This is a heartwarming throwback movie to more innocent times in movie making where the audience becomes part of the experience through the eyes of a common working class hero with a good heart and values. See it.
Reviews
37 Reviews
The Old Man
(2022– )
Incomprehensible plot after 2 episodes
5 July 2022
I really tried to understand the plot. I admit I only saw two episodes. Apparently a 'superman' CIA agent (30 yrs ago and now 72yrs old!!!) takes on the US Govt in a confusing plot concerning the Taliban. It looks like he acted seditious (based on "conscience"???) but the further episodes and plot will tell all, The dogs are great. OK to watch if you have nothing better to do but don't try to make sense of the plot you will get a headache. I (and many viewers) don't like to see American agents killed so cavalierly (is (is this a tinseltown 'message'?). Could have been a good series .I like the Terminal List as being far superior a series.
Panama
(I) (2022)
Way underrated!
21 March 2022
If you take a good thriller novel and simply filmed it, then this would be the result. It has terse, great dialog that is direct and to the point ... like reading a good book. The scenes aren't over dialoged.
As for all the very negative 'reviews' it looks like all the arm chair old time would be Sandinistas wrote the negative reviews here based on politics.
If you like Elmore Leonard and those type writers put to screen to tell a story of action then this is a good way to spend a couple of hours. Recommended.
As for all the very negative 'reviews' it looks like all the arm chair old time would be Sandinistas wrote the negative reviews here based on politics.
If you like Elmore Leonard and those type writers put to screen to tell a story of action then this is a good way to spend a couple of hours. Recommended.
Night in Paradise
(2020)
Why can't Hollywood do movies like this instead of 'woke' cartoons?
15 April 2021
Why can't Hollywood do movies like this instead of 'woke' cartoons?
This is a GREAT movie. Tinsletown can learn from this movie how a REAL thriller is made. The cast is excellent, the twists great, the action first class. No spoilers here, just watch it!!
This is a GREAT movie. Tinsletown can learn from this movie how a REAL thriller is made. The cast is excellent, the twists great, the action first class. No spoilers here, just watch it!!
No Man's Land
(2020– )
Watch it!!! Great series that puts a face on the reality of ISIS and the complexitty of spycraft
27 November 2020
A series worth watching for anyone who likes spycraft and the reality of ISIS and its threats. Heroism on a grand scale and the women who alongside the men who are fighting the scourge of radical Islam and ISIS. You will be surprised by the twists in this great series.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
(2018)
Forget the negative reviews.
12 September 2018
This film will keep you glued to your seat. Great action and twists. Sure, there will be a third film following. Great!! Looking forward to it. Del Toro outdoes himself and shines here. The acting doesn't get any better than this.
Lethal Weapon
(2016–2019)
I started watching because of Crawford's take; Now that he is gone so am I
2 June 2018
I liked Crawford's take on the erratic but highly moral portrayal of his character as an an emotionally wounded ex special forces member and his coping with an abusive childhood.
I don't see how he can be replaced ... plenty of other good shows to see so season 2 is it for me.
Roseanne
(1988–2018)
Really a regurgitated "Modern Family"
9 May 2018
Boys in dresses; the "friendly" Muslim neighbor. All well and good but really just propaganda for open borders and left wing Tinseltown 'tolerance' by trying to make those who don't want open borders, ME 'refugees' (look at Europe for that result) and boys in dresses feel foolish and petty.
Sorry, I will stick to a Last Man Standing coming back .... don't need another "Modern Family" PC propaganda show.
Sorry, I will stick to a Last Man Standing coming back .... don't need another "Modern Family" PC propaganda show.
Deep State
(2018–2019)
Deep Sleep; Hollywood does the anti-American story better than the BBC + Silly Acting
9 May 2018
Edit: I Learned a new acting style from this show!!!
It is the "Whisper/Pause" style of acting where to make the drivel sound 'important' and have gravamen they BOTH whisper AND 'pause' after every word!
Here is a verbatim transcript from the last episode to illustrate this new acting style:
"I. Am. A. Dolt. Reading. This. Silly. Convoluted. Script. But. To. Sound. Important. The. Writer. Had. Me. Whisper. And. Then. Pause. After. Every. Word. In. This. Script."!
