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Reviews
Barbie (2023)
Not as good as I hoped
Like many, I saw the ads and read the hype surrounding this movie. And who would walk away from the perfect summer time movie that features Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling? I mean just based on curiosty alone, what would a movie about a child's doll be about? So off to the movies we went. And after the first 2 minutes, I was already having a bad feeling about this one.....and I really wanted to like it. As expected, much of the movie happens in BarbieLand, a perfect little beach front community where everyone cherishes Barbie. Lots of singing and dancing, colorful scenery, character introductions and so forth. You wonder where the story is going and out of the blue comes the theme of death. So at this point, its no longer a kids movie IMO. And the story developes into Barbie's mission to cross in to the real world to save the person who's not happy with their Barbie doll. And by not happy, I mean depressed with thoughts of death. A pretty dark twist. So the mission begins with Ken and Barbie visiting LA. The story becomes a mix of several themes including female enpowerment, corporate greed and a push for a male dominated society. Although I chuckled a couple times, this movie never sucked me into the story to the point where I felt I wasnt in a theater, if you know what I mean. In fact, it felt like every 15 minutes I was hoping the movie was over. Margot and Ryan give outstanding performances, but the novelty of Barbieland quickly wears off, leaving the audience blasted with bubblegum pop music and watching Barbie disolve into an emotional trainwreck as she faces a personal identity chrisis. Of course, this becomes the stories message to tweens, that life's hard, its OK to fail and finding strength to succeed isnt easy, regardless of gender. Its an awkward movie in that it doesnt really fit for kids or adults, unless you ignore the story and just look at the pictures.
Seven Kings Must Die (2023)
A credit to the story...
At the end of Season 5 I thought, "Man, that was awesome, but crap, now it's over!"....the same thought I had at the end of Queen's Gambit, GOT and Peaky Blinders. However, I had no idea a Last Kingdom movie wrap was in the works, so I was pretty stoked when Seven Kings popped up on Netflix last night. In the fashion of Firefly, El Camino, Peaky Blinders (pending) and others, movie wraps can be more than just money grabs and Seven Kings does not disappoint. The table gets set pretty quickly....we meet some scrupulous characters, find Uthred doing well and King Edward in suspicious dialogue with his Aide. Moments later the story launches and provides several twists and turns before the credits roll after it's 1hr.51Min runtime. Spoiler: As Uthred opens the door to return to his bedroom in the final scene, he is welcomed to the afterlife in the Halls of Valhalla, not to be confused with he having a flashback of his happier days.
Eye in the Sky (2015)
Good Kill 2.0
As I watched Eye in the Sky, it seamed like a minor twist on Good Kill, 2015, which was more about the ethics battle of a drone pilot, than the legal/political issues to fire a Hellcat missle. Both movies set the pilots in Las Vegas, with targets in the mid-east. However, I give the edge to Eye in the Sky due to its casting and compelling story-line of CYA decision-making as the clock ticks down. Plus, who doesn't want to see Jesse Pickman fire a Hellcat? Mission Accomplished!
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Who casted this?
As this movie developed, it became clearer that Cumberbatch and Plemons should have switched rolls. Cumberbatch would have been more believable in the romantic role while Plemons and his larger body would have made a better fit for the intimidating bad guy role. To be honest, I stopped watching after the piano was delivered. I'll go back and finish it and edit my review if there's something significant to change.
Shameless (2011)
Not without its flaws...
Like most, I watched all 11 seasons. 1-5 were awesome, then things started going downhill. Don't believe the reviewers who gave it 1 star.....if it's a 1, why'd they hang in for 11 seasons? That said, the final season was entertaining, but had its disappointments: Hyper-politicized dialogue, the cheap laugh of the guy getting ran over by a truck, Kev & V's kids somehow ingest edibles and beer without getting sick, no mention of Fionna in Frank's letter, Mickey and Ian steal an Ambulance scott-free and if Lip is renting, why does he have to come up with $3-4k to fix the gas pipes? That's the landlord's problem. Ok, I'm done. Ya, I'm nit picking, but it just seams like the writing got sloppy in the end. Zero issues with the acting....well done. I never skipped through "The luck you got". Arguably one of the best TV theme songs ever.
Chaos (2005)
Nothing special...
Just your typical "go find the bank robber" movie. But be warned, the soundtrack is aweful. Audio levels for different actors, background music and explosions are all over the map. Had to raise the volume to hear Stathem, then lower it to keep my windows from breaking during scenes with gunfire. Have your remote handy if you decide to watch it.
Cosmic Sin (2021)
What in the hell....
You see, if most of us screwed up this bad doing what we do to get paid, we'd be out of a job. But the jokers who somehow conned their way in to funding this project and hiring the worst teams of writers, producers, editors and actors (with a couple exceptions) will be allowed to continue working in show business. After that ridiculous decontamination scene, I knew this was movie was a mistake. Stopped watching after 45 minutes. For what this movie cost, it could have paid for a couple episodes of real sci-fi entertainment in the caliber of Dark Matter, The Expanse and Firefly. So in summary, booooooo...you guys suck. Find a different career and stop making movies.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Nothing Less than a Masterpiece
If you think watching a chess match couldn't make you cheer or cry, you'd be wrong. Without revealing any spoilers, the story beautifully embeds an element not unlike a Jedi using The Force to gain a tactical advantage over their opponent. But beyond the acting, music and sets, I'll cherish how a moment of winning can be over-shadowed by the gracefulness of a conceding opponent. Bravo Netflix - well done!