shorn-40895 Reviews

Ambush (I) (2023)

There's a real mystery here ...

[1/10 · 8 March 2024]

Someone who dislikes Vietnam veterans got to make a movie that screams disrespect. Let's hope that this is the last feature that Mommy's money can pay for and a career is cut short. The mystery is, what did the producers have on Eckhart and Meyers to get them into this movie? I could almost understand Eckhart but Meyers is still in mid-career and has some serious credits. My guess is that both men have done something they'd like not to become public and got extorted into joining the cast. (I keep thinking of Meyers, walking around this set saying to himself, "I did a movie with Tom Cruise. How could this happen?" Now, you can watch this movie or you could spend an hour or two cleaning your toenails and clipping those nose hairs that people are starting to notice. And with the right choice, you retain your self-respect.

Citadel (2023– )

No Shark Left Unjumped

[6/10 · 19 January 2024]

A well-written story with a layered plot and a few well-planned twists is always a pleasure. This is not one of those. It has a lot of shifting time lines. It has a lot of "reveals." It has more coincidences than one can count. And, apparently, the writer or writers were very influenced by the big "I'm your dad" reveal in the Star Wars saga and decided it would be great if half the cast was secretly related to the other half. Then there were the action sequences. Standard fare for the most part, although it got kind of Roger Moore-style 007ish at the end. The lead woman is good and deserved better material. Stanley Tucci did what Stanley Tucci does, which is fine. The lead guy is okay. Everybody worked with what they had. It was the writing that did the enterprise in.

The Killer (2023)

Okay, but just okay

[7/10 · 12 November 2023]

If a film includes narration by a character there'd better be a good reason because the old saw in storytelling is good advice: show, don't tell. In this case, everything we're supposed to know about our assassin's principles and outlook is in his narrative and I didn't find the narrative very interesting, in fact, it was rather trite: the old "stick-to-the-plan, and don't get emotionally involved" stuff, and there was too much of that. Further, the story missed having something at risk to give the action a sense of urgency, something at stake. Instead, it was simply the John Wick "You killed my dog so I'm going to kill you" revenge deal but the tension of people trying to kill Wick first was absent. No ticking clock, no battle of wits, nothing special.

Echo 3 (2022–2023)

A 5 Episode Story Told in 10 Episodes

[7/10 · 1 September 2023]

I'll tell you about the creation of this work. What didn't happen: a writer sat down with a premise and when he finished the screenplay it turned out to be 10 episodes long. What did happen: The word around town was that Apple was looking for some original works that could span X hours of programming. The screenplay was written to meet the length requirement, although the story didn't justify it. A soldier's wife is taken and thrown in a cell in South America. It is suspected, correctly, that she works for the CIA. Politics doesn't free her. He and his army buddy have to do it. How do you get to the required length? Easy. Throw in some filler and stretch every shot to three times the usual length. Longgggggggg shots of people staring into the distance, meandering, drinking, etc etc with the obligatory guitar music backdrop. A guy walks down a street. It might be three or four seconds of film in most movies but we're going to watch him walk the whole block. People are waiting for something to happen. In the right hands, a week of waiting could be conveyed in 30-45 seconds; but in this show it's minutes of waiting. Every scene is overlong, wayyyy overlong. The movie "Proof of Life" told a similar story in a fraction of the time and did it much better. Ironically, in one way the elongation served the story: we watched her rot in a cell for so many episodes that we could feel the burden of her captivity.

The English (2022)

This is what happens when you set out to create "art"

[6/10 · 4 February 2023]

This says it all, an excerpt from a FAWNING review from a critic who loved this series: "I have faith that were I to map all its parts it would make perfect sense but I would genuinely need to sit down with a paper and pencil, and possibly a cartographer, to do so." Does that tell you what a convoluted mess this story is? I love Emily Blunt, my favorite actress. But as I watched, enjoying some parts, I became increasing frustrated by all the seeming loose ends, knowing that the director, confusing incoherence with depth, made all the time, place and subplot shifts with the idea that it added up to "art." Contrast this with another recent take on the old West imbued with realism-"1883"-a great story depicting the harsh realities of the West and the struggle between native Americans and settlers, but in a way in which you could get involved in the story and not be compelled to hit pause every ten minutes to try and figure out whether you missed something or had accidentally skipped one of the episodes. The big reveal in the final episode is supposed to tie things together, I guess, but even though that's a common device, when you've been wandering around so lost for so long, it just makes you crazy. I watched it to the end because there was some good stuff between too-long set pieces with lots of dialogue, Tarantino-style without the Tarantino touch. I'll stop here. Proceed at your own risk.

Jack Ryan (2018–2023)

No sharks were killed in the making of this series, but many of them were jumped.

