tommyt739 Reviews

Them (2021– )

Ruined in :33 seconds

[1/10 · 5 May 2024]

That's how far into this I got. Could not take it. 33 seconds of a dying cat with it's throat being stepped on while attempting to 'sing' "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". More screeching and bad notes than there were actual notes in the song. If this is any kind of representation as to the rest of the show, you can have it. I've heard some bad music, bad songs in my life, but this was painful. What doesn't make any sense is why. Someone must have heard this version before attaching it to this TV show, but decided to go ahead with this abomination anyway. If these are the choices made about the opening music, then how bad is the rest of the show? Acting, writing, cinematography, everything. On the same level? I don't want to know.

Poor Things (2023)

Poor things must refer to people that have watched this.

[3/10 · 8 March 2024]

Very simply, they tried. Way too hard. Whatever the filmmakers were trying to achieve, they missed. By a mile. References to 'Frankenstein' can only have been made by someone who has never read the book. Watching an actual porn movie would have had a better script. Better photography. Better everything. If it's trying to be porn, where's the money shot. Not one facial in 2 hours. The story (if you can call it that) just never takes off. What is she looking for. Love? Sex? The meaning of life? Whatever it is, you don't care. She can find it. She can not find it. The characters are soulless and you just never care about them. What they do. Or what happens to them. Moving on. Dune 2 is out. Think I'll watch that. Or check out PornHub.

Cat Person (I) (2023)

Not what you might expect

[6/10 · 17 February 2024]

Starts out ok. The first hour is an honest look at a relationship developing between a young woman and an older (than her) man. Not too funny. Not too serious. Then it falls on it's ass. All along you know there's something wrong, and it turns out to be him. The guy that plays the male lead can not act. To be fair, whoever wrote this can't write either. But it's mainly him. Other male characters are just fine. He's terrible. With the bad writing (and it is baaad) the movie just falls apart. Almost a bad slasher movie. She is fantastic. Suggest you watch 'CODA' instead.

*side note* Elizabeth Banks is listed as a producer. She needs to start spending her money on something else besides movies. Hasn't made a good one yet, has she?

Palm Springs (2020)

Why kill the goat?

[7/10 · 7 February 2024]

Very good movie. Except it makes no sense. Killing the goat was useless. All it proves is you can kill a goat with some C4. Didn't she know that? The point seemed to be that she was trying to blow up the "time loop" so things would reset. Okay, that makes sense to try but they didn't have to be in the cave for that to happen. Proof of which comes at the end of the movie. Roy! For craps sake. He shows up at the wedding. He wasn't in the cave explosion. He's fine. Even seems to know what's going on. Except for that very big mistake (which almost ruined the movie for me) it was very good. Watch it, but just don't expect "Somewhere In Time" levels of time travel.

Nomadland (2020)

This could and should be 8

[6/10 · 21 January 2024]

But it's not. And the reason very basically is how the story is told. If it were a documentary it would have worked. Why make up a story when there are thousands of real stories to be told? It's like Titanic all over again. The truth is always better, and the film makers should know that. Made this way makes it come across two steps below Spinal Tap. At least that was funny. They didn't take themselves seriously. But in this it's like they're trying too hard to make it seem real. That works for some movies. This is one where it doesn't. Like so many movies and books these days, it tries and fails.

The Old Man (2022– )

Don't know how this is going to end up, but . . .

[3/10 · 16 January 2024]

Here's why the 3 stars, after really liking the 7 star 1st episode. About 45 mins. Into the 2nd episode he and his 'girlfriend' stop at a checkpoint. She's a bit afraid. He's fine. The cops ask for her ID. Then ask for his. He says he left it at home. Let's make that clear. HE HAS NO ID. Cops say she's had a little to drink. Ask him if he's had anything. He says no. Cops tell him to drive home. Let's make that clear. THE COPS, KNOWING THAT HE HAS NO ID, TELL HIM TO DRIVE. Sorry, I hate little mistakes. A lot. If this gets back to being good I'll change my rating, but until then I'm sticking with 3.

