Reviews

This movie reminds me to 'High Noon' (1952) with Cary Cooper, only, that it's not told by the Sheriffs point-of-view, but from the bad guy.

Walton Goggins and his hitman character are fun to watch during it's road movie-esque quest for his target-to-kill: Santa Claus (Mel Gibson).

Mel Gibson on the other side is a cool Santa, a fighter, who feels old and somehow stuck on his business because of loss of control. He needs to change something and get his business on his track again.

A slow burning story with some fine details, black humor and a lot of heart.

The showdown at the end spices up the long tension during the hunt for Santa by the hitman.

Fun watch, entertaining, a little bit dark and gritty, modern take on the Santa theme.

Recommended.

At age of 76, Sylvester Stallone can still punch some bad guys and kick ass in this rather 90s inspired PG-action flick about a persumably dead hero gone undercover and found by a fan boy.

There are hard working lower middle class citizens and their struggle for rent and work and there are some crooks led by Cyrus who wants to create some mayhem situation within the unsatisfied, poor citizens as a pseudo Robin Hood to fill his own pockets with money.

The characters are one-dimensional (Sylvester Stallone's acting skills are not challenged and remind to the movie "Over the Top"). The story is very straight with a lot of fancy and some comic-style flashbacks and fast-paced background story for the viewer.

The movie is solid, a one time watch, if you like, and then forgetable. The plot twist comes effective, but somehow wasted as a big surprise without real substance.

And yes, at the end, the showdown is very unconvincing: "During the fight in the burning building, Joe, Sam and Cyrus would have died long before a punch was thrown due to smoke inhalation, and/or burning due to the intense heat. "

The message of the movie is easy, the execution of the movie is solid.

No real surprises.

A mediocre superhero action flick.

This episode is pure on emotions: anger and love. On both sides: Team Spear vs Team Vikings.

Of course, our sympathies lie within Team Spear with Fang and Mira as buddy and love interest for Spear.

But: This episode manages to feel the pain that the Viking leader and father and his son have as the only survivors of their village. And the loving care of the father for his son.

On the other side, we also feel the deep bonds between Spear, Fang and Mira.

This episode is full of action, fighting: over-the-top, relentless, bloody and dramatic.

At the end it's like a relieve to see our heroes united in harmony and love after such a breathtaking and perilous odysey.

The road so far. Highly recommeded.

The Minions are cute, little creatures, that speak a mixture of spanish, french and italian in a chipmunk-like way, like to sing and dance and are very pragmatic and inventive in troubleshooting.

That said, this sequel has a lot of Minions screen time, but it doesn't work for me.

The plot is about young Gru and his dream of becoming the greatest supervillain. He applies for a team membership in the supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6 who in the beginning of the movie ousted their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckle, and stole a precious stone from him.

The Vicious 6 decline Grus' application and during the interview of the next applicant, Gru steals the precious stone.

Hunted by the Vicious 6, Wild Knuckle gets a hold of Gru.

The Minions try to find and set free Gru.

The plot sounds interesting, but the screenplay/story is meh, because of too much, too boring and getting more and more annoying scenes and side plots around the Minions, p.e. The learning kung-fu scenes in the middle of the movie, was too much for me and I stopped the movie.

I had no interest in watching the second half of the movie. That's absolutely no good sign for a movie, when that happens.

Some scenes with the Minions are too long and there is a lot of really bad slapstick.

The greatest problem with this movie is: The Minions themselves are not funny at all. Too bad.

Sorry for the makers. The animations are excellently done and with details and love for the characters reminding in some 70s exploitation movies. The movie had a strong start, but as soon as the Minions got more screen time, the movie went downward and got more and more charmless.

Unfortunatelly, I can't recommend this movie.

As an alternative concerning an animation movie with the heist theme, watch 'The Bad Guys' (2022) by director Pierre Perifel and the screenplay by Ethan Coen.

Yes, the animation is excellently done, full of visual eye-candy.

Yes, the voice cast is well and delivers.

Yes, the movie fulfills its task: it entertains. And if not by the main cast, what are sidekicks for, if not for entertainment.

