musicreporter-1 Reviews

The Verdict (1982)

Solid acting, fine script, strong directing all combine for intriguing, gripping drama

[9/10 · 17 August 2022]

Not much to add after all that has been written here. Stellar performance by Newman - obviously at the top of his game.

This is a compelling story that has you fascinated by Frank Gavin (Newman), that though played as a flawed, has-been lawyer, gets you hooked on this character.

Without all background yet explained, early on you find yourself pulling for this underdog. And that only intensifies as Gavin struggles to survive in the corrupt "big city power structure" found all too often.

Watching in the '80s I found myself rewatching it multiple times when it came up on cable. Each time there were nuances in the acting, or deeper understanding of underlying dynamics that surfaced.

Dialogue is compelling, and the cinematography sharp and vibrant.

You actually care for some of these characters - well drawn out.

My standard test for good movies- is it compelling, is it entertaining and would I watch it again?

Yes! On all 3.

Highly recommended.

Eagle Eye (2008)

Dull, boring forgettable

[1/10 · 20 November 2021]

Complete waste of money, talent and time. Wooden actiong for LeBeau, Dawson, etc. Thorton is wasted hereby a bad generic script. Shallow pointless violence all at boring MTV-hi-speed where everything becomes a blur. Interesting premise but folks unable to pull off. Resulting in a quickly forgettable, meaningless 2 hour movie. Will not watch again.

Lazarus (I) (2021)

Boring acting, meandering storyline, turtle pace

[1/10 · 18 November 2021]

As others have highlighted here, the acting was stiff, detached and boring. It looked like an interesting premise but the film crew couldn't oull it off. Lead actor looked like he was in a fog. PAce was unbearably slow, kept us looking at the clock. Several times we almost quit the movie but made it to the 1:20 mark before bailing.

The Wolf's Call (2019)

Dull, weak plat and some bad acting

[1/10 · 1 September 2021]

The writers were ambitious here but not quite up to the task. Some scenes are really far fetched in an otherwise intriguing plot. Some acting was wooden, especially the XO character. The hero Chanteraide captivated throughout but this was too little too late to save a very weak film.

Troy: Fall of a City (2018– )

Waste of time, poor production, terrible acting

[1/10 · 1 September 2021]

Unfocused, poor production and the worst acting (ecpecialy that Achilles character) we have ever seen. Couldn't slog thru the series , had to quit early on, big waste of time.

V-Wars (2019)

Interesting start, but not compelling enough to keep you

[1/10 · 20 July 2021]

Ian Somerhalder good, Adrian Holmes bad. Plot half-decent, dialogue inconsistent. Moments of tension but few and far between. Cinematography and cool CGI - Good. But beyond this, there's just now enough intrigue/grab to make it a compelling watch. Skip it - there's so much more out there.

Space Truckers (1996)

Bad, bad, cheap. dull

[10/10 · 13 May 2021]

Without any advance notice, within 2 minutes the movie screamed Bad, cheap, dull.

It was sad to see Dennis Hopper, even Stephen Dorff, and Charles Dance reduced to this cheap B flick. Nothing here worth anything -not even to burn time.

Do yourself a big favor-avoid this unless you like bad, bad cheap, dull.

Furthest Witness (2017)

Starts with good potential then plot holes disappoint

[9/10 · 19 June 2020]

This one had an interesting start, captivating. The generic Latino rap/reggae early on, was dismal and off putting. Things were skating along nicely, then some,..how shall we say - inconsistencies. Kyle falls in love with this girl? After a one night stand? And the ace killer has magical powers to find anyone, anywhere? I liked his character, cold, driven, brutal, uninvolved. Like the terminator. And then Kyle, gets all 100% violent? Somewhat implausible. And then the chick - "Meet me tomorrow at Mabels Diner in Las Cruces." What? - No time? He's supposed to hang there all day?

Anyway,AFTER the killer is killed with a gun shot to the back, he shows up again at the end = WHAT? There must be some missing footage. Overall very interesting but not likely to watch again.

Imprisoned (2018)

Dull acting, tired plot, snail pace = boring

[1/10 · 18 June 2020]

Ex-con gets out of prison tries to do good/revenge theme, is an old plot. Sometimes it works. But it doesn't anywhere here especially with wooden acting, and weak script. Actor names impressive, including John Heard. But we wind up with quish quash. Fishburne is a waste, he was past his prime 20 years ago. And it was almost sad to see John Heard here - aged and overweight in this little BIT part as a cop? What? Also lots of gratuitous violence, and pointless profanity. Don't Waste Your Time.