[6/10 · 27 January 2023]

The first season of Jack Ryan was excellent; the second was good, too. This one, not so much. If you're familiar with the phrase "jump the shark," then in my opinion, this third installment is a prime example. It seems a case of quantity over quality: too many characters running off in too many directions, shooting, jumping, leaping, fighting, etc, a lot of sound and fury that doesn't make up for the rather weak plotting, and at times it's almost laughable, for example, when the president of the Czech Republic starts running around with two of the players (on her own, with none of her security or aides) as if she's just another action figure. And by the last few episodes, things have completely gone off the rails, with shark after shark being jumped. My guess is that they felt the need to top what has been done in prior installments and brought in about 25 writers to contribute-and every writer got to do his or her thing. They created enough set pieces, chases, gun battles and confrontations to make sure everybody got in on the action and every actor had something to do at every moment. Then they sewed it all together and came up with a nine episode Frankenstein. All I got for my investment of time was confused, then annoyed. The final insult was the fate of one character, a Russian, who helped save the day. It made no sense but apparently someone thought it was sufficiently melodramatic for a final note.

Kaleidoscope (2023)

Don't rely on me ... I quit in the second episode

[5/10 · 4 January 2023]

It may not be fair to give a rating if you quit early on. Probably isn't. You can slice and dice the episodes any way you want, employ any novel gimmick, but in the end, it's all about the story. I have a cliche limit and when I reach it, I quit. Understanding that a truly novel tale is very rare and a heist movie is a heist movie, I still demand SOME originality and imagination. Nada. Stop me if you've heard this one: career incarcerated criminal has cut off his daughter so she could forget him and have a better life. That's about, what, fifteen movies? But he's dying and has to see her to explain before he passes. He breaks out and when he finds her-get ready for this one-she's working for the slimey, underhanded double-dealer who's ruined Dad's life! Not only is the boss secretly bent, he obviously has designs on the innocent daughter: can't keep his paws off her. Dad needs to teach this guy a lesson, expose him to daughter, but how? Well, the guy's reputation is built on the safety of his impregnable vault, a magnet for rich customers. So, Dad will break into Mr. Nasty's impregnable vault and steal his money, that's how! Had enough? I did. Do what you will.

The Counselor (2013)

Makes the Bleakest Film Noir Look Like 'The Sound of Music"

[7/10 · 12 August 2022]

You want dark? I mean REALLY dark? Let me put it this way: The existentialists on the train to nowhere got off to watch "No Country for Old Men." The nihilists stayed on to see "The Counselor." I strongly suggest that you not watch this film before a happy occasion like a wedding or a family gathering for Thanksgiving. You'd find it difficult to join the frivolity.

The Card Counter (2021)

NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED PRETENTIOUS ...

[1/10 · 28 July 2022]

I'm struggling to explain how ridiculous this movie is. A man can be haunted by what he did in a place like Abu Gharib. Okay. He could seek redemption. Okay. So, that's a premise for a movie. Okay. Now what that has to do with this mess is totally unclear to me. Nothing in this movie fits together to make a statement and convey a message-other than even talented people can go off the rails. Having wasted two hours watching this mess, I can't devote another moment of my life to this criticism. Just be warned.

Blackhat (2015)

You watch because it's Michael Mann

[6/10 · 17 February 2022]

There is a Michael Mann look to a movie and a way of telling a story. If you enjoy it, that's a reason to watch. The movie has the dark Mann look and soundtrack all right, but that's as far as it goes. Hemsworth is not a Michael Mann-type actor and the plot here is not really a Michael Mann kind of plot, although he tried to inject enough blood and bad people to "Mann-up," pardon the pun. This plot about crypto terrorism would have been more suited to a Die Hard kind of treatment, you know, the one where Bruce Willis defeats the evil hacker: a little more cartoonish on the violence and some good quips by the wise-guy protagonist. You can kill as many people but with a lighter touch. In a Mann movie, scenes and dialogue that work for a vintage Willis production (not the current straight to video crap) come across as clunky. Everybody tries hard here but ultimately this flick is a Mann square peg in a Bruce Willis round hole.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

It takes more than a mere forest fire ....

[5/10 · 6 June 2021]

Okay, there are no new stories. Yet, good films have a way of telling familiar ones in an entertaining way, with enough wrinkles and interesting characterizations that allow us not only to suspend disbelief, but our realization that the bones of the script are very familiar. This movie has none of that. Paint by numbers script writing. The protagonist is damaged by past trauma and has a death wish. Check. There is a person-sometimes a damsel, sometimes a child-that needs to be saved from some very bad guys working for very bad guys. Check. The protagonist will need to face his/her demons to pull it off. Check. What's different? She's a smoke jumper and there's a fire going on. Is that it? Yeah, that's it. Nothing more? No. Same stuff, bigger budget. As they say in the cop stories: "Nothing to see here."

