johnnyjeremymusic-56956 Reviews

The French Dispatch (2021)

We can only hope Wes Anderson's infatuation with John Irving is finally coming to an end.

[3/10 · 9 May 2022]

Wes Anderson has built a career off producing parodies of John Irving's style. He has been a competent raconteur whose stories - which are heavily indebted to the work of John Irving - still had the substance of strong characters and stories underneath the Irving aesthetic.

There is very little going on in this film apart from the craft of cinematography, set design, costume design, and all of the other production elements which make Wes Anderson films what they are. The major thing that is missing is... the story. This story is just terrible. John Irving is still alive as of this writing. If Wes Anderson takes on the task of making another film only to find he forgot he did not have a real story to tell, perhaps he could try giving John Irving a call and get some advice from him.

Steve Marriott's Packet of Three - Live from London (1985 Video)

A rare document that is most welcome

[9/10 · 13 April 2022]

Although not Humble Pie or the Small Faces, Steve Marriott is in fine form here and this live performance holds up very well. For some strange reason live documents of Steve Marriott are hard to find. Since there are so few Humble Pie live videos of good quality, this 1985 film is most welcome.

Thanks to quello concerts and Amazon prime for carrying this film.

True Story (III) (2021)

Worth a watch for Snipes fans. Story falls apart in second act.

[6/10 · 31 December 2021]

It's good to see Snipes get a lot of character action. Having said that, the story has some serious issues. Why are the Greeks insisting that Snipes come along with them to find their brother? Answer, so the story can happen. It is never fully explained why the Greeks insist on having Snipes tag along. What motive do the Greeks have for suspecting Snipes or anyone associated with Snipes especially in light of the fact that he got the Greeks' debt paid in full and no absolutely nothing about the nature of their brothers' relationship with Snipes and Hart. After the money is paid there is no legitimate rationale for Snipes or the Greeks to be involved with each other whatsoever. This key element is a major flaw in the story.

Also,

Why does Snipes' character give the dead Greeks' watch to Gene knowing full well that it can be traced back to him, especially since the Greeks insist on having him tag along with them all the time? In fact, it strains at credulity at this point to believe such a reckless gambit would work. The final insult is when Gene takes the fall for Snipes and "confesses" to a murder he didn't do.

Please, you gotta do better on the story. It's like the writers gave up at the end and just wanted to wrap it up with little effort.

The File of the Golden Goose (1969)

Yul Brynner salvages another one

[6/10 · 24 December 2021]

I think it is safe to say that if Yul Brynner is able to pull off a role in your film, it doesn't matter how weak the story, script, or anything else is... Brynner seems to make anything more entertaining.

A Ghost Story (2017)

A deep film for shallow uneducated people

[3/10 · 6 November 2021]

There seems to be a war between the people who like this film and "get it" as opposed to the hayseed rubes who would rather watch Transformers and don't get it.

I'm going to lob my rhetorical grenade from the side of the hayseed rube. This is a deep film for shallow uneducated people. Folks who have an emotional reaction to this film may realize that something is missing in their lives. Congratulations, you are now on a journey to move past milquetoast... or perhaps humble pie of this film, into more transcendental fare.

Now, concerning the film - I think if you stick with it, there's a payoff in here. It just isn't worth the time for most people - so fair warning.

I watched it because I kind of have a thing for Rooney Mara - not everything has to be deep.

The Harder They Fall (2021)

A Hard Film To Follow

[4/10 · 5 November 2021]

What are we watching here? A waste of a talented cast on a lousy screenplay. At some point the producers should've hired another screenwriter to sort this mess out.

There are no real characters in this film. Outside of Nat Love's motivation, every character's motivation comes off as either NPC or schizophrenic. That's fine if we're trying to go for a bad Italian western vibe ala Belle Star Story or Adios Sabata. But the hype around this film, and some of the ridiculous commentary on this site tells us that there are some who want this film to be more important than what it really is. This isn't even a passable story. It comes off as an exercise to give some actors and a film crew a job.

Others have pointed out the bizarre use of music in the film. Yes, it is cringe for sure. It just doesn't work. I had to do all I could to continue to watch the film during the parts where the sing a longs occurred. There is absolutely no joy and no reason to sing. The characters in this film are too one dimensional to believably pass themselves off as having any desire other than murder.

I am told that there is some sort of high minded social commentary to this film. The only social commentary I can find is a prideful overcompensation for an unknown history. Instead of taking the time to learn about people, their motivations, judgment, and the nuance of their character, and then writing and developing characters with a story to tell - the producers and writers here have just projected the nihilism of the 21st century on unknown ancestors who are so far removed from their experience that if they had the humility to search and find a real story, it would shock their minds. The project is laudable, but beyond the talents of the writers and producers who headed this project up.

