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Popular movies I haven't bothered to watch.
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From (2022)
Brought to you by the people who got lost writing Lost.
Season 1 review......
I thought the first 8 episodes were great. A great premise and scary mystery. However, the last 2 episodes made me feel like it's a mystery to the writers as well. It really, really felt like they didn't know where they were going with this either.
Here's my theory. I think they might be characters in a video game. This is basic gameplay of Pocket God. Characters are dying and being replaced by new ones basically dropping in. Goats and chickens were easily located nearby to provide food. Electricity is coming from somewhere through wires that aren't even wires.
Dumb theory I know, but that's my guess so far.
The Batman (2022)
Realism may be flawed.
I've always thought that I wanted a realistic Batman. Nolan's Dark Knight was great. I didn't especially care for Burton's Batman and really disliked the older campy Batman. Here is the darkest and most realistic Batman we've seen and it exposed a flaw I hadn't anticipated - once you remove the campy, comic book characteristic of the villain you're just left with an emotional wrecked, mentally ill character. And I don't think it's good to have violent villains portrayed simply as mentally ill individuals who can't be reasoned with. Sure, Arkham has always been a part of Batman stories but here the Riddler is presented as an individual who has suffered enormously and at some point it broke him. He has no other motivations or backstory other than untreated mental illness.
I don't have a better idea. I don't know how the character could have been better written. I just worry that simply defining a character as a villain because he's mentally ill is too close to identifying a mentally ill person as a villain, just because.
Maybe that's just my take.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Not good enough.
I know we're talking about comic book spider-people, sorcerers, and angry doctors with mechanical arms, but I need the story to still be believable. It's okay if the characters are unbelievable. The strength of comic books is having those super characters in relatable situations. Doctor Strange is the protector of our reality, for him to jeopardize that and tweek reality because Ned and MJ weren't accepted into MIT is just not good enough.
I know this movie was written by somebody, produced by somebody else, directed by another person after that, but this movie is absolutely owned by Willem Dafoe. Amazing cast all around but Dafoe was on completely different level.
Fortitude (2015)
Hilarious
Overall it is a very good show, but I've just got to think I'm seeing it differently than everybody else.
It starts with the murder of someone well educated and very important (he's English). The local authorities are too preoccupied with having sex with everyone to do anything about it (they're Scandinavian). The imported, uneducated labor force is first suspected (they're Irish.) Until they finally zero in on a murder suspect/inept father (he is the only black guy on the island).
Thankfully, a seasoned but obnoxious detective shows up to save the investigation (he's American). Because the sex obsessed police chief is too consumed with the sluttiest girl on the island (she's Spanish).
I honestly expected the Germans to show up and tell them this happened because of their inferior engineering.
Watch it and see if I'm lying.
Magellan (2017)
I blame Jar Jar Abrams.
Not all science fiction movies are able to include massive sets, unlimited special effect budgets, and high paid actors.
I had the feeling that this movie was somebody's passion project. It is a compelling story that someone wanted to make into a great movie. I commend the idea and the effort. Having said that, sure, most of the sets just scream low budget and the acting is hit and miss. Still, I thought it was a very good movie that kept me interested throughout.
I recommend this movie if you are into real science fiction - the writers/director were obviously fans of Arthur Clarke and Carl Sagan. If you are more interested in bright flashy scenes with massive sets and space battles with exotic aliens that rely on blaring soundtracks rather than intelligent dialogue, check out Disney's recently acquired space drama instead.
Suicide Squad (2016)
No love out there for DC
I'm not one who buys in to conspiracy theories. I'm really not. I'm not a "fanboy." I'm 42 years old and am still learning which characters belong to Marvel or DC. Having said that, I just find it really bizarre how the DC movies are getting destroyed by critics and Marvel is always highly regarded. Of the three big comic book movies this year: BvS, Civil War, and now Suicide Squad - I felt all three were close in quality and would have a hard time ranking them. So to see the brutal reviews for Suicide Squad, I felt it was time to write another review. The movie is well paced with great action scenes. The characters aren't especially deep and the acting isn't that great but are adequate. Harley Quinn is the only character who I felt they really put effort into and works quite well. The Joker is good enough. They were wise to re-imagine the Joker after Ledger's performance and death. It was better to go in a new direction than try to recreate his performance. I especially enjoyed the introduction of each character with their background and abilities. Though the relationship between Flag and Moone/Enchantress felt hollow. Overall, I had a good time with it. I just can't fathom how it sits at 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's ridiculous.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
What's so civil about war anyway?
I know a lot of people won't like this opening statement: It had the same major problem as Batman vs. Superman.
We all knew from trailers, posters, and references to the Civil War story from the comics that the Avengers would break apart and fight it out. So, as with BvsS, the writers/directors were tasked with the considerable challenge of generating a creditable story to explain this conflict. They didn't do that. Sure there is good effort on their part, but they didn't succeed. When the punches, rockets, and arrows start flying we haven't reached a believable cause for all this.
The inclusion of Spiderman and Ant-Man are forced. They bring quality scenes and good humor but it just feels forced and unnecessary.
That said, the action scenes are great and highly entertaining.
