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mrajithfernando
Reviews
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Straightforward, Straightlaced & Straight-fire!
What you expect from an action thriller, you get it, from start to finish. There are no cheeky plot twists. There's no main character with "plot armor" who refuses to die. People die, people get injured, people kill people. You expect ridiculous speeches where the villain gives away himself, here he kills. Accidents happen which leads to pure luck and chance, not like a blonde girl tripping and falling in a horror movie, but like someone seeing you communicate with the others even when done stealthily.
Yes there were exaggerations, but pardon my language, those were not Fast & Furious exaggerations. Fire and explosion VFX were sometimes slightly off, emphasis on "slightly". Legit survival tactics were used. Some felt off, but I guess research was done.
And most importantly, while Angelina had an arc, the spotlight was equally on Finn Little. And that kid slayed! Great childhood acting talent. Gotta give it to that kid.
The ending sequence was mostly believable and I didn't have many issues with that. Straightforward stuff. Plot was simple. Nothing fancy. And it was a thriller. And it had enough action for that setting. No car chases. No hand to hand combat. Just some bad people with guns and FIRE! You get FIRE as a main antagonist here, which has the emotional challenge arc with Angelina, that she has to overcome. Simple. Nothing to bash around.
It was good entertainment. Angelina is a tomboy who has PTSD and spends her entire life with a group of rugged men and that explains her character. I'm sorry if people wanted plot twists and action sequences. Well there's a pregnant lady kicking some ass and that was definitely fresh. FIRE! That was fresh. Something different. So yeah, solid stuff. Nothing phenomenal. 7.5/10.
Stillwater (2020)
It's so precious <3 Protect this at all costs!
This is all those Aesop's Fables, folk stories, tales that your parents may have told you when they were trying to teach you a lesson. Nowadays while those traditions and values keep going downhill, STILLWATER has found a way to effectively teach a valuable lesson while sharing the beautiful animation in the calm setting. Music choice also compliments. It's like watching a meditation session at some points. This is everything. Keep this series alive.
The Vast of Night (2019)
If not for the third act...
That was beautiful sci-fi. The whole vibe was 1950s and THE TWILIGHT ZONE intro followed by the scene transitions was brilliant. And the dialogues. I instantly fell in love with the flow of the movie, it was like listening to a podcast in a cold sunday evening while sipping on hot coco. The introduction to the two main characters and their background was done nicely and it was all solid.
The second act was bonkers! The telephone call and upto the lad's reveal was fast paced. It was just calls but it felt like a well put action sequence. The man revealing information slowly was nail biting and it makes the audience invested in it. And it made the viewer excited for the 3rd act but oh my...
I personally felt that the third act didn't deliver. From the old lady's reveal upto that final point it was just "okay" for me. Everything up to that point was brilliant but that spark sort of went away. Probably had to do with that word muttering and the 'inside the car' scene and there was too much running around until that long shot on the final reveal...it didn't go that well for me.
It was special. I loved the first 2/3rd of the movie so much that I thought it really nailed the sci-fi movie of the year (maybe it still did) . I wanted to give more stars but that's it. 7.5/10. Do give it a shot. Maybe you'll love that ending who knows!
The Boys: What I Know (2020)
FOOKIN DIABOLICAL IT WAS!
No spoilers. But last episode blew heads and this one blows minds with the twists and turns that nobody saw coming, atleast one might surprise you.
I give this 9 for some choices of dialogue, Becca's acting (some scenes) and of course, zero injury from car flips. The twists were amazing, Homelander has been pushed to a corner where he has to make calculated choices in order to be the beloved hero. Kimiko and Frenchie are getting along. And Hughie is getting himself some direction (which seems like is for the worst)...and no idea what happens next for most of them, especially Butcher.
Having read the comics, and not knowing where this is headed is an amazing feeling! The writers know what the are doing, the handle the source material, change it in wonderful was that everyone else should take as an example on how to do that without destroying the source. The fan service is great. This makes me really happy.