Watched a few episodes and finally realized (it took a while) this was just a reheated Tinseltown trope about evil efforts to stop and frustrate stopping the world from destruction with an (infamous) "Iran deal" to save the world. The bad guys want to stop this saving the world effort.
Hey, BBC Hollywood does this much better. They should open today's newspaper.
It is the "Whisper/Pause" style of acting where to make the drivel sound 'important' and have gravamen they BOTH whisper AND 'pause' after every word!
Here is a verbatim transcript from the last episode to illustrate this new acting style:
"I. Am. A. Dolt. Reading. This. Silly. Convoluted. Script. But. To. Sound. Important. The. Writer. Had. Me. Whisper. And. Then. Pause. After. Every. Word. In. This. Script."!
Watched a few episodes and finally realized (it took a while) this was just a reheated Tinseltown trope about evil efforts to stop and frustrate stopping the world from destruction with an (infamous) "Iran deal" to save the world. The bad guys want to stop this saving the world effort.
Hey, BBC Hollywood does this much better. They should open today's newspaper.
The Manchurian Candidate
(2004)
The worst remake in Tinseltown history and why
1 May 2018
Everyone who knows this was a remake of one of the best spy thrillers ever made ... a movie that was in tune with the reality of the times. Where there were headline real threats almost daily and our nation's citizens felt on the edge of a possible new world war. That was the real deal.
Tinseltown has always had a far left bias in its movies so it should not be a complete shock that the villains were completely reversed in this film.
Ironically Putin was in power when this 'remake' was made. You can or can not draw your own conclusions if you saw the original.
This remake was completely morphed into a right-wing conspiracy movie from its original communist/cold war very real roots.
The remake was mediocre at best but the complete betrayal of its context from the original is unforgivable.
Birthmarked
(2018)
Wonder why you can't do your kids' common core math?
6 April 2018
A brilliant satire on why academics are your superiors and actually believe it.
And you will learn exactly why common core math was deliberately designed to put you in your place.
This film is very funny in a goodnatured way and has some very funny lines and detours. You will learn the results of an 'experiment' to determine decisively the answer to the long time debate of nature vs. nurture. Not.
Bad Genius
(2017)
Well done ... watch Hollywood try to screw it up.
3 December 2017
A well done film so, of course, Hollywood with try to screw it up. It is an entertaining 'caper' film that is deeper than most films of that genre. In an entertaining and insightful manner, it delves into the motivation and background of the participants seamless weaved into a clever plot and writing. It is refreshing that we are not hammered over the head, like Hollywood does, with 'diversity', LGBQT promotional propaganda and all the other PC baskets of social indoctrination themes that have become mandatory in Tinseltown and that have hurt that industry in the pocketbook.
Wind River
(2017)
Grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go
1 October 2017
I haven't written a review in a while but could not let this gripping thriller go unmentioned. The script is far above the normal thriller and there is a tension throughout the film that is always there and reaches even higher at its breathtaking conclusion. The script is sparse and hits the gut and heart with the power of the bullets that play such key roles in this elemental film of survival and justice. Go see it. Highly recommended.
Before the Flood
(2016)
The big 'green' con is coming to an end (updated)
25 December 2016
Trillions are being spent (stolen) to block the greatest most deadly poison trace gas in the world ... CO2! PT Barnum was right. There is a sucker born every minute ... in this case 'green' crazies who want your money and political power. Think a minute. There are billions of barrels of oil buried at the coldest parts of the earth ... the poles. How did that get there? There were JUNGLES there at some point in time millions of years ago because the earth was much hotter than today then! We are now told that all species on earth will die from 'the heat' (exhaustion?)! That must be like how all the species from the past (remember the dinosaurs?) died off! It's called EVOLUTION stupid! We are told we must cover the earth with (Chinese made) 'solar panels' (that pollute the earth just building them)which are much more expensive for power than oil and gas (NATURAL SUBSTANCES). We are told 'wind power' is 'free'. Except that wind turbines kill millions and millions of birds and bats and drives people crazy (communities stuck with these monstrosities have no money to remove them now and are now stuck with huge tax bills). They have been a disaster in England and are enormously more expensive then oil and gas. Think a minute about what you learned in HS. CO2 and sunlight produce green plants! The sediment from that plant life, after a few million years is buried and becomes oil and coal! Power plants today are completely pollution free and only produce water vapor and CO2. The CO2 is recycled by plant life and we simply recycle it back from the ground into useful CO2. In fact, for tens of millions of years carbon has been leeched out of the earth's surface and all life eventually dies once all carbon is leached out and buried. So we HELP the environment by safely burning oil and coal by RECYCLING carbon!
