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ascendant01
Reviews
Among the Beasts (2023)
Coulda been a good movie.
This could have been a very good moving but for the ending and the slow, overly long waste of time building up the Star's poor beleaguered mental state because his buddy was killed in action because of him, he thinks anyway. Then the story plods along and wastes our time with all this mind gaming. The acting was good, actually very good, but it couldn't save it from a slow plodding script and then in the end when you finally think it's going somewhere and the action starts they find some of the kids, shot some of the bad guys and they find out the little girl is in South Africa and the movie ends with :
"OK, when do we leave".......and that's it, the movie is over! THAT is why I down graded it!
Poker Face (2022)
Not an action movie but still a good movie
Russell Crowe has always been one of my favorite actors, especially for his action movies. Movies like: Master and Commander, 3:10 to Yuma, Romper Stomper, Robin Hood, L. A. Confidential, and of course Gladiator! But it seems like people here don't like it when he tries to think and work out of the box a bit. This movie was OK, maybe not his best work but certainly it was a worth while effort, especially in the role as director and actor. I for one am just happy to see him working again on a.thinking movie. In this movie he plays a billionaire who is facing his own mortality and trying to find the best way to do it and at the same time come to terms with the knowledge that there may be a rotten apple in the barrel of the friends he grew up with from childhood. That his wife was having an affair and that at least one of his boyhood friends may have been betraying him. I am not a big fan of sad endings but at least it was somewhat mitigated in this movie. This was a good movie but I hope Mr. Crowe will continue to make movies like like master and Commander & Gladiator in the future.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
A ONE WAY TRIP INTO THE WESTERN TWILIGHT ZONE!
I don't know how else to describe this EXCELLENT SET OF SHORT MOVIES OF THE OLD WEST. Each of these short movies depicts either a somewhat comical, yet also somewhat truthful, view of life in the old west. They depict the harsh nature of what it was like as well as those times when one would just have to shake their heads and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. From a bank teller wearing era correct body armor that might work but gives fits of laughter to the absolute sorrow of a kind young lady taking her own life at the thought of being taken by marauding native Indians at war to the brooding, excellent period music.
This is a movie conglomerate you really should see. The acting is SUPERB, the accompanying music is excellent and timely, the drama jerks tears of sorrow and the humor brings laughs. BUT, don't let the opening movie turn you away in thinking the whole movie will be similarly silly or being a dancing musical. Each movie has its own excellence and is well worth watching! Whoever wrote, directed and produced this set of movies could easily create a movie like those of the John Wayne era with a proper budget and good writers.
The Green Knight (2021)
Hopefully read these reviews before wasting you time and money
I rented this movie because the trailers made it sound like some story from the knights of the round table. They open the movie with Sir Gawain at the round table and called before the king and quee. Then some unknown called the GREEN KNIGHT comes a knocking and delivers a message and then says he is there for a game and challenges any knight to try and actually touch him in a duel . The King asks for volunteers and there is a long pregnant moment when no one speaks up to volunteer until Gawain says he will do it. This GREEN KNIGHT says if you can strike me with a blow in one year hence you must come to his chapel and he will deliver HIS blow in return and exactly as he was struck. Gawain goes into the well to fight the green knight and instead of fighting the green knight lays down his war axe and spreads his arms in surrender to allow Gawain to strike him. Unthinking and not very swift on the uptake Gawain lops off the Green knight's head, now meaning the he will get HIS head lopped off in exactly one year. And then as Gawain turns to the King, the headless Green Knight gets up and bends over and picks up his head. As he holds his head the eyes open and he states the obvious, that he will expect Gawain at his chapel in a year and then he remounts his large Destrier and rides out of the hall and away, laughing maniacally. Now this is as much as I can tell you about the movie plot, not because of any restriction, but rather because I do not understand a damn thing after that other than to say the Trailers and advertising were very disingenuous. After that scene there is no more knights of the round table and all the scenes after that are more on a tactical level of a story and none of them were giving any strategic level information about about the story. All the rest of the scenes were like little disconnected stories and not really connected to the story as a whole.
Anyway, that is how I saw it. I think the acting and actors were superb, as were the sets but the story was disjointed and lacked a clear explanatory path to an ending. I would say don't waste your money or your time here. The movie script just did not measure up to the actors in it.
Good Joe Bell (2020)
A SAD BUT TRUTHFUL MOVIE THAT NEEDED TELLING
This movie is a real tear jerker so if you can't handle that kind of movie stop now.
