wiac's Reviews

Making a Murderer (2015–2018)

9/10

28 August 2023

Warning: Spoilers

It is one of the best document series I've ever seen. It is perfectly edited from thousands of hours of court materials, interviews with families, lawyers and many other people engaged in the case. I think everybody who saw the series had doubts as to the fairness of American court system, since - according to the message given by the creators of the series - 2 innocent men were convicted for first-degree murder of the young girl and they will soend their lives in prison.

But after having watched the series I decided to gain some more knowledge about the trial and evidence gathered by the prosecutors. In particular, I read the book written by Ken Kratz - the main procecutor in the trial. Kratz was presented in the series as "the villain", a person who made the jury believed in the conspiracy. And then some fundamental questions appeared in my head. I don't want to spoil, but if you wish to work out your own objective opinion on the Avery/Dassey case on the basis of the comprehensive knowledge, I advise you to read the book carefully. Then ask yourselves - "who killed Theresa Halbach?"

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Horizon Line (2020)

5/10

Entertaining

27 January 2021

The movie is located in the beautiful place Mauritius. In enjoyed the landscapes very much, like for example in 'Six Days Seven Nights'. That is an action B-movie, and I watched it without any expectations that it would be a piece of art. It is quite entertaining irrespective of many absurd sequences, like filling up the aircraft tanks with rum from bottles. If you want to chill while watching the average low budget movie, you won't be disappointed. And Allison Williams...

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Tenet (2020)

8/10

Great one!

27 January 2021

That movie is, to some extent, similar to Inception or Interstellar. The plot is based on certain supernatural device that makes the people to do impossible things (here we have the specific 'back in time' concept; in Inception we had sleeping device and in Interstellar - the black hole transport). These Cristopher Nolan's ideas are brilliant and they make us move to the world of action, thriller and mystery. Perhaps my imagination is not so well, but I confess that I had to watch this film twice to understand everything correctly. But, after that, I watched it for the third, fourth, fifth and... time - just to enjoy the artistic talents of Christopher Nolan and to drink in that fantastic movie.

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Meteor (1979)

7/10

Good 70's

4 January 2021

This movie isn't perfect, but it has a good climate of the seventies. There are plenty of the then stars, including Sean Connery, Martin Landau and Henry Fonda. Moreover, if you like the 70's special effects, you won't be disappointed (even if these are not Star Wars effects). I recommend this film to all of you who like old sci-fi movies. I adore it.

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The Commuter (I) (2018)

6/10

Narrow Margin 2

13 August 2018

This film's plot is very similar to classic "Narrow Margin" starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer (1990). It is a mysterious and full of action rail trip with great actors. So, if you enjoy Liam Neeson action movies, like Taken or Unknown, you certainly won't be disappointed with this one!

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

5/10

Disappointing

3 August 2018

Warning: Spoilers

The movie is very sad. There are only a few funny scenes and most of the movie is quite upsetting and make you cry rather than laugh. I think that when Meryl Streep rejected to perform the starring role, they should have quit an idea to make this sequel/prequel instead of burying Donna (what seems to be the main plot of the movie). Only some scenes with Cher and Andy Garcia are really entertaining and funny. Furthermore, most of ABBA songs used in the movie are rather unknown and there are only a few greatest hits. I think that the movie is worthy of seeing but it is totally incomparable to the first one. Please, do not make the third installment!

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Choke Canyon (1986)

7/10

Underrated

30 March 2014

It's really difficult to explain why this movie is so unknown and low-rated. I've watched it many years ago, as a child, and now found it's DVD release at amazon.com. It's still really great! If you are the fan of 80's action movies - like e.g. Delta Force, American Ninja, Rambo, Commando or James Bond series - you certainly won't be disappointed by this one. This is a very well-done action thriller, with some great stunts and action sequences and - above all - fantastic score by Sylvester Levay (see also Cobra, but he is best known for his Airwolf theme). There are also some really good actors starring in "Choke Canyon", like Stephen Collins, Lance Henriksen and Bo Svenson whose performances make this movie really worth of seeing. So I recommend "Choke Canyon" (AKA "On dangerous ground") to all who like some good, old and light action thrillers.

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The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

3/10

Disappointing

9 September 2009

When entering the cinema I expected to see the thrilling and full-of-action movie, having in mind hitherto Tony Scott's great achievements, like Spy Game, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide.

Unfortunately, I found "Pelham" very disappointing.

It is a very boring movie, with some ridiculous and thus funny scenes and very "poor" dialogs. There is no action, no Tony Scott-like suspense. The only advantage of this film are some really great actors (Travolta, Washington, Turturro). Nevertheless, due to horrible script, they did not even have an opportunity to present their great acting skills.

On the whole, I recommend not to visit cinema to see this movie. It would be less annoying to see 1974 "Pelham" once again.

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Ally McBeal (1997–2002)

8/10

One of a kind

12 August 2009

"Ally McBeal" is very interesting and surprising TV-series. The unique and untypical sense of humor is, in my opinion, the greatest advantage of "Ally". The Authors of the series successfully attempted to present everyone's everyday problems in the specific form, often making use of absurd and grotesque.

There are also a lot of fabulous actors in these series, who created some unforgettable and one-of-a-kind characters (especially Peter MacNicol as John Cage).

A lot of IMDb commentators say that fourth and, in particular, fifth seasons are worse. It is true, especially when it comes to fifth season, which is full of ridiculous moments and is simply unnecessary.

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The Invasion (I) (2007)

5/10

1956 "Body Snatchers" still the best

10 May 2008

Warning: Spoilers

"Invasion" is the fourth version of the Jack Finney's novel "The Body Snatchers". And the worst one, despite of quite interesting performances of Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" of 1956 still remains a classical science-fiction/horror movie, whereas the 2007 "Invasion" is an average horror film, with no climate, horrible script and predictable plot. There is nothing surprising in that movie, especially the laughable scene when Daniel Craig proves to be "one of them". While watching the movie, I could have bet with someone that this would happen!

To sum up, I think that the film is watchable, but only in order to make some comparisons with 1956, 1978 and 1993 Body Snatchers. Besides, the "Invasion" may be found interesting by people who like the very "Snatchers"-history.

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The Ron Clark Story (2006 TV Movie)

6/10

Nice TV movie

30 April 2008

I must admit that I saw that movie "with one eye", while eating dinner, and I thought that it would be some next typical average TV-film, i.e. a stupid comedy about a funny school-teacher.

I was really surprised. "The Ron Clark Story" proved to be a quite nice piece of acting, with a lot of interesting moments.

If for you Matthew Perry will always be Chandler Bing, you are certainly right, but - despite of that - he was very suitable for that movie.

Do not be afraid, since it is not some comedy like "Kindergarten Cop". It is a biographical drama, about a man who wants to do something good for some other people and does it with unconventional methods.

For these reasons, I find to be really worthy of recommendation.

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The Verdict (1982)

7/10

Quite disappointing

22 April 2008

I am a great fan of the courtroom dramas, but I found "The Verdict", which seemed to be a classical one, much worse than other - rather average - movies of that kind, e.g. "A Few Good Men" or "Presumed Innocent".

It is quite boring and predictable in a lot of moments. Furthermore, certain events and dialogues seem to be rather unrealistic (on the other hand - that is very typical to David Mamet).

Notheteless, I gave it 6 - because of the great and unforgettable performances of Paul Newman and James Mason. These two make "The Verdict" worthy of recommendation.

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