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The Post (2017)
Great cast, important story, but somewhat boring
I usually love Tom Hanks movies, but this was just missing something. They wanted to tell an important story of US history, which they did, but I walked into this expecting to be entertained first, educated second. In terms of education they succeeded-but the entertainment fell a bit short.
Fantastic cast and cinematography, and the portrayal of Mrs Graham was so well done. And yet, I never found myself quite at the edge of the seat, it felt too much like sitting through a lecture. While I was deeply impressed with the courage and integrity of the people involved, they should just have made the movie more interesting.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
Like a sleeping pill, but more boring
I really don't get what people like about this movie. Admittedly, I never was a dog owner. But this was one of the most boring movies I've ever watched. It was also incredibly predictable, zero element of surprise. The actors try to convey a sense of emotional depth, but it's just cheap clichés and sentimental cheesiness. Yes, the dog is very cute, but if you want to watch cute dog videos, the Internet has a lot more to offer. The real story of the bond between this dog and it's owner is amazing, but this movie doesn't do it justice. What this movie does however accomplish is that it won't just bore you, but also leave you feel slightly depressed at the end. Who the heck needs that?
Shrinking (2023)
Wonderfully funny & lighthearted
Probably my favorite show I've watched recently. What really stands out to me is how well written the dialogues are. Tons of great one liners in every episode too. Fantastic cast of quirky characters. Every episode make me laugh, as well as think the show approaches, serious, deep, meaningful themes with both sincerity and lightheartedness, and it's a delight to watch. I particularly enjoyed the character of Jessica Williams, who brings just the right amount of levity into the show, while keeping it real season one was over far too soon, and I can't wait for season two (and hopefully many more to come).
The Consultant (2023)
Great, but last few episodes are meh...
The show was great at the beginning. I really enjoyed the first few episodes, but towards the end of season, one of the episodes become weaker. The writers definitely build up some expectations that they couldn't fulfill. There are so many questions that they open up, but they are no answers, and the writing just seems to become a little bit more sloppy towards the end. So much potential, and they felt short of it. If they make another season, I am hooked enough to keep watching, but I really hope they start with the same level of quality that they delivered season one. The character of Christoph Waltz is great, and really with carries the show.
Honest Thief (2020)
Doesn't make sense
Usually boring movies are cohesive and make sense. This one somehow manages to be both boring and incoherent. The premise of the movie is interesting, but the then the characters act in ways real people wouldn't act, make decisions where you as a viewer just think: "C'mon, no one would do that". And there's just too many "that doesn't make sense" bits of human psychology in this movie that it lost me. I could handle the slow-paced story progression if it was a story well-told, but combined with the poor character development, it's pretty much unwatchable. Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh deliver a good performance, but that doesn't save the movie.
Me Time (2022)
Not bad for a dumb, family-friendly comedy, just know what to expect
User reviews are DESTROYING this movie and I can see why. But c'mon, this is the kind of "dumb, turn your brain off for a while, and make it family-friendly" comedy, and if you go at it with that expectation, it's good fun and does the job. Yeah, it's overly cheesy and predictable, but just watch the trailer and you'll know what to expect.
You can watch this with your kids and have a good amount of fun giggles. Of course this isn't TED.
Now, was this the worst Kevin Hart movie I've ever seen? Possibly. It's a bit like putting on an Adam Sandler movie: if you're in the right mindset, with the right expectations, you can have a fun time watching them.
Reo hoad... muean kod ter (2022)
Enjoyed the meta-commentary and movie references
One of the better movies GDH has produced in recent times. Solid storytelling, and eventually some decent character development. I wouldn't be surprised if this movie doesn't do well with a younger audience-doesn't cater to current trends, like so many other Thai movies for a younger crowd do these days.
The King of Staten Island (2020)
Beautiful movie that paints a very fine emotional portrait
Really enjoyed this movie. It's real, it's funny, sad, moving, and while it might not be the most surprising plot, it's still a good story. What's even more: The main character, Scott, is both written and played so authentically, that it really helps you understand what going through such an experience must feel like. It's an entertaining way to expand your empathy-and I do love that it gave me a bit of insight into what the actual life of real firefighters is like (rather than the often depicted stereotype we've already seen too many times).
