Change Your Image
mchaka
Reviews
Halt and Catch Fire (2014)
Soap opera goes IT
I had heard so much good of this series which might have elevated my expectations to unrealistic levels but I don't think I disliked this because of that. I think the series is just super meh.
I thought the series would have more of the tech side but nope, it's just another power and relationship drama dressed in IT business clothes, and poorly so. It has certain Mad Men vibes but the characters are poorly acted and half baked compared to its obvious example.
The series is full of unrealistic stereotypical IT industry characters from geeks to a loser protagonist with too beautiful and smart wife, half-psychotic cyber genius etc. Nothing you haven't seen a million times in TV or cinema.
However, no character in the series seems normal or even close to what people are like in real life - or in IT. I don't know what kind of person would find any of these characters relatable.
So, if you like soap opera no matter the environment (Game of Thrones, Babylon 5) this might be for you. Others who might prefer realism or more hard core approach, steer away.
The Batman (2022)
The same old junk in a too long wrapping
I have seen this movie many times in the past. It gives me nothing new. For the younger folks this is probably an okay experience but for those who have seen Batman and other grim movies earlier this is just forgettable. The only positive thing is I didn't have to pay and got popcorn and soda for free too.
The plot is just stupid. The main antagonist could've been interesting but it's a wasted opportunity. The "tricks" he does aren't captivating and his plan is like from a golden era Bond movie but with plan complexity to the power of two while taking square root of the possible impact. I think cutting half an hour of the nonsense from the end would've been more than enough.
Another problem is of course the stiffness of the Batman himself and his stupid voice. I mean come on, the character is nowadays just corny. It used to be entertaining until 90s.
I give 5 stars for the technical stuff and overall professionalism in film making.
Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)
Mix of seasons 1 & 2 + CGI
What do I mean with mix? Well, I think Lynch picked up the theme and feel from the first season then some of the theme and the habit to just add more and more unnecessary stuff without any sense on-the-fly from the second season. Then on top of that he added some surreal CGI. Good thing is that he left camp humor to the second season but I'd say this would have been more enjoyable with some positive vibes from the first one.
I was a bit bored, actually. Several times I found myself doing something else than watching the series. There wasn't enough to keep me hooked. This felt like a series of pointless event with no goal. I seriously doubt there was an actual script for this one but it was the same for the second season already.
It was nice to see old faces from the original series and other Lynch productions, the downside was there wasn't much young blood on this one. The saddest thing was that the characters weren't quite as relatable on this season than they were before.
If you're a Twin Peaks fan and have seen episodes 1 and 2 I think you should just skip this one and keep the good memories.
What I liked the most on this series, despite lack of proper character building, was the glove guy. That was some crazy and genious stuff. We just need some more plot and continuity Mr. Lynch, thank you.
Joker (2019)
Not much to see
There was a lot of character building, and more character building. Eventually very little happened. There isn't much beef in this film, it's just a sad story about what could be consequences of abuse. There's no proper mystery or surprises, no tension, nothing special. The plot is very linear and then it just ends.
I think too many movies are just about character building nowadays, not much more. I wonder if that character building could be mixed into some kind of actual plot so we would have more of that beef.
I'm not after fast paced movies at all but you can't even calculate that pace unless you make at least one full step. This movie stopped half-way the first step
Production is great and acting is good. That's why 6 stars. Otherwise it's just another forgettable movie among thousands.
Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2019)
Does this trigger people?
It is a very dumb movie, yes, but there's a lot of bashing here that's in my opinion does not hold water.
The Coming Race is not exactly creative but a mashup of its own style. It makes fun of everything that happened after the first Iron Sky movie and mixes these events with old legendary titles such as Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.
Somebody complained there is too much stuff but it's just like the first one which was totally packed. It's the director's style. I think the sequel has a way better story than the first one.
The movie is comparable to some really stupid 80s comedy flicks like The Naked Gun. Not going to say it's better or worse but the humor is on the same level.
I will never understand people who complain about gringe moments in a comedy. Gringe is what separates good comedy from legendary comedy. Too bad this didn't have enough gringe.
The movie makes fun of Apple fanboys, religions and cultures. Perhaps some people found that inappropriate, so a trigger warning, but again this might be a plus on someone else's book.
The least I understand someone bashing an "über strong female character". This magnificent beautiful beast with muscles is absolutely wonderful in the movie.
No, it's not a good movie. The story could have been a lot better. It has some bad jokes. It could have had potential to rival Guardians of the Galaxy but it was not even close.
The Coming Race is still completely watchable as long as you don't expect it to be like its trailer, its predecessor or anything but a stupid space comedy packed with stuff that makes no sense.
But a comedy does not need to make sense.
The Party (1968)
Zeitgeist 1968
This movie has a lot of man made fibres. I guess it's a bit aged but I gave it 7 because it was in general well done, it was absurd (which I like very very much) and I think it's a time capsule of some sort... actually many sorts. And of course 60s had its own style (at least in some circles) that's present very much.
