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Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

I don't know what to say, I'm very sad.

I waited 5 years, the first movie is a masterpiece for me and among my top 10-15 favorite films; everything about this movie, from its name to its budget, gave me hope, but the result is heartbreaking.

I don't even know where to start criticizing it, the movie is so lacking that I can't express it, they seem to have forgotten to put the script together. The sections of the film are very disconnected from each other. It feels like a bunch of random scenes.

Let me first address the thing that everyone is stuck on-the musical choice. To be honest, I was excited at first because they were trying something different. But as I saw in the film, even though the production and the shooting of the scenes were very high quality, it completely ruined the pacing of the film. I mean, musical scenes are fine, but there are too many. At least 5 or 6 times, there are unnecessary songs, and as a viewer, you lose connection with the entire movie.

The acting was still very solid. Joaquin Phoenix once again proves he is a phenomenal actor. Lady Gaga also delivers a decent performance. But all the flaws go back to the script. There are such absurd choices in the script, especially in the last thirty minutes, it gets nonsensical.

Joker suddenly turning back into Arthur, Harley's character not being fleshed out at all, the reason for the explosion at the end being unclear, the idea of Joker inspiring new Jokers not being well-founded, and the courtroom scenes being frequent yet failing to be a proper legal drama are all major missteps in my opinion.

If they were going to put in so many courtroom scenes, they should have built the movie around that. Along with a heavy drama effect, adding a touch of musical elements could have resulted in a more coherent film, but it was very insufficient.

The supporting characters feel very shallow, and in a 2-hour 18-minute movie, having the supporting characters feel this superficial takes away from the visuals, palette, and quality; when you leave the cinema, the mediocre script is all that remains in your mind.

Another major flaw of the film, in my opinion, is that all the music gives off the same feeling. It's like Joaquin and Lady Gaga made an album of ten songs at the same tempo; by the third song, it became unimpactful and boring. This also made the film ultimately ordinary.

I still don't understand why Harley says she's pregnant. It has no necessity or contribution to the script, and the sex scene that leads to it is also pointless and placed awkwardly in the story. It's quite funny and painful that they think the lack of motherhood and motherly love can be resolved by her saying 'I'm pregnant.'

The worst part is, in my opinion, the wrong choice of title. There's no event that reflects the concept of 'Folie à Deux' for it to be about shared madness. Harley is shown as a straightforward person who lies and tries to deceive; I never got the sense that she was crazy.

Even though there are scenes of beatings and partial assault-rape, the pacing is so ruined that after a point, the emotional depth and intensity are lost. Believe me, I am very sad.

To sum up, the efforts of Phoenix, Lawrence Sher (cinematographer), and everyone working on makeup and visuals have been killed by a weird experiment alongside a plot full of holes. One of the most mediocre sequels I've watched in a long time.

It Ends with Us (2024)

The script deserves a bit more effort.

The message the movie wants to give is very important. Domestic violence is a very traumatic and challenging issue, and it is still very common in many societies and families.

However, even though the valuable message of the movie reaches the audience, some characters' stories are not well-written.

This lack is a common problem in book adaptations; I don't know why, but more care is needed.

My biggest problem with the movie is that Atlas, who is Lily's weak spot, has no backstory, yet he is very important in the script.

They focused well on Lily's story and deepened it, which is a positive development, but the same needs to be done for Atlas so that the reunion at the end is more meaningful.

Ryle's story is also not told badly. Seeing the fight events the way Lily wants to see them at first was a very good detail.

And it's a shame that even though Lily's mother is the most important character for the domestic violence message, we never see any events from her perspective.

To sum up what I want to say: Lily's story is complete; she has everything in life but is unhappy in her family, and this is well told. But her mother's perspective, who shares this story, is missing for me. Atlas is also one of Lily's father's victims, but we don't see his struggle for life, except for one dialogue, which is a very big flaw. Ryle is the other side of the violence; the imbalance created by the tragedy he lived with his brother is reflected well, but the family factor is also missing in his story. When you put all these details together, actually, except for Lily and some simple side characters, the stories of our main characters are incomplete, and this is the movie's big and, for me, almost only problem.

Aside from the script issues, everything is fine, and the movie can be considered successful at the box office. Also, I want to say that Blake Lively is very lucky; her husband (Ryan Reynolds) is a marketing master. The fact that his movie came out at the same time and he attended some interviews directly contributed to the movie's success, I think.

If the character depth was fully achieved, it could have been one of the best of the year, but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Listen to someone who has watched it 3.5 times

I watched the movie once in a full IMAX theater, once in a local cinema, and 1.5 times at home on TV. I hope I can explain it well.

The first and, in my opinion, the most optimistic aspect is that it has an amazing intro. I haven't seen a scene so iconic and closely associated with a song in a while-'Bye Bye Bye' has been stuck in my head since I watched it.

In connection with this, I appreciated the reference to the importance of the movie Logan (2017), and the way it subtly ties back to that film with Logan being an anchor.

Some may consider the scene where Logan fights his own skeleton as disrespectful, but I think it's a highly comic book-like scene that perfectly represents Deadpool.

Briefly touching on the performances, Hugh Jackman is phenomenal. He truly lives the role, showing why he hasn't been replaced in 20 years. The scenes where we see his variants are well-suited for all of them.

Ryan Reynolds is like Deadpool in real life, and it's clear that he has contributed to the writing in certain parts of the movie. I believe he has a lot to offer the superhero genre.

Despite having limited screen time and a character that I think wasn't well-written, Emma Corrin has done a clean job.

All the cameos (especially Channing Tatum) performed very well, and more importantly, it's evident that they portrayed their characters with love rather than being forced into it.