Special Forces (2011)

It "Tears of the Sun" without a few things

[5/10 · 28 May 2021]

This is more or less a video game that Diane Kruger got stuck in because her agent must've said yes in the middle of some wild party with lots of prohibited substances. There is no real plot other than "save the woman." There are no characters you care about. The principal antagonist is a Taliban guy who graduated from the Ivy League or its equivalent and couldn't find a position in private equity, so that explains him. Other than that, it's fine.

I'm Your Woman (2020)

No frills, solid, well-acted storytelling

[8/10 · 21 February 2021]

In many respects it's a lean, period crime story in the vein of "Killing Them Softly." Brosnahan does a great job portraying a good woman in a bad situation: the result of marrying a criminal. The emphasis is on narrative drive, facilitated by avoiding the necessity of putting flesh on all the characters: in this situation, there's no good guys, just denizens of an imploding underworld. The story is quasi-feminist: a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do, even if she has to learn on the fly. All-in-all a sold B entertainment that relies on Brosnahan to carry the load, and she doesn't disappoint.

The Little Things (2021)

Satisfaction Is Not A LIttle Thing

[7/10 · 1 February 2021]

A movie can leave feeling any number of ways-happy, sad, amazed, provoked, whatever-but the common denominator of good ones is that when the lights go up, you feel satisfied; it was worth the trip. I didn't fee that way when this one ended. Yes, it made its point: a detective working a murder case can become obsessed; it's the burden of responsibility, seeking justice, retribution, vengeance-choose your word-for the victim. And the point of the story is the old proverb: "Before you set out on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" (or something like that). That's all well and good, but IMO, this story melted away in the last 30 minutes. With some hard work on the script and more inventiveness, it could have been so much more.

Force of Nature (2020)

Makes you wonder

[2/10 · 31 December 2020]

Mel Gibson signed up; there's got to be a reason. It wasn't the script.

Unlocked (I) (2017)

A very nice surprise

[9/10 · 24 December 2020]

It was a surprise because a I never heard of the movie despite a first-rate cast and usually you understand why by the second act. Not so here. This was a very solid movie, a strong B+ The premise is not novel-it's as old as "The Long Kiss Goodnight," which is worth your time, too, and often used-but it was very well executed with some novel twists and turns, strong acting, good dialogue, fast pacing, and excellent production values. There's an excellent chance you'll be entertained.

Triple 9 (2016)

The Bad Reviews Are For Unrealized Potential.

[8/10 · 18 December 2020]

This movie is rated like a disappointed teacher rates a smart kid who had A potential but did B work: he gets a C. It features a far better than average cast with some members not given enough to do, e.g., Kate Winslet and Gal Gadot, who apparently owed some people favors. The story has bones but the script didn't put enough flesh on the characters to make you care about them. So, you get a cop flick with a decent premise, production values and lots of action-but you watch uninvolved an unmoved. That said, if it's a rainy Saturday afternoon and you're tapped out for the moment on stories about righting wrongs based on race, sex or national origin, open a cold snack and sit back.

Marauders (2016)

It Makes You Wonder

[3/10 · 5 December 2020]

I like to seek out the below-the-radar B movie that proves a pleasant surprise. This is not one of them. I understand that there are fringe people with no talent making cheap straight-to-videos in Romania but this was a surprise. You would think that with the number of people involved in this movie with experience (and some with credentials), the suits, the producers, the director, writers, actors, etc., someone would look at this script and say, e.g., "It needs work. A lot of work." I can't imagine that anyone who touched this script would admit it unless being waterboarded. I know we're supposed to suspend disbelief but sometimes the script makes that impossible. And if you weren't shaking your head by the midpoint, well, there's the last scene. Obviously, whatever had been written finally got someone's attention and they made the director shoot a new ending. The problem is that no one actually looked at the new ending to see if it was better than the old one and-worse-had any logical connection to the rest of the movie. It's as if everyone involved said, "Heck with it." It is that stupid. And by the way, when did Bruce Willis run out of money and start making movies for paychecks? He's made at least ten of them in the last five years. Bottom line: there's a lot better stuff in the action genre buried in the Netflix and Amazon libraries. Just let this one be.

State of Grace (1990)

A True Classic, Criminally Under-appreciated in Its Time

[10/10 · 17 November 2020]

Start here: Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright Penn, John Turturro, Burgess Meredith and John C. Reilly. Then add a great premise, a tight script with hard-edged dialogue, perfectly complimentary, gritty cinematography, suspense as the inevitable showdown looms, and one of the epic gang movie shootout endings of all time. This movie had the bad luck to open against some blockbuster whose name I can't recall. But it is one of the two, great West Side Irish Gang movies, along with "Sleepers." Spend a rainy or snowy weekend with them back to back. You'll be glad you did.