pastorfbt Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

What utter freaking nonsense

[3/10 · 19 April 2024]

What DERIVATIVE nonsense, even. I can't begin to list the bits from other sci-fi movies/ series both good and bad which are simply lifted verbatim and then patched together willy-nilly in no discernable pattern. Lots of special effects - not so special, really - and lots of extras meeting the fate of the incompetent storm troopers in the Star wars movies. I guess I'm supposed to care about the cast of good guys with the random backstories but...meh. And what's with the mysteriously independent robot? And does Anthony Hopkins really need the work so badly as to sign on for the robot's voice and the narration?

Sheesh. I feel dumber already.

The Gentlemen (2024)

What's not to like

[10/10 · 8 March 2024]

Adjust your expectations people! Many of the reviews here and elsewhere bemoan a lack of consistent pace, or uneven character development and presence, or dead ends... just sit back and enjoy. There's enough connection to the concept from the original (and excellent) movie, along with specific shout-outs to specific characters and scenes, to satisfy the cinema nerds.

I'm just a sucker for any sort of British accent, from posh to unintelligible East London cockney. Add in some truly beautiful settings and a - shall we say - varied cast (knowns and lesser knowns), snd you've got a winner. Enjoy!

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

You have GOT to be joking

[3/10 · 23 December 2023]

What an astounding waste of time, efforts, CGI, otherwise good actors... well, you get the idea. It's derivative of Star Wars in every unfortunate way. And honestly the plot is so overstuffed with barely explained backstory that it would be hard to follow even were one favorably inclined.

I was hoping Charlie Hunam would turn out to be a good guy, given his accent and demeanor - you know, The Gentlemen character in outer space. No such luck. The proto-goth rebels make no sense, being as there's no backstory. And is Sir Anthony Hopkins really this hard up for work?

Save your time and rewatch the first four episodes of Reacher instead.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Thoroughly enjoyable hooey

[8/10 · 7 November 2023]

Given all the flamboyant drama and stunt work in all the previous episodes, it must have been a challenge to take it up another notch. And how do they top all this for Part Two? That's what will bring us back in a year I guess.

I've lost track of who's betraying who, who's the good guy and who the bad guy, but the set pieces and worldwide locations make it sort of irrelevant.

Having Steve Rogers' best girl as the new female lead is acceptable but...BIG but... killing off Ilsa to do that is so not cool. Of course in this parallel universe they may find a way to bring her back.

I'm old enough to remember the original TV Mission Impossible. How far we've come!

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Worth the Covid wait

[10/10 · 23 August 2022]

Nutpick all you want. From the classic theme song in the opening shots aboard the carrier Lincoln to the callbacks at every turn, this is a Hollywood movie. And sometimes that's a good thing.

City on a Hill (2019–2022)

Hopeful but dubious

[6/10 · 1 August 2022]

The first season was great (even if a lot of it was filmed in New York!) but #2 and the first of #3 became increasingly formulaic. I'll keep watching but... Good to see Corbin Berenson all these years after LA Law.

The Gray Man (2022)

Adjust your expectations

[6/10 · 23 July 2022]

For what it is - a comic book movie - it's perfectly acceptable. Any pretense to more would be a mistake.

A line from Captain America Civil War comes to mind - "I don't know how many fights you've been in, kid, but there's usually not this much talking"

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Ok I'm a philistine

[3/10 · 6 July 2022]

I didn't finish this. I don't understand all the adulation. What a mess. I'll grant that sticking with it might have changed my mind but the odds were small.

The Contractor (2022)

Good enough

[6/10 · 4 July 2022]

I don't understand the scorn in a lot of these reviews. It's a lot better than a great deal of the filler content on the various streaming platforms. Certainly a formulaic story line with real continuity/credibility issues in places (just how is his knee alternately serviceable and crippling?) - but as if Bourne wasn't more so in every iteration.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Meh.

[2/10 · 23 June 2022]

Honestly I already believe that you can do great things with CGI. And I do appreciate Benedict C - elsewhere! A huge waste of time imho. Maybe I need to read more comics again for all the twists and turns to make sense.

The Old Man (2022– )

Wonderful

[10/10 · 18 June 2022]

What's not to like: two great leads, solid supporting cast. Forget the quibbles over pacing, plot holes, lighting, and listen to two pros at work.