The cameos (Gambit, Human Torch, X-23, Elektra, Blade) were all perfectly timed-not too much or too little screen time. Each appeared for exactly the right amount of time, which I found very valuable.

I've seen people criticize Shawn Levy's direction, but I think Levy added his own style to the film, and the action scenes were shot excellently. Particularly the scenes where Wade and Logan fight in the Void and the one where Deadpool Corps fights were very well done.

In terms of technical aspects and performances, the film was well-executed, but the script wasn't as strong.

The writing of the Paradox character was the first issue-it was written much looser than it should have been and needed to be more serious. Matthew Macfadyen was a great choice and acted well, but the character had issues, unfortunately.

The second problematic part was that, although it was explained why everyone was in the Void, there was no explanation for why X-23 was there. This gave the impression that the character was placed there just for fan service. Because in Logan (2017), the 10005 universe is set in 2029, and there are no details about what happens afterward.

The third issue was Cassandra Nova suddenly deciding to destroy all universes right after embracing being in the Void. Such a sharp turn weakens the connection with the character.

The fourth issue was that the 10005 universe had a very confusing timeline. Even though they tried to patch it up a bit with Days of Future Past, it's still a mess trying to figure out which X-Men team is in which part of which parallel universe. Since they didn't do a direct reboot, it's never clear, and viewers are left trying to figure it out in their own minds. In the end, we learned about Deadpool's timeline in the third movie.

Apart from these, the movie ends with a pretty decent finale and soft reboots Universe 10005. I hope they tie this well into Secret Wars because they'll need these characters.

The comedy aspect of the movie is incredibly good-I laughed to death in some scenes; it was extremely funny (the Furiosa reference was fantastic).

Additionally, I really liked that the film closely captured the color palette of the comic book vibe.

Despite some flaws, the movie became the highest-grossing R-rated film, and aside from Metacritic's ridiculous score, it received good ratings.

Marvel should make more R-rated films and maintain the originality of the characters like they did in this movie. They also shouldn't shy away from showing blood-after all, we can't pretend we don't see it.

I definitely think it deserves an 8 out of 10. Watch it at least once-it's a lot of fun and not a film you need to overthink.

Batman: Caped Crusader (2024)

It feels weak compared to other Batman animations.

Review of Season 1

Overall, it was below my expectations. The fast pace made it hard to connect with the characters, and I think the story was weak, except for the last two episodes.

I really liked the voice acting; everyone fit their roles well.

I don't think the Batman figure fits perfectly in the show. I'm not sure why, but it feels strangely fast.

While I liked the animation style, I didn't like how some of the villains were portrayed.

The villains I didn't like are Ghost from the "Night Ride" episode, Harley, and Penguin. I think these three were dealt with too quickly and made to look too simple. Also, Natalia being defeated so quickly in episode eight was bad.

I also think the political part of the show was very superficial. They only put real effort into Harvey Dent; the rest of the mafia network feels childish. Thorne seems to have a deep network in some episodes, but in the last episodes, he appears weak, which felt inconsistent.

Some people didn't like the costumes, but I didn't mind them; they were fine. Batman's costume was actually great, except for Harley's, which was bad.

I think there are two reasons the show feels so fast: first, there weren't enough episodes for this show.

Second, with so few episodes, there was no need to add so many villains. A deeper story could have been created with just two or three villains.

Despite everything, the show has a good intro and music, and it gives hope for a better second season. However, I understand why many people feel it's not enough, especially with such talented people behind it.

The Instigators (2024)

Watch it with breakfast, without overthinking it.

Doug Liman has been experiencing a decline in performance in his recent films.

Doug just shot the action scenes, which should have been the most prominent, in a very simple way, and that's a disappointment.

The film is really funny, and Casey Affleck plays his character brilliantly because he wrote it himself, while everyone else around him seems out of place.

Matt Damon stays much more in the background than I expected, which is related to the script.

Even though the script starts out very funny, it eventually becomes too simplistic, choosing to be a simple film. A more relaxed and complex ending could have been written.

The cast is generally incredible, but since the film is stuck between taking itself seriously and not, some of the actors are too serious while others are too relaxed, and this stands out.

But aside from these, the movie is fun and definitely not boring to watch, which is its most positive aspect.

As I said at the beginning, the film's obvious flaw is that the action scenes are full of car chases, and you really feel the repetition on the second watch.

So, in my opinion, if it's going to be a comedy film, it doesn't necessarily have to aim for an emotional message at the end. Sometimes it's really necessary to try new things by shooting the film from different perspectives.

To sum up, it's simple, funny, and enjoyable, but at the same time, the silly script and mediocre action scenes are a letdown.

The main reason for the film's mediocrity is that it doesn't fully decide what it's trying to achieve, which is a shame.

WWE SummerSlam (2024)

Well deserved results, finally a good Ple after Wrestlemania.

All the results of Summerslam were spot on. Even though some of it was very predictable, it was a very full show both in terms of story and outcome after the mediocre PLEs before this one.

It was important for the boring title reigns to end and for the wrestlers to be given their due, and for their stories to continue.

-spoiler-

• Roman Reigns returned
• Gunther won the WHC
• Great storytelling match with Punk & Drew
• LA Knight won the US Title
• Nia Jax won the Women's title
• Bron Breakker won the ICT Title
• Dominik turned on Rhea Ripley
• Finn Balor turned on Damian Priest

A Family Affair (2024)

I could never get into the movie.

Yes, it's Netflix again and the same type of work, a nearly cheesy script and many more bad details. I won't comment on the emptiness and frequency of such films because everyone keeps saying the same things every time.

