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CalliopeAnne
Reviews
Miracle Valley (2021)
Incomprehensible Garbage; AVOID IT
This movie should be subtitled "Sestero's Folly". Where to begin? The script is ridiculous and has enough plot holes to drive a Mack truck through. There is zero character development. It's not scary. There are a few jump scares and some undeserved gore toward the end. Most of the actors are first-timers and boy, does it show. This movie is not "so bad - it's good". It's "so bad - it's awful". And, as a protagonist, Michael Myers in Halloween Kills, has more range and ability to convey emotion than Greg Sestero does. Sestero can seriously be outacted by a block of wood. The direction is competent but boring. I gave it two stars because its Arizona and Fallingwater settings were pretty. Please, Tommy or whoever is financing Sestero's film dreams, please stop!! And, Greg Sestero, just because you can (make a full-length movie), doesn't mean you should.
Best F(r)iends: Volume 1 (2017)
A Middling Attempt at "Neo-Noir"
Sestero gives a nice performance as a homeless drifter - all wounded eyes and thousand-yard stares. He's less convincing as a conniving crook. Tommy is Tommy. If you love him for his eccentricities, there's plenty on display here. Same for the dialogue, which is pretty flat except when Tommy and Greg banter, which shows off their chemistry. The plot has been done a million times - love, betrayal but it does have a modern twist. I think the goal was "neo-noir" but the film doesn't quite get there. Too much style over substance - too many drone shots, unnecessary slo-mo shots, etc. Filming L.A. and Las Vegas at night doesn't automatically equal noir. The director should have concentrated on dialogue and performance more than showy shots. I will say that the climax of the film provided more tension than I ever would have thought possible from a Wiseau/Sestero film. I'm looking forward to Part 2, in spite of myself.
Scrooge in the Hood (2011)
Hysterical - A Perfect Christmas Present!
My mother and father and I came across this movie watched it on Christmas Eve. What a find! Someone has finally found a way to make the boring "A Christmas Carol" trope interesting again. The movie is presented in the "grindhouse" style which means scantily-clad women of ill-repute, gratuitous violence and profanity - oh, so much profanity. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard and I never found Dickens so enjoyable. Also, it is the ideal antidote for those who are about to go ballistic if they hear "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" one more time. Any movie that has a character describe Tiny Tim's house as a place of "mental midgets and physical fuck-ups" has my undying love. It's a treat, soon to become a family tradition. Take it for what it is - the "anti" Christmas Carol - and you'll really enjoy it. Support indie cinema and Happy Holidays!!