ghatbkk Reviews

Elvis (2022)

Just misses

[4/10 · 12 March 2024]

Fundamentally, the casting just doesn't work. Tom Hanks doesn't pull off being Colonel Parker and Austin Butler doesn't pull of being Elvis. Olivia DeJonge does a great job as Priscilla Presley, but she is really the only major part that is done well. Also excellent performances by Kelvin Harrison as BB King, Atom Mason as Little Richard, Shonka Dukureh as Big Mama Thornton and Cle Morgan as Mahalia Jackson. There seems to have been more effort on casting for singing talent than acting talent when it comes to casting someone to play Elvis. Movie just didn't work for me, but I'm old enough to remember Elvis and Colonel Parker.

The Frogmen (1951)

Great tribute to the frogmen of WWII

[8/10 · 29 July 2023]

The UDT of WWII are the predecessors of the current USN SEALs and this film does a good job of illustrating what they did and the difficulty of it. The techniques shown and equipment used are accurate, and a number of the events are based on real-life events.

There is a point in the movie where Richard Widmark's character explains why he made a decision that he made and tells the team that is what the Navy expects him to do - make hard decisions. Exactly right - that is what the military expects of officers - make decisions. Excellent movie - clearly made with the cooperation and assistance of the United States Navy and the Underwater Demolition Teams.

Extraction II (2023)

Better than the first

[8/10 · 16 June 2023]

As usual, the fights are over the top (body armor may stop bullets, but the kinetic energy is still hammering into the body in real life). But I found the plot, the motives, the backstory all much more interesting in this movie than the first one. Also liked Idris Elba's appearance. As seems to be the norm for this sort of movie, we got to see a variety of exotic firearms, from AKs with no stock to M240s and M249s to RPGs, PDWs, mini-guns, sniper weapons, etc. Also as usual, the weapons have extraordinary effect (not sure how you could get 40mm grenades to explode that close to the weapon that fired them) although hand-grenade explosions do seem to be close to accurate (the RPGs fly more like AT-4s though - RPGs don't really fire that accurately). Lots of bangs, lots of bashing, lots of knives (and axes and shovels and pitchforks), lots of shooting... but the plot actually has a start and a finish (and an opportunity for another one).

She's in the Army Now (1981 TV Movie)

Just plain bad in so many ways.

[4/10 · 12 June 2023]

There is so much wrong with this movie that I thought they must not have had a technical advisor, but there is one listed on the list of the crew. I must assume that Dennis Foley was never at a BCT post in the timeframe that this is set in. The uniforms are pretty much correct, although the way they are worn is blatantly ridiculous as are some of the events portrayed. But a technical expert you would hope would get the nomenclature for the M16A1 rifle correct, or make sure the women could march in something resembling being in step. The cast is such that you really would expect the film to be better, but it's really just blah, blah, blah. Even the Article 15 towards the end is really not well done (maybe the Colonel was incapable of reading any lines). And the complete failure to take advantage of the existence of the Chaplin, both for the girl who attempts suicide and for the girl in danger of losing her baby is just silly.

Explained: Fairy Tales (2021) Season 3, Episode 14

Another dumb Netflix take on historic events

[4/10 · 27 May 2023]

The idea that certain stories all trace back to a single ancestor story is absolutely stupid. Today, we have multiple authors come up with similar plots or stories on a regular basis, the idea that humans would have done the same over and over in the thousands of years past (as well as that many authors have pointed out that there are actually a very limited number of plots that humans come up with).

This is both insulting to humans and demonstrates that the people interviewed in these things are simply incapable of really grasping either creativity or what we know about the human brain.

Aweful schock.

The Woman King (2022)

If only they had paid a bit more attention to the actual story

[6/10 · 16 May 2023]

This could very well have been a great movie - all it would take is a little bit of effort to get the history right instead of inventing myth. The Agojie/Mino/Minon were a real part of the Dahomey Kingdom, known for their skill at close quarters combat and their aggressiveness. As far as I can determine, there was no tradition of a "Woman King" (but Dahomey did have Queens) but the Agojie were represented on the council that advised the King. However, when it comes to depicting just about everything else in the movie (including the speech given by Viola Davis's character before the main battle) are on the same level as Braveheart - myth with very little actual history behind it. Dahomey did not withdraw from the slave trade (at least, not for any significant period). Selling people was simply too lucrative.

Life (I) (2017)

One of the dumbest Science-Fiction movies

[4/10 · 19 April 2023]

First, we have a biologist who underestimates the potential danger of an alien lifeform. You would think that knowing about how dangerous Earth's liveforms are would have had some sort of impact, but obiviously not. Then we have all the stupidity that follows, which over and over again demonstrates stupidity that no astronaut should exhibit as well as a complete failure in command decisions - over and over again. This movie should be called "Dumb and Dumber go to Space".