As for the movie, the script is so repetitive and I couldn't get into it at all. Everything is so predictable. Yes, this happens in silly romcom films, but the script in this one is really bad. Did you put so little effort into it? Please make these movies more realistic. If a woman decides to be with someone 16 years younger in many parts of the world, this would have real-life consequences. There would be supporters and approvers around, but if one is an award-winning author and the other is a franchise action actor, there should be some social aspect addressed. It cannot be this empty.

Surprisingly, the actors had some chemistry and they really did their best. Nicole Kidman is a truly special actress and in most of her work, she adds something unique, and she made me feel that a couple of times in this film too. Zac Efron continues to improve, but he needs to cut down on these kinds of films. Zoey King was not bad either.

Additionally, the friendships and their outcomes in the film are also superficial; it shouldn't be this shallow. Personally, if I put myself in any situation from this film, it wouldn't be fixed with just some chips, soda, and beer. Yes, there are many worse problems in the world, but this film shows even simple issues in a very superficial way.

There is nothing to say about the directing, it was very plain with only three locations. The screenwriter failed completely; I hope this is one of their first works.

It's impossible to make a good film without addressing the societal aspect and making us feel the good and the bad. Being superficial has become too ordinary; this is the worst feature of digital cinema.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Flat movie, what's the point?

The first two films in the A Quiet Place series were really high-quality works, especially the first one, which delivered exactly what it promised. The second one, despite its flaws, kept you glued to the screen with its high tempo. Both films had a general purpose, but I couldn't understand the aim of this film.

First of all, if you're making a prequel, you need to offer a logical approach to the purpose of these monsters. This isn't clear, and besides, humans can kill these monsters with their firepower. We saw in previous films that the monsters die when shot in the head. So, at least with air power, we could have seen a more chaotic war atmosphere. However, the lack of focus on other countries and political aspects, and the fact that people learned to stay quiet in just a few hours, prevented the whole story from making sense.

Yes, the film looks good, has a decent atmosphere, and our leads Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn do a decent job. But the film is too simplistic in giving these characters purpose. We can understand Samira's motivation since she is sick and on the brink of death, but Eric's motivation is at a middle school level. If you wanted to approach it from such an emotional place, you should have chosen a younger age range for Eric to at least make it logical. His motivation is completely empty (It's like, there are monsters, let me make someone I've never met happy before I die).

There isn't much to say in terms of directing and technical details. The film was made with a budget of 67 million dollars, so it had a solid budget. If it looked bad, it would have stood out more.

I don't understand why they choose to think so simply. If it had been a two-hour film focused on the monsters with a more politically complex story, the series could have been even better. This film is no different from a simple thriller. I loved the cat, though. It was the sweet part of the film.

Challengers (2024)

The use of metaphor is spot on.

I really enjoy high-quality sports movies, but this film uses tennis as a metaphor for a love triangle involving three abnormal individuals in a very accurate way.

Let me just say why this film is good. Firstly, it's technically very good. I'll detail the scene I'll say is the best, but overall, the use of cameras, where they stand, and the masterpiece climax in the final scene, make the direction top-notch.

The casting fits the script perfectly. Sometimes, it's the actors who determine the tension of a film, and in this film, our trio of leads creates a fantastic tension, very successfully.

Thirdly, the use of sports as a tool. In normal sports films, the main focus is on the sport and the plane it creates, but Challengers goes beyond that and metaphorizes tennis very successfully. And tennis could truly be the most individual among individual sports, so it's a very apt choice. The metaphor of the tennis ball being Tashi, especially, enchanted me. The back and forth between Art and Pat, and finally Art winning because of the Grandslam, is not an easy metaphor.

Fourthly, and the part I loved, the climax scene is amazing. Taking such a risk in shooting in such a different technique and jolting the audience in the theater with that scene is really well done. Putting the camera in place of the ball, drawing a bomb on the camera, shooting from different angles, all accompanied by a simple music that tells the tempo very well, is really the right move.

Fifthly, the film's sexiness is very well placed. The love scenes are not exaggerated and really well placed. Maybe the red-lighted scene at the end is a bit swagger, but all the characters look very sexy. Congratulations to Zendaya, Mike Faist, and John O'Conner, good job.

The point I didn't like is that the simple concept of family wasn't filled out enough, in my opinion. When Art and Tashi's child is mentioned, there should have been a flashback to that period and the importance of that in their lives should have been explained. Yes, the film is super-paced and great, but I feel it lacks something, and with a 5-6 minute scene added, the film could have been a 10/10 for me. Also, the focus on Pat's wound. Since we focused on it, we could have had 1 or 2 scenes of Pat's suffering as well.

And finally, I want to address people's comments. I think the ratings are exactly what the film deserves, the positives are very dominant, but there are minimal shortcomings, so the ratings are just right. Some people have said (especially in my country), "oh, we were very uncomfortable, it's exaggerated," etc. Dude, the whole point of the film is to try to explain a sick situation; all three characters have big personal problems; one worships people, the other worships sports (and of course, meaningless ambition and success), and the other behaves loosely and cowardly. Sorry, but it's silly to accept this situation as normal and make comments; excuse my bluntness, but watch the movie and try to understand it.

The film is very enjoyable and flows excessively, not a second boring, watch it in the cinema.

Additionally, some of the argument scenes in the film and the overall structure also resemble a tennis match, I forgot to explain (metaphor) that in my review, but I think this is also a major factor in the film's success. (For example, the argument scene between Tashi and Patrick in their rooms fits perfectly. This fight just like a tennis match.)

The Idea of You (2024)

The real life hits a bit different.