Having said all this, I admit I watched this mainly because I'm an Idris Elba fan... but after Cats, Suicide Squad, Concrete Cowboy, and now this I am seriously considering to question Elba's judgment. Perhaps its just a paycheck or just a way to help some brothers and sisters out... but damn man, demand better quality for the artsy stuff ok? This story is a disaster.

The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Bizzare story set up is never completely out of mind

[6/10 · 26 September 2021]

OK fine, just enjoy it. A bunch of limeys stranded on an island have only one hope. A fleet of ships which are being sent to save them. Only thing is that there are two large caliber guns waiting for them. What to do? Send a bunch of old guys in there to blow them up. Yet, the commander's who have concocted this scheme have no faith that it will work from the outset. But what the hell? Just throw a fleet of ships out there anyway and hope for the impossible to happen. This all is all spelled out in the first five minutes. I can tell you, if Eisenhower, Montgomery, or any other general had ever caught wind of this plot, the planners would either be busted down to private, court martialed, or investigated for treason.

Damage (1992)

One of the most absurd films I've ever seen.

[5/10 · 20 April 2021]

This film had me laughing out loud within the first 15 minutes. The scant character development and marginal pretense for risking everything and jumping in the sack is some of the most laughable sequences of scenes I have ever seen. But I suppose if we spent too much time on the details at the beginning we would take a lot of time getting to the end of the film.

The fatal flaws in the script doom this film throughout. Such as you begin badly, you cannot hope but to end badly.

I give it a five stars. The sheer audacity to commit this script to film and somehow convince other people that this is "emotionally captivating" and a "masterpiece of unbridled passion" is a feat few film producers can do.

Rainbow: Japan Tour (1984 Video)

One of Two Great Documents for the Turner/Blackmore Collaboration

[10/10 · 30 December 2020]

If you're a Rainbow fan you know what you're getting. A flat out monster performance with high energy. A production company should find the source film and do a re-release of this document. I don't think it has ever been released in NTSC zones.

Ordinary People (1980)

A made for TV movie hits the big time

[5/10 · 25 September 2020]

It's not a bad film. It's done well. But it is absurd to accept that this film won as many awards as it did based on its merits. This is television fare. A good TV style film. To have such high expectations going in only to discover that you have spent two hours watching a television film with marquee talent hurts what otherwise is an above average film for the small screen.

Furthermore, are we expected to believe that there are people out there who watch this film more than once? It would be hard to believe that one would buy this film to have in their home.

Too Old to Die Young (2019)

Fans of Leone, Peckinpah, and Kenneth Anger will love this film

[8/10 · 4 September 2019]

With this work Refn has taken his place along with the greats. He's had a good run of films each one building on the last. But with this series has perfected his style.

The long form of this series, and the appearant freedom to make this on his own terms work very well.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

It's hard to care about this film

[4/10 · 11 June 2018]

This film begins with a good premise. In the past a filmmaker like Billy Wilder or an actor like Gary Cooper or Lee Remick could make us care about this film. A good writer would also be able to flesh out the details a bit better, but the premise is a good one.

And yet, on screen It is hard not to think that I'm looking at flakey people I meet at a trendy downtown bar who listen to trendy music and drink trendy beer. You know, arrested development types who squander the life force of themselves and others; who have no capacity for self-awareness, who only exist.

I just didn't see any depth, any character, any conviction which could suspend my disbelief long enough. The style of this film offered nothing other than a showcase for cinematography; and even there the trendy soundtrack and lighting made the entire effort appear to be nothing more than self-indulgence. It was as though the filmmakers made this for the sole purpose of being able to tell their friends, "hey look at what I did" - and the cinematography is its best quality!

The soundtrack, the story, and most importantly the monologues are hollow efforts; self-indulgence writ large.

The monologues, mercy the monologues! There's no acting in this film. It's a solipsistic exercise. A series of monologues which keep the film plodding from one scene to another. This is a film nihilists put out who cannot fake their lack of empathy even for their own writing and their own characters.

The stars are only given for the technical effort. This is a soulless film.

X, Y & Zee (1972)

Part 3 in the Trilogy!

[7/10 · 19 March 2018]

Elizabeth Taylor's bitch character is so captivating, enthralling, and compelling that I felt compelled to do my part in making it known that this film, along with Reflections in a Golden Eye, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, illustrate a kind of woman who rarely gets her due in Hollywood film making. These three films are fantastic vehicles which capture, what I view as, an underappreciated angle of the feminine soul.

There's an intangible and honest quality to Elizabeth Taylor's character that is rarely captured by any actress. The character she plays in these three films make for great entertainment, storytelling, and are true to core sensual feminine qualities.

Off the top of my head, outside of Gone Girl and the Wicked Lady; there are too few archetypal female characters of this kind who exude this exclusively unique feminine character. It is an interesting archetype. An archetype which many of us have met, known, and had relationships with. They should have more stories written about them.