- In this movie the 15 year old son is different from his classmates and defiantly chooses to be who he really is and not live in a closet. Unfortunately he lives in a small town with very religious people and very un-accepting of anyone different.. He is out about his orientation and is bullied constantly and rejected by many of his classmates as well as his teachers and the church. And he is physically bullied by the athletic teams even more so. And unfortunately he is also tacitly rejected by his father.. His father tacitly shows shame towards to kid and takes the attitude that if he just ignores it people won't notice and thinks his boy should be able to fight back on his own "like a man".
- Unfortunately this goes on until it is too late and the boy takes his own life. The father sinks into depression and guilt for a long while and then has an epiphany one morning. He will walk across the country to New York, where his son wanted to move and live free of harassment and he will stop and speak about bullying and loving your kids at every town along the way. This is his way to assuage his guilt he has over the death of his son. Along the way he meets bigotry and also acceptance and he has a companion with him at times but the guilt is still there. Then one day he realizes the truth about his guilt and he claims the love of his son and finally finds acceptance and forgiveness in himself.
- I don't normally give away the ending but because of the nature of the ending and that this is a TRUE Story I am going to tell it so if you don't want to know then stop NOW.
- The father meets another father along the way, a Sheriff whose son also turned out to have been born gay. They talk frankly to each other and the Sheriff has him home for dinner and then to speak at the local school. They make a connection and the Sheriff relates he is just realizing his son could have thought of suicide too and the father tells him to love his son while he has him and make sure to tell him that because it can change in an instant like it did for him and the father has another epiphany and finds acceptance for his son and that his son loved him. The two fathers part company and Joe Bell continues on his journey to walk to New York and then a short time later the sheriff is called to respond to a pedestrian accident near the county line and he knows in his heart already who it was. Joe Bell was walking along the highway when a truck driver claimed he fell asleep at the wheel and struck Mr. Bell, killing him instantly. This is a TRUE story and in the end credit you will see the real Joe Bell, his family and his sons as well as video of the family and the boys when they are small as well as some of the actual scenes depicted in the movie. This goes on while "The Joke" is played in the background.
2149: The Aftermath (2016)
Nothing wrong with this movie at all.
I am not sure why some people just cannot accept a basically nice movie. It's nice enough to be family oriented, no swearing or cursing, no nudity no violence, or drugs. It's just a simple movie that tells a complicated story in a very simple manner. There is nothing wrong with that. And the story gives some very interesting warnings too. What the escalation in the industrial military complex can lead to if not controlled and the environmental damage such a thing could bring about, not to mention the psychological and sociological effects. And it also warns of the possible issues of AI controls over a population. These are all good things to know and the movie brings them out in a way that makes younger people think about it, not have it shoved in their face.
I could care less that the movie was first shown and/ created in 2016 under another name. Actually I found it currently under at least 4 different names: "Confinement", "Esc", "2049: The Aftermath", and "Darwin"! If you want to watch it on Amazon Prime look for it as "Confinement"
It's not a knock your socks off movie with big stars, just a good, basic science fiction movie. It is too bad they didn't have more of a budget for better fleshing out of things like the story and characters as it could have been a much better movie that way. But as a lower budget movie I think it did quite well.
Collapse (2013)
Not Great, BUT WORTH WATCHING
- I was surprised, rudely surprised, but the small audience this movie captured, though with ignorant reviews that I saw I can imagine why. This is an independent movie and it was created with a small budget, using players that were not professional actors and with that in mind I watched it twice and I gave it a 6 out of 10. I was actually surprised and the good job they did with the small budget they made it with. The acting was OK for amateur actors, especially for the Luke character, the bikers and the Vietnam Vet too.
- The movie is about the swift and devastating collapse of the financial of the USA, which in turn causes a depression that far exceeds Great Depression of the early 1900's and brings about the collapse of the entire US Government, the power grid, and other essential government services such as Police, Fire fighters, Prisons and eventually all other services which leads to severe devastation and anarchy throughout the country. Gangs run rampant, food is no longer around and the country falls into a dangerous anarchy of the strongest rule and the better armed rule.
- Under this collapse a 14 year old boy and his 8 year old brother are left alone in their Spokane Washington home when their father, who raises the boys alone, suddenly disappears. As when their father was there they are targeted by marauders and robbers and thieves and when when the boys, LUKE and SCOTT find themselves alone one night, Luke is forced to shoot a looter and they decide their only recourse is to flee and walk from Spokane to Winslow Arizona where their last known relative, an Uncle, lives. The movie is about that journey, 2 boys walking from Spokane to Winslow and the things that happen between the 2 and how different people react to the anarchy, some being helpful and generous and some turning to dangerous mauraders and killing over a simple can of gas or some cans of food.
