Change Your Image
machi712-835-648661
Reviews
The Creator (2023)
I hate this movie
This movie looks amazing. The visuals are stunning. The acting is good, with a great performance by Madeleine Yuna Voyles. And sci-fi is my favorite genre. Yet I hate this movie.
First, there is no "science" in this science fiction. I don't understand why zero effort was put into making any of the technology make sense, when so much effort was put into making it look good. I won't make a list because it would take me hours, but the most annoying thing was the space station supposedly in near Earth orbit. Yet whenever it was shown it was just floating a few thousand feet off the ground.
This movie has no idea what tone to take. It seemed from the trailer that it really wanted to be taken seriously, but it sometimes thinks it wants to be a comedy.
The clear bias and political agenda by the writers also detracts from the storytelling and the world building. I understand that America has done messed up things abroad, but this movie makes the military into mustache-twirling villains. I can't take any of these characters seriously.
Low Life (2022)
Intense!
I wasn't expecting much from the IMDB rating of Low Life, but this was quite a riveting film! As cliche as it sounds, it really is a nonstop thrill ride with a great premise and many unexpected twists and turns.
Wes Dunlap is impossible to take your eyes of off. He plays the damaged, narcissistic, charismatic, virtue-signalling YouTuber to perfection. He reminded me a lot of Robert Pattinson's Connie Nikas in Good Time. Someone who's good at thinking on his feet and getting others to go along with what he needs.
Lucy Urbano was also a standout, but all the actors had really amazing performances, helped a lot by a script that made the characters feel like real people in real (terrible) situations.
If you want something unexpected and don't mind the dark and twisted, this is definitely for you.
Banshee (2013)
Grounded, realistic crime drama...
NOT!
Welcome to Banshee, PA, where gangs of vicious criminals roam the streets, violence is always the first resort, and there are no hot ladies available because they are ****ing the fake sheriff.
If you plan to move to Banshee, then I hope you enjoy the feeling of explosive shock waves rocking their way through your body. You'll also develop an appreciation for the musical sounds of automatic weapons fire. There's plenty of prime rib too, freshly supplied by the shunned Amish crime lord and slaughterhouse owner.
There may or may not be something in the water that kills the part of your brain associated with emotional regulation and rational conflict resolution, because even the slightest insult will result in someone getting slammed against a wall and gut punched.
But not to worry, there's a new sheriff in town who's here to embody a macho male power and revenge fantasy, beating and murdering the menagerie of criminals who wander through town. He also must have the same mutant gene as the Wolverine, since he recovers quite quickly from his savage injuries he receives nearly every episode. As for his emotional wounds from all the traumatic violence, he finds plenty of comfort between the legs of the town's supermodels who cannot resist a rugged anti-hero.
So, all that to say it's some rock-solid entertainment for action junkies skilled at suspending their disbelief. I'm midway through the second season now, which isn't as good. It's starting to fall prey to the common downfalls of many shows like this:
-Losing focus and meandering
-Too many flashbacks, dream sequences, and fantasy sequences
-Storylines that don't know when to end
8/10!
Desolate (2018)
Way better than expected
Is it a stellar film? No, but it's way better than I expected. Good acting, good action, interesting enough plot, effectively disturbing at times. Some plot holes but solid indy thriller.
The Dinner (2017)
To be fair, I couldn't finish it...
To be fair to this movie, I couldn't finish it, so while the parts I saw deserve a 3/10, it's possible that the last 40 minutes were really good. But I doubt it.
Highly disjointed mess filled with unlikeable characters and drama you won't care about because the writers seem to be intentionally obtuse, thinking that a confusing movie is inherently a sophisticated one. Main character Paul seems to have a high intellect but with the emotional intelligence of a four year old and is painful to watch. I didn't get far enough to discover if this was because he's on the spectrum, he has a traumatic brain injury.
It gets one point for Richard Gear and one point for decent cinematography, which brings it to a three.
The Bag Man (2014)
Not surprised a lot of people hated it. I love it.
I usually watch movies based on their high IMDb scores, but movies like "The Bag Man" are why I sometimes dip down into the 5's and 6's. At first I was surprised to see so many reviewers call it "boring", "bad" and "nonsensical", but then I realized that this film just isn't for everybody, but for some--like me--it's riveting. Almost the entire movie takes place during one night at a roadside hotel, where our protagonist, a contract killer (Cusack), is meant to go with a package and wait for pickup. Only everything and everyone around him seem to be set against him. The characters he meets and adventures he has there are fascinating, quirky, and surreal. The best way I can describe it is as a mix between "Identity", "Mulholland Dr.", and The Book of Genesis.
I think this movie has gotten so many bad reviews because it doesn't fit the mold. It defies expectations, and some people won't like that. But if you're looking for something different, something that can surprise you, watch "The Bag Man". And try to vanquish your expectations.
Special props to Crispin Glover for portraying the hilariously strange Ned. My favorite character!