But: the development of the story and the characters follows after the obligatory introduction more and more all-too-well-known routes of uninspiredness and conventional dramaturgy and too thick morale.

At the end, we get some kind of 'villains' that are responsible for all the intollerance and voilence against 'sea beasts' and after a morale dripping speech the kingdom gets overthrown by its own citizens and all is well. Meh.

No matter how well done a movie is, at the end, the story and the characters have to be convincing. In this case, the makers fail to finish their movie in a convincing way.

For me as a viewer, after the first third/half, the movie goes unfortunattely downward. There is not much to be remembered and the movie is forgotten the next day. It's a shame because the film had great potential.

Spear and Fang are forces of nature, captive relics of an ancient world breaking free against their modern world oppressors.

Now, it's war.

It's a fight against slavery, a fight against a modern culture and a fight against an upgraded system, that doesn't tolerate ancient relics or minor developped cultures and enslaves them.

This episode shows the relentless fight of the ancient world versus the modern world leading in the extinction of a whole community. Even children die and Spear has to deal with his own demons, pain and feelings.

He lost his familiy and now, it's about saving Mira and freeing himself and all the others from oppression and slavery. On the other hand, the leader of the modern viking-like culture has to protect his people against any threat.

The motivations are clear and because we have followed Spear and Fang in their odyssey, we identify with them and want them to get free.

The violence is over the top, extremely gory, cruel and relentless. Between anger and hate, there is room for some small emotional and moral details, like Spear not wanting to fight against a child, but in the end: it's all about survival and revenge.

I felt the pain of the father and husband burying his dead wife and child in a ritual viking funeral and the reflections of the fire in his eyes seeking revenge for his loss.

Spear, once the victim, is now the offender and he set a seed of hate and anger by himself making this episode psychologically simple-minded, but very effective.

Why doesn't this episode get 10 points by me?

Because of its clumsy execution regarding the continuity of the fight scenes and the injuries of Spear and Fang. The more Spear and Fang are injured, the more the get into Berzerker-mode. Ok.

But: Fang is heavy injured several times by bear claws, spears, axes and arrows, but but then he heals miracleously the next scene. The same with Spear. Very clumsy and taking away a lot of the impact, this episode should have had.

Even under the mildest of circumstances, this episode unfortunately doesn't deserve a 10.

Bridges and Lithgow team up and have common screentime: excellent chemistry between them.

In this spy games, that feel like chess, the opponent is witty and one step ahead.

Embedded in an exciting plot are two action scenes: focussed and efficiently crafted. This episode is balanced between action, suspense and character development and stays true to the whole tv show.

The final minutes are really beautiful with the introduction of Faraz Hamzad, who was always in the story like a ghost or from the flashbacks, but now, there he is in flesh.

Beautiful and touching.

As a season finale, this episode feels like a midseason finale episode.

Now: Waiting for season 2.

Highly recommended.

The character Spear has some limitations, when it's about storytelling and worldbuilding. He's a caveman and has no real language to tell a story.

The makers use some storytelling tricks, p.e. Flashbacks as visions or paintings, to give some background and backstory, although a character like Spear - IHMO - could not deliver it by himself, because he wasn't witnessing it at that time. The running time of this episode is 'filled' with some flashbacks/backstory/visions by Spear, that take out some pace and tightness of this episode.

Then, it get's back on track, and Spear and Fang continue their quest with some gruesome encounters, some surprises and a cliffhanger.

Excellent animation show for matures.

Can't wait for next episode.

The theme of this episode might be 'friends and enemies'.

The feeling that the story of Spear and Fang is about The Old World vs The New World gets really strong in this episode, where Spear meets some gaelic Celts culture.

They don't fit in this world anymore and their fate is, no matter what comes, to stay together, and be it by their own hands.

It's a very bitter episode for Fang. Spear shows his limits of adapting to new circumstances, although he understands the kindness of the Celts.

Touching episode and it's a tough call for the friendship of Spear and Fang.

Do you remember, when you first saw 'Jurassic Park' (1993) by Steven Spielberg? The slow build up of suspense? The vibrating glass of water? The T-Rex claw on the electric fence? The chuckle of the raptors? The kids hiding in the kitchen from the raptors? The breath taking tension and suspense?