- It's a low budget, amateur movie with amateur actors but there is something in the story that does draw you in. Perhaps its the way different people are portrayed in how they handle anarchy and of course the sympathetic response to 2 boys on their own, trying to travel over 800 miles on foot and being preyed upon by the unscrupulous or how they are helped by many who have still retained their humanity. The movie does clearly lean into the "be prepared" genre as they run into Veterans living in areas far off the old grid and have well stocked larders and LOTS of munitions to defend what they do have from roving gangs and such. And the mention of the terrible anarchy, but hope in at least one town where they have gone to a citizen militia and which "provides the only city where you can walk the streets without getting jumped." And the Morman Towns where a religious preparation doctrine has left them in a much better condition than other towns. The movie doesn't push this to the point of annoyance or make it sound like a commercial for Prepers like some distopian movies. Though anyone familiar with Preping will spot these things. And to add to the patriotic lean to the movie, its generally like a slice of Americana including religion and little boys saying their prayers to help things along.
- The movie is well made, you don't see any microphones dangling in view or any of the other often occurrences in many other independent, low budget movies, the color photography is excellent and the sound is too. Had this movie had a larger budget it could have been a great movie. The story is good, the quality is good but the budget and to a lesser extent the amateur acting are what hold it back I think. Even so I still think it's worth watching. I gave it a 6 out of 10 on the IMDb scale and I can't understand those who gave it a 2 or a 3. Apparently they do not watch a lot of low budget movies.
Daybreak (2019)
DRAMATIC AND FUNNY SO WHY NO ADDITIONAL SEASONS ????
At first I really wasn't into this series but by the 2nd or 3rd episode I changed my mind and I was hooked. It has a very interesting plot/ storyline that is understatedly humorous and yet zaney & crazy at the same time! It is so far out in left field that it's actually very interesting along with being at times very humorous! However I am still at a loss as why the series wasn't extended to include at least a couple more seasons. I think it would have been a success had they advertised it, but I never even heard of it in its year of running. I think someone in the creating corporation really didn't like it so they wanted it to fail so they just let it wither and die with no chance of extending it. Had they advertised it and given it another season I think it would have done real well. I mean what series with 400 pound hybrid Pug dogs that pass gas enough to clear a street and have a mating season where they will knock down a human and have forcible sex with them won't be noted for its humor.
And yet during the humor and zaney action there are also actual working dramatic scenes too. And the actors really do a great job too, though I have never even heard of most of them. It may not be GONE WITH THE WIND or TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, but it's very entertaining to watch. I guess, as usual, someone in Hollywood really can't tell the good ones from the bad ones. I graded it very high in hopes of attracting more viewers that the corporation or some other company might make more seasons, but I won't be holding my breath.
Also, I clicked the spoiler box because of the Pug dog comment even though I do not think it's a spoiler.
Cast No Shadow (2014)
A STORY OF THE COLD CANADIAN COASTLINES WHERE THERE BE TROLLS!!!
This could have been a GREAT coming of age movie but for poor ending. A 13 year old boy who is emotionally chained to an exceptionally violent father who also happens to be a drug dealer and thief, which he forces his son to take part in. Add to that a missing mother that the boy never met and is pining for any and every thing he can find out about. That is how it begins and swirls with the boy trying to balance the on set of adolescence, that time in life when you are still a boy, but trying so hard to figure what it is to be a man, with fears of the monsters under the bed and yet the magnetic and magical pull of your first crush.
The story swirls and boils over as the boy finds out his mother died in child birth and the perceived guilt that he was responsible for his mothers death. And having already been labelled as strange for his loner ways. The movie could have been so GREAT had they simply worked out even a moderately good ending. It wasn't horrible but to me it lacked any of the emotion fire and eruption that the story appeared to be rolling toward. You will see what I mean when you watch it. The acting was great, the photography was great along the cold Canadian coastal cliff lines where there be Trolls!!
Had there been a better ending this could haved easily been an 8, oh well.
The Alienist (2018)
EXCELLENT SERIES IN ITS OWN RIGHT- FORGET THE BOOKS
OMG can you book readers just GET OVER IT! This is NOT a book or any attempt at religiously following one. I just get so fed up with these ignorant people who have single track minds: "It's not as good as the book" or "It's not the same as the book so I don't like it" or "It just doesn't do the book any justice." SO WHAT? When will you people learn that the screen is a totally different medium and movies or series shows which are BASED upon a book or a series of books will NEVER be the same as the earlier written book(s).
