martinvonmartian-39437 Reviews

The Unforgivable (2021)

She keeps her cards close to her heart.

[10/10 · 15 May 2024]

HEART WRENCHING Great movie, will break your heart several times before the End.

A very straight to the point story, doesnt stray more than an inch from the main protagonist's storyline though it very easily could have. Many characters seem like place fillers, though in real life a lot of people are.

We know our colleague but not their wife and kids, so they are "fillers" and even the characters that do enter the protagonists story are only there for a very clear reason and this keeps you focused on what's important.

A lot of movies will distract you and tell and show a lot of a side character for no reason and it ads nothing, this movie doesnt do that.

You meet a Parole Officer, that's what he is, you meet a roommate, that's what they are and so on.

Ruth ( Sandra Bullock ) is a very closed person, she doesnt let herself feel much it seems, she has only 1 goal and that's Katie.

Now for the story, there are a few moments where shortcuts are taken showing a quick flashback instead of a lengthy scene with a lot of dialogue.

It works, but it's kind of cheap.

It only happens once or twice, but it was noticeable.

Thanks to the straightlined storytelling though, it doesnt matter, it's cringe for a second and boom we are on our way to solve/respond to the revelation we just received.

Tl:Dr Ruth ( Sandra Bullock ) keeps her cards close to her heart for most of this movie and when she shows one it's like a bombshell went off.

HEEEEEEAAAART WRENCHING.

Katt Williams: Woke Foke (2024 TV Special)

Katt Williams being Katt Williams

[7/10 · 8 May 2024]

I am not the biggest fan of Katt Williams's style of comedy, but it was entertaining.

I cringed a little at the almost boomer tier jokes and showing a 10+ year old news story of a blind kid and he really shouldnt have used that, because it takes the flow out of the show, but luckily he didnt just use it for a cheap laugh and continued on this topic for a couple minutes until he went to the next and so on.

I was entertained enough to finish the full hour, you might not be, but I like characters and boy is Katt Williams a character. Sometimes I can't tell if he is putting on an act or if he is genuinely this unhinged, either way he is funny enough to keep me listening and watching.

TL;DR if you have an hour to waste, put this on and laugh for a bit.

K-PAX (2001)

Second Guessing, THE MOVIE.

[8/10 · 15 November 2023]

This story's mystery seems quite straight forward; Prot (Kevin Spacey) is a nut and the people that believe in him even more so, but are they? I found that the more Prot and Dr. Powell spoke the less certain I became of what the truth was and the story really takes you for a ride. This is one of the few movies that I had a hard time predicting what the crux of the matter was. With kids movies you can see it a mile off, this wasn't as dark as for instance Shutter Island, but just like Shutter Island it is quite difficult to figure out whether the truth is straight forward or out of this world.

When I went into this movie I didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed it and so will you.

Quite the heart wrencher.

The Boy with Green Hair (1948)

Entertaining and surprisingly touching.

[8/10 · 26 June 2023]

When I saw the cover I pictured it to be quite an outdated film, but it is timeless. Not the best movie I have ever seen by a long shot, I reckon if you made it today it would be more a TV show than a movie or if they did make it a movie it would be a little better directed. The child actors aren't awful, but if you aren't a kid you can tell they are mouthing words and have a hard time conveying emotions. These days they can make a kid cry much more efficiently (bunch of sadists haha) and won't need fake tears and switching camera angles to make the tears suddenly appear.

Personally I find all the old "mistakes" neat and they really do not take away from the plot, the story is coherent and if you put this on for your kids they will enjoy it, though they might fall asleep without all the explosions and hyper music and switching camera angles every 2 seconds. I would say this is a good film to watch with your kids to learn something about the World just after WWII.

Watch it alone or with your children, it's quite powerful.

Moscow on the Hudson (1984)

Like Coming to America, but a Drama with blue jeans

[8/10 · 6 June 2023]

It's a very calm movie about a young immigrant, most of it is fine there are a few R-rated scenes with nudity, but it isn't anything excessive. Basically a male and female sit in bath and are mildly intimate.

