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Reviews
Robert the Bruce (2019)
A pointless hagiography
I'm a descendent of Robert I, so I definitely tend to be biased in his favour. But this movie is a dud, nearly as bad as Braveheart was. There may be fewer outright anachronisms, but there are quite a few nevertheless, and the story is so contrived, and so far from the historical character of Robert I (who was not necessarily a "good" man, even though he was not really any worse than most in his time) as to make this movie an accidental comedy.
And please, a fiddle in the early 14th century? COME ON!!!!!
Hunters (2020)
A poor, very poor attempt at a Tarantino-esque revenge fantasy.
A waste of time, talent and a good premise. The writing is amateurish, the jokes seem to have been written by a highschooler and the smarmy attempts at philosophical deepitude are a week parody of DC comics.
Nazis with fake accents and even worse German, with two-dimensional motives (they're evil, you see; no need for any deeper explanation or exploration). And even when there's an attempt to look at the deeper ethical issues involved in Meyer's obsession (such as his discussion with Wiesenthal), it's as deep as a sheet of paper.
Why did Jordan Peele produce this pablum? I mean, we've seen Pacino take on pretty weak projects over the years for the paycheck, but Peele has been consistently good. What a shame to have this dud attached to his name.
Not a one star because there are a few highlights, such as Murray and Mindy's credible relationship. But other than that, it's low-grade blaxploitation with yarmulkes, nothing else.
Charly (1968)
Nowhere near as good as the book
The movie is weak and lacks character development, compared to the book. It uses a number of experimental story-telling techniques, which nearly all fail.
But the most jarring aspect of the movie is that the protagonist, in the book, is in his twenties, or maybe at the most in his early thirties. Cliff Robertson was in his mid-forties when he played the role, and it shows.
Too many aspects of the book are removed, probably to avoid offending sixties' sensibilities. But then the heart of the book is lost. And the long psychological struggle of Charley in the book is pretty much glossed over in the movie.
Read the book. The movie is a disappointment in comparison.