Reviews

This film was not at all what I expected, but I think it's core message probably resonates with Americans of all kinds. War is hell, death is often senseless, and everyone takes losses.

The politics of this film are absent for what I think are obvious reasons. Division was clearly not the goal of this film. I fully believe that Alex Garland wrote this as a sort of inoculation against the war-lust felt by outliers on both sides of the political spectrum. Unfortunately I think it missed the mark, but I still enjoyed the film. The intention was there.

Someday I hope to see serious political film about a modern civil war, but this wasn't it.

As a rabid fan of the games, I am happy to report that this show absolutely nails the lore and essence of fallout, right down to the obligatory shallow main plot.

In defense of the series, the lore of this world has always been the draw, rather than some big main quest. There is always a cheap excuse to get you out of the vault, then you forget about that reason for 100+ hours while you make your own story. So how do you make that experience into a good non-interactive story? Beats me, but I think they did it as well as could be expected.

The good: -Goggins' standout performance as Howard -The interplay between Max and Chet -Lore building surrounding VaultTec

The bad: -Fights feel more comical than high-stakes -Main villain is dull -All the MacGuffins, -Generally boring/unlikable protagonists.

A heist, a prison break, and a compelling spy thriller. The first season Andor can be broken into three acts, and each of them has more to offer the viewer than any other season of Disney entertainment from the last decade. Within the first ten minutes, Andor separates itself from recent Star Wars: grit, mystery, fear, desperation.

Some time ago, I called Rouge One the last true Star Wars film. Recent installments in this universe were cheap and disposable, and I truly believed that Rouge One was the last production I would enjoy from this universe. So bad were these films, and so questionable the authenticity of their reviews; it took me over a year to finally watch Andor. Imagine my shock. Gilroy has given hope where I expected none.

Tony Gilroy has effectively proved himself with Andor. The execs at Disney are fools if they don't turn over the next trilogy to him.

This film really felt like a passion project. The sort of concept two friends might come up with over beers. The world of cinema has been so lacking in originality recently, and that helps films like Self Reliance really stand out.

I had fun watching this. The cameos are on point, the characters are zany, and while it isn't exactly a laugh-out-loud comedy, I found the script to be clever and witty.

The ending was indeed a little underwhelming, but I can't really put my finger on why. Our main character completes his story arc, and the psychological thriller elements reach their climax and conclusion. There is clear and apt social commentary on loneliness and dating here, but the moral of the story could have been better developed.

Nevertheless, I absolutely enjoyed the film.

You don't need to be an avid Poe reader to enjoy this series, but it helps to know a bit about the source material. I assure you, the Poe story will not spoil the series for you. Go read it!

From the first episode it was clear that Flanagan's greatest success with The House of Usher was the meta mind game payed, where the viewer must decide just how unreliable the narrator is. The real genius is that the viewer is not sure what the rules are in this universe. Is there a supernatural element? Is Rodrick malicious? Is he mentally unwell? All of this is well established in the first episode, which somehow manages to be the weakest of the eight episodes. What follows in the remaining seven episodes are expertly written characters that serve their narrative purposes with precision.

I must point out that there are moments where the dialog itself is downright immersion breaking. If the director had asked asked the actors to look at the camera during a few of these scenes, they would be considered 4th wall breaks. Very preachy, and that coming from someone who actually agrees with the message being pushed. A little subtlety would have really improved my overall enjoyment.

Setting aside the gothic after-school special vibes in a few scenes, I really do like this series a lot. If you have to adapt a classic, this is just about as good as it gets.

Okay, maybe I have a few.

Obliterated is an 80 IQ hot mess of nonsensical nonstop fun and I really hate how much I enjoyed it.

There are disgusting prosthetic phalluses and oddly tight character arcs. Shoehorned diversity mixed in equal parts with political self awareness. For every genuinely depraved scene there's an equally wholesome and touching family moment. This series is everything that is wrong with bad action films, and everything that made the hangover a classic. It is so reductive that it manages to be original. This show has three plot holes for every topless woman. I've never, ever, in all my years seen something quite like this show.

7 out of 10, I hate it.

While the episode itself wasn't quite in the top 10, I think this represents a recommitment to the morbid nihilist humor that made the show so popular in the first place. The series never really shied away from shock humor, but season 5 showed that shock alone doesn't make great entertainment. Season 5 was all shock, no humor. Season 6 was all humor, no shock.

It really is a ray of hope to see this show has found a way to make the macabre and absurd feel smart again, even if the episode didn't have any moral to the story. I had a lot of fun watching this one. It definitely seems adult swim was leading with it's weak episodes this season.

Cruise might be showing his age, but his films sure aren't. Dead Reckoning combines some of the greatest action sequences in recent memory, with a futurist plot that far surpasses any of the other Mission Impossible films.

