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Reviews
Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito (2023)
Amusing anime
This is an amusing anime about a young man who reincarnated into another world as Cain after dying while doing a good but pointless deed. As a kind of reward for his good deed his new home resembles a fantasy place of swords and magic with beings such as elves and orcs. A place this young man dreamed of. Because the gods running this world want him to defeat a god of evil Cain they made him absurdly overpowered. He also ascends through the ranks of nobility and attracts girls at an insane pace. In fact, his whole new world seems a lot like a well meaning imaginative insecure young man's power fantasy if you ask me and likely there was no reincarnation at all. It would explain basically everything. Also, there is some sloppy CGI and whoever came up with names seems to have picked them at random. I am giving this show a much higher score than it deserves for being highly entertaining imho.
The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)
First, a little about the first movie:
Years ago, I really wanted to see the original movie because it had a cute fox as the protagonist. It took a while before I could get a copy and finally got to watch it. And I really liked it. It has some adorable scenes in the first part and also told its story in a relatively mature manner for a Disney movie about a cute fox with some pretty emotionally intense moments. However, after watching it a second time, the movie felt oddly uneven in tone. (Because it was an adaptation of a much darker novel which the original movie's writers had trouble making into a suitable movie for the whole family, especially children).
This movie, however, takes the original movie's initial setup where Tod is still a cub and friends with Copper and mostly ignores the original story where the two grow up and apart from each other. I could make the argument this movie is an unnecessary midquel interfering with the arguably better original's story. Being a fan of the original, I pretended this movie didn't exist at first, although I was mildly interested in seeing more about Tod. After finally watching it anyway while accepting the changes to the original's timeline, I have to say it's quite a fun movie. The original story is more mature. It's also more depressing for what is supposed to be a movie mainly for kids. At least this one doesn't suffer from side characters that don't fit or a dog unrealistically surviving being hit by a train and falling into a ravine, to name a few changes for the better. This one has a far more even tone, and dare I say it? The characters were far more expressive during the entire movie. Sure the original had beautiful animation, this one has a slightly sleeker, more modern look and benefits from it by allowing for a lot of different poses and expressions. There are scenes that take the original's fast-paced antics, such as Tod being chased and shot at to a whole new level of fast-paced slap stick. Also, there are a lot more funny things going on in the background and in between the main story events. In short, it's a cute, funny, lighthearted movie about friendship.
Forgetting the changes made to the original timeline and allowing this movie to expand upon the setting and characters, I give this an 8/10.
PS:
I noticed a few think this movie was unneeded. I disagree. XP.
Brightburn (2019)
Once it gets going it's pretty good
This movie is a little slow to get started to get going, but once it does you're in for a pretty intense thrill ride of increasingly worse things happening. Knowing this movie would be about an "evil version" of Superman I had a rough idea of where the story would go. Once I saw things were getting progressively worse and half-remembering some review I was curious to see whether or not they were going to show the end of humanity. I am kind of surprised and disappointed they didn't show but merely strongly suggested it. I mean, if you want to go as horrifyingly bleak as possible and given how explicit earlier scenes were, then why not go all the way and show it outright? Show the "evil Superman" blow up the world or something. Still this was shockingly bleak in a twisted entertaining kind of way. Oh, and just to clear things up, the bad guy isn't an outright carbon copy of Superman just made evil. However like Superman he does crash land on earth in a space ship while still a baby and gets adopted. At first he looks and acts like a normal boy. Until his powers slowly reveal themselves. Except unlike Superman he's cold and brutal. Instead of starting to save people he starts killing them. And it just gets worse from there. Also, I believe they were trying to insert religious symbology (Jesus/Satan) but I don't know enough about those things to fully get the references. It seemed like background stuff not really important to the story. 8/10. Could have been higher if they had the guts to show humanity being destroyed outright.
PS:
1. I watched this after trying to watch the Exorcist which I believe has vaguely similar story elements. Unlike that movie this certainly didn't bore me to death.
2. The boy does have a weakness in the form of a substance making up the hull of the ship he arrived in. However, only his mother realizes this but is killed before she can stop him from wreaking havoc.
3. It is interesting to note the onset of the boy's powers and revelation of his evil nature reveal themselves just at the onset of puberty.
The Exorcist (1973)
Don't bother watching.
