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Reviews
Dune Drifter (2020)
Better than most sci fi b film. Worth watching.
I'll try to review this without giving spoilers. Or at least without giving any spoilers of important twists or turn outs. This film gives us planetary land survival, laser gun shoot out fights, and even a pretty unique spaceship battle experience in the film's first fifteen minutes. The space battles in the beginning lasted longer than expected to my pleasure.
The movie is very satisfying in the sci-fi theme aspect. Everything I could've hoped for to scratch that itch thankfully.
The main protagonist is cool, well performed, and likable. Aggressive and not a pushover. A spot of humor and attitude every here and there made me giggle time to time. This helped with feeling a caring and connection with the character. The movie even managed to squeeze a tear out of me in that regard in a serious moment. The aggressive and clever fights were kind of unexpected to me and enjoyable.
The space fight was enjoyable in its realism. Yes yes, we could hear the machines in a vacuum. It was determined long ago that for then joy of film, it is more pleasing to us movie goers to hear some fun sounds. By realism I am more referring to the realistic outcomes and fragility of these desperate minds fighting in tin cans in space. I believed this to be a European film, it might be, but in so believing that it was not an American one, I knew that the film might not have happy outcomes. I expected the inevitable realistic views of most euro films. I was not disappointed. The realism and constant threats, and grey acceptances of life as it is, instead of the fake positivity of many American films...ah this was refreshing.
Yet still this is a story of spirit and not giving up. Of trying even when bereft of hope. Of knowing that even when you know there is no hope for your own survival; you still might find a way to help others before your own light of life burns out.
I recommend this for any fans of sci-fi or fans of that spirit.
Proximity (2020)
Excellently made, interesting, and i really enjoyed it.
No Spoilers. Hard to say this without spoilers, but i will be careful.
Firstly, I recommend this movie.
Secondly, let me say that that was the smartest attempt I've ever seen from "them" to get their idea in my head. Lol. They know what i am talking about, but i can not say without spoiling the biggest surprise in the movie. I do not personally agree with this idea at all, however i tip my hat in respect for their clever attempt. It was done in a very cool way. I genuilely loved the experience of this movie.
The visuals were better than i expected. It may technically be a scifiB movie, but it was much better than most scifiB films. I have rated it up with the best scifi films. The characters looked real. Like, the main actor actually looks like a tech university student who got a job in tech, rather than most hollywood films' using jocks who went through film school. I've been a movie buff for a long time and frankly, the acting was plenty satisfactory for this. There were no big acting opportunities, like big dramatic heavy dialogue scenes, which was a smart choice by the writers. As that has been the fumbling of the ball for many films out there that could not afford big actors. Instead they gave us a smooth rolling well paced film with very likable characters , cool visuals and scenery, and even some delightful music.
The story was mysterious and interesting. It surprised me a couple of times. A couple of my predictions were incorrect. Thus making it an unpredictable movie, which is pleasing to find. The music was a style i like. Retro synthwave eighties electro rock with lots of vocals kind of style. Think...that Ryan Gosling movie called Drive regarding the music. Pretty dope.
All that being said, granted, if you do not appreciate sci fi movies, then you might want to skip this. Personally i love sci fi, and i loved this one. I deducted it a star because of the scifiBness, and i deducted a second star because of an idea in the film that i disagree with. That second star, granted is bias on my part, but it is something important to me. Normally when i come across this in a film, i dock the film five stars if not more, but in this case, the film had already proven itself to me on different merits, and the way they presented the idea, was actually pretty cool.
Again, i very much recommend this movie, due to likable characters, good music, good visuals, intrigue, solid scifi, and interesting mystery.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Plenty of fun pretty well done.
No spoilers. I didnt like the previous generation of transformers films much. They reduced themselves by being so focused on teenage sexual angst regarding shaia lebouf and megan fox. The drama had been over dark and serious. The fight scenes i often just wanted to get over with. And i had previously been a big fan of the cartoons. So it was hard for me to accept that i didnt enjoy watching them.
Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts have finally let me enjoy Transformers again. Couldnt be more grateful for that. Both films had excellent lead actors who were portrayed with repect. The films bring us lots of comedy and good music. Yet give us the human working with the transformers world we loved as kids with the cartoons. This movie in multiple moments made one think that this film was made for the fans of the franchise pre-michaelbay. I wont call it a ten of ten as it wasnt amazing perfection or anything. However, it was what i wanted, and more enjoyable than i expected. Also; i love that the lead actor is latino. I have close latino friends, and the only representation they (usually) get are side characters.
She's Just a Shadow (2019)
This is a masterpiece.