Clickbait (2021)
Addictive, but deserved a better ending
I'm not typically into crime shows, but this was well done. Plenty of plot twists and red herrings. The ending was a letdown imho, and that's all I'm gonna say on that, but it still was many hours of good entertainment.
Come Away (2020)
Mind numbing, nonsensical kitsch
The most remarkable thing about this movie is the fact that they got such an amazing cast of talented actors to commit to such a ridiculous story.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Gets you hooked
The kind of show that you can't stop watching... even though it's not that great. But it's irresistible to not watch the next episode.
Final Destination (2000)
Didn't stand the test of time
Pretty dumb horror flick. Lacks character development or any masterful storytelling. If you're a 15-year-old, the idea of a "design of death" that plays out according to a pattern and where the protagonists have to outdo the pattern might be fascinating, but beyond that, even for the sake of simple entertainment, it's just dumb.
Exam (2009)
Fantastic premise, solid plot, but flat characters
Love the concept of the movie. Everything happens in one room, and pretty much in real-time (each minute of movie watchtime equals a minute of events in the plot). THAT is hard to pull off!
The movie also keeps the suspense-you really wanna know how it ends.
But where it falls short is actually the characters. What's lacking is depth-each personality in the room is a bit too cliché to be an 8 out of 10. Still, solid movie!
August Rush (2007)
2 hours of sappy cliches
The only Robin Williams movie I ever watched that I wish I hadn't.
So predictable it hurts your brain, sentimental to the max. In fact the most surprising thing about this movie was HOW predictable the plot was. Every time I thought "if this was a really
ridiculously cheesy movie, this is what would happen next", and then that thing actually happened.
If you watch this with your girlfriend and she enjoys it just stfu. It's it worth getting into an argument about it.
I love it when a movie takes me I to a magical world of make-believe, suspends my critical mind for a while and really taps into the power of imagination. But this does not. It's just a big collection of sappy cliches.
21 Jump Street (2012)
Light and funny
Good for some light entertainment. Won't have you rolling on the floor laughing, but plenty of funny moments.
The Blind Side (2009)
Good movie, but overdone at times
Great acting, and definitely an entertaining movie. But the entire movie is too much about Leigh Ann and not enough about Michael.
And the part where she shows up in Michael's old hood and gets in the face of a group of gangsters chilling on their lawn, calling their leader a bitch and warning him that she's always packing... like really? lol It's where this long thread that's been woven through the entire movie finally turns into a big tangled not of ridiculousness and you can't quite watch the movie from thereon on without thinking "uhu, yeah, right". Sanda Bullock is acting it great, but that scene shouldn't be in the movie at all. Maybe the director was overly excited about working with Bullock and tried to hard to make her look great? Who knows what the reasons, but yeah, they took what could have been a great movie and made it into an okay one.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
It's no Moana, nor Frozen. And Disney, hello, soundtrack?! What happened?!
One of these times where the trailer is so much better than the movie. It's fun for kids to watch, lots of giggles and sometimes just the right amount of excitement, but it's not like Moana or Kung Fu Panda where both the kids and the parents could actually enjoy the movie.
This is a kids movie, and one that tries too hard to teach the importance of trust and cooperation.
Raya is beautifully done, Sisu with Aquafina's voice is fun, but the characters are flat and the entire story is most of the time either too obvious and flat, or too.
Also... SOUNDTRACK? Usually Disney wins big in this area and creates songs that really amplify the feelings the movie elicits, but in this case, I can't recall one song that accomplished that. Heck, I'm a 40 year old man and I laughed my ass of when Olaf in Frozen II was singing "This will all make sense when I am older". I felt the longing for the sea when Moana was singing about the line the light meets the sea. Does Raya even have a soundtrack? I can't remember.
Bring your kids to watch it, sure, but Disney can do so much better. Feels a bit like they were more worried about inadvertently offending someone or committing some culture mishaps than they cared about telling a good story.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
Visually beautiful, but story fails to grip
Visually this is a stunningly beautiful movie.