Perhaps my favourite scene was the blackfaced (white) main character lecturing a young woman about cultural appropriation while an elephant was being abused. Not because it's OK (at least by nowadays standards) but because it shows what the world used to be. Nobody wanted any harm to anyone by filming that, people just didn't realise everything back in the old days.
The movie has a few funny moments and it's cute in general and it kinda has this same vibe as some 80s teen comedies I grew up watching with. It's also somewhat a sibling to the silliest moments of Bond movies too. I'm sure Austin Powers borrowed some stuff from this.
I'd say it's well worth watching but don't expect it to be good.
La La Land (2016)
Fresh, light, colorful - but a bit thin
Saw this yesterday. Did not know what to expect. Drama and romance - well, why not. I'm a bit bored of all those superhero space adventure remakes they push nowadays.
Surprise! I was a bit scared when it became obvious it's a musical. I don't like many musicals. Well, luckily it was not a typical American musical but just a song here and there. Still, some of the songs felt they were just plastered over the story.
What was American, however, was how it was filmed. A lot of static camera with big faces on the screen. Not very ambitious but at least they avoided unnecessary trickery. A few exceptions and traditional cuts played nicely along the story.
I loved the colors.
The story is a bit thin. I felt a there wasn't that much chemistry between the characters but perhaps that was exactly the point. And it was light at the same time, not very dramatic after all. Refreshing.
Singing and music sounded real and not too perfect - which was perfect after all. Sadly there isn't any Jazz clubs in this town. I'd be sitting there very very often. Perhaps I should set up one myself.
I can see they tried to copy the vibe of some classic movies but unfortunately fell a bit short. Quite far at the same time.
Movie 43 (2013)
A bit different "movie"
Now this is a movie which splits opinions, mostly towards the worse end of the scale. But hey, there aren't many films out there which 10% of people rate as 10 and 21,9% rate as 1, so this might be worth to watch - and so did I, LMAO.
It also seems that half of the ratings are given for the "misleading trailer", which I find very odd, since trailers are just ads, and ads are always misleading.
But what about the movie?
Well, the main storyline is pretty much nonexistent, and therefore there's not much actual movie here. The whole thing is just a collection of really vulgar sketches, and if you're against vulgar sketches, you won't like this.
I don't have that filter on, and therefore I laughed like a mad man and enjoyed the craziness of this film a lot. I like surreality, surprises and that kind of stuff, regardless of if it happens on a David Lynch thriller, Monty Python, some very clever sci-fi movie, or this kind of stupid "teen comedy". And I like potty humor too - there's nothing you can't laugh about natural human functions.
So, not a movie for those who only do it in a missionary position (nothing against it). For really open minded crazy folk, perhaps after a couple of beers, this can be awesome.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Too ADHD Indiana Jones action
I always thought that Tintin was a bit more serious and thoughtful, but as I was afraid of, Spielberg can ruin even this fine character with his one-note silly childish Indiana Jones style. Oh how I am bored with it.... That wasn't really a Tintin story but just another kids' movie squeezed into that guaranteed money making format which is as exciting as picking up same brand bubblegum over and over never ever considering anything else.
Storywise there was no climax in the story, maybe because it was a combination of multiple stories. Silliness and action just ruined every possible moment. And that too obvious cliffhanger at the end was just like a slap in your face: "Pay more, you fool."
I give 6 just for this being Tintin and the fact that the shoes had nice details. Gloves, on the other hand, looked rubbery.
On the plus side, the animation was a bit better than I expected. I hated Milou's fur which looked like polyester mattress, but otherwise everything nice. But nice isn't enough.
The Tree of Life (2011)
I did not quite get it...
But it made me worrying if I'm missing something from my life. I must try to remember to watch it again sometimes later because perhaps I'm not there yet. On the other hand, I could find many things from my life that matched it perfectly, but some things were just way too weird.
Well, anyways, it might be worth watching - it's better than 99% of the crap we people watch, for sure, but you might not like it. It made me write a review, which is unusual.
Things I didn't like were: obvious 2001 imitations, badly animated dinosaurs (I hate them!), and the religious stuff although they belong to the context and it probably would be impossible to do this film without them.
Joutilaat (2001)
An interesting story about my former neighbours
I spent about 15 years of my childhood and teenage living in the municipality of Suomussalmi where this movie was filmed. I also know two of the three main characters of the story, one of them being my former friend. So what else could I do than praise this movie? I bet nothing.
Still I honestly can say that it's a great story about what can it be to live in a region with almost 30% unemployment rate and which can provide future for only a tiny part of the young people. People are aging and all the young adults are moving away after they've finished their high school. I bet this film offers a lot to especially young people everywhere.
Watch it, a rumour tells that it can be seen in Finnish tv soon. :)