If you are worried about 'climate change' then it has been going on since the earth was created. The next cycle is a new ice age as predicted by a new cycle of a lack of sunspots. Buy your winter clothes now ... winter is coming!
UPDATE: December 2022; "Bomb Cyclone!!!" Record LOWS. I still cannot believe all the suckers who think a trace gas (.037% of the atmosphere!) needed to sustain all life on earth (CO2) will cause (in 50 years!!!!) the earth to flood and burn up. 20 years ago we were told Florida would be UNDERWATER (the BIG CON). PT Barnum was right. A sucker is born every minute.
If you are worried about 'climate change' then it has been going on since the earth was created. The next cycle is a new ice age as predicted by a new cycle of a lack of sunspots. Buy your winter clothes now ... winter is coming!
UPDATE: December 2022; "Bomb Cyclone!!!" Record LOWS. I still cannot believe all the suckers who think a trace gas (.037% of the atmosphere!) needed to sustain all life on earth (CO2) will cause (in 50 years!!!!) the earth to flood and burn up. 20 years ago we were told Florida would be UNDERWATER (the BIG CON). PT Barnum was right. A sucker is born every minute.
Copenhagen
(2014)
Rent the bike; get on and savor the ride: what this movie is really about explained
22 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
***warning, possible spoilers*** this movie should be studied in film classes: you watch it, enjoy it, but don't really realize the effectiveness of the writer and director until later. Here is what happens:
1. An analogy best explains this film: we have all probably seen a video of a master with his dog. Sitting in front of the dog is the most delectable treat imaginable to the dog. The dog does nothing even though every fiber of its being wants to gobble up that treat. It is waiting for its masters command. The Masters here are the writer and director, the dog is the male lead. The girl is the treat (and not in a prurient sense). She says she will be 15 (the age of consent) "in a few days". He wants to pounce (But not in a sexual sense even though there is obvious physical attraction).
2. The age difference is not for shock value. It is a very effective plot device relating to 1 above.
3. They are alone in a hotel room, both drunk (largely at his insistence). She is the aggressor. The reality is he cannot believe she is only 14 and repeatedly says that throughout the movie. She tries to seduce him, taking off her blouse and kissing him which he appears to accept.
4. The "masters" do not outright state that they did not sleep together but instead, more effectively, make that clear by: they both wake up in bed fully clothed (she must have put her top back on) in sharp contrast to his other many dalliances where he graphically wakes up with a naked partner; just prior to this he turns down an offer that most males his age dream about – two beautiful drunk girls try to drag him back to their hotel for a threesome. Instead of going with the women, he is much more concerned about having hurt the girl's feelings and rushes out of the bar, leaving the women, to try to call the girl and apologize for acting like a jerk. So, the attraction is not about sex per se. there is much more to his feelings for the girl and he is clearly conflicted. He does not sleep with her.
5. There is more to him than meets the eye: he is in Denmark to find his grandfather and understand why he was abandoned by his father. The girl, with a great heart and overlooking the fact that he is superficially an insensitive jerk sees something deeper in him and embraces the cause of him finding his past and takes it upon herself to help him.
6. The girl, is far more substantial and mature than the women he has been sleeping with (who is really older, the girl or his earlier partners?). She too, has a troubled family but is very close to her mother and wants to help him resolve that part of his life.
7. In one effective scene, he simply glances down a street and sees a father briefly interacting with his son (short and effective).
8. The most effective scene in the movie: she takes him to a museum. She brings him to a dark corner where there is a bust. She tells him she has never brought anyone there before. She stands next to the bust. It is an exact image of the girl. She tells him she is really hundreds of years old and he says the bust is 1500 years old. This scene is a metaphor for what the movie accomplishes. After 1500 years, here she (who posed for the bust) is here again, resurrected, with the human traits that allowed us to survive over those 1500 years: the yearning for family, love, and a striving for happiness even in an imperfect world. In other hands this might seem corny, here it is movie-making genius.