This is an EXCELLENT series which tries very hard to give the flavor and concept of what it would be like to hunt a serial killer toward the end of the 19th Century and the of the 2nd industrial revolution era in the densely populated City of New York, using the fledgling science of psychology as an adjunct to the hunt.
The series does an excellent job of showing the densely over populated immigrant areas of the city as well as the rampant crime in those times and the grip the gangs had on the City's poor areas as well as the police. The show centers on the sex trade of young males posing as females in an era when "proper" ladies were living the fiction that ladies were always virgins until marriage.
Into this game of deception and self delusion a serial killer is committing psychotic murders upon adolescent "boy whores." Mutilating the bodies in gruesome and terrible ways, but ways that the show's "Alienist" is using to pursue the killer. The "hunters" are at the same time coping with a police department of which the majority is both bigoted and corrupted.
With all this the show adds in bits of factual basis, such as Teddy Roosevelt being the police commissioner (1895 to 1897) as well as the first female police officer (hired in 1895). And the Police Department made up primarily of immigrant Irish.
This series is definitely an adult series and not intended for those with weak constitutions or for the young. The story is very adult in nature in more than one way. Having said all of these things I still find this show an excellent find. I tripped over it by accident and it has managed to hold my attention all the way through season 1. If you are interested in a gritty, realistic show about 19th century criminalist work down in the slums of New York and all the way up to the cream of that era's society then this is a good series for you.
The Strange Ones (2017)
A Cautionary Story Based On Actual Events
I am surprised that in viewing the other reviews made by viewers of this movie none of them seemed to put together that this is based, albeit loosely, on a REAL event. The story has been altered a good deal but it is still recognizably based on an event that occurred in 2001. They have based the movie on the story of Derek and Alex King who came under the spell of a neighboring pedophile who recognized their thirst for attention and desire for a male role model's attention. The boys were only 12 and 13 years old at the time and they had been bounced around foster homes and family members for a good while and had not lived together during those times. When a neighbor, who was a friend of their fathers, began watching over them while their father was away and began showering them with attention and gifts and treats they never got in any other case, the boys quickly fell under his spell. It all ended with the boys being molested and under the neighbors spell and with his direction one of the boys killed his father with a baseball bat while he sat in a chair. For the details and more complete actual story you can simply do a search of their names, Alex and Derek King.
The movie loosely follows what happened while changing numerous details such as using only 1 boy and having the neighbor pedophile shot dead in an exchange with law enforcement. In reality he received a 30 year prison sentence and the boys received 7 and 8 year sentences, incarcerating them until they became adults.
I have seen that some watchers thought the movie went to slow but I fail to see that. I was also some what surprised to not see any indication about it being based on a real incident. Perhaps because the boys were young minors at the time. I myself was fascinated by the movie and I recognized the the association with actual events after only a few minutes. I would suggest that perhaps viewers might want to read about the actual event after watching the movie. The movie depicts the terrible cost that pedophiles inflict upon their victims, both immediate and through out their lives. I see the movie as a cautionary tale of what can happen when we fail to treat our kids as human beings and as the most important things we have. The abuse of children, physical or psychological, is a terrible thing.
Go North (2017)
Weak Storyline brings the whole thing down
I thought the story in this movie could use a great deal more fleshing out, however having said that I did find the movie interesting. The main character, played by Jacob Lofland, pretty much carries the movie along with some help from James Bloor, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Sophie Kennedy Clark. The description given to the movie is a bit off in that this is about an apparent plague that strikes suddenly and kills off almost all adults. The teens and children are left to fend for themselves and attempt to form a civilization but it is very apparently woefully wanting. Discipline is harsh for the younger kids who are forced to go to school and provide labor. One teen, the Lofland character realizes there simply will not be enough food for all the kids in what he calculates will be an early and harsh winter so he plans on going north where he has heard there may be survivors and he takes the girl he is attracted to along. The older sports team boys who handle discipline go after them and there is a culmination on a bridge in the end. The story is just too weak to carry the movie effectively, even with the actors I named doing a pretty good job on their end. The movie must have had a very low budget or they would have had a better story line and script as well as props. There are just so many serious flaws in the story though that it drops the whole show. No guns (or just one unloaded one) in an American town? And going north appears more like just going north across the tracks. The acting was good but the story was not. I gave it a 5 because the actors did a good job trying to make it work
Busanhaeng (2016)
In the vein of 28 Days Later -- a great "zombie" movie
This is a seriously GOOD movie! You really need to watch this movie if you are into zombie flicks in the vein of "28 Days Later"! I am not well versed in the S. Korean movie industry, however, if this is any indication of future offerings I will be watching a lot of Korean flicks. I don't like watching movies by subtitles but in this movie it didn't hinder the quality or the suspension of reality at all! --- As I said before, this movie is in the vein of 28 Days Later, which was, in my opinion, the first and best modern age zombie flick since the original "Night Of The Living Dead" way back in 1968. I give props to NOTLD because it was the first, but I never liked the premise of those movies, in that they try to tell the watcher that something can actually bring you back from actual death. I am sorry but to my sciences oriented mind that just does not work. However, a plague that turns humans into homicidal psychopathic lunatics is believable in my mind. In fact there are actual examples of such things in nature right now. There are fungi that literally attack an insect's brain and turn insects into zombies that do their bidding in infecting others and moving to the best place for the fungus to send out its spores and such. So 28 Days Later really worked for me and so does "Train to Busan"! And the acting in the movie was great too, especially from the little girl. I have to admit at first I thought this was another Japanese SciFi flick, but after 5 minutes into the movie it hit me that this wasn't Japanese. If this is an example of the S.Korean film industry to come Japan had better get better and fast or just step aside because S. Korea is in the house.