Due to the high ratings and the high Metacritic score, I was curious and decided to give it a chance. Yes, the movie is definitely not bad, but it's a bit hastily resolved for a 74 Metacritic score, and the real-life drama isn't fully explored due to this speed.

First of all, unexpectedly, I really liked the acting and the vibe of the film. I found the allure, sexuality,hot and sensuality of the film to be on point, and I believe this was achieved thanks to Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. I found the film successful in this regard.

Overall, the screenplay is not very original but not bad either, and I'll address its biggest issue at the end.

I liked the color palette of the film and the fun, fast-paced scenes during the European tour. It all fit together nicely, and the film didn't fall apart, even though it may not have had a great screenplay. Additionally, I noticed that the film's premise was sometimes unfairly criticized, like lynching in certain places. At this age, we should stop easily judging things that everyone should decide for themselves, like race or choices. We don't have to love or approve of everything, but we should respect others. If you didn't like it very much ,engage with your peers in your own life.

Now, onto the biggest letdown of the film for me. The film rushes through the part where it should really throw the audience against the wall when the good story takes a nosedive. This likely has to do with its duration, but it greatly reduces the film's score in my eyes. Because in real life, people don't just get through such cruelty by crying or waiting; life is much harsher and crueler. Moreover, when we fast forward five years, the rush continues and events are easily resolved, which greatly diminished the drama part of the film in my eyes due to these two things.

Yes, I know this is a rom-com, but a more dramatic portrayal of such a radical and harsh issue would have made the film more memorable. It's perfectly suitable for an evening movie.

Note: In terms of similarity, I watched May December this year, which portrayed the subject matter much more seriously and clearly, but it was also a messy screenplay.

Note2: I guess there isn't anything a mother wouldn't do for her daughter or son.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Ultimate Nonsense Part II.

Zack Snyder's new movie Rebel Moon Part 2 is out. I watched it as soon as it was released. Just like the first movie, it was a disaster. All the bad elements are preserved exactly the same. There's no acting, no screenplay, no good whatsoever; I think there's nothing in the movie.

It's just tiresome to watch directly. Especially after the 20th minute, the scenes where characters sit around a table and narrate their origin stories one by one are so simple and predictable that you get bored while watching. You automatically get bored because it's too basic. They give simple examples like "Well, I did this in the past, or I did that in the past," and it's bad.

As for the final battle scene, it's completely random. Everyone is shooting each other, dying, and the dramatic impact of the deaths is very weak. It's like bang bang bang, everyone is shooting each other and you're watching it as if it doesn't mean anything. Also, the introduction to the battle scene is very bad, the motivations are extremely bland. Additionally, it has a very cliché ending, with the theme of "the good guys win, try to fix the universe, and it ends with an open ending" with all its clichés.

I don't think an extra spoiler review is necessary. It's a complete waste of time. I gave the first movie a 3 out of 10. I gave the second movie a 3 as well. Because all the elements, bad characters, good characters, everything is still valid. So, my review of the first movie applies completely; it's not worth watching a disaster of a movie.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Real Modern Classic, Thank You Denis.

I believe I've witnessed something magnificent, and truly, it shouldn't be watched outside of the IMAX format because regardless of what anyone says, this is a modern classic. I'm writing this review somewhat for myself because years later, when I read it again, I want to see how much I elevated this legend and how it managed to close so many things correctly despite its mini flaws.

For the past two days, the film hasn't left my mind, and the reason I give it a perfect 10 is this. Whenever I talk about the film, I get excited because I've seen a visual masterpiece. It has incredible cinematography, beyond amazing. Watching the Lisan al Gaib scene where the Fremen walk from a bird's eye view, the scene between Paul and Feyd at the end, the scene where the Fremen accept Paul, the Harkonnen attack in the opening sequence, and many others, you feel that there are very few scenes like these. Greig Fraser is a master at this. Besides that, Hans Zimmer's music, which doesn't mean much when listened to alone but reaches a tremendous dimension with the sound mixing, adds a whole new dimension to the film. It's truly wonderfully designed and fitted, Denis, you're amazing.

And the casting is phenomenal. Dave, Timothée, Florence, Zendaya, Rebecca, Javier, Josh, Austin, they're all fantastic. I won't describe each one separately, saying 'this scene was superb,' everyone fits their role so well and performs so excellently that the film becomes a recital; there isn't a single scene with amateurish or shallow acting. Besides acting, something that needs to be mentioned is the stunts. The fight choreography was quite good and clear, especially the scene between Feyd and Paul at the end, where the music stops and we watch pure fighting for a few minutes, it was wonderful.

Besides the cinematography, casting and harmony, the legendary use and synchronization of music, there are two more reasons why this film excels and why I rate it highly. Firstly, the film is superbly adapted, I won't touch upon this further. Secondly, it's a fantastic critique film.

The film critiques every mundane and inherent aspect of human nature. Whether it's the dynastic system, coercion around the secret gene preservation logic, the exploitation of religion, political chaos, inefficient use of resources, and many more points, it hits the bullseye so accurately that it's both overwhelming and not tiring while making you feel it, a tremendous achievement.

Now, onto the contentious topic of staying faithful to the books and the polemic of how similar it was... Despite everything, it's said that both Part 1 and Part 2 were quite faithful to the book, and I believe they were. Some details might have been skipped or not exactly replicated in the second film, but for such a meta and philosophical book series, this is extremely normal; if everything were portrayed exactly, it might have been incomprehensible. I won't comment on the film's dynasty and operation right now because as a sequel, it has to complete the script with good motivation and also convey the characters it portrays well; I'm very happy it achieved this.