1. An analogy best explains this film: we have all probably seen a video of a master with his dog. Sitting in front of the dog is the most delectable treat imaginable to the dog. The dog does nothing even though every fiber of its being wants to gobble up that treat. It is waiting for its masters command. The Masters here are the writer and director, the dog is the male lead. The girl is the treat (and not in a prurient sense). She says she will be 15 (the age of consent) "in a few days". He wants to pounce (But not in a sexual sense even though there is obvious physical attraction).
2. The age difference is not for shock value. It is a very effective plot device relating to 1 above.
3. They are alone in a hotel room, both drunk (largely at his insistence). She is the aggressor. The reality is he cannot believe she is only 14 and repeatedly says that throughout the movie. She tries to seduce him, taking off her blouse and kissing him which he appears to accept.
4. The "masters" do not outright state that they did not sleep together but instead, more effectively, make that clear by: they both wake up in bed fully clothed (she must have put her top back on) in sharp contrast to his other many dalliances where he graphically wakes up with a naked partner; just prior to this he turns down an offer that most males his age dream about – two beautiful drunk girls try to drag him back to their hotel for a threesome. Instead of going with the women, he is much more concerned about having hurt the girl's feelings and rushes out of the bar, leaving the women, to try to call the girl and apologize for acting like a jerk. So, the attraction is not about sex per se. there is much more to his feelings for the girl and he is clearly conflicted. He does not sleep with her.
5. There is more to him than meets the eye: he is in Denmark to find his grandfather and understand why he was abandoned by his father. The girl, with a great heart and overlooking the fact that he is superficially an insensitive jerk sees something deeper in him and embraces the cause of him finding his past and takes it upon herself to help him.
6. The girl, is far more substantial and mature than the women he has been sleeping with (who is really older, the girl or his earlier partners?). She too, has a troubled family but is very close to her mother and wants to help him resolve that part of his life.
7. In one effective scene, he simply glances down a street and sees a father briefly interacting with his son (short and effective).
8. The most effective scene in the movie: she takes him to a museum. She brings him to a dark corner where there is a bust. She tells him she has never brought anyone there before. She stands next to the bust. It is an exact image of the girl. She tells him she is really hundreds of years old and he says the bust is 1500 years old. This scene is a metaphor for what the movie accomplishes. After 1500 years, here she (who posed for the bust) is here again, resurrected, with the human traits that allowed us to survive over those 1500 years: the yearning for family, love, and a striving for happiness even in an imperfect world. In other hands this might seem corny, here it is movie-making genius.
The Hunt
(2012)
A great and heartbreaking movie
18 May 2014
The topic is most depressing and I thought what more could they do with this movie as engrossing as it was for the first half. I didn't want to end up depressed watching a fait accompli tragedy. I was wrong. This movie truly deserved the awards it received and the acting by all involved was remarkable as was a script that could not have been better. in lesser hands this film could have been a maudlin, pedestrian and predictable affair that would not deserve spending much time watching. But by taking a topic that automatically involves controversy and skillfully weaving characters with depth, honesty, and a realistic portrayal of human nature a great movie was made. By all means, do not be turned off by the topic. See this movie.
Old ... and painful
14 March 2014
The jokes are not funny. Will Ferrell is stale. A waste of time. Unfortunately, it looks as though this script was written while smoking newly legalized weed and a parody of a parody is what this turned out to be.
I find it very hard to believe the ratings on this movie and I am convinced, more than I have ever been before, that many ratings are simply a figment of marketing and that many movie viewers knee-jerk react to 'names' and slick advertising to approve of junk that under ordinary circumstances they would reject immediately. The Hollywood marketing machine has created a dud.
I find it very hard to believe the ratings on this movie and I am convinced, more than I have ever been before, that many ratings are simply a figment of marketing and that many movie viewers knee-jerk react to 'names' and slick advertising to approve of junk that under ordinary circumstances they would reject immediately. The Hollywood marketing machine has created a dud.
