Jacobs43 Reviews

Nope (2022)

That was a thing

[5/10 · 6 April 2023]

I'm not really sure how I feel about Nope except to say that it didn't elicit any strong feelings from me one way or the other. I can't say I liked this film, but I can't say I hated it either. It kept me interested enough to keep watching but in the end I didn't find anything too thrilling for the time I spent watching it. It's difficult to get invested in the characters. There are some light attempts at development and backstory that just don't lead anywhere.

To its credit, I often complain about the entertainment industry not having any unique ideas. Nope has that in spades though. I don't believe I've heard of a plot anything like this one before. I certainly wouldn't turn anyone away from it and perhaps their viewing experience will more enriching than mine.

The Way Way Back (2013)

Good movie and relatable characters

[8/10 · 9 November 2022]

I found this randomly on Hulu and gave it a shot. Sometimes that can turn out to be a disastrous decision, but not this time. The Way Way Back is just a good bittersweet film that doesn't try to muddle its plot or characters with any messaging. The characters are all relatable. It's been nice to see post-The Office Steve Carell playing characters outside of his past goofball comedy roles. He has a lot of range to show off. He's completely believable as a domineering and emotionally abusive partner in this film. Sam Rockwell, as usual, turns in a great performance also.

If I had to give one (fairly) big critique of the film, it would be that I wanted to see more definitive resolution with the Carell's and Colette's characters, but certainly isn't too detracting. I would definitely recommend this movie.

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

What did I just watch?

[4/10 · 22 August 2022]

Dinosaurs may have evolved into birds but this series keeps devolving. What a meandering mess of characters and plot with no direction or motivation. This film is nothing more than a series of things that happen so the next thing can happen, but ignore all that because ... DINOSAURS!

I'm very glad I didn't invest anything (other than my squandered time) into seeing this.

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Hot garbage

[3/10 · 9 August 2022]

If the two leads were reversed, there would be outcry about the relationship, both within the film's world and by the audience.

Aside from that, the characters were boring and the plot was aimless and uninteresting. I can think of no good reason critics gave this time-waster good reviews.

The Batman (2022)

This movie will leave you saying "huh?"

[4/10 · 7 August 2022]

Pros:

• The moody tone is excellent
• Pattinson wasn't the trainwreck I had anticipated

Cons:

• This whisper-fest will leave you saying "huh?". Most of the scenes have the actors whispering and you struggling to hear what they're saying.

• Most of the movie is very slow moving. It did a terrible job hooking my attention even 10 minutes in and I lost interest completely somewhere in the second act.

Broken Soldier (2022)

What did I just watch?

[1/10 · 2 July 2022]

Everyone's performance in this film left a lot to be desired, even the veterans. The actress (Meadow Williams) playing the wife was had the most laughably unnatural performance. Then there was the utterly pointless and confusing plot they left you wondering what was the point of anything you just watched.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Disappointing

[1/10 · 24 April 2022]

So much absurdity in just one film. Nonetheless, there are those who want to believe and will applaud. That said, Mulligan acted well and I want to give credit where it's due.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

I really wanted to like this...

[5/10 · 18 July 2021]

I really wanted to like this but, yet again, the sequel is filled with many plot holes and contrivances and telegraphed jump scares.

To its credit, the actors were all good in their roles and the score adds to the anxiety. It seems as if the ending to this sequel is set up for a third installment. It would be interesting to see some explanation of the aliens: Where did the come from? How did they come to Earth? (especially since they seem so primitive) Why do they seem to just kill for the sake of killing?

Chad (2021–2024)

Good concept, flawed execution

[1/10 · 11 April 2021]

Admittedly, I'm basing my review solely on the commercials TBS has inundated me with.

While the fish-out-water and awkward teenager tropes aren't new, that's not the problem I see with this show. The concept is fine but the audience is jarringly reminded that it's watching people act by Nasim Pedrad oddly casting herself in drag (if that term applies) as the lead. I understand that Pedrad wants to tell a story akin to her own Persian-American background but this casting choice immediately pulls the audience out of the story, which then becomes the focus instead of the story.

The other problem I see is that the main character, as advertised, is weak, rude, vapid, whinging, unappreciative, and self-absorbed. Flawed characters are interesting and allow for growth, but what exactly am I supposed to find redeeming enough here to invest my time?

The Guru (2002)

Predictable but fun

[8/10 · 5 November 2020]

I would recommend The Guru to others. This movie isn't breaking any new ground in the romcom department. If you've watched any romcom before, you know how the final scene will play out. All the same, it was fun and there were many humorous moments, and the actors seemed to enjoy themselves. I'm not exactly a fan or connoisseur of Bollywood films but I did like how they infused Bollywood dance numbers into some parts of the movie.

Ovid and the Art of Love (2019)

Quite enjoyable

[9/10 · 21 May 2020]

I happen to be a Latin teacher and Ovid is my favorite poet. I truly enjoyed this film that covered some new ground (pay attention, Hollywood!) and had a unique way of framing the story and its landscape. Bravo!

Hollywood (2020)

Good actors, incredulous plot

[3/10 · 7 May 2020]

All of the actors played their roles well but the entire premise of this plot taking place sometime in the 1940s-50s requires too much suspension of disbelief. The asynchronous and constant use of modern terms of political correctness and unabashed activism (apparently I can't say on whose behalf or the review is declined) is about as subtle as using a cannon to kill a mosquito. There's even a scene about not wanting to make a "message" movie that seems to have lacked any self-awareness. Given the time period of the plot, if a lot of these elements weren't played up to be so unrealistic, this could have been very introspective about past injustices. Sadly, nuance is dead in Hollywood.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Derivative, Bad, Boring

[3/10 · 20 March 2020]

As with this entire "new" trilogy, Rise of Skywalker continued the trend copying the plots of the original, and not at all effectively. This mimicry either elicited laughter (of the unintentional variety) or was just plain boring and predictable. And of course, the "surprise" cameos were anything but as each original character had to randomly show up.

