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The Fabelmans (2022)
Quite interesting but comes across as self-serving at times..
Knowing that it was a movie that was semi-autobiographical about Spielberg's own coming of age, it was quite interesting at first. Then it starts drifting into those 'rose-colored' memories of everyone's childhood where things are always black and white. Too cute at times, too self-pitying at times, too dramatic at times...
By all counts he had a very comfortable and indulgent childhood with access to many 'comforts' that regular children of that era probably never had. It's all good about how the kid grew to love movie making. But then a lot of drama about infidelity, discrimination, etc. Etc. That just seemed tossed in there to gain sympathy but does not quite succeed. Most people probably had a much tougher childhood than young Fableman. But from a story development and production, it was very well done.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Starts very well but its downhill ....
The movie has a very ominous and suspenseful beginning. Keeps you on the edge in anticipation of what might happen. But the story is absolutely ridiculous with extreme unnecessary violence and that too committed in front of a minor (although fortunately there is very little gore). A total waste of time, and leaves with a bad taste. Not sure what the message is supposed to be but in my opinion a movie has to be a complete fantasy that the audience knows is a fantasy and enjoys it for that, or be a real story with real explanations even if they happen in someone's mind. Mixing fantasy and real harsh events without any particular reason or effect is not my cup of tea...
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch (2020)
Nothing happens!
Eight episodes of supposedly 'scientists' carrying out experiments as clumsily and ineffectively as high schoolers. All they keep saying is 'there's got to be something there' but never find out anything. Total waste of time watching this!
Taken In (2020)
A wonderful short movie
A wonderful well-acted short film, only 15 minutes long. It starts with a guy alone in his apartment trying to make a nice gourmet dinner. There is a knock on the door and a young female police officer comes to investigate a disturbance from his place. The movie paces slowly like a mystery play, and the dialog initially seems a bit trivial. But the ending is a bitter/sweet surprise even if we sort of know where it is going. Recommend it for quick watch!
Better Call Saul (2015)
Only now picking up
Too slow and meandering. Jimmy's brother Chuck was a drag and totally unnecessary to the story line. Almost no chemistry between the leads Jimmy and Kim. Lots and lots of boring and unnecessary side plots about the law firm HHM. The only time it perks up are in the segments where Mike is in. Seasons 5 and 6 are finally getting interesting, but the evolution of Jimmy to the Saul we saw in BB is still not there, and at this point hard to see if it will ever happen convincingly.
China Moon (1994)
A hurried poorer knock-off of Body Heat!
These two movies are so similar that I am surprised any producer agreed to make this movie after the success of Body Heat, that was released about ten years before this one! Both are set in Florida. Ed Harris plays William Hurt's gullible law officer role, Madeleine Stowe plays Kathleen Turners femme fatale role, Charles Dance plays Richard Krenna's bad rich husband role, Benicio Del Toro sort of plays Ted Danson's side kick role, etc. Etc. The plots, settings, and even parts of the dialogue are very similar. Except the final scene which was so amazingly surprising in Body Heat, but quite ludicrous in this one. The actors all do a decent job. Ed Harris is always so good and believable. Madeleine Stowe is pretty but did not however have Kathleen Turner's seductive allure, so essential for the plot. If anyone has seen Body Heat, avoid watching this one. Otherwise, it could be worth watching if there is nothing else to watch!
The Dropout (2022)
Quite interesting in spite of a few problems...
Watch all three episodes so far. It was both good and bad. The good part is they try to show a timeline of all the events and experiences that Elizabeth Holmes went through starting as a little girl and what had inspired her, to how she ended up meeting all those people in her life, coming up with her idea of a revolutionary product, raising all that money and becoming the CEO of Theranos. For someone who has been following this story, there are many bits and pieces we knew, but this seemed to pull it all together well. I liked that aspect of it, as very few other shows on this topic have captured that. The bad part is that the lead Amanda Seyfried does not come across as Elizabeth Holmes well. She seems very emotional and flaky, unlike the real Elizabeth Holmes, and it's hard to imagine how she convinced so many very sophisticated people to finance and back her. And also, some of the events and timelines may have been exaggerated and mixed up to make her a sympathetic character. Specially how her 'mean old boy friend' was dominating and controlling her when nearly all accounts show that he was quite infatuated with her, and was putting up his own money in trying to help her with her problems. If anything, it was she who used him. Nonetheless it is enjoyable and the fact that all this is based on a true story makes it quite interesting to watch.