Stealing Cars (2015)
OK Movie, but could have been better
--- The movie is well worth watching. I am simply explaining what bothered me and how it could have been made better in my opinion. --- I like continuity in movies and also a sense of closure. Nothing makes me lose feeling for a movie, that makes me loose that feeling of the suspension of reality that I need than a lack of closure and that is where I think this movie lost points in my opinion. Even so it was still a good 6/10, but it could have been a 7. --- They spend a good deal of time developing certain characters in the movie, the weak but sensitive boy, the strong and silent "Poeta" boy, and to a lesser degree the leaders of the white gang and the leader of the black gang. However the movie spins off to the ending and never gives us any closure on what happens to these characters. Even with Billy we only sort of get a idea of his over coming his issues as he steals yet another car and rushes a friend to the hospital. But that's it, exit stage right? I want to know what happened to the weak kid that was dropped at the hospital and the "Poeta". Time was spent building their characters just to drop them suddenly. Not an efficient use of screen time in my opinion. In the end we see what appears to be a prison riot kick off, the most violent guard turn into a cream puff and the weak kid dropped at a hospital, but that's it. The movie ends and we never hear if the weak kid lived or the riot was quelled, or the violent guard and the "warden" get what should be coming to them.
A escondidas (2014)
One of 2 movies I have every rated as a 9
HIDDEN AWAY (originally "A escondidas" )
--- I very rarely give a movie a 9 rating, in fact I think this is only the second time I have and this movie fully deserves it. Some may not like this movie because it has some gay over tones but if you just let that pass you will see that is not what its actually about. If you are looking for sex scenes you will be wasting your time with "Hidden Away." This movie is first and foremost a genuine coming of age gemstone. It concerns a displaced Moroccan youth, Ibra, who is on the run from a quasi legal extradition order from the Spanish government which is in a full end run around its own laws to remove Arabs from its borders. Ibra, who appears to be about 16 has blown into the town where a 14 year old Spanish citizen, Raffa, resides. Ibra takes shelter at a youth hostel but has also run into the wrong company of another Arab who is a drug dealer. Raffa apparently lives a comfortable life in his home and is a rising star in his youth water polo team. He whiles away his days with his closest friend, Guille, playing water polo, smoking weed and playing video games and is accepted by his wide circle. But not all is as it seems and Raffa is now at that age where everyone is trying to force him into relationships with girls, and though he does not completely understand why, he is highly stressed by this and not at all comfortable. One evening at a local youth dance Raffa and Ibra lock eyes and Raffa is immediately drawn to this new interest in his life. Raffa goes against the normal adolescent heterosexual grain of his peers and begins working at gaining Ibra's attention. The two are both introspective and Raffa spends more and more time becoming friends with Ibra, to the detriment of his best friend Guille. However Guille is a true friend and accepts that his friend is experiencing something intense and lets him be. Eventually Raffa and Ibra begin a typical process of "sparking" as they become closer friends and eventually Raffa's friends find out the relationship is too close for their liking and he is excluded and then the extradition warrant comes a calling and everything goes south. The two boys run for it together and Raffa's one true friend, Guille, meets them and admits he doesn't understand but sheds tears with his friend as he realizes they are leaving possibly forever and he accepts Ibra because Raffa does. The movie is poignant and brings up what it is like for a boy's first love even when he doesn't first understand it. The whole process is so much better than how I have described it and if you really want to see a very touching coming of age movie I highly recommend "Hiding Away." I have told some of the story here but in no way anything but a fraction of it and you will realize this when you watch it. And I have completely left out the ending so you can experience that for yourself. It alone will touch you deeply as well as the aftermath.