No spoilers. Yes, it seems like it was born from the mind of a pubescent boy who has been playing lots of grand theft auto and yakuza games. I loved it. It made me laugh so many times. Has nice twists. It has a small swirl of serial killer horror mixed in. The blood and gore and fighting are quite pleasing frankly. The acting is quite good. A unique and memorable film. Really goes out there fearlessly seemingly uncaring of what all the critics might think. I wish more films had such guts. And yet throughout the film there are numerous poetic ironies and engaging story to be engrossed by. Soundtrack was enjoyable. I genuinely did expect this to be a "b-film" due to other ratings. I'm glad i ignored the naysayers and found a film that stands out in my library.
Shockwave: Darkside (2014)
Good for fans of sci fi b and especially late 90s scifi games and books.
No spoilers: Sci fi b means it is low budget. I enjoyed it. Watched it to see the actor from Star Trek Discovery. The visuals sfx remind me of a 1998 video game called Battlezone. It even takes place on the moon too. I liked this about it. Interesting base premise and concepts. Felt so different from most movies. Acting was better than expected for the most part. Again this is a low budget film. It tries to talk some of philosophy. I had hoped it would get a bit deeper than it did though in that arena. As a gamer who loves space related games, this film was a nice close up view of space infantry's woes and strifes. Arguing faith morality and death is the gist of the conversation. I was worried for a moment that the movie was going to get all preachy, but luckly they kept it unbiased and allowed us to see the views of each of the different soldiers. I liked the characters and the retro special effects, and i enjoyed the conversations somewhat. Downside was a few moments of slowness that required patience. I recommend if you like space and repect low budget films.
Al morir la matinée (2020)
This was a surprising delight.
No spoilers. Firstly, i very rarely like horror films. This was however horror- comedy somewhat. Not the Scary Movie type of silly humor. This was more subtle, thus allowing the vibe and focus to be maintained. Watch this movie for the style, the colorful characters whose lives you can really get a sense of, and for the excellent cinematic quality that you notice even in the first few scenes of the movie. There are moments like any horror film when you will be like "nooo victim don't be stupid", but then you forgive it because you see the...(art and intent) of the maker of the movie, and so you find yourself surprised to be delighted by each event. This is one horror film I'll be sharing with my friends and will likely watch again. It is not jump scares and who done it; it is a movie that appreciates the current moment, and clearly is like a love letter to horror films and theater. The sound was quite good as well.
Kidding (2018)
Amazing
A show that makes me laugh and cry and hits subjects of philosophy that are rarely touched by other shows. The acting is perfect. The story engaging. It has been a long time since I last binged a series for this many hours straight. I just kept wanting to experience more of it. Superb show!
The Revenant (2015)
Masterpiece.
No spoilers at all:
Seriously. One of the top ten best westerns of all time.
So real. So devastating. So visually pleasing. I even listened all the way through the credits to the soundtrack. It was just instrumental too; I don't usually find instrumental stuff without lyrics worth sitting through. The audio of this was superb.
I know the acting is good when...when I don't think about the acting. When I am so convinced and lost in it that I forget I'm looking at actors and feel only that I am experiencing what the character is experiencing.
I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop now. Watch it and let yourself get lost in it. Keep that sound turned up nice and loud so you can hear the wind rustling through the trees or when someone might be creeping up on you.
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
It wasn't bad, it was pretty good actually.
Maybe a 6.5/10. I felt at times though that it leaned a bit too much towards...how can I say this...being preachy. I felt, during just two or three scenes in the movie, like I was watching a movie that was trying to convert me to their beliefs. I will say no more than that as I don't want my review to be removed. So that made me a bit uncomfortable and definitely affected my ability to connect with the movie.
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Now other than that though...it was a pretty good movie. Chris Pratt provided some good comedic relief. I felt like Denzel was a little under-utilized considering his great acting skills. However I suppose that was a kindness from him to the other actors; to not steal the spotlight for himself. There was some good acting and there were some fun action scenes. Interesting story.
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Recommended, but only with the warning I included in my first paragraph. Your kids might want you to take them to a church after watching this.
Impulse (2018)
8/10 for season one, but not season two
Firstly: I very much recommend watching Season One and stopping there. It is very much worth the watch of just season one. Yes there are unsolved mysteries, but frankly it plays in a way that leaves you feeling fine with not watching any more seasons.
.
I loved season one, and even told friends to watch it. It was quite exciting and emotionally moving. Characters were interesting and lovable. Story was engaging. Had a little humor in it too. Just really loved it and made me hopeful for my subscription to that premium streaming content. Hopeful that they'd make more good series like Impulse that is.
