Reviews

For the most part, this movie promises exactly what it delivers - talented, pretty actors in a clever rom-com where we all hope true love triumphs in the end. So in most ways, you know what you're gonna get.

BUT LET ME CAUTION YOU... the movie also promises a pivotal weekend in Sitka, Alaska, which is an utterly lovely location! But with the exception of some brief B-roll stock footage of eagles, spruce, mountains, and sea lions, THERE IS NO SITKA IN THIS MOVIE. All the "Alaska" scenes were shot in New England. "Movie Magic" (and the need to keep budgets reasonable) aside, this was a BIG disappointment to me.

If you've read any short synopsis of this movie, you don't need to see it. The story begins with an inexplicable set-up (some sort of privatized witness protection program?), kicks off with an unexplained plot twist (why are the bad guys after him NOW?), and proceeds through unbelievable series of public shootouts across the country (at no point across the country were the authorities alarmed or mobilized?). I wish I had these two hours back.

If you get tricked into sitting through this garbage, bring a good book. The story will not require more than about three percent of your attention to keep up with the action.

"Captain Nova" is a prime example of why I love movies -- and why most of the mega-budget schtick coming out of Hollywood leaves me cold. This is a competent science fiction tale with a special effects budget that wouldn't buy breakfast on the set of an Action Hero movie.

The set-up is simple and plausible, given the suspension of disbelief necessary for any sci-fi story. A messenger from the future returns to warn humanity against a catastrophe, but an unforeseen twist of time travel leaves her with little credibility.

Unlike another reviewer, I found the screenplay serviceable (I was reading the subtitles, as my Dutch is, well, I don't speak Dutch!) and the performances convincing, even from the child actors.

Was this a life-changing experience? Have I found new favorite actors or a director? No, not at all. But I'll pay attention the next time I see that a film is from the Netherlands, and I respect the integrity of this team for crafting a beautiful "little" movie that ticks all the boxes for this fan of post-apocalyptic stories, without having to green-screen every other scene or blow up a city or three.

"Free Guy" FAR exceeded my expectations. As a commentary on modern life, as a satire of the gaming industry, as a philosophical consideration of the nature of existence, plus, of course, as a comedy, both slapstick and sophisticated, it hit the target on nearly every count, avoiding the all-too-common pitfalls of idiot plots, crude dialogue, sophomoric titillation, and aimless action.

Give it a spin. :-9.

I am generally a fan of quirky, irreverent, even silly takes on common themes, but to call this "travel" show quirky or irreverent gives it too much credit. The research is teaspoon shallow, the production devices are moronic, and host's general silliness is so much of a put-on that it puts me off. This is the TV equivalent of those round, styrofoam-like puffed rice snacks that made the rounds ten years ago -- they looked like a good idea, but once you bit into one, it had no flavor, was dry as the desert, and failed to satisfy any hunger you might have been feeling.

I hope there was a phone call from Mr. Linklater to Mr. Levitch explaining why no more shows would be funded that went something like this: "I'm sorry, Speed, but these shows are not any good."

We screened this title with pretty low expectations, but we're great fans of the Baja California peninsula, so we hoped that we'd at least get to see some great scenery and maybe some familiar places. This film, however, only served to remind us that good movies are hard to make. There was nothing overtly terrible about this effort (well, the "special effects" surfing scenes and the ferry sinking with the RV aboard -- not a spoiler, btw, as this scene is in the trailer -- were so terrible you had to wonder whether the filmmaker realized they were laughable), but when you take a B-minus story (the story had potential, sadly unrealized here), C-plus acting (the cast has talent, I fault the director for not eliciting better performances), C-minus screenplay (oh! the dialogue! the cliches! the cultural condescension! the tedious expository moments!), D-plus digital color grading (a heavy-handed directorial indulgence that should have been totally unnecessary) on top of the aforementioned failed effects, you get a D-minus-minus movie. The whole turned out to be MUCH less than the sum of its parts. And the lure of a vicarious road trip down the peninsula? Sorry, no dice here, either, as the movie was almost completely shot in and around a modern development in Loreto, standing in for scenes as disparate as the old city of La Paz and the Los Cabos International airport. Oh, I should add that the music was pretty good -- and while none of it stuck with me the next day, it was maybe the best part of the movie! Better Baja movies abound. Dial up the desert-racing documentary DUST TO GLORY, or the Spanish-language dramedy CAMINO A MARTES, just to name two. Let this one dry in the desert dust and never waste anyone's time again.