macdaddy3598 Reviews

The Menu (2022)

Great movie, weird genre

[10/10 · 27 February 2024]

I have watched the film a couple times and really enjoy it. It's ominous and pointedly regarding the food service culture. People are generally awful to service workers, which isn't a new concept, but it's well done being represented in the movie.

I only take issue with the genre. I'm not sure who decides if it's a horror or comedy, but I don't think it's either. Even calling it satire is a longshot because the message and direction on screen isn't tongue in cheek.

I would recommend seeing this movie as strictly a thriller. Sure there are parts of dark humor, but it's not overarching to be its genre. And there are parts of horror, but they are quick and fleeting, they shock and build on the plot. Horror fans would yawn.

Most of the first act you'll try to figure out the mystery and the second act you'll see the outcome once it's revealed. It's a fun, tasty ride with solid character development as more guests are exposed for who they are.

Closed for Storm (2020)

Interesting concept but...

[4/10 · 29 April 2022]

This was a very slow burn. The backstory bits were tedious. I don't care that some kid liked the rides, instead I wanted to see more information on the economic impact coupled with what happened in the board rooms. There's a deeper dive that this documentary doesn't touch because it feels too juvenile to ask the big questions.

Wipeout (2021– )

Funny commentary and fast action

[10/10 · 31 December 2021]

I've never seen the original Wipeout which may be why I like this more than the negative reviewers. But that seems to be a good thing because I'm judging the show with fresh eyes and not comparing.

The hosts are great, the chemistry works and the jokes flow. Clearly a lot is added in post edit, but that adds to the rapid hit pace of comments.

The sets are very cool and beat up the contestants to a brutal degree. It's never stale with short backstories and lots of action.

Worth a watch, especially for John Cena fans.

Awake (III) (2021)

Great, conceptually

[7/10 · 10 June 2021]

Littered with unnecessary subplots brought down what could have been a strong movie throughout.

The lead character being a recovering addict and drug dealer added nothing to the conversation. The writers would have done better by making her just an average person. The subplot of a psychiatrist sleep expert was lazy writing since it added nothing to the story. They needed to "study" those who couldn't sleep by strapping them down and taking endless blood samples? Seems pretty thin. The story could have progressed without any of the military and medical nonsense - it really added nothing.

Despite missing a plot entirely, the pacing was good and the intensity of the situation grew throughout. The encounters with others slipping into sleepless madness deserves the higher rating. The overtired confusion added to the ominous tone of the film.

Lastly, the movie ended in a way many thrillers do, a tacked on homecoming for the lead characters. I really think Hollywood needs a Masterclass in ending stories. It's okay to let lead characters die, especially in this case where the mother clearly already had severe brain trauma. The film would have been better served with the balance of humanity eventually finding one another and starting a new world. Maybe budget didn't condone, or maybe the obvious wasn't considered.

7.0/10 sheerly tor thrill of the journey.

Debris (2021)

Walking into the middle of a conversation

[4/10 · 3 March 2021]

The pilot episode is 3 years later with criminal money deals, terrorists, falling housekeepers, agents of unknown entities with guns drawn, solving world hunger with space shards, floating people, manifested children, a shady agent, teleporting bad guys, a Monsters Inc-esk recovery team and grief therapy... all within 42 minutes.

The show throws you in akin to joining someone else's conversation mid-sentence. There's zero character development so caring about the stiff actors portraying the 'good guys' gets lost in the Debris.

None of this captured my attention after being drawn in by previews of space debris with antimatter properties. After watching the pilot, the story of the debris itself is also in question, and not in a 'I'll watch more to find out' way.

Naked and Afraid (2013– )

I couldn't last 21 minutes, of the show

[1/10 · 31 January 2021]

There is zero peril.

There is a producer, 2 camera operators and a sound boom operator following these contestants around. And those are the obvious crew members.

The contestants are never in danger yet they act like it constantly. For example: A girl throwing up 4 hours into day 1 because of heat exhaustion while a guy who covered himself in mud is fine. Such an insult to the viewers' intelligence..

Nothing about this program is unpredictable and it's clearly formulated and staged. I wouldn't recommend this show even if it's the only thing on tv.

