thu-4 Reviews

The Crown (2016–2023)

Excellent series shows how unnecessary monarchy is

[10/10 · 5 December 2023]

Well, I am just finishing the second season and the serie is fascinating and extremely well made. I constantly learn new things about our recent history, or come across some I've long forgotten, or getting a better perspective. Thats valuable.

But I also learn, so far and if the series is really accurate with the royals life, that as it seems, the whole monarchy is an absolute empty theatre, a circus of traditions and ceremonies who has absolutely no relevance for history or country. As it looks, it is pure entertainment for the masses and nothing more. And any attempt for secrecy about what happens behind the castles walls, only further plays into the game of press and public searching for sensations.

Sure, we need democracy and not an acting monarchy. But if a country decides to let the tradition of royalty live on as some kind of show, then there is no need to make it cost billions. One palace, one family line and a few servants would be enough.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

simply bad storytelling

[3/10 · 8 May 2023]

When stories only work because of things that did not work before suddenly do, or time travel or mirror universes or things that or foreign to a franchise are suddenly integrated, then it is simply put because of lazy writers who did not do the real work to make things work with the things and tools and talents that are native to a franchise. Spores who needed months to grow suddenly grow in a day on an entire planet. A drive technology that does not exist 10 years later and was never mentioned in all the future of the federation, saves the federation in a big war that also was never known after. A mirror universe, dont get me started.

The sad thing is, TOS has left hundreds of interesting things of which it would be worth to show their origins. Instead they invented all new stuff that has no place in this universe.

So sad. Lost chance.

A Teacher (2020)

Sadly the main problem is not talked about

[7/10 · 21 February 2023]

Moving actors and filmed with a nice realism. This mini series really touched me.

The beginning of the story is something certainly many people like me can rely to. Having a crush on a teacher, one can only dream of what this young man is experiencing, because for most of us, this stays a fantasy.

Now why I write this critic, is because the series takes a completely unrealistic turn when the two simply accept the invasion of privacy that occurs with the police investigation.

Specially from the view of the young man, he should have publicly denounced who is the real aggressor here, destroying the lives of two people in love, violating specially his rights of privacy.

Of course officials must take a look into such an affair of a teacher and make sure there is no abuse involved. But as soon as it is established that it happens out of mutual consent, they must be obliged to back off. The law does not respect that, and that is the real crime in this story.

The two did not suffer from the affair. They did suffer from being criminalized for being in love.

The story shows very well how both were seeking that affair and enjoying it up to the last minute until police arrived.

Then him playing the victim at the end was completely inadequate and unjust.

Would they have been left alone, and hold their secret until after he left that school, they would not have suffered. And if she lost her marriage, it seems that was about to happen anyways.

They should have gone public together to denounce the destructive and abusive power of the government invading their privacy. This would also have helped her to not get stigmatized as a sexual offender and proven officials wrong with their ruling.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Going into the right direction

[7/10 · 3 February 2023]

Finally we get real Star Trek again. Stories that are more about exploration, logic, and about the people. Character development and science instead of the action and war driven poor stories of all the movies and series since after Enterprise (and some part of later Enterprise).

BUT, it is notable that the screenwriters are not used to write real stories anymore. I suppose the superficial action stuff has dulled them, so they have not good imagination for the little things anymore.

With the result that a lot of the dialogues and conversation ideas, even the jokes in Strange New Worlds are wooden, unnatural, making some of the scenes uncomfortable to watch. Words and phrases no one would really say, interactions that do not belong to those moments.

It also shows that the screenwriters have not much knowledge about Star Trek. Otherwise they would never have portrayed Spock at the beginning like they did. It is so completely wrong as a scene about vulcans, but also the word and phrases, again, are just not how Vulcans ever would talk like.

Also nurse Chapel is extremely annoying with her attitude, she says and does everything with the expression of "hey look I am so cool, I am in Star Trek".

But I am just into half of the first season. The potential is here. The story ideas are good. I suppose the rest will adjust with time, as soon as the writers start to get a better sense about the characters and learn more about natural interactions, then also the jokes should come more natural.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Same old, same old

[5/10 · 23 October 2022]

The stars are for the cool airplanes stuff. And the story is okay. Top Gun Maverick is nice popcorn movie entertainment and they managed to get that asskicking FU fighter spirit out of the box again. Refreshed it a little bit with new tech. Who loved the first one will be pleased with this too.

The big problem is Tom Cruise. He did not have much of an impressing charisma back then (in all his movies I only see a guy trying hard to appear like a cool guy but failing) and he has lost the rest of it since. Many actors of the 80's have aged well and put on more character. Not him. He still looks and acts like a "bubi". But what can you expect from a guy who believes in that scientology crap.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Very good but why is it done?

[9/10 · 19 September 2022]

This is a great Mini-Series. I enjoyed every minute, despite me not playing a lot of chess. I can play but do not know much about it.

BUT, I am asking myself this fundamental question: Why did they do this story about a fictional character?

There do and did exist many masterful female chess players. There are so many real stories out there from people worth to have movies made about their life.

Despite this one being very entertaining, it feels like something otherwise worthless, because it is not real. All this work and care, the wonderful settings, the talented actors and camera handling - it would be so much more valuable as a biopic.

Do You Believe? (2015)

Deeply moving or deeply troubling?