--- Note: In the end credits you will see a message about the passing of Alex Angulo. He played the attendant at the youth hostel and was killed in a car accident in 2014 (Alex Angula born Alejandro Angulo León 1953 - 2014)
Rang-e khoda (1999)
The only movie I have ever given a 10 out of 10
This the only movie I have ever watched and given a 10 out of 10 score. I consider myself to be pretty hardened, having been a street cop for over 22 years and a firefighter for 10 years before that. I have seen a lot of human suffering and I have become very hardened to it but this movie had me in tears more than once. It's about a innocent little boy who lives in the mountains of Iran and has been blind since birth. His mother has recently died and his father considers him a burden not only on his life in general but also toward his attempt to find another bride. The boy has been sent to live and study at a school for the blind and here you will see blindness from a myriad causes we are lucky to no longer have in the USA. The boy has an innate intelligence and a strong curiosity about the world around him, which he experiences as a world of sound and tactile senses. His father wants him to stay in the school but he is forced to take him home and now he is concerned that his brides family will find out he has bad genes or something. Once home the boy reconnects with a loving grandmother and 2 loving sisters and even the people of his village are tolerant of him and show him affection. Yet his father schemes to be rid of him and at times you can see in his eyes he couldn't be blamed if the boy wandered off or befell some other "natural" death. However the father finds a blind carpenter a long way away who takes the boy as an apprentice. But from the start guilt seems to be chasing the father and we see him reacting to a raucous type of bird call from the deep forest that appears at these moment as if it is a demon calling him out in accusation. Several aspects begin to drag at the father, weighing him down with guilt until the end when he must decide to let the boy die in a natural accident or will his love for the boy finally over come his past transgressions, guilt and self pity. Will the father step back and let nature take its course or will his love for the boy finally wake him up to the fact that his son has always been a blessing on him, not a weight around his neck. And will his decision come in time to save his soul and the boy's life? The makers of this movie prove that excellence knows no border and cannot be stifled.
Uncle David (2010)
Disturbing movie that mimics pedophile death cults reported in the USA years back
I am not a fan of the actors in this movie, in fact although I have seen Hoyle before I don't really know who he is. I mention this because others have made such a point out of his appearance in this movie. I find this movie very disturbing because it sort of mimics the reported pedophile death cults that were reported in the USA back in the late 80s I believe. Several young men claimed to have been held by high ranking politicians, industry leaders and such for use in sexual slavery. They told stories of boys being purchased and stolen at young ages and raised in sexual servitude by false parents as well as run always being captured and other teens lured with promise of drugs and money. In this movie Hoyle seems to have been grooming this boy from a very young age and unless he was supposed to be retarded the boy was acting extremely immature for his obvious physical age. This made me think of those kids supposedly raised by surrogate parents or sold by drug addicted mothers to those cults I mentioned and if raised by drug addicted parents they could keep them out of school or from relationships with others their age or the opposite sex. Uncle David I do NOT believe was supposed to be his actual uncle as we see the boy farmed out to uncle Robert to be "put through his paces" early in the movie. I think the boy's mother was an addict and possibly provided the boy for money and yet still had some moral fiber left as she calls trying to find him. It's obvious the kid has been under this guys spell for some time just by watching their behavior in public. What teen boy would ever normally dress like that or act like that with an older guy in public. We also see that the boy is used quite casually for sexual purposes by 2 different "uncles" as well as extreme grooming behavior by the Hoyle character. Having said all that to explain my thoughts I also got an impression that the Hoyle character may have been a practicing Druid from his conversations so anti establishment and anti Christian. And he talks about this all being a sacrificial death for the purpose of saving the world. Now that could be wanna be Druid act or it could be a pedophile just "rotating his stock" as the Hoyle character even tells the kid. The kid may have aged out of being a useful sexual toy so they rotated him out, except I get the feeling the Hoyle character didn't really want to do it but knew he had to. As I said I think it was a disturbing movie, but I knocked off points for lack of information like the kids age and actual motives.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Great Escapist Space faring Pirate Movie
What can I say about this movie except it was a lot of fun. It's a great space faring, escapist, adventure movie. It's got heroes and villains, damsels and black knights, jesters, Shire Reeves and deputies as well as a white knight. Oh, and don't forget the honorable Groot tree. My biggest surprise of the movie was to find out who played Groot. This movie is just plain a lot of fun and it's not one of those movies that only the kids will have fun with. In fact this movie was pretty clearly made for an adult audience. Having said that I would also have to say that its a movie made for the inner teenager in all of us. It has "hidden treasure" and has pirates, lots of pirates, swindlers, and everything that an old Errol Flynn, Captain Blood in the 43rd century could need. It uses flawless CGI to create a fantastic future galaxy, far far away. When the movie was over I wanted more and yet I was satisfied too. Here's to seeing what the next installment brings!