,
So I finally got myself to watch the first episode of season two. I put it off for a while as I was anxious to continue the journey. Unfortunately episode one and two were both boring to me. I stopped watching there. Maybe the season gets better, but I read an other reviewer say it didn't get better. I know better than to keep staring at something hoping it will get good again. If they get a season 3 I will read more reviews of two and of 3, to find out if it is worth my time to watch them. Again, watch season ONE; totally worth it!
His Girl Friday (1940)
Why is this loved by so many?
Some of the acting was quite enjoyable.
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I disliked how everyone supposedly knew the main two characters by name and they all adored them from the start. Felt fake and unrealistic.
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I disliked the ridiculously fast pace of people talking non-stop as if not a one of them needed even a whole second to process what the other person said, and then think of their own reply. Felt fake and unrealistic. Granted it does slow down a bit at times.
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A lot of the humor didn't work for me. Maybe it meant more to people back in 1940. Some of it was funny though.
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One of those movies I kept waiting to end. Tested my patience to make it all the way through.
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Disappointing as I had been looking forward to watching it for a long time since it has been so famous. It is fine though. Has some good about it.
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Maybe I'll take a film class some day and learn to better appreciate it.
The Outlaw (1943)
More enjoyable than I expected.
Rom-com-western. I didn't see the twists or the ending coming.
In the first minutes I felt like they were using so many old ideas from other westerns. Then i remembered that this is from 1943 and so if anything, the other westerns I've watched got their ideas from this movie. It is about Doc Holiday and Billy the Kid.
,..
It is a comedy. Nice light movie with a very small amount of drama mixed in. The romance is primarily humorous as the characters are rather macho.
....
Overall i would say that I rather enjoyed this movie quite a bit. Plenty of negative reviews out there had me peg this as not gonna be good. I was surprised and delighted.
Coco (2017)
Delightful colorful and tear jerking.
If you want to test out you HDR capabilities on your expensive tv; this is the movie that will do it best.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Very Enjoyable but could've been better
No Spoilers (good luck reading reviews and not spoiling the surprises of this movie)
I liked Homecoming more. This was a fun movie, but it didn't groove quite as well as Homecoming did. I said it before and I'll say it again; Michael Keaton really elevated the Homecoming movie. That had surprised me as I had never been a fan of Keaton before he was Vulture.
This movie was quite fun though, and I am glad I bought it as I will likely watch it more than once over the years. A positive addition to the MCU series of movies.
I enjoyed the surprises of which I did not see coming since I was careful to not see any spoilers. I have also never read comic books nor seen any cartoons with these characters in them. So I was quite pleased by the twists and turns this movie took.
Plenty of comedy in this installment. A bit of romance for those of us wanting to see Spider-man playing the game of love.
Some cool European sights that helped make the 4k uhd tv seem worth the cost.
Odd Thomas (2013)
An amusing 90 minute supernatural adventure with some heart.
(Never read the books. Knew nothing about the movie going in. No spoilers:)
Feels like a quirky comical comedic sequel to Sixth Sense (the Bruce Willis horror film). Has a nice energetic pace to it.
It has heart in its caring for victims.
It has Willem Dafoe.
It has a guy who looks a little like the modern Peter Parker to me.
Detective movie meets the supernatural world. Felt a bit like it was based off of a comic book in regards to its narration, comedy style, and eccentricities.
Quirky. All the characters have cute weird names. A lot of the comedy didn't make me laugh, but it usually made me smile.
I figured out who a bad guy was at the half way point of the movie. I do wish they had covered that up a bit better so it would've been more of a surprise. However maybe I've just watched too many movies and so can detect these things like a sixth sense at this point.
The little scares, like a guy suddenly being behind a door for example, as if to give us a jump scare...well they didn't work.
The ending is quite well done and enjoyable though I did indeed cry. It was rather beautiful actually. Despite my having anticipated some of the movie's main surprises; there were one or two of which I failed to see coming.
Glad I watched it. Overall a pleasant odd movie that moves at a quick pace and is over before you know it even though it is the same length as most movies. Recommended so long as you don't expect it to make you laugh a lot or surprise a whole lot. Good for an amusing 90 minute supernatural adventure.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Good movie if you know nothing about it when you watch it
It is a nice thriller of which was an original concept. There have been so many shows and movies and even memes based off of this that watching the movie now, it might be impossible to not know what is going to happen. However back then when it came out, it blew a lot of peoples minds as it was the original that started this idea that has been repeated a lot by now.
I recommend watching a movie called Odd Thomas right after this one, because it feels like a light comedic unofficial sequel.