I don't care how shocking this movie was back then, nor do I care whether it tells a story or not. Once you've gotten used to the faster pace and flashier style of new movies what appears on screen will feel so slow and underwhelming you will be bored to death in a few minutes if you expect something stimulating. Other people who might yet have the patience to sit through this might like it better though. Don't misunderstand me here, I have seen and enjoyed a lot of movies that would be considered old now or even 30 years ago. What is different about this one? For me an old movie had better have something truly novel to offer these days otherwise I'd rather watch a new one telling essentially the same story.
The Mask (1994)
A little immature but entertaining
When I first saw this movie as a teenager in the cinema I thought it was awesome. However when I saw it again years later on tv it felt a bit flat and immature. That's not to say I don't think at least parts of it aren't entertaining. The movie appears to be little unsure of what it wants to be, a crime drama or a comic book movie. This makes it too dark for young children and too silly to be really interesting for adults. The titular Mask's crazy antics are funny, but the whole idea of an artifact turning people into nearly invincible cartoonish super heroes requires a huge suspension of disbelief. As I later found out this movie is based on a series of exceedingly violent comic books. Having to tone down the violence to make the story fit for a movie which wouldn't upset the majority of its audience probably helps explain the issue of the movie being a bit childish while still unsuitable for young children. Apparently more child friendly comics were released after this movie and a cartoon. Before I forget, the acting overall is pretty good and the special effects are still decent despite being over 25 years old by now. 7/10.
Nothing But Trouble (1991)
Misunderstood genius or failure?
When I first saw this movie, I was utterly fascinated by it. I still am fascinated by the ancient decrepit mansion, the surrounding junkyard, dilapidated landscape where most of the action takes place and the oddball characters inhabiting these places. The local judge and his mutant baby-like grandsons may be off-putting to many but, to me, they are both hilarious and fascinating because I can't help but wonder how they got to be as bizarre as shown. There is a partial backstory about how the area got exploited by a mining company, but there is much room for interpretation. So if you can get past the off-putting nature of these characters and areas and be fascinated by them and their background, then why might this movie be a failure? It obviously didn't do well upon release and has only recently been gathering a cult following. I think its biggest flaw is the overall story structure which admittedly is a bit disjointed and while there's a partial explanation of why the area and its inhabitants are the way depicted, the way the protagonists end up there and are forced to stay isn't really explained well. It kind of sort of happens. It is the same thing with a musical number which, while amusing, appears to come out of nowhere. The twist at the end of the movie where it turns out at least the entire state's police force is participating with the local judge's insane way of doing things is huge, but feels like a random thing quickly added on to pad things out. Comedy or not, the uneven way various story elements are handled makes for an entertaining and yet frustrating viewing experience. If you can overlook this flaw and just go with the insanity, you will like this. Otherwise, you're better off finding another better told horror comedy. Overlooking this flaw, I will give it a 9/10 for being hilariously bizarre and fascinating.
Gekijouban Made in Abyss: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei (2020)
Pretty amazing but also long and complex
I loved the first season of Made in Abyss and couldn't wait to see how the story would continue. While this movie does continue the story and provides some spectacular scenes and the kind of horrifying emotionally intense events, I have come to expect in an even more explicit manner than seen before it felt longwinded with an iffy pay off for it all. What do I mean by iffy pay off? It ends on the story's protagonists succeeding on continuing their adventure after a series of struggles leaving you to wait for the next season. For a stand-alone movie this would be unacceptable, but even knowing it's a part of a larger whole it is frustrating to have to wait for the rest of the story after being so invested in it. This also means anyone watching without having seen the first season of Made in Abyss wouldn't have a clue as to what exactly is going on. Personally having seen the events leading up to this particular story and now watching the follow up I can say this movie was amazing. However, anyone unprepared for the bizarre and horrific especially without all the background information is probably going to be in for a confusing and unsettling ride. While the movie's story ends on a relatively positive note, it's clear the struggles are far from over and opponents might yet make another appearance. 8/10.
Made in Abyss (2017)
Far deeper and more horrifying than it looks at first glance.