A Murder at the End of the World (2023)

Too many mistakes

[4/10 · 11 January 2024]

At the end of the 1st episode. Dying guy telling her not to leave. Does she leave? Of course. To go get help. EXCEPT. WHY DIDN'T SHE USE HER MAGIC RING? Tell the AI to send help. Didn't make sense. Then about half way through the second episode someone deactivates the name recognition for the AI. Fine. So now 'Ray' no longer responds every time his name is mentioned. EXCEPT. A few minutes later that same person says "Um, Ray, activate name recognition, please". CAN NOT HAPPEN. The name recognition had been deactivated. 'Ray' would not be able to respond. I realize these are small instances, but they are enough (along with others not mentioned) to take me out of the otherwise decent experience the show seemed to have going for itself. Acting and all that other stuff is good. C'mon. Alice Braga. I'd listen to that woman read the phone book. But it's the writing (mistakes) that ruin this.

Bancroft (2017–2020)

From a 7 to a 4 just on the payoff

[4/10 · 15 November 2023]

Yesterday after finishing the 1st season I gave this 7 stars. Today after watching the 2nd it drops to 4. The 1st season was very good. You don't get that many shows about bent cops. And then a female bent cop. Wow! The acting, writing, everything, as good as you always get from BritBox. What stopped it from an 8 or 9 was the ending. Cliffhanger. So knowing that a second season was waiting 7 stars were well deserved. Then. The second season. Still excellent acting. Writing good till the end. ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! NO THIRD SEASON! Unforgivable. Wide open. Does she get shanked in prison? Hang herself out of remorse? We'll never know. And that's what ruins the whole show. If you insist on watching this, then watch the first season and go on your way. Too many good shows (Payback, Maigret, Poirot, etc.) to waste another minute on this one.

The Creator (2023)

Like a bad Chuck Norris movie.

[3/10 · 5 October 2023]

Except here the Americans are the bad guys and the Asians are the good guys. Running through the jungles of SE Asia trying to blow up as much as possible. For no apparent reason other than to blow up as much as possible. There is a tiny little bit of a plot but nowhere near enough to carry the film for just over 2 hours. A little bit of actual intelligence (artificial or otherwise) would've helped a lot. Loose the cheesy dialogue and put in some actual discussion about AI. You might have a movie worth watching. The way this is done has nothing to do with AI. It's about robots. That's all. Just robots. Don't waste your time going to a theater. This is why we were given Covid. So we would learn when to stay home and stream movies.

A Million Miles Away (2023)

Same story told over again

[5/10 · 18 September 2023]

First of all, this is not (as of Sept 2023) a 7.5 star movie. Nowhere near. It's not a bad movie, just one you've seen before. Very average. Decent acting, Decent everything except for the story. Young boy wants to be an astronaut, perseveres, and becomes an astronaut. Nothing new here. He's an immigrant. So what? The next movie will be about a kid who wears glasses? That should be about as interesting. Writing this review IMDb asks if there are spoilers. If telling you he achieves his goal is a spoiler then you've never seen a movie in your life. Don't start with this one. Unless you can find absolutely nothing else to watch (it's Prime after all) then waste your time on this. Otherwise go outside, stare up at the sky, and dream of becoming an astronaut.

Hijack (2023)

6+ almost 7

[7/10 · 5 August 2023]

A few plot holes stop this from being a really good show. And like most shows nowadays it drags a little. Could and should have been done in 6 episodes. Acting is good, but with those plot holes (weak writing) it holds back the acting. The biggest problem is that after about 4 episodes you figure every single person on the plane is involved in the hijacking. This could be done in a way to make things interesting, but it's not. Instead it comes across as the writers running out of ideas. Still watchable (as is 'City on Fire' btw). Go in with low expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Set your sights too high and you'll be disappointed.

