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dlewis-38269
Reviews
Given (2016)
Nothing worth watching here
This was a surprise, it is unusual you find a surf film on Netflix, however it didn't take long until it was clear that this was a total pretentious load of BS. I am an artist and surfer and therefore it should have been the audience it was seeking, but it is one of the most self indulgent pieces of film making I have ever seen!! I was immediately patronised by the formula. A family travels around the world and gets their child to narrate with a very weak legend of a big fish in the ocean. It had no message, it is just a self absorbed vehicle to pay for the family to travel the world and surf. The child had no choice of going where his family chose, therefore no authority on the experience. He will most likely totally forget about it by the time he is in his teenage, or adult life. It would have been worth watching if, it had been about a terminally sick person, making the most of their final months on this planet, giving wisdom on the life and beautiful splendour of life and our planet. This is just a blatant attempt to pay for their lifestyle of travelling around doing what they like with little consideration to the cultures they meet. It is an insult of a film, to pay for their lifestyle, we literally learn nothing, no political statement, nothing. Don't waste your time!
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Incredible story but not an incredible
Incredible story but not an incredible film by any stretch.
I had high hopes for this flick due to the Oscar nomination, even though knowing it would have heavy religious sup text from Mel Gibson.
However I felt it was a very corny love story at the beginning, Full Metal Jacket in the middle without any of the good stuff that made Full Metal so great, I thought that Vince Vaughn was badly cast, and I like him as an actor. (god knows what the Drill Sargent is doing going into battle either). Then it was the Vietnam scene out of Forest Gump at the end.
The religious stuff didn't bother me as it was an integral part of the story, but it was super cheesy making them all wait for his prayer before going into battle.
Overall it was an average movie with no stand out acting performances. 6/7 out of 10