Proxy (I) (2013)

A decent thriller fulls of surprises, twists

[10/10 · 12 April 2020]

The music score was very good, very Hitchcockian. Not much more to add to the credits and plaudits in reviews here. Suspenseful mystery in the vein of Hitchcock/Brian DePalma. Almost like a freakshow - every main character surprisingly tends to be a little off-their-rocker/missing-a-few-screws/messed-in-the-head. Some plot inconsistencies: 1. How /why did Patrick come back to bathroom with a loaded shotgun? Supposedly he was going to call the police? 2. Very hard to believe that anyone would do what Anika did (murder the baby) , for no reasonable reward? Esther was not much of a prize - a meek, mousy average-looking loner with zero attractive or redeeming qualities. Otherwise, an intriguing film.

The Tesla Files: Without a Trace (2018) Season 1, Episode 1

Interesting stuff, but this doc drags on too much

[9/10 · 4 April 2020]

Interesting stuff, but this doc drags on too much. There are better documentaries out there. This one is ok but suffers greatly from the common bad practice of detailing what's coming up next and repeating what happens last, wasting a lot of time.

This obviously low-budget 5-part doc can easily be crammed into 2 1/2 hours by eliminating all the continuously repeated stuff, and commercial breaks. They do have recognized experts, made decent travel/trips but like so many low budgie docs, there is : widespread speculation, endless conjecture, empty/filler stuff like scientists "believe," experts "theorize," researchers "think," etc. So we get precious few facts when they could have really bolstered the arguments.

In the end, we get very little new from what is already in the history books. Too bad. So sad.

Last Flag Flying (2017)

Emotion-laden, solid script- 2/3 great actors

[1/10 · 9 May 2018]

Bryan Cranston is really good here,..better almost than his Breaking Bad days. Steve Carrell throws us a curve ball, given his comedic background - he does a stretch here in a more dramatic role. But Lawrence Fishburne? waste of a role - did they think his has any value as a actor? What a laugh. Plot idea is somewhat original, dialogue fair. Vietnam veterans as a topic never gets old.

King Charles (2017)

Don't waste your time

[1/10 · 11 March 2018]

Generic plot about crooked cop, etc. Weak script, bad dialogue and much worse acting - either too wooden, or worse - too much yelling that I guess passes for "acting." In too many spots, the music background was too loud - a sign of a rank amateur that wants to drill it into the viewer's head when the "cool" heroes on on screen. In case, you know, the viewer is too slow. Also too much use of gangstar rap, an already overused and boring genre.

London's Finest (2014)

Dull, pretentious and predictable make a boring film

[1/10 · 22 December 2017]

It looked promising at the outset but 20 minutes in and it was plainly obvious all the hackneyed stereotypes were here in full bloom - tired plot, cardboard characters, generic dialogue. There was a little potential shining at the first, but it quickly dissipated. We entertained ourselves by predicting the dialogue and the plot moves with pretty good accuracy! The characters were so shallow and undersketched, we didn't care about any of them - instantly forgettable - despite their desperate moves to be cool and hip. Those old tired cliches ran overtime here - you know - where the cool rock music blares loudly on and the action goes into slow-mo anytime the "good guys" are on. Not sure how we got to the end of the film - but toward the end a buddy asked, - "what happened to the knitcap wearing guy?" - and we all laughed when I answered, "does it really f*** matter?" As someone else here also noted - ignore the obvious film staff reviews here - all plants. You just can't trust any reviews here in IMDB anymore.

Overall this film is just like it's AKA title "Hackney's Finest" - it's the true definition of hackneyed - "lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite."

In a nutshell - empty, predictable and boring.

Toxin (2015)

Washed up Glover, slow pace add up for forgettable mush

[1/10 · 1 December 2017]

Familiar faces result in familiar mush. Jones, and especially Glover, show that they are way, waaay, past their prime in this sci-fi would- be thriller with weak effects and it's sleep-inducing soap opera pace.

Jones does occasionally shine convincingly as a disciplined soldier tool - he's got that MADman look down pat.

Glover though is plain boring as a "doctor scientist"? Like other actor losers, Glover hardly ever changes his voice/accent, tone or look - it's as if he plays himself in every movie. Not as bad as that Machete guy, or Ice T or Ice cube - but Glover is still an all too familiar cardboard stiff popping up in too many movies.

Every time Glover appeared I glanced the clock, wondering whether to bail or check email, or see if it got better. It didn't.

Weak plot overall but the film does have a few engaging moments. Sadly - they are few and far between. Zzz. There were simple continuity mistakes galore in lighting and several scenes.

Initially, Dean the hero is driven by the "urgency" to save his grandma from eviction - from there it gets complicated and whatever heat there that begins to flare up, quickly gets dissipated.

