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Reviews
Tenet (2020)
Lots of potential, but chaotic and at tee end, unsatisfying
I am a big Nolan and Sci-Fi fan, and there's no question serious effort went into this movie. No question, the visuals were great, the acting was great, but the editing, PLOT and over-all effect was simply unsatisfying.
The plot is full of discontinuity and random plot elements, and the main time reversal issue is never adequately explained, resolved or identified, and even the cryptic "Tenet" keyword never seems to appear outside of the trailer cuts. The most annoying aspect was the often incomprehensible audio, due to masks and bad editing, that made many key moments a total mystery.
The plot is also littered with bad science of every possible kind, random statements that simply make no real sense (even using the odd time scenario) , and when viewed as ongoing story make you stop and say, how did we ever get HERE? The gun and bullet demonstration really sticks in my mind as total and complete cinematic plot garbage.
I don't doubt this could have been a masterful movie, but unlike Memento or Inception, the script and story continuity were simply not up to the complex story task. The one word that sticks in my mind about this movie is disappointing. After the long delay, i really expected something a lot better than this. Maybe a later edit will fix this, but it certainly doesn't need to get any longer.
Bloodshot (2020)
A lot better than the snarky reviews reflect
Yes, some of it will seem familiar to other movies, but what movie today can possibly avoid this? The cast was great, the visuals were really well done (phooey to those who were so jaded they had to throw shade on the graphics), and I enjoyed the movie, it is clearly popcorn-worthy.
The weak points are all tied to the plot (especially from the villain's perspective) which does not get well set up initially unless you are riveted to the screen, and which frankly could have stood some significant backstory fill in to make it more credible. However, I did understand it, and enjoyed it,but just felt that with a bit of effort, it could have been a 9.
still worth the trip to the theater, IMHO.
Midway (2019)
An amazing slice of history
While I don't doubt there are some mild inaccuracies in this film, it does a wonderful job of showing the courage of the men involved, and the high role fate, bad decisions and chance played in our history. I am not normally a big historical war movie fan, but this was an exceptionally good film that really highlights how close our history came to being much different.
Incredibly well done, and full of great moments, it is a surprisingly good story that covers the characters that form the core of this story, and gives some good insight into the key events and how important they were. Note the importance China had in this story that is almost unknown here.
Very popcorn-worthy, and highly recommended.
The Meg (2018)
Very enjoyable
I read the books, and really enjoyed the movie. I am not sure why some others felt obliged to fault it for everything from choice of actor to Jaws-like aspects. This is a great saturday matinee movie, with great effects and a good story, and is not so gore-splashed that kids can't see it. I felt I got my money's worth, and that it was well aligned with the original book. totally popcorn-worthy and well done.
Skyscraper (2018)
Better than reported
I am not sure why some people felt obligated to slam this movie, the story (while not exactly new) is well carried out, with great effects, and enough twists and turns to hold your attention.
The "leg" is an interesting feature in this film, I felt it was a genuine tribute to injured vets, clearly others feel differently. I though tit added to the story, it didn't remove anything. I will say I was amazed by the sheer physicality of dwayne's role, I am not sure any human is actually capable of those moves, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I liked his attention to his kids and wife, and I thought he was a good role model for anyone watching the film.
I have followed The Rock in his many film incarnations, and I especially enjoyed this one, which seemed more balanced and human.
so, very popcorn-worthy, and enjoyable, I felt my ticket money was well spent, but don't bother with 3D, it's fine without it.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Just not impressive....
I really liked the original, but this second installment seriously suffers from trying too hard to be funny and offensive, and spends too little time being a good story or appealing.
We have effects by the boatload, but they really fail to bring us anywhere in the story. There were only a dozen people at the saturday matinee I went to, and it was literally packed for black panther with no empty seats. I think this really illustrates the difference between good and bad movies since both are from the Marvel Universe.
For me, the best moments were the easter eggs after the credits. Anyway, there are a few moments worth watching (Like the line "Kiss Me Like You Miss Me"), but the other 92% is just not impressive. I really did not feel like my ticket money was well spent.
Annihilation (2018)
brief interesting moments, but unimpressive story telling
I think the worst part of this movie is that I kept wondering when I would get enough story to help stitch the parts together coherently. That did not happen, and the ending was anti-climactic, unoriginal, weak and trite. Matters were not helped by un-wise flashbacks (especially the non-sequitur nude scene), and mostly dull and uninspired acting. It felt like everyone was on some kind of sedative.
I found the ongoing physical effects (odd growths, flowers, etc.) to be very poorly and inconsistently executed, and the story (while kudos for a mostly female group) simply uninspiring. Considering the build-up this movie got, I was hoping for a good story and something thought provoking. The light house scene was interesting, but really didn't carry the movie.
I am a huge sci-fi fan, stretching back at least 60 years, so I have seen almost every kind of story, but this really felt like I vastly over-paid for admission. I didn't need screaming action, endless effects or slimy aliens, I just look for a good story, preferably well-told. I did not find either in this film. Disappointing really sums this up.
Oblivion (2013)
Draws from almost every other sci-fi movie out there, adds very little
This movie is visually amazing, no question. I have to give top marks to everyone that put this film together, they did a great job on presentation. Too long in some ways, but visually great. Acting was all of good quality. Plus, I had just been to Iceland the year before, and recognized the scenes, it really captures the stark beauty of that place.
About halfway into the movies, I started to get a strangely uncomfortable feeling that I was watching some other movie, everything seemed to have come from somewhere else. Scene after scene had that eerie deja vu quality to it, that made me think of another movie. I guess not much is truly original any more, but this really seemed to borrow just a bit too much, without adding much of its own.