[3/10 · 30 January 2017]

There is nothing wrong about showing how people care about other people. Or how people find their way out of a life of crime or find hope. Sure not. But what this film mainly tries is telling me: if you want to be a good person, you have to believe what we believe. And that's just nonsense. Being a good person has nothing to do with religion and little with believe. Just like that you can show in a movie in the same way how damaging and diabolic it is to believe in god or Jesus or anything, because believers can create a lot of hatred, intolerance, ignorance, abuse, even war – by the way I never heard of nonbelievers starting a war over their non-believe. In fact, trying to force a certain believe on others, like the film does, that's already a sin. Jesus stands for tolerance. This movie is just propaganda for the contrary.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Uninspired and simply untrue

[1/10 · 13 February 2016]

I confess, I was not expecting much from this movie but the many good critics made me curious. I am a visual person and the thinking about seeing someone playing Steve Joby who has no resemblance whatsoever of him really did not excite me.

Now that I saw that movie I must say it really was as bad as I feared. But not for the appearance of Fassbender. The no-Steve-Jobs-looking actor did not hurt as much as I thought. No. It was the story. That mainly everything happens right before some of Jobs most important product presentations. We are always in the back of an auditorium or stage or stage rehearsal and it seems as in Steves live all his relationships or the profound discussions about them happened minutes before his presentations.

It is just ridiculous. It makes the whole movie ridiculous.

Some say they saw bits of the real Steve in Fassbenders acting. Maybe. But then thats all that is real about this flick.

Whiplash (2014)

Unrealistic

[3/10 · 6 February 2015]

I just can not understand how this movie does get so much acclaim. The whole movie is just so unrealistic. I have learned and practiced 2 instruments here in Europe and can only say when I watch how this Shaffer character treats musicians like football players, this would never work. In such an environment any musician would get so tense and so full of fear to fail, he would certainly do exactly that. This is not how musicality and technique is teached. Never. Music is not sports. What Shaffer does may create a robot band that plays precise like a computer. But the music that comes out that way will sound alike. People in music are sensitive. Teaching is a process of mutual understanding, respecting and elevating between teacher and student.

Further, a good drum technique with speed is not achieved by such tensioned convulsion, it needs the right finger and hand control and swing.

The acting is certainly admirable but the cuts are sometimes worse then just distracting.

Man of Steel (2013)

The nose movie

[2/10 · 29 October 2013]

For me, this is the nose movie. I never saw so many ugly noses so pointed out by lights and camera angles, without intention, I mean. Besides this, any moment I expected this Steve-Carell-Superman to do something funny. I suppose it is because of his small jaw. He has the muscles, but the face is just not Superhero material. He certainly looks funny in some of the rare quiet moments. But then he never did do anything funny and that made it some kind of disappointing. Anyway, the effects are well made, but thats about all that I can say about this movie. It is just a big waste of opportunity to tell a story which for once would contain more then just the usual bashing and exploding. It is beyond me why they produce a new take about Superman again and again and each time just do it worse.

Total Recall (I) (2012)

Not worth your time

[2/10 · 7 November 2012]

If you want to see a fun movie, watch the original with Schwarzenegger. The 2012 version is just so full of plot holes, it is disappointing. Also there are so many situations which are just plain unrealistic. Imagine you have 10-20 guys all pointing their weapons directly at you. You are unarmed. And you get out of there and kill them all? And after that, several times you are surrounded by even more enemies with weapons who have free space to shoot directly at you and you always escape. No way!

By the way, someone commented, the only reference to the 1990 movie was the three breasted woman. Thats not true. After that, where Hauser gets past security check, you first see an older fat woman, which is very similar to the costume/mask Hauser uses in the 1990 movie to get past check point.

Cargo (2009)

Good effects, everything else, not so much.

[2/10 · 20 May 2012]

This are very well earned 2 points for special effects. I went very positively into watching this movie in the original German version. Really hoping for a nice experience. It looked promising at the beginning, the illusion was great, the atmosphere just right, but even for me who usually is nothing sensitive about acting quality, the acting in this movie is so wooden, it instantly destroyed the whole picture. It looks like the actors are reading their parts from a screen. It went right downhill from here. I began noticing many props like the lamps, the radios, the very big dog tags etc. who just are ridiculous. And the holes in a generally dumb story.

Taken (2002)

The SciFi I ever wanted

[5 August 2011]

I've been a SciFi fan all my life. Nevertheless I watched many of the effect driven shows, in the end its always the story that is important to me. Good if the effects are credible, but too many shows or movies have nothing really interesting besides the effects. I watch Taken for about the third time now. I really like that it is not just about good guys killing bad aliens. There are not effects all over the place, just where they are needed. The story is kind of like a theory that tries to make a probable explanation for all the abduction and flying saucer stories, crop circles or ancient astronauts we often hear about, a very entertaining way how all the mystery could be connected. And its told by using the history of several generations of three families and the consequences the aliens have on them. Some reviewers wrote to find Taken boring, and I can understand that from the view of someone looking just for action and effects. Taken is so much more then that.

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

First time I like a Jim Carrey Movie

[8/10 · 27 March 2006]

I entered some minutes after the movie began, Dick and Jane were already searching for jobs. My first thought was: Thats a movie about showing the results of the Bush government. Later after knowing what happened with Dick in the beginning I knew it is not directly this reason, but well, maybe it is nevertheless. However, It is the first time I liked a movie with Jim Carrey. I don't know the original, but it's FUN. (At least if you do not stay in that situation yourself or someone you know...). Of course there is a morality problem with the movie, it shows robbery that does not result in negative consequences, they steal money and do not go into prison, they have a bad life until they get criminals and everything is going better – thats not a good message.