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Alexgargiulo98
Reviews
Abduction (2011)
Tries to be mind-boggling and exciting, but fails on all fronts.
To start this review right, I've got to tell you-- I hated this movie. Surprisingly, it wasn't Taylor Lautner that ruined it, but of course he was a part of it.
Let's start by talking about Lautner. He's definitely a good stuntman, but beyond that... he's just boring. The only thing he can do is overact, or not act at all. He's either stoic and unfeeling, or crying for no reason. His character is a blank slate, that remains a black slate. Within the first 5 minutes he resorts to being shirtless.
The lines aren't badly delivered, they're just bad.
Cliché count:
"How do you know my name" 3 times
"Trust has to be earned" 2 times "Kids.../Teenagers..." 3 times
The rest of the non-cliché dialogs is just bad, kind of like The Room, but with a larger budget. Lines like "Can I take a shower" or "Your baby shirt!" are always a laugh. The camera work is atrocious, I'd argue it's worse than the Hunger Games camera. In action scenes, the camera continuously cuts and takes shots from random angles. No shot can stay in the same spot for more than 3 seconds. It just pulls you out of the moment. When the scene is slow, the camera has to zoom in and out for no reason whatsoever.
The characters, like a said, are just awful. They take no time to develop them, because they movie is too busy trying to explain its stupidly overly complex plot to a group of preteens who likely just want to see Lautner fight ninjas shirtless. The main characters share no chemistry, and everyone else acts like more of a robot than Taylor does. Many things remain unexplored, and the main characters never seem to react to the fact that their lives have been torn apart. We get to the end, and they expect us to believe that non of these characters have been changed or scarred.
It's all just BS. People may say the action is good, but in reality, it isn't the movie doesn't try and does all it can to pull viewers in with nothing more than Taylor Laughter and guns.
Good Luck Charlie (2010)
This 7 is relative.
For a long time now, Disney Channel has been bad. Bad writers, directors, and worst of all, actors. This show manages to defy that rule, and comparatively speaking, is wonderful.
I will be spending this review talking about what the show has done right, rather than why I enjoy it.
The characters are much more believable than any other Disney show. While they remain funny, they also seem like they could be people you'd find in real life, and you enjoy TV much more when you don't find yourself constantly questioning the characters existence. For example, many Disney shows use the "Dumb character" gag, but feel the need to play him up as the worlds STUPIDEST PERSON. This show has a slower character, but he still remains funny, bearable, and plot relevant. Basically, he can still have good one liners while still being likable as a character. The leading girl (Older) is good too, she isn't played as the super popular or unpopular girl like most Disney shows do, you feel she's somewhere in the middle of the social chain. She actual acts like a teenage girl, not a boy obsessed monster, or super-nerd. She goes through normal teenage issues and the few serious plots are well handled. The parents are done the best. THEY ARE ACTUALLY PLAYED AS COMPITANT PARENTS. That is my biggest issue with Disney parents, they are always either never there, or incompetent at their job as parent. The parents in GLC are stern, but understanding at times, they actually seem like good parents. They even manage to be funny at times. Charlie and Toby are cute, and to be honest, I could care less for the other, unmentioned son.
The comedy isn't based around laugh tracks and overacting, or funny accents, or goofy unrealistic situations like EVERY OTHER Disney SHOW. The comedy come from character interactions in realistically funny situations, which is the same type of comedy that made Arrested Development the amazing show it is. Obviously GLC is nothing compared to the genius of AD, but the comedy is good enough to be reminiscent of the show, which is shocking.
All-in-all, the acting is decent, the comedy is shockingly decent, and the characters are good. This is the best show currently on Disney.