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Another Life (2019)
Jersey Shore In Space
I feel guilty using the successful MTV show for the title of my review for this sad Netflix show. Jersey Shore is fun, this dud tries so hard to be pc just for the sake of being pc with the "diverse" characters. I made it to the third episode and it did not get better. Katie and the AI has a better chance of accomplishing their mission if they jettisoned the whiney and incompetent crew to space.
Welcome to L.A. (1976)
Oh Dear
The minute the singer uttered "City of one night stands", I should have stopped watching this but I soldiered on. I was hoping for a storyline with Laurel Canyon scene in it since it was a "musical" of that period and about LA. Nope. Welcome To LA has a great cast that is totally wasted. I'm pretty sure the cast completely trusted Alan Rudolph on this mess and signed their respective contracts and have to suck it up.
Sissy Spacek, Sally Kellerman and Geraldine Chaplin were were good all things considered. Is the whole movie a flashback? I waited and waited for a narrative but the writer hid it with the Easter eggs. Scenes like a minute of Geraldine walking on an alley emoting, then cut to an unrelated scene. Cut and paste is a bad way. Rudolph trying to be a 1970s Alain Resnais, he is not by a long shot.
Being an Angeleno who loves movies about LA, I say avoid this movie at all costs.
Ps I looked up the singer Richard Baskin on Discogs and I am happy to tell everyone that his contribution to the soundtrack was the last of his recording career.
Occupation (2018)
Very Little Redeeming Value
On the get go, I thought this could be the Aussie movie that will out shine its predecessors like Mad Max or Priscilla as far as originality is concerned. Where do I start? The minute that pop music hit the screen, it was game over for me. Add to that scenes where the actors clearly do not know what they are doing. like standing around doing nothing in the background. The two stars are for the decent special efx (despite its budget) and some fair editing. For the people who sat through this mess all the way, you are a sucker for punishment.
Hereditary (2018)
Which one is more frightening, metal illness or the unexplained?
This is the question you will ponder when this film ends. I can talk from experience that loss in the family will tear a family apart. My sister was an infant when she died and I was three. My mother was depressed 24/7 and the feeling of guilt still haunts me to this day. There were parties and family photos looking happy, but underneath that façade, a dark memory lingers. I was never comfortable around my parents. I was always apologetic or trying to please them.
I find the first two acts did what it should. Set the mood right with visual cues that will be useful on the third act. There are some scenes that I find unsettling. The scene with Charlie and her brother driving to the ER for instance, did it happen or was he tripping? Cut to Annie crying hysterically. Masterful editing.
The third act is when events got odd. Was it some mental health they inherited or something more sinister. Surely a psychologist can help this family, but no. Nothing can help them or you because you are trapped with their horrific experience.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2017)
Cut and Paste
There is no doubt Grace Jones is a great subject. For anything, be it her music, her performance or as a muse. She has a lot of history and above anything else, a character.
Who knows the direction of the director is going. I was patient for the first 30 minutes waiting for something to happen. Somewhere along the line, she probably threw her original idea up in the air and just wing it. The result is a bad cut and paste project any high school student aspiring to do a documentary about his high school glee club can surpass this mess by seven fold.
Beyond Skyline (2017)
Skyline
I suppose this movie was trying to do a 10 Cloverfield trick. Totally unrelated 'sequels" and the the only commonality is the alien invasion. Unfortunately it does not work. The first act was OK. The main characters were introduced to us. Not Oscar worthy performances but serviceable. The special efx was OK. Now act two is where it fell apart. Our heroes with an extra baggage explore the innards of the ship and manages to escape after the vessel crashes in the jungle. Then we are introduced to two Asian characters. The movie lost me at this point. The extra baggage was growing at an exponential rate. The only going for this was the martial arts scene. I just gave up after this part.
Split (2016)
It's OK.
I am rooting for M. Night. Really. Unfortunately, his films of late were a let down. Hence, I am keeping an open mind on Split. The first sign of a series of disappointments were on the first 10 minutes of the film. The Marcia character could not act. I just want to slap her or wished she is the first victim so I can enjoy the rest of the film.
John McAvoy to the rescue. This may not his finest but he can make an average script work. The story trudges along slowly. In the meantime we learn that Casey was abused. The flashback scenes were predictable, - camping trip. This could have been shorter. We get it why Casey is an outsider. Five minutes will suffice.
The motivation of the psychiatrist who protects her patients needs more clarity. Does she want a Noble prize for her discovery? Seriously? The case of the blind patient regaining sight and the mention of McAvoy's split personality dilemma (spoiler) are clues served on silver platter. She seemed hopeful this will have a rosy ending.
The third act is already revealed. There are some scary moments but that's about it. I was hoping this new M. Night is a better outing but it's just OK.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Dead on arrival
When I first heard about the new Star Trek Discovery, I said to myself I would keep an open mind. Just like any other spin offs, It may work or not.
The pressure is on with every new Star Trek TV show or movie due to its history. The sfx is good, the Kligngon costume is amazing but the female leads were questionable. Looks like Camille Paglia held a gun on the writer's head to pursue some esoteric feminist agenda. Let's start with the female lead's name - Michael, not some something androgynous like Robin or Sydney. I thought that was her last name. Don't get me wrong I love strong female characters like Ripley of Aliens etc. But Vulcan trained character needs to make her case. The Cowardly Lion makes an appearance here as the emasculated Saru who lacks balls. It all amounts to bad writing and characters that are not memorable. Oh yes, I saw the second episode and it is meh.
Very Star Wars like, none of what Star Trek's original goal - discover new universe.
The Devil's Violinist (2013)
It could be better
The minute Brad Garret turned towards the camera, acting alert went off and it was a giggle moment for me. Should I proceed or pass? I hanged on until Jared Harris shows up as Urbani. For all intents and purposes, Harris hammed it up just right which makes it an interesting watch. The pace of the film is good. Bernard Rose, the director probably knew the shortcomings of the lead actor. The under age love interest, Andrea Deck as Charlotte Watson, does not help either. There is no chemistry between her and Paganini. I'm surprised to see Joely Richardson on this production. On paper, it probably sounds good for these actors. What Brad lacks in performances with dialogue, he made up for the performance scenes. It was electrifying, obviously an homage to Jimi Hendrix.
Over all the production design looks good with the exception for a few SyFy worthy digital effects. But I am willing to ignore it.
Overall it is an OK classical musician's biography best suited for the super hero generation.