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Reviews
Black Mirror: USS Callister (2017)
Promoting negative stereotype of socially disadvantaged people?
The reclusive, socially derided programmer , who is the 'captain' of the Star Trek' game, clearly has Asperger's syndrome and is portrayed as a monsterous villain. The Nazi's did exactly the same in the way they portrayed Jews in their media. This guy suffers the isolation and daily humiliation by his colleagues, who laugh at him in his awkward moments and deserves our sympathy and understanding, yet he is portrayed as a psychopath, to be feared and persecuted. This is very wrong.
Ruby Sparks (2012)
If you've seen this movie, and 'Her' (Spoilers)
A woman's idea of a male fantasy? A young woman having a rant about men, being controlling in relationships? I dunno, but it's all good. Zoe Kazan wrote and starred in the film and just for me, it's important, knowing it is written by a woman.
Spike Jones' 'Her' (2013)had a similar idea. A man's take on the fantasy woman fantasy? (?). Maybe he got the idea after watching this. The male perspective of the fantasy seems to hint more at insecurity and loss.
Seems like controlling behaviour is caused by insecurity and fear of loss, so those two films could be like a male's and a female's perspectives of the same thing. One, revealing the cause and the other feeling the consequence, or that's what it seems like to me. Wow, this is good weed.
Really enjoyed it. I don't know if a guy like Calvin could really exist, as in, sensitive and sentimental, whilst also being a sadist. Maybe that's how we appear to women sometimes, but it comes from a place of fear, not real malicious intent. I did think that banging his fists on the desk while making her call him a genius and then making her bark like a dog was a bit ridiculous, but also one of the great bits of this great film. Funny to think a woman thinks that's what a man really wants. Well, we kind of would, but only in an ironic, comic nature...
Noah (2014)
Ignore the fundamentalist block vote
I just wanted to write a positive review about this great movie, to try to redress, in small part, all of the undeserved bad reviews by religious folk. Even most non-religious people have criticised elements of the movie which don't deserve it, in my opinion, eg. some 'characters' don't specifically appear, in detail, in the Bible story, but the movie explained them in a fairly plausible and interesting way I thought, which added to the story. 'Plausible'?. Remember we're talking about God here, so I mean it's plausible in the context of that kind of thing. Also, they have a basis in the bible and other apocryphal writings, although it is a quite fanciful interpretation of what's written there. That's the point that most of the critics aren't allowing for. It's an interpretation of the bible story. I know that fundamentalists don't allow for interpretation, so they are obviously gonna be unhappy about it, but educated, free-thinking people, should understand that written accounts of events rarely contain the truth and never the whole truth, even if you accept that such an event even really happen historically, which itself is very doubtful. So, unless the movie is only 20 minutes long, you gotta fill in lots of missing pieces right? The writer/director does a great job filling in the pieces, to make a great and coherent story. Adding a plot twist, concerning the surviving personnel, makes it much more interesting for a modern day intelligent adult, adding levels of meaning, which should reinforce faith, not deny it. As a movie, it's actually better than the Bible story, which is so simplistic, it should only be taken seriously by children, unless, of course, you have faith, then it's OK for adults too. Controversial things are usually the best and most important things and 'Noah' is a firm example. Besides the controversy, it looks great, has great actors and is very entertaining if you're interested in this subject matter.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Bonding (1989)
Great! if you can suspend your disbelief
Interesting philosophical questions about loss and suffering and a different and moving dimension to the characters and acting of most episodes. It all seems a bit silly because any kid, even a Starfleet kid would just totally freak out at the events in this one. However, like most trek episodes, there is enough in the story to make a feature length movie. It stands to reason therefore, that a lot of potential character and story development has to be cut down to make it fit into 45 minutes. Understandably, it can seem a bit unrealistic at times. Still, great sci-fi provides insights into the human condition by exploring fantasy scenarios, which this episode does, if you can just suspend your disbelief.
Dredd (2012)
Not all that
The film suffers from it's tight budget. The future should be expensive to film, so we don't really get much 'future' here. Also, it should have been sold on the 'Dredd' stuff, ie. making fun of Dredd's humourless character, colourful villains, lunatic citizens etc, but this is all dumbed down to make a pretty uninspired formulaic action thriller. You've seen this plot a million times. I thought the movie was clichéd and boring and not really much to do with Dredd. I'm a hardcore old-school Dredd fan and am disappointed with the look of the thing. Dark, grimy, claustrophobic, cheap, not like in the comic. The helmet is wrong, the lawmaster is rubbish and Anderson is not as hot as in the comic. All the reviews that are hailing this as the 'real Dredd' etc, are just reacting against the previous movie's obvious flaws. They did an OK job considering the constraints, but this is far from being the definitive Dredd. Go read some of your back issues if you've forgotten what that is.