This seemingly innocent and cute looking anime looks like an ordinary adventure story about a child protagonist and her friends setting of on an adventure as seen in many other cartoons. It got my attention for being relatively modern (this from someone used to 80's cartoons) but cute. I am not sure what I expected going into this anime but certainly not the way it can switch from being a cute adventure cartoon to being downright horrifying and depressing. To me most other shows trying to deal with difficult subject matter come across as an endless succession of forced drama with no breathing room in between to lighten up the mood every now and then. Other cartoons are nothing but superficially cute and very rarely show anything truly dramatic. Made in Abyss can also show the downright bizarre without being seemingly bizarre all the time just for sake of it. In short, it takes the cute, adventure, horrifying and bizarre and manages the alternate between them while weaving an interesting and coherent story at the same time. While the show and the manga it is based on leave many questions unanswered (at least at this moment) it does a good job of telling its story and building up its world. You will have to be prepared to watch the show from the start and perhaps also read the manga because if you don't and try to just jump into the show you will have a lot more trouble understanding what is going on as the setting is pretty detailed and complex. As mentioned there are some disturbing scenes, some of which rather gory. However, what is perhaps even more disturbing is the questionable morality of actions taken by certain characters varying from reckless to downright cold and cruel. To complicate matters, even the cruelest actions depicted are not entirely out of just pure evil, which makes it impossible to dismiss characters as plain evil. Furthermore, the protagonists sometimes display a recklessness and indecisiveness making it hard to fully root for them too considering the insanely dangerous situation they willingly and knowingly got themselves into. I am giving the first season of Made in Abyss an 8 out of 10.
Flodder (1986)
Hilarious culture clash
This is a hilarious and highly rewatchable movie about a lower class family of social misfits and petty criminals clashing with the residents of the upper class neighborhood they're forced to relocate to. Why are they forced to move? Apparently their old apartment in some awful neighborhood was on top of a toxic waste dump and the only home available was an upper class villa. While the Flodder family is quite happy with their new home the other snobby residents are not happy. This is partially out of prejudice and partially justified as the newcomers do start causing trouble resulting in escalating incidents where one provokes another. There are a few mild sexually tinged scenes some might object to and of course there is some questionable stuff such as Ma Flodder making booze in her cellar. This movie isn't based on any book that I know of and it is pretty absurd in how extreme the actions taken by characters are. A drunken colonel stealing a tank from a military base and wreaking havoc before blowing up the Flodder's family house with it has to be the one that takes the cake. Just to be clear, no one dies except for one character and any injuries are mostly played for laughs. 10/10.
PS:
The movie also contains halarious scenes of an inept social worker becoming the victim of his own failures to get to the Flodders adjusted to their new neighborhood. Even funnier is perhaps the fact that before the insane colonel appears in his tank the Flodders verry nearly succeed befriending their new neighbors during a rather wild party.
The Butcher Boy (1997)
Bleak but hilariously presented tragedy
This is one of those movies I have watched a few times over, it's that entertaining. The movie has a very likeable soundtrack and pretty amazing acting from the child actors. The hilarious presentation almost makes you forget however how awful the events are, these are abuse by an alcoholic father, a manic depressed mother going to the mental hospital and committing suicide later on, and a few more those kinds of tragedies. The protagonist Francie Bradie does get his act together at the end, but not after having been locked up for a good while and only being released when well into adulthood. Even then it's clear he has got a way to go before he's really gotten better. One of the things that may make this movie hard to follow are the thick Irish accents and the abrupt jumps into the main character's hallucinations can be disorienting. This movie is based on a book, I never read it though. One interesting thing that you might miss while watching is the Cold War stuff going on in the background, yes this movie is set during the early 60's and while it isn't outright mentioned you can tell the Cuban Mississile crisis is indirectly being referred to. Is this really relevant to the story? Not really I guess, but does help explain events such as an entire town gathering to await the Virgin Marry making an appearance. Those town's people might all be deeply devout Roman Catholics, but unless you know they're worried the world might be coming to an end and why, this whole town gathering scene will appear a little odd. It also helps explain why a man is inside a well and boarding it up while worried about "commies" appearing. This movie gets a 10/10/
De helaasheid der dingen (2009)
De Helaasheid der Dingen is even better on a second watch
Years ago I went all the way to a small cinema at a fair distance from home just to see this movie and while I thought it was depressing I also thought it was fascinating. Today I rented it on a streaming service and enjoyed it even more than back then. If you can handle stuff such as nudity, explicit sex, vomit, urination, eating questionable food, and excessive drinking this movie shouldn't be too offensive or off putting. None of the those things is over the top but the depiction is brutally honest in its bleak realism. If you can't handle that, you might want to stay away from this movie. While depressing things such as one man drinking himself to death, another relapsing into alcoholism and another causing a traffic accident while drunk do happen, there are also positive things in the story. These are things such as one of the men's son being able to live a better life as an adult than his father or other family members despite the pretty awful conditions during his youth. One of the last scenes is of him teaching his young son to ride a bicycle without training wheels. It's one of those litlle things indicating his future is brighter than before. Apparently this movie is based on a book and at the very least has actual elements from the author's youth. I have never read it but it might be worth checking out. As a dutchman I had little trouble understanding the Flemish (there's a debate about whether it's an actual language or a dialect of dutch), but if you aren't dutch or have trouble with heavy regional accents you definitely will want to watch this with subtitles. Originally I gave this a 7 out 10, but I think 9 out 10 is fairer.