Add really bad acting, bad writing and a horrible plot.

Awful movie, not even good for falling asleep to, and has some ridiculous special effects as well.

Waco: American Apocalypse (2023)

A documentary should present facts

[4/10 · 18 April 2023]

This "documentary" spends lots of time presenting interviews with various people who were involved at Waco (although a number of important figures are not included) and some of the tapes of negotiations and newscasts from the siege.

What it fails to present are the trial documents as well as the FBI evaluation and the facts from it.

For example, despite the claim that he knew that the Davidians fired first because he heard the M60s firing and the ATF didn't have any M60s, neither did the Branch Davidians. No M60 was recovered and an M60 barrel and receiver is not going to melt in a fire in which AR-15s survived.

There are lots of other discrepancies, and a documentary should have covered them.

F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

Lots of high speed nuttery

[1/10 · 17 April 2023]

The more of these movies they make, the worse they get. Bad acting, more speed and utterly ridiculous plats. This one is by far the worst. The best view of this movie is that they are making a parody of their own movies. Unfortunately, it seems all too much that they are just milking the franchise for all its worth and making really bad Marvel Universe movies without the superheroes. It's got it all, the origin story, the actions that could only possibly be done by a superhero, the wooden acting, the superhero story arc, the redemption, the use of special effects instead of actual story telling or competent acting, and the use of name actors who are sleep-walking their way through the movie and are there just for name draw.

In contention for the worst movie of 2021.

MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (2023)

Conspiracy nonsense for the conspiracy crowd.

[2/10 · 22 March 2023]

This film is insulting. First, for claiming to be a documentary. Second, for blatantly playing to irrational conspiracy theories and ludicrous commentary. Third, to the passengers and crew of MH370. The widespread focus on conspiracy theories that were completely out of touch with reality, as well as the ridiculous idea that a French court has any jurisdiction on the matter, and finally the denigration of what actual evidence there is. Honestly, this film can only leave you less informed about MH370. This film should be reclassified as speculative fiction, it is not a documentary. The producer and director of this piece of junk should never again get near any film making.

Spiderhead (2022)

Great soundtrack

[4/10 · 17 January 2023]

Music is awesome. Plot and acting are generally abysmal. Kept getting the impression that all of the actors were trying to play farcical versions of their characters. Overall, simply not worth the time.

Typing this to fill out the character requirement because there is really nothing else to say about the film, it's not worth the words, so you've already read all there is of relevance in this review, asdgghkl;1233765089qwertyuiopzxcvvnm,./hjdhfslfkahbiuuneiuhnf;akunlshdsjfokiohteslnnfal;ghei;psjfhnoyhyqhjllkksukcuyjshjkdy7ubhhns7jioahogkau25416548ygt7auyifau7gypagie9psh9oguh7gpahhgpaufhsugtua\\

And that's all folks!

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

One of the worst and most unoriginal movies I have ever seen

[2/10 · 5 January 2023]

Let's see, let's take a bit of Thor Ragnarok, mix in a bit of Roman mythology, toss in some Soylent Green and some bits of family misogyny and typical royal family. Add in bad acting, terribly dialog and absolutely ridiculous script writing - plus mix genres in a blender so it isn't clear if this is supposed to be science-fiction, fantasy, mythology or just basically stupid (it accomplishes the last). Oh, and the love story is absolutely absurd (as is the whole bee thing and a bunch of other plot bits). Oh, and I almost forgot - there's some TRON and some Star Wars mixed in too. This is truly horrendous.

The Big 4 (2022)

So bad it's entertaining

[5/10 · 20 December 2022]

There are some movies that just are amazing. Then there are some movies that have such bad dialogue, acting, plotting, etc. That they are just cringe. You can't watch them. Then there are a few movies that are so cringe that it can be entertaining. Sometimes, that's intentional, sometimes, it's not. Well, this is one of those movies. The dialogue is terrible, the acting is mediocre, the plot is ridiculous (and obvious), and the twist to set up the next movie is also obvious. And yet, it is entertaining. There is no question that some of the cringe was intentional, but a lot of it probably wasn't. It really is a typical SE Asia soap opera converted into a movie (clearly with the hope of being a series of movies).

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Too busy looking for ONE solution to explain all

[2/10 · 18 November 2022]

Hancock spends way too much time looking for a SINGLE civilization as the solution to the mysteries he notes rather than applying Hanlon's Razor. It's a typical conspiracy theorist approach to a problem, connecting things by the thinnest of threads and not recognizing how irrational their approach is.

Is it possible that their are civilizations that predate the time frame that archaeologists currently recognize? Certainly, and it is even probably that there were far more than one. The irrational part is to think that there was only one and the evidence of it is spread all over the globe. It seems much more likely that there were many.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Boring, poor remake

[3/10 · 1 November 2022]

This is not a good film. It is not an especially interesting film. It is a film that isn't really a filming of Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front".

