MAD_PIGE0N Reviews

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

A little propaganda, some sham and less credibility

[28 March 2024]

Yes, there's been a concerted effort to portray Oppenheimer's saga with flair yet relatability - a fictional narrative depicting the remarkable scientist's journey amidst a backdrop of ingratitude and intrigue, to which his response seems somewhat inadequate. Nonetheless, there's an attempt to imbue him with a sense of stoicism. On the performance front, it's commendable; I have no qualms there. The scenes, effects - all top-notch. What's intriguing is how the narrative subtly weaves in propaganda surrounding the ostensibly noble cause of a man whose legacy is tarnished by his role as a harbinger of destruction - yes, Oppenheimer, portrayed as nothing short of a mass murderer, the repercussions of which still echo today in the lingering fallout of atomic radiation. It's presented as an oversight, a mistake he regrets deeply, as if such a brilliant mind could overlook the devastating aftermath of such a weapon. It almost eclipses his genius, yet he believed it would stave off death. Naturally, he's depicted as belonging to a privileged class, surrounded by others of similar ilk. As the narrative goes, the people of Oppenheimer's ethnicity are inherently innocent, noble, and intelligent - always victims, never perpetrators. What's missing is the requisite political correctness demanded by contemporary cinema - the racial diversity, or LG...UHDTV characters, where historical accuracy seems to take a backseat. Perhaps they couldn't replace one of the "chosen ones" because, as the narrative implies, they're irreplaceable, while others are expendable.

I give 7 stars mostly because of the acting and the good screening, but there is little historical and factual validity.

The Beekeeper (2024)

More waste of Statham's acting

[24 March 2024]

This is John Wick on steroids, because The Beekeeper manages to overcome all kind of security, protection, soldiers etc. He acts a bit like a lunatic, but a good one. Which would have been fine if it wasn't for the overexaggeration of the character, but what is worse are the other characters - the absurd androgyne (of course, what would a movie be without some twisted human creature) who should not even exist, considering what the Beekeepers are. We then have the rich punk Derek with high-power parents who decided to steal people for no reason - he has everything, why would he do that? But it's not only him - all the characters around him are just as stupid and absurd, and incapable, while they shouldn't be, but I don't want to spoil. It isn't getting any better in the face of agent Parker whose mental processing capabilities are not fast, while her colleague is completely inadequate and deprived of any interests and analytical thinking. But don't get desperate - it is getting even better (in the wrong direction): the fighting scenes are more ridiculous than Fast and Furious, and it all ends in a stupid plot that could have been something original - maybe not too amazing, but a decent action movie. So at this point, no soundtrack or visual effects could repair or improve anything. I am simply sorry for Statham whose talent was wasted with poor or average action movies.

Money Heist (2017–2021)

Fading in quality of content

[13 January 2024]

First part: seasons 1 and 2. An interesting idea, well realized both in terms of filming (effects, music) and acting, and the characters are quite colorful. The plot generally develops steadily, meaningfully, however, the idea of a character like the Professor, who has mastered everything down to the smallest detail, is more in the realm of fiction. Arturo's character comes too much and the tolerance for him, I would say it's quite irritating and especially in the second season where he is even more unrealistic. Tokyo is also pretty annoying, selfish and reckless, but within the number of episodes it's all acceptable.