Time Warrior (2012)
Not worth the rental fee
The acting, the writing, and even the storyline are all AMATEUR. This actually looks like some student's high school or film school class project rather than a professional film. It never should have been released to rental stores. As a learning project for some film student I give it a 2.5. I didn't give it a zero because I reserve that for epic films like: ----> "Birdemic: Shock and Terror". The storyline appears to have been written after a bad night hitting the bottle or something. If there was a real novel or story used to base this on it was hacked apart by the writer(s) in the worst way. The actors appear to have either been rejects from the regular studios or maybe first timers who someone convinced that acting does not require any training, experience or school. The filming looks like an advanced video system of which the quality was the only thing that approach average quality in the whole thing. One more thing, watch the SWAT team's sight discipline as they approach the house in a ragged line of errors. Watch the LASER aim points dancing around all over the other SWAT Team members backs, indicating they have just aimed their loaded rifles at the other officers. VERY Professional indeed! I expected to hear "Car 54, Car 54 where are you?" on their radios at any moment or maybe one of the officers calling out "Officer Tootie respond please." The only good point in the entire movie, to me anyway, was when the blond hero shaved his head and actually looked like a real kid underneath. I guess I was expecting a hydra of something to pop out. However by then I had lost all interest in the story, or lost track of it anyway. As I said before, this movie should never have been set out for rental, I intend to ask for a refund.
Bully (2011)
A Documentary that EVERY parent should be required to watch.
--- As a retired law enforcement officer I literally shook with a rage and a fury I haven't felt since I retired while watching this documentary. The problem I saw in these schools was school officials who were more interested in whining about the issue and hoping it would go away on its own rather than becoming pro-active in dealing with it. You start anti-bullying programs in the schools, counseling for victims, a zero tolerance policy and mandatory penalties toward bulling, group sessions with accused kids about what harm they are inflicting, get the PTA involved, require REQUIRE all parents to attend a meeting at the start of school years at which the school's zero tolerance policy and penalties are explained and if they do not attend then their kids do not start school just like vaccination policies. Instead these so called leaders were not really doing much of anything other than trying to defend their zero action response to bullying. --- The documentary makers did a good job in showing the problem and then left the rest up to others. I think they should have maybe spent a bit more time in being a resource about what can be done to deal with the problems rather than just showing it. I also know that I would have been interested to learn a little more about what happened to the kids involved. Though I give credit to the makers for taking a hidden issue and shining the light of day on it.
Another Kind (2013)
Poorly written story that delivers nothing but boredom
--- This movie suffers from something no movie can succeed without, a well written and complete story. No movie is going to do well if it doesn't hold the watcher's attention, if it doesn't have a linear line of events leading to an eventual ending. Something this movies totally lacks. Oh we have a story in a sense, four people go hiking during the cold winter in an isolated wilderness area but then it just sort of drags along for the rest of the length of the movie not really accomplishing anything. --- In the end of course we are given the news that aliens have attacked and the world is ending or the sky is falling or some such thing. Apparently we are supposed to believe that the mysterious lights and occasional sounds heard at night by the hikers was the aliens. But we get no information on how their friend is killed or why there was a chemical smell in the air at one point or what the lights were at night. We simply have a boring progression of not very scary events that are not explained by action or explanation. Then in the end we are left with one person who finds a road and is almost run over by rushing cars. Of course we are never told why these aliens would want to torment 4(3) helpless Earth kiddies or how they found them alone in the woods. Nor are we told why they buzzed the hikers with colorful lights at night and go about making strange noises or smells, or why they decide to deep freeze one of the hikers. These things go on and on but without any reasoning or explanations as if we should simply know and understand why invading aliens would pick 4 lone individuals to torment while they are apparently destroying the rest of the world in Technicolor. Then miraculously he can receive cell messages again and there are images of the alien attack and written messages about aliens and the end of the world and more mysterious lights appear in the woods and the man appears frozen in fear. We never do find out the answers to all these things other than to learn that aliens have attacked. Then cue in ending credits, play exit music. FINALLY this waste of time is over. Or at least that is my opinion. I gave it a 4 out of 10 and that is being kind hearted in my opinion too.