There's a toxin in grandma's house and as usual the bad guys are the Evil Government villains who have corrupt designs on that toxin. From there it's the usual body count game - predicting who the next victim will be. Zzzzz.

There's a laughable scene when the teen-looking Dean "manhandles" the taller, heavier mercenary soldier character played by Jones - yeah right.

Like another reviewer here put it - go in not expecting anything great and you'll pass the time easy! Or you could do laundry or some cooking at the same time and feel productive - you will not miss a beat in this slow moving movie.

OR save this movie for a night when you got amnesia! Zzzz.

In Harm's Way (2011)

Dull, simple, predictable, boring

[1/10 · 22 June 2017]

Dull, simple, predictable, boring. Another low rent production, predictable plot, etc., all in all comes to a waste of time. Indie movies are sometimes good but this one is pure low ball values, no real script, plot, low budget, etc. Low budget is no barrier to good work, but in this case, it is. Someone thought cool music tracks, "cool" visuals would cure a bad, low quality film production. Not so. Bad, bad, bad. Nothing to see here.

Origins: The Journey of Humankind (2017– )

Bad, overexaggerated, weak blather

[1/10 · 25 May 2017]

Bad, over exaggerated, weak blather are only a few of the problems here. Everyone, including the over-caffenated host, just gush non- stop about the "discoveries" and "enlightenments" etc. Too much noise, too much cheer-leading, over gesturing, over- emphasis on all points, which only drive viewers away. Nat Geo- a good brand - is nowhere near the professionals on this subject - a total waste of time. Many of the gushing experts - including that young African American "authority", seem bent on over-exaggerating their points as if we're the idiots who are too slow to add a simple 2 plus 2. A major turn off. Sad, the series did have a good potential but you don't need to shout and over gesture to make a point. Trash bin time.

Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told (2013)

False information, lack of documentation, biased editing are among the problems here

[1/10 · 2 May 2017]

A lot of work was done here to show alternative views, little known facts, etc. Unfortunately, all of it goes to waste with such shoddy attention to detail, verification, collaboration, testimony, authentication, supporting materials, etc. Everywhere in between hard, cold accepted historical facts, the producers dropped in false information, unaccredited use of other works, and were very biased in their editing to present Hitler and his minions in a good light. There are in fact a lot of problems here. First, the filmmakers' claim that all throughout history there has only ever been ONE side to this history - is pure bunk. The world's libraries, video documentaries, history specials, are shock full of many differing points of views from many sources.

While there are experts and academics throughout this film, they are - conveniently - only used to regurgitate already widely accepted, non-controversial facts. But when it comes to the film's outrageous claims of Hitler's supposed benevolence, innocent aims, etc., there are - surprisingly - no academic professors or academic references to support it. And a lot of the "reporting" of other countries' bad acts, atrocities, etc., are mostly already in the historical record. But here they are exaggerated with edited montages and weepy music.

This film tries to make WW II history like a grand global conspiracy to make Hitler look evil - but it fails as they all do as the film is woefully short on undisputed facts, valid testimony, supporting collaboration, credible sources, documentation, academic references, etc. Also highly damaging is the use of questionable sources such as David Duke (a known white supremacist/Holocaust denier). And the fact that for films - such as this one that we saw - that have little to almost no credits and acknowledgment of the interviews and audio clips, film shorts and other visuals and news reports, statements and other information used in this film, makes it all very unprofessional and unreliable. UPDATE:Last point - the film version we are reviewing was on a website called twomovies.us, which did not have any credits whatsoever at the end. However a little google research found this website - http://thegreateststorynevertold.TV/ - where the filmmakers do extensively list in a separate video, all the credits, clips, interview sources etc.

Worth the Price (2016)

Weak, disorganized and ultimately forgettable

[1/10 · 24 January 2017]

It is really a dang shame about this flick - "Worth the Price." It started out with an intriguing premise, a good son (former decorated military) reluctant to play the scion of his dad's business. His dad dies, his younger sister gets kidnapped and for no apparent reason - the son goes completely bonkers. He kidnaps and kills people indiscriminately, becoming judge, jury and executioner. Which wouldn't be so bad actually - especially in the vigilante movie genre. BUT it's just that the son does all this on the flimsiest of evidence, without any investigative research or factual collaboration. It does help that the villain here is an especially nasty type. But these are just some of the glaring potholes.

We're supposed to believe that this multi-millionaire family can't or won't pay for an army of servants, butlers, drivers and especially armed security - guards and security cameras????? And that's why it was so easy for the baddies to walk into the home and kidnap the sister? Somebody give that writer/rewrite man some coffee - please!

