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Middleditch & Schwartz (2020)
A Fantastic Bit of Improv
I always enjoyed a bit of improv comedy, but man is this fantastic. They weave a full narrative out a few bits of information and don't miss a detail. Even when you think they have reached the end of something or forgotten a piece, which they do at times, they are able to bring it back in a great way. The starts and ends of the segments can be dicy for any improv group and they are no different. But I think it takes only three minutes before they are off and going.
Even if you have never seen improv comedy before this is a fantastic introduction. It is one of the funniest comedy's that Netflix has to offer, and frankly it is joy to watch. I wish they did more of them.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
A Good Film with a Major Drawback
BAD STUFF:
First lets talk about why it gets a 6/10 even though I liked watching the movie. It seems to me that I wouldn't want to be a family member of someone who died due to Bundy. I felt a certain level of grime watching the film. Even though I liked the acting and the story as it was laid out I still felt that they were commercializing murder.
The way they have Efron portray Bundy is about as good as they could have. They noted how violent and horrible Bundy was but laced in between that is his speeches and his defense which are fantastic and really gives you a feeling more than just what the movie wanted. It wanted me to feel icky watching Bundy. It didn't want me to feel icky watching Efron flawlessly deliver the lines that serial killer did years before. We have the film of his trial do we really need a reboot?
This wasn't a PSA with Zac Efron looking into the camera and explaining the tactics that he was using in every scene. You have to know and recognize them whenever he is speaking. I think most audiences will note the abuse in all of his relationships and how he manipulated people around him. Some won't. They will come out thinking that this was glamorizing murder trials and they won't be wrong.
GOOD STUFF:
This film might be one of the best portrayals of a serial killer. I won't get into spoilers but the ending is great and saves it from being a pure profit off of murder situation.
You have the question if the film is trying to make him seem innocent the entire time which seems bad but is great for storytelling. It makes you wonder about the evidence just like the people at the time did. Then it nails it with the acting in the judges chambers. Every actor in those scenes gives it their all, and with the actual script of those moments available they do a great job making it seem real when recreating it.
I had no idea that Efron could act in a serious role, but everything he says and all of his looks make you do a weird shiver as the movie goes on. Anyone could have fallen for a killer like Bundy and that is made clear from the entire experience. You trust Efron because he is a good looking guy who seems so sincere. Even though you know the ending you think, of course the law is against him, of course it's a conspiracy. That's what it wants you to think. He was charismatic, that's who he was and that is why Bundy was so deadly.
All in all a 6/10 and I wish I could have given it more. Hope I explained myself well.
IO (2019)
Good Concept Bad Execution
Although the concept is highly unrealistic, as climate change doesn't make the air poison (don't worry its just turning the ocean into acid), the concept is seemingly original and interesting. I saw the trailer and was intrigued enough to watch. I realized halfway through that this was going to be a pull-out-your-phone kind of movie. There are long stretches where you can look away for thirty minutes and not miss a single thing. There is little suspense in the story and the characters don't act like the movie established they should. There are action scenes that somehow put me to sleep. The costumes, scenery, and visuals are interesting to look at, but nothing to write home about. There are some comical moments where you can see an immaculate lawn or green vegetation in an area that it is established would be impossible.
The actors are decent, but don't have much to work with. It feels like the director was yelling, "more monotone, less passion!" The script is plodding and full of unnecessary mythology references that will go over most peoples heads and even having knowledge of the stories they were referencing I don't know how it applies. Either it is very complicated or so simple that I am overthinking it. I don't like to throw around the word 'pretentious' a lot, but this is certainly that at times. It is hard to explain without spoilers, but by around 2/3rds in people will understand what I mean.
All in all not a horrible movie, but not a good one. I feel with better direction and a more meaty script it could have fallen into a nice spot of an intriguing watch. It also has a very shove-climate-change-down-your-throat kind of attitude that even as someone who believes the scientists on climate change feels forced. The music is really good, but doesn't save it. This movie falls with a lot of Netflix movies into decent but disappointing.