The Weekend Away (2022)
A ridiculous attempt at a PC thriller!
Another silly PC movie from Netflix trying to incorporate their idea of female empowerment. Which apparently includes women getting wild and drunk, hooking up with male prostitutes, leaving their babies behind at home to be taken care of by their husbands, and being completely irresponsible. Supposedly their idea of what all men have been doing for so long. This could have been tolerated if the movie itself made any sense. But everything including the plot and the acting was beyond ridiculous. Except for the beautiful sceneries of Croatia. I have been on vacation there, and it is indeed that beautiful!
The Power of the Dog (2021)
A slow burn but quite an interesting plot development!
It took a little reflection, but my take on it: Benedict Cumberbatch's character Phil is really a good guy inside but a tortured soul who did not know how to deal with his sexuality in those days (1920's). His only mentor in his teenage years was a guy named Bronco Henry who taught him how to ride and rope, and also knew about his feelings. Phil idolized Bronco Henry, but this guy dies and leaves Phil struggling to find himself. He essentially overcompensates by becoming this macho crude cowboy. And then there is the teenager Peter, very effeminate and gentle outside, but inside he knew exactly who he was, quite determined and ruthless.
Phil initially mocks Peter and torments him and his mother Rose (played by Kristin Dunst). Peter loves his mother a lot and will do anything to protect her (maybe a bit of an Oedipus complex there). Meanwhile Phil starts to see Peter as himself when he was a teenager, and begins to change and wants to take on the role of Bronco Henry, to mentor and teach Peter about riding, roping, etc. Peter quickly senses this weakness and figures out a way to kill him, which he eventually does. The last scene is very telling - Peter looks out of the window to see his mother Rose with her husband, the younger brother George. She seems happy. Peter is happy to see his mother happy. He takes another glance at them and puts away that poisoned rope under his bed. As if to tell George, you better be good to my mother, otherwise you are going to be next! 😊
Catching Killers (2021)
A little too much of a self absorbed narration
I watched the Missing Men episode. It was actually in two episodes. The first episode was absolutely gripping and horrifying in its introduction and its progression. As they were investigating the lead detective kept on constantly describing how much it affected her and her family life. Not sure I wanted to keep hearing that. The details of the case kept getting more and more morbid. But that episode ends with revelation that it was all a hoax, and the prime suspect they were after was just making up things, with real killer still at large. Wtf?
The second part was much better with some good detective work that nabbed the real killer. I am giving it 6 stars just for that. Not sure why they had the first episode at all except to fill time...
Inventing Anna (2022)
Very disappointing indeed!
I love Julia Garner in Ozark and I had seen her on Jimmy Fallon promoting this show, and was so looking forward to watching it. But after watching just two episodes I gave up and came to read the reviews to see if I should resume watching. Looks like it definitely is not worth it. Anna Chlumsky who plays the reporter overacts and seems to ham it up constantly, but I could tolerate it if the real 'Anna' as played Julia Garner was even the least bit interesting. Her accent, appearance, demeanor was so plain and uninteresting, and the pacing and story development so boring, that this series is essentially unwatchable. Too bad, because I really wanted to like it....
Clickbait (2021)
Utter nonsense!
A very 'politically correct' movie with all the necessary inclusions to make it that way, which starts very promising indeed. There definitely is a suspense and mystery level initially that is quite intriguing. Then a lot of the time is gone into showing the daily personal lives of the central characters that are totally irrelevant and do not advance the story at all. Ultimately the ending is beyond stupid and so totally nonsensical that one has to wonder how on earth anyone in this production team thought that it made a even a remote sense at all! Complete waste of time.