San Andreas (2015)

The action is fun, but the story is awful

[5/10 · 24 January 2021]

As a disaster movie it stands tall on bodycount by essentially wiping out all of California's coast. The spectacle along the way is a CGI cornucopia, but that's where the awe begins and ends.

I love The Rock. Funny, strong and charismatic. He's the true action hero but this movie turns him into a transportation expert who mansplains his way through commitments of grand theft auto.

As the destruction unfolds, and an earthquake scientist (a wasted opportunity of Paul Giamatti) holds a Q&A while government leaders are nowhere to be found, The Rock (Ray) takes his county issued Search and Rescue helicopter on a recon mission to save his freshly ex-wife. Take a minute to process the absurdity of this trained medic flying over millions of people dying in buildings and on the streets to save his ex without as much as wondering if, maybe, the search and rescue team could possibly use the chopper he's joyriding with.

Of course the razor thin plot has their daughter in peril 380 miles away. She reports that mom's new boyfriend abandoned her when in fact only the audience knew that he walked off after being shellshocked while trying to get her help. Mom calls his cell (from the stolen chopper) and wishes death upon him. Little morbid when you realize the real story.

So dad flys the helicopter toward San Francisco, but of course the rotor fails. Instead of setting it down in and unpopulated area - like I dunno, the ocean? - he crash lands into a crowded store increasing the bodycount via collateral damage. The looters don't seem to care there's a helicopter in middle of Walmart leaking fuel as the anti hero dad and mom steal a previously stolen truck. The lazy writing helps people beyond the ethics question because, it's fine, it was already stolen.

Meanwhile the daughter and her newly minted boyfriend of 30 minutes are on a mission to high ground. She knows everything about first aid and fire truck equipment, "my dad is with search and rescue" she claims. Well she passes thousands of desperate people running in the streets waving their arms. Clearly her dad's selfishness was also inherited.

The daughter (Alexander Daddario) spends the duration of the movie breathless. After the action begins she can't belt out a single mindless line without breathing heavy. This occurs even as she stands still to share her incredible knowledge of what to do in this emergency, to two people.

Back to dad and mom, well, they they've just stolen a plane. For a trained medic watching the world literally burn 5000 feet below is fine as long as you go find your daughter in the chaos of millions dying. So, The Rock makes it to San Francisco and realizes he can't conveniently land a plane, so time to skydive! The plane goes on magic autopilot as the two leap from the side door with no concern of where the plane will crash and how many more people he will literally kill.

The daughter and her soulmate of 1 hour find a tall building to escape the tsunami as dad steals a boat, passing thousands of dead floating bodies (not shown but would be true) to save the girl.

Part fish, The Rock rescues her underwater and saves her and the love of her life, and his little brother.

Now our heroes get to higher ground, where oddly, only about 100 survivors made it to, as he hugs his estranged wife and Mensa member daughter proclaiming they'll simply 'rebuild' as the entire 2000 mile coastline is annihilated.

5 for the spectacular destruction 0 for the story

The lazy writers should be ashamed of themselves.

Greenland (2020)

A story of human nature, and a comet

[10/10 · 28 December 2020]

This movie covered a lot of bases that typical disaster films do not... human nature. From jealous neighbors, to horrible people looting, stealing, kidnapping and brutally fighting; all for self preservation. It was too real.

The science was accurate which made the disaster part of the movie enjoyable. No crazy leaps of faith like shooting at the comet of sending Bruce Willis into space.

The cast was likable and it was easy to get invested in their well being. There were many bad decisions that you can see coming but it made sense. In the face of peril people aren't rational, and it's easy for the audience to second guess such decisions, which adds to the drama.

The movie overall is intense and heartbreaking - which is life.

Tenet (2020)

Loved it but had to overcome the audio issue

[10/10 · 16 December 2020]

I agree with many viewers about the audio. Using an IMAX 7.1 mix I still needed to turn up the center channel to hear the actors well. After bringing it up it was clear and made the movie.

The plot is deep and interesting. Nolan does well tying up loose ends and not insult the audience's intelligence. There are a couple 'Ah-Ha' moments that are done quite well, but it is a film you have to pay close attention to. Following the protagonist and his point of view was done well.