City on Fire (2023)

Not as bad as it seems

[7/10 · 5 August 2023]

Writing this a day after Apple canceled this show. So naturally I decided to watch it. It's good. Couple of plot holes, but what show doesn't? Decent acting. Surprisingly the writing is ok. Seems like people can't understand why it was canceled. That would be because the story is told. They completely told the story of the book. There isn't anything else to say. So, should you watch it? If you're subscribed to Apple, then yes. You're paying for it. It's not good enough that you should subscribe just to watch it. Just accept it for what it is. An entertaining < 8 hours that could be worse. There's enough garbage out there. Watch this garbage.

Marriage (2022)

Guess everyone on here has way more patience than I do. Made it 30 mins. in and had to stop. A waste of 2 great actors.

[4/10 · 25 July 2023]

Sean Bean, Nicola Walker! What (who) more could you want? I got the part about the potato and his fear of flying. But what was the deal with her brother hiding when she visits her father? And the cemetery? A child they lost? Her mother? What stopped me in my tracks was when she went back to work. First her boss compliments her jacket. Then within minutes her co-worker, with nearly the exact same words gives her the same compliment about her jacket. A case of absolute laziness in writing. It came across as a very bad attempt at improvisation. May go back and finish the first episode but I'm not holding my breathe. Better off just watching 'River' again.

Babylon (I) (2022)

This COULD have been very good.

[4/10 · 25 July 2023]

Instead, not good. You can see the tribute the director's trying to give to Hollywood. Problem is, you can see too much of it. If you've heard the word 'Hollywood' then you probably know the decadence of the 20's, and 30's in Tinsel Town. The first 30 minute just went on and on and you're sitting there waiting for a story of some kind. By the time that story starts, you don't care. Then it starts to look like a remake of Singing In The Rain. But that doesn't pan out either. As others have said it could have lost a good hour and it might have been a really good movie. Rewrite it and make it again. Everything else gets remade. Why not this?

Missing (I) (2023)

10 - 15 years too old.

[5/10 · 3 July 2023]

Just ok. This might have worked a decade ago, but in today's world and what it has become (because of the internet, movies, and podcasts) this is just dated. No originality, because of the reasons mentioned. You may not know what is happening or going to happen but you have a good idea if you've ever seen a movie in your whole life. I'm not saying this is a copy of anything but it definitely is not original. Very hard, if not impossible, to come up with an original idea and this didn't make it. Acting is good, but with nothing to work with the actors could do very little. Watchable but just barely.

Swarm (2023)

Here's how to watch

[3/10 · 22 March 2023]

Episode 1 of course. Intro and set up. Skip 2 and 3. They're just repeats of 1. 4, but at double speed. You won't miss anything. And she just ends up killing everyone like the first 3 episodes. Skip 5. Watch 6. Definitely watch 6. It's the only good one in the bunch. Do not watch 7. Worst of all of them. In 90 minutes you'll get a show they drag out for 3 and a half hours. Seriously, this is not a good show. Acting is ok to good but the length and the writing reduce it to 3 stars. Guess that's become the norm. Take an idea that could (and should) be done in 3 or 4 episodes and stretch it out for 8 or 10. In this case they couldn't even make it that far.

Causeway (2022)

Close but no cigar

[4/10 · 5 November 2022]

Half way through this and ready to give 6 maybe 6 1/2 stars. Reading reviews and understanding it's a slow movie. OK with that. Not one single shot is fired. No car chases or explosions. Just a nice little movie with a strong theme. Then. The ending. Or the lack of one. Should have known going in when the time says an hour and a half. Who makes 90 minute movies anymore? But this. This should have been cut to an hour and put in the documentary section. You know there's a problem when the credits take as long as the movie. It just needed more story. A good writer (like every movie made nowadays) could have saved this. This writer didn't.

Finch (2021)

Joe vs the volcano it's not

[3/10 · 13 November 2021]

A new winner for tom hanks worse movie. How bad does a movie have to be when even he can't save it? You know the story. You've seen it, or a variation, a million times. Nothing new at all. The robot is annoying. The dog! How can you have a dog in your movie and the scenery out-acts it? If you have a brain in your head you will avoid this movie. Once more, and for the last time, THIS IS A TERRIBLE MOVIE. Thank you. I'll see myself out.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

10 writers?