I was OK with that sensation until we got to the end. It's as if the writers just gave up, and having gone so far on borrowed plot bits, suddenly realized they had no good ending to support this huge $120M effort, and tossed in a final few sequences that are illogical, and deeply disappointing. I felt truly insulted by the ending, it simply is poorly executed, and was quite abusive of the patience and attention of the audience. It really brought home the critical value of good writing, and how its lack can undo the efforts of so many others in a film. this film could have been a 10, but really missed that mark thanks to the last 10 minutes.
My advice is to leave 10 minutes before the end, that way you will leave with a good feeling about the film, and not have to put up with the finish, which will only disappoint you, especially on later reflection.
Defiance (2013)
Just not good TV
I truly love sci-fi of all kinds, and have watched and read literally all of it, the good the bad and the ghastly. I was hoping this would have some charm to it, but there's just nothing here to love.
The plot, such as it might be, is simply chaotic, we get a sprinkling of all kinds of totally non-credible looking aliens, the faintest hint at larger history at work, and then descend into some gang scenes, a not very credible boxing match, and a twisted romeo and juliet set up gone bad. The humor is flat, the drama is hard to locate. Oh, and a sure sign of imminent plot failure, let's throw in a brothel.
The sets are not good, except for the distant shots of Defiance, the characters are stunningly shallow and stereotyped (and how, you ask, is that even possible with aliens?), and the story line is terrible. I just can't see this show going the distance. There is not enough new or interesting here to pull you in and keep you watching.
Compared to recent offerings like last year's great Continuum, this show is a 1. I don't think I can go much more than one more episode to see if it's as horrible as it seems so far, but I have to say, this just not good TV.
The Three Musketeers (2011)
Another worthwhile-content-free remake
Yes, there are people in this movie that are identified as musketeers, and we get 3 of them by name. However, that is as close to Dumas' The Three Musketeers as this movie ever comes. This movie has been made many times which is a testament to the exceptionally good story and engaging characters. Sadly, these elements are completely missing from this version. The 1993 film is SO much better it's outright embarrassing, and not just because every actor is so good in it. It was brilliantly told, well cast and wonderfully acted. No danger whatsoever of that in this version.
This version has only the high fantasy church-top aerial fencing scene to commend it, otherwise, every single critical story line element is missing. We have zero character development, some fantasy balloon-frigate warfare (maybe they thought Jules Verne wrote the original), and a confused story line that simply makes no sense. 3D? Totally useless, and as expected, did not make up for the other failings. I now regard 3D as a stark warning: "we failed utterly with the writing, so we decided to mindlessly pimp the visuals, watch out"
It's depressing enough that Hollywood keeps plundering old movies and stories for "new" releases, but then the witless committee of bad taste gets into the action, and determined to appeal to some non-existent demographic, destroys and defaces the final result. I'm sure if they could have somehow gotten a topless car chase into the film, they would have.
Why even a five? good question, but to be fair, I did enjoy some of the visuals, and the costumes were great, I just hated the movie as a story, and never, ever want to see it again.
Awkward. (2011)
Astonishingly Good Show
This show really captured my interest right from the first episode. Since I have both a son and daughter (now grown), I thought the show did a great job of showing the entire convoluted ecosystem high school kids live in, and what it looks like from their perspective (clearly, often a complete minefield). The stories are clever, well written, and interesting, 3 things sadly lacking in about 95% of TV content today. The cast is great, from Jenna right to the evil cheerleader. I didn't really expect to find this kind of show anywhere, MTV was a true surprise, and I think a lot of people (no matter what age) will enjoy this, if they ever find it. Maybe a bit too spicy for younger kids, but very impressive for everyone else.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Very crowded but not very satisfying
Like too many movies recently, this rides the unnecessary 3D bandwagon for no reason. It adds nothing but increased ticket cost and eyestrain. No question, the effects are great (and would have been equally so in 2D), but the plot is very disjointed, with many odd segments that really make no sense, even when well done. The best performances were John Malkovitch and the barely credited Alan Tudyk. They were just great to watch, but so far off the main plot line, I was just not sure why they were there. I did love hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice as an autobot, but again, it was just too much in an already over-stuffed film.
Let's face it, an overly long feature movie based on kids' mechanical toys is certain to have its detractors, but it does have a lot of rapid fire eye candy, and is a great summer movie. I did enjoy it, but I can't help but wish it had skipped the 3D, and invested that money in better editing, writing and some attention to continuity. It's always depressing to see a major production that really fails to be great, despite huge effort and expenditure, because it simply forgets the key rule of movie making. Have a great story, and tell it well.
Falling Skies (2011)
Disappointing really comes to mind
I had very high hopes for this, especially with the Spielberg brand attached, but I was startled to see something incredibly mediocre, trite and just plain not interesting appear on the screen.
We seem to be getting deluged with every possible flavor of post-apocalyptic TV and cinema for the last two years, but the boring nature of this low production value, terrible dialogue, urban scuffle with a few tossed in effects just as your patience wanes is unforgivable.
Be Aware: We do not get any preamble, explanation or staging for what happens, we just drift into some mindless urban fracas with no real purpose. I understand that Hollywood has a low opinion of audiences, but this kind of empty stuff isn't even bad cable channel filler, it's just insulting to viewers.
The rare off-hand comments that are supposed to prop up this spectacle are just not very helpful, and certainly don't make up for the train-wreck in progress. If a pilot is supposed to ignite interest and a desire to know more in the initial audience, then I foresee disappointment for all, especially the producers and viewers. Maybe worth a 2 or 3.