Part Two: Seasons 3, 4, and 5. Of course, it all starts with Tokyo's utter inadequacy and selfishness. Then, the idea of freeing their friend through a bigger heist is, I'd say, dumb - the two things just don't have a connection, and it would have been much more original if they just saved him from somewhere with another plan of the Professor. But no... And here begins the great downfall, which I will try to describe without giving away the events anyway: in Raquel's place we have an out-of-control colonel (Tamayo) who spins shoot after shoot, lie after lie and given the nature of the crime, carried out by the professor's group - this is absurd. Then we bring in Arturo and his landing among the hostages, as well as the cheap, soap-opera-quality intrigue he pulls. We also have Gandia, a brooding fool and psychopath who is helped to cause enough trouble and just when he is expected to be removed with enough trauma, somehow he is admitted to a foreign squad, almost perfectly healthy. Tokyo is in a whirlwind of impropriety and stupidity, further confusing everything, and next to the colonel stands Alicia, who, even after failing and being suspected, remains without any supervision and turns out to be more shrewd than all the services of the state. It's a complete comedy! And to top it off: it turns out that the professor's group managed to get an entire foundry and a military warehouse into the bank with one truck - please! And this crap goes on for 3 seasons, which could be two, if not too many and frequent but brief references to life in Berlin, for the most part being damn unnecessary. And the ending of everything is more unrealistic than all the absurdities that are observed during this "second part".

So if the first season deserves 8 out of 10 stars, the second is at most a 6. And that's more like an average score of 7, but we have a whole 3 p*derasts and a tran*s*xual character who absolutely doesn't need to be one, but is one just to have propaganda.

What could have been great was actually ruined by trying to suck an idea to the max, and my opinion that even the most brilliant ones run out of steam after about 4 seasons was confirmed - it would have been much more durable with one more season -less and less unrealistic actions and endings.

Dear Child (2023)

Traumatising

[13 January 2024]

I would say a heavy miniseries, traumatic. The acting part is excellent, there are no unnecessary side stories, clichés and propaganda.

The story unfolds in an interesting way and I would say the ending is unexpected, I mean the actions of the victim who seemed to have completely surrendered to the bullying and psychological manipulation of the abuser. But it's hard for me to describe it without giving away something of the plot, and I usually avoid doing that.

I like the German atmosphere, the German mentality - it doesn't try to copy anything Hollywood-type, and that I generally only saw ethnic Germans.

Ambulance (2022)

Average as action, but strong on the usual propaganda

[13 January 2024]

A bit of a messy job right from the start. And during all the action. There is a certain amount of inadequacy in most of the characters, especially Gyllenhaal. Otherwise the acting is good. Maybe there is a little more emphasis on Eiza's cute face, which is not right for the actor himself and his skills, but as I said - despite the slight inadequacy reigning throughout, the actors are good, the more extreme scenes are also well done. Otherwise, it is a typical action movie, in reality the film does not shine with anything in-depth. But for an ordinary film, we have the typical clichés in a happy dose: first, an FBI agent who, for no reason, is revealed to us to be h*mos*xual and married just to impose this p*rversion. Then the "good n*gro," who, though a criminal, hardly repented of everything and brought things to a happy end for the good guys, and he died almost a martyr's death. But let it be so - against the background of reality, these propagandas do exactly the opposite of their purpose.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Calm apocalypse?

[30 December 2023]

Weird movie. Not for anything else, but because it's open-ended, just hinting at what might be happening and hinting at what might happen in reality, which makes it interesting. I imagine some people will find it boring or even uninteresting for these reasons.

I like the atmosphere, and the scenes - very green, clean and calm, although the situation is far from calm, which also gives an idea of extreme situations. Camera, actors, effects, music - everything is good enough. But the characters except G. H. are a little strange, I would even say inadequate and to some extent unpleasant with their inadequacy.

I find it a good movie, just not "wow".

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Good, but nothing more

[28 December 2023]

I'll go shortly with the CGI, the acting and the soundtrack - this is all very good, especially Mads who is one of the best actors.

The character of Helena is inadequate, her behaviour makes no sense throughout most of the movie. At some point, I wondered do I watch "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" - it was cunningly (of course) solving some hidden riddles which is kind of stupid and cliche. And in the end, the smart nazi scientist got the data wrong, but a History teacher and a thief got it right - come on! Plus, this entire nazi story is another cliche by itself - try some other villains.