The film had a fitting humor, some scenes were mildly funny and unintentionally successful, which was admirable. Also, I think it will sweep the awards at the Oscars next year; it could win for its amazing costumes, production design, adapted screenplay, and maybe even best picture.

It's the peak of cinema that I've ever seen; go to IMAX, you won't regret it. I didn't delve into the details because everyone should watch it for themselves and try to interpret it in their own way; it's that kind of film.

"May thy knife chip & shatter." March 2024.

Madame Web (2024)

I am filled with hatred, it can't get any worse.

It's the worst movie and superhero adaptation I've watched in recent years. Completely atrocious effects, atrocious screenplay, and atrocious acting. Also, a big insult to all comic book readers and those who know the original story.

Let me describe the movie simply. First of all, I am filled with hatred; I really want to curse the entire creative team for this unacceptable film.

All the performances are bad, everyone. There's not a single good actor trying; everyone just took the role for money. It's a terrible disgrace, a total eclipse of reason.

The screenplay is the worst superhero screenplay I've ever seen. It barely resembles the original story, and if there aren't scenes like the other Spider-Girls in the trailer, why include them? There's no such obligation; instead, write a decent screenplay. All action scenes are full of logical errors; they've written it without thinking, it's complete garbage.

Apart from these, the direction, sorry to say, is garbage too. Most scenes are shot as if they were taken straight from a phone camera; action scenes are not shown, they're hidden due to the atrociousness of the effects. It's shameful.

After these general points, Sony urgently needs to cancel this universe; the original stories are garbage, there's no logic, no connection anywhere. They're just being shot randomly. I don't like to curse, but I hope this film sinks at the box office.

The last scene with Madame Web gaining her powers, those web effects, clinging to souls, it's unbelievable how you approved this film, may God punish you.

I don't know which one to talk about; all the atrocities are collected in this film. Whether it's the woman going to Peru and back in 30 seconds, Spider-Man dodging with fireworks, dancing at the boys' table when my daughters are left alone, not telling the story of the Spider-Human community, or the woman talking normally while giving birth at the end, everything is a disgrace. I hope this universe sinks, and you all get fired. No one involved in the management of this film deserves their job respectfully; they should quit immediately.

Note: Dakota Johnson made a statement saying she didn't watch the movie. Why are you serving a completely garbage film if you're not going to watch it? Life shouldn't be all about money for you; we, in our poverty, are trying to watch it, and this is no different from cursing all the audience's families. Shame on you.

Note 2: Just now, I looked at the budget of the movie, and my anger grew even more, 80 million dollars EIGHTY MILLION. How can I not believe this money, I really can't believe it, it's nothing but disrespect to yourself, disrespect to the audience, nothing but an insult.

Kül (2024)

Anything you watch could be better than this.

I'm watching the latest productions of Netflix Turkey, and every time I say, "this could be improved, that's missing," but this movie is beyond bad, beyond criticism.

First of all, the acting is terrible. It's like everyone's worst performance; I couldn't believe if I was watching the right actors. Mehmet Günsür tried hard, but he seemed like a victim of the screenplay. As for Funda Eryigit, it's her worst performance that I've seen. Everyone is overacting unnecessarily, and it just makes everything cringeworthy without adding anything meaningful.

The screenplay is incredibly bad. 'Someone read a book and thought it was real' could have been depicted much better. They handled the fantasy theme exactly how it shouldn't be handled; the fantasy elements felt artificial, clichéd, and didn't evoke any interest. And they used some effects in certain scenes, but those effects were terrible. I haven't seen worse editing; I'm sorry.

I don't want to blame or criticize the entire team individually, but is this what we get for this concept and this budget? Bad acting, simple single-shot scenes, effects that look like sand on the camera, terrible editing; can everything be this bad?

We should be able to do more than this, especially when we have quality actors and actresses. We should make the most of them before they age. A whole generation is wasted on mediocre scripts. I've written too much already; it's already a contender for the worst of the year.

The Kitchen (2023)

Sci-fi/Drama Movie That Isn't Sci-fi

So, when I opened it, my expectations were different. I thought I would witness the details of a uniquely crafted world, its pros and cons, explored by a broken family. However, aside from a dry drama, the sci-fi element was poorly executed in the movie. It was genuinely disappointing.

The characters' motivations were lacking, and Benji finding out that Izi had a child was poorly written. Even though this is the only striking event in the movie, they failed to present it effectively.

Technically, I don't think there's anything noteworthy. The script is extremely weak, so despite good direction and other elements, it is beyond recovery. The subject matter is genuinely interesting. If we had seen the situation of the Kitchen residents in general, not just during the police raid, and if they had shown its historical development, explaining its separation from the other part of the city, we could have witnessed a very different work. Unfortunately, it falls short.

The concept of becoming a tree after death was also left unresolved. In short, there were certain events in the script, but they did not connect or lead to anything. They were not even presented directly like in a documentary; it was just a half-baked concept.

I expected much better from Daniel Kaluuya, especially in terms of the script and character expression. I don't know how many films were wasted this year, but it's truly a waste of time, like a bullet fired into the air. Forgettable.

WWE Royal Rumble (2024)

Wwe missed the big opportunity.

I don't know why I bothered to analyze it, but it was the most predictable storyline I've seen in a long time, causing me to lose sleep last night.

If we break down the matches, the Women's Royal Rumble was simply amazing, saving the night with its inclusion of feuds, betrayal attempts, debuts, and strong wrestlers. Everyone who needed to shine did so adequately. Jade Cargill's debut was excellent, and the comebacks of Liv Morgan and Naomi, along with Bayley's victory, were significant and well-placed.