Black Panther was good but could have been better. His character deserved a stand alone introduction rather than this.
Overall, it is a good movie but I wish the focus had been on a believable story and a Black Panther stand alone movie beforehand.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Tried really, really hard to like it. I guess I finally did.
There's a lot going on and a lot that I could write about but the big thing that has stayed with me is Affleck's performance. After the Dark Knight trilogy, this was a daunting role. I had read that Affleck was cast in part because of his physical stature. Christian Bale is a lean 6' tall. Affleck has a broader build and is nearly 6'4'. That may not sound like a big deal but it really is. Because this movie accomplished what I didn't think was possible - it made Bale's Batman look dated and underwhelming in hindsight.
My favorite element to the movie is the emotion brought to Bruce Wayne. In the Dark Knight trilogy we saw Wayne's dark past drive him to become Batman. In this version, we see Wayne as a haunted and tortured soul. Rather than "rising" up to be a hero, it feels like he is on a downward spiral and doing good while he still can.
Overall, there were lots of elements to the story that were really a stretch or predictable. We knew the characters would end up in a big fight. We knew Kryptonite would play a crucial part. We knew they would end up best buddies afterward. It's difficult to have a truly great story when so many elements are obvious going in. Snyder did well enough, but not great.
I was skeptical of Jessie Eisenberg. He's proved time and time again to be a great actor but I initially worried he was miscast. The first couple of scenes didn't alleviate my concerns but by the end I felt he really brought something new to the role and was one of the standouts.
It's one of those frustrating movies where it's easy pick it apart. I wished this and that had been better, or this element had been different. Still, I think it's a good movie and am excited to see where they go from here.
Nightmare Next Door (2011)
America's Funniest Home Murders
This is the most bizarre show. The overall production is done well enough until music and narration are added. It's really like watching America's Funniest Home Videos narration desperately trying to find the most pathetic jokes while a hideous crime and the subsequent investigation is detailed. The music does match at all either. It is often some upbeat or flighty song playing while the crime scene and murder is shown. What in the world? Discovery does so many good things. How could this horrible production get past them? I really hate it because the stories themselves are very interesting and while you're developing an emotional connection to the victim's family this ridiculous narration and music is playing. It's extremely disrespectful.
Dark Matter (2015)
It may be cheap and Canadian, but it's good.
I don't claim to be a critic of great taste, but I was surprised to see poor reviews for this show. I think it's great. Sure, the sets and special effects are a little limited but it doesn't take away from the overall quality.
In describing this show I've been telling people that it's brought to you by people who are apparently still aggravated that Firefly was canceled.
If you want you could find a million points of comparisons between Dark Matter and Firefly but Dark Matter is unique enough that it doesn't feel like a rip off. Fans of science fiction should definitely give this one a look.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Days of Past Future Present Now Then Soon
First off, I know it's a fiction movie about people with super powers. But the story still has to make some sense.
The only redeeming quality to the movie is the special effects and actions scenes. The acting is wooden. The dialog is mediocre. And the total premise of the story simply doesn't work or make any sense.
I had already heard about continuity problems but I tried to overlook them. I couldn't and it really took away from the experience. The frequent flashes between Logan in the past and the future battle between the X-Men and the Sentinels doesn't make a bit a sense. Had Logan been successful in the past, that time line would have ceased the moment he went back. Had he failed, then he would have failed and the Sentinels would have killed them all. That dual battle showing the past and future battles was lazy, uninspired writing.
I also thought Singer went out of his way to take shots at the movies/directors since his last X-Men movie. Last Stand killed off Jean Grey and Cyclops - nope, altered time line changes that. Logan loses his Adamantium claws in The Wolverine - nope, changed that and provided no explanation. In First Class, Charles is paralyzed in 1962 - nope, taking a shot now that makes his legs work.
Overall, I have to think this was just a platform to get both casts together and not near enough effort went into writing a good and believable story.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Long winded but not as bad as the reviews.
First off, I grew up with the original cartoon series. If a critic didn't rush home like I did and religiously watch the original series, I can't take their review serious.
I agree this movie would have been much better if they had found 10 to 15 minutes to cut out. The action over the last hour is great, but it's like that feeling you get when you know you ate too many sweets.
I liked the Lockdown character. I thought the voice and appearance were great. Galvatron was a little underwhelming. I didn't like the idea of him being a rogue created by humans. Hopefully they build more depth in his character next movie. The dinobot thing worked well enough. In truth, the dinobots never had a great background story anyway and this flowed well enough to get them into the action. Optimus' beat down of Grimlock probably seemed out of place to many viewers, but in truth, it was as bit of a acknowledgment of the original series that probably went over their head.
I think Mark Wahlberg is an upgrade. Stanley Tucci and Kelsey Grammar's characters are both a little thin, but they're always worth watching and really deliver despite the marginal quality writing.
One thing that I felt really stood out is that the main character in this movie is finally Optimus Prime. He had obviously been a major character in the first three movies, but he is finally the star. Not just a big, blowing things up star, but the actual main character in the story. I'm hoping that carries through to the next.
As with most things, it's not as bad as they say.