As with nearly every installment of this franchise, there is some rather unashamed narrative exposition towards the beginning, but in this case it was probably for the best. The "show, don't tell" theory of screenwriting is usually best, but with a runtime already nearing three hours, I think this was probably a wise choice.

I am particularly impressed that this film managed to take the tired setting of a speeding train, and turn it into something genuinely gripping. Those last few minutes are easily the stand outs for the entire franchise.

Finally, most characters (new and old) really show some sort of character development, which I believe is a key to making a film of this length feel worth the watch. I am very excited for part two.

Tension is what this film does right, but those without imagination shouldn't bother. You won't like it. The Vast of Night is carefully crafted make you feel wonder, fear, and ultimately a curiosity that mirrors that of the characters. Without those sympathetic emotions, the purpose is completely lost.

I honestly love films like these for their filtering effect. The Man from Earth is another great example. I don't expect everyone to love them, but if someone doesn't even understand what the film is trying to accomplish with the dialog... Well I think that says a lot more about that viewer than the film itself.

Far too many war films based around the GWoT completely miss the intrigue of tradecraft involved in counterinsurgency. There's a good reason that the Taliban posed such a suborn foe for US forces. They had an intelligence network. They were led and organized by college educated and multidisciplinary thinkers. Most of these movies completely fail to explain this, and it leaves the action feeling cheesy with the audience asking "why are these goat farmers a match for special forces?".

The action was great, but this film was so much more than a helmet-thumping action flick. The tension is where it really shines. From a purely movie-maker's point of view, I really have a hard time finding anything to critique. The performances were all perfectly immersive, script was believable, costume/set was all spot on, and it all flowed together excellently as a two act piece.

Highly recommended, and one of the best war films in recent memory.

It's no Edge of Tomorrow, but it is a completely passable sci-fi thriller with tons of action. I won't address the plot holes, of which there are a few. Other reviews have done a fine job of that.

I really like the creature design. Those critters are actually scary, and it's totally believable that they would cause the problems that they did in the film.

What I really want to acknowledge is that this film is a rarity these days, because he actually has a POSITIVE message. A strong-but-flawed male role model that strives to better himself and provide a better future for his family? Downright subversive! I love it.

It's a sad thing when something like a positive message is all it takes for a film to stand out, but Hollywood has committed itself to being endlessly negative and generally predictable. The Tomorrow War is only one of those things.

As always with these types of shows, there is a good reason "Shrinking" got made. The pilot episode was very good. It could have been developed into a good feature length film. Unfortunately it was a downhill slide after episode 2.

In most scenes, Jimmy has the emotional depth and temperament of a Labrador Retriever. Certainly an odd choice for a someone supposedly grieving the loss of a spouse. The acting is fine, it's really a writing problem here.

Gaby was my favorite character in the first two episodes but she got weirdly mean after that. Again a writing problem, not an acting one. A strong-but-silly character and pillar/friend to Jimmy was for some reason rewritten into a weirdly vindictive and domineering personality. I can not fathom why this was done.

The rest of the cast's performances were just fine, but the writing was full of the usual tired stereotypes, and the overreaching plot was just too damn optimistic even for a comedy. For example: within days of meeting an extremely violent PTSD victim, you invite him to live in your home , unsupervised, with your teenage daughter? I've seen this episode of 'the first 48' before.

Death by a thousand cuts with this series. Every episode left me feeling more drained than the last. Literally the opposite of what a "bingeable" streaming show should be.

And finally: 33k ratings @ 8.1 stars, with only 170 reviews is not organic. Apple, at least pay for the premium shill package like HBO does.

Morbius is one of those rare films that has such a bad reputation that upon actually watching, I was surprised by how completely palatable (if not bland) it turned out to be. I kept waiting for "that scene" which would explain all the hate, or the endless memes, but it never came.

Unfortunately there was never any point where the film grabbed my attention either, despite some top-shelf visual effects. The villain's origin and motivation made sense, but were somehow shallow compared to the protagonist, and the ultimate conflict between them was more of a plot contrivance than anything character-driven.

Morbius is not a film I regret watching, but it's certainly not one that I will return to view again.

5.5/10.

This really should have been a 2.5-3 hour movie rather than a 9 hour series. Character building is always needed, but Invasion proves that it can be overdone, and the depth of insignificant backstory created for these characters is exhausting to watch.

The slow pacing was also a major mistake for most scenes. So often there are these painfully long pauses that seemingly tried to convey some sort of deep contemplation on the part of the characters, but succeeded only in leaving impression that there was a gas leak on the set during filming. This was especially frustrating because most of the acting was actually A-tier, but hampered by a poor directorial decision.

I do expect the next season will tighten up some of the weird loose ends (ex, the sheriff). However, as a stand alone season I did not enjoy Invasion very much at all.