PS:
Some of the things that happen are so outrageous they're bound to get a laugh despite the harsh subject matter.
Eye for an Eye (1996)
A decent thriller
What can I say about this movie? It's a decent thriller but nothing spectaculair. While it didn't bother me personally, in fact thought it was kind of amusing, I should point out some parts of the movie have dated a little. Fortunately it's mostly background stuff that's not relevant to the story. Also, some of the scenes are pretty emotionally intense and characters make morally questionable choices. There's some mild gore but nothing that bothered me personally. It was satisfying to see the rather creepy villain get what he deserved. Do I recommend this movie? Not really, if you want to see a story like this you're better watching a more modern movie. I give it a 7 out 10.
The Kingdom Chums: Little David's Adventure (1986)
Watched this one bored morning
Where do I begin? This has to be one of the most bizarre and saccharine 80's cartoons I have ever seen. Comparisons to the Care Bears are pretty much justified. The human characters are fogettable and most other characters are bizzare animal interpretations of Bible characters fighting against stereotypical stock villains. A few positive notes: the special is silly but harmless, two songs are actually pretty good if you can get past the saccharine moralizing and as much as I don't want to admit this, I would be lying if I didn't think Little David's design was kind of cute. Also one can't ignore the well intended message of the story no matter how clumsily presented. Also, while I thought almost every animated character's design to be weird, the landscapes presented during the "child of god" song looked pretty good. Too bad the animals (especially their faces) looked weird. Before I forget, the voice acting is decent, my one gripe is the jarring contrast with David's speaking and singing voice. This could have been a better than just oddly "meh" special if things had been thought out better.
He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (1985)
Amusing if you're into 80's cartoons
Having grown up during the 80's as a classic He-Man fan, and also a fan of the more modern He-Man on NetFlix I simply can't help but have a soft spot for what most younger and more modern viewers will dismiss as a lame outdated marketing ploy. Is it such? I guess so if you're a cynic. A few random thoughts: It's amusing to see Skeletor act as an Ebenezer Scrooge stand-in and to see him do some good under the influence of the Christmas spirit. Also, if you're going to watch this be prepared for what I thought what was a rather saccharine but thankfully short song.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Started out mediocre, but ended on a relatable note
Okay, the first three quarters of this movie were just average vaguely entertaining modern cgi kids stuff with a lot of amusing but throw-away pop-culture references. I was nearly convinced Emett was going to turn out to be a wannabe hero and the villain was just a card-board cartoon. Being an adult who has ownded Lego for nearly as long as he can remember the few things keeping me watching was the fact I recognized certain sets and themes. Were it not for the fact that the whole story turned out to be about a Lego collecting adult with slightly controlling tendencies having to come to terms with a child's creativity being relatable to me personally on a certain level I would have written this movie off as a mediocre near failure. The fact it actually managed to touch me means I give a high average score. 8/10.
In short: an entertaining movie for anyone who likes Lego's with a somewhat hidden layer about rules vs creativity making it much less shallow and broader than it looks at first glance.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
A mixed bag
This movie is a basic but okay story about the Grinch learning to let go of his childhood trauma, that is not fitting in and being laughed at and running away to become the hateful recluse he is during most of the movie who hates christmas. I suppose Jim Carrey did an okay job except for the fact that when yelling I could only guess at what he was saying. Some of the slapstick works, the rest kind of falls flat. I am not sure what to think of dog, he didn't really seem to fit as the Grinch's sidekick. The rest of the actors were okay as the extremely silly Christmas loving Whos. I suppose kids will get the most out this movie and most adults will think it a bit weak. Unless you really like the exaggerated portrayals and slapstick. Also, this movie has aged or the effects weren't that good to begin with. 6/10.
