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FilmDevil
Reviews
Armageddon Time (2022)
Not an action movie
The gradual irritation, building to a primal scream against injustice is at the core of this movie. How can anyone go through life in a normal way, whilst all around you is so wrong, on so many levels?
Can you run away? Can you construct your own reality instead?
As life around you fails to live up to your expectations, how do you navigate the hard edges of life.
Seen through the eyes of a teenage Jewish boy, the revelations come thick and fast. Mistakes are made. Can our young hero come out of this in a positive way?
I felt this applied to me, even at my old age.
A solid coming of age story with some lessons for all of us.
Death Sentence (2007)
OK, but not brilliant.
I found the general story of this film almost totally unbelievable. Having said that, it wasn't unwatchable & had more than a few saving graces.
After a few minutes, it becomes apparent that this isn't going to be a courtroom drama. I think it could've served better by posing the question of the right or wrongfulness of the death sentence. Instead, it asks 'how far will you go to protect your family?'.
I'm not a fan of action films but persevered & I'm glad I did. The scripting & direction of the gang members was laughable, as was most of the premise of the whole.
What saved this film, for me, was the comic strip effect. I think the way the characters were portrayed gave a sort of 'Sin City' feel, albeit without the clever graphics. If it had taken itself any more seriously, it would have been a complete waste of time. John Goodman is suitably sinister & almost stole the show.
If this movie had starred Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal, I would have avoided it, but Kevin Bacon does his best to make an unbelievable plot work & piqued my interest enough to see the conclusion.
Neverwas (2005)
Great story, miscued in its execution.
I just saw this on DVD. The story is excellent, with a message for all, although leaves lots of unanswered questions.
I thought the characters were well cast & well directed. Ian McKellen is superb in that role, obviously borrowing from Gandalf &, maybe, even from his Richard III (1995).
My enjoyment of the film was, however, marred by a very poor choice of background music. I feel that this film could've been a sight better without the twee, 'neo-classical' piano plinking which, in my opinion, turned this film into a TV movie.
A watchable, though obviously low budget film. Perhaps some money could have been better spent on effects, rather than background music.