Also to note is that the acting was incredible here. You might not find a better test of Bruce Willis's skills than this. In this movie he reminded audiences that he wasn't just a good action hero comedian.
The Hustle (2019)
Lots of laughs
This was a fun movie with lovable characters. It deserves at the very least 7/10 considering how consistently entertaining, humorous, and charming it is.
From the other reviews, it seems that too many people have seen some old movie that this is based off of, and as a result they fail to appreciate THIS movie. I feel sorry for those reviewers, because frankly I had a very good time watching this.
Casino Royale (2006)
Had a hard time sitting through the whole thing
I haven't seen many of the old ones. Maybe two or three of the others. Don't remember caring much for them. This Casino Royale one, and then the next one that came out though...I really couldn't get into them. Sighs. You know when you really want to like a movie, and so many people have gotten on the bandwagon of proclaiming that the movie is awesome....but you just find it boring or disappointing?
I never bothered to watch it a second time, and it must've been at least five years since I saw Casino Royale. So I can't recall any specifics. I just remember having wanted to enjoy it, but finding just a boring action-fest. Don't get me wrong; I like action movies. I liked MI: Ghost Protocol. I liked most of the Bourne movies. I have also liked most of the super hero movies of the last decade. I will try to watch the next Bond movie that comes out, but I won't have any high expectations about it. I'll expect boredom and I'll have a small bit of hope that it will actually have elements to it that bring some emotion to me. Be it smiles or worries, laughs or tears...I don't watch movies to think "that was well choreographed" or to admire technicalities...I watch movies to feel.
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Enjoyable and captures the Holiday spirit of family
I wouldn't call this movie perfect. I'd rate it a 6 or a 7. It does feel a bit like a made for tv movie at times. However overall I definitely recommend this for a cheerful movie to watch during the holiday season to help you appreciate the holidays. Has some decent laughs in it too.
This is one of the few books I have read too. I had read the short book maybe a year before realizing there was a movie for it. So I had to watch the movie.
Glad I watched it. Should definitely be on your Good Holiday Movies list.
Just Friends (2005)
Pretty decent comedy
Not one of the best, but I definitely had a good time for the most part. It dragged a bit at times, and some of the humor fell flat. However a lot of the humor worked great and made me laugh.
Has a bit of a Shallow Hal sort of message about judging people for their looks. Yet at the same time it feels a bit hypocritical about that since as Hollywood always does, the love interest only likes the protagonist romantically after their makeovers/losing weight.
It was a fun, though slow at times movie. Overall I recommend this for your Holiday movies list.
Pottersville (2017)
Really enjoyed this
I stumbled upon some critics ultra negative review of this movie, and was like "did we see the same movie!?"
I mean it was a lot of fun in my opinion! I think I had seen it on Netflix last holiday season when I was looking for comedic holiday movies to enjoy. For me, a movie is especially good if it succeeds in making me laugh and also succeeds in making me feel for the characters. This movie did both those things. It deserves way more love than most people have given it. Seems a lot of people these days are just so obsessed with being picky critics focused on finding flaws, that they fail to enjoy the goods.
The Apartment (1960)
This is one of the few Black and white movies I've seen
And I liked it way more than I expected. It has been a while since I watched it. Maybe five years ago. Yet I still remember having loved the romance in it. It was that sort of unattainable romance, like when you so want to be with someone but for reasons of right and wrong or whatever, you can't be with them. That heart-wrenching in a way that makes you feel alive. That pain that you are willing to experience because you'd rather be foolishly in love with someone you could never be with than to go another day of monotony in an otherwise boring life.
I might be remembering it wrong though. I know I loved it though. I don't like all black n whites. I hated Citizen Cane. I wanted to like, but didn't really, The Maltese Falcon. I like most of Humphrey Bogart's performances though. I loved Casablanca, and also loved Atticus Finch...what was that called...To Kill a Mockingbird. There was one other bnw I recall having seen and liked called Mr Smith Goes to Washington. Anyways Apartment was pretty dope.
Matilda (1996)
An old favorite
I'm biased with my score I admit.
This movie has such a spirit of positivity. It encourages us to enjoy reading. It is full of humor. Movie has a delightful charming magical feel. Has heart and love.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Very good movie.
I was surprised. Yeah I hoped it would be good, and thought I would like it since I had enjoyed that one on the skyscraper so much. This one was different though. Not as much comedy as the skyscraper one. Still some good humor.
Feels like the MI movies improve with each decade.
Pride and Glory (2008)
Ouch
I'm an Ed Norton fan. I had high hopes for this. The acting may have been good, but dang I just did not enjoy this movie. Oh well. NOT recommended.