And the rotties! Icing on the cake (even get the commands correct: "aus" (off/out) for release, etc.

Dark Winds (2022– )

Really good start

[8/10 · 14 June 2022]

Loving it already after one episode. No familiarity with the book(s) so nothing is "spoiled" for me. I thought Zahn was a standout in Longmire and I'm glad to see a reprise of sorts here.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2022– )

Good enough

[8/10 · 16 May 2022]

Haven't read the books so it was a tad difficult to follow. Lacks the panache of the MMcC movie version but still serviceable. I also wonder if his house is the famous Bosch cliffside structure?

Bosch: Legacy (2022– )

Works for me

[9/10 · 9 May 2022]

I'm delighted to have more Bosch to watch. Starting out this new season I realized I had somehow missed the last season in 2021, so I had to go back and binge through that for everything to make sense. Can't say I understand all the carping in the reviews but these days everyone's a critic.

Tokyo Vice (2022– )

Wanted to like it more

[7/10 · 28 April 2022]

I don't know what I expected but I was left feeling, "finish the story/stories". An awful lot of soap opera filler, and following everything in subtitles is distracting.

Incidentally how does anyone there live to old age with that much smoking?!

Greyhound (2020)

Grim and focused

[8/10 · 16 March 2022]

I wasn't going to subscribe to Apple TV for this one movie but a free trial period came along. In the interim I reread The Good Shepherd. The movie condenses the deadly dance with the U-boats, which as narrated in the book is confusing in its exquisite detail. On the other hand the book better established the backstory, i.e. The Captain's romantic loss, his inexperience, his faith. And of course the necessary extensive use of CGI detracts if you let it.

The Adam Project (2022)

Wonderful

[9/10 · 12 March 2022]

Normally I find a little Ryan Reynolds goes a long way and I'm not a fan of precocious child characters, but here I'll make an exception. This is just delightful.

Reacher (2022– )

Not bad at all

[8/10 · 4 February 2022]

I've only made it to episode 4 - and have never read the books - but so far this an entirely acceptable pass time.

Bruce McGill - he's been in so much but he sticks in my head from the Miami Vice episode "Where the buses don't run"

The Tender Bar (2021)

Enjoyable enough

[7/10 · 8 January 2022]

So essentially this is a vehicle for Ben Affleck: same character as in The Town but without the *sshole edge. Though a side shout-out to Christopher Lloyd. Also loved the period cars and the Boston locations standing in for NY.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Really?

[4/10 · 25 December 2021]

At first it plays half seriously, half "Mars Attacks". Never does settle on a tone. Then I read breathless reviews about how it's such a timely treatment of the "climate crisis" and... I'm out.

Kudos for not mocking Yule's praying, though.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Fun!

[9/10 · 13 November 2021]

Spoiler alert: Jeff Gordon does not have the most NASCAR wins, that's Richard Petty.

Anyway...cut through all the mumbojumbo and this is pretty enjoyable, with just enough tie-in to the MCU at the end.

No Time to Die (2021)

Finally

[9/10 · 10 November 2021]

Maybe a bit long - some of the sequences would have worked just as well if shorter - but good to finally see it when released for streaming. Villain and evil plot made no sense but when does it ever. Casino Royale and Skyfall still Craig's best though.

Reminiscence (2021)

Meh

[6/10 · 21 August 2021]

Don't get me wrong, Rebecca Ferguson is worth the watch, but she's seriously miscast here. The film can't decide if it's a romance, a crime caper, a dystopian scifi... As a result none of the possibilities is fully developed. It either needed more exposition along any of these themes, or just leave it out. What war? What climate disaster? What crimes of the evil rich landlord? Who is this girlfriend of the evil rich landlord, about whom we know nothing? Disappointed.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

I want my money back

[3/10 · 5 August 2021]

Thought I'd enjoy it, but I made it about halfway through before quitting and deleting the download. Maybe the Mouse can give my money to ScarJo.

F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

What did you expect?

[4/10 · 30 July 2021]

All those 1's and 2's must be disappointment from unreasonable high expectations. We all know what this series is by now. The high point was #5. Since then it's video game territory.