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matt-sickle
Reviews
Men (2022)
Garbage
I will say the pretty filming of country scenes look nice. And that's it.
Hard to say much without spoiling it but if you value your time skip this.
It is ironic as Ex Machina was one of my favorite movies of the decade and still is. Annihilation was nice visually and had a few good moments but was ultimately a disappointment.
This.... wow. It's like this director started off strong and definitely can handle the technical side of things. And creativity mixed in as well. But the actual stories, as far as making sense and even being entertaining.... seem lost on him.
Very very disappointing.
Vesper (2022)
Good sci-fi
I don't want to spoil anything so I will not even mention anything negative.
I thought it was very good, visually, storytelling and sci-fi wise. The lead young actress did a fantastic job, as did the more supporting roles. I also got a very positive feeling of synergy from the movie Brazil. Not the story or plot but more the design of things.
Some reviews mentioned they wanted more of the world- or back-story. I thought it was about perfectly delivered. Sketched in enough that you can imagine and wonder about it but not heavy-handed.
Other mentioned it is slow and I could see ppl. Thinking that in some cases. However I did not think any of it was filler or just padding out for any reason. Every slow and artsy sort of shot tells you something about the story world. And was very pretty or at least carefully presented in disgusting detail.
Perfect? Nah - but yea it's well worth a watch, IMO.
Perfect Sisters (2014)
Perfectly dislikable
This film really drags on. The sisters are not likeable and don't really seem to have much chemistry. Mira Sorveno is the best actress in the movie and is given a one-note role and then drowned in a bathtub.
The movie dragged and dragged and I not only had no sympathy for the 2 feral daughters. If anything it was quite disappointing how little prison time they got.
The Nightingale (2018)
Very well done slow burning nightmare
I almost was turned off because it might seem at first it is soaked in all the culture war crap. But the deeper I got into it - I didn't really care. Maybe that was the intent maybe it wasn't.
Either way I was mighty curious as it went on what would happen. And it really takes you all the way on a long, long journey.
The excellence of the setting, the characters and the story carried it. And without spoiling anything, I think the core of the story is less about the social message as it is about something else that you will have to watch the movie all the way to the end to see.
The Last Son (2021)
Excellent movie
Very solid western, very dark. Moves slow, I guess too slow for the comic book movie crowd. But not too slow for me.
Great actors, costumes, music and pacing in my book. And story. I not only recommend it I look forward to watching it again.
Santa Inc. (2021)
Not good
I think what was more disappointing than he show was the creators response to people not liking the show. Downward spiral all around.
Maybe watch this if you're stuck in a FEMA camp for unvaccinated and this is your only option.
Reminiscence (2021)
I liked some of the acting
But really, the pace, the story, everything else was just not good. Characters say and do things that don't make sense. But like the script changed too much and parts of it stayed in but weren't re-written.
Confusing skips thru time, in and out of memory sessions... Also it's like someone tried to expand on a few key Blade Runner lines but writing like paragraphs of the stuff. This happens many times.
Also given the repetition of stuff over and over, 2hr runtime is crazy too long.
Saint Maud (2019)
Good - but not horror
It's slow, very very slow, tense in parts, weird. Sad. Well filmed, I like the acting, sounds are good....
It's just it was billed as horror and I just don't see it. Psychological drama or "character study" is more like it.
Anything for Jackson (2020)
Very good horror
It's original, good pacing, good acting and I quite liked it. The 3 main actors really brought their A game.
I saw some review mention not liking the ending but I had no problem with it. If you find the very end confusing just think carefully. It's actually very clear exactly how it ends.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
I avoided it because of the title
Sounds silly, I know. I just thought that with a title like that it was not going to be good. But I was wrong. Plus as an added bonus the title definitely makes sense once you watch it.
Is it as good as the Shining? That's not really relevant because this is nothing like a Hollywood-style sequel. They are completely different stories and even type of story. I will say this movie brought back the feeling of classic King stories as well as made a new story that follows the events of the Shining.
I was blown away how much I did enjoy this movie. I was expecting a "meh, it's ok" at best. And I will also say the actress playing they younger lead role is the best young actor I have seen in a long, long time. And she stood out in a movie with a lot of really great performances.
Halloween (2018)
Just terrible
The characters are all so annoying you look forward to them being taken out. But then most of the slashing scenes are cut so so badly that you can't even see what's going on. The took the slashing out of a slasher movie. Also it doesn't make much sense in the story but every male teen is extremely feminine. The writing is horrible, bad lines start coming in the first few minutes. Pacing is slow and boring. What I can't comprehend is all the reviews that think this is the best movie ever made. To each their own I suppose, but this is a very bad movie.
Ozark (2017)
It's good, real good
I gave it a 10/10 after watching season 1+2 back to back a while back.
I've been busy but this week I randomly saw season 3 came out. Checked it out to see if it was anything like I remembered.
Well what I think is.... I can't remember a series of this structure, pace and level of acting before. And writing. I won't say it is perfect but I will say it is really well done in many aspects. And beyond the entertainment of thinking what might happen to the people in the stories, it actually made me think about things of my own. But not in a preachy way or some obvious way.
Marriage Story (2019)
The first 5 minutes were great
It got less "real" and more bizarre from there. I was really exited for real drama film because those seem so rare these days, but really this was not it.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Get woke: Make stupid movies
Just more pandering garbage. The main review on the home page appears to have been upvoted because the reviewer is happy the movie annoys people.
I guess that's what passes for "entertainment" these days.
