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Reviews
Homestead (2023)
WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?
I was expecting a decent western flick. The story had promise but there was so much missing. The acting was decent and some of the dialog was well written. What ruined it was all the missing ingredients for a decent western. Using a brass frames pietta 1958 Remington black powder pistol was a big sin. Remington never made brass framed pistols, Those are cheap replicas made today. Pa stated he had a heifer and was waiting for a bull to start breeding. Where did the heifer stay? All they had was a one room shack with a good electrical service as the lighting was poor and too bright. No corral, barn, of any kind for animals, Not even a single horse in the whole movie. There was too much un-needed conversations that drug on forever.
Joe Pickett: A Monster at the Gate (2021)
Disgusting Adaptation
Both my wife and myself are huge fans of the Joe Pickett books and are currently reading his new one, "Storm Watch". After watching an interview of C. J. Box on his new book, he did talk about the Joe Pickett series and that season 2 was in the can. Last night we decided to watch Season 1. We only got through 1 and a half episodes. One of the worst WOK adaptations we have ever seen. First thing my wife said was, the actor playing Pickett had no resemblance to the character. Second, Marybeth gets a call regarding a blood test, yeah blood test, saying she is pregnant. The nest day she suddenly appears to be at least 6 months along. So it takes a blood test to let these numbskull characters know that she is 6 months pregnant? We also learned that Wyoming fish and game wardens turn black after retiring. Don't let me get started on Nates transformation.
Ape vs. Monster (2021)
HILLARIOUS!!!
A much better title would be "Monkey VS Monster". They have a chimp turn into what looks like a big stuffed toy monkey and a Gila monster that turns into some sort of large lizard. Terrible dialog, bad acting, bad CGI makes for a very funny film. Lots of "WTF's which will keep you scratching your head. Gave it a 2 instead of a 1 due to the somewhat entertainment we got out of this.
Woman in the Woods (2020)
It Could Have Been Much Better
I watched this with my wife who is from the Philippines, and yes she is beautiful. We both really wanted to like this film.
I felt the production quality was actually pretty good, the cinematography, the costumes, lighting, and even some of the special effects.
I could not honestly give it anymore then a 3 rating, due to the confusing story and being slow at times. One of the biggest problems what just trying to understand exactly what was going on. My wife understood many of the myths and legends they were referring to, but it would have helped to have some subtitles. Even though she speaks Tagalog, some of the dialects were hard for her to understand. I kept asking my wife, "what is she saying", and she would respond, I have no idea.
Apparently you have Jason, a Canadian Filipino who travels back to the Philippines in search of some of the myths and legends. We were expecting to see a Gorilla, and a sexy girl, from the poster, but instead a total different story. Jason meets this woman and follows her around like a lost puppy, trying to help her find this volcano. He does nothing but slow her down, why is she even allowing him to tag along? Enough about the storyline...its just too confusing.
Better writing, faster pace and subtitles would have greatly improved this film.
Battlefield 2025 (2020)
No Excuse For Laziness.
I sometimes look forward in watching low budget films. Just because a filmmaker had little or no funds many can actually create something that is worth watching. This is not the case. I could not get through the second scene. The first scene opens up in a bar. The acting was pretty poor, but what really made it bad was the lighting. Apparently shot during the day, but with tungsten lighting above the bar. Blue scenes showing through the large window from behind and orange actors. Anyone knowing what they were doing would not have that happen. That's lazy. Second scene was in a car, at night. Really bad lighting for a car scene. Only light was this strong light coming from the left side of the vehicle. No fill, no moving lights indicating the car was in motion. There are several tricks that can be done to light a car properly to make it seem it's actually moving and see the actors. This was a stationery car with a big light shining in the left windows. Could not finish watching the scene. Have no idea what was going on as the lighting was so bad. Knew immediately that this was not worth wasting my time. No money, at least take the time to light your scenes properly. Just plain lazy.
The Insurrection (2020)
If You Are a Student Filmmaker, This is a Must See.
If you want to learn how NOT to make a film, you need to watch this.
I normally don't write that many reviews. This had so many potentials, but was ruined by bad directing, poor lighting, and playground action scenes. With all the experience that Michael Pare' has, you would think he would have said something about how this film was shot. Maybe something like, "Why in the hell would I stand out in the open for a half hour and let these idiot mercenaries empty their clips on me"? Sadly, many will give this a poor rating due to its political nature, instead of the technical issues that it suffers from. I do hope the writer, director, and editor watches his own film and learns from his mistakes. He had a decent story, some good actors and money to burn. What a waste.