There were two title matches, and predicting both accurately suggests the show started much higher than it ended. We knew Roman Reigns would retain his title, but I didn't expect it to be so simple, with just a couple of spears in a 10-minute match. I anticipated a more exciting and dramatic contest. The US title match also fell short of expectations, opting for the simplest method by not having Kevin Owens and Logan Paul lose. Both matches were disappointingly straightforward.

However, the most underwhelming match was the Men's Royal Rumble. It felt like the most poorly thought-out match globally. With other paths for Cody to reach Wrestlemania, giving him the Royal Rumble win seemed like taking the easy way out. The lack of surprises, despite most participants being undisclosed, and the prominence of the announced four contestants, felt overly simplistic. No need to drag it out further-hopefully, Wrestlemania XL will be exceptional this year.

Women's RR = 9/10 Men's RR = 5.5/10 Undisputed Championship = 6/10 US Championship = 6.5/10.

Lift (2024)

Died from Cliché.

It's a film that, once again, fails to surpass the clichés, thinking it surprises the audience stuck in the same Netflix cliché loop. It's strange how they present international organizations like Interpol, NATO, as if it's some silly joke.

The most irritating part, as I mentioned, is the portrayal of serious institutions where major states collaborate as if it's some silly prank. To those saying, 'Oh, we did it to make the movie entertaining,' I have news for you: the jokes in the film aren't funny; it's just a time-wasting movie. From the start, you can predict that Agent Glandwell and Cyrus will team up and, of course, steal the gold. But where is the innovation, the uniqueness? Still nowhere.

Now, let me give you an example of a heist film that was both entertaining and cleverly crafted: "Inside Man" (2006). It depicted a much narrower robbery but managed to be both fun and serious, unlike this film. None of that is present here.

Let's establish an organization, then let's steal art from those who don't deserve it, then let's escape by boat to avoid getting caught by the police, and afterward, let's have the agent find the house as if it's a piece of cake, have a drink, and finally, resign. Wow, truly a burst of intelligence, isn't it? A genius show(!).

We need to see new ideas; even in simple films, something different should be presented. A film, even if it's a casual watch, should contain both entertainment and intellect. It shouldn't be about portraying a silly group, it shouldn't be just a moderate entertainment film. Look at F. Gary Gray's last three films and see how he regressed; they are far behind his initial works.

The Beekeeper (2024)

They forgot to write the script

I mean, I don't know what to say; it feels like the movie's script was randomly written without any thought. The events are so poorly explained that I couldn't believe it while watching. I have no idea how they shot it. I'm addressing everyone who watched and gave good ratings: watch it again, life is not that simple.

I want to mention Jason Statham. The only good thing in the movie is Jason. He is more than an actor; he's an excellent athlete, continuing this for years and elevating all the action scenes in every action movie. In some fight scenes in this film, extras stand there taking hits flatly, and it's entirely the fault of those who planned the scenes.

There's no recognizable plot; the character just walks straight into the president of some made-up country's house, kills 30 people, and we watch this for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The FBI is portrayed as if it's a village organization; the detectives hang out like it's their dad's farm. It's unbelievable. They wrote a movie without sitting down and thinking about these details; it's astonishing.

The Beekeeper program is constantly mentioned in the film, but what is it? What do these people do? How were they trained? What hardships did they endure? None of it is there; they just expect us to believe in a name. There's nothing about how the top-secret deadly agents of the government are trained.

Money theft and the presidential race are portrayed like child's play. These are not people you can easily reach; to blow up a building or enter the president's mansion, you need an incredibly good script, and this film has none of that.

The acting is also bad, except for Jason Statham. There's no good performance except him. The character's motivation is bad too; killing 100 people because a woman who treated him well while beekeeping shot herself. We should have seen a 3-5 minute segment about their intimacy.

I don't know what else to say; it just goes on and on, complete bulls**t. I'm thinking about David Ayer's early works, and nowadays, each film he makes is dragging everything further down. The screenwriter, Kurt Wimmer, has also messed up; he wrote it thoughtlessly. I'm eagerly anticipating the film's complete failure at the box office. Definitely a waste of time..

Echo (2023)

If it wasn't for the rush in the last two episodes, things could have been different.

I rushed through Echo as soon as it was released, and while the first three episodes filled me with great hope, the hastily concluded last two episodes once again turned the series into an average Marvel production. I truly can't comprehend this rush; just when I was enjoying it, both the episode count and duration fell short. If they had taken their time to narrate this series with ten episodes, each lasting 50 minutes, and delving deeper into a Kingpin (Fisk)-involved storyline, it could have been a contender for the best Marvel series. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.

I didn't find Maya Lopez's story bad. Despite the short duration, they managed to handle it reasonably well, but they pushed us to quickly connect with the supporting characters again, and this time I didn't dwell on it too much. However, the mystical dimension of the story lacked sufficient depth, and the scene where she distributes her powers to her family in the final scene was entirely senseless. I particularly enjoy flashbacks, and the Native American narration at the beginning of the third episode was fantastic. However, the transition to her receiving powers from her ancestors in the final scene wasn't well-executed; I didn't understand why they chose to do it that way. If the character unleashed her powers in a fit of anger without involving her family, the fight could have ended more powerfully. Apart from that, the best part of the series was Maya Lopez. Alaqua Cox performed better than I expected.

Now, let's talk about the rush in the series and the incomplete portrayal of Kingpin. While narrating Maya's story, they could have provided a deeper look into Kingpin's underground empire. I would have appreciated the series much more if they had explored the depth of the business and political intrigue hinted at in the final scene from the beginning. Of course, for them to achieve this, there needed to be more episodes, and unfortunately, this depth wasn't possible within the given timeframe.