I'm just glad this hot mess is over.

Blindspotting (2018)

Good but misses its own point

[7/10 · 29 November 2019]

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but at the end it appears that the writers missed their own point. Do not the main characters, and others in their communities, have a blind spot in how they view police and their actions, and the actions of those that come into conflict with the police?

Don't Miles and Collin go right on blindspotting one another? Right before Collin's confrontation in the last moving job, he starts to see Miles in light of all his dangerous and out-of-control behavior, and in the final scene he seems to have willfully blinded himself to those facts again. Miles throughout the film seems to blindspot the new, improving Collin, even when he consciously acknowledges it.

Again, maybe some or all of this was intentional but I think it will get washed out by the anti-police narrative.

Tolkien (2019)

A good biopic

[8/10 · 21 August 2019]

I generally find biopics very dull but this one I liked. Unlike other biopics which are not much more than the greatest hits albums of some musician or all the tabloid scandals of some celebrity played out, this film goes out of its way to avoid overtly using Tolkien's works as a crutch to draw in audiences. It instead focuses on the man and his life. Although, I must state that having read Tolkien's books in advance allowed me to understand the film better. It is chock-full of scenes that illustrate the origins for many of his fictional locations, people, and themes. Someone who hasn't read the books before might otherwise wonder why these scenes were filmed.

Donovan Reid (2019)

You'll love the ending!

[1/10 · 11 August 2019]

You'll love the ending...and I mean that quite literally. You will love when this movie finally ends and your misery with it. The overall premise of the film could have been good if executed differently but the acting is absurdly ridiculous and you're expected to believe that the main character never looked in a mirror or had met his close relatives living in the same town. Unless your intent is to laugh at this film, avoid at all costs.

Thoroughbreds (2017)

Yawn

[3/10 · 9 July 2019]

Dull drudgery. As the paper-thin plot oozed along, I found myself wondering why I was bothering to watch. The characters have no depth and I couldn't even tell you their names. This is an overrated film to say the least.

The Wrong Babysitter (2017 TV Movie)

What did I just watch?

[2/10 · 4 July 2019]

This was one of the most confusing and dull movies I have ever watched. Twenty minutes in, I still had no idea who the characters were or what connection any of them had to one another and afterwards I still didn't care. The acting is on par with that of any ABC Family or Lifetime movie but somehow worse.

The Twilight Zone: Point of Origin (2019) Season 1, Episode 8

More SJW nonsense

[3/10 · 16 June 2019]

The premise of this episode was good, even if well-played out before. The underlying mystery of the protagonist could have been something quite interesting if it were fleshed out more. However, being ardent SJW's, Peele and company can't help but ruin it by the complete avoidance of character-driven narratives and instead bludgeoning the audience with the injection of their politics.

The Twilight Zone: The Blue Scorpion (2019) Season 1, Episode 9

The best in a sad series

[8/10 · 16 June 2019]

I've rightfully panned every other episode of this series but this one actually told an interesting story and (almost) didn't try to inject politics. The outro tries to conclude with a moral statement that has a whiff of politics to it, but since it is completely vague and unrelated to the episode, it's not worth any attention. As usual, though, this would have been phenomenally better as a half-hour show instead.

The Twilight Zone: Blurryman (2019) Season 1, Episode 10

Better by comparison

[5/10 · 16 June 2019]

By comparison to the rest of the garbage heap that is this series, this was a decent episode. However, the mystery of the Blurryman is instantly obvious and it played out more like a horror film than a Twilight Zone episode. Considering what preceded this episode in this series, the writers seem to have completely missed the point of their own conclusion.

Roman Empire (2016–2019)

Utter trash

[3/10 · 26 May 2019]

As a trained Classicist and teacher in the field, all I can say is avoid this series if attaining accurate information is your goal. It seems as if the producers were more interested in creating the sort of entertainment one can find in late-night Cinemax movies rather than reporting anything factual.

The Twilight Zone: Not All Men (2019) Season 1, Episode 7

Another demented SJW tale

[1/10 · 12 May 2019]

This entire series is just fantasy wish-fulfillment of SJWs. Since the world they want to believe in doesn't exist, they propagate it in media. The writers really should try living in the real world.

The Twilight Zone: The Wunderkind (2019) Season 1, Episode 5

Ugh, again

[1/10 · 12 May 2019]

One has to wonder just how large the medical bills are for the writers, who invariably must need constant rehab from patting themselves on the back so often and hard. Nobody else in their right mind would praise these hacks for complete lack of nuance. This reboot is the Twilight Zone of the Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone: Replay (2019) Season 1, Episode 3

Utter Schlock

[1/10 · 20 April 2019]

This whole series has been a pale imitation of the original. Peele, as narrator, is monotone and meek; he fails to convey the gravitas that Serling's voice did and anxiously intrigue the audience. The introduction feels like a rushed and pathetic mimicry of those from the original Twilight Zone that enraptured me as a child.

This episode, however, truly is the nadir (so far). Peele, as a director and writer, has become addicted to the lazy tropes of one-dimensional characters based on race: white people and police (which are the same in Peele's worldview) are insidiously evil and always seeking to harm innocent black victims. White people will constantly seek black people out wherever, whenever to harass and physically threaten them. Heck, black people can't even get into college without the aid of a literal Underground Railroad. In case the point was too muted, there's that Black Lives Matter poster that prominently made it into three shots. Peele lacks anything masterful or clever in his storytelling which possesses all the subtlety of a sledgehammer over the head. It's a wonder anyone praises this man as an actor, director, or writer.