Soylent Green (1973)
A rather dated and only vaguely relevant movie but still decent->
*SPOILERS*
Alright, let's get the first and probably only really major thing about this movie
out of the way, before watching this I was already aware of the big shocking twist: soylent green is made out of people! Some of the details concerning who was behind what in the story were a little hard to follow for me, but I could see most twists such as the old guy dying and being carted off to the soleynt greenf factory coming way before hand. The same for the hero not really having accomplished anything at the end despite calling out about his big discovery to eveyone at the end. I guess anyone who has seen a dozen of similar movies can see most of the story coming from a mile away. Does that make this a bad movie? No, just don't expect anything that hasn't been done several times over and if you have seen any other movies from the 70's you will know what to expect regarding pacing, tone, acting, effects etc. Again it's not bad but nothing spectacular either. Does this movie really reflect real world issues in any new or meaningful way? Imho, no, it doesn't. Yes, some of the issues addressed such as over-population, food shortages, and the destruction of nature were real issues back then and still are. However while the 2020's most definitely has it's problems, the world only vaguely resembles what this movie shows. Just like dozens of other stories taking real issues and depicting how they could escalate to an unlikely extreme.
Final vote:
Predictable and only vaguely relevant, but entertainingly decent. 7/10.
The Biskitts (1983)
A rather average but cute cartoon.
I first saw this cartoon during the early 90's on Cartoon Network and later on on the BBC. Back then I thought it was a cute and funny show although some of the characters' voices and cutesy behavior did bother me a little at times. King Max is a pretty basic but entertaining villain who's constantly after the treasure that is being protected by the titular characters. One of the better things about this cartoon is its catchy theme song, something I have noticed a lot with 80's cartoons b.t.w.: the opening theme being more memorable than the episodes themselves. One could criticize this show for a being a cheaply animated Smurfs (gang of critters cartoon) clone with rather one-dimensional characters some of whom have pretty silly names (Scat for example). In it's defense it could be argued that it's no worse than a lot of early 80's cartoons aimed at younger children. As far as the silly names are concernced, the show is set in "medieval" times during which the word "scat" could also mean "treasure". Also, the backgrounds and character don't look that bad compared to several other Hanna-Barbera shows. While there are better and worse shows of this type I think people who like simple but cute cartoons could like this. However, those looking for above average animation and involving stories are likely going to be bored and annoyed by this show.
The Last Airbender (2010)
Perfectly fine fantasy movie for someone unfamiliar with the anime->
Okay, if you are familiar with the anime and a fan you probably don't like this movie and will disagree with me. You probably might as well stop reading right now.
Having said that, I am a 41 year old guy who had heard about how awful this movie supposedly was, mostly through a Nostalgia Critic review of said movie. It's quite possible this has influenced my final opinion in a positive way because I was prepared to kill a Sunday afernoon sitting through it to judge for myself how awful it would be. Surprise, I didn't think it was awful at all, there was a surprisingly decent story about opposing factions represented by opposing elements (fire and water) and successors who are to inherit a position of power and the sacrifices that come with that position but are reluctant to accept their new place in life. The supposedly mediocre bending of elements looked perfectly fine, especially for a 2010's life-action movie. Sure, I believe you, the anime did it better, and so are most forms of animation better at one-upping life-action in creating a spectacle. It comes with the limits and freedoms offered by the chosen medium. This movie is nothing spectacular and I think I can kind of see how it would have bored fans of the anime.
I will grudgingly admin an animated movie of The Last Airbender would likely be far more spectacular and impressive. Especially to fans. As a stand-alone fantasy movie this however is perfectly fine.
Scoob! (2020)
Not exactly what I expected, but pretty good->
Let make this very clear: yes Scooby and the gang, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Dino Mutt, and even Captain Caveman are in this movie. BUT: they don't exactly look, sound or behave (with a few notable exceptions) as in their original cartoons. The same goes for the vehicles. Also this movie doesn't respect past continuity. Even the music has changed and a few modern songs are played. Yes, the altered continuity means this movie is set in modern times/very near future. Yes, I believe I read some complaints about the movie supposedly opening in the 90's or 60's based on Shaggy's childhood and the opening song. And then there is a complaint about young Shaggy having a smartphone already. Something that would have been available as early as 2007 which appears to fit with the later part of the movie being in the 2020's in my book. I am not going to spoil too much but either I am getting sentimental at 40+ or the movie really does contain a few genuinely heartwarming moments. I would find it hard to believe younger audiences won't like this or that older fans who can get over themselves and accept the updates won't either.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Another excellent Tim Burton movie
Let me start by saying this is another excellent movie by Tim Burton with his signature style written all over the characters, story and scenery. Another emotional story about unusual characters and their place in the world.