Other than that it's a story of an ordinary Russian man defecting from the Soviet Union and subsequently surviving in the USA. He meets people, good and bad, friends come and go and you really do start to understand the severity of the choice Vladimir made when defecting. He has a hard time adapting and without giving any spoilers he gets bad news that hits all the harder being alone. Watching him adapt is quite entertaining and moving.

It's definitely a great movie, I reckon the low score is purely because it's not a marvel movie.

Watch it, it's quite a moving movie.

RV (2006)

This movie is great!

[10/10 · 10 May 2023]

I loved almost every minute of it, now there are jokes that are less impressive and some are gross as heck, but if you want to watch a funny family movie with Robin Williams as a "happy" Father of a "grateful" family well look no further, you will have a great time.

No idea what caused the low rating, maybe it's people expecting a "Robing Williams Movie" and yeah if that's what you want, this ain't it. This is just a really entertaining family movie about a family going on Holiday in an RV. The awkward moments, the tension will get you on the edge of your seat and hope for the best.

All in all this is a fun movie to watch especially with younger children or just with friends.

Martian Child (2007)

It's odd, but it's alright.

[7/10 · 14 April 2023]

Some times it feels too directed, but that's the nature of kid actors. You can't expect a kid's performance to be perfect and the story is a bit rusty, grinding through subjects and plot points that would like to be more smooth and oiled, while other parts should come with more care and time are a bit rushed and seemingly progress waaaaaaay too easy. I mean the kid is a mess, rejected a lot but he clings on to David ( John Cusack ) within a few minutes.

I haven't read the book nor ever adopted a kid so I don't know how long the writer spent on the adoption sequence, but in my opinion that would have to be one of the longer scenes in the movie.

It's alright though, it's not like you don't get the jist of who the kid is and who David is and what they are trying to explain about the dynamic.

A kid can watch this and understand it and maybe that was the point of the movie makers, to simplify it for kids, maybe?

I adopted a puppy once and that was pretty quick, maybe human puppies are as quick to adapt to new parents, who knows?

Anyways, if you see this movie come by or if you want to check it out, give it a shot.

It's a bit odd, but alright.

The Cobbler (2014)

A 6 at the start, but it picks up fast. Had a good chuckle.

[8/10 · 16 March 2023]

The Cobbler is not your standard Adam Sandler film or maybe it is considering his latest movies.

At the start, really the first 30 to 40 minutes, it is quite boring and I almost stopped watching.

The low rating didn't seem fair to me, it was at least a solid 6 and not a 5.8 I mean the camera work is solid, the story is solid and the mood or "vibe" fits the story.

The first part is more touching and tear jerking than anything and if this was purely a drama film I would have stopped, hence keep watching there is a pretty decent pay off.

I don't know if this is a kids movie seeing how some parts are quite graphic, but it isn't anything they wouldn't have seen in a standard Action movie so parents need to make that assessment for their children, but other than that it is a funny story.

Maybe the low rating is because some of the characters may have upset certain Activists?

Oh well, it was fun imo and if you haven't watched it go watch it, you will enjoy it.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Too on the nose

[3/10 · 30 October 2022]

The goal is to lure you in to show you what these boys went through, not to lecture you or immediately TAH TAH TAAAAAAAAAAAM!!! Give you the sense of DOOM. The music genuinely destroys the suspense, the ability to mystify and keep the viewer in the same mindset as the protagonists is KEY to this story. Why not make a completely different movie about the same time period and similar experiences instead of butchering a classic?

Don't get me wrong, if this was not titled "All Quiet on the Western Front" it would be an alright movie to watch, the TAH TAH TAAAAAAAAAAAM!!! Would still annoy the heck out of me, but if it is part of the movie it is more like knowingly stepping into an unpleasantly cold and windy rainstorm. If your mind is expecting it or thinks it is supposed to be that way, you don't mind it as much and frankly if that is the goal with the sound then granted that's a good choice, just not for this specific story.

