Marco_From_Tropoja Reviews

The Moderator (2022)

Terrible and clunky movie

[2/10 · 29 July 2022]

This movie really is awful. The script is completely disjointed and flows like hardened concrete as it cuts from here to there to over there. Don't even attempt to watch this movie as you will undoubtedly regret it.

Blacklight (2022)

Story is so weak

[2/10 · 4 March 2022]

Honestly the story here is so weak that it's difficult to see how this got financed and made. By the end you're just wondering if it's actually possible to get any worse. Also Neeson has finally got to the stage where he's not even really able to convincingly break into a run anymore..

The Double (I) (2011)

Plot has more holes than Swiss Cheese

[3/10 · 17 September 2021]

This is a very poor attempt at a post-cold war spy movie. Really the biggest problem is the script. There are several points in the film where there is no logic as to how they know where to go next to find someone -- just one of the characters going to some door without explanation, talks to someone and off they go. Really terrible stuff. Also the actors are just dialling it in here. Even as a casual watch the terrible scrpt/ storyline will just annoy you.

Range Runners (2019)

Advice is not to waste your time

[2/10 · 9 September 2020]

Nothing really to recommend here at all really. There is a cliched flashback story which is told in parallel to the main plot which is boring, superfluous and annoying. The main story has been seen many times before and was pretty clunky. The acting didn't impress either. I'd give it a miss.

Becky (II) (2020)

Full of cliches and unbelievably unrealistic

[1/10 · 19 July 2020]

This is a throwaway movie for sure. The main actress is not a bad little actor but the soppy backstory cliches really dragged down this movie for me and didn't create the committed sense where you are rooting for the protagonist to exact revenge. Even though there is some gory stuff it never really hit home as a result. There was not much of a reasonable level of realism either in my opinion - just too improbable. It's an ok watch if you're not expecting too much. Revenge (2017) is a better recent movie of this type of genre.

Gangs of London (2020– )

Notable only for the violence by the end

[4/10 · 28 April 2020]

There are a couple of good episodes here but it leaves a bad after-taste at the finish. The acting and story-writing get progressively worse as it goes along and is truely daft by the end. The violence is extreme and I don't have a problem with that per se but it becomes gratuitous to make up for the lack of acting and story.

Underwater (2020)

Pedestrian and frankly boring

[3/10 · 27 March 2020]

To be honest this an effort that will be quickly forgotten and is not really worth watching. It's all been done before and done better. I found the abrupt style of the opening to be too jarring and not work well. The enemies are unremarkable don't really provoke much of a reaction if you have seen an alien movie for example. The ending itself also constitutes the reuse of a tired cliche. You'll probably regret watching it.

ZeroZeroZero (2019–2020)

Sicario and Narcos had a love-child

[9/10 · 11 March 2020]

Great gritty stuff. Definitely not an advert for getting into the world of drug smuggling. It's not giving anything away (obvious within 5 minutes) to say that there are 3 storylines that are inter-connected. Liked the Italian aspect of it the best. The mexican part was a bit too Scarface but I suppose that life is actually so cheap there The 2 american characters were a bit of a drag at the start but grow on you. Highly reommended for a binge.

Midsommar (2019)

Go along for the ride

[8/10 · 31 October 2019]

There are several trippy substances concocted up by the residents of the rural Swedish Midsommar location in this movie and it almost felt like I had imbibed in some way too... This production has an almost hypnotic effect in the watching - aided by clever use of sort of beta-wave music. I would definitely recommend - an original effort that is worth the journey.

Chaos (II) (2005)

This has not aged well (at all)

[1/10 · 13 September 2019]

Really this movie looks so cheap and nasty nearly 15 years on. The production values are terrible - far less than the average episode of a crime tv programme of today. The plot is convoluted and I would say confusing. Finally Stratham is really good in a certain type of smarmy tongue-in-cheek type crime caper like the transporter or the mechanic but here where he tries to play deadpan his acting comes across as awful and wooden.

Dangerous Matrimony (2018)

Cheap, cheesy, disjointed.

[1/10 · 3 January 2019]

I'd give this one a skip. The only redeeming element is some occasional nice shots of Caribbean sea frontage. The dialogue is cheesier than a cheese board and the plot is disjointed rather than twisty although it's at all times painfully obvious. Overall the movie looks cheap at all times.

Wheelman (2017)

Uncomplicated but commendably executed thriller

[7/10 · 23 November 2017]

OK, the story is not going to win any originality contests. However, the lead nails the role well enough and the movie overall is decent in terms of tension, notwithstanding the clichéd plot developments. I'd recommend in you're in an action-thriller mood, with the expectations of not seeing anything new. It's a movie that knows what it is and does it pretty well.

Dead Draw (I) (2016)

Too much use of flashbacks ruined it

[4/10 · 22 November 2017]

The premise of this revolves around a big cash heist committed by a gang of 4 guys with information provided by an information broker. Whilst looking like it goes off smoothly things subsequently don't go to plan. The story set-up seems solid, if nothing new. However, soon the movie revolves around being stuck in one physical location (one large indoor space) which makes it a bit boring. To compound this the movie then begins a flashback narrative on each character (more than one for each character), moving back to the present time and back again. This jars quickly as nearly 40-50% of the movie must in the end be composed of these flashbacks and it takes your focus and interest off the main story. It does redeem itself a bit at the end but I found that this mechanic was a fail for me and makes the movie a lesser product as a result.

Never Here (2017)

Pretentious Muck

[1/10 · 28 October 2017]

I've nothing against any film that holds back on being too literal as to plot and conclusions but that has to be backed up by something substantial in other areas. This movie fails utterly in the latter respect. It's pointless pretentious muck that is a total waste of time. Boring and turgid.

Unlocked (I) (2017)

Don't waste your time on this one.

[3/10 · 28 August 2017]

I love a good thriller like most do but this one is definitely not worth your time. Rapace does a decent job with the material she is given in the lead role but the other A-List actors here have poor forgettable roles. Douglas and Malkovich are cardboard-cutout bit-part characters who are unconvincing. The Orlando Bloom character is scarcely credible in the manner of his introduction. All in all, you'll regret watching to the end of this one. It's just not worth it. After so many bad twists in the course of the movie it's just a trial to watch.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Absolute muck

[1/10 · 24 June 2017]

I can't believe how anyone could find favour in this disjointed mess.

Apart from his first 2 movies Richie is staying true to form in releasing a complete turkey after a decent one (the man from U.N.C.L.E).

There is little coherence to connect the movie which is nothing more than a connection of action sequences. It's almost like they had cut out parts between them. At times it almost seems to jump around randomly.

The CGI is awful.

The lead charlie hunnam is unconvincing. The cameo by Beckham didn't annoy me as the rest of the movie but he's not an actor.

This time the cockney likely lads accents and matey camaraderie just seems totally out of place.

Overall just really bad.

The Hollow (2015 TV Movie)

don't waste your time

[1/10 · 6 November 2015]

The cliché "I wish that I could have that time back" really applies to this title. It's formulaic and derivative in the extreme with little to hold your interest, even over the short running time.

You won't care about the characters, any of them. The dynamic of the three sisters is probably the biggest failing in this sorry tale. It just doesn't develop any credible sense that they are actually sisters and have a bond. The tried and trusted "falling out and friends again when the chips are down" story thread just didn't work for me. The story is paper-thin and not executed well in any way. It's in not remotely scary and the attempts at building any sort of tension fail miserably.

Please avoid. Life is too short.