However, the characters lack depth, the story is a bit flat and too action-oriented, and so it never really pulled me in and made me root for (or against) any character enough to make this a moving movie. Maybe the one exception to this is shapeshifting Rihanna.
But worth watching just for the spectacle alone.
Finding 'Ohana (2021)
Too superficial to enjoy even as lighthearted family entertainment
I was looking forward to watching this after seeing the trailer, but the movie was a letdown. This movie is like a macrobiotic vegan cheeseburger: neither satisfies the cravings of your lower self, nor is it actually healthy. You don't fully enjoy it while you consume, and yet you feel worse afterwards.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Dull, dark, and disappointing
The movie starts a bit slow and dark. I was hoping when Iris appeared there'd be a change of pace. An interesting dynamic between the cynical old man and the little girl, where he might find some joy, some light in living again.
But apart from flipping some peas around, both characters remain dullingly stagnant.
Let's not even talk about some of the events that occur in this movie which make absolutely no sense and are completely unrealistic.
The entire movie is just an emotional flatline, with a slight downward slope, so that by the end of it, I was left feeling slightly depressed.
Let's Be Cops (2014)
Occasionally funny, mindless movie
Ok if you want to watch some mindlessly juvenile entertainment. Made me chuckle a few times but not worth 2 hours of my life
The White Tiger (2021)
Dark but beautifully enthralling tale of transformation. 0% Bollywood 👌
I love this movie. It's an eye opener. I feel like it expanded my emotional horizon. I intimately witnessed the transformation of Balram from this bright, pure-hearted boy in poor rural India into what he eventually evolved into-and without spoiling anything, he eventually did turn into something very different from what he started out as. Just a fascinating journey through another person's life.
This is the magic of movies-being able to get a taste of what it's like to live another person's life and adventures.
What's so impressive to me is that at no point did I feel like "Nah, they've lost me with the story. Nobody would do this, nobody would think this, nobody would feel like this."
It always felt like: Yeah, given those circumstances, I totally get it. I get why he's doing what he's doing, feeling how he's feeling, thinking what he's thinking.
The one thing I don't quite get about this movie is why they chose to tell the story through an email Balram writes to the Chinese Premier, because he hopes to make business with the Chinese in India. It doesn't take away from experiencing the masterful storytelling, but it didn't do anything and just seems like unnecessary narrative overhead.
There's few movies set in India that I enjoy watching-I despise Bollywood movies, so I came with a bit of apprehension into this, but it was riveting right from the start and I completely lost myself in the storytelling. Now I'm gonna read the book.
Moana (2016)
Beautiful movie for kids (and secretly the very grown up parents too)
Solid story. Relatable cute characters. Fantastic animation (especially the water). And the soundtrack is just dope.
I'm a bit ashamed to admit how much I like this movie, even anonymously on the internet, but I do.
If you're looking for some lighthearted family entertainment, it doesn't get much better than this.
I Am Mother (2019)
Relentlessly riveting series of plot twists around deep questions
A storytelling masterpiece about important questions of our time that can't be answered in a simple manner. The movie leaves you in a constant state of suspension, but manages to give you a satisfying and mindblowing ending-the kind where all the pieces of the puzzle that you've almost completed, only to see them falling into place in a completely unexpected way, but suddenly fitting perfectly. Last time a movie's ending had that effect on me was 25 years ago watching The Usual Suspect.
What's more-the entire movie revolves around a very deep and meaningful current philosophical question: What if we build a superior machine who's primary objective is to value human life? What if with its superior logic, this machine sees humanity on the path to self-destruction and is then put in a position where it needs to intervene in order to save humanity, but the saving of humanity requires the machine to take measures which humans perceive as inhumane and cruel?
I Am Number Four (2011)
Kinda dumb, but not the worst dumb movie
Movie actually doesn't start out that bad, but gets worse over time. Very American teenager plot. Handsome hero, beautiful girl, nerdy geek that gets bullied, the loyal dog that's (unbeknownst to its owner) a chimera which finally comes to the rescue, and a very happy ending. Like a can of iced coke.