Some people will find this film too slow and/or depressing, but if you can accept that the film is less plot-driven and more about the family it centers around, you can be entertained by terrific acting that brings the characters to life. Be aware: the mystery of the story is not as important as the mysteriousness of the characters.
Reviews
84 Reviews
Love
(IV) (2020)
A Small Film Surprise
7 March 2021
I did not expect much from this, but I have to admit I was proven wrong. Every scene kept my attention, and though the ending is too ambiguous to hold any real meaning, I'm still glad I went ahead and watched the whole thing.
Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
My Vote for Greatest 2020 Film
17 January 2021
This year's film crop has been mediocre at best. This film here, though, did what I hoped Mulan and Enola Holmes would do: bring some life back. I actually cried during this movie. It felt like watching a movie as though I were a kid.
I'm not entirely clear on what the purpose was
14 December 2020
This started off strongly, and I thought this would be a horror-comedy in the vein of the Dead Snow films. At one point, however, the humor noticeably vanished, and it transitioned to something more akin to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a set of films I think the history of cinema could do without. Then, towards the conclusion of the story, the humor starting bouncing back at various points. In short, the problem here is an inconsistent tone. When the humor is there, it's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's enjoyable. When it's not there, the film is drag through bloody mud.
The Last Airbender
(2010)
A Stack of Common Sense Mistakes as Tall as Everest
12 December 2020
I have only one good thing to say about this movie: When I heard how much people detested this film, I thought, "Well, it's probably just not possible to translate a show like ATLA onto the live-action big screen." After finally watching this, I am now starting to believe that it could be possible to have a live-action movie that takes place in the Avatar universe. The reason why is because they made convincing costumes and set pieces, and all the problems with the movie are caused by a failure to adhere to common sense (i.e., how did they get the characters' names wrong??). If they ever do try another such movie, I would recommend not retelling the story from the series but picking up where the series left off or some other time period in the universe (like what Korra did).
Our House
(I) (2018)
The Most Scare Free "Terror" Since 2012's The Apparition
12 December 2020
It's one thing when a horror film's scares are ineffective. It's another when the film barely makes any attempts at scares. Huge chunks of the film contain no attempts at frightening the viewer. Exposition, storytelling, and characters are just as important in a scary movies as other movies; but without the added element of horror, it's just another drama. That's the problem here- it's a drama that wants to be scary, and REALLY does not know how.
Tall Girl
(2019)
A Much Better High School Romance than THE KISSING BOOTH
10 December 2020
It's neither laugh-out-loud funny nor melodramatic. It's just a simple story about struggling to accept what we cannot change and change what we cannot accept. There are certainly better examples of such stories out there, and there are MOST certainly worse ones. I felt like the characters were written and acted in such a way as to make it easy to care about what will happen to them. All things said, I enjoyed this mostly light-hearted and straightforward romantic.
The Sixth Sense
(1999)
Rightly Reckoned Among the Most Memorable Thrillers Ever
6 December 2020
It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what makes the horror here so effective. People trained in cinematography can likely explain it in detail, but all I know is, it works. Boy, does it ever work. Shyamalan's partnership with James Newton Howard benefits this - and their other films - amazingly.
Terminator: Dark Fate
(2019)
Hamilton is the heart, and Schwarzenegger is the soul
5 December 2020
I'll acknowledge this upfront: the story is nothing special. Now that that's done, let's confess this is the best of the Terminator films aside from the indelible T2. Its main strengths are veteran actors Hamilton and Schwarzenegger, and the new additions are all right. The action scenes are overall feel of the movie bring us right back to the Terminator world, almost to the point where you feel like you're watching a Terminator film for the first time.
Peppermint
(2018)
This doesn't follow the formula- this IS the formula
5 December 2020
Absence of originality is the problem here; or at least the lack of a FEELING of newness. Most movies ultimately are borrowers from earlier flicks, but at least many can create the sense of newness that this one lacks. Vigilante action films lend many cliches, and Peppermint snatches up all it can.
Collateral Damage
(2002)
No Arnie One-Liners????
5 December 2020
The problem with this is that it's not an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. It has Arnold in it, but it's not an Arnold film. Like I mentioned in the headline, there are no famous Arnie quotes in this, which is phenomenal. The movie's plot and action are not terrible, but the miscasting of Arnold is a distraction. We, as the audience, are constantly waiting for him to do or say something Arnold-like, and it never happens.
Wuthering Heights
(2011)
Hard to watch even for patient viewers
4 December 2020
Yes, it's very slow, but that's not the core of the problem: the heart of the problem is that there is no heart. I cannot relate to anyone in the film. I wanted to cheer on Heathcliff, but it soon becomes apparent why that's incredibly difficult to do. The characters are mostly just boorish and disgusting.
Preservation
(2014)
Apart from a few scenes.... eh
4 December 2020
Apart from a few scenes where there is some actual tension, sitting through most of this felt like being in a survival movie myself. I would have given this a 5/10 in honor of the good parts, but they failed to think of a creative ending, so it's a four.
Status: Unknown
(2014 TV Movie)
As far as trashy, low-budget, lifetime knock-off TV movies go.....
4 December 2020
.....this was actually pretty fun! Entertaining at least, and I even thought the story was smart enough to keep me from figuring everything out on my own. I'm not sure if all the humor in it was intentional, but again, it's fun to watch as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Tombstone
(1993)
The Greatest Western Film, In My Book
29 November 2020
You have to dig through a lot of dirt to find diamonds, and this is a gemstone of a film. The cast is impeccable, and in my judgment, Val Kilmer should have received Best Supporting Actor for his memorable role as Doc Holliday. Exciting, charming, inspirational, it's the best western film I've ever seen.
The Mask of Zorro
(1998)
10/10 and Maybe In My All-Time Top 10
29 November 2020
Like the character himself, the film is handsome, charming, swift, unpredictable, witty, likable all around. I can watch it over and over again without getting bored.
Instead, rewatches concretize its timelessness. Spectacular.
Ghosts of War
(2020)
Very Much a Year 2020 Film
29 November 2020
2020 has been a lousy year for cinema, to say the least, and this film typifies that drop in quality. The dialogue, character development, acting, story progression, effects (everything!) are annoyingly cheap. F for no effort.
Aladdin
(2019)
Movie Goers Need to Lighten Up
28 November 2020
Okay, so it's not the same as the old one; and it's not on the same level quality-wise; but that doesn't make it bad or even unnecessary. I didn't care for the new songs, but the covers of the classic ones were terrific I thought. The effects and costumes were right on.... I don't know. I don't know why a fan of the original would dislike this so much.
You Should Have Left
(2020)
Short on Frights, Long on Filler
27 November 2020
The Good: It does have a beginning, middle, and end that cohere relatively well. The characters make sense as people and are somewhat relatable.
The Bad: It's just not at all scary. Most of the scenes feel like they're stretched thin in order to make the runtime of a full-length feature film.
Grant
(2020)
It Celebrates What's Good About America's History Without the Slanted Jingoism
27 November 2020
I haven't reviewed a documentary here till now, and this seems the perfect example with which to start. Grant both informed and inspired me. It runs a little long, and its cast of talented actors feels underutilized. Nevertheless, I am glad to have watched this and learned something important from it.
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