I liked the Daredevil and Hawkeye flashback scenes, and I found them sufficient. They didn't need to overshadow the series. However, beyond the flashbacks, a whole episode dedicated to Maya's ancestors could have been more powerful, allowing viewers to feel the story more deeply. Apart from these, the fight scenes were also good, at least they weren't grinning.

Marvel constantly strives to connect various elements, and this effort sometimes leads to odd outcomes. In this series, there's no such attempt, but even without it, secondary characters are left hanging, and they can't seem to strike the right balance. In my opinion, this series is enjoyable but its shortcomings are quite noticeable, and although I was extremely hopeful after the third episode, they couldn't bring the series to a satisfying conclusion. Just like the Hawkeye series and the Moon Knight series, the development parts were enjoyable, but they had rushed and simplistic endings. From now on, this series has become a glimmer of hope for Daredevil because Marvel should handle these types of events in a more mature manner; even the toughness in this series isn't entirely sufficient.

In summary, it's enjoyable, a Marvel production with a rushed ending that can be finished in a day, featuring a main character narrative that isn't bad. I don't know how much more I should expect from the superhero genre; most of the time, it's not promising. I hope Marvel reads these comments and takes the matter seriously.

The Holdovers (2023)

How to Make a Amazing and Sympathetic Christmas Movie: Holdovers.

Firstly, I congratulate both director Alexander Payne and screenwriter David Hemingson, as well as the entire cast, for creating a film that perfectly captures the spirit of the holiday season and January. Holdovers delivered the drama it aimed for exceptionally well. My expectations were low at the beginning, but by the end, my eyes were filled with tears, and I felt all the emotions intensely. There are clear reasons for this; everything felt like a puzzle.

Firstly, in most recent films I've watched, there were high-level performances, but the trio of Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da'vine Joy Randolph all deliver award-worthy performances. I believe each of them played strong enough to potentially win an Oscar. Dominic Sessa, especially, is incredible in his first film, and I sincerely applaud him; I hope he continues this way.

Secondly, in terms of the screenplay, the film knows what it's doing, and the transitions between emotions are handled very well. Each transition delivers the emotion to you perfectly, neither too much nor too little, making it emotionally and narratively charming and well-executed. The dialogues are realistic, not exaggerated at all, and the intensity they convey goes beyond what is expected from a Christmas film. Truly, when these details come together, it becomes a heartwarming film that must be watched.

Another thing the film does well is providing the emotion that many films fail to deliver while maintaining the right dosage. Paul Hunham's struggle and his somewhat anxious state are portrayed exceptionally clean and beautiful. Angus Tully's yearning for the love missing from his family and his search feel extremely real; I see and read about such stories every day, and they've analyzed it well. Additionally, I believe the film accurately reflects the atmosphere of 1970-1971, which is an important detail for me in giving it a rating of 9.

The film also succeeds in illustrating what teaching means, how challenging it can be to be a student beyond appearances, and, most importantly, finishing in a very realistic and emotional way. Paul's expulsion from school may seem simple, but making that decision was like relieving the burden he felt inside; touching the life of a smart child is always important, something that teachers and academics often forget today. Mary Lamb's grief over her lost child was also very realistic, especially her emotional outburst when she saw children at the party felt like an event I witnessed just last week. The focus on Angus's mother giving up on him instead of his father's treatment was also extremely realistic.

When this kind of realism combines with straightforward, well-written dialogues and masterclass performances, it undoubtedly becomes a film that can easily enter the top 5 of the year. A highly recommended watch.

The Eternal Daughter (2022)

Tilda Swinton carries the entire film, but it's not enough.

After finishing the movie, for a moment, I thought I didn't understand anything and missed the deep meaning, but later, after reading several reviews, I realized I hadn't missed much. I also grasped the very simple plot twist in the film. That's when I felt a great disappointment.

Tilda Swinton gives a truly powerful performance, both in the role of the mother and the daughter, and it's a bit of a shame that her performance is not fully utilized. The film's only twist is that the mother doesn't actually exist, but the effort to reconcile with her internally and conclude the story. However, apart from turning the color palette of the seemingly deep film from black to light to reveal this mystery, did the screenplay need to connect that mystery to something?

The mother-daughter relationship is always special and involves different dynamics. Despite Tilda Swinton's tremendous acting in this aspect, the screenplay falls short. Despite trying to create tension with simple sequences and a gray mist, as a viewer, I didn't feel tense. It was intriguing, yes, but without logically connecting it to something, it didn't make much sense.

The locations and camera angles were beautiful, but it seemed like they went overboard with the mist to create an atmosphere, and there was no need for such an exaggeration.

When the woman couldn't sleep in the hotel and got tense, I had imagined a nice harmony of drama in a setting-horror film. However, there is no satisfying conclusion about finishing the book, which the film focuses on, and no beautiful ending regarding the tension of this setting that I mentioned.

In short, I think Metacritic's score of 80 is related to the acting and atmosphere. But thrillers are much more than these two details. It is a straightforward, well-acted, not as deep as it seems, a regular drama thriller with a flat ending.

Maestro (2023)

A mediocre screenplay accompanying superb performances.

I will write this review as someone who only knows Leonard Bernstein by name and for composing West Side Story, as the film, despite having outstanding performances, takes a strangely awkward approach in conveying Leonard's story, bringing the film down well below its potential level.