What it is is a boring, poorly made bit of a movie that mixes themes and continually falls into tropes. In places, it is laughable at how poorly it portrays soldiers. This movie isn't a portrayal of WWI, it is a political polemic by someone who has is just making up a story.

Stick with the version made before WWII. This one isn't worth seeing. It is certainly not worth 2 1/2 hours of time. In addition, so much of the history is so messed up as to suggest it is intentionally falsified.

Blonde (2022)

Heartbreaking

[7/10 · 28 September 2022]

I have no idea how accurate this account of Marilyn Monroe's life is. I will say that there are some people in Norma Jean's life that, if this account is even close to accurate, are hopefully rotting in hell. This movie portrays a woman desperately in need of help who is tormented by many of the people that she chose to trust. A lot of "heroes" don't come out of this looking too good. Norma Jean comes out as a woman with massive insecurities and likely mental illness, who is abused and manipulated by many, many people, some of which claimed to love her, others of which simply wanted to make money off her,.

Two Flags West (1950)

A movie about the Galvanized Yankees

[6/10 · 26 September 2022]

During the American Civil War, the Union offered captured Confederate Soldiers the chance to serve in the west against the Indians. That really happened. This story is a fictional account of a group of those Confederates and their actions in the west. Like the real-life Galvanized Yankees, these men choose to do their duty. It's a pretty good movie, even if it is a typical 1950s war movie, with lots of drama and some romance. Still, better than many others, and does illustrate a real historical circumstance - Reb POWs were given the opportunity to serve in the west in return for a pardon, and told they would not be asked to fight against the Confederacy.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Really, really silly...

[4/10 · 8 September 2022]

It gets better towards the end, but it is a really silly movie and the plotting is ridiculous. It seems like the Marvel Universe is focused on parodying itself at this point. The entire GnR trope was twenty years out of date and the movie was mostly made up of worn out messages with no real creativity. The only reason that Marvel isn't entirely formulaic is that they keep introducing worse plots and poorer humor. Of course, Marvel fans still need to see the movies so that they won't be lost in the next one... or that is what Marvel hopes. Don't spend money to see this one. Borrow it or stream it.

AI Love You (2022)

Cute but...

[4/10 · 22 August 2022]

There are lots of good science fiction novels that address many of the questions that are brought up in this movie. The writer and director should have read a few of them. Some of this was Ok, the CGI was pretty good, and the storyline has some cute bits to it, but this still isn't really a great movie.

Company of Heroes (2013 Video)

Terrible movie

[3/10 · 19 August 2022]

A movie based on a video game with bad dialog, ridiculous plot, and poor. Movie should have been called "Company of ludicrous ideas". Highly recommended to avoid.

Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate (2019 TV Special)

Couldn't they have found modern comedians?

[5/10 · 18 August 2022]

Most of the "stars" that celebrated in this weren't very funny. There are lots of good, funny comedians around today, you would have thought they could find a few more of them to pay tribute to Laugh-In.

Jackie (V) (2016)

Jackie and the funeral procession

[7/10 · 9 August 2022]

I was 5 years old when JFK was assassinated. And no, I don't remember where I was at the time. What I do remember is the funeral procession - of it being on TV and broadcast in its entirety, as well as all my adult relatives talking softly, and some of them crying. It was an important enough event that I still remember it, many decades later.

This film is likely dramatized, and I really don't know how much, but if it is anywhere close to accurate that Jackie Kennedy was responsible for making sure that John F. Kennedy received the funeral procession that he did, then this was definitely worth watching.

Carter (2022)

Looks like poor animation

[1/10 · 9 August 2022]

Turned it off after 20 minutes. Don't know if the look is overprocessed digital or bad animation. Either way, garbage film. There is just so much suspension of disbelief you can expect. This film is way, way over the top. It's ridiculous and poorly done. Not entertaining.

Uncommon Valor (1983)

Filling the fantasies of many a Soldier in the 1980s

[6/10 · 3 August 2022]

When this movie was made, the POW/MIA issue was still very much alive in the USA, and there were many Americans who believed that there were many POWs still held in Vietnam or Laos even after Vietnam reported they had returned all POWs (and physical evidence of such being true until at least the late 1980s is cited in the Senate report on POW/MIA in 1995).

There were numerous scams running in Bangkok to play on that belief, as well as a number of people who were running legitimate operations trying to identify camps holding Americans.

The ultimate goal for these people was to prove that Americans were still being held and bring them home.

Paratrooper (1953)

Alan Ladd made a lot of these..

[5/10 · 2 August 2022]

Alan Ladd made a lot of these WWII movies that are sort of telling real stories, mashing in a love story and turning out a very formulaic result.

They'd be so much better if Alan Ladd wasn't such a wooden actor.