As with Nolan films it's long, but it doesn't feel long. Like Interstellar you're introduced slowly then the action blows you away. Definitely a great film even in spite of the chaotic audio mix.

War of the Worlds (2019– )

Strong start then fell flat

[4/10 · 9 April 2020]

There were a lot of missed opportunities in the series. Maybe it was the cinematography or just overall timing, but it didn't feel risky enough given the situations. The attempted jump-scares were poorly executed and predictable due to lack of situational intensity. The scenes involving children, for example, should have been gut wrenching but struggled to to keep the audience emotionally invested. For what it is, it's simply an ok series.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2020– )

Lacks charisma and flow

[3/10 · 24 February 2020]

The segments seem forced and the flow of story feels stagnant. The formula for the original Extreme Makeover Home Edition was heartfelt and exciting, albeit predictable, yet this has none of charm of its predecessor.

This installment, so far, feels like the volunteers are around simply to function as a screaming, cheering studio audience while the contractor du jour erects the prefabricated building in the background. No a speck of sawdust on any of them.

As a fan of the original, I wish I enjoyed this more, but it is a missed opportunity.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

'Cause I think we've seen that movie too

[6/10 · 8 November 2019]

Terminator 1 and 2 were dark and gritty. Even T3 had a constant underlying terror, but this installment fell flat on emotion.

The new characters are hard to cheer for due to the same story with a new future that looked like the old future with a different name.

A Christmas Story Live! (2017 TV Movie)

True to form and fun

[9/10 · 18 December 2017]

To the strange, negative reviewers - this isn't a remake of A Christmas Story movie. This is true and accurate to the Broadway musical A Christmas Story. Many of the comments are obviously people who have never seen a live theater show.

Live shows aren't everyone's cup of tea (clearly) but this rendition was well produced, with excellent choreography and top notch acting. Remember, being live means every actor must remember nearly 2 hours of dialog, dance moves, positions on the multiple stages - and absolutely critical production and camera placement.

The cast is very good and well suited for live theater. The show is well done and I'm looking forward to watching it again.

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Muppets lost some charm

[7/10 · 22 March 2014]

I hate to give the Muppets anything less than a 10, I really do. I'm an enormous Muppets fan, but this movie disappointed on a couple counts.

First, they started using CGI - A lot.

The charm of the Muppets is that... well, they are puppets. That somehow got lost in translation in this movie when some scenes included full bodies of dancing and walking Muppets. In the past movies, Muppets were shown full-bodied only as stop-action; but the CGI thing just takes the fun and mystery out of it.

Another negative is over-saturation of the Muppets. They are everywhere now, from car commercials to my lunch at Subway. Disney is milking the franchise to death, sadly, so the movie doesn't have that special pop.

All that said, the movie starts with a bang. It's a hilarious transition from the last film, though the absence of Jason Segal is quickly noticed. A cameo may have done justice there.

Overall, the movie is fun; though the writing didn't get a lot of laugh- out-loud moments like their other films. The evil Kermit concept was well executed and the human actors were excellent in their roles. A few good songs, but nothing I'd commit to memory to sing on a road trip.

It's worth a watch for every Muppet fan, and overall a strong 7 out of 10.

You Again (2010)

What happened?

[4/10 · 3 January 2012]

The opening of this movie had me glued. I thought the situations and set up were a brilliant, real premise that could turn into a meaningful climax. The casting was well done and nemesi well matched. After that, sadly, I was extremely disappointed.

*spoiler below* Joanne was very believable as a bully and it was clear that Marni put up with a lot in high school through terrific flashbacks. Unfortunately the monster that was Joanne, despite the rushed breakdowns and silly cat fights, led to a poorly acted apology that healed all Hollywood wounds.

And that was this movie's breaking point... I didn't believe Joanne's apology was sincere, as part of the audience. That rushed, false ending lost me as a fan of this movie. I understand that it was never intended to be a drama, but why play out the fairy tale ending and insult the viewers like that? An ex girlfriend coming back to be swept away in a spontaneous wedding as the bully gets kicked to the curb would have been far more satisfying... And not so grossly sticky sweet.

But the morale of the story is that all is forgiven... Except the waste of the last 30 minutes this film took from me.