THAT'S HOW A FINALE SHOULD BE DONE!
Mulan (2020)
Nostalgia Cash Grab 101
How not to review is giving it a 10/10 and just asking the people to "watch and enjoy".
They used the name Mulan to remind us what this movie is supposed to be, but it never is. It has all the classic elements of martial art movies like Crouching tiger hidden dragon, house of flying daggers, hero... Minus the effort put into the plot. Okay, this is supposed to be a "live action remake" of a classic.
They couldn't put a dragon but they include a witch who shape shifts. But that's not even the problem.
If this was an average action adventure movie with top asian stars and martial arts, it's an okay movie. But this is called Mulan. And there is no respect shown towards the legend of the warrior Mulan and the original animated movie which will be the reason that someone is spending money to watch this on tv.
There's zero character development for most characters, even the warrior who grows through hardship into the final form is not shown, it's just using the chi which was always there since her childhood. The witch basically has no critical application towards the turning point.
This isn't a bad movie. It's enjoyable. But it's not Mulan. I'm not even comparing the two otherwise this would get something like 4/10...this is a basic action adventure movie with names like Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Crystal Liu and a basic plot, scenes which are added for visual treats and the warrior lady saves the day (which they did a decent ending and she did it humbly without uttering any cringy lines. But unfortunately, not empowering as the original but better than Captain Marvel of course!)... Grab some popcorn. Okay movie. Not worth the price though.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Don't miss this!
First of all for those who rated this any lover than a 7/10,saying that this is not the best horror show, name one :)
Cinematography, lightning and visuals, sound editing, the balance between the creepiness and the well justified jump scares (I'm not a fan of jump scares but most of them were unpredictable and well suited. They used those scares to an advantage). The child actors. All were beyond great. The way they tell the story, how things unravel, how things connect towards the end from episode 5 onwards. Focusing on one character at a time and how they contribute to the story. It was all great.
This show is incredible. I too agree about the long monologues. But that doesn't harm. It's part of the narrative. Also the ending, it was a satisfying end. I thought they did it well and made a clear finish without cliffhangers whatsoever. The finish and the storytelling, the message was clearly conveyed. No complaints whatsoever. It's a near perfect show and imo the best horror series I've ever seen. It's so good that I paused at some points and whispered to myself "how come this is so good?!"
I'm giving this a 9/10. Solid horror/drama. Can binge. Super creepy aftereffects. Don't miss this!
Stargirl (2020)
A Teenage Superhero Show Which Doesn't Hold Back!
It's not a surprise to see some reviews are just full of nonsensical hate! Also, of course there would be 10/10 reviews and 3/10 reviews but honestly this is a solid 8. Here's why.
This is a TEENAGE superhero series, bare that in mind. This is not blood and guts like Marvel's Daredevil, but this isn't the traditional "superhero soap opera" that CW usually offers either. This is how an origin story of a teenage superhero who is high on hormones and going through a transitional phase would be! She didn't go out like Spiderman who went on full acrobatics when a spider bit him. She has a gymnastics background and that's what she does! Gymnastics! The staff does the fighting cuz it's sentient of it's own.
This has it's own drama of a teenage girl going through her own issues in a new town, new school, new family, new identity, and new threats. The dynamic between the family members and the villain personas in interesting and believable. The show also doesn't hold back in exploring failures as well which isn't something we get to see often.
It's also interesting as the heroes build up we also see a majority of time devoted to the villains and how they move around and their motives which is interesting. Icicle specifically is highly intimidating.
Everything seems to be so balanced and imo this show is mostly targeted towards a teenage audience but it's highly enjoyable. The CGI is well done. I don't see plot holes as some people have claimed just seeing two episodes. Give it a go. So far, Stargirl is doing a pretty good job and I'm loving it. This show deserves and audience and some serious love.