[2/10 · 8 March 2021]

That should tell you enough. How could they come up with this? Each contributed one word in a vain attempt at forming a sentence. Which turned out to be something that just hurts your ears. Stay home. Watch "Mulan" again. Either one.

The Shallows (2016)

For God's sake don't waste your time.

[2/10 · 16 November 2019]

Do these people know what a shark is? Ok let's overlook her going surfing by herself. The shark has a whole whale to eat! He's not going to go chasing her. Or anyone else. This is just a step up from Sharknado. At least that one wasn't taking itself seriously. This movie has no excuse.

Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Zemekis. Does that tell you anything?

[3/10 · 23 December 2018]

The basic storyline is ok. Been done before. Been done better and worse. The problem with this is in the telling. Absolutely the biggest hole is WHY WWII and Belgium? It's never explained. Why the dolls? Why so many things? It's just all thrown out there with no rhyme or reason to justify it. I get that he was beaten up, but it took them half the movie to even approach that. The "acting" (voicework) was good but it's not enough to Zemekis' feeble attempt at storytelling. Think "Polar Express" with better eyes. They can't blink in this one.

Christopher Robin (2018)

Not worth your time.

[5/10 · 9 August 2018]

After seeing the positive reviews and seeing the 8 stars as I write this, I just felt like telling the truth. 62 year old white male who has read Winnie-der-Pooh since I was 5. Read it to my nieces and nephews. My own children. And read a little of the history of A.A.Milne and the real Christopher Robin. This movie is, at the best, average. That's it. Not good. Certainly not great. Just average. In a nutshell, it tries too hard. Not enough light hearted Pooh moments. And definitely no tug at your heartstrings moments. If your idea is to see a movie about Christopher Robin go back to 'Goodbye, Christopher Robin' (2017, maybe). For the price of a ticket to this one you can buy the real thing on iTunes for $8.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

What just happened here?

[5/10 · 2 July 2018]

Sorry, just had to throw my 2 cents in here. What starts out as a great possibility turns into a hugh disappointment. Pit the drug cartels against each other. Fantastic, this should be a firefight to end all firefights. Nope. Nothing. A kidnapping, a few killings, and a shot to the cheek later and it ends practically in the middle of a sentence. Acting is, of course, great. Especially Isabela Moner as the kidnappee. Del Toro, the man can do no wrong. It's the writing. Or lack thereof. If you're going to have a cartel war then have a cartel war. This is just the story of a single person being kidnapped. Hardly enough to bring down every drug kingpin in Mexico. No doubt a third one is being made. But if enough people don't see this one, maybe we can stop it.

Chance (2016–2017)

Very good, but just a bit drawn out.

[7/10 · 18 June 2018]

Well written, great acting. Especially LisaGay Hamilton. Stefania LaVie Owen is also great as Chance's daughter. And Gretchen Mol is still the most beautiful woman on planet Earth. Definitely one to watch but be warned it's a bit slow. Or just more cerebral than the other garbage on TV. Maybe it's because I grew up watching Zorro, but the 1st season could have been done easily in 8 episodes instead of ten. And the biggest question of all, why does he use a Windows phone? It's 2016/2017. Nobody uses Windows phones. Do they still make them? Is it some kind of inside joke? Anyway, really good show. Watch it.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Signs w/ sound instead of water.

[5/10 · 8 April 2018]

If you can't see what's coming in every scene, you need your eyes checked. And maybe your ears. Absolutely no suspense. To make sure nobody makes a sound, mute everything. The when you want to warn the audience, unmute. Acting was ok, but with a script like this how do you go wrong. One giveaway at the end is when you have twice the number of stunt people than the entire cast. And one of the crew is named "Manos"?! It's just 'fate' to be a bad movie.