It is a watchable movie, kind of keeps a dose of the Indiana Jones spirit, but is nothing close to the old movies mostly because it's a modern Hollywood interpretation. The usual adventure movies with Dwayne Jonson are more exciting, at least are more creative.

Nope (2022)

Werid and... WTF did I just watch anyway?!

[27 December 2023]

I am not sure whether I should rate the movie five or six stars. The acting, the camera, the scenes - this is all fine, but then the plot is weird the least.

The character of OJ is devoid of any vein. Then we have the story with the Asian guy (I am not going in depth in order not to spoil) that has nothing to do with the movie - it's there just for the sake of being there, to have something more to the movie because the movie itself is slow, boring at moments. At some point it was about to get interesting, but all fell apart with that parody of a monster that looks like a failed work of Christo Javacheff and never understand what this is.

Even though I rate it six stars, I wouldn't recommend watching this. It looks like a badly accomplished story that could have been tad better.

Blood Coast (2023– )

Gives a slightly different thrill, at least to me

[12 December 2023]

It is another depiction of the worsening reality in France and many Western Europe's countries.

What I liked here is that the plot is not concentrated on one gang, but two and the war between them. Then you put the war the police is involved with all the consequences of the first (which all results in some good action) and on top of everything we have the bureaucracy and the corruption. Yet, for only six episodes, there was enough time to see every character's personal life's dramas, which was very nice and means there are no unnecessary scenes just for the volume, but it's all about quality.

Different characters, very good acting, I liked the soundtrack a lot and I would love to give 7.5 stars, but it isn't possible.

Pain Hustlers (2023)

Big Pharma

[4 December 2023]

I didn't care enough about the story to check the veracity of everything shown in the movie, but maybe that's not that important in this case, because the important thing is to make movies about the biggest mafia structures that ruin and rule people's lives, namely, they are for the "good guys": the food giants, the military-industrial complex and "Big Pharma" - they stand alongside the drug cartels and human traffickers. In that sense, the film does a good job of portraying the unscrupulousness of the pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as the deep level of corruption they reach and I think it's all played perfectly by the actors and especially Emily Blunt who is superb - apart from I find her charming in a special way. She is just a very good actress and if she represents a real person, as depicted - then she does a high-quality job and that makes me interested in the real life character.

Camera, music - everything is at a level. The film is above average and the minimum for any quality, which I express as a six-star rating.

In Time (2011)

Makes more sense a decade later

[29 November 2023]

The movie makes more and more sense 12 years later - I watched it now in 2023. Watching how fast everything is changing - both for the better and for the worse, the things that used to take humanity centuries to change , now only take decades.

The film may have seemed more fantastic just ten years ago, but today the symbolism in it is even stronger: there is no money, there is no material value of things - everything is just the time we have to live. And in order for some to live like kings, others must live poor, in this case even less. This is simply the great value in the film, and as such it is good not only because of this - camera, effects, music - everything is up to par. The actors too, maybe there is some overexposure of some of the main characters, their behavior and skills, but let's say it's acceptable.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

I still question myself if I am generous giving it six stars

[24 November 2023]

The execution of the film is otherwise impeccable - camerawork, soundtrack, actors (and beautiful actresses), effects. Even the story would be ok, but the AI in question is presented as an all-powerful overlord in a way that just can't happen, while, almost, for all its power, it still needs and fears humans.

There are stunts and scenes that are more absurd than those in "Fast and Furious" franchise and when you add the fact that Ethan and Benji look a lot like Johnny English and Bough, this movie is dumb at times - it's ridiculous for an underdog to be from "Mission Impossible Agency" which itself is an absolutely infantile concept. And all this for almost three hours - a mockery of the viewer.

Creature (2023)

Decent story, but Turkish release

[24 November 2023]

Everything could have been very interesting, but the story lacks depth. Instead, some weak wisdoms are pushed, which are more likely to be valid in the 19th century, but clearly Turkey is in a different time, and for them they are still impressive and inspiring.