The Eagle (2011)
Excellent movie but for one detail
--- I found this to be an excellent movie with only one exception. It was a period piece and was very well done in that regard and their portrayal of the Roman fortification at the start of the movie was very realistic. As was their portrayal of the Roman tactic of the tortoise when they built a shield wall around the advancing guard. The only thing I found in this movie that sort of broke the spell for me was the "feel good" ending in which the Roman and the Brigantis Slave walk in to the military headquarters side by side and present the Eagle and then turn and walk out again side by side. I realize they have to make certain exceptions for the movie but that would never have really happened. Nor would they have been able to have been so flippant to a Legate or other Roman big shots. I don't have a better answer for a better ending but I just know that the one they used just doesn't cut it except maybe for the liberal "lets all feel good" crowd or the politically correct crowd. I guess I have to use an old quote " I don't know what the right one is, but I know it when I see it."
The Little Traitor (2007)
Coming of age movie
--- I am not going to write much here because I think you have to watch this movie rather than read about it. It was made in an excellent manner and had first rate actors with high kudos going to Ido Port as Proffy and Alfred Molina as Dunlop.
--- Very essentially put this is a story about an 11 year old boy who carries on a friendship with a British "occupation" soldier in Israel just before it became Israel. The boy learns the hard way that sometimes your enemy can treat you better than your supposed friends and that although innocent friendship can and should be something one can treasure for life, it can also be called treason by the ignorant. I won't tell more for fear of telling to much.
--- The story is told in a very sweet way and is a well made coming of age movie. I don't think many people would be disappointed with the time investment to watch this one.
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
A solid Sci-Fi action flick in the vein of Independence Day
First, this movie proves to me that most professional critics are simply writing with big words to impress themselves and look like they have some special ability that they don't. Second, I think the user reviews I read show me that the liberal, anti-violence crowd still thinks we should all be forced fed milquetoast, baby pablum and wouldn't understand a real life situation if it came up and bit them in the....
The movie is told from the view of the soldiers and gets right into the real mil-speak language used by today's soldiers, something that some older viewers and most liberal viewers won't readily pick up on and so may lose them. However this movie captures the real point of view action that would happen if such an incident really occurred. Those who have served in the modern military, worked as cops, firemen, civil service, etc will probably have no trouble at all.
Look at this movie as sort of a 21st century John Wayne flick and you should know what to expect, even including the Calvary (US Marines) coming to the rescue. I was impressed by it's energy and realism. If you like Sci-Fi, if you liked Independence Day, Alien & Aliens, War of the Worlds, or Predator then you will probably like this movie.
It's not a deep thinker's movie, but rather a fast ride that you grab hold of and hang on tight as you experience it's swiftly unfolding action. Its far and above better than the B rated trash that sometimes comes out promising to deliver what this movie actually does. I give it an 8 out of 10 for teens and adults. It's probably not a good choice for the younger crowd though.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)
I am insulted that IMDb only gave this a 2 out of 10
--- A 2 out of 10? I am INSULTED! Clearly this is the absolute worst movie I had to endure in over 20 years and I am positive the makers were trying very hard for a ZERO! And in MY book that is exactly what it got, a BIG F A T zero out of ten. --- I have no idea where to start with this example of a junior high school project that some how got picked up for rental production. The "eagles" and "hawks", and I use those terms loosely, look like they were stolen out of some 80's arcade video game. Their movement is one dimensional and have no other motion than to exist in the air with wings moving up and down. I have never known the eagles where I live to be able to hover in mid-air facing upward as if on a flag...very curious. --- Maybe I missed the part where someone was identified as an arms dealer, but suddenly the freaky eagles appear around the people and there are screams, "ooooh," "eeeewwww," "ahhhh...," then someone has an idea. I swear I expected a light bulb to appear. The idea goes from thought to action..."hey, we are under attack by killer one dimensional birds. Here, take this automatic weapon I just happen to have in the back seat and open fire." "Oh yeah and use the thousand round magazine I have in the gun too!" That is all I can stand to say about it. Oh wait, I just have to tell you to keep your eye out for those attack clothes hangers too. --- This is the first movie that I actually demanded a refund from Family Video over. I thought Alien vs Ninja was getting my waste of space award for the month but then this movie came along and blew Alien vs Ninja right out of the water. ---Alien vs Ninja = 02 , Birdemic = 00. When watched together they earn a solid -01 . Mathematical explanation (+02x00=-01)