Did you get goosebumps, too?

Well, 'Jurassic Park' is a classic and such a good thrilling and exceptional movie. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum - fantastic.

This third Jurassic World installment does some fan service and gets back the cast from the first movie and for a brief moment, the feeling returns. But unfortunatelly, 'Jurassic World: Dominion' is not a good Dinosaur movie, it does not even have good references to the original.

It's an action movie with two main storylines and the one with Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) hunting for the kidnapped Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) sucks, is annoying and a total letdown. Of course Owen gets some intel by an CIA agent friend, meets a friend in Marseille, who is now operating as an undercover agent and infiltrates him easily into his mission. NO!

And this illogical hand gesture by Owen in front of each dinosaur is getting more and more stupid and laughable than creating tension and thrills.

There is a lot of action in this movie, a lot of chase scenes and shoot outs and melee fights. This movie is more like a Jason Bourne movie (starting in different U. S. states and reaching out to France and Italy) than a 'Jurassic Park'. The dinosaurs are well done and animated, but it's not their movie. It's about locust with prehistoric genes what Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) are doing some research in Italy about.

I miss the suspense scenes. There is only one, when Claire Dearing is in the woods and hiding from a dinosaur. Everything else is fast-paced action cinema, not at-the-edge-of-your-seat gripping, not tense, not suspenseful. The annoying, illogical and meaningless story is just a tool for the action.

No goosebumps.

Very disappointing movie.

There is a lot going on in this episode: New alliances are formed, a secret device becomes the prime target to extinct the Keylons, some plot twists out of nowhere occur and there are a lot of confusing space actions and annoying shoot outs going on.

For me, this episode is quite a no brainer compared to the former episodes that where high on storytelling and character development. Here, the story is not following the motivations of characters or their culture, p.e. The Moclans team up with the female Krill councelor Teleya (Michaela McManus) although the episode before they left the Union because of their dominantly male led society and seeing females as inferior. Makes no sense and I won't eat the flimsy reason for them cooperating with the Krill.

Next, Admiral Perry (Ted Danson) and his also flimsy reason for treason. Come on!

The dramaturgy of the shuttle fights of the crew of the Orville against the Krill and Moclan, especially Malloy (Scott Grimes) and LaMarr (J. Lee) were standard, too hasty and annoying buddy in danger is rescued by his buddy while on the ground the all female Team of Cmdr. Kelly Grayson.(Adrianne Palicki),Lt. Cmdr. Talla Keyali (Jessica Szohr), Ensign Charly Burke (Anne Winters) with the Keylon buddies Isaac and Timmis are on a mission to get the powerful device back and engage in boring battles in corridors.

The end of the episode was the only real innovative, surprising and touching plot twist. But that's too less.

High production values, annoying original score, a llot of uninspired pop corn scifi battles and a rather disappointing too rushed story, being very superficial, missing the deepness of character development and motivations to deliver a gripping story.

Sorry. For entertainment it's an ok episode, but it might have been a much better episode.

Based on the novel 'The Old Man' (2017) from thriller author Thomas Perry, this tv mini series of seven episodes (season 1) starts strong with some introduction into widower Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), an old man in his 70s, living as an eremite with his two dogs Carol and Dave and being in contact with his daughter via telephone. He's a former CIA agent, who operated in the past in the middle east and did some secret missions, and was hiding for 35 years. Now he was found and flees.

Harold Harper (John Lithgow) was the chief at that time and gets now the unfortunate task to chase down Dan Chase.

That's the premisse at the beginning.

It's not action-packed Mission Impossible or Bourne Identity material, it's not James Bond or his siblings like 'Kingsman', it's not Marvel, DC or any Star Wars related tv show.

The story is rooted in the Cold War and in afghanistan, where the U. S. and the former U. S. S. R. (or Soviet Union, Russia) were the two atomic powers that kept a hold on the world and fought out their political and military conflicts in other countries.

The present time of this show takes place in the aftermath of the Cold War; there is no black vs white, no Good U. S. vs Evil Soviet Union. It's not that simple. It's more complex and the different sides are grey.