One thing is extremely clear to me about the modern writing room. These companies need a designated adult to tell these grown-ass children "no" without fear of being blacklisted from the industry. Modern writers still have tons of good ideas, but it's increasingly impossible for them to shine under the onslaught of personal ideology and agenda. Invasion was probably never going to be a 9/10, but it could easily have been a 7 if someone had vetoed the love interests and triages, doubled down on the hard sci-fi of the Japanese story line, and worked on developing the characters as individuals rather than their interpersonal relationships.

I'm a big fan of Taylor Sheridan's work, and I put off watching this show for a long time due to the high praise; I wanted to binge it. I rather enjoyed the first season, but after only a few minutes of season 2, virtually all traces of Sheridan's tone are missing.

Many people familiar with Montana have criticized the laughable number of bar fights and the rampant criminal activity, but I see no problem with this. It's fiction, and the reality of running a big ranch is so incredibly dull you could never make a gripping story about it. This is artistic license that is much needed.

The first season actually addressed the complex politics between people living on and off the rez quite well. Unfortunately that very intelligent and nuanced depiction rapidly devolved into preachy left-coast talking points, most of which I've never once heard from the people who actually lived on one of the many reservations in the greater Yellowstone area. I'd bet my left nut that Sheridan was forced to share a writing room after season 1.

There is however one thing that Yellowstone gets consistently right. If you drive more than 200 miles from the pacific, EVERYONE hates Californians, especially the ex-Californians. Off-white Persian-shag, but still a carpetbag is a carpetbag.

I'll probably finish out the third season to see if the show can put itself together, but I don't expect it to. I'll update this review at such a time where the show improves.

Edit: I didn't expect to write more about the series, since it's so rare for a show to improve after a rocky second season. All too often shows like this become nothing more than vehicles for studios to push their massage of the week, or milk out a few more product placement deals before cancellation. Not so with Yellowstone, to my great surprise! The writers room issues I mentioned have improved, and what I thought would be the beginning of an endless stream of national politics were quickly narrowed down to the real politics of the region where this show is based. I can't recall a single show that pulled such a successful 180 degree turn in that regard.

I also can't help but notice that the aforementioned "180" happened around the time the MTV logo started popping up on the opening title. I can only speculate about the connection, but I am excited to see what else MTV and 101 studios can do with Sheridan in the years to come. Above all, thank god HBO kept their hands off this franchise!

Yellowstone is not without its flaws, but with a multi-season commitment to improvement in storytelling, it's easy to see where all the word-of-mouth buzz comes from. Yellowstone gets a solid recommendation from me.

Even by by the most British of standards this was far too dry to be considered a comedy. It is still (perhaps) a drama, except a good drama relies on there being some degree of investment in the characters for the drama itself to be engaging. This did not have that. I'll never understand why some filmmakers think that a good film can be made around characters that are (without exception) detestable, annoying, broken, snobbish, contrived, and two dimensional.

Finally, don't be fooled, this is neither a Christmas film, nor is it a disaster flick. It is neither a dark comedy, or a clever drama. Silent Night was simply dry, empty, and pessimistic. What an ugly film.

...and I wish I could rate them separately. The first act of the film is a fast paced tale of innocence cast into a world of debauchery. It's a beautifully shot, fantastic tale showing the dramatized excesses of show business and the people who would do anything to gain entry into that world. 9/10

The second act was a somewhat more tame and methodical tale of the inner-workings of 1920's film production, with the standout scene being the "hello college" scene. Out of place however, was the whole tangent around the party leading up to the snake. While decidedly funny, I didn't like the pacing very much. 6/10

The final act was a tricky one, and probably could have been 30 minutes shorter. Despite absolutely loving Toby's character, the little side-quest they go on pushed to already exaggerated "Babylonian" theme to to a point of absurdity. It's obvious that some sort of narrative bridge was needed to set up the final scene, but I felt it was overdone. Pitt's character arc wasn't bad, but it lost a lot of steam and I honestly wouldn't have noticed if his character had only been mentioned in the pre-credits sequence. 4/10

If there is one strong point throughout the entire film, it's the use of the dueling saxophone score and quick cuts to drive home the manic energy present throughout the film. Without that score many of the slapstick-heavy scenes would have felt tiresome in an already very lengthy movie. I have a hard time recommending this film to any but the most serious of film nuts, but it's impossible to deny that the bones of a great story are here, they just needed to leave some of the fat on the cutting room floor.

Plane isn't breaking new ground in the action thriller realm, but it ticks all the boxes and kept me interested for the whole runtime. Butler and Colter play off each other pretty well, and the supporting cast all filled the shoes of their characters.

Of course the usual problems with these films still exist. No one seems to understand that cars and planes don't stop bullets, there are substantial plot contrivances involving the plane's function, and turbulence seems to be more dangerous than the bullets.

None of that stopped me from enjoying a good action film that was free from politics, devoid of cheap love stories, and delivers on the violence. Shut your brain off and enjoy! I do recommend.

6.5/10.