I must give credit to Bradley Cooper without digressing. Aside from the screenplay, he excels both in directing and acting. Particularly in some scenes, he literally lives the moment. Truly a great actor, he is the highlight of the film. Carey Mulligan also delivers a fantastic performance that doesn't pale in comparison. They portray a couple with extreme harmony and enjoyment.

However, the film's major flaw lies in its screenplay. It tackles Leonard's life story in a scattered manner, and as the film progresses, it abandons caring about his story and focuses solely on the fantastic performances of the actors. Nevertheless, for a biographical film, this is a significant shortcoming. The transitions between the happy and sad parts of Leonard's life are not smooth at all. The shifts in the era feel overly rough, diminishing the significance of his life. The transition from black and white to color, although a beautiful detail, could have been more enjoyable if the period shifts in the screenplay were smoother.

Leonard led a tumultuous life, like many famous geniuses, filled with turbulent loves and destructions. Unfortunately, the film fails to fully reflect this; you only experience the enchantment of Bradley and Carey while the screenplay flows through crucial events and comes to an end. I also felt the absence of a deeper exploration of the period after Felicia's death.

While the film is worth watching for its magnificent scenes, visuals, and costumes, it falls short of being a film that deepens someone's story.

Sanki Her Sey Biraz Felaket (2023)

I wish its comedy was as good as the message it wanted to convey.

Straight up, the movie nails the message it's trying to throw down without dragging it out. People in our hood are getting more down and out every day, getting hit hard by all that negative news. They're forgetting their dope moves or straight up downplaying them. The movie's trying to shine a light on that, and the drama part hits right, but it fumbles when trying to pull off comedy.

I didn't vibe with any moment the flick tried to be funny; it was straight-up cringe. It could've been a real raw drama flick on a low budget, but they tried to sprinkle in some dark humor. Too bad it fell flat, no dark, no laughs. Especially dropping crying scenes every time the characters, like the whole country, are feeling low, expecting us to laugh. That's really bad and unnecassary.

Especially, they threw in crying sequences every time the characters, like the whole country, are unhappy, expecting us to laugh. Those parts were terribly cringe-worthy, really bad. Overall, the actors, despite being no-names, deliver performances that are not bad and don't feel forced. However, those crying scenes were genuinely regrettable.

I applaud Umut Subasi for attempting something new; the score doesn't matter as much as trying something different in our current mediocre cinema. Thanks to the actors, but if the comedy parts didn't pull the movie down, it could've had a much stronger ending.

In short, drama's not bad, but the comedy's a no-show, and the ending's just okay. Worth a shot though."

Eileen (2023)

The importance of the ending of the movie.

The ending of a film plays a crucial role, and unfortunately, despite a well-developed plot and a suspenseful atmosphere, this film falls short with a simple message of "good family is everything" at the end, making it forgettable.

I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere and color palette, which truly immersed me; however, the ending, concluding with a cliché message about the significance of a good family, turned the film into an annual watch rather than leaving a lasting impression. I don't believe the film deserved such an ending, considering the importance of the theme.

I appreciated Thomasin Mckenzie's performance, finding it the standout in the film. She has the potential to become one of the most talented actors from this generation in the coming years. Other performances were average; even Anne Hathaway, despite her screen time, didn't deliver an exceptional performance.

Despite the initial good casting and the suspenseful atmosphere, it's not enough to redeem a film when, at a crucial moment emphasizing the importance of the father figure, a murder occurs, and one of the most dramatic events is revealed. Eileen's random escape and the relieved expression placed on her face at the end felt like undermining the significance of the development I mentioned. This sensation significantly lowered my rating, as the film had potential in various aspects.

In short, it's a wasted film. I always say the ending of a film is one of its most impactful aspects. If a film is bad, it can redeem itself with a strong ending; if it's good, the ending can make it legendary; if it's average, the ending can elevate the overall feeling. It requires a well-crafted screenplay, and I don't think this screenplay achieved that. The costumes and atmosphere make it watchable, but not much more.

Ölümlü Dünya 2 (2023)

What a big dilemma -Serbest-

Today, I went to the sequel of Mortal World, whose first film I really liked, and I had serious reservations because, as someone who believes the first film is extremely underrated, I was concerned that this sequel might set the series back. Contrary to expectations, the first film was in a good position, featuring exceptionally well-executed action sequences and, unlike the mediocrity in Turkish cinema, successfully incorporating the proper use of profanity and situational comedy, similar to series like "Gibi."

The second film, compared to the first, leans a bit more towards situational comedy while slightly reducing the action, but it was definitely worth it. Once again, the action scenes are absurdly enjoyable and of high quality, eliciting genuine laughter. Especially the scene where they confront the mafia with Rasputin's music is truly magnificent. Congrats to Ali Atay and the team for acing this test once again.

This film indeed contains a lot of profanity, and some people may genuinely dislike it. I watched it with a friend who doesn't like profanity, but she wasn't bothered at all because she said profanity, when used in the right context, is extremely funny, especially for Turkey. I quote this expression verbatim and agree with it.

Even if the script revolves around the mafia and feels a bit repetitive, the careful selection of new characters enhances the potential for the continuation of the film. I sincerely wish for comedy-action films of at least this quality to be maintained as a minimum standard for the development of this industry. I hope more films with scenes like the non-awkward rocket launcher, helicopter chase, bus pursuit, mall fight, and hospital chase are produced and analyzed critically.

Finally, I want to mention Feyyaz Yigit. Adding something new to his superb performance in the series "Gibi" and his beyond funny acting in the first Mortal World film, he delivered another memorable performance. Everyone else was more than good. After all, making the actors harmonious with the quality of a comedy film should be the main goal, even though many of our films still struggle with this. Watch it, make others watch it.