This show is more about the characters and it's a very character driven show. Meaning, any development in the show, any action and reaction, roots in the characters and results in their development. So, yes, there are a lot of dialogues, sharp written and excellently executed by the actors, and with each dialogue there is deepness, characterization and motivation, resulting in the development of the story.

Nowadays, I have to say, I think it's very brave, to produce a thriller show, that is not aimed at light entertainment, not filled with action, shoot-outs and fight scenes in each episode to keep the audiences' attention and interest, but filled with characters, their inner conflicts and their understandable motivations.

The action is here, where it is needed and when the action is needed, the melee combat scenes come intense, focussed and feelable like you're directly there. Great.

Bridges' performance is physical and very precise, and his acting is stunning.

John Lithgow is like a clockwork and keeps his cool, even in failures, because he's not done yet, but is still very empathical and multi-layered.

This said, this show is filled with suspense, tense dialogues and further character development, still slow burning, not going the easy way to solve a conflict by rushing from one action-packed scene to the next till the final 'battle', but weaving a spy story arc inspired by the classic spy games of the '60s and '70s (p.e. Authors like Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth, Len Deighton and John le Carré).

The final minutes of the season finale are really beautiful with the introduction of Faraz Hamzad, who was always in the story like a ghost or from the flashbacks, but now, there he is in flesh.

Beautiful and touching.

The final episode of the first season feels like a midseason finale episode.

Now: Waiting for season 2.

I can highly recommend this tv show to any fan of old-fashioned espionage thrillers.

So, this is episode six and if you've watched this show thus far, you know, it's not action-packed Mission Impossible or Bourne Identity material, it's not James Bond or his siblings like 'Kingsman', it's not Marvel, DC or any Star Wars related tv show.

The story is rooted in the Cold War and in afghanistan, where the U. S. and the former U. S. S. R. (or Soviet Union, Russia) were the two atomic powers that kept a hold on the world and fought out their political and military conflicts in other countries.

The present time of this show takes place in the aftermath of the Cold War; there is no black vs white, no Good U. S. vs Evil Soviet Union. It's not that simple. It's more complex and the different sides are grey.

This show is more about the characters and it's a very character driven show. Meaning, any development in the show, any action and reaction, roots in the characters and results in their development. So, yes, there are a lot of dialogues, sharp written and excellently executed by the actors, and with each dialogue there is deepness, characterization and motivation, resulting in the development of the story.

Nowadays, I have to say, I think it's very brave, to produce a thriller show, that is not aimed at light entertainment, not filled with action, shoot-outs and fight scenes in each episode to keep the audiences' attention and interest, but filled with characters, their inner conflicts and their understandable motivations.

This said, this episode is filled with suspense, tense dialogues and further character development, still slow burning, not going the easy way to solve a conflict by rushing from one action-packed scene to the next till the final 'battle', but weaving a spy story arc inspired by the classic spy games of the '60s and '70s (p.e. Authors like Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth, Len Deighton and John le Carré).

Enough said: I like this espionage polit thriller tv show, its characters and the slow suspense. Finally, we get to know, who the titular Old Man is and finally Harper and Chase meet each other. Now it's not only their espionage past, they have to settle, now it's getting personal.

I'm hooked and can recommend this tv show to any fan of old-fashioned espionage thrillers.

I won't spoiler, but just say so much: Very entertaining episode, with a main plot and some side storylines around nearly each member of the main crew.

There is a lot of character development going on, foremost the sideplots of Dr. Claire Finn - Isaac, Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr - Lt. Cmdr. Talla Keyali and Timmis - Ensign Charly Burke - Isaac.

Some humor, some very touching scenes, insight, depth and drama.

---- SPOILER ON ------

Minus: I don't understand, why it was not possible to make a backup of Isaacs' memory before downgrading a part of his hardware to be compatible with the configurations for emotions.

The side plot between Dr. Claire Finn and Isaac has some emotional ups and downs just for the sake of tragic drama showing us an impossible love relationship, but knowing, that Isaac loves Claire if he could feel and express emotions (references to the relationship betweeen Data and LT. Tasha Yar from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' intended).

----- SPOILER OFF -----

All in all, a good, entertainig and thought provoking episode rich on a lot of side stories.

Recommended.