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Reviews
Code 8 (2019)
This movie seemed to have two macguffins which didn't work, at least not for me
The legal authorities seemed obsessed with eradicating a recreational drug in addition to also eliminating any civilians who possessed a certain unnatural power. Ironically neither macguffin had all that much to do with the dramatic focus of the movie in that neither one drove the dramatic story. I found no fault with the acting, the dialog, the camera movement, the special effects, or the background music. I'm reluctant to rate the direction high only because it would seem the director has a great deal to do with the lack of focus in this movie. Nor would watching the movie more than once clarify the issue for me. Hopefully the next effort of this writer/director (Jeff Chan) will have a more cohesive plot.
Sweetheart (2019)
Well acted, and realistic provided you don't think too hard
Unarmed loner against bloodthirsty monster is always engaging - and only satisfying if the loner overcomes. In this film, she does. Kiersey Clemons does a nice job as the loner who most overcome and she will no doubt be cast in future offerings of substance. Through no fault of Ms Clemons, however, the astute viewer is left with a question. Any monster that emerges from the animal kingdom must necessarily have parents. Unless this iteration is the sole survivor of the species, there must be more where this critter came from. If so, the movie may be over, but the monstrous threat remains.
2036 Origin Unknown (2018)
Focus of the movie is unclear - hence the movie fails
The plot is initially driven by the attempt to discover why an earlier expedition to Mars failed. An information expedition is sent six years later composed of two people and a very advanced AI. Once on Mars, the plot changes focus and concerns itself with a conflict between AI and human intelligence (which of the two should make the pivotal decisions). This conflict (between the chief female protagonist and AI) went on for some time, until ultimately followed a somewhat muddled revelation as to the cause of the failed mission. The muddled cause morphed into an alien intelligence that apparently decided that humanity had failed to husband the earth and co-exist with itself in peace. The movie then shifts to the ultimate fate of earth, and the fate of the chief protagonist who argued with the on-board AI. I will leave the fate of the earth and its population undisclosed, but be advised that the final state of things makes little sense.
Donnie Darko (2001)
The hallucinations during the last moments of Donnie's life
This conjecture is not a spoiler. After seeing the movie, I concluded, almost instantly, that the events depicted in the film are nothing more than the hallucinations (or dream) of Donnie Darko just before he dies. I realize there seems to an insufficient amount of time between impact and the ultimate death of Donnie for such a long hallucination to run, but nevertheless this is my belief. I admit, however, that I'm not aware that the screen writer or director every stated or even intimated that such is the gist of the film.
The Lobster (2015)
Totally pointless
This movie is supposedly dystopian, but even dystopian movies depict future societies whose leaders have a vision or an objective that, while unappealing, can be understood. Unfortunately for the viewer, the rules of this dystopian society have no discernible objective. Without including spoilers, I'll simply say that the viewer will be unable to discern whether the new society wishes to limit population, eradicate love, or simply ensure the pairing of like personalities. To add to the confusion, the insurgents opposing this dystopia have rules that - while different - are no less inexplicable and seemingly pointless. One of the advantages of streaming is the ability to advance through the tedium. Anyone who sat in a theater to view this pointless movie and made it to the closing credits either has no life or merely wanted to get their money's worth. To Netflix subscribers I can say only this. Don't expect to be entertained, shocked, surprised, or enlightened.
Into the Forest (2015)
The movie is slow and plodding, but nontheless has a reasonable point to make.
The torment and travail experienced by the two sisters was not enough to hold my interest, but rather than abandon the movie, I fast-forwarded to the climax and falling action.
The point of the movie seems to be this. In a world without technology, women are at the mercy of men who are physically stronger. After rape, theft, and abuse, the women flee into the forest where there are no men. Their chance of survival appears to be slim given their lack of resources or the knowledge and ability to create tools needed for survival. In the end, the sisters are rid of the threat of men, but fleeing into the wild with no tribal support, will most likely not survive.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Christ Redemption story
The final installment of the Matrix series mimics the sacrifice of Jesus. Neil must die in order to free humanity from the Matrix and allow it to enter the paradise of a restored and beautiful earth. Whether the Wachowskis, born into a Polish Catholic family, believe the Christ Redemption story or simply used it as a plot device, I do not know. The dramatic resolution is somewhat unsatisifying in that it is not clear whether the earth has been restored and humanity freed. The film possesses the same enticing green tint of the two previous installments and the the film's special effects, like the first two, are both imaginative and exceedingly well done. Viewing this installment without having seen the first two may cause the viewer to judge this final chapter as unsatisfying and possibly pointless.
Silencer (2018)
Unbelievably slow
The tale has been told a thousand times, so nothing new here. However the pace is excruciatingly slow. not in the sense that more mayhem is required, but rather the plot remains stagnant and the characters remain one dimensional.