The acting is below average, there are funny and ridiculous camera and writing techniques, they tried to take western tricks and mix with the Turkish inability to make original cinema - it is known that the Turks have cinematography one idea better than Bollywood.

The events could have been played out more interestingly and even the ending could have been a bit more fleshed out and meaningful as a denouement.

Mayhem! (2023)

Not bad. There's something about the character...

[22 November 2023]

The movie looked to me like a modern approach to a 90's scenario, which isn't something bad, I am just noticing it - one goes on a straight revenge over the bad guys.

We don't get to know the full story of Sam, but it's seems he is the typical French of non-French origin - involved in gang life. However, he decides to leave it, but as it's well known - you can't leave it if it doesn't leave you. So even in his attempt, unwillingly, he still stays a criminal which he never stops being - even after restarting everything in Thailand, the first big thing he wants to achieve in life, he tries it the criminal way, which brought all the consequences it could - one reckless decision.

The actor performs very good in the fighting scenes, they are a slight copy of the series of martial arts and raw violence movies from Indonesia (The Raid, The Raid 2, The Night Comes for us, Headshot etc.) which is fine, but is kind of obvious.

The acting is good, the music and the camera are fine. The Thai atmosphere is well recreated. It's overall a simple movie, but well-made and in case you have nothing better to watch or just need some good fighting one "Farang" ("Mayhem!") is worth it.

Black Space (2020– )

Not bad

[25 August 2023]

I don't want to spoil, so I am not going into details, but it has its flaws. But thing aren't that bad to say it's not worth - the show is fine. It's a high school scenario, so in a way, not that typical. True, it suffers from the usual thing - the actors are supposed to be teens, but they all look in their early twenties. Whatever... The cop is a bit inadequate and rough for no reason, also doesn't look good at all as a body figure.

At least you discover the story episode by episode really, which is nice. It resembles some late 90s early 00s Hollywood high school plots about the secret life in a school, the intrigues, the subculture, but it doesn't look outdated, anachronic or so...

I don't know if it represents at least a part of the Israelis' life, but again - whatever...

Heart of Stone (I) (2023)

Fun to watch

[25 August 2023]

This another one of the trend - super trained, high-IQ female specimens that can do all the job. Overall, it isn't that bad, excluding the totally unrealistic scenes, especially those of fighting on the plane while flying, but this is something that goes for decades and is becoming worse, but let's not lose the topic...

I've seen worse than this one and I wasn't expecting it to be very good, but considering the start of this sentence, I can't go with 5 which I consider the limit of the watchable which is sometimes not really watchable. Six goes only for the good screening and the ok acting, but it isn't much. It's a movie that can do the job when you have nothing in particular to do.

The Mother (2023)

Not that bad

[24 August 2023]

Ok, the character of Jennifer Lopez is overexaggerated, but mostly for a female. There are worse male characters to be seen in theoretically better movies. But she does a decent role, almost everybody plays ok to decently, it's just a movie that doesn't require too much of a talent, but it can be worse - like Stven Seagal as a main role. So, I hope you get what I mean.

The soundtrack is nice, the camera and the screen format are good.

I can understand the not good rate to a point, but I've seen crap movies with better, while this one is fine to watch. And on top of everything, there is no LG...UHDTV (replace the letters accordingly) propaganda.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Title: John Wick: Chapter 4 - A Mediocre Offering Bound by Overexaggeration and Cliches

[24 May 2023]

John Wick: Chapter 4, while delivering on its signature high-octane action sequences, ultimately falls short of its potential. The film's mediocrity stems from several key factors that hinder its ability to stand out in the crowded landscape of action cinema.

One of the main drawbacks of the movie is the titular character himself. John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, is undeniably an iconic figure in modern action films. However, in this installment, his persona becomes excessively overexaggerated. Gone are the nuances and complexities that made Wick intriguing in the earlier films. Instead, we are presented with a one-dimensional killing machine devoid of any genuine character development.