If you haven't watch the original from 1930 or even the 1979 version of "All Quiet on the Western Front", then I suggest you watch this movie from 2022, FIRST and then the classic later, otherwise it's like reading the Book before the Film and being annoyed by everything the movie left out ( which movies have to do, different medium different devices )

Rescue Dawn (2006)

10/10 for it is one of the greatest of it's type

[10/10 · 17 September 2022]

This is a great POW movie and really shows how horrific and how psychologically straining it can be if your captors are sadistic or just unstable people. A couple of times things happen and Steve Zahn's (Duane) response would in any other context be hilarious, but as a POW being mistreated it makes a nervous breakdown incredibly heart wrenching. Christian Bale (Dieter Dengler) is great like always, so I won't go into his part, though it reminds me a little bit of when he played Jamie "Jim" Graham the Rich kid in Empire of the Sun. Always ready to go, stubborn and full of FIGHTING SPIRIT. Despite breaking down due to lack of nutrition he ( Dieter ) does remain the more positive one. Jeremy Davies's character (Gene) is very negative and afraid and pretty much wants to play the model prisoner, but also complains to his fellow POWs all the time. Steve Zahn ( Duane ) doesn't get half as much credit for as good an actor as he is. Christian Bale we know and love, but a Steve Zahn plays his part in the movie really well, he really has the ability to show suffering and mental deterioration really well, differently from Christian Bale. Bale's mental deterioration look is more like a person who has dementia and just woke up.

Anyways... Duane is not a leader, he follows and since he was a prisoner with Gene for the most part he just gave up and accepted that he was a prisoner of War for the time being, but when Dieter Dengler ( Christian Bale ) shows up, things start to change in Duane. At first he is scared, wary and totally opposed to anything Dieter brings up, but over time the life in him comes back and well...

I will leave it at that, Enjoy the movie.

Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

It's an entertaining and easy to watch movie.

[6/10 · 9 September 2022]

I didn't think this movie was all that great.

It could just be me in that I didn't feel like watching this type of movie at the moment, but all in all "Hector and the search for Happiness" (2014) is a pretty entertaining movie. Simon Pegg is a pretty decent actor and we see him play in a lot of these light-hearted comedy movies. I really just don't think this is his best version of this type of movie, Simon Pegg has played much more sympathetic characters in other movies and the story progression is a bit slow.

Still if you are looking for an easy watch that most anybody will enjoy, go ahead and put this on.

Intermission (2003)

Brilliant film, it's fuggin' delish man!

[10/10 · 2 September 2022]

It's a lot like pulp fiction but funnier and the embarrassment at parts.

Great Cast: Cillian Murphy ( 28 days later, peaky blinders & scare crow in the dark knight, Red Eye, The Wind that shakes the barley, Dunkirk ) , Colm Meaney ( Layer Cake, the Commitments, Star Trek, The Van & War of the Buttons ), Collin Farrell ( in Bruges, Minority Report, the way back, Phone Booth, the Recruit, Solace, Fright Night, Miami Vice ) The girl who plays Moaning Myrtle ( Shirley Henderson ) plays an incredible part in this movie and her story arch and her character killed me, you will know exactly what I mean in the first few minutes.

It is a great watch and you WILL talk about it to your friends and family, it's like somebody told you about their extraordinary day or like going down the rabbit hole of a news story. I am not going to give any spoilers or talk about the movie in any way to give away any part of the plot, but man if you don't watch this with your friends on the weekend and have a good time then i'll stop putting brown sauce in my Tay.

No One Saw a Thing (2019–2021)

Nothing to do with Kenneth Rex McElroy

[4/10 · 5 July 2022]

The first episode is about McElroy, after that it's just bs preaching about not being a vigilante. You can enjoy it, but if you watched this for Ken Rex McElroy you will be sorely disappointed. The worst part is that you don't get much actual information or anything of value to learn about the crimes etc. You just get vague interviews of residents and then get Cops giving you some moral judgement.

It's really not a good series, you can watch it on a rainy day to kill the boredom but man what a disappointment.

I watched all episodes and really should have just watched anything else, too many low quality "documentaries" these days get overhyped. This is just one big filler with some snippets of documentary.

Detention: The Siege at Johnson High (1997 TV Movie)

Hostage situation, not a Mass Shooting.

[10/10 · 26 June 2022]

It's entertaining, nothing to write home about.

The acting isn't that great, but certainly not awful and it does show how deranged minds think. Dude walks into a school, commits a heinous act and then starts buddying up with his potential victims like he is some hero. It's pretty natural, most people in a crisis do something they regret later and often will do anything to convince themselves of not being "the bad guy".