Ozark (2017)
Entertaining, but quite ridiculous!
It starts out very intriguing, about a well-to-do family of four having to move to the Ozarks and forced to launder money for the drug lords, because of a mess the dad got into earlier. But after that the series turns into a parody of Breaking Bad (with shades of House of Cards), with just so many over-the-top and absolutely ridiculous plot directions that totally stretches the imagination. The characters have been turned into stereotypical caricatures, and any sense of logic takes a complete backseat. But keeping that in mind, it's quite entertaining and keeps you hooked to wanting to watch the next episode! Just a mild warning, there is quite a bit of random violence, and the f-word is indiscriminately thrown into almost every sentence everyone speaks...
The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022)
Hard to believe people are still so gullible!
The show is a testament on how many insecure people, especially women in this case, can be taken advantage and misled to the point where they seem to lose their basic thinking powers. The show starts out with a male student at an agricultural university being conned by a man posing as an MI5 agent into thinking he is helping the British government fight the IRA! After that it's a series of women who also fall for this hoax and travel with this man around UK and Europe for years, all the while draining their personal savings in supporting this fellow. The guy apparently is attractive and persuasive but whole thing seems so incredulous specially in this day and age when information can so easily be accessed from multiple sources. It just seems almost certain many things, especially many personal details are not being fully revealed by the victims and the show producers. But it is an interesting watch ...
Stay Close (2021)
Another almost identical 'Harlan Coben story' production from Netflix.
Very similar in structure, production, locale, pacing, and generally implausible situations, plot twists and plot holes to 'The Stranger' also on Netflix. So, if you enjoyed 'The Stranger', you will like this one too. Otherwise do not waste your time on this trite formula production!
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)
Too much focus on the wrong people!
The subject matter is absolutely shocking and horrifying. The documentary did a good job capturing that dread feeling of those killings in L. A. throughout. But way too much time was spent on the 'lead' detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno, their back stories, how supposedly hard they worked, etc. All completely irrelevant to the show, and quite ironic since they had almost nothing to do with the capture of this monster Richard Ramirez. If this guy had not gone to San Francisco to continue his murderous spree, it's doubtful if those inept police in L. A. would ever have caught him, and he would have continued his murderous spree at will. Would have like to have known a bit more of the back story of this monster that was only shown in passing.
Wintergast (2015)
Monotonous
The main character and his 'woes' are not in the least bit interesting. There is no payoff at all from watching this drab and dull movie. ...............................................................
The Stranger (2020)
Very disappointing conclusions
The show sucks you into keep watching it like a soap opera with many subplots that all start out quite intriguing. But in the end, many of these subplots are either dropped completely, or are connected in a very amateurish non-believable way. Leaves the viewer feeling quite dissatisfied and a bit cheated for having invested so much time in wanting to know what had happened.
14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
Amazing accomplishment that needed to be told better
Climbing 14 of the highest mountain peaks in the world is just incredible. The visuals of these majestic mountains were fantastic. Unfortunately, not enough time was spent in actually showing how this feat was accomplished. Much of the footage of him with his mother, touching as it is, could have been replaced with more footage of the actual challenges of the climbs. That would have made this documentary far more compelling!
Making a Murderer (2015)
Not the whole story
Very gripping and interesting to watch. You feel very sorry for accused Steven Avery and specially his 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey. It's criminal how the police and even his public defender took advantage of the slow-witted kid and fed him things to confess to. Felt very angry watching that. But after binge watching for several hours, I decided to just read on the web as to what really happened. While this documentary is very sympathetic to those two accused, it turns out there is the other side of the story that is equally compelling which is not fully disclosed in this documentary. So, before you invest too much sympathy and cry injustice for Steven Avery, be warned. Otherwise, you may get a sense of being betrayed...