Hold the Dark (2018)
Amazing, ominous and beautifully done
I just kind of randomly gave this a shot having never heard of it. I thought it was fantastic. Tense, rich, gripping, ominous. I came here and saw all the negative review I was floored. I guess if you have ADD or need every plot point spelled out to you in bright colored kids letters then this movie is not for you.
Are there unexplained things? Definitely. Was that in any way a minus to the story? Not even a tiny bit. In fact I loved the fact that not everything is explained out.
Anyway I feel sorry for those who watched this and just got confused and bored. I guess there will always be another Transformers or Furious sequel they can watch instead.
Small Town Crime (2017)
Awesome surprise find
Never heard of it. Came across it on Netflix. This is one of the best pulp fiction crime movies I have seen in a long time. It's both gritty and funny in parts. The characters are awesome and the story and pacing just roll.
Definitely recommend.
Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017)
Utter Garbage
This movie is so bad that the only horror here is that it was made at all. You could stuff a cheap camera phone in a beach ball and roll it down the street and get a more pleasing result. This makes putrid shot on video SciFy movies look like masterpiece work. Just don't even think about wasting time watching this.
Here Alone (2016)
Not bad at all
It is well filmed and acted. Overall I like the direction and pacing. It is a slow one so not for everyone. The one thing that held me back is that I thought The Survivalist did the survival side of things a lot better.
However this is still very nicely done and I would recommend.
The Survivalist (2015)
Very well done movie
As other reviews state it will be too slow for some. However I found it to be extremely well made. Puts Hollywood movies to shame. One of the most realistic and gritty post apocalyptic movies I have ever seen.
The Red Pill (2016)
I hope Cassie Jaye makes more documentaries
I watched this mainly because of the backlash around it. While the issues it covers are interesting and thought provoking, I am in general just tired of the fanatical polarization on so many issues today. But this was not even a debate that was on my radar. I thought, let's just give it a watch and see what the fuss is about.
Wow. So well done because it just got me thinking. I started doing searches on the web to double check and also just think about things.
I mainly wanted to say - I hope that Jaye and other people would make more stuff like this. I am just so over every social issue being a full on battle with accusations of hate and belittling of the other side. Shutting down debates or speakers and throwing around "hate speech" labels like it's no big deal. Movies and media presenting one angle of issues as the gospel and any other idea must be wrong or even hateful.
We need more examinations of issues like Jaye has done here. Thoughtful, measured... food for thought.
I'm giving it 10/10 not because I agree or disagree with the "conclusion" of the movie.
It is because it is only with this kind of calm delivery and discourse that we can move forward to resolve the many issues facing us today. Otherwise it's all just echo chamber shouting.
Cassie Jaye - please keep making documentaries or anything really. Other film makers - please note what she has done here.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Very sad demise of this franchise is complete
I gave this 3 stars for the actors. Otherwise it would have been zero. There were some excellent performances and they deserve more. But so does the audience.
This is a step down even from Promethius which was one of the most brain-dead sci-fi movies I have watched in along time. Until now. I blame the story line, the way its cut together and the direction. And the core concept.
Basically imagine a crew of really dull individuals stumbling through space making the worst decisions possible and you have an idea. A crew which we learned the names of maybe 5 of them and therefore I barely cared or recognized any of them as things happened to them. Then take the entire past/back story of the franchise and destroy it. Re-use every scene and setting that worked in previous movies and cut them down . It was just a pathetic story and horrible telling of the story.
Even the costumes and the ship CGI were weak as heck. Some of the shots did look good despite all this... but small payoff for such a steaming pile of "cinema."
And on top of all this it is just unbelievably predictable. I avoided all spoilers before watching it but there was not a single plot twist you won't see coming far ahead. Not one. Which is impressive considering how little sense the monsters, the plot and the "evil character" aspects are presented.
I could go on but I'd start spoiling things. However save yourself time and just skip this anyway. It is just terrible. I wish I had the 2hrs back that I spent watching it.
Into the Forest (2015)
This movie is preposterous
To be honest it was so slow I had a hard time watching the whole thing.
But I made it to the end. I thought, surely there is some payoff here. But no. They waste month after month talking about their feelings and if they can use the last of the gas to play some music. Hunting? Gardening? Nope. They dance and study and eat all their food.
The do start gathering late in the game but I had zero belief that these two would last 3 weeks in the woods much less months.
After a long and very questionable series of bad decisions, they make the worst decision at the end.
Anyway I would not recommend watching this unless you have 2 hours you just need to kill.
Wyrmwood (2014)
Too much shaky cam
I tried 3 times to watch this movie and I could never make it through. I'm writing this right after the 3rd attempt. I like the ideas, the humor, the actors... but this movie is just yet another shaky-cam vomit ride.
I suppose they are covering up for being unable to frame shots decently... Whole groups of modern directors seem to think that shaking the camera around is somehow a good idea.
Sorry - but it's not fast or dynamic. It just induces seasickness and makes it look like you don't know how to use your camera gear.
Straight A's (2013)
Excellent movie
I watched this movie with a grain of salt, due to all the negative reviews here on IMDb. I was expecting nothing and just killin' some time.
I had to come back to the reviews here to double check that the negative reviews were actually for this movie.
This was an excellent movie. The story is superb, like a really good short story I didn't notice the time and it was over before I realized it.
I don't know if people were expecting something like True Blood or maybe reacting to some of the character's behaviors they didn't like or what. But let me tell you what, this is one well made, well acted and well directed movie. The filming and "artful" effects are done in just enough of a way that really tied it together as well.
I was genuinely surprised that I had not heard of this movie before. I just came across it on Netflix at random.
My conclusion is: it is a very interesting story that I found to be far more real and interesting than the last 30 big Hollywood movies I have seen... Maybe more.