The story: - (SPOILERS!) - Edward Scissorhands is young man created by an eccentric scientist but who never got hands before his father passed away and his to make do with scissors instead. When a kind woman dealing in beauty products finds Edward all alone she tries to take him under her wing. At first it seems she, her family, neighbors and friends are going to accept Edward despite his potentially threatening appearance and he is going to find a place in their society (which is depicted as an exaggeration of a typical American neighborhood) a series of escalating misunderstandings among which a failed attempt at romance and being put to commit a burglary by teenagers whom flee and get away with their crime while Edward is caught by the police and nearly shot. While the police do let Edward go his reputation has been damaged and suffers even further damage after saving one of the neighborhood children from being run over by the very same teenagers who put him to the burglary. One them is Jeff who is responsible for letting Edward take the blame for the burglary by fleeing and leaving Edward behind. He is also the one for the drunk driving having pressured his friend into doing such. While most are uncertain of what happened when they find Edward hunched over the child who was nearly run over Jeff who has never truly accepted Edward assumes he assaulted the child as being a certain fact failing to recognize his own responsibility for his part in the whole ordeal. Edward flees to his former home where he was created chased by a mob of neighborhood people who ultimately could not accept him partially owing to a woman so blinded by her own self perceived holiness she can never see Edward as anything else but an evil being. Jeff, drunk and fueled by his teenage hormones and blinded by his naiveté attempts to murder Edward thinking he is saving a young woman who is the only who still believes in Edward. It all tragically ends when Jeff is killed by Edward in self-defense and the young woman who still believes in him has to convince the mob Edward has died as well. At the end of it all everyone returns home and it is hinted at that Edward has resumed his life in the old mansion where was created and is happy there. It is also strongly hinted if not outright stated that the old woman whom the movie opens with and who tells the story of Edward is the young woman whom kept faith in Edward. One more thing of note, is that several characters attempted to make Edward fit into their world even going so far as to suggest plastic surgery.
It would appear that just as with Burton's other movie the Nightmare Before Christmas the moral of the story is self-acceptance and accepting your place in the world rather than trying be someone you are or to fit in where you do not belong.
A nearly perfect and highly entertaining movie with its slightly bizarre tone typical of a Burton movie. 10/10
365 dni (2020)
A snorefest
Someone actually recommended this movie to me. My recommendation is not to watch this boring incoherent mess. The only plus I can give it is that was nicely shot. If you were hoping for a suspenceful abduction movie this is not for you. 1/10
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Having rewatched this movie
After initially writing this movie off as stupid and insulting years ago a rewatch changed my opinion significantly: while this is not an easy movie to sit through it is laugh out loud hilarious, and while offensive a work genius. It must have taken a lot of wit and courage from the actors playing Borat, the camera man and, anyone else in on the fact a mockumentary was being made, to pull this off knowing the difficult and embarassing situations they put themselves and other people into. Also they must have known the backlash revealing the whole act to their targets would cause. Does this movie reveal anything about human nature because of what they did and said in "Borat"'s presence? Yes and no: yes, because extreme situations can reveal the worst and best in people; no, because situations were forced onto them by actors without their knowing or permission. Would it be more telling had they reacted to people who really were as "Borat" was depicted? Who knows. The movie looses points for being offensive and what its targets must have gone through during filming; it gains several for being a laugh out loud work of genius. 9/10
Lego Masters (2020)
Yet another idiotic overhyped program
Either I'm getting old or the people behind this program are clueless. Forced emotional drama, flashy effects while someone is talking, loud music and an intro made up of "dramatic" moments don't necessarily make for a good program. If I wanted that there are plenty of programs like that to pick from. I tuned into this for the Lego builds and build process, not forced dramatic tripe. Deeply disappointing waste of time. 1/10.
Timecop (1994)
Not quite as bad as I thought at first but still poor (possible spoilers)->
The story isn't as messy as it seemed to me at first but I still think Timecop is not very entertaining. One thing that bothered me at first and still bothers me is some ridiculous rule about time travel which hardly used except for the end (and to force the story into the right direction when necessary and probably as an attempt to create some excitement) where it is used as an easy way to get rid of the bad guy. Why I even let this bother me about the movie? Even though the movie tries to be fun it seems to take itself a little to seriously at times. 4/10 points.