Reviews

Like so many Netflix movies (not all), needs better editing. Just a few minutes cut from the movie would have made the movie 10 times better. Not that the movie was bad. Definitely not original but still very enjoyable for what it is. It's definitely pretty to watch most of the time but some of the action sequences suffer from too much happening at once and becoming garbled nonsense. Basically some of the heavy action scenes. You're going to hear this a great deal so let's just say it here as well, it's kinda the female to male version of the movie HER mixed with terminator. As much as I like Jennifer Lopez as an actor, she doesn't really sell the role she is cast in. Luckily a great deal of the scenes don't require a ton of emotional depth. She did a good enough job but this role probably would have been better with an actor that has better range. Let's sum up: needs better editing, needs a better leading lady, action scenes don't look particularly great. Fun movie despite its obvious defects.

As usual I'm giving yet another live action adaptation, Avatar: The Last Airbender, a chance and this is what I think so far. It's very pretty, they spent a lot on special effects, locations, and it is evident. The effects are also very weird, for how pretty it is the effects also are a lot less 'good' on certain things, such as the animation of Appa. That being said, with every minute I watch it veers more and more into cash grab territory. The liberties and 're-interpretations' they take with the story, that is already well established, just make it really hard to like and watch. Also it's a little dark, the first few minutes they start off with a bunch of murders, kids can't watch this! I'll watch another episode to be sure but this is quickly falling into the territory of pointless like Cowboy Bebop.

Conclusion: cash grab. This show is basically a CW show mixed with reality TV. I don't know how they wrote the lines for Sokka but clearly they never watched the original show. He didn't become all stoic and a great leader until much later in the series. Zuko, oh my goodness, they basically have made him into a blood thirsty ruthless monster instead of the dejected and very determined person he was in the original. If you find CW shows enjoyable then this live action adaptation is for you. If you'd like to experience the original cartoon, it is on Netflix and you should watch that instead. The Legend of Korra is on Netflix as well. Skip the cringe worthy live action version, it is not good.

After seeing this movie I can better understand all the weak reviews and seemingly weak box office performance. Let's just say this up front, the movie is fun to watch. I think the two lead actors were really weak for the roles but they did a good enough job. I think the sound editing needed a lot of work because I was in a theater with excellent speakers and while the voices could be heard clearly all of the music sounded like it was mono. I think the movie was too damn long. This wouldn't be a problem if you didn't figure out what the secret reveal for the plot was halfway through the movie, and trust me you will. Towards the end it literally became a series of very similar scenes you've scene in far better action flicks. Again it was fun to watch their take on some of those scenes but it gets old really fast. It was clear they took Apple's money and said let's keep making more movie instead of wrapping it up sooner and making a better movie. Also, this isn't a spoiler, this movie seems to directly tie into an existing movie franchise. I did not see that coming. To sum it up, fun movie that borrows plot devices and in some cases very similar action sequences from other movies. This is not a movie worth watching again but it's worth one watch. The best damn parts of the movie were the scenes with Henry Cavill and John Cena, especially the cafe scene.

There are lots of action movies that gets released but few that are worth watching. This is one of the ones worth watching. It's not an incredibly deep story/premise, but it is a good story that you wish were real, and yet another film that elevates Jason Statham (again) as the most reliably good action movie star of the last 20+ years. Statham's performance, though never in a scene for extended amounts of time with any one actor save the agent, elevates all their performances for the story. Speaking of the story/mythology, it's as good or better than a certain franchise (looking at you Wick) and yet it probably won't see the endless number of sequels, if it even gets one. I highly suggest you go see the movie in theaters and enjoy it. This is a day one purchase for me when it's home release happens.