Moreover, the inclusion of the blind Japanese adds to the film's downfall. Unfortunately, this character serves as nothing more than a caricature, relying on outdated stereotypes that have long plagued Hollywood. It is disheartening to witness such regressive choices in a supposedly progressive era of filmmaking.

Furthermore, John Wick: Chapter 4 suffers from an excessive reliance on old Hollywood stereotypes and cliches. From the predictable plot twists to the recycled dialogue, the film fails to break new ground. Instead, it falls into the trap of rehashing worn-out tropes that have become all too familiar to audiences. This lack of originality hampers the overall impact of the story, leaving viewers with a sense of disappointment.

While the film does boast impressive action sequences, they cannot compensate for its inherent flaws. The choreographed fight scenes may be visually appealing, but they fail to add depth to the narrative or provide a fresh perspective on the genre. They simply serve as flashy distractions that do little to elevate the overall quality of the film.

In conclusion, John Wick: Chapter 4 falls short of expectations due to its overexaggerated protagonist, the inclusion of a poorly developed character relying on stereotypes, and an excessive reliance on tired Hollywood cliches. Despite its visually captivating action sequences, the film lacks the substance and originality necessary to make a lasting impact. Ultimately, it settles for mediocrity, leaving viewers yearning for a more innovative and thought-provoking cinematic experience.

Queen Cleopatra (2023)

Incorrect correctness - we have enough of it

[17 May 2023]

The Queen Cleopatra TV Show, advertised as a historical drama, disappoints due to its disregard for historical accuracy and its misleading representation of Cleopatra's ethnicity. Key historical figures like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony are simplified into one-dimensional caricatures, undermining the show's credibility. The depiction of Cleopatra's life lacks historical accuracy, distorting important milestones and relationships. Portraying Cleopatra as a dark-skinned woman contradicts historical evidence and disregards the cultural context of ancient Egypt. This misrepresentation perpetuates a false narrative, disrespecting Cleopatra's identity and overlooking the complexities of the era. The show's failure to uphold historical accuracy undermines viewers' understanding of history and diminishes the significance of Cleopatra's reign. Overall, the Queen Cleopatra TV Show falls short in delivering an authentic and accurate portrayal, compromising the integrity of historical drama. Viewers should demand higher standards of accuracy and respect for historical figures, ensuring they are depicted with dignity and cultural context.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Good one

[12 May 2023]

Unlike the other "Evil Dead", including the TV series, here you won't find the dose of humor, but it's purely relying on gore and there's a lot of it. Otherwise, it doesn't differ much: someone finds the book, listens a recording of and it all starts...

The dose of psycho is good, the atmosphere and how it relates to the scenario is matched properly, the effects are great, the music is on spot.

As for the actors, they all do their job perfectly. I'm happy to see there're some good... well, not exactly remakes of, but continuations of the franchise. They even kept the behavior of the evil itself and of course - the main weapon against.

While it's nothing spectacular, at least for the ones who know the older Evil Dead, it's above average and fairly deserves at least 7 stars. For the younger viewers this might even go to 8.

1899 (2022)

It's good, but could've been better. It doesn't copy "Dark"

[18 December 2022]

First, I'd say that the show isn't slow, the series are just fine, but not with needless scenes - we've just enough to get better understanding of each character and his story. Now here I'll mention the thing I always do recently and that makes me take one star - again, we've unnecessary and intrusive g*y story. We also have one dark skin overexaggerated character who's not only without a dark past, but almost noble and so very powerful, he can beat 5-6, of course, white guys. I'll be generous not to take two stars even, that propaganda is so pathetic and out of the reality that it'll suicide itself at some point.

Yes, at moments it might resemble you to "Dark" and it's just because of the atmosphere and original idea, but the big difference is that "Dark" is far more complete and better overall than "1899" because the latter lacks proper development and ending - yes, for the last two episodes the plot goes down, it's like the creators lacked a good ending idea. That's why I'm saying that it could've been better.