Realistically, I don't remember any shooting ever happening like this, it's usually less dramatic and more delusional like the first part of the movie. It would have ended pretty much during or right after people got shot.

I don't know why they made it resemble something like some terrorist, escaped convict or bank robber trying to escape from the police, when Active Shooters usually don't last more than 5 to 10 minutes. Which is hard to make a movie about unless you really go into the psyche or the shooter. There has been only 1 shooting like this (that I know of) in Canada, where Denis Lortie walked into Parliament and shoot a ton of Politicians and René Jalbert talked him down, it's quite amazing and a great show of courage and a clear indication that mental illness is hard to screen for.

In Short: This is less a mass shooter movie than it is a hostage situation movie, it's entertaining and shows how people can have distorted thinking and without help can end ups doing real harm to themselves and others.

The music used is pretty good and adds to the scenes.

The Postman (1997)

Great Story, one of the better Post Apocalyptic movies ever made.

[10/10 · 19 June 2022]

This movie is great, the story is great and the message is simple. Watched this for the first time when I was a kid and loved it ever since. It's not complicated the message is clear; Hope & Faith in even the Biggest lie is a Good as long as the Lie is Great!

So have Faith, ignore the 6.1 score and watch this with your friends and Family.

Cherry (I) (2021)

Great movie, messed up story.

[10/10 · 16 June 2022]

I liked this movie, it had gory, awkward and gross moments and I kind of hated Cherry (main character) at times, not because he was a bad person, but because he makes messed up choices and doesn't think ahead. I guess when you are young that's just the way it is, you have a problem NOW so the solution must come NOW. Really a Junky way of thinking. Cherry was a dumb kid, doing dumb things, making dumb choices. When things go bad he doesn't really try and make excuses (which I think everybody would in real life), he just tells you why he did what he did and it makes sense. Still what a way to mess up your life. Being a young Vet with PTSD seems like getting stuck on a makeshift wood raft in the middle of the ocean without so much as a compass.

The music is great, really gives depth to certain scenes.

Movie be at least an 8/10 but I dont know if the ratings influenced my judgement, but when in doubt giving a 10 out of 10 can't hurt.

Moon (2009)

The Movie really shows the Moon as it is not as we see it.

[10/10 · 4 June 2022]

The movie starts out slow, with a great view of the Moon. The Moon & Space is so beautiful, I immediately envied Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell). Sam Bell is a Prospector on the moon, harvesting Helium-3 with massive Harvesters accompanied by Gerty the robot. Gerty is friendly and helpful and again I envied Sam Bell. I would love to work on the Moon, though during the movie I found it less and less appealing. You will too. (not the movie, but the prospect of being a moon prospector)

Not a movie for pre-teens or young teens, they would likely not find it exciting enough. Nor is it a party movie, but still it is a very thought provoking story. I really liked it and you will too, just make sure to watch it with people who can enjoy the boring, the agonizing and the heart breaking parts without killing the vibe, because it pays off. After rain comes the sunshine, but it'll take a while to get dry and warm up.

Have fun.

Richard Jewell (2019)

Pretty Good, typical Clint Eastwood movie

[8/10 · 29 May 2022]

If you like the Mule, Gran Torino, Sully and other movies that are more or less Biopics, you will enjoy this.

Richard is a mix of a sympathetic ordinary folksy guy and a bit of a busybody who goes above and beyond the line of duty. Not that he is wrong for trying to prevent underage drinking on a campus, but he does technically cross the line. I wonder how accurate this movie is and I do feel like in a lot of Clint Eastwood's films that the acting seems a little too pure and factual when we should see a little more emotion.

All in All an enjoyable movie, worth the watch.

Side note: I am glad Richard Jewell got his redemption. Trial by media really should come with a public apology. If you can burn a man you should rectify your mistake with more if not the same effort at the minimum.

No Sudden Move (2021)

Proper Crime movie, nothing fancy just really well done.

[9/10 · 23 May 2022]

The story isn't the greatest, but it takes twists and turns where you don't expect them. When you think things are going one way they go another. The cast is great too, the acting is quality I really enjoyed it. It really is an ordinary crime movie, but it is really well done. Nothing fancy, no overacting just criminals small and big doing what they do best.