My headline might make it seem like I am all in for this show but that is not the case. There are lots of things about this show that are very strange. First things first is my description of the show: This show is Madam Secretary (TV show) 2.0. Minus being more compelling. It has an HBO TV show sized budget, it's not on broadcast networks so it can ignore all those rules about colorful language and mature themes, and it's a visual upgrade in all ways. That budget they have pays for better actors and writers but at its heart it is very similar in more than a few ways to Madam Sercretary, not a bad thing. I also don't know what to categorize this show as. It's listed as a drama and suspense show but in reality it flirts more with comedy and drama. The show has a few high profile actors in it that often outshine the main character which is not a great showing. The main character often seems inept in nearly every situation even though her character is billed as a subject matter expert in the job she's been forced into so I'm not really sure if it's a writing problem or an acting problem. The writing while pretty good could use some of that Aaron Sorkin political movie/TV show writing magic to make the political intrigue more intriguing and solution oriented. They've spent an entire (short) season on one main problem, knowing the 5 W's, and not moving forward which made me stop watching the show attentively at the 5th episode. Do I recommend this show, not really. There are far better things you could be watching. Does this show try really hard? Absolutely but it ultimately fails to measure up for a few reasons to a lot of its peers in that category (political) of show.

I'm just going to sum it up briefly. It is a well filmed and edited revenge flick that is as exciting as watching paint dry. There are some great action scenes, and some good setting shots but the plot is nothing new OR exciting. It in fact could have been better if they added some more backstory instead of the exceptionally dull narrated parts by the protagonist. The only bright spot of the movie were the scenes Tulsa Swinton were in the movie. Her part was the only part that had any depth. A movie about her character's career seems as if it would be far more interesting. Netflix has to do better.

It starts off interestingly enough but the movie just never gains any real traction. It's like even with all they've been through with Bourne they never really learned anything. This all star cast was wasted on an obvious cash grab which if given more development could have been so much more. The more you watch the movie the less you care about anything happening in it. They could have gone into far more detail on what he was after but that was one or two lines of dialogue. They could have explained the lab incident better but again they just went the straight action route and never looked back. They could have made more spy-like things happen with infiltrating certain place but nope, just get to the next scene. The legacy of this series is simple, too much lapsed time and a shrinking development budget.

What were people expecting when they watched this movie? It was a very well executed story that touched on a great deal of issues plaguing our society and some very funny links and explanations about how some of it relates to sciencetific theory. How anybody watched this movie and didn't enjoy it makes me think they went in expecting far too much or had preconceived notions about it and were mad. Go into this movie expecting nothing, it will be quite a great movie if you do.

To the point, this is a great Ice Cube and supporting cast movie. This is also a BAD Kevin Hart movie. I am not an actor so I don't know what goes into giving a convincing performance but this was not a great fit for that role. It was Kevin Hart being basically himself when it called for him to tone it down like 70% from his usual comedy stylings. This probably would have been a great role for a lesser comedian since you can't really tell the #1 comedian in the world how his performance should go. His Star power filled the auditoriums, but he stunk up the movie. Even though his performance was so bad all the rest of the cast really outdid themselves in carrying the movie despite his over the top performance.

This movie is definitely edge of your seat thrilling in a very macabre and funny way. The trailers gave away just enough to not spoil anything and I promise you this movie is more than what it seems to be. That being said I was thinking something very weird while I was watching it. I was thinking, could this already good movie be better and if so how? My answer was immediate, this movie could have been better if Nic Cage was in it, this just seems like a movie right up his alley of acting.

The title of my review sums up what this show is about. The show is a series of interviews about various things our species has pondered over the ages and in recent times and discussed. It is set to animation and music that blend perfectly to the subject matter. There are no resolutions or grand realizations, this show is a journey that attempts to help people form their own conclusions about things. It loses its focus partway through episode 5 when technical glitches start to happen for the main character but it rebounds nicely for a strong finish at the last episode which is the longest episode of the series. I recommend watching this series strongly to anyone that isn't afraid to sit down, watch, listen, and just be open to it as an experience to be remembered. I most certainly do not recommend watching this show while inebriated in any way. I think if you watched this show in an altered state of mind you are missing the chance to clearly revel in it and alter your own state of thinking without aid from substances.