As for the actors: I find them great, they all do their characters perfectly. The CGI is good, it's just the soundtrack and in particular - the ending of every episode: they all do with nice tracks, but they don't fit the show.

So as much as for not spoiling, you can give the show a try, it's good enough, I think. It's just not that great as expected.

Death to 2020 (2020 TV Special)

It's not what it pretends to be

[11 December 2022]

I was thinking this is going to be a good satire of some of the biggest events of 2020, but it turned out to be politically biased all the way. And this starts to feel in the first some 10-15 minutes. Totally anti-Trump and not directly pro-Biden, yet now it's almost 2023 and some of us can see what the reality is. It also goes all the way into pro-black propaganda, it's Samuel L. Jackson who plays it the smartass judge, from all the characters, it's only the black scientist that's telling valid things, but hey - they play it like the interviewer doesn't take him seriously, like "oh, the poor black scientist". Taking into consideration that the people of this color are the greatest criminals and the ones with the crappiest education and desire of such - no, thanks, I am not taking that cheap production. Good there's no LG...UHDTV propaganda, that's why I'm giving it two stars, otherwise it goes with one, but I am about to see what's in "Death to 2021", expecting the same s*it.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Surprisingly good

[28 November 2022]

I was expecting some rather typical crap badly combining theological thematic with some modern, punk-behaving nuns, but it's not like that. The characters are pretty decent, modern enough just as they should be nowadays. The Story of Alba's character gives in interesting approach to a main character and very original pace. The acting is good, the CGI is not the greatest, but not a poor one, but the good thing is the show doesn't rely too much on. I can't miss to mention there're very nice sceneries, colors and a big aspect ratio which is always a plus.

What I don't like is the repetitive *omo story for one of the nuns and how another suddenly passed under the rainbow (I am not mentioning names in order not to spoil) - just cut that crap! You won't make those people more likeable. I take one star because of that every time.

The soundtrack is weird at moments - some tracks are well chosen, other are misplaced, even being good.

The show could have one more season, but I prefer see it in less episodes, because in every other case it risks to degrade, I often mention that in my reviews: even the greatest plots end bad if the creators get greedy and manufacture season out of nothing. So better keep it shorter.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Would've given 8 stars, but...

[26 November 2022]

It's an interesting idea, generated a good back story for the cause of the events and went decent for two seasons. For that time it leaves you with mixed feelings, as some of the actors are fine, but some aren't good enough. Then you add some random cheesiness and cliches (like almost all of the dark-skinned people are good, had some unnecessary les*ian love), plot gaps and the overexaggerated characters - for the last two, they combine and you receive some punks getting hard things too easy, some high government institutions acting too inadequate and incapable and by the end of season 2 this is the only reason you get season 3 which is heading down rapidly based only on that. For that reason, it could've easily been an 8 stars show, but... Or just end it in two seasons, even the greatest idea done the best way possible, having good actors and everything starts to degrade in 4-5 seasons at most.

Dark (2017–2020)

Mind blowing

[24 October 2022]

No, this one isn't simple to digest because it is mind blowing. I will try not to spoil which will limit my review, but if you're not into quantum mechanics and physics, just pass it, but if you do so, you'll miss a top screening, acting and a plot. I can't find any weak spot whatever I try to think about - I love the way the actors did they work being so great, yet looking so realistic.

Not many series, but it shouldn't have for many reasons, the main is that every good idea gets ruined if you try to make more money of it - it has to stop on the right moment, otherwise it goes down. Happened with many TV shows. But for this one, every episode, lasting between 45 mins. And 1 hour contains so much development and information that you might need time from episode to episode.

The plot is unique, never watched such in idea. And it gets very philosophical by the last season which is a bit twisted, but can't be else, you'll get everything at the end and it is a good ending indeed, despite all the drama. I can only say the best for "Dark" and strongly recommend.