more than generous.

The Unsaid (2001)

Disturbing but worth watching.

[7/10 · 13 April 2004]

Based on R1 DVD.

After checking with IMDb I watched Unsaid with low expectations. Fortunately the film appears to be underrated at least in my eyes. Garcia and Kartheiser give strong performances and not withstanding an occasional weakness in a script that favours the 'girls do dumb things' school of thought the movie moves along at a good pace.

During the directors commentary McLoughlin notes that Americans have a much tougher time with the big secret than Europeans. Perhaps this accounts for the weak IMDb rating.

Well worth watching, 7/10.

Frequency (2000)

Great yarn and smart to boot.

[7/10 · 30 September 2003]

While it's probably impossible to make a really coherent time travel movie, that darn paradox thing, Frequency makes a very good attempt - mostly by ignoring the sci-fi as much as possible. I believe it was Asimov who wrote that the best sci-fi stories were built on a single improbable premise with all the rest being probable ['what you you do if ...'].

While there are times when the viewer knows something is amiss the pace of the story keeps one from thinking too much about it while it's happening. After it's all over it's easy poke holes but by that time you've got your monies worth with change to spare.

Solid performances by all concerned, good drama and a smattering of sci-fi.

7/10 well worth watching

My Little Eye (2002)

Mostly novelty value

[6/10 · 17 August 2003]

Based on R1 DVD

Played as a straight movie 'My Little Eye' might appeal to avid Big Brother fans who lean towards the gothic. It certainly has little to recommend it to more balanced viewers. If the acting is any good the webcam approach to cinematography works wonders in concealing the fact, certainly the characters are just plot driven cardboard cutouts.

It might be better to take the interactive route but having watched the movie I left little compulsion to do so.

6/10 with 1 point for novelty, don't pay to watch this one.

Retroactive (1997)

Pop morality meets low-fi

[6/10 · 16 August 2003]

Based on R1 DVD 91 min

A potential interesting time travel idea that's subverted to provide cheap repeats of near identical scenes. It's mildly entertaining to see how the scriptwriters decide who should live and who should not. It is left as an exercise for the viewer to decide if the machine survives the movie.

6/10 of interest to undiscriminating sci-fi fans or people who like to think they are being exposed to novel ideas!

Road Games (1981)

A play on wheels

[6/10 · 1 August 2003]

Based on Anchor Bay R1 DVD 101 minutes.

An interesting little movie that runs like a stage play on wheels. Some of the Aussie touches may be lost on dwellers of smaller countries but they add to the movie, long haul driver Quid keeps meeting the same characters over several days something that would be unheard of in Ireland!

The ending is a little unbelievable but it's exciting to watch.

6/10 worth a rental.