Not much gore or violence.

There is more gore and violence in Donnie Brasco and The Bronx tale.

I reckon a 16 year old would consider the violence quite mild.

Watch it, it's good.

Little Boy Blue (2017)

He was where he was supposed to be. ( Mel Jones as portrayed by Sinéad Keenan )

[9/10 · 23 May 2022]

This series hits hard.

It shows us how fragile life is and how we ought to cherish our loved ones all the more. It starts off like a normal day, like you and I experience all the time. Then something terrible happens and there is nothing you can do to change it. Must have been terrible for the family. I don't know if this series does it full justice, but it's a Great effort. I was hooked from the get go.

Go n-itheann an cat na marfóirí agus go n-íosfadh an Diabhal an cat.

Little Boy Blue: Episode #1.4 (2017) Season 1, Episode 4

Tension is high

[9/10 · 23 May 2022]

I don't know how accurate this is with how it went in court in reality, but these lads don't deserve to see daylight for a long time.

The court proceedings were tense but not long and drawn out like in reality.

The healing goes slow or maybe not at all.

The ending was slow, but appropriately so.

Watch it.

Little Boy Blue: Episode #1.3 (2017) Season 1, Episode 3

The plot thickens

[8/10 · 23 May 2022]

This episode is pretty good, not much different from the second episode.

The investigation is having set backs and frustrations are growing within the team and it shows.

Wanting to do right by the parents the investigators double down and refuse to accept defeat.

Will the witnesses get cold feet, will they get intimidated to a breaking point, will they run and hide?

Let's hope the finale will bring it all to a good end.

The Batman (2022)

Nothing special - "All anybody cares about in this place is these WHITE privileged *ssholes"

[1/10 · 22 May 2022]

The reason I give it a 1 out of 10 is due to sneaking in the Critical Theory bs.

There is no logical reason for this in the dialogue, it doesn't exist in the Batman Universe.

I knew from the moment I saw the Black female Mayoral candidate (not even an older woman like would be realistic) they were going to sneak in this bs into the script.

Then Cat woman turns out to be Black and still I didn't mind all that, it really is the bs line about Racism that did it for me.

I hate these self absorbed writers pushing their political bs into the script.

The most ironic part is that outside of the USA, NOBODY CARES.

So they selfishly add something for no other reason than to push unfounded political bs.

The movie itself isn't even that bad, but it can't touch the Dark Knight.

It does turn characters that were portrayed pretty goofy in the older films as more realistic, but that is it.

I do think the Riddler in this is scary and intimidating, but he kind of falls flat like when Collin Farrell portrayed Bullseye.

Imagine if the script had momentous scene in it where Bruce Wayne starts preaching about healthy eating or telling some woman to not dress a certain way.

Movie would get ran into the ground... White Privilege... Critical Race Theory poisoning a fictional Universe... where this makes no sense.

The Entertainment Industry really needs to remove all these Narcissists.

Little Boy Blue: Episode #1.2 (2017) Season 1, Episode 2

Getting more intense

[9/10 · 22 May 2022]

This episode was pretty good.

Much less emotional, we have gotten past the dread of the tragedy and are now in hunt mode.

There still are sob moments sure, but much less than in the first episode.

The investigation is picking up speed and the suspects are feeling the heat, but so are those with a conscience.

Hope the next episode is going to be as good as the first two, this show is great.

Little Boy Blue: Episode #1.1 (2017) Season 1, Episode 1

Gut wrenching story & good acting from the whole cast

[9/10 · 21 May 2022]

Nothing over the top, no hysteria very much as you'd expect people to respond.

A lot is said with very little words if any, you really get the feeling of going through the ordeal yourself.

If you've ever been hit with some bad news, I reckon this seems quite familiar.

Except for maybe the dad, he seems quite unable to express his grief, which is probably due to his upbringing.

It seems off though as it should.

At one point the older brother nearly breaks down, but he manages to barely hold it together and walks out.

You don't really get to know the kid in this episode (haven't seen the rest yet) but he seems like pretty much every boy his age.

Just an innocent kid who loves soccer with a loving family on an ordinary day, until it isn't.

Tragic.