The pace is PAINFULLY slow, especially in the first half. Way too many lingering shots that kill way too much time. A lot of the dialogue could have easily cut in half to get the point across, avoiding some repetition. Too much of the movie is shot in darkness, where it is frustratingly hard to figure out what is happening - unforgivable. There's way too much mumbling by some of the actors.

Beyond the glaring weaknesses, the movie as a whole was decent otherwise. The disappointments ruined it and for that we would not recommend a first watch - much less a second.

Tell (2014)

Better than average

[10/10 · 4 January 2017]

"Tell" is much better than average and better than those nasty reviews on here that are making it out to be. Some reviewers must have some personal stake in knocking down this mild thriller - it's obvious in the tone of hate and anger. It's OK to review something and not like it - but there's no need to pile on name-calling, insults and other negatives to try to make a point.

Yes, the plot is average but intriguing, the cinematography sharp and vibrant, the dialogue is compelling.

You actually care for some of these characters - some you hate which is also good.

The trick is to pay attention at the outset or else you get lost in the plot twists and turns. Once you're engaged, you become invested in the protagonist and pull for him to survive the various challenges.

My standard test for movies- is it compelling, is it entertaining and would I watch it again? Yes on all 3. This is good, and recommended.

Dirty Shield (2014)

Some rough spots but overall a good movie

[7/10 · 5 November 2016]

It's a low low budget movie but the producers almost pulled off a miracle in telling this story in an entertaining, engaging way. There were some audio problems and some lighting inconsistencies here and there but the plot was good, the dialogue fair and the acting mostly convincing. ****SPOILER - the actual killer reveal at the end is a little over the top and almost unbelievable. And how could the LT cop not question why the protagonist wife was there at the final shootout - that's one huge pothole. Why was she not arrested?

As usual, the villains are one dimensional evil scumbags so you don't care when they get whacked off. The protagonists-cops - are fleshed out enough to care about them and their dilemmas, so that keeps the viewers involved. Though a little crude and half baked it is still compelling and captivating. Would I see it again? Maybe 1 more time.

The Assassin (2007)

Slow building bore with little to build traction on

[1/10 · 29 October 2016]

After scouring the choices on Amazon Prime Video we finally found several interesting movies that filled the bill. BUT, on this movie, the plot really seemed intriguing yet the execution disappointed - big time. Slow, brooding, meandering plot failed to ignite any interest. With so many choices readily available. why waste time?

Supposedly the film was done in 2007 but the obvious production values resemble more like the late '60s- out of focus, LOW resolution, bad lighting. Bad sound. Trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, we watched until the 60 minute mark - it did not get better. Soundtrack was sadly dated. Waste of time.

Inherent Vice (2014)

Dumb, Empty, Shallow, vacant - another waste of time

[2 August 2016]

Pretentious, ambitious, hallow. All amounts to a total waste of talent, time and energy. I won't waste time dissecting the failures -- already been rehashed here before.

The weak star power offered intrigue on how possibly this excuse of a film might provide enough interest to make it worthwhile - but alas - that is not the case.

A lot of flash but ultimately, no bang here.

A plot with no direction, acting with no purpose or character development, and cinematography with no context,...all simply bland, nonsensical, shiftless.

There WAS potential here once, but half through this rubbish it is obvious there is no fulfillment.

The good news?

If you can't sleep, this will work wonders on you. NO matter at what point you wake to continue watching - there is no worry - as you will not have missed ANYTHING!

Skip this if you sincerely value your time - there is no payoff of any kind.

Independents' Day (2016 Video)

Poor's man imitation, low-low budget effects make for a time-waster

[1/10 · 31 July 2016]

Cheap plot copy(Independence Day?), cheap acting, and cheap special effects add up to a general god-awful waste of time.

This rubbish makes the usual garbage out of the SyFy channel look good by comparison. And the SyFy stuff is pretty low quality.

I won't waste time dissecting the film components - they are all really bad.

However the film does have one good redeeming value - a perfect cure for insomnia! Seriously - yawn.

Normally, we would suggest watching for free and not spending any $$ on it. But you would still waste your time if you expect any semblance of entertainment value.

Condemned (I) (2015)

Insipid whackj-a-mole flick masquerading as a horror show

[1/10 · 31 July 2016]

Stupid, uninteresting, unfunny with no redeeming values. Just watched it but I can hardly describe it other that about 80 minutes of dumb, retarded characters doing stupid, gross things.

The characters are lowlifes squatting in a downtown building and through their own ignorance, become infected into crazy zombie-like creatures.

There are no characters with any redeeming traits - they are all shallow, mindless, ignorant fools. And therefore we do not care about them when the whack-a-mole marathon begins.

Some dumb horror films are at least entertaining in small way but this film is pure garage. I had to fast forward through the last half to get through it - and no it didn't get any better. Do not waste your time - you been warned.