Prometheus (2012)
Big Brother in space
No, I'm not talking about classic sci-fi, I'm talking about the TV show, where the group of retards are locked in a house. Imagine a new series, where the retards are put on a spaceship and sent on a highly technical and expensive scientific mission to an alien world. OK, maybe that sounds like it'd be funny, but actually, it's not supposed to be funny. I was hoping for something reasonably intelligent with some admirable characters and got neither. What we have is the complete breakdown of plot, script, character development and a basic grasp of cause and effect. This is every cliché in the sci-fi book with no meaning whatsoever. I am just trying to write what I wish I'd read before going out to see this. If you possess any critical faculty at all, do not watch this movie.
Fight Club (1999)
stupid trying to act clever
I am not impressed by demonstrations of machismo and male aggression or the idea of fighting in general. The excuse for all of the violence is that it's supposed to lead to philosophical enlightenment about existential reality and the nature of self or something, which does interest me, but I don't think this was really developed. Neither am I impressed by this type of storytelling, that deliberately misleads the audience into believing something which turns out not to be true and then fooling you into thinking it's clever when this is revealed. I'm not fooled but I know a lot of people are. I don't know if this was the movie that caused this irritating format to be repeated so many times. The actors are good, but just trying to act cool all the time isn't difficult. most of the people who like this movie probably do that all the time. I don't even fancy Helena Bonham Carter so there wasn't much in it for me except the whole wretched existence vibe which was OK.
Robot Jox (1989)
Early 90s? Looks more like early 80s!
What an awful movie! The Idea of robots fighting each other is cool, but the storyline is ridiculous, real human action laughable, acting non-existent and special effects (on which, this type of movie must depend) are archaic. I thought it must have been made around '80-'84 and was amazed to see it was from 1990. That's 5 years after Aliens! OK, lots of people said it was good considering the low budget, but I just think 'what's the point?'. it looks totally unbelievable. I wouldn't mind seeing a remake with modern special effects and a completely re-written story because I still like the idea of huge robots beating crap out of each other.
Still Crazy (1998)
90s movie, 70s band, 50s sensibility
I wanted to like this movie. I love classic rock and I already liked the cast (those that I had heard of) and it's kind of OK, but just not great. Plot-wise, I knew what I wanted and what I was gonna get. Once great rock band, ravaged by tragedy, time and drugs get back together, against the odds to heal the hurt and pull off a great comeback. To pull off a story this clichéd, the movie needed better script, better acting, bigger scale, bigger budget and more authenticity. As it is it just feels cheesy and the empathy with the 70's rock band seems second-hand, based on folklore and not actually from having lived it. The writers were born in the 30's,so they would have been past it way before the heyday of the band in the film. I guess that's why it just seems clichéd rather than genuine. It was enjoyable mostly, but it's been done better before, several times.
Lost in Translation (2003)
A truly transcendent movie experience to touch your soul (or not)
At work we just made our top 10 movies of all time lists and my usual faves all figured (Star Wars, American Beauty, Matrix, Forrest Gump, Lord of the Rings, The Sound of Music, Back to the Future, Being John Malkovich), but then I remembered this movie, which I haven't seen for ages, but it had to be the one, above all others because it just touched me in a more profound sense. In fact, this movie transcends all the usual criteria, (plot, script, acting, cinematography etc.)Although those aspects are actually stunning, there is something else, which goes beyond those things that completely nails it for me personally. Some people say they just don't get it or that it's boring because nothing happens, but maybe it's just that they just don't relate to the mood of the film, which is cool. Everybody is different after all. Personally, I'm a sucker for melancholy, self-indulgent slush that lets me wallow in self-pity. I seek it out and gorge myself upon it ;P , But seriously, I yearn to get far away from all the bullshit and find some space where I can really get in touch with my real thoughts and feelings, and totally find myself. Then, to find a genuine connection with a like spirit, that is totally safe........Well, it's a dream I have. Maybe this is the closest I'm gonna get. I hope not, but in the meantime, I wouldn't give a 10 for any other movie I've seen.
Bonekickers (2008)
Black Archaeologists?
I am an Archaeology grad and been on many digs, but never met a black archaeologist in Britain and I think there is a historical explanation for that. I'm sure there are a few, but 2 on the same team? I have no opinion on what colour real archaeologists should be, but what bugs me is the BBC's obsession with aggressively promoting a politically correct agenda at the cost of general credibility. Islam??? What is the reason for this propaganda and why does the BBC think that this is it's role, or that it would even do any good? This programme is so, so, so, so wrong on every conceivable level. Doctor Who is the other offender. What's with all the emphasis on racial harmony, morality and social responsibility. What's wrong with just killing the bad guys and sci-fi just being about seeking the truth, not re-writing the truth? Are the government trying to influence people through subsidising politically correct rubbish? This is just one of a hundred reasons why this show is garbage. This is the most badly conceived and executed television I have ever seen. BBC: Bargain Basement Crap. Very sad.