The Best Offer
(2013)
A delicious movie
18 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes a whole is greater than the sum of its parts ... even when the parts are quite good. This movie is a brilliant and wholly enjoyable combination of parts that are an eclectic mixture of mystery, fascinating dialog, great acting, and a beautiful ambiance of set design and music. It did not bother me when, near the end, you become aware of where this movie is going because you relish how it got there. Don't look for a perfect plot. They really do not exist and there is enough here to carry off the illusion perfectly. Isn't that really why you go to see a movie? As for those who get too involved and call this movie a "tragedy," I saw this movie as a delicious mystery and simply concluded "he had it coming". All in all, a perfect clockwork of a movie. See it.
Out of the Furnace
(2013)
Overrated ... stars don't make a movie. Summary: "meh"
1 January 2014
Mediocre at best ... particularly considering the "names" in this movie.
The story is one dimensional and cliché ridden. The acting is unexceptional and having "names" doesn't help. Any good character actor could have played any role in this film interchangeably with the "names", and to same effect.
The plot, without spoiling anything: bad guys (with background scenes showing this), foolish local boy/soldier (with overtones of PTSD and "damaged" psyche from warfare, of course) gets in trouble, bad guys do bad things, hunt for revenge.
It was not that the plot has been done many times before, but how unimaginative the formula steps were carried out, particularly the confusing ending.
If you like this genre, don't expect much. Rent "Deliverance" instead.
If the "names" were not in this movie I would have given it an extra star.
Summary: "meh"
The story is one dimensional and cliché ridden. The acting is unexceptional and having "names" doesn't help. Any good character actor could have played any role in this film interchangeably with the "names", and to same effect.
The plot, without spoiling anything: bad guys (with background scenes showing this), foolish local boy/soldier (with overtones of PTSD and "damaged" psyche from warfare, of course) gets in trouble, bad guys do bad things, hunt for revenge.
It was not that the plot has been done many times before, but how unimaginative the formula steps were carried out, particularly the confusing ending.
If you like this genre, don't expect much. Rent "Deliverance" instead.
If the "names" were not in this movie I would have given it an extra star.
Summary: "meh"
Runner Runner
(2013)
The low reviews are puzzling — this is a very entertaining movie
21 December 2013
This movie is as real as the headlines we read. In past centuries gamblers would sail into the unknown on ships gambling with their lives, explore new territories, start wars, take extraordinary financial risks starting new industries ... and gamble at cards, dice, and anything else where odds and probability are involved.
The implicit relationships between university graduates, wall street, economic bets, the ups and downs of online gambling, poker, Ponzi schemes and corrupt governments are real.
This movie was a fictional, largely accurate and very entertaining portrayal of the on-line gambling industry ... a wild, wholly and unregulated billion dollar industry. The acting was good, the glitz entertaining and kept my interest from the opening scenes to its end.
What more can you want from a movie?
The implicit relationships between university graduates, wall street, economic bets, the ups and downs of online gambling, poker, Ponzi schemes and corrupt governments are real.
This movie was a fictional, largely accurate and very entertaining portrayal of the on-line gambling industry ... a wild, wholly and unregulated billion dollar industry. The acting was good, the glitz entertaining and kept my interest from the opening scenes to its end.
What more can you want from a movie?
Daylight
(2013)
A heartbreaking thriller
25 September 2013
Screenwriters in all countries can learn a lesson from this remarkable thriller. Plot, characters, suspense and an indefinable quality, humanity.
Watching this film not only kept me guessing, even though you have a vague idea of where it is going, in a way that keeps you on edge until the very end. Sure, some of the "thriller" aspects are not up to the budgets of the best of Hollywood, but they work to the extent needed here.
The actors are top notch (though I doubt there are may hunks like Bo as hospital orderlies) and Fedja van Huêt, as Ray, in particular, does an excellent turn in his role.
If you want a thriller with something more, see this movie.
Watching this film not only kept me guessing, even though you have a vague idea of where it is going, in a way that keeps you on edge until the very end. Sure, some of the "thriller" aspects are not up to the budgets of the best of Hollywood, but they work to the extent needed here.
The actors are top notch (though I doubt there are may hunks like Bo as hospital orderlies) and Fedja van Huêt, as Ray, in particular, does an excellent turn in his role.
If you want a thriller with something more, see this movie.
Tell Your Friends