I get it, I do. I understand why this show is airing in USA on HuLu since HuLu needed desperately a huge win and boy did they score with this gem. The Crave network however basically doomed this show to obscurity putting it on HuLu instead of going with multiple streaming services or with the biggest service in Netflix. It is virtually unheard of outside the younger more tech savvy crowd or HuLu diehards. This show is similar to Trailer Park Boys in that it takes place in rural Canada and it has exceptional writing that will get you laughing. Who would I say this show is geared towards? Anybody that is at the age of puberty or older will probably find this show hilarious. Let me be clear, this show is not politically correct. There is booze consumed in moderate to large quantities in every episode, smoking in every episode,Drug usage in some episodes, and some colorful adjectives in every episode. They talk about and deal with all sorts of seemingly random situations ranging from homosexuality, polyamory, and zoophilia. There is fiat fighting in the show. I absolutely recommend watching this show by whatever means you have available be it legal or illegal if you want a good laugh to help pick you up during these strange depressing times we find ourselves in. If you're a parent just assume your kids have heard of this show and may have already seen it or plan on watching it. Regardless of what you may have read in an official review this show is not a show just filled with portrayals of miscreants or idiots, there are some fairly intelligent discussions that happen in the show as well, even though some of them may be about irreverent things. Also, the characters in the show are polite and for the most part have good manners.

As a current member of the US Navy I can say unequivocally that this is certainly the best modern navy movie that is fiction that is not based on some true story. Whomever wrote this movie deserves an award for their very near true to life depiction of how the Navy operates, how procedures on a ship actually play out, how things could theoretically really happen with special operations, and how higher ups in joint operations centers could really have their heads up their asses instead of listening to and trusting their subordinates to plan and coordinate what happens in the field. If you like military movies and navy movies in particular, this is the absolute best navy movie in a very long time.

I am not sure why this movie is not rated higher, or why they could not market it better, or why it wasn't more successful, but I have a suspicion it was a sexist reason. Any other movie with a similar plot, and there are a few of them with even bigger named stars not that she isn't a big name star, get far higher praise and aren't nearly as good or the main character not nearly as thought out. This is a revenge flick at it's finest. All the why's of the movie are laid out clearly, the characters motivation spelled out, and the acting based on the script is phenomenal. The only reason I could say this film isn't more highly regarded is because the vengeful character is not some brawny male actor because Jennifer kicked ass (acting and physically) in this movie and made the character far more believable than most other revenge based movies.

This movie is the very definition of a theater filler. It is an action packed film that has potential in it's plot but veers way off in favor of action set pieces. In the opening act a great plot was established that is fairly unique to action movies but then you get to the first big action piece and they decide that this is where they are gonna focus their efforts for the rest of the film. Like I said, great action movie, light on the writing as is gets on in minutes.

To me this movie represents something of an oddity. This movie is one of those rare sequels that make the original worth watching. I'd seen the original at the pleading of fans my age who wouldn't shut up about it being this great sci-fi masterpiece of a movie. It most certainly was not that and anybody that tries to convince you otherwise is an obsessed individual. The sequel however is a sci-fi masterpiece, the catch is you really do need to watch the original as it is full of callbacks to it. Thankfully you can watch the movies in any order and still have the same outcome of an experience, overall good. The movie shines with the excellent acting, above average writing, and astounding visuals & sound. Can you watch this movie and appreciate it having not seen the original, yes. Would watching the original make this an easier to understand film, absolutely.

It is a funny yet tragically bad movie sequel to what has been an excellent example of anime these last few years. It is overly long thanks to them beating a handful of jokes into the ground. When they hit upon a truly hilarious moment in the film they felt the need to keep telling the same joke for extended periods. It is largely aimless, every time it seems to get back to the main plot it veers off like a drunk driver to things that either fall flat or lead to beating jokes to death. There were parts that could have been expanded upon that would have kept the movie from being just a random assortment of sex jokes but they instead opted to tell sex jokes for more than half the damn movie, and they kept telling the same jokes. I seriously hope people read this review and skip the movie and instead wait for another season if that will even happen. This is one of the worse anime movie adaptations I have ever seen. The only reason it got 6 stars from me is because some of the jokes were exceptionally funny when you hear them the first time, not so much after 3,4,5,6 times.

This movie benefits brilliantly by having very little marketing and an intentionally partially misleading description. Going into the film knowing very little benefits anybody interested in this flick since it constantly surprises you. Maybe this movie not getting a sequel is the best thing ever since any sequel would most definitely have USA as the bad guy, not that the origins of the spectral is a bad thing, it's more of a sad tragedy.

Anybody that says this movie is just a by the numbers dull comedy must have seen a different movie than I did. It wasn't a laugh per minute kind of movie, it was a funny action flick with a little bit of drama mixed in that actually had some genuine emotion to it. I think the casting for this movie was perfect, they all portrayed exactly what their characters roles were perfectly for the lead actors, even all the supporting cast did a decent job selling the characters they were playing. If you want to see an above average comedy action movie this movie is pretty good.

I am just a few minutes into episode two of the Netflix show Another Life and hot damn it has went from a maybe I won't watch it to a definite will not watch it. The writer, director, and production team definitely are writing a soap opera/reality TV show in space, and not a good one. It's like they gathered typical reality TV stars and put them on a spaceship. Even if you don't send certified trained astronauts into space I'd like to believe you'd at least send the smartest, brightest, most capable people, who can do their jobs without throwing a temper tantrum and can do their jobs without being slaves to their emotions.

If you've never seen a film about this subject then you will probably rate it higher than the 6 stars I gave it. It is a well made movie but when it gets to a specific part it just starts unraveling. It's nit because the star of the film is a bad actor, it's because her character just starts acting contrary to what a normal person would do. Also, if you've seen this subject matter on the SyFy channel's excellent mini serie AsenAsension, then you've already seen a far superior version and this one will pale in comparison. My advice, watch Asension instead, this movie is weak in comparison.

The reaction to this show has been exceptional in botht ht epositive and negative. I am more surprised with the negative reaction than I thought possible since it surprises me. People seem to take issue with the gratuitous nudity or the protrayal of violence in association with women in this series which makes me wonder if I watched the same series as the critics. I didn't see any victims in this show, I saw survivors and strong women being portrayed in ways that were very creative. Beyond my issues with the critics I think this show is phenomenal. How it portrayed a dystopian future or advanced technology and civilization in ways I haven't seen in a very long time is remarkable. The only negative thing I could say about this show is that the episode Ice Age was definitely the weakest and I wonder if it could have been better without the flesh and blood human actors portrayed on screen. If you are on the fence about this show let me help you decide, go watch it now, watch it with an open mind and no preconception, and above all just have fun watching it.

Watching this movie is like watching two different movies that are vaguely sharing a story world. The first half of the movie is spectacular in building the story. It really endears you to the characters who are mostly unlikeable. Then as you start to like them and the story starts to come together with a ending that is the logical conclusion the story has made, the story becomes something new altogether. It is as if the premise of the movie changed entirely and became a differnet kind of movie altogether. The saddest part of this is that the ending which was marvelous would fit either story wonderfully. Watch at your own risk, just keep in mind you are watching two movies in one.

If you want to see a visual spectacle of a movie this is it. It is filled with action, wonder, and a story that was merely okay but was so close to being fantastic. I am not even talking about if it followed the source material closely because they obviously did their homework. But man, the story just fall apart halfway through the movie. It was building, you were learning about the world, starting to like all the additional characters and her character development, and then it just slowly starts to fall to pieces. I think this movie is definitely a movie specifically made for the general audience and not a person who watches anime or read manga regularly (again, no beef with how they interpreted the book), it is just how they told their interpretation of the story that was simply nonsensical. The movie would have been just fine if after she learned about who and what she really was and just jumped directly to the end, that is how weak the last half of the movie was. If you are in it for the visual spectacle and don't really care about the movie then go check it out, your eyes will thank you for the